I can appreciate your skepticism, and I agree that many people have invented gods to make them feel better.

I did not seek God to give meaning to my life, God gave meaning to my life when I found Him. I sought God because I was in awe of his creation and Jesus’ teaching.

But without going into a long discussion here I will just say that the God who created the universe is not an invention of man. I won’t try to prove it here because it would take too much time. Just look into the website I inlcuded in the last comment. It has more than enough facts to keep you occupied.

One question I have for you: Can you reference the Pi comment you keep making? I would like to see where in the Bible it says that.

Your entire argument is speculative. Do you fear death enough to make up wild stories? Do you fear that the Bible is true and make wild accusations about Biblical facts? Im not sure where the reference to pi came from, but let me state clearly: The Bible is not a science textbook, it is not a repository for empirical data accumulated by observation and experimentation. You are missing the point entirely if you think the Bible will give a scientist an acceptable argument for HOW things are done. It does however give us reasons for WHY things happen, as in their real meaning. Science may be a good tool for us to describe our world, but it falls short in giving us meaning to our lives. The truth you ascribe to science is simply the result of our observations about the natural world, which are limited by the tools we have for observing and our ability to understand what we are observing.

What science cannot tell us is actually more important, and thats the reason the Bible exists.

But if you want all the answers to your scientific questions about the Bible here is a good place to start: http://www.doesgodexist.org/

Rex

“.. after all we in this day and age make up all sorts of outlandish ideas about what happens after death.”

Yep.And thousands of years ago,when the life expectancy was mid-30’s,perhaps the fear of death was even more potent,and they made up some outlandish ideas of their own.
I think you’re being disingenuous describing yourself as a scientist though Bri.The point of science is that it the only tool we have for discovering truth…that is,by accepting as fact only those things that we have evidence for.You say:
“That doesnt change the facts that are taught in the Bible, and if some scripture is hard to understand and can be interpreted different ways then God will make it clear at the end.”
but there is very little fact in the bible.It gets the value of ‘pi’ wrong for a start,and supports a flat earth.God will make it clear in the end?When we’re dead?What did he write the book for then?Why not write it a bit more clearly,and take out some of the murder and genocide?There are some lovely parts of the bible,don’t get me wrong,but the resurrection is surely exactly the sort of thing that a pre-scientific people would invent to assuage their fear of the unknown?You chaps seem to be saying “we dont know whats going to happen,how we will be resurrected,but it will happen”.I respectfully suggest that it would be more honest to just say that you do not know what happens when we die.Benoverby…it is not wishthinking to admit this.That we do not know.Its just honesty.
Well,there’s a lunar eclipse on Thursday.Should be very beautiful/impressive,check it out.Thousands of years ago they thought this kind of thing was a sign or portent from god.They would be afraid,some might sacrifice a few unfortunates to appease the gods.These days we know a little more,and can appreciate the wonder of the cosmos,without attributing it to supernatural agent,or pretending to know things that we cannot.Lets learn a bit more of astronomy/biology before we decide we ‘just know’ things eh?
Peace

Seeking Shalom,
Bobby Valentine

I am not certain where your misconception is coming from. As I understand it there was great disagreement in the first century among the Jews as to whether there was a resurrection at all. This idea flies in the face of most other religions that teach that an incorporeal being is freed from the physical body at death. some of the scriptures you cited actually lend more support to the idea of a resurrection of somekind. Whether or not Jesus will put back together the old body we had molecule by molecule, or just give us a new body, remains to be seen. I dont think the Bible tells us clearly what the resurrection body will be, just that it will be different in many aspects.

So I dont viwe the Biblical accounts as superstitious fear of death, after all we in this day and age make up all sorts of outlandish ideas about what happens after death. One of those being the idea that there is a bodiless spirit, made of “energy” that rises to “Heaven” as in Maria Shriver’s book that NT Wright talks about.

As a scientist myself it makes more sense that God would recreate the body in some fashion, and not just scoop out the “soul” of a person. After all he did create us in the beginning to have a personal relationship to him in the physical body we have now. The decay and death that comes to all of us now is the result of sin and being banished from Eden where the tree of life was.

As to my preference, I have none! I would be content to be with God in whatever form he chooses. That doesnt change the facts that are taught in the Bible, and if some scripture is hard to understand and can be interpreted different ways then God will make it clear at the end.

As to those who were cremated: Can God reconstitute a human body? yes. Can he create a new one out of nothing? Yes. He can do all these things so it doesnt really matter what happens. God can make a physical resurrection body, he can make us beings of an enirely different sort. Does it make a difference regarding our response to God’s message? Either way we still need Jesus, and God still offers grace to all who believe.

Live NT Wright. Good stuff.

Mantecanaut,

How is resurrection any more wish thinking than the “wish thinking” of those who want to believe that after death there is nothing?