Reading that Jesus, The Imperfect Beacon I notice a big fallacy in the guy's words concerning the rooster's crowing after thrice denial via Peter: he neglected to mention the other three books that claim Peter denied Christ MORE than once...Luke 22:54-62 (thrice), John 18:25-27 (twice), Matthew 26:69-75 (thrice)...Mark and John are the only ones inconsistent with the 3x crow of the rooster.
That's not an excellent point againt Jesus...
Jesus and the thief on the cross. Who said Jesus stayed spiritually dead for three days? Physically, yes, but he promised the thief he would be with him in heaven.
Sheol was not yet emptied of its captives...Christ's death and resurrection would send them heavenward, those who were right with God. The wicked would remain, however. So, let's assume that on the day Christ died (and it was in the afternoon) that he immediately ascended to heaven, with the captives. An instantaneous thing, not some monumental hellfire battle down South with Satan & Co.
Again, a fallible point. If this is the guy's case all around, geez, how can anyone have problems?
As in reference to the taking up the cross...he neglected to mention that in Jesus' era, the Romans crucified tons of people, so crosses were a common sight, and seeing people carrying their cross for their execution would be a public sight...again, he messed up. (So far the only thing he's got going is Fallacy A)
The terminology varies on the translation of the Bible for Contradiction E...my Bible says foolish ones (stupid person) the KJV would say Ye fool...that was their speech, their words. However, being in danger of hellfire does not necessarily mean being condemned to hellfire instanteously, and if anyone DID possess the right to judge a serpentine backstabber group as the Pharisees, it was this man who knew their ways. (Where is the contradiction of knowing their thoughts, as is often said in the Word?)
The time of the Jews was different. A day would go by from noon to morning, and morning to noon, and noon to morning...(Friday Noon-Sat Morning, Sat Morning-Sat Noon, Sat noon-Sun Morn, three days by my count...the Jews are a different culture than Americans, so yeah, times are different, guy) I remember the time lesson from some Jewish history book, and I thought it was kinda weird.
Argument G is crap again, because he neglects to mention the Trinity that is God...The Son of Man is the Father, and the Father is the Ghost, and the Ghost is the Son, and all are one. They are a trinity. Three in one. Christ is God. He is the only one who had been in heaven (which lends credence to the fact that prior his resurrection, no man had been IN the Kingdom of God (heaven) but had been stockpiled in Sheol (and even the righteous had a place for them in Sheol, see The Rich Man and Lazarus parable)). Yet the Father turned from Him at the end (in heaven, he turned...how is that again? They're a trinity...when you're divine, and not mortal, you're not bound to the confusticating stuff we can't cope with.
As for Elijah, I won't be afraid: I can't explain it. I cannot explain where Elijah is right now, IF he is still alive, and his reappearance elsewhere is merely undocumented. I cannot explain it.
THERE: ULTIMA AVATAR CANNOT EXPLAIN ARGUMENT A AND ARGUMENT G-2!
As for his closing argument against Christ, it is pathetic. The Father cannot abide sin, and so the Father God turned away from the Savior God at that point, the sole comfort the Savior God had at that time, and it was there, with the unbearable weight of the world's sins and pains, that he died, alone. That is why he cried out. I am certain he would rather have been alive and well, and it is repeated throughout the NT that he says: "Not My will, but Thine." He did NOT want to die, but he did, for us.
Geez, Timor. You were worried about THIS?
I think I'll have to email this guy this stuff and check out his editor's response to me.
Some people, though, like that first letter he got, and the apologist he mentioned afterwards, just cannot cope, and do not know what to say.
However, I am a child, and as such, I will make mistakes. Repeatedly. But still...I won't be as bluntly ignorant about the Word as some of these leter-writers are. A tract will prove nothing. In fact, I think hell to be just the opposite of what so many peopel make it out to be: I think it will be a cell for your lonesome self somewhere "out there", where you are left with the thought of refusing God. That's hell to me. That's what I think hell WILL be. But you know what, WHO GIVES A FLYING CRAP?
The big thing is not hell or heaven, but Christ, and IF he is God. I believe he is, for more than He said he is. Mohammed said Allah was the sole god and look how he got his followers: "JOIN ME OR DIE, INFIDEL!" Not the greatest god-character ever, and not the most original.