Choosing a faith

Phat, I have been really busy the past ten days or so.
Today was the first for me to see that the other post has
been locked down.I did not get to make my last reply. So here it is.You insist that it is "nonsense" to make the assertion that
we can become members of God's family.Phat, this is not my claim. This is what the Apostles who
wrote the Bible assert, and very strongly, with words
that could not be any clearer.Dozens of times the Apostles state emphatically than we
can become the "sons" of God.Jesus, who created us, states that He is pleased to call us
brethren (plural for brother). I had five brothers; they are
all dead now, but they are members of my family.Romans 8 states the the universe is in a state of decay. It
is longing for the "children of God" to come into our glory.Read, very carefully, all of Roman 8. We as the son of God,
with full access to His Holy Spirit, will go about restoring
the universe to unimaginable beauty.Like Him, we will work. We will have countless angels
under us. We will be far greater than angels, and we will
rule over them.The angels, including Satan, never had access to the Holy
Spirit. We will have total access to it.In 2 Corinthians 6:18 God states "I will be a Father unto
you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the
Lord Almighty."Who should I believe here? You or God.Do you think that God was confused about our
relationship with Him?Jesus loves us so much that He died a horrible death in
order to spare us eternal death.I would give my life in order to save my wife, my sons, and
my grandkids. They are members of my family.I would not give my life for those who are not members of
my family. I would risk my life, but I would not give it for
them.The Prophets, Apostles, and others who were called by
God, had power to heal the sick and to raise the dead.
Angels were never given this power.Luke 24:49 states that the Apostles were to wait to be
endowed with power (Holy Spirit) from on high.Acts 1:5 states that they were to be baptized with the
the Holy Spirit. They were to receive the very essence of
God's divine nature.There are dozens of verses that states we can become
the very sons of God. And, that He will be our father.Why is it that God led these men to use terms that are
clearly connected with family and endearment if this were
not His intention?

Phat, I tried to. It would not let me.I don't understand why you should be upset with me.
I post my sources, especially my Biblical sourced, when
I post.I will say nothing else about this on the subject at hand.I know that you won't answer, and I don't expect you to.But, if we cannot become sons of God, and if we cannot
become members of His family, then what exactly will
our relationship with Him be?Evolutionists on this forum can laugh at creationists, but
when someone makes fun of their precious Darwin they
suddenly become very defensive.I can take what anyone says about me, and I can tolerate
what others call me because I believe in what I write.It should work both ways.

Tangle, someone else did think of evolution. Darwin
stole the idea from his grandfather.Darwin, who thought that the simple cell was filled with
a jelly-like substance, had no idea about the science of
epigenetics.He based an entire concept on the varying sizes of the
beaks and feet of finches.Most competent geneticists and biologists today know
that organisms are pre-programmed to adapt to new
environments in a few generations.The Creator created them to do so. Random chance has
nothing to do with it.Epigenetics states that genes can be influenced by
behavior and environment (diets).And that physical/chemical codes determine which genes
are switched on.This is why finches have varying beak sizes and why
some mice grow longer legs than other, based on
location, etc...Epigenetics are reversible and does not change the DNA.Life has never been observed to come from non-life.There is no known observable process by which
information can be added to the genetic code of
organisms. This is not a minor issue. It is imperative.I get annoyed by those who claim that evolution is a
proven fact, supported by science.I get annoyed when evolutionists cannot give examples
of life coming from non-life.I get annoyed by evolutionists who insist that all
organisms evolved from a common ancestor, especially
since they are unable to prove (not guess-guess work is
not science) an observable process whereby
information can be added to the genetic code of an
organism.In order to state that evolution is the process by which
all organisms descended from a single ancestor they
must prove this assertion with observable processes.I am not looking for respect. Everyone who matters to me
respects me.I am defending the God whom I serve. He is all that
matters to me.

