Category: Ancient Near East

Ancient Near East, Atheism, Vocab MaloneLeave a comment

Skylar’s Fictions

TheSire

Skylar Fiction is an old-face from the group of youtube atheist. He is your rather prototypical village atheist and lives to make pathetic videos about his senseless opinions(a lesser version of “The Talk” or “The View”). Dialogue with him is like talking to a woman going through PMS. Skylar is no different from any other atheist of the New Atheist movement devoid of actual serious argument. He plays on the emotional heartstrings of village atheist. Skylar’s game is 90% deceptive rhetoric and 10% self-defeating statements. Skylar appeared on Vocabs show and I’m not going to comment on everything that was … Continue reading Skylar’s Fictions

Ancient Near East, HomosexualityLeave a comment

Desperate Dershowitz

TheSire

I think Dr. Joshua Bowen is a nice guy. But he recently did a video promoting Dr. Idan Dershowitz view of Leviticus 18. Dr. Dershowitz just does as liberals do and invented a manuscript with no textual evidence. Plus, the biblical case against homosexuality doesn’t stand or fall on Leviticus 18-20. Robert Gagnon and Michael Brown have responded to Dershowitz: Dr. Michael Brown: Creating a New Version of Leviticus to Support Gay Sex Dr. Robert Gagnon: Leviticus and the Times Dr. Al Mohler: Leviticus in The New York Times: What’s the Real Story Here? Tyler Vela: Homosexuality and the Bible … Continue reading Desperate Dershowitz

Ancient Near East, Cult, MormonismLeave a comment

The Unfair Mormons

TheSire

I was asked to comment on an article written by the “Fair Mormons”. https://www.fairmormon.org/answers/Question:_How_is_Mormon_belief_compatible_with_Isaiah Some Christians claim that the Mormon doctrine of the Godhead and belief in theosis are not compatible with multiple statements in Isaiah that “beside [the Lord] there is no God.” These passages include Isaiah 43:10-11; Isaiah 44:6,8; Isaiah 45:5-6; Isaiah 45:21-22; and Isaiah 46:9-10. The author assumes theosis and deification are about polytheism. It historically is a more eastern theological idea about “experiencing God” through the “divine energies”. The verses they mentioned should be dealt with one by one because they may assert different things. These scriptures in Isaiah clearly are meant to assert the … Continue reading The Unfair Mormons

Ancient Near East, MormonismLeave a comment

Mormon Anthropology

TheSire

Kwaku argued that we should share the ANE perspective instead of our European. The issue is the Mormon perspective isn’t the usual perspective in the ANE. The ANE recognized the difference between men and gods. There existed a species difference between them and if they united they would result in demi-gods. That is different from a Mormon perspective where the difference between gods and men are that one is glorified and the other isn’t. In most ancient Near Eastern societies humans were basically viewed as insignificant. They possessed little dignity and worth and were thought to be merely slaves to … Continue reading Mormon Anthropology

Ancient Near East, Mormonism, theologyLeave a comment

A God not formed

TheSire

“You are My witnesses,” declares the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me.(Isa. 43:10) The Jews were surrounded by polytheist. This is a polemical statement to the ideas of the polytheist. In ANE worldviews the gods are byproducts of other gods and eventually the universe. The Biblical picture is a God that is the grounds for all reality: The gods of the pagan world were often spoken of as formed, created, … Continue reading A God not formed

Ancient Near East, Cult, Dr. James White, MormonismLeave a comment

Mormons and OT Polytheism

TheSire

I watched a Mormon debate, Dr. James White, today and I found it worthy of discussing. The Mormon’s name was Kwaku and I have spoken with him on an occasion. Kwaku reminds me of Bob Vukich. They are smarter than their worldviews but they have to go back and find anything they can to salvage their position. Let’s just go to some of the issues that came up. 1. Historical context: Kwaku argues that the Jews didn’t deny that other gods didn’t exist. He notes the widely accepted idea in scholarship that the Jews believe in polytheism just like the Mormons … Continue reading Mormons and OT Polytheism

Ancient Near East, Homosexuality, Sentinel ApologeticsLeave a comment

Guardians of the Gay

TheSire

Some have bought the lines thrown out by those who argue the Bible is compatible with homosexuality. Robert Rowe was throwing some of those liberal arguments out there in an article he wrote. https://www.sentinelapologetics.org/single-post/2018/04/09/Homosexuality-Why-Christians-Should-Not-Use-Leviticus-1822 Certain schools of theology will have you learn artificial systematic ways in which we can organize these laws, placing them into ceremonial, civil, etc. Unfortunately no one in the ANE (including Moses) would even understand our artificial musings. Rowe’s mistakes are that it will take an actual argument to demonstrate these claims. The claim that distinctions in the Law are artificial would just be the claim … Continue reading Guardians of the Gay

Ancient Near East, Genesis, Sentinel ApologeticsLeave a comment

Rowe’s Dilemma

TheSire

Robert Rowe has been in some recent dialogues about his interpretation of the Genesis. I think he walks the accommodationist and concordist tight wire to make his interpretations. He finds the Bible to be the product of outdated ideas and sees these as God accommodating to his Ancient Near Eastern people. He finds that atheist objections are foolish because they are trying to read science back on to a mythological text. He, for example, thinks the Bible teaches that the universe fits this model: On the other hand, he is a scientist. He loves to see his ideas correspond with an exterior reality. … Continue reading Rowe’s Dilemma