Could this really have happened?

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We can't, so why claim it is one or the other?

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But that's the point why your western example is no good - we do know that much of the stuff said about the period was either wrong or constructed as part of the mythology in a later time period.For example it's common in westerns for people to be firing off two guns at the same time - it never happened. Oh sure people might carry two pistols but it was virtually impossible to fire one of those more than ten feet - firing two would actually decrease your accurancy! Same with the guy firing by tugging the hammer with his hands for rapid fire - total rubbish.Ninjas are another good examples were most of the common knowledge about them is bunk - but that's a story for another time

The topic is, could this have happened. I am saying yes it could have. We can't prove it either way. You seem to agree.The texts we are reading from are thousands of years old, so we don't know how much of it could have been constructed or not. But they have been the same for thousands of years at least. Again I remind you that some of the stories, and points made in the OT are way over generalized, and are told to make specific points. That is why it is so bad to take these stories out of context, and then try to over analize them to the point that they no longer become true. Then you miss the point.I can totally believe in the classic shoot-out. The fight could have been an evolution of facing off with swords, or fencing? I do not think that every shoot-out went this way.To me it is possible, because it could have been the accepted way of doing things. If you didn't then I could see people being outraged, and killing off the person who wasn't following the rules. I guess it all depends how ruthless the gunslinger was, and what they were fighting over.I challenge you to a duel, ninja style!
j/k

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I can totally believe in the classic shoot-out.

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But so what? There is no evidence for it - there is not a single account of any of the famous gunslingers ever being involved in such a practice. I'm not saying it never never never happened but it was in no way a common practice or one that most people would be familar with. It's "classic" in the sense that it's mostly a fictional construct. It's totally misleading to suggest otherwise.

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The fight could have been an evolution of facing off with swords, or fencing? I do not think that every shoot-out went this way.

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Good because they didn't.

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To me it is possible, because it could have been the accepted way of doing things. If you didn't then I could see people being outraged, and killing off the person who wasn't following the rules.

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But that never happened - that's just a construct of "I could see", it's nothing at all to do with historical records of the time.See the problem with this - is that you have decided "it sounds good to me" is a valid basis to proceed and that means it's both possible and probable. With no research or understanding of the historical records. You even use the word Gunslinger - a word that did not exist until 1928!I'm starting to have an idea of how Brian generally feels.....Let's leave it there but you might want to more critically think about how you consider history and historical records. Your understanding seems to be build entirely upon westerns and the myths created in dime novels of the 1890s (and then carried forward).

Yes, you can totally believe in that. You, or someone, can totally believe in the parting of the Red Sea, or that the Sun moved backwards in the sky, or that Jonah was swallowed by a whale, or the Gabriel spoke to Mohammed, or that Apollo brought plagues down on the Greeks at Troy, or that light is a form of waves in an invisible ether.Samson is a tall tale that makes some points and has a clever plot twist. They shaved his hair to subdue him but then in time his hair grew out and the revenge was done. The Jews like all humans I know of are story tellers. They hand these things down like the exploits of Arthur, or Pecos Bill, or Coyote. What it isn't is a an accurate journalistic fact only account of history. That's all. It's a story and one that offers several possibly edifying understandings or messages but it's not history or fact though it might have grown out of some real incident it's been improved in the telling.lfen

I never said it was, so I don't know why your telling me this. I am not a literalists.However there was misconceptions of the tale, whether it was fake or not. He did not get his power back from his hair growning back, and there was a covenant made between him and God, that gave him his strength, and the symbol of it was his hair. We of course cannot relate to this anymore, because the Holy Spirit is with us now, thanks to Jesus, and we no longer need to make convenants with God to be with Him, or experience His strength. I believe this true for everyone regardless of what you believe, in fact it may be what drives your disbelief, if you don't. The OP is "could this have happened." I am saying yes, it could have.Do I think it did? Who cares, has little to do with why I believe in God. I come from a school of thought that is "anything is possible". It is a humble position.

riverrat writes

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We can't, so why claim it is one or the other?

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In the case of cowboys, we do know. In the case of missing pyramids, the reason we would dismiss it off hand if there wasn't any evidence at all of their existance is because we'd be asking ourselves, "is it more likely that these giant structures just magically disappeared and noone ever bothered to record about them or is it more likely that they never existed?"If we have to give equal consideration to every fantastic myth out there... you get the idea.

riverrat writes

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I come from a school of thought that is "anything is possible". It is a humble position.

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From what I have seen in your posts, you are anything but "anything is possible" type of person or humble.

The skeptics version of I come from a school of thought that is "anything is possible". It is a humble position. is "don't be so open-minded that your brain falls out".

I was thinking you were taking a literalist position. Sorry about that. I googled a bit on Nazarites and have a superficial idea of what was involved but enough to know that it's a much more complex subject. Hadn't known about that aspect of Judaism.Still the hair growing back seems a bit of plot twist that some one put into the story and as plot twists go it's not a bad one at all.I'm not sure what to say about the "anything is possible" approach. I think that it's important to be open but to balance openess with a critical skepticism to avoid being taken in and there are lots sources out there and in the brain function itself that can take us in.lfen

Then why does the Bible even mention his hair growing back? The implication seems clear that it was the hair and the prayer.Anyway, the Philistines thought his power came from his hair. They might not have anticipated his ability to pray without benefit of clergy, but they ought to have noticed the hair.

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Maybe it's you then.

OF course not, but the other extreme is living your life according to how we think things are, and then all of a sudden, they aren't that way anymore. We never stop learning, that's what I have learned.

It's not a plot twist, it is consistency with where we draw our strength from. His hair grew back, but his strength did not until he call out to the Lord for it.I experience the same thing in my life with the Lord. That is why I can find this story possible.Psalm 29:11 Yahweh will give strength to his people. Yahweh will bless his people with peace.

It was from his hair. But not the hair itself. That was just a symbol. He betrayed God as soon as he told the woman his secret.

I'm not arguing with your interpretation.What I'm saying is that the Philistines didn't know it was just a symbol. They didn't know that Samson's power came from God - they didn't even believe that Samson's God was the real God. They thought it was all about the hair.So why would they just let it grow back? Huge plot hole.

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