Assorted Questions

[JosephSharon]

Some things that have been bothering me:

Before God’s covenant with Abraham, did He make contact with anyone other humans? If not, why? …did He wait for our species to evolve to the point where we would be able to understand Him?

Why does God contact only humans? …because we are the only creatures on earth that are capable of understanding Him?

Is it possible that the Bible was written for the consumption of humans on earth and that He has made contact with other species on other planets?

Why does God expect things of us but not of other species? Why does he not think that dogs, for example, ought to behave in a certain way?

Who wrote the various books of the Bible? Did Moses write the Pentateuch himself? Weren’t most of the books in the New Testament written a significant amount of time after the death and resurrection of Christ? How can we be sure that the events described therein are not merely tales that were passed down orally, before being written down.

Thank You

 

[LilyM]

Some things that have been bothering me:

Before God’s covenant with Abraham, did He make contact with anyone other humans? If not, why? …did He wait for our species to evolve to the point where we would be able to understand Him?

Of course He did - the Bible mentions Him talking directly to Adam and Eve, the very first humans, as well as other of their descendants such as Noah. I think He must’ve made some sort of contact with Enoch as well, who was so beloved of Him that he was assumed into heaven, although it’s not specifically mentioned.

Why does God contact only humans? …because we are the only creatures on earth that are capable of understanding Him?

Who says He does? We can’t communicate with other species well enough to determine whether or not God contacted them and made Himself understood to them as well. It’s entirely possible that He has done.

Is it possible that the Bible was written for the consumption of humans on earth and that He has made contact with other species on other planets?

Yes it’s possible. However, Truth tends to be uniform. 1+1 will equal 2 here as well as on Mars, Alpha Centauri or in deepest space. And God is truth. So even if He used different means to contact other species, the message and content of the communication would surely be the same in so far as what He has said to us also applies to other species.

Why does God expect things of us but not of other species? Why does he not think that dogs, for example, ought to behave in a certain way?

He DOES expect them to behave in certain ways. He has programmed His expected behaviours into them as patterns of instinct, whereas He gives humans free will and expects us to consciously choose the right things to do.

He obviously expects other species to mate, to feed, to hunt prey (some of them), and possibly to help humans in various ways as dogs do by herding livestock or cats by catching mice.

Who wrote the various books of the Bible? Did Moses write the Pentateuch himself? Weren’t most of the books in the New Testament written a significant amount of time after the death and resurrection of Christ? How can we be sure that the events described therein are not merely tales that were passed down orally, before being written down.

Thank You

The Pentateuch is traditionally ascribed to Moses, and the other books of the bible to the authors to whom they are attributed. There’s no more reason to believe they didn’t write those books than there is to believe that Shakespeare didn’t write the plays attributed to him. However, the details of the authorship of the books has no relevance to their truth or their inspiration by God.

Yes, many books of both OT and NT were written some time after the events they describe. We know for a certainty that their contents were passed down in oral form before being written down.

Remember written communication is but one way (and a very infrequently used one until recent centuries at that) of preserving information, and there are others such as oral history that are in fact equally valid. Why else do you think criminal courts very frequently seek oral testimony from witnesses rather than purely and solely relying on their written statements? It’s not like one iota less credence is given to the oral information than to the written, both forms are treated as equally reliable.

Many cultures have had no tradition of writing at all - yet we can be sure they correctly passed on, in oral form, knowledge that they wanted communicated, be it of a historical, legal, cultural or any other nature. Cultural survival depended on it.

 

[aspirant]

Before God’s covenant with Abraham, did He make contact with anyone other humans?

According to the book of Genesis, yes. There are 10 chapters before Abram appears.

Why does God contact only humans?

We know God “contacts” humans. We do not have inside information on his interactions with other creatures.

Is it possible that the Bible was written for the consumption of humans on earth and that He has made contact with other species on other planets?

Yes.

Why does God expect things of us but not of other species? Why does he not think that dogs, for example, ought to behave in a certain way?

Dogs are not moral agents with rational, immortal souls. God expects dogs to behave according to the attributes he gave them.

Who wrote the various books of the Bible?

Many different people, some whose names are known and some whose names are not known.

Did Moses write the Pentateuch himself?