Phat, what Pope Francis or Malcolm Brown believes or
doesn't believe means nothing to me.The Holy Bible has final say regarding all issues.If the Genesis account in chapters 1 through 11 are not
to be taken literally, how can we regard any of the Bible
literally?If Genesis is simply metaphor, how can we be certain that
the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus are not metaphors?Which of the Prophets, Apostles, and other Biblical
characters knew about the true origins of man?Were they all in the dark?What was God metaphorically trying to say in Genesis 2:22,
when He stated that Eve was taken from Adam?What was Paul metaphorically trying to say in
1Timothy 2:11-15, when He wrote that Adam was first
formed, then Eve.Recently, a noted TE stated that Noah's flood was not a
worldwide flood. He went on to say that the flood was
confined to a small area.He actually believes that Noah spent decades building a
massive Ark, and filling it with animals in order to survive
the regionalized flood.Why didn't Noah and his family just move to another
location in order to evade the flood?As I said, TE's believe that chapters 1-11 in Genesis are
to be taken metaphorically.The Apostle Peter states in both his books that the
global flood happened.The scriptures from the very first to the last treat the
creation account as having actually occurred.I am not finished with my reply to your post. I will
continue after taking care of some animals. I want you
to fully understand why I dismiss this so adamantly.

Phat, once again I stress "no transitional fossils."Genesis speaks of a finished creation, in which God said
that all was good.He then rested from His work. This carries the meaning
of a finished act.According to evolutionists of all disciplines, it is not
finished. We have been evolving ever since God told
this big lie. We are evolving even now, according to TE'sTE's straddle the fence. They are mocked and laughed
at by atheists. And they are not taken seriously by those
who accept the literal interpretation of Genesis.If the creation account in Genesis are to be taken
metaphorically, who gets to determine the meanings.
Does the actual meaning have any significance?Darwin, who was a disillusioned preacher, became
an atheist. Darwinism is atheism.Evolution has no direction, goal, or purpose.Evolution states that death is a natural process. Paul
states that death is our enemy.Evolutionists have a strong belief that the universe and
all it's inhabitants and organisms are moving upward.The Bible stresses that sin entered a perfect world,
which leads to death and decay. Romans 8.One must believe in one or the other.Romans 5:12 ..."by one man sin entered into the world,
and death by sin; and so death passed upon all me..."Romans 5:14 "Sin reigned from Adam to Moses, even
over them that had not sinned after the similitude of
Adam's transgression, who is the figure of Him that is
to come."1 Corinthians 15:21 "For since by man came death,
by man came also the resurrection of the dead."22. "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be
made alive."1 Corinthians 15: 45 "The first man Adam was made a
living soul."The Bible states, without the slightest hint of ambiguity,
that Adam was the first man. And that death entered the
world through him.We know that death has been with us from the very
beginning of time.TE's are forced to accept the premise Adam was in
actuality a humanoid that existed long before homo-
erectus.Sticking with this line of reasoning, can we assume that
all creatures, especially pre-homo sapiens, were created
in the image of God?And, if not, why not?Did Jesus give His life, assuming that He actually were
crucified, for beings other than man?Will finish later.

Phat, I wonder if TE's think that apes, not man as they
see them today, were the the ones made in the image
of God.I'm serious!!!Genesis records that plants and animals reproduce after
their own kind, with absence of a common ancestor.How do TE's know that this is not what Genesis really means?How do they know when to take an assertion factually or
metaphorically?Why is Eve called the mother of all living?Why does Paul state in 1 Corinthians 15:39 "All flesh is
not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men,
another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another
of birds."The ones who know that Paul is speaking metaphorically,
and not literally, must be super, super, intelligent.Why does Paul say in Romans 1: 20 that all of this is
clearly seen.It is impossible to clearly something, if nothing that the
Bible states as facts are actually facts.Remember no transitional fossils.Of what use is the Bible if it is not authoritative, and full
of binding truths?Why would Jesus say that humans are of much more
value than many sparrows?Why would John tell us in 5:45-47 to trust and believe in
the writings of Moses.Why would we believe in the writing of Moses if we
cannot even understand it?When the OT records that "life is in the blood," or that
God ordered the Israelites to bury their fecal matter, and
that those with infectious diseases should be
quarantined, and that running water is much more
effective than still water for purifying the hands, how did
they know what He actually meant?If each day of creation amounts to eons of time how could
plant life which appeared on the third day survive for tens,
Or hundreds of millions of years without the sun, which
they say appeared on the fourth day?Also, how could the plants and trees survive without the
birds and insects, which appeared on the fifth day to
pollinate them?These are monumental questions.Why does the Bible record that each day had an evening
and a morning?If each day were comprised of eons of time a more
appropriate rendering would be evenings and mornings.There is much more than this, but it should not take more.

