Showing posts with label death. Show all posts
Showing posts with label death. Show all posts

Wednesday, 20 May 2020

In Coronatime thinking about death

None of us likes thinking about death, but there are times when we have little choice. For weeks now we did not hear anything else that so many died. Everywhere in the world lives are lost.

The unseen enemy has reached every corner of society, being rich does not help you to avoid the death toll. The so-called most rich, developed and greatest nation in the world shows its very weak position and how capital gain has become more important there than human lives of ethical values.

We could notice an increase at certain websites and received more letters and phone calls from worried people, asking why God allows this to happen or what mankind has done wrong. The corona crisis has unexpectedly raised the specter of death itself, our constant companion even if, most of the time, we do our best to ignore it.

This month Time Magazine has taken the opportunity to write about death, heaven and hell.

There are over two billion Christians in the world, the vast majority of whom believe in heaven and hell. According to many Christian when people die they would have one part, which they call the soul going either to everlasting bliss or torment (or purgatory en route). Strangely enough, most Christians believe in a loving heavenly Father, but do not ask a question about such a father when he would have his children being tortured for ages and ages in a fire! Can you imagine yourself doing that to your children, even when they would have hurt yourself a lot?

Americans continue to anticipate a version of the alternatives portrayed in The Good Place: regardless of religious persuasion, 72% believe in a literal heaven, 58% in a literal hell.

Do they never went or go looking in the Bible to see what the Word of God really says?

The vast majority of these people assume also Jesus himself taught such read. But that is not true. Neither Jesus, nor the Hebrew Bible he interpreted, endorsed the view that departed souls go to paradise or everlasting pain. Though there were Roman and Greek philosophers who talked about split personalities or two or more elements in a human being that could separate from the physical human being. Only many centuries later those who agreed with the Roman rulers to go for a three-headed god, also were eager to integrate the thought of separate units in the human body with a soul going to one or another place.

Unlike most Greeks, ancient Jews traditionally did not believe the soul could exist at all apart from the body. On the contrary, for them, the soul was more like the “breath.” In particular for them it was the Breath of God Which brought the breath in man, making him able to breathe and to live. Without breathing or without breath there would be no life in man.

It is good that Time magazine in these times when so many are confronted with death, brings an article to clarify the misreading of so many books and in particular the reading of the Book of books, the Bible.
Bart D. Ehrman in his article of 2020 May the 8th is willing to look at the first human God created, Adam, who began as a lump of clay; then God “breathed” life into him (Genesis 2: 7). Adam remained alive until he stopped breathing. Then it was dust to dust, ashes to ashes.

Ancient Jews thought that was true of us all. When we stop breathing, our breath doesn’t go anywhere. It just stops. So too the “soul” doesn’t continue on outside the body, subject to postmortem pleasure or pain. It doesn’t exist any longer.

In the article, you shall be able to read that it was not only by the Christians that opinions changed. In several Jewish communities infiltrated the false teachings. Problem with lots of human beings is that it is very difficult to cope with the idea that we just can die and that everything would be finished with us. Not many people love the idea that when we die we can not do anything any more. Though the scriptures are very clear about it.
 “For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten.” (Ec 9:5 NAS)

 “Whatever your hand finds to do, verily, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.” (Ec 9:10 NAS)
For many it is unacceptable that we would just be like plants and animals and not having something better after this life. But the Bible tells us:
 “19  For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same. As one dies so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is vanity. 20  All go to the same place. All came from the dust and all return to the dust.” (Ec 3:19-20 NAS)
It must be said also God’s own people Israel continually were by their confrontation of difficulties in life oblidged to think about life and death.

The article writer questions
 If God loves his people and is sovereign over all the world why do his people experience so much tragedy?
And remarks
Contrary to what other Jewish leaders taught, Jesus preached that no one will inherit the glorious future kingdom by stringently observing all the Jewish laws in their most intimate details; or by meticulously following the rules of worship involving sacrifice, prayer, and observance of holy days; or by pursuing one’s own purity through escaping the vile world and the tainting influence of sinful others. Instead, for Jesus, the earthly utopia will come to those who are fully dedicated to the most pervasive and dominant teachings of God’s law. Put most simply, that involves loving God above all things despite personal hardship, and working diligently for the welfare of others, even when it is exceedingly difficult. People who have not been living lives of complete unselfish love need to repent and return to the two “greatest commandments” of Jewish Scripture: deep love of God (Deuteronomy 6:4-6) and committed love of neighbor (Leviticus 19:18).
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Please find the Time magazine to read: What Jesus Really Said About Heaven and Hell