According to the Pontifical Biblical Commission, Moses is the primary source of the Pentateuch, but it is acceptable to believe that he drew from a variety of sources, whether written or oral, and that he entrusted the writing of it to one or more persons. It is also acceptable to believe that it has been modified since his death.

Weren’t most of the books in the New Testament written a significant amount of time after the death and resurrection of Christ?

All the books of the New Testament were composed within the first century AD, with most of them between AD 50 and AD 70. There is not a huge amount of difference between “conservative” and “liberal” dating estimates for NT books: for example, conservative estimates date the Gospel of Mark between AD 50-60, liberal dating places it around A.D. 70.

AD 70 is easily within living memory of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus-- only 40 years had elapsed. For the sake of comparison, I know someone who was in Vietnam as an adult at the time of the Tet Offensive 42 years ago. He remembers those events vividly, and it would not be at all difficult for me to write an historically accurate book based on his personal recollections and those of other people who were present.

How can we be sure that the events described therein are not merely tales that were passed down orally, before being written down.

If I wrote a book now based on oral accounts people present for the Tet Offensive, it would probably be a very reliable book. The Oral History Department at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is still collecting accounts by survivors and witnesses 65 years after the tragedy.

 

[Texas_Roofer]

Joseph as others answered your questions can I ask you some questions?

1. Do elephants and grains of wheat really share great grandparents, did they both evolve from a single source?
2. If every living thing did not evolve from one source where are the new life forms today? Where are the things today which go from nonliving to living?
3. How many living things have a conscience, and what use is it to us?

 

[JRKH]

Some things that have been bothering me:

Before God’s covenant with Abraham, did He make contact with anyone other humans? If not, why? …did He wait for our species to evolve to the point where we would be able to understand Him?

God made contact with Adam. He spoke to Cain and also with Noah, all before Abraham.
As to the second part of your question, I don’t think we have evolved even yet to a point where we can understand God. If we could, then God would be clearly "explained"and understood and there would be a lot less confusion in the world and you would not be asking these questions.
I think God did make contact with us when we had reached a point where we became “self aware” and we began looking for Him. He then contacted us using terms and language suitable for where we were in our development. Slowly teaching us and slowly relvealing things to us as.

Why does God contact only humans? …because we are the only creatures on earth that are capable of understanding Him?

To be honest. I don’t know that he does only contact humans.

Is it possible that the Bible was written for the consumption of humans on earth and that He has made contact with other species on other planets?

Yes this is certainly possible.

Why does God expect things of us but not of other species? Why does he not think that dogs, for example, ought to behave in a certain way?

Because He has given us greater capabilities than He has given to other creatures. To those who are given more, more is expected.

Who wrote the various books of the Bible? Did Moses write the Pentateuch himself? Weren’t most of the books in the New Testament written a significant amount of time after the death and resurrection of Christ? How can we be sure that the events described therein are not merely tales that were passed down orally, before being written down.

Just a couple of things - The ealiest NT writings that we have, I believe date to about 20 years after the events. Those are St Pauls writings. The earliest Gospel is marks written about 30 years after the events (around 60 AD). Many Scolars believe that the three “synoptic” Gospels all took from an earlier text commonly refered to as “Q” (from a german word for source)
As to our assurance of the truth of the events, muc relies on faith, but on a faith with some backup. For one thing the Gospels all place the events in a specific time frame. We know this because they tell us who was in charge - Harrod was King, Pilote was Governor etc. They even say in what year of a ruler’s reign. This is pretty specific for something that “never happened”.
Secondly is the fact that nearly ALL the Apostles died martyrs deaths rather than recant the Truths they were teaching. Same with the many Martyrs who died. Would the Apostles - all of them - Die for a lie??

Thank You

You are wlecome.

Hope the answers you are gitting help some.

Peace
james

 

[JosephSharon]

Why did God communicate with dozens/hundreds of people before and during the time of Christ, but he has not since and does not now?

 

[aspirant]

God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in partial and diverse ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…

We have received God’s own perfect Word, who is himself God. We do not have merely a partial revelation, as did the prophets before, but God himself.

 

[LARSCOUT0311]

Why did God communicate with dozens/hundreds of people before and during the time of Christ, but he has not since and does not now?

