Was Jesus God?

Quote: Dalex64

Jesus in the book of Matthew, chapter 25, is telling a story about a bridegroom and his 10 virgin brides.

I have no idea where you get the idea that this parable has anything to do with polygamy?! I think it is beyond clear that Jesus held to the original plan of God, which kind of makes sense, that one man would cling to his wife and the TWO would become one flesh. I would stick to emphasizing the parts of the old testament that offer a few examples of polygamy and how it is a disaster. Trying to find any support for your idea in the NT is ludicrous and an example of proof texting. I don't think you can read the Bible and see it as anything other than a clear teaching on marriage as one man and one woman and also against slavery as we understand it today.

Quote: Nareed

The Bible is a product of its time. It reflects the practices, prejudices, preferences, and so on of the people who wrote it. Calling it "holy," or claiming it was "inspired" by some deity, or that it's a deity's "inerrant word," merely makes believers prisoner of mindsets the world has long since left behind.

Which mindsets have we left behind? The equality of all people as children of God regardless of age, gender, health, or sinfulness? The importance of forgiveness? The importance of equal justice? The value of sacrifice and the power of love over hate?

Maybe you should ask yourself about how where the Gospel was accepted what happened to society and culture. Maybe you should look at the artwork, poetry, music, and architecture that the Gospel inspired. What about the legal systems based on Gospel values? One shudders to think about what the world would look like without the influence of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep."

What bridegroom has 10 wives but a polygamist.
If it's so wrong, why was it used in a parable. It
must have been common or nobody would have
understood it. I get the meaning of the parable,
but it still seems to promote plural marriage,
does it not?

Quote: FrGamble

Which mindsets have we left behind? The equality of all people as children of God regardless of age, gender, health, or sinfulness?

You know those are late XX Century CE ideas stemming from a mostly humanist base, right? Not something Christianity dreamed up.

Take wedding vows, for example, a bride swore to obey her husband, the groom made no such promise to his wife.

Equality?

Surely, but not in the kingdom of any god.

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What about the legal systems based on Gospel values?

The Inquisition?

Quote: Nareed

The Inquisition?

That was very legal indeed. When the Church
dealt with the local Jewish shop owner, they
had a lawyer move all his property over to
the Church after the Jews 'heresy' had been
'dealt with'. All proper and aboveboard.

Do you see anything about wives in this parable? The other thing you don't seem to realize is who the bridegroom is. In reading the Scriptures together you discover the many places where Jesus is referred to as the bridegroom. John 3:28-30, John the Baptist says, "You yourselves can testify that I said that I am not the Messiah, but that I was sent before him. The one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man, who stands and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine has been made complete. He must increase; I must decrease." And again in Mark 2:19-20, "Jesus answered them, 'Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast." The bridegroom in this parable is Christ and the parable is about His coming and finding some wise and foolish virgins. The question is who are we, wise and prepared or foolish and unprepared? The bridegroom is going into the wedding feast in this parable, a symbol of the joys of Heaven. He is not going into the wedding feast to marry these virgins, fairly obvious in reading the parable, especially if in reading the Scriptures you know who Jesus is referring to by using the bridegroom.

Quote: FrGamble

Do you see anything about wives in this parable? The other thing you don't seem to realize is who the bridegroom is..

I know who the bridegroom is, that's why
I said I understood the parable. So Jesus
has a thing for virgins, or this is about
10 virgins waiting for one bridegroom
so he can choose his favorite? That's even
more disgusting, talk about women being
nothing but property, to be picked over
like meat for sale. Any way you read it,
those times were entirely different from
how we live now and are completely irrelevant
to modern life.

Quote: Nareed

You know those are late XX Century CE ideas stemming from a mostly humanist base, right? Not something Christianity dreamed up.

You know that this is not true don't you. Christianity was the source of the ideas of equality of all human beings and our rights and dignity coming from God and not governments. You know very well what the XX century brought with all its violence and bloodshed as people and governments rejected the fundamental truths of Christianity. Again there was a reason that these atheistic governments first efforts were to silence or kill the Church.

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Take wedding vows, for example, a bride swore to obey her husband, the groom made no such promise to his wife.

This certainly is not how Christianity viewed marriage. If you read 1Corinthians you find that both husband and wife were called to love each other as Christ loved His bride the Church.

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The Inquisition?

People begged to be judged by the Church inquistions versus the secular or state inquistions in that awful time. The Church, in dealing only with Catholics, required real testimony and fair trials that differed greatly from the state's trials.

Quote: Evenbob

Any way you read it,
those times were entirely different from
how we live now and are completely irrelevant
to modern life.

Any way you read it is colored by your prejudice. The virgins are wedding guests waiting for the bridegroom to come so the party can begin. What is disgusting is your awful interpretation of these texts. I don't see how you can maintain your positions in the face of such clear evidence you are wrong. Just admit it and move on, please.

Quote: FrGamble

You know that this is not true don't you.

I know nothing of the sort.

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Christianity was the source of the ideas of equality of all human beings

Greece, Rome, surprisingly in Egypt women enjoyed more rights under the Pharaohs than they did under Christianity.

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and our rights and dignity coming from God and not governments.

The first part is wrong. Rights can't come from a non-existent entity. The second part is wronger.

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You know very well what the XX century brought with all its violence and bloodshed

You know very well 1945 did not take place in the late XX Century.

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People begged to be judged by the Church inquistions versus the secular or state inquistions in that awful time. The Church, in dealing only with Catholics, required real testimony and fair trials that differed greatly from the state's trials.

I'm sure all the Jews and Muslims expelled from Spain and those tortured and killed appreciate it.