What is the very FIRST question that we asked in the Holy Bible?

[jillian]

i was always told that him questioning whether or not he was his brother's keeper was wrong. in fact, the question was raised when cain already knew he had murdered his brother, iirc.

i think that's a pretty big indication that the question was silly.

the talmud says to save one person is to save the world. i figure that's the answer.

jesus, in his teachings always emphasized taking care of the poor.

amazingly, he didn't say a single word about gays.

I wish it was possible to Rep 4 out of 5 sentences......

I was thinking the same thing

and yet the last sentence is true as well.

and he still repped me.

 

[jillian]

...



"Am I my brother's keeper?"~Cain

was an answer ever given?

what do you Bible readers and believers think?

i was always told that him questioning whether or not he was his brother's keeper was wrong. in fact, the question was raised when cain already knew he had murdered his brother, iirc.

i think that's a pretty big indication that the question was silly.

the talmud says to save one person is to save the world. i figure that's the answer.

jesus, in his teachings always emphasized taking care of the poor.

amazingly, he didn't say a single word about gays.

I wish it was possible to Rep 4 out of 5 sentences......

 

[tonystewart1]

I wish it was possible to Rep 4 out of 5 sentences......

I was thinking the same thing

and yet the last sentence is true as well.

and he still repped me.

The thing about gays was kind of out of left field.

 

[hortysir]

I wish it was possible to Rep 4 out of 5 sentences......

I was thinking the same thing

and yet the last sentence is true as well.

and he still repped me.

Actually it was the writings of Peter (or was it Paul) that admonished homosexual behavior, right?......NOT Jesus, Himself.

I didn't have a problem with the sentence, itself, except that it was just unrelated to the topic at hand.

 

[tonystewart1]

I was thinking the same thing

and yet the last sentence is true as well.

and he still repped me.

Actually it was the writings of Peter (or was it Paul) that admonished homosexual behavior, right?......NOT Jesus, Himself.

I didn't have a problem with the sentence, itself, except that it was just unrelated to the topic at hand.

Paul in Romans and I think in Timothy also.

 

[Foxfyre]

Well, I hate to be the fly in the ointment, but the very first question in the edited Bible that most of us use was the serpent saying to Adam: "Did God really say, "You must not eat from any tree in the garden?" (Genesis 3:1 (NIV)

The second and third questions were God calling to Adam: "Where are you?"

He answered. "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."

And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from? Genesis 3:8-11 (NIV)

Adam then gallantly blamed Eve for the whole thing which led to v. 13:
Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?"

Upon which she blamed the serpent. And the rest is history.

Also there are the questions in Chapter 4 v. 6when God says to Cain: "Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?. . ."

And after Cain slew able, we arrive at v. 9:
Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?"
"I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?"

The Lord did not tell him, "Yes you are." but that has been the more 'liberal/progressive' or leftwing interpretation of that passage ever since.

***************************************

I believe the literal interpretation of that line is somewhat different than how it is most commonly interpreted or used as a metaphor.

Even in that primitive culture, humankind was perceived to be elevated above the plants and other creatures on earth. Able was a keeper of the flocks while Cain was a keeper of the fields or crops. Meaning each had oversight of that portion of the family industry. The family owned the sheep and goats and were responsible for them.

For Cain to be Able's 'keeper' would suggest that Abel was subserviant to or a slave of Cain. In other words to suggest that Cain was Abel's keeper was a perjorative statement.

It's not much different than us saying to somebody, "I'm not your daddy. I'm not the boss of you. You figure it out," or some such. Cain was not saying he shouldn't care for his brother but that he was not his brother's boss or overseer and therefore was not responsible for his brother's whereabouts.

 

[jillian]

I was thinking the same thing

and yet the last sentence is true as well.

and he still repped me.

The thing about gays was kind of out of left field.

not really. it showed jesus' priorities.

 

[hortysir]

Foxy, care clarified that she was talking about the first tiem "we" questioned God

 

[strollingbones]

Why don't you just tell everyone what you think it means? Are we our brothers keeper?

imo the simple answer is, yes, yes we are....

matthew has a lot of the answers to this question....25:40.....something about what you do to the least of my breathen you do to me....

 

[Foxfyre]

Foxy, care clarified that she was talking about the first tiem "we" questioned God

I know. And I should have clarified that I understood that so thanks for pointing that out.

I threw in the other stuff just to make sure that some didn't get sidetracked on where the first question appeared in the Bible or whatever. Besides it's fun.

But I still say "Brother's keeper" is intended to mean something very different in that Old Testament text than how it is generally interpreted now.

 

[strollingbones]

and what do you think it means?

 

[strollingbones]

the whole concept of community unity is re inforced thru out the bible

 

[Foxfyre]

Why don't you just tell everyone what you think it means? Are we our brothers keeper?

imo the simple answer is, yes, yes we are....

matthew has a lot of the answers to this question....25:40.....something about what you do to the least of my breathen you do to me....

Yes, but at no time did Jesus of Nazareth suggest that concern for the sick, hungry, naked, those in prison, etc. was anybody's obligation to do but rather was something that makes a person a good neighbor and a person that loves God when we do it. At no place did he ever see it as a responsibility of the government or anything other than voluntary charity that comes from the heart.