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Find more articles about the "soul" 

  1. How much does man wants to be dependent on a Divine Creator?
  2. Why is the Holy Spirit sometimes called the Holy Ghost? 
  3. Finding and Understanding Words and Meanings
  4. Preexistence in the Divine purpose and Trinity
  5. Looking at three “I am” s
  6. Non-practicing Christians widely believing in a god or higher power
  7. What is life?
  8. Concerning Man
  9. Realities concerning Human Life and Death
  10. Dying or not
  11. What happens when we die?
  12. Immortality, eternality - onsterfelijkheid, eeuwigheid
  13. Is there an Immortal soul
  14. The Soul not a ghost
  15. Are we taken up into heaven straight after we die?
  16. The Soul confronted with Death
  17. Consciously or unconsciously forming a world-view and choosing to believe or not to believe in God
  18. From dust and breath into living beings
  19. Bereshith 1-2 The Creation of the World – The Seven Days
  20. Bereshith 2 Man and Woman placed in a Royal Garden
  21. The figure of Eve
  22. Ezekiel 18:4 – What the Bible teaches about Soul and Spirit
  23. Matthew 6:1-34 – The Nazarene’s Commentary on Leviticus 19:18 Continued 5 Matthew 6: 24-34: e) Anxiety and neighbor love
  24. Matthew 16:5-12 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Watch Out for the Leaven of False Teaching
  25. Matthew 16:24-28 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: A Disciple Must Disown Self
  26. Calvin’s view on trying to save your life
  27. Spurgeon’s view on trying to save your life
  28. False teachers and false prophets still around
  29. We all have to have dreams
  30. Departed Souls Await Judgment
  31. Mortal Soul and Mortal Psyche #1 Intro
  32. Mortal Soul and Mortal Psyche #2 Psyche, the word
  33. Mortal Soul and Mortal Psyche #3 Historical background
  34. Mortal Soul and Mortal Psyche #4 Psyche, According to the Holy Scriptures
  35. Mortal Soul and Mortal Psyche #5 Mortality of man and mortality of the spirit
  36. Mortal Soul and Mortal Psyche #6 Summary
  37. Souls and Religions with Nirvana and light
  38. The resurrected Lord
  39. Who Through Jesus Sleep
  40. All Souls’ Day
  41. I Can’t Believe That (1) … God would send anyone to hell
  42. The 1st Adam in the Hebrew Scriptures #1 Beginning of everything
  43. The 1st Adam in the Hebrew Scriptures #4 The Fall
  44. Self-development, self-control, meditation, beliefs and spirituality
  45. According the vatican ashes and bone fragments cannot be kept at home
  46. Are you religious, spiritual, or do you belong to a religion, having a faith or interfaith
  47. The Development of Differences
  48. 19° Century London Christadelphians
  49. Today’s thought “A Perfect World” (January 02)
  50. Today’s Thought “Proclaiming the kingdom” (May 13)
  51. To be prepared for the Day of Judgment
  52. A Word and helping sites to give answers
  53. Two new encyclopaedic articles
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 Articles about hell

