Doug Mason Profile

Which shows that truth is irrelevant and that there is no reason for complaining that other groups also are teaching errors. Doug (Yesterday | post #37)

How was Jesus born without sin?

I wonder which of the early Church Fathers these and these other ideas come from. Doug (Yesterday | post #7)

The Word of God

DJ, 2 Peter is falsely attributed as being written by Peter, so why should I believe it? Read the history of the formulation of the two canons. The Hebrew Canon was not finalised until the 2nd Century CE, while the Greek Canon has never been formally formalised, apart from the RC Church which adopted its list of books in the 16th century. The traditionally accepted list of 27 NT books was produced by the 4th century Roman Church by the state-sanctioned dominant sect. The list of books would have looked totally different had another sect won out. I suspect SDAs would have preferred the Ebionites to have produced the NT. Even Codex Siniaticus includes one book that is not included in the current listing. There have been so many changes to the text - deliberate and accidental - that it is not known exactly what the original writers wrote. If this is "God's Word" then why did he do nothing to prevent its corruption over time. (Compare also differences between the versions of the LXX, MT, Theodotion, etc.). There have been many changes to the NT (compare the Textus Receptus against Westcott-Hort). The NIV says it worked from several sources. Imagine what Christian teachings would have been like if Paul's opponents had had their way (which SDAs would applaud). See what Christian teachings would be like if Paul was ignored and only the Gospels were invoked. Little wonder that scholars speak of Christianity being Paul's invention. Doug (Friday | post #6)

Expecting the end 2000 years ago?

The John who wrote it addressed it to the people of his own times. He specifically states so at the start and he specifically states at the end that he fully expected Jesus' coming to be "soon" - in his own times. Compare Revelation with the other surviving Apocalypses written at that time. When the 4th century Roman Church decided on its own list of "NT" books, Revelation and Hebrews barely scraped through. The latter was finally accepted because some (incorrectly as it turns out) thought that Paul wrote it. They made similar mistakes with a number of other writings they put into the NT - and which the WTS accepts. Have you ever wondered what the NT would have looked like if the Roman Emperor had decided to support one of the other Christian sects (Ebionites, etc.,etc.) Doug (Friday | post #10)

The Original Ten Commandments are in HEAVEN!!

Why is the Bible your sole authority? Doug (Friday May 17 | post #281)

The Original Ten Commandments are in HEAVEN!!

Time travels at a different speed away from earth's surface. That's the reason those GPS satellites have to have their times adjusted. Doug (Friday May 17 | post #280)

That is no explanation. Doug (Friday May 17 | post #33)

Prov 27:11 - Are God and the Devil on speaking terms?!

A slight correction to my post, AB: I reread the excellent Summary to Kelly's book and I see that the current populist image is fundamentally due to Origen. Douh (Wednesday May 15 | post #4)

What people believe on Life after Death

I guess these myths help people cope with the realities of life. For that reason, if what they think helps them manage, then leave them to their fanciful dreams, whatever they might be. In Matthew, was "the kingdom of God" a political empire that would overthrow the Roman oppressors? (Just a question). Matthew, of course would have been written by people who were aligned with the Jewish sect of the christian movement, opposed to Paul and his antinomanism. Modern Christianity was invented by the people who followed Paul. Doug (Wednesday May 15 | post #2)

God allowed False Prophecy of 1844

How is it possible for "time" in heaven to be synchronised with time on earth? Is heaven a clone planet with an identical rotation about its sun that is synchronised with our time? If there is a literal "sanctuary " in heaven, what does it symbolise? Doug (Wednesday May 15 | post #3)

Prov 27:11 - Are God and the Devil on speaking terms?!

The concept of Satan is quite different in the OT compared the image developed in the recent Middle Ages. For example, "Lucifer " means "Morning Star", which is the planet Venus. At Rev 22:16, Jesus says he is the "Morning Star". For a presentation on the historical evolution, read: "Satan: A Biography", Henry Ansgar Kelly. I highly recommend it. It answers your question. Doug (Wednesday May 15 | post #2)

SDA = Victim of CHURCHIANITY

From start to finish, the Scriptures use the word "blood" throughout to mean "death", and usually a violent one. The concept that "the death of the Anointed One" saves an individual is a concept that comes from Paul, the inventor of Christianity. The Jewish idea of "salvation " was purely political, where their nation would be rescued from their oppressors and they would be restored to the position they believed was their right. Doug (Tuesday May 14 | post #5)

wake up witnesses, STOP THE LIES!!!!

The Jews took centuries before deciding on the list of writings they considered acceptable ("OT"). The process is not fully understood but it was broadly concluded in the 3rd century CE, In the 4th century CE, the dominant section of Christianity created the list of 27 books that make up the accepted canon ("NT"). Since that section of the Christian community was allied with Paul, the writings that dominate their list feature was by him or attributed to him. He did not write, for example 2 Thess, Colossians, Ephesians, or the Pastoral letters. If another community (Ebionites, Marcionites, or Gnostics) had been the dominant and state-sanctioned Christian community, the list of accepted writings would have been very different. The Ebionites would possibly have given us the Gospel of Peter, the Acts of Peter, the Apocalypse of Peter. These writings are known to have existed. The dominant Church destroyed many of the writings of their opponents. The victor write the history. There is no record of Jesus writing anything. Perhaps he was illiterate, like the vast majority of that section of the community. None of his fishermen followers would have been literate, let alone be able to pen the Gospels in Greek. We have no idea who wrote the Gospels attributed to Matthew and so on. Their names were associated with those Gospels in order to get them accepted. It is ironic that the WTS should accept the list of NT books that was created by the section of the Christian community that also created their doctrine of the Trinity. Doug (Tuesday May 14 | post #7)

eagleye2, What was "a sign" in Matthew 24? All I see is that he warned against "deceivers " who would say they are "Christ" - that is the "Anointed one". I see him telling his disciples that they had to stop concerning themselves with news about wars, earthquakes and famines, or with people saying that he had already returned in secret or in the desert (which was happening at the time, and ever since). I do not see him saying that the wars would be small or large, or whether there would be many nations involved, or that there would be any increase in casualties (BTW. the worst casualty rate were in the middle ages, including the 100 years war and the English civil war). Or that the earthquakes would be large or small, with many casualties or few. He failed to mention tornadoes, AIDS, electrocutions, murders rates, vehicle accidents or industrial accidents. All he said was: watch out for deceivers -- and stop listening to those who would like to use bad things such as wars as an indication that he had come. Of course the WTS only moved to 1914 some 16 years later. None of them had seen the events at that time as significant. They were still teaching that the Parousia had taken place in 1874. Of course the significant date for the GB is 1919. Prove that the events took place exactly as the GB says. Doug (Monday May 13 | post #29)