Originally Posted by
HoustonG
I watched the video. His opening statement made me anxious for its culmination. He defined inspiration, infallibility, and inerrancy and how they've been defined and misused. He even talked of possibly errors of non consequence (numbers being rounded, etc.) but then his final statement was just to say the bible is inspired, infallible, inerrant, true and trustworthy. Nowhere did he address the question of how we know the authors were actually inspired by God. Defining the word inspiration doesn't identify the one who's inspiring. It's the kind of talk around that can be frustrating for someone like myself. Lots of side dishes, but no meat and potatoes.
Simple question (I think): Why did they deserve/require obvious and indisputable proof of god just because they were living in the last days? Also, are you referring to those old testament examples as happening in the last days? (ok, that's two questions)
I've heard it said that god had to do those wonderous things because he was just beginning his interactions with man and had to give them solid proof of his existence. When I hear that, it implies that we somehow have our proof today. How do we? The bible? A book so clouded with different translations as well as disagreements over it's meanings that it has caused great division even among those who accept it's authenticity? A book whose interpretations cause tremendous tribalism and division into many different camps of thought? So that's all we get? How could god possibly see that as all we need to secure our salvation? I give him more credit than that.
Because even if I studied all those original languages and got the scriptural interpretations perfectly accurate, it still wouldn't be evidence that those words were devinely inspired.
I'm a college football fan, I care very little for those other sports so nobody can ever accuse me of obsessing over NFL, MLB, or NBA players or stats. However, to your comparison, if I did care about those players names and stats, there would be no controversy over them. Those names and stats would be universally accepted as fact whether opposing fans liked it or not.
Again, these are my thoughts as plain and simple minded as they may be. It's not ne saying "here's why you're wrong to believe this or that" or anything even close. I sincerely appreciate the input because it is thought provoking for me.
I also watched the video entitled "The friendly argument in a nutshell." late in that video he says god has to give us the gift of faith and that it doesn't come from within us. Maybe that's what I await.