  1. Hellfire 
  2. Looking for answers on the question Is there a God #3 Transcendence or Surpassing other gods and man
  3. Is God behind all suffering here on earth
  4. God’s wrath and sanctification
  5. Al-Fatiha [The Opening] Süra 1: 4-7 Merciful Lord of the Creation to show us the right path
  6. Old and newer King James Versions and other translations #5 Further steps to women’s bibles
  7. Old and newer King James Versions and other translations #9 Restored names and Sacred Name Bibles
  8. I Can’t Believe That (1) … God would send anyone to hell
  9. When there is secrecy involved
  10. Being Religious and Spiritual 5 Gnostic influences
  11. Need to reject an archaic, racist inspired interpretation of the Bible and animosity against other believers
  12. Realities concerning Human Life and Death
  13. Is there an Immortal soul
  14. Grave, tomb, sepulchre - graf, begraafplaats, rustplaats, sepulcrum
  15. This month's survey question: Heaven and Hell
  16. Nazarene Commentary Matthew 5:21-26 – 1. The Nazarene’s Commentary on Exodus 20:13
  17. A fact of History or just a fancy Story
  18. Jesus three days in hell
  19. We are redeemed; we are “bought with a price”
  20. Jewish and Christian traditions of elders
  21. Are we taken up into heaven straight after we die?
  22. Darkness, light, burning fire, Truth and people in it
  23. Is Hell-fire something to fear
  24. Fear and protection
  25. Fear of God reason to return to Holy Scriptures
  26. Sheol, Sheool, Sjeool, Hades, Hell, Grave, Tomb, Sepulchre
  27. Another way looking at a language #3 Abraham
  28. Fragments from the Book of Job #1: chapters 1-12
  29. From nothingness to a growing group of followers of Jeshua 3 Korban for God or gods
  30. Sources of evil
  31. Edward Wightman
  32. Dave Norris and his writings on the Belgian Bible Students
  33. Autumn traditions for 2014 – 2 Summersend and mansend
  34. Heaven and hell still high on the believers list showing a religion gender gap
  35. Indulgence still offered by roman Catholic Church
  36. Today’s thought “Whoever is not with me …” (March 19)
  37. Today’s thought “Ability to circumcise your heart” (May 13)
  38. Salvation, Baptism and Re-baptism
  39. Why we do not have our worship-services in a church building

Thursday, 27 October 2016

According the vatican ashes and bone fragments cannot be kept at home

emblem of the Papacy: Triple tiara and keys Fr...
emblem of the Papacy: Triple tiara and keys Français : emblème pontifical Italiano: emblema del Papato Português: Emblema papal. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The Roman Catholics with their idea that a person has something extra in his body that can leave him when he dies, do want to avoid that that spiritual being would be shattered and as such be destroyed, not able to find its pieces together.

For the Vatican their members should know that the church maintains the deceased should be buried. For the Roman Catholic Church cremation is a "brutal destruction" of the body. Though many countries in the West, like Belgium seem to ignore that saying of their pope and allow cremations by their members, though they do not encourage it. And the Catholics got to hear church-approved ways to conserve ashes for the increasing numbers of Catholics who choose cremation "for economic, ecological or other reasons".

The Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith reports ashes and bone fragments cannot be kept at home because it would deprive the Christian community of remembering the dead. Rather, church authorities should designate a sacred place, such as a cemetery or church area, to hold them. Only in extraordinary cases can a bishop allow ashes to be kept at home, it said.
"The dead body isn't the private property of relatives, but rather a son of God who is part of the people of God," author of the text, Cardinal Gerhard Mueller, said. "We have to get over this individualistic thinking."

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Tuesday, 2 February 2016

Jewish and Christian traditions of elders

How can a Christian book possibly write":
"nowhere in the old testament is there one single word about 'GOD, THE FATHER,' and yet, that phrase dominates the New Testament and Christs teachings."
Also strange to find written
Christ also, according to scientists who were finally able to extract blood from the shroud of Turin, had AB negative blood which is stated to be the original blood of humans, on the planet.  
Michael A. Hoffman II was educated at the University of New York and is a former reporter for the New York Bureau of the Associated Press. He is the author of several books, including the well known, Judaism's Strange in which we may find very strange remarks.
According to  but being based on the "Oral Law.".
He says
The New Testament speaks of this as the "traditions of the elders." Jesus Christ denounced and condemned the "traditions of the elders" in the Gospel of John Chapter 5 and in the Gospel of Mark Chapter 7.
It is known that the rabbis teach that the revelation granted to Moses had been delivered in two forms, a smaller revelation in writing, and the larger one kept oral.
The rabbis claim that the so-called "oral revelation" had been transmitted by the leaders of each generation to their successors — by Moses to Joshua; and then to the elders; to the prophets; to the men of the Sanhedrin; to the leaders of the Pharisees; and finally to the earliest rabbis who saw themselves as heirs of the Pharisees.
It is because having so much accent been given to the oral tradition that lots of human doctrines entered mankind's teaching. Also in Christendom we can find such an evolution, having lots of people preferring to follow the human doctrines instead of the Biblical doctrines.

