Did Christ sweat blood?

[Bill]

I handle Biblical contradictions and errors the same way I handle the contradictions and errors of everyday living:

God is love.  All else is style.

Peace

Do you care to elaborate?  It seems you are dodging the question.

I do not want to pressure you for an answer but if you are willing I would be interested to hear it and if not so be it.

God Bless

[Pax Vobiscum]

Think succinct rather than a dodge.

My reply was brief because it seems that some of my posts have had an unintended effect (or were not understood); however, my reply is as sincere as anything I've ever written.

Peace

[Deborah-Leigh]

Kat, perhaps a compilation of all the emails that have been written addressed to Ray on the subject of contradiction could help? It obviously is needed for edification!  Ray says that some 95% of his emails are on this subject alone! It would be good to have a list to study from in order to know how to handle contradictions! It is valid Bill to want to know!

Here is a more recent email that Ray answers that gives further insight into this topic.

Wearied by Contradictions
« on: April 09, 2007, 10:09:52 AM » 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ray

You are a searcher for sure!  As one you have had to take certain risks in your life to prove to yourself that you are right.  How else can a searcher find an answer to that yearning in the heart? 

I am a searcher too.  I have gotten very excited to meet someone who has also had to risk losing friends, family, or who knows what, to find meaning in this mixed up world.  No one would dig and dig into anything this deeply, unless he felt an overwhelming desire to understand his own purpose.

I have been wondering about the meaning of life since I was old enough to think.  I looked at the world and realized how horrible and unfair that it was.  I sought religion when I was young, but I couldn't get over the frustration that I felt when our Sunday School teacher told us that God destroyed all of the people in a big flood.  It didn't make sense to me then, or now, that someone I should call Father, would need to take a life from someone.  If God wanted to control evil, He simply could have prevented it from the start!!  It just kept haunting me that the anger I felt was actually directed towards God.  I wanted to believe in Him, but my logical mind would not let me.

I was challenged, one day, by a door to door Christian who told me to be direct about any  certain prayer to which I needed an answer.  I prayed to God "Prove to me that there is a Devil."  If God would do this for me, I could know that He was listening to me; that a good God really existed.

Into my life came the Devil!  I was turned (figuratively) in every direction but a good one,  after I met a practicing black-magic witch.  She showed me things about power and force that shook me to the core.  Realizing that God had answered my prayer, I gave my heart to Him.

My visions of Heavenly things began that day in  November 1978.  God's first "thought message" to me was, "Rick, I'm going to teach you about myself.  Everything I'm going to show you will demonstrate love, and how that will impact you and others in your life.  If you receive messages that do not manifest love, then you can know that it is from an other who wishes to teach you lies."

Can you understand why I've been so fervent in my search?  I have realized that the God of the universe is real, and that He is teaching me things.  He loves us, and I have been sharing it ever since.

I know that offering an alternative view of biblical history can be threatening to ones belief  system.  Just as you have a lot to say, so do I!  I have been given a boatload of facts to back me up, but I don't want to  revel in my own accomplishments.  It is the glorification of God in other people's lives that means the most to me now!

I wanted to get back in touch with you earlier than this, but I was visiting family in Illinois.
I guess that "IN YOUR FACE" approach with you did not work so well DID IT?  WELL DID IT?
It made you upset for sure.  As for knowing me and what I am about, you still have not a clue.  The folks who write you these letters are sincere about their beliefs, and are just as upset with you when you land on them.

There has to be one teaching from God.  You have to agree that all of the religions out there got their origins from something or someone.  Where is all the garbage coming from?  If God has one truth, then obviously most of the world is getting it wrong for some reason.  Men seem to be making their conclusions  from personal points of view, not necessarily from actual facts.  The Bible would be 100% uniform in its teachings if the true facts about God's nature could have been known early on.  If you want to teach your own children about evil, do you give them a knife and then command them to kill their neighbors because they are not as righteous as you?  I don't think so.  I don't  think God would ever ask us to kill for Him either!!  I have never gotten a satisfactory answer from anyone I have asked about this issue. They are trying to defend the inerrant of scripture and are not using any kind of logic or reasonable sen Se in their conclusions!

What do we do with all of these difficult issues?  Do we ignore the problem and insult the searcher for asking these things?  WE are all still students aren't we?

Up to this point I have purposely not included Bible verses to back up my views because I respected your apparent knowledge of the scriptures.  Am I wrong here?  So far, I have not been able to find answers in your writings about the reasons for Bible contradictions.  It is obvious that there are hundreds of them.  I hope that I don't have to label them all for you to recognize that they exist.  If I wanted to fix a car with a manual that has as many difficulties, I would never get that thing fixed either.  I don't mean to be insulting anyone intelligence on this subject.  The facts are right in front of us!  We don't have to look far for them.

If God has given us a reasoning thinking mind to ponder these things, then let's reason. It's easier to work together  to solve problems than to just ignore them or say that they never existed in the first place.

I hope to communicate with you soon on all of this.  Maybe there is an easier way; I really am tired of banging away on this darn  computer board.

Thank you for your patience with me.  I REALLY DO SUPPORT THE WORK YOU ARE DOING.

Your friend, Rick.
 

Dear Rick:
Your concerns may well be valid, Rick, but I have hundreds of readers who desire to engage me in long and endless discussions on many subjects that they feel are absolutely necessary for me to particpate in for most of the rest of my life. I'm sorry, but I can't and I won't do that. Ninteyfive percent of all the tens of thousands of emails I receive, have to do with CONTRADICTIONS:  either contradictions of the Scriptures, contradictions of God, or contradiction that they think I have made in my writings. It wearies me!  If you have one burning "contradiction" that you would like me to comment on, I will address that, but I will not turn aside from the important things I am writing on to discuss endlessly the subjects that others want me to take part in. Hope you understand.
God be with you,
Ray (Bold caps mine)


Peace to you

Arcturus