How do you know the Bible isn't God's Word?

[Poison Tree]

Whatever the role of the serpent was, it was created for that purpose by the bibical god.  BTW, Satan/The Devil was a creation of the bibical god.  So, if evil is supposed to flow from that source, it was a source created by god and god must be happy with that part of his creation since he allows it to exist.

Oh, absolutely. But it is even worse with the serpent being an actual serpent. First, it stops apologists from trying to kick the ball into the long grass by blaming everything on Satan's free will. Secondly, it demands an explanation for the talking serpent. Serpents don't talk. Loosing the power of speech is not listed as a punishment for the serpent. Did god specially endow this serpent with speech? Specifically to tempt Eve? And then punish it and its descendants for doing what god commanded?

[Baruch]

Then why call it God?

I define Hillary as omnipotent.  The D candidate wasn't omnipotent ... so that candidate wasn't the real Hillary.

I love it when materialists pontificate on metaphysics.  It is like the Pope pontificating on marriage.

[Baruch]

Oh, absolutely. But it is even worse with the serpent being an actual serpent. First, it stops apologists from trying to kick the ball into the long grass by blaming everything on Satan's free will. Secondly, it demands an explanation for the talking serpent. Serpents don't talk. Loosing the power of speech is not listed as a punishment for the serpent. Did god specially endow this serpent with speech? Specifically to tempt Eve? And then punish it and its descendants for doing what god commanded?

So are you now going to quote predestination to us?  That G-d created the serpent, and Eve and Adam.  And they are sock puppets for G-d, the serpent, and Eve and Adam all did exactly what G-d wanted them to do (for real), and then G-d punished them for being sock puppets?

Muslims have a different story of Satan's fall, and it is just as fictional.  Why aren't you all arguing about Harry Potter?

[Baruch]

If it's the Jewish golum you're referencing, should the word be capitalized? I wonder if Adam would have been a golum?

Good question ... Adam was certainly a golem (no, it isn't a name, it is a type).  Gollum is the specific guy from Lord of the Rings.  In rabbinic myth, a golem is a homunculus made of clay (Adam means made of earth).  A rabbi activates it by placing the secret name of G-d, on a scroll, and attaches it to the forehead of the homunculus.  Not as powerful as G-d creating Adam, but basically a medieval version of a robot, like Gort, who protects the Jewish community.  Of course it always goes awry, being even more imperfect than Adam.  And it has to be destroyed by removing the scroll from its forehead.  Of course this is the origin of the Mary Shelly story ... she updated for the German Enlightenment.  Frankenstein is an actual village in German Silesia, before WW II.  AI, scifi robotics, autonomous vehicles are the up to date version of human hubris, and Jewish magic.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golem

[Mike Cl]

Oh, absolutely. But it is even worse with the serpent being an actual serpent. First, it stops apologists from trying to kick the ball into the long grass by blaming everything on Satan's free will. Secondly, it demands an explanation for the talking serpent. Serpents don't talk. Loosing the power of speech is not listed as a punishment for the serpent. Did god specially endow this serpent with speech? Specifically to tempt Eve? And then punish it and its descendants for doing what god commanded?

That does seem very god like, doesn't it? :)

[Baruch]

That does seem very god like, doesn't it? :)

You judge G-d, G-d judges you.  Fair, isn't it?

[Mike Cl]

So are you now going to quote predestination to us?  That G-d created the serpent, and Eve and Adam.  And they are sock puppets for G-d, the serpent, and Eve and Adam all did exactly what G-d wanted them to do (for real), and then G-d punished them for being sock puppets?

for the christian god how else could it be?

[Baruch]

If the OP (bfiddy100) stated this opinion, then I don't see how the mention of it could be considered a straw man, since the OP obviously holds that belief.

Not only the OP is posting here.

[Baruch]

for the christian god how else could it be?

1000 forms of Christianity.  Which god?  Jesus the blond blue eyed hillbilly cat fishing buddy who handles rattlesnakes on Sunday?

I understand you only know fire breathing Baptists in your youth, but you have to lay off the fire water.

[Mike Cl]

You judge G-d, G-d judges you.  Fair, isn't it?

I hope you know that your G-d, or any god, is simply a fiction.  So, as I can do with any fiction, I can judge it.  And I find your fictional G-d to be just that--fictional; and not that good of a fiction at that. 

[Blackleaf]

Not only the OP is posting here.

Are you arguing in favor of the legitimacy of the Bible, or are you just derailing the thread?

[Mike Cl]

!000 forms of Christianity.  Which god?  Jesus the blond blue eyed hillbilly cat fishing buddy who handles rattlesnakes on Sunday?

I understand you only know fire breathing Baptists in your youth, but you have to lay off the fire water.

Wait a minute--that's my question.

[Mike Cl]

Are you arguing in favor of the legitimacy of the Bible, or are you just derailing the thread?

come now--derailing, of course.

[Baruch]

I hope you know that your G-d, or any god, is simply a fiction.  So, as I can do with any fiction, I can judge it.  And I find your fictional G-d to be just that--fictional; and not that good of a fiction at that.

The President is a fiction (the office) .. the person in it is playing a role, like King Lear in a play.  The person is real, the role is not.  So the President can't have you arrested, because a fiction can't do that?  Well when a fiction is embodied (as a person who has assumed office) they can throw your butt in jail.  G-d is embodied, that is the real truth behind Christianity, that Judaism and Islam are in denial about.  Not that Christians understand what they have.  They allowed Greek atheist philosophers to define what theology is.

[Baruch]

Are you arguing in favor of the legitimacy of the Bible, or are you just derailing the thread?

If you know me, you know i agree that the Bible is wrong.  All human writings are.  All humans are.  We are not the Truth, we are the Lie.  Spawn of Satan himself.  And no, I don't think I am derailing the thread.  I don't agree with the OP, I am a heretic.

But I may have been awkward in my choice of words ... what I meant was, there is only one OP, but more than the OP is posting here.  I wasn't arguing that this was my string.