Tangle, I do believe in the Bible, and I do not mind being
called a fool.I know that atheists, and even partial believers, insist that
the Bible, especially the OT, and more specifically the
first five books written by Moses, is pure fiction.They claim that not a word of it is true.Steward R.A. Macalister began evacuation a site in Gezer,
in 1902. Gezer is located between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.What drew his interest was the tips of twelve standing
stones. He unearthed the large stone.Located at the base of each stone were clay jars that
contained the burned remains of children, who had been
buried ritually.In front of the standing stones was a large stone, with a
flat top, and a basin in which to catch blood.On the altar was the skeletal upper half of a young girl,
perhaps six or seven years old, who had been sawed
asunder.Nearby he found the decapitated heads of two young
kids. Portions of their severed neck vertebraes were
attached.This had been a "High place" of the Amorites. The
Amorites were the strongest tribe of the Canaanites.A Canaanite high place is a place of sacrifice and
worship.A short distance from the altar Macalister unearthed a
cave containing another altar and jars filled with the
burned remains of infants.The cave also contained a heaping pile of burned
human bones.Macalister unearthed numerous idols, consisting of
many bronze serpents, representing the chief Canaanite
God, Molech

Tangle, in 1902, Stewart R.A. Macalister began excavation
on a hill in Gezer. Gezer is located between Tel Aviv and
Jerusalem.What drew his attention to the site was the tops of
twelve stones.The stones, when uncovered, turned out to be rather large.At the base of each standing stone were clay jars that
contained the burned remains of children.In front of these standing stones was a large flat stone,
which contained a basin for catching blood.Lying on the stone was the upper skeletal remains of a
young girl about six or seven years old.She had been sawed asunder.Nearby were the heads and partial necks of two young
kids. The two had been decapitated.These three had also been burned.Further down the hill Macalister excavated a cave, which
contained a huge heap of burned bones.In here was another altar that held the burned bodies of
young children.Macalister unearthed numerous idols, including bronze
serpents that honored their chief God, Molech.What Macalister discovered was an Amorite high place.
This was their place of sacrifice and worship.The Amorites were the chief tribe of the Canaanites.Leviticus 18:21"Thou shall not let any of thy seed pass
through the fire to Molech..."2Kings 23:10 "...that no man might make his son or
daughter pass through the fire to Molech."Deuteronomy 12:30-31 "Take heed to thyself that thou be
not snared by following them, and that thou enquire not
after their God's, saying, How did these nations serve
their God's? Even so will I do likewise."31. "Thou shall not do so unto the Lord thy God: for
every abomination to the Lord, which He hateth, have
they done unto their gods; for even theirs sons and
daughters have they burnt in the fire to their gods."This and numerous other archaeological sites support
the Bible.I would think that the term fool would better apply to
one who believes in evolution, even though there are no
transitional fossils to support this misconception.Even Darwin realized that without transitional fossils his
theory would fall apart.

Tangle, A 1967 excavation of a building (temple)
in Tell Deir Alla, Jordan resulted in another piece of
proof for the Bible's historical accuracy.Located on a collapsed wall was an inscription in red
and black ink. The inscription was written in the
Northwest Semitic Dialect.The inscription read: Balaam Son of Beor, "seer of gods."Numbers 22 through 24 talks about Balaam, the seer.The events in the Bible are factual.

