Readers,

Unfortunately this forum closed due to maintence problems with the server.

If you are interested in continuing a discussion, you can go to this board:

http://p221.ezboard.com/bthechristianforum

The Christian Forum

Or try our URL Forwarder www.bluespun.com

www.Bluespun.com

This was our back up board, but now we all relocated here.

Hope to see you there! All links lead to the same place!

-- David Ortiz (cyberpunk1986@gmail.com), November 28, 2005.

Here is the link to "the other gospels" I mentioned in the Catholic Forum:

This is a thread in this forum about Thomas and is peculiar writings.

There is tons of reading!

rod..

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-- rod (elreyrod@yahoo.com), October 20, 2003

Answers

Faith maybe you are already familiar with these books, I don't know. It is very obvious that you are very intelligent and very gentle in your conversations with everyone. I wish I could be as similar. I hope that I don't come across too harsh or worse. Theology and doctrine are two sensative issues for believers.

rod..

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-- rod (elreyrod@yahoo.com), October 20, 2003.

Thanks rod..

I'll check it out.

I own the Gospel of Thomas. I can see first hand why it was rejected by Christians all along.

Ya know, I don't deny that there were other books not worthy of the title of the Word of God. But it didn't take a council of men behind closed doors to confirm what was widely understood already.

-- Faith (faith01@myway.com), October 20, 2003.

Faith-

I would agree with you 100% except for one key point of evidence:

There are way too many conflicting doctrines and theologies in this world. Some teach "once saved, always saved", some teach "oneness", some teach different ideas about "baptism", "faith alone", "Sola Scriptura", Jesus is an exalted man, "God only", "Jesus only", Charisms are no longer present, "Must have Speaking in Tongues", Closed "Baptism", Open Communion-symbolism, "Consubstantiation", and the list goes on. Also, the many different religions are mind boggling. The concepts of "Messiah" is also a dizzing amount of differing theologies. The concepts of Heaven and Salvation or Purgatory or Nervana are all out there to confuse people. Billy Grahm or Benny Hinn, the Pope or Dali Lama, Kevin or David, Faith or rod, who should we believe has the most to offer as a Gospel teacher or leader? If we cannot trust common man, then how do we find the truth unless God opens the Heavens and sends each one of us His voice directly into our souls? We are gonna have to rely on some mortals as we have trusted in the Bible and the people in the Bible. That truth can be found in the church, sure not the building, but an institution can be built upon those truths. We all are only humans and must make some form of faith for ourselves. There is a manifestation of faith in many Christian churches. I am learning that the Catholic Church does have that truth, but I do question everything and everyone.

rod

-- rod (elreyrod@yahoo.com), October 21, 2003.

Yes.., but rod...those conflicts about once saved always saved.., baptism etc...are conflicts that are occuring with the Bible as we have it now, after the canon was closed. So what difference then, did the council make?

-- Faith (faith01@myway.com), October 21, 2003.

Isn't there a New Testament Apocrypha?

-- David Ortiz (cyberpunk1986@hotmail.com), October 21, 2003.

I hope that my statement is not true:

If I start to believe what most Protestants teach, I may find that all of Christianity has been a lie. Is this what Protestants fear the most, that their interpretations may eventually return to Catholicism? I think that the confusions that exist are giving evidence to the Myth of Christianity. Catholicism is the last strong hold and if they are wrong, than surely Christianity is nothing but a Myth. I'm back to doing more research.......later.

rod..

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-- rod (elreyrod@yahoo.com), October 22, 2003.

David Ortiz, there is a New Testament Apocripha. It is even bigger than that of of the Old Testament.

Of these rejected books I only accept The Gospel of Thomas. 70% of its sayings are found in these chapters of Matthew: 5-7, 9-13, 18-19, 22-24, 26. I will list you later their correspondence. only 3 appear only in Luke. 2 only in John. This shows Thomas was one of the sources Matthew used in compiling his Gospel besides Mark. 90% of Mark is in Matthew. This shows Matthew came later. It was edited. Luke corresponds to Matthew in many sayings now called Q (some of these Q sayings are in Thomas). I belive like Spong that matthew wrote many verses of his own in trying to interpret scripture.

For example, no Gospel or writing from Paul says that Mary was a virgin when she had Jesus. Matthew uses a mistranslation of Alma, young woman in Hebrew, to mean Virgin at Isaiah 7:14, when in Hebrew is Betulah. Even the prophecy applies to Isaiah's time in 735 BC., not to Jesus.

These other books I read: Gospel of Phillip, Gospel of the Ebionites, Gospel of the Henrews, Protoevangelium of James ( used by Catholics to show mary was a Virgin and was conceived without sin), Gospel of Mary, Infancy Gospel, Preaching of Peter ( used by Catholics to prove Peter was crucified in Rome), Gospel of Peter, Acts of Paul, ....

30% are either not found in our gospels or are gnostic sayings.

-- Elpidio Gonzalez (egonval@yahoo.com), October 22, 2003.

It is all in my head, David? Now, you are hearing historical references about the other books from Elpidio. Is it all in his head, too? Come on David, get real. Open those history books, please.

rod..

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-- rod (elreyrod@yahoo.com), October 22, 2003.

It is my understanding that those "other gospels" could have been included in the Holy Bible, but were excluded, not for their false-ness, for their redundant accounts.

rod..

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-- rod (elreyrod@yahoo.com), October 22, 2003.