Glenn Morton wrote (in a concluding remark):
<< Don't miss the fact that I have clearly stated that there
is much that I believe that can't be verified in Christianity.
Feelings can't be verified. I have experienced feelings in
worship services and in devotions. However, shamons in New
Guinea feel their religion every bit as intensely as any
Christian glossalia participant. But feelings don't tell us
which of the two religions is true----only objective data can
do that.
>>
I think the place where the rubber really meets the road in
the Old Testament (OT) is the issue of Moses and the Exodus.
If that is utter myth, I would have to say that the Bible is
nonsense and not worth taking seriously. The OT rests on that,
and it is at the core of the Jewish (and Christian) faith.
It is what gives us hope and faith that God really does act in
history, and that God treats us as moral creatures who will be
held accountable for our deeds --- like it or not.
If Adam and Eve (and Noah for that matter) are pure myth, it
would hardly change my life. However, I would say that starting
from Abraham, there should be some reason to take the historical
accounts more seriously. That does not come without problems, but
the Exodus is as central to the OT, as the resurrection is to the
New Testament. If Christ is really a myth, my faith is folly.
I would add that these non-existence claims on Moses and Christ
seem rather fanciful and bear a rather suspicious resemblance to
conspiracy theories. I am also concerned that such wishful thinking
is a bit wreckless because it represent just the kinds of wrongheaded
notions that are most likely to be seized upon and perverted by
people who are already predisposed to a strongly anti-Semitic position.
That is just what we need --- more "Mein Kampf" in this world.
by Grace alone do we proceed,
Wayne
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