Paulk, you are right. He made a mess out of those who
deny the historical value of the Bible.You should be aware of how easy it is for people to kill
babies.It has been happening in every so-called civilized country,
with the blessings of their leaders, for decades.

Tangle, I have never said that the earth is 6000 years old.
It could be tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands,
millions of year, old, etc....I do not know how old the earth is, and neither does
anyone else. If they say that they do they are lying.
They are not just mistaken, they are lying.Adam and all organisms were created roughly 6000 years
ago. The Bible counts this out for us.Before Adam was created, Lucifer was placed on the
earth with other angels under him.They were to put the finishing touches to the earth.But Lucifer, which was exceedingly, beautiful and as
intelligent and powerful as God can create anyone by
fiat, became vain and full of pride.He came to think that he should be like (resemble,
compare) the most High.Read the 14th chapter of Isaiah.Lucifer was sitting on the throne of the earth. But, he in
(v.13) stated "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my
throne above the stars (other angels) of God.When he declared this he was on the earth, sitting on
the throne.Vs.14 "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I
will be like the most High.He stated that he would ascend the clouds of the earth.Ezekiel 28 Lucifer, (now Satan) stirred up bitter anger
and resentment against God among those angels who
were placed under him. They all rebelled.Angels, as are humans, were created with free will. It
takes time before their character fully develops. As Spirit
beings, once it develops it sits, much like concrete.Neither Satan nor the fallen angels were created with
evil desires. It was formed in them by them.God and Satan have completely contrary paradigms of
the principles of life.Satan's way is the way of "get." It emphasizes greed;
competition; self-glory; and get ahead of others,
regardless of the cost.God's way is the way of "give." He states: "it is better to
give than to receive." Jesus gave His life for us.He asked His Father if there were any other way. As a
human He dreaded what He was about to go through.His Father answered no.As the greater of the two God Beings, His Father would
not compell Jesus to go through with it.But, this was the only way.What Jesus went through was His choice. He could have
backed out. He simply wanted to know if there were
another option that would get the same results.You asked, as do many, if there is a God, why does He
allow so much evil in the world.I will give you how I see it, but it will take several posts.For those with an open mind, it might change their
opinion of God.

Tangle, when Satan took his demons and ascended into
heaven, he was prepared to fight against God in order to
get his way.Satan is no match for God. However, in order for him to
be willing to fight God he must have been incredibly
powerful.God could have ended Satan with a wave of His hand,
but He allowed Michael and the other angels to defeat
him.The solar system and most likely the entire universe was
damaged. Satan and his demons were forced back to
earth.In the first chapter of Genesis we see that the earth is
covered with water and stygian darkness.God begins to renew the face of the earth, readying it for
the creation of man.He did not renew the other planets and moons in our solar
system. They still carry the scars of that titanic war.
However, God did adjust the rotation of the Earth and
moon to each other as well as their rotation with the sun.When the earth was originally created the angels leaped
for joy. Job 38:7.Psalms 104:30 "Thou sends forth thy spirit, they are
created: and thou renewest the face of the earth."Isaiah 45:18 states that the earth was not created in
vain (tohuw-to lie waste, desolation, worthless thing).Genesis 1:2 states that the earth was w/o form (tohuw)
and void (bohuw-an undistinguishable ruin).Was is from hayah-to exist, or become, come to pass.What verse 2 states is that the earth had become waste;
it had become an undistinguishable ruin.

Tangle, in verse 3 God said "Let there be light."He did not
create the sun on this day. It had been created sometime
in the past.The angelic war in the heavens had filled the earth's
atmosphere with debris.On this day someone standing on the face of the earth
would have seen light trickle through. However, the light
would have been translucent because of the heavy water
vapor, much like on Venus today.On day four God removed the cloud-cover from the
atmosphere, which allowed visual observation of the sun,
moon, stars, and other heavenly bodies.Visual observation of the heavenly bodies could then
be used to keep track of time.The NKJ version begins verse 16 with "then." Then God
made suggests continuity of action.The AS, RS, and KJ translations start with "and.""Made (asah) denotes completed action, which implies
that all could have been created that day, or anytime
previously.Also, verses 16-18 are parenthetical statements that
they had been made sometime in the past.The creation account was a renewing (repairing) of the
earth. God readied it for man.I do not know how old the universe is, and neither does
anyone else.

