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More importantly, why is their so little mention of Satan in the Bible? You'd think he would have been popping up during all sorts of events chronicled in the Bible.
should the devil be talked about more than God in the bible? why? it ain't about him. the focus is on God.
Beats me!!! It certainly seems as if a lot of christians are also afraid of their god, their neighbors, people of any other denomination and/or religion, people of other races, both well-educated people and those without much education. I suspect fear is engrained into the christian psyche.
One can dream them up to be any way one wants them to be. It seems those who have low self-esteem or a desire for pain endow their concept of a god with corresponding proclivities. It would stand to reason that happy self-confident people have more beneficent gods.
Don't forget that the worship of God in the Hebrew Bible was called The Fear of Yahweh - or the Fear of the LORD...
"The fear of the LORD [Yahweh] is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise."
(Psalms 111:10)
Don't think that the concept of using fear was limited to just the later idea of the devil, church or state.
Nope. None of them say anything about God needing to be worshipped by humans. And you translate this as "I need to be worshipped"? Seriously? Again, nothing about "needing" to be worshipped here. Saying not to worship other gods isn't a statement of "need" for worship.
In organized religion, a person of faith has to worship their deity. God stating not to have other Gods is saying "do not worship other gods, only me." Also, Jesus states in John 4:23-24 that you need to worship God in spirit and truth.
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth
Jesus said in Matthew 4:10, "You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve."
The Oxford Dictionary states that worship is, “n. 1a homage or reverence paid to a deity. b acts, rites, or ceremonies of worship. 2 adoration or devotion (worship of wealth)… v. 1 tr. adore as divine; honor with religious rites. 2 tr. idolize. 3 intr. attend public service.â€
Quote:
Originally Posted by KingDavid8
Dodging the question? He chose to do it one way instead of another, so I'm wondering why you are asking if He "needed" to do it this way. Tell me where in the Bible, or in your reasoning, God "needed" to do it this way. Those are textbook examples of loaded questions. You claim that God "needs" to do certain things, and are asking why he "needs" to do them, when you are simply presuming such a need. There's nothing in the Bible saying that God needs to be worshipped, or that God needed to bring Jesus about a certain way.
Ok, so God didn't need Mary to have Jesus. My original question was why did God have Mary birth Jesus? You're saying that God didn't need her so why did God go that route? Waiting 9 months or create a man out of dirt??? I believe creating a man out of dirt would be quicker. God jeopardize the life of Mary and Joseph.
Semi Assumption based on my Christian past. Unless Christians have taken a new interest in the Bible you will find most of the mainstream denominations place little emphasis on Bible study. Catholics make up over 1/2 the world's Catholics and at least up until the time I left Catholicism in the early 1960s Catholics were actually discouraged from reading the Bible. You will also find little bible interest among the Lutherans, Episcopalians and Church ofEngland.
Really? Who told you that one? I'm an Episcopalian, and every week three passages from the bible--OT, epistle, and gospel--plus a psalm are read in Episcopal churches. The lectionary, as it is called, is set up so that the entire bible is read over a set period of time--two years, I think.
And my church, like many others, offers a regular weekly bible study plus an adult class on Sunday.
Anyway, back to the topic, it's just silly to make the assumption that Christians are afraid of the devil.
Really? Who told you that one? I'm an Episcopalian, and every week three passages from the bible--OT, epistle, and gospel--plus a psalm are read in Episcopal churches. The lectionary, as it is called, is set up so that the entire bible is read over a set period of time--two years, I think.
And my church, like many others, offers a regular weekly bible study plus an adult class on Sunday.
Perhaps it is a new trend. Although up here in ND I seldom run into any Episcopalians one of the towns I lived in, over in CT was predominately Episcopalian and I do not recall a single family that even owned a Bible.
It seemed that there was little if any encouragement for people to read the bible on their own. Similar to the attitude in Catholicism. Although up until the 1940s-50s Catholics were pretty much discouraged from reading it on their own.
Perhaps it is a new trend. Although up here in ND I seldom run into any Episcopalians one of the towns I lived in, over in CT was predominately Episcopalian and I do not recall a single family that even owned a Bible.
It seemed that there was little if any encouragement for people to read the bible on their own. Similar to the attitude in Catholicism. Although up until the 1940s-50s Catholics were pretty much discouraged from reading it on their own.
I've only been Episcopalian for 15 years, so perhaps it was true back in the olden days. I won't argue with you over that one, Woodrow. I think the lectionary has always been in place as the order of worship, but I don't know if people were encouraged to read on their own or not.
I was raised in the Reformed Church of America (a descendant of the Dutch Reformed Church) and we did read the bible, all the time. Memorized verses as kids, and by third grade I could recite the books of the bible in order. More of a fear-death-and-hell denomination, though, than the Episcopal church.
Whether bible reading is encouraged in a church or not, it's going to boil down to the individual anyway and their own desire to study or lack thereof.
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I think the lectionary has always been in place as the order of worship, but I don't know if people were encouraged to read on their own or not. 