According to Michael A. Hoffman the oral tradition of the Jews is not consonant with the Old Testament. He says


The spurious claim of an "oral tradition of the elders" bequeathed by God to Moses is anti-Biblical, just as Jesus asserted. Christ very simply illuminated the fact that if the Pharisees' tradition had indeed been from Moses, then they would have become Christians. For Christ rebuked them saying, "Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed Me, for he wrote of Me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe My words?"
Here Jesus annihilated in one stroke the basis for the religion of Judaism and its conceit of an oral tradition given to it by Moses. For had such a tradition existed it would have testified of Jesus the Messiah. Instead, Christ tells them point blank that they don't follow Moses!

We must be aware that in Judaism as in Christendom we do have the same problem that many do not know their Holy Scriptures. Michael A. Hoffman says:
 When presenting Old Testament proofs of the Messiahship of Jesus to the rabbis and their followers - one must penetrate the iron-clad grid of the Talmudic mind-set which according to Christ’s assertion makes the Scriptures "of none effect."
From the outset, the Christian must realize that the rabbis and their followers do not know their own Scriptures, and for that matter, do not care to know them. For they view the Talmud as superceding the Scriptures. Much patience is required when bringing the Gospel message to them, and perhaps at times, stern reproofs are necessary.

The same as we do have to have much patience to try to convince those who call themselves Christian we do need lots of time to bring Jews to come to see what it is about the Messiah and why Jesus really can be seen as that promised sent one from God

We do not agree with those people who say Jews have their own God and Muslims have their own God. It is very easy to come with such accusation as excuse for promoting their own teachings which are often also based more on human or church doctrines instead of Biblical doctrines.

Unlike the writer of the boos says, the main tenet of Judaism is not Jewish self-worship. Judaism has not as its "god," another God than the one of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We can more say that lots of Christians do have an other god than the God Who is worshipped by the Jewish people. The People of God never worshipped a trintiarian god. They all knew and know very well that there is only One true God of gods according to the infallible Word of God.

for the author Jewish self-worship is at the core of the Talmud.
The secularist amongst them shares in this self-worship. For the Talmud teaches that the Gentile is a lower form of humanity.
 Michael A. Hoffman says.
He also finds that the Talmud blasphemes Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary.
Tractate Sanhedrin 106a says that Jesus’ mother was a harlot: "She who was a descendant of princes and governors played the harlot with carpenters." Also in Tractate Shabbath 104b of the Talmud, it is stated: "Miriam the hairdresser had sex with many men."
As regard the Talmud's treatment of Jesus Christ, Tractates Sanhedrin 107b and Sotah 47a say: "Jesus was sexually immoral, worshipped statues of stone and brick, was cut off from the Jewish people for his wickedness, and refused to repent." And even a more vile blasphemy is written in Tractate Gitten 57: "Jesus is in hell, being boiled in hot excrement."
 The Jews know that in the Scriptures is written that Jesus was three days in hell, something lots of Christians do seem to overlook. But naturally the sheol or hell from the bible is not such a place of torment as many Christians and Muslims understand it. there does not exist a place of hellfire where people would be tortured for ever. The Creator God is not such an awful sadistic Being which would enjoy such torment for His creatures. For Him when a person dies he or she has paid for his or her sins and everything ends with it.

Michael A. Hoffman is totally wrong in saying:
Christians must understand that the religion of Judaism is anti-Biblical. The true religion of the God of Israel is Christianity not Judaism. Judaism is simply a perversion of God’s original revelation to the Hebrew nation. It is the very religion of nullification of the Old Testament.
All Christians should know that the Jews are God His chosen people. They always shall have a preferred place in God's Plan. The heathen or gentiles may not expect that they would get a higher place than the Jews. they should be happy that , when they agree to follow Christ Jesus, have their sins washed away by baptism, can also enter the Kingdom of God, when from their conversion onwards they are willing to follow the commandments of Christ and the commandments of God.

