Studies on the Fringe of Christianity
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 …
The dog isn’t referenced in the Bible in a very good way, as there are more than fifty verses describing dogs in a negative manner. That attitude goes for all canines: jackals, wolves, hyenas, etc. To the Hebrew people, canines were created to serve a particular purpose in God’s plan — they are the scavengers …
Most people think of Jonah and the whale as a child’s Bible story, but besides being swallowed and spit-up by a whale, there are very adult messages embedded within the narrative. It is a phenomenal tale that also includes a great storm, a prolific plant, an attacking worm, and a blistering sultry wind, all to …
The Bible gives many examples of God’s position concerning those who do not have faith or do not believe that his laws are just and necessary, but only a few shows the extreme extent of his capabilities to punish amoral behavior and the story of Sodom and Gomorrah is one of them. These citizens lost …
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 …
Although there are several minor Christian sects that do not celebrate birthdays, the only major denomination that does not is Jehovah’s Witnesses. Of the organizations that do not, often cited as a reason, is that only two instances of birthdays are mentioned in the Bible and both represented rather gruesome situations that were related to …
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 …