Do you find Christmas spiritual?

[BigJohn]

Originally Posted by davidsun

Well, maybe not in your Bible, clearly-not-inhabiting-the-same reality-scenario-as-me BJ but in mine, which is the King James translation, it clearly says: "There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead." and also "Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."


The idea of a 'punishing' and/or 'rewarding' 'God' is the result of people antropomorphizing the 'nature' of 'Reality', ThatMan. A River (in this case The Flow of Life) simply 'negatively' reinforces those 'molecules' that that go against its flow and 'positively' reinforces those that flow with It.

BJ's notion of what's said in the Bible about how 'God' (i.e. The Flow of Life) operates and his consequent pronouncements are a "blind man's buff" therefore, IMO.

Older versions of the King James Bible have problems and some of them are serious in nature. I recommend using the New King James version which has eliminated most of those problems. The first scripture you quoted dealing with hell is Luke 16:23 from an earlier version of the King James Bible. It reads:

"And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom."

The New King James Bible reads:

"And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom."

In the New King James Bible, hell was removed and the proper word, Hades, was rightfully included.