 

[Foxfyre]

and what do you think it means?

I explained it in my previous post. If further explanation would be helpful, I would be happy to supply it.

 

[strollingbones]

imo the simple answer is, yes, yes we are....

matthew has a lot of the answers to this question....25:40.....something about what you do to the least of my breathen you do to me....

Yes, but at no time did Jesus of Nazareth suggest that concern for the sick, hungry, naked, those in prison, etc. was anybody's obligation to do but rather was something that makes a person a good neighbor and a person that loves God when we do it. At no place did he ever see it as a responsibility of the government or anything other than voluntary charity that comes from the heart.

jesus also says he came only for the jews....but that seems to have changed too...
i agree with you that there is no government directions for that....just render unto ceasar what is his.....but that is basically all....his chasing the money changers out of the temple...does say something and the verse.....easier for a camel to pass thru the eye of a needle than a rich man getting into heaven....and there is tilting

 

[Foxfyre]

matthew has a lot of the answers to this question....25:40.....something about what you do to the least of my breathen you do to me....

Yes, but at no time did Jesus of Nazareth suggest that concern for the sick, hungry, naked, those in prison, etc. was anybody's obligation to do but rather was something that makes a person a good neighbor and a person that loves God when we do it. At no place did he ever see it as a responsibility of the government or anything other than voluntary charity that comes from the heart.

jesus also says he came only for the jews....but that seems to have changed too...
i agree with you that there is no government directions for that....just render unto ceasar what is his.....but that is basically all....his chasing the money changers out of the temple...does say something and the verse.....easier for a camel to pass thru the eye of a needle than a rich man getting into heaven....and there is tilting

Remember though that this is a JudeoChristian story beginning with Adam and coming forward through Abraham and Jacob and Moses and King David to the 'modern' First Century. The Jews were the Chosen People of God through which he would bless all the Earth. So yes, the Gospel would naturally be preached first to the Jews. And the first Disciples, several hundred strong by the time of Pentecost, were also almost all Jewish and would make up the first Christian congregations. It was only after the Jews had been addressed that Peter, Paul et al began to branch out to carry the Gospel to the gentiles too.

I think the 'rich man' was a metaphor for anything that we put ahead of our love for God, and few who do not put God first will ever have a relationship with Him. Jesus was explicit that those who do have that relationship, however, are already in the kingdom of God that was already at hand. We are getting into a pretty mystical section of Christian beliefs here, and I honestly don't think God cares all that much about the technicalities of our theology.

He wants us to love God with all our heart and soul and mind and to love our neighbor. The only reason we need any other laws or regulations at all is that too many don't even try to do that and the rest of us do it imperfectly.

 

[Intense]

matthew has a lot of the answers to this question....25:40.....something about what you do to the least of my breathen you do to me....

Yes, but at no time did Jesus of Nazareth suggest that concern for the sick, hungry, naked, those in prison, etc. was anybody's obligation to do but rather was something that makes a person a good neighbor and a person that loves God when we do it. At no place did he ever see it as a responsibility of the government or anything other than voluntary charity that comes from the heart.

jesus also says he came only for the jews....but that seems to have changed too...
i agree with you that there is no government directions for that....just render unto ceasar what is his.....but that is basically all....his chasing the money changers out of the temple...does say something and the verse.....easier for a camel to pass thru the eye of a needle than a rich man getting into heaven....and there is tilting

First off, if you are going to go Biblical, We are All Related.
Second, What is "Tilting", Dearest? Could you have possibly meant Tithing?
Third, is Hell Freezing over.

 

[Ropey]

Hi, you have received -717 reputation points from strollingbones.
Reputation was given for this post.

Comment:
you really dont have a clue do you

Regards,
strollingbones

Note: This is an automated message.

I've got no choice bones. You told everyone not to thank your repping them by pm.

What else am I supposed to do?

 

[AmericanFirst]

Do unto others as you'd have done to you.
Jesus, (Luke 6:31)

Funny, the Golden Rule seemed to have been modified by Bush&Co into, do unto others because they may some day do onto you; invading Iraq was so wrong on so many levels.

What has that have to do with the discussion? I will answer for you, nothing. You are just a Bush hater.

 

[Care4all]

imo the simple answer is, yes, yes we are....

matthew has a lot of the answers to this question....25:40.....something about what you do to the least of my breathen you do to me....

Yes, but at no time did Jesus of Nazareth suggest that concern for the sick, hungry, naked, those in prison, etc. was anybody's obligation to do but rather was something that makes a person a good neighbor and a person that loves God when we do it. At no place did he ever see it as a responsibility of the government or anything other than voluntary charity that comes from the heart.

No where in the bible does Jesus tell us to "cut off" these concerns and actions towards the poor when it comes to our own government. No where does Jesus tell us not to use our own government in our lives to help the least among us.

don't you think He would have said such, IF IT WERE WRONG?

I agree we need to do such with our own individual will....but He does not say we should not carry that humbling through in all aspects of our lives.