I believe he does, however in this age of “Need Quantifiable Proof to Believe” and alot of other white noise people ignore him or attribute the “voice” to other things. One question I proposed to the RCIA class I was in was would we recognize Jesus now and would people follow him as they did then. In the beginning of his ministry he didn’t have a huge following and alot of people thought he was a nut…imagine now. This is the difference between faith and proof.

Also, a second answer to that question is that upon Jesus’ appearance he set the New and Everlasting Covenant which covered every human before and after(as we Catholics in our creed state that he descended into Hell)his death and ressurection. He set the standard at that time and for everyone after. Its up to us and his disciples to spread the word(Good News) and to let our fellow man know what is expected. Its in our hands. Yet, again its our decision whether we accept or deny what was taught.

As someone said before the fact that people gave up their lives in the past and still do is enough for me. The fact that Saul/St. Paul, a hater and condemner of Christians turned full circle and became a martyr is definitely enough for me to believe and accept.

By the way these are not jabs at you, I am glad you are here looking for information and seem to be open minded. Are you searching just to be informed or for the purpose of trying to believe?

 

[JosephSharon]

I’m an agnostic/wavering and unsure cafeteria catholic. I’ve made it back over the cusp to belief in the past few days, however.

On an unrelated note, I was happy to see how the Church has distinguished itself from all other Christian denominations, most especially the nuttier ones. Pope John Paul II conceded that there is no physical hell and that the Book of Genesis is meant to be taken entirely allegorically. (But let’s not start a discussion about that). It’s good that I can now separate myself, to a certain extent, from the nutty fundamentalist Christians; and, when confronted by a militant atheist, simply say that “we’re not all like them.”

(I don’t mean to look down upon others for their religious beliefs. I don’t care what other people believe or do or say, as long as it does not harm anyone else.)

 

[aspirant]

Catholics are not fundamentalists.

Pope John Paul II conceded that there is no physical hell

He did not deny that hell may have some bodily consequences, but affirmed the traditional Christian doctrine that hell is primarily understood as self-exclusion from the beatific vision by definitive refusal of God’s love. Read it for yourself here.

and that the Book of Genesis is meant to be taken entirely allegorically.

That’s not actually what he said. What he really said was a lot more complex and nuanced. (Among other things, this is a horrible misuse of the term “allegory.”)

(But let’s not start a discussion about that).

Agreed.

 

[JosephSharon]

I was just reading about Paul’s conversion on the “road to Damascus.” I see that this was written about both in Paul’s own epistles and in the Acts of the Apostles, which was written by Luke.

This leads me to some questions: Did Luke and Paul know each other? Which account of the conversion was written first? How is it possible that Luke could have known about Paul’s conversion - specifically the intimate details thereof… was Paul some kind of a celebrity in the early Christian community?

 

[aspirant]

This leads me to some questions: Did Luke and Paul know each other?

A large portion of what Acts says about Paul is written in the first person plural: “We went here, we did this, we did that…” Especially later chapters.

Which account of the conversion was written first?

Probably Paul’s, though not by much. (There are, by the way, at least three accounts of Paul’s conversion in Acts alone.)

How is it possible that Luke could have known about Paul’s conversion - specifically the intimate details thereof

The same way I know many intimate details of the lives of my coworkers. They tell me.

 

[JosephSharon]

At what point did Jesus realize that he was the messiah and at one point did he begin telling people?

How are the details of Mary’s virgin pregnancy known? Was Jesus told about it after his birth, and then he told others? Or was it widely publicized that he was the product of a virgin birth?

What was Jesus doing before he revealed himself to others as the messiah? Was he just working with his father as a carpenter?

Are there any Christians who believe that Christ has accounted for all of humanity’s sins and thus, everyone will go to heaven, regardless of their sins? …that everyone is forgiven, no matter what?

If God wanted people to know that the messiah had arrived, why wouldn’t he ensure that it was more widely publicized? Christianity had very little following until the fourth century or so. What would’ve happened if Constantine hadn’t decided to convert… what if the following of Christianity had completely died out? That would have made the whole “messiah experiment” futile, right?

What was God’s purpose in creating Christ… to publicize belief in Himself? Did Christ exist in heaven before he was sent to earth… perhaps his soul existed and he was “implanted” in a human body?

How much of Christ’s deeds and miracles are meant to be taken allegorically? Walking on water, “leaping down” into a valley, turning water into wine, etc.

