[continued from previous message]   
      
   > > of one of his writings, but such does not appear to be the case. I have not   
   > > studied his works, but I briefly reviewed some of the comments made by   
   > > others   
   > > who have their own views of what he wrote. Sadly it is difficult to comment   
   > > on them since I would have to study up on Paine in order to know something   
   > > about him, and it would have to be mainly the things written by his hand,   
   > > not   
   > > based on the comments of others, unless they were peer friends of his,   
   > > personally.   
   > >   
   > > What little I read this morning, was a whole lot of things supposedly of   
   > > what   
   > > he said and thought, but it was clear that people cherry picked phrases   
   that   
   > > lent themselves to support their personal agendas. According to what you   
   > > outlined it would seem that Paine had at best a shallow and limited   
   > > understanding of the Bible, and virtually no personal knowledge of God.   
   > >   
   > > I will make a brief comment to each numeric point. LOL, hopefully brief.   
   > > >   
   > > > An interesting contradiction occurs with Paul's testimony, which was   
   > > > pointed out by Thomas Paine, one of America's founding fathers. Here it   
   > > > is in outline form:   
   > > >   
   > > > 1) Paul, while being a Jew, claims to have persecuted Christians, a   
   > > > claim also made about him by the author of Acts.   
   > >   
   > > This point shows and gives an understanding of how little attention he paid   
   > > to the NT.   
   > > It is obvious that he was a chief persecutor and he explained why.   
   > >   
   > > >   
   > > >   
   > > > 2) When someone persecutes another, especially, a strange, it is   
   > > > because you do not like what that person has done, is saying, and/or   
   > > > certain viewpoints that they, as a group, hold to. (As an example, it   
   > > > is possible for a Jew and a Muslim to hate each other even though they   
   > > > have never met.)   
   > >   
   > > That would describe his agenda for those he persecuted. He took the   
   attitude   
   > > of a Muslim towards the destruction of all those who opposed his religious   
   > > mindset, under the authority of the High Priest of his day.   
   > > >   
   > > >   
   > > > 3) As such, Paul, prior to his conversion to Christianity, must have   
   > > > head the accounts of Jesus of Nazareth rising from the dead, which must   
   > > > have included the so-called appearances of Jesus to the "five hundred".   
   > > > In spite of hearing those accounts, Paul continued to persecute   
   > > > Christians; as such, Paul himself did not find the accounts of Jesus   
   > > > being raised from the dead by God as being convincing.   
   > >   
   > > He may have heard, and was aware of the reports. Especially because he was   
   > > chief amongst the Pharisees. Like the typical atheist of today, they hear   
   > > much and deny all, and this was also the mindset of the Jews who persecuted   
   > > their brother Jew who believed in Christ. To them it was heresy. Yet the OT   
   > > spoke of the Messiah that was to come, when, and where, and what he would   
   > > do.   
   > > They had an idea that he was to come and set them up as a ruling Nation   
   over   
   > > all other nations. And that will happen in the future, but many looked for   
   > > it   
   > > happening then, even demanding that he be that or else be denied. The NT   
   > > spells it out but few pay attention to it so that they might understand the   
   > > MO of that day amongst the religious Jew.   
   > > >   
   > > >   
   > > > 4) It was only after Paul's private experience that he converted.   
   > >   
   > > It was only then that he was hit full face with the undeniable truth that   
   he   
   > > could not ignore. No longer could he deny and put things off and discount   
   > > the   
   > > truth without cause. The believer who came to him and healed him of his   
   > > blindness and spoke to him, as commanded by God, was fearful of doing so,   
   > > based on Sauls reputation for killing and torturing believers. Said so to   
   > > God, yet he went to him and ministered to him what God said he should do.   
   > > >   
   > > >   
   > > > Conclusion: The only evidence that Paul offers for the Risen Christ is   
   > > > his private experience, as he himself discounted all the experiences of   
   > > > all the other Christians who claimed to have experienced the Risen   
   Christ.   
   > >   
   > > Personal experiential knowledge, yes. But it also revealed to him that he   
   > > was persecuting others by believing lies. And that what the other apostles   
   > > taught was indeed true.   
   >   
   > I do not believe that Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead, and any   
   > "appearances" to the contrary after his Passion were purely   
   > physiological in nature.   
   >   
   > Dawn   
      
   Then by those standards any denials of it are also physiological in nature.   
      
   Dead caterpillars turn into Butterflies.   
      
   Interesting that you used the word “Passion”.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)