Mr Hoffman with so many Christians do seem to forget that whatever happens God shall keep His promises He made centuries ago to Abraham. The seed of Abraham is in first instance the Jewish people and in second instance those who have become the new children of the patriarch Abraham, the reborn people in Christ or the Christians then new sons of Abraham

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Please also do find to read:
  1. Bible Word of God, inspired and infallible
  2. God-breathed prophetic words written torah and the mitzvot to teach us
  3. The very very beginning 2 The Word and words
  4. Creator and Blogger God 7 A Blog of a Book 1 Believing the Blogger
  5. Missional hermeneutics 1/5
  6. Missional hermeneutics 2/5
  7. Missional hermeneutics 3/5
  8. Missional hermeneutics 4/5
  9. Missional hermeneutics 5/5 
  10. Jesus begotten Son of God #3 Messiah or Anointed one
  11. Jesus’ answers about our Creator
  12. Believing what Jesus says
  13. Many forgot how Christ should be our anchor and our focus 
  14. Not bounded by labels but liberated in Christ
  15.  Our relationship with God, Jesus and with each other
  16. People are turning their back on Christianity
  17.  Manifests for believers #5 Christian Union
  18. Necessity of a revelation of creation 1 Works of God and works of man
  19. Necessity of a revelation of creation 3 Getting understanding by Word of God 1
  20. Necessity of a revelation of creation 4 Getting understanding by Word of God 2
  21. Religion and spirituality
  22. Faith related boycotts
  23. Built on or Belonging to Jewish tradition #4 Mozaic and Noachide laws
  24. After the Sabbath after Passover, the resurrection of Jesus Christ
  25. Disobedient man and God’s promises
  26. Position and power
  27. Truth, doubt or blindness
  28. Being Religious and Spiritual 1 Immateriality and Spiritual experience
  29. Statutes given unto us 
  30. Why is it that Christians don’t understand Muslims and Muslims do not understand Christians? 
  31. Luther’s misunderstanding
  32. January 27, 417, Pope Innocent I condemning Pelagius about Faith and Works
  33. Our life depending on faith
  34. Romans 4 and the Sacraments
  35. Is Justification a process?
  36. Letter to the Romans, chapter 3
  37. Letter to the Romans, chapter 4
  38. Additional comments to the 3rd Letter to the Romans
  39. Additional comments to the Letter to the Romans 4
  40. Comments to James remarks about Faith and works
  41. A god who gave his people commandments and laws he knew they never could keep to it
  42. Necessity of a revelation of creation 8 By no means unintelligible or mysterious to people
  43. Creation of the earth and man #8 Of the Sabbath day #6 If it be necessary to keep Sunday
  44. Were Gentiles excluded from entering the synagogue?
  45. Blinded crying blue murder having being made afraid by a bugaboo
  46. Belonging to or being judged by
  47. Israeli leaders delight in Europe’s cruelty toward refugees
  48. Daring to speak in multicultural environment
  49. A Synod to speak freely and to listen without reservations
     
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Sunday, 5 July 2015

Who Through Jesus Sleep

Who Through Jesus Sleep

Paperback, 254 Pages
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Who Through Jesus Sleep is a compendium of essays about the mortality of the soul (254 pages, ISBN 978-0-9574460-9-0, June 2015).
 
The book analyses what the biblical writers believed about the nature of the soul and the opportunity for life after death. It explores both the beliefs of the ancient Israelites, as presented in the Old Testament, and those of the early Christians, as presented in the New Testament. It traces the development of these biblical ideas to the emergence of the notion of the immortality of the soul in both Judaism and Christianity through the influence of Greek philosophy. It describes thinkers throughout history, as well as modern scholars, who have affirmed the biblical idea of the mortality of the soul. Common “proof” texts for the immortality of the soul are also examined.

Tuesday, 22 April 2014

Phoenicians sacrificed infants


 A new paper co-authored by Peter van Dommelen, the Joukowsky Family Professor of Archaeology and professor of anthropology, attempts to put to rest a long-standing mystery about infant bones found in Phoenician cemeteries in modern Tunisia and Italy. Experts have long been conflicted over whether the bones, found packed in urns and buried under tombstones, were the result of ritualistic sacrifices or simply carefully buried remains of children who died before or soon after birth. Van Dommelen's research, conducted with colleagues from several European institutions, concludes that the Phoenicians did kill their own infant children, burying them with sacrificed animals and ritual inscriptions in special cemeteries to give thanks for special favors from the gods. Published in the journal Antiquity, the researchers used the manner in which the remains were buried and the inscriptions on the tombstones as evidence that pointed toward the sacrifice rather than natural death. Additionally, although hundreds of remains were found, there were far too few to account for all of the stillbirths and infant deaths in that area, according to the study.
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