Gosh, there is so much in the last few postings. And all of it worth discussing.
A major, if not *the* major problem with Christians is indeed that they feel superior to others. I don't know why this should be so. Christians are sinners like everyone else. Salvation is a gift from God. It can not be bought or earned. All gifts (from anyone) are given to the recipient for no reason other than the giver wants the recipient to be happy. If the recipient becomes smug because of the gift then all are diminished.
Let me say again, the laws of the Old Testament, and again actually *all* laws *anywhere* at *any time* are only for condemnation. They don't bring about any kind of "salvation."
I believe if one reads the Bible cover to cover, the meaning is very clear and non-contradictory. It is a very consistent message -- Man (people) has fallen short of God's standards and will persih horribly without a mediator. The law can not save. Man can not save himself. God can not lower his standards so there must be someoene who will pay the price for Man's sins so all who believe in that act can be saved from the punishment. That mediator has to be fully human (because all sinners are human) and fully God, because only God could pull this off. So that leads us to Christ.
Christ: please don't confuse the "religion" with the person. Christianity is used and abused. Horrible things have been done in the name of God and Christ. Does God condone these things? No, but people have free will to choose good or evil.
Salvation through Christ is simply and *only* about this: each person is in peril, Christ wants to have a true and lasting friendship with each person -- and because of his unique position as God and Man, he can save each person from peril.
*Nothing* else matters -- no churches or laws or traditions or words or anything else. That is the sum of Christianity.
The Apostle Paul: JJ, the facts are slightly different. Paul was a Pharisee (a very important and influential Jew). Believing he was doing God's will, he vowed to kill every Christian he came across. He did this until God stopped him. He then spent several years in the desert learning from God and when he returned from the desert, he was named Paul.
Peter and Paul had a hard time getting along. Peter was still bound up in Jewish traditions and rules, even tho' he knew "better." Paul you see had learned that all the previous laws and traditions were meaningless because Christ had fulfilled them all and thus they weren't needed. So Paul kept pushing for people to abandon what were now needless things, but people have a hard time changing. So, he had to concede somewhat because some people weren't willing to change to such a great extent.
Peter was not Christ's brother, James was. The writer of Revelation was the Apostle John, who was a prisoner on Patmos. In fact he mentions himself early on in the book.
"An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" is not a statement of "let's get even." It is actually a statement of mercy. Prior to this, punishments under Jewish law tended to be out of proportion to the crime. So by saying the above, the statement really means, "Let's don't punish the criminal in any manner worse than what was done. Let's have fairness."
The Rapture is dubious in its origin and there may not be much if anything to support it.
The Apocalypse is mentioned in Revelation -- the four horsemen of the Apocalypse.
I believe the Bible to be great literature. As such some parts are meant to be taken literally and others not. If one studies the Bible (and not just reads it), it becomes apparent which are which.
Billy Graham: people are people afterall, with all the failings people have. If one looks at Billy Graham, it soon becomes apparent he is the *only* well-known evangelist who has consistently preached God's word without personal sexual or financial benefit -- in other words no sex or money scandals.
Is he correct about everything? No, he's a guy. He has extremely conservative, anti-communist politics for instance. Is he wrong when he says the unsaved are going to hell? Well, that's a long story. Here's the briefest explanation I can give.
1) If it were my world, everything would happen differently and no one would need to worry about salvation or anything like it.
2) It isn't my world. God created it and us. Therefore he gets to make up the rules.
3) I don't like the rules.
4) Most people don't like the rules.
5) God wants people to know the rules. He wrote them in a book and he occaisionally tells people, such as Billy Graham, to go and tell the rules to others.
6) Telling the rules to others is a very unpleasant task (see 3 and 4 above)
7) Some people accept the rules, others don't
I *still* don't like the rules, but I accept them (no other choice really).
9) Billy tells people the rules.
10) Some people get angry with Billy and blame him as tho' he made the rules
11) Billy is just doing what he was told. Please don't shoot the messenger.
This posting is too long and if you've read this far you're amazing!
Barry