Tangle, the angels failed to do what God had assigned
to them. God is a Creator, and the angels were to assist,
but they rebelled.God would now rely on humans!God knew that the angels would fail. He also knew that
Adam and the entire human race would rebel against Him.Revelations 13:8 tells us that Christ knew that He would
give His life for us before the world was ever created.Angels were created before the earth was created. God
knew they would rebel, and He knew that humans would
rebel.Adam was to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord.
And God had told Him that He would lead Adam and Eve
throughout their lives.He would teach them the way to true happiness. He only
knows the way to peace and happiness.Satan deceived Adam and Eve into disobeying God. He
led them to believe that they themselves could decide
what was good or bad.Adam was to replace Satan on earth's throne. God allows
one to stay in power until a replacement is ready. Satan
could not allow Adam to succeed.Adam and Eve made a choice to find true happiness on
their own, without interference from God.Sin had entered their lives and it brought with it the
death penalty.Sin is the transgressions of God's laws.
Sin is not in God's righteous character. He abhors it.Jesus, as our Creator, came to earth as a mortal man.He lived a sinless life and He took upon Himself our sins.
His life is far greater than all of our lives combined.Many falsely assume that God's righteous Commandments
are contrary to us. They also assume that He took them
out of the way, that He nailed them to the cross.This is utterly ridiculous. What was against us was the
death penalty. He took our place.It is not against us to not lie or steal; it is not against us
to honor our parents, etc...Adam and Eve did not trust God. They wanted to trust in
themselves instead of God.God is now allowing humanity 6000 years to try every
conceivable form of government. He is giving us this
time to prove beyond a shadow of doubt that He only
know the way to peace and happiness.

Tangle, in Genesis we see earth's current ruler (Satan), and
his potential replacement (Adam).Satan used his power of deception to cause Adam to sin,
thereby disqualifying him.Revelations 12:9 states that Satan deceives the whole
world.When Satan knows that his time is short as ruler of the
earth he becomes enraged, and he is full of fury.He utilizes his power of deception to it fullest. Everyone,
except God's elect will be deceived by him.Matthew 24:24 "For there shall arise false Christ's, and
false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders;
insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the
very elect.God's elect are those whom God has called to rule with
Him in His Kingdom. They were baptized with this
commission.The elect, including those long dead, will be resurrected
as spirit being. And as newly born sons of God they will
Go with Him to Jerusalem.Adam was asked to trust God. He was to lead them, but
they wanted to trust in themselves.God understands that all humans must have free will,
much like the angels had.In order for humans to decide which way they choose to
accept they must experience both sides.God allows us to experience the pain and suffering that
comes with Satan's way of "get." We must taste it fully in
order to be able to compare and contrast it with His way
of "give."Those whom God calls during this present age have
already experienced that pain and suffering. They have
had enough of it. They humbly accept God when he
calls on them.Those who are resurrected in the second resurrection are
not resurrected to a sentencing. They are resurrected to
face a judgement.They are brought back to flesh and blood and then taught
God's way. And, they get to experience what life is like in
a world governed by the way of "give." They experience a
world where everyone loves each other unconditionally.Satan, as present ruler of this age, does all he can to
convince us that God is evil, that He does not care
about us.He, as the prince of the power of the air, fills the air-waves
with nasty vulgar imagery.Actors, politicians, singers, big business leaders sell
themselves to Satan. What they desire more than anything
else is power, prestige, money, etc....A thorough search of the internet will prove this.Satan controls the vast majority of our churches, as well
as the media and our institutions if learning.Satan and his ministers present a false religion to us.
They can appear as ministers of light.Satan hates God and he hates us. He does all within his
power to cost us our chance at eternal life.