Studies on the Fringe of Christianity
There is probably little in Christianity as controversial as whether or not God knew all the future details of our world. Was our human history laid out even before it started? Are our past, present, and future following a precise path toward a preplanned destiny? If so, is it even possible for humans to exercise …
If one man said to another man, “put your hand under my thigh,” that request probably would not seem very strange in today’s openly sinful homosexual culture, but for one of God’s chosen people to do so would be rather weird. However that is exactly what happened in ancient Bible times, so there must be …
Crucifixion was a regular mode of capital punishment among early pagan nations, and most likely originated with the Persians and then spread to the Assyrians, Germans, Celts, Britons and others. This punishment was “primarily reserved for traitors, captive armies, slaves and the worst of criminals” and was common under the rule of Alexander the Great …
Most Christians believe that these three names are interchangeable for identifying the biggest and most powerful ‘bad guy’ of the Bible. Just what are the dictionary definitions for these words: Satan, Devil, Lucifer? According to Merriam-Webster, Satan is Greek and the Hebrew is śā[t]ān, which means adversary. It is the angel in Jewish belief that …
Most Christian pastors, teachers, and parents believe that masturbation is a sin, because it gratifies the desires of the flesh, which means we are not walking in the spirit and living by faith. This study will involve ideas and language that many people find offensive, so if that is the case with you, please read …
I have a couple of full-sized medieval battle swords hanging on my living room wall. I’m told that they are museum replicas and both have a religious connection. Normally I would have put them in my office, but they are rather large (long) and there was not enough room to hang them there. I have …
There is a new feature listed in the main menu bar at the top of all pages. This feature is the ‘Bible Versions Chart’ which lists the translations used in our articles and posts. It is not complete by any means, but is a list of most of the English language Bibles used on The …
Our country, like many others, is divided over the issue of abortion. You may be pregnant and thinking of getting one, or you may know someone who is, and you want to know what God thinks about this avenue to problem solving. Many people will try to decide this problem for you, but they all …
Throughout Egypt, from the beginning to the end of Egyptian history (circa 3000 B.C. – 400 B.C.), the sun was worshiped as the deity Ra (or Re). Ra was symbolized by a sun disk and thought to be the creator god, sun god, and god of the underworld. He was also god of the state, …
Specifically, the Ten Commandments,1 also known as the Decalogue, were given by God to the Israelites at Mount Sinai, after Moses led the people of Israel out of slavery from Egypt, about 1440 B.C. It was part of the covenant between them and Jehovah. Obeying this list of commandments was a heavy burden for the …