I am currently reading Spinoza’s Theologico- Politico treatise from where most of our reflections in the next few days will mainly come from unless we are rudely interrupted by criminal activity around the world for example car bombs, honor killings and any such madness, then we may add our commentary to that type of madness.
Spinoza advises thus
we must not go to the prophets for knowledge, either of natural or of spiritual phenomenon.
He continues in the next line to say
we have determined, then, that we are only bound to believe in the prophetic writings, the object and substance of the revelation; with regard to the details every one may believe or not, as he likes.
If only evangelicals let everyone in peace to believe or not to believe, we would have lesser things to fight over.
Random thoughts 
“If only evangelicals let everyone in peace to believe or not to believe, we would have lesser things to fight over.” Could not agree more. Spinoza also sounds like a body organ to me. “Damn, I strained my Spinoza lifting that box. I shoulda used more leg muscle.”
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Hahaha. I thought it sounded like a veggie 🙂
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Not sure I feel bound to even listen to the core of the prophetic writings. Bound still bothers me. These writings can be a source of wisdom, but it is more than the details I am worried about.
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Your comment reminds of a similar one where the author says it is not the things they don’t understand in the Bible that worry them but those they understand
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“If only evangelicals let everyone in peace to believe or not to believe, we would have lesser things to fight over.” Absolutely, Noel.
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You know we would be spending energy tackling world hunger, conflict and threatened wildlife habitats
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It’s a shame that so many in power prefer to play games, manipulate beliefs, set faction against faction in the name of this or that faith, instead of dealing with the situations that truly matter to everyone.
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Seneca, that noble Roman was right when he said the politicians find religion as useful. People can be manipulated to kill one another on opinions
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Sadly, by their very name, Evangelical, it is something they are incapable of.
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I am being generous
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>>> “we must not go to the prophets for knowledge, either of natural or of spiritual phenomenon.”
Right on, Spinoza!
I’m also extremely impressed with your voracious appetite for literature, Noel. The thirst for knowledge is sorely lacking these days, particularly in America where its dumbed-down people are consuming themselves with gratuitously violent and frivolous entertainment.
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I find the person who said my people die for lack of knowledge to have had a point. People kill one another for difference of opinion. It is madness.
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The prophets knowledge only tends to serve their own interests.
…and the open to interpretation clause is why there are 10,000 sects of x-ianity. Each and every one of them sure in their interpretation, that all others are going straight to hell!
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I think it is the interpretors of prophets who have their own interests
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That is for sure 🙂
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The prophets were simple ignorant people. It’s the Hams and others like him who have made the prophets say what they had no idea of
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I think some of them were not simple and ignorant. Some of them were just flat out insane, but their culture valued the (properly worded) insanity. Others were clever, attaching themselves to tribal leaders and petty kings. finally, some were simple….Like Saturday Night Live Church Ladies, burning with self righteous furies and certainties. Like Savaronalla in Renaissance Florence.
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There is nothing to add here, I agree.
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