Comments on: XFiles: What about the New Testament?

By: mikespeir

mikespeir — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:01:50 +0000

I always wondered about those mansions, Ben. How long could it take for a god to build a bunch of houses? Keith Green used to say that God created the world in six days but he’s spent 2000 years on mansions. Green, a Christian, apparently didn’t see the irony in that.

By: Ben

Ben — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 19:03:56 +0000

Bu-but, Jesus can’t be in more than one place at a time. And he had all those mansions to build. Which would take a long time. Ever tried to build living accommodations for 144,000 people? Ever tried to build them all in such a way that they don’t need fixing up after 10 billion years of eternal life? Think about it.

[great post, btw]

By: mikespeir

mikespeir — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 21:12:04 +0000

Ash makes the point that I taught and was taught. The Holy Spirit had to come so that everybody could become a “little Jesus.” On the other hand, that doesn’t explain why “big Jesus” had to go away.

By: Ash Bowie

Ash Bowie — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 17:21:59 +0000

Good essay.

There is another benefit to the Jesus/Spirit exchange: the Holy Spirit has no required earthly form. True, it allegedly showed up as a dove to John, but most Christians think of it as a purely immaterial being. Because of this, anyone can say that they are in the presence of or are filled by the Holy Spirit simply because they “feel” it. They can whip themselves up into an emotional frenzy and that sensation is certainly very real, which is all the evidence they require. But even the most devoted Christian knows that people look at you funny if you claim that Jesus is literally talking to you or making physical visits. The exchange allows people to say, essentially, that God is directly interacting with them without needing to provide any proof beyond a strong physiological sensation. It is a marvelous way to help maintain faith in the face of absurdity.