The bible is interesting reading, but then, so is Harry Potter. God doesn't heal amputees. Doctors do.
Ha! I remember that article from back then. It addresses a serious point that is often ignored by religious folks. When a cancer patient recovers after a round or two of chemo, it's fairly easy to attribute the "healing" to God's divine intervention. But I want to hear of a case where an amputee grew back an arm after some good old fashioned intercessory prayer. Nothing fails like prayer.
Well, do all these answers or non-answers take into account reincarnation? If I'm not mistaken, reincarnation was mroe commonly accepted than thought in Jesus' time. Is it possible that prayers in this life can have effect on someone in their next life? If Jesus promised prayers would come true; did he always promise they would come true immediately, or even in this life? I always thought as a Christian, if I was to believe Jesus was coming back a second time, which I often have in my life, I would have to accept and believe in the idea of reincarnation, as obviously Jesus himself would be reincarnated, and therefore others, as fellow Sons and Daughters of God, could or would also be reincarnated. In this sense I always thought Eastern & Western religions could meet. Anyway, just thinking out loud late at night.
i think you have an erroneous view of what happened to Jesus, at least from the Biblical perspective. he was not reincarnated: he was resurrected. he was dead but made alive by a supernatural force. the amazing part of this phenomenon, according to the Biblical account, is that he, though dead as a man, participated in his own resurrection as part of the Godhead. he said this: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." ( John 2:19 ) so you see that the body that Jesus had as a man was brought to life. he was recognized as the same person he had been. he was not reincarnated. there was an incarnation when God became man and dwelt in human flesh. then that flesh was put to death. finally it was brought back to life.
You might as well be talking about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. Tomato, tomahto, reincarnation, resurrection.
this is a technical issue, a matter of definitions, so we can be clear on one thing: it isn't tomato, tomahto.
So the humanity, divinity, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ is a technical issue? Huh, whodda thunk it?
God help me but I spent about 15 minutes looking for a good image of the National Lampoon double-amputee frog. Yes, I'm old. I know that.
maybe i misspoke. i'm perfectly aware that allegedly Jesus resurrected himself somehow. what i was talking about was IF Jesus were to come back a second time - say, three years from now he pops up somewhere to lead us all - THAT would somehow prove reincarnation.
no. the difference between resurrection and reincarnation is a technical issue. stop with the Homer Simpson impression.
I remember one of my classmates in fourth grade had that on a t-shirt. I thought she was so freaking cool.
We did have one freakishly well-developed girl in my fourth-grade class. Alas, it wasn't her wearing the t-shirt.
You'll just have to imagine the wave file of Jim Morrison screaming "YOU CANNOT PETITION THE LORD WITH PRAYER!" Yes, I'm old. I know that.
To prove Himself to the unbelievers! Then again, when I die, I'll thought I would ask God why he just didn't make non-believers, believe in Him, but I pretty much already know the answer.