 

[Student09]

I don’t have the time or energy to tackle all of this but I have to answer these ones:

What was God’s purpose in creating Christ… to publicize belief in Himself? Did Christ exist in heaven before he was sent to earth… perhaps his soul existed and he was “implanted” in a human body?

.

Jesus exists and always has existed eternally, because He is God. His human soul would have been created when he was conceived, like every human soul. But His divinity existed always. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him: and without him was made nothing that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” (John 1-4) The Word of God is Jesus.

As for why God sent Him,

“For God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in him, may not perish, but may have life everlasting.” (John 3:16)

Please don’t take offense at this, but it is clear that you have received little or no catechesis and do not know the Faith. At least know the Faith before you decide to reject it. It is very good that you are asking questions!

 

[LARSCOUT0311]

How much of Christ’s deeds and miracles are meant to be taken allegorically? Walking on water, “leaping down” into a valley, turning water into wine, etc.

These we will probably never know. In the Gospels themselves some speak of miracles and acts on a regular basis while another may mention them sporadically. Did Jesus really feed 5,000 and have twelve baskets left over or is what the story telling us is that he had the power to feed many and was so caring and powerful that he had created excess? The Bible tells us these events happened and that again is where faith comes in. We were not there so we have to believe these things happened as told to us…not simply on the word of the Gospel writers but because we don’t understand what God was and is capable of. In the big scheme of things does it really matter if its allegory or reality?

Another instance. I watch alot of History Channel and especially the programs on “Biblical History”. They are always trying to show in depth stories on what happened during the time of Moses and the Ark. The Ark story has its origins in ancient Babylon and is supposedly a story that has been around for hundreds of years and in various cultures. But, the importance of the story wasn’t whether it happened as said but that people need to do the best they can and live good and spiritual lives or be wiped from the face of the earth.

I still try to analyze what is written in the Bible from time to time and have to step back and see it for the message that is being presented instead. Its hard to do but when I am able to it actually seems stress relieving.

 

[JRKH]

At what point did Jesus realize that he was the messiah and at one point did he begin telling people?

Others may be able to give you more dtailed answers - for now I will simply say that I believe the Church teaches that Jesus knew he was the Messiah, the Son of God, from the beginning.

How are the details of Mary’s virgin pregnancy known? Was Jesus told about it after his birth, and then he told others? Or was it widely publicized that he was the product of a virgin birth?

The simple asnwer here is that Mary lived some many years after the events and relayed these details to John and others. I don’t think it was widely publicized during his ministry.

What was Jesus doing before he revealed himself to others as the messiah? Was he just working with his father as a carpenter?

The general belief is that he was at home working with Joseph, though I have heard that he may have been off studying with some religious group for a time. Possibly the Essenes?

Are there any Christians who believe that Christ has accounted for all of humanity’s sins and thus, everyone will go to heaven, regardless of their sins? …that everyone is forgiven, no matter what?

Yes

If God wanted people to know that the messiah had arrived, why wouldn’t he ensure that it was more widely publicized? Christianity had very little following until the fourth century or so. What would’ve happened if Constantine hadn’t decided to convert… what if the following of Christianity had completely died out? That would have made the whole “messiah experiment” futile, right?

We cannot fully understand why God chooses to do things in the way he does.
If Constantine had not converted someone else would have eventually. It was only a matter of time.
Since the “messiah experiment”, as you call, it did not die out, just as Christ promised it wouldn’t, we can see that this question is moot.
In fact one of the strongest arguments FOR the Catholic faith is the fact that regardless of the attacks on her, she still survives and prospers. A true Gift of God to humanity.

What was God’s purpose in creating Christ… to publicize belief in Himself? Did Christ exist in heaven before he was sent to earth… perhaps his soul existed and he was “implanted” in a human body?

Read the very first verses of John Gospel - “In the beginning was The Word … and the Word became Flesh and dwelt among us…”
Christs mission was to provide humanity with the means of salvation and eternal life with God in heaven.

How much of Christ’s deeds and miracles are meant to be taken allegorically? Walking on water, “leaping down” into a valley, turning water into wine, etc.

Personally I take none of them as “allegorical” but as actual happenings, except the “leaping down” part which was a temptation of the Devil that Jesus did not fall for.
This is not to say that there are not “allegorical” lessons we can learn from these events.

Peace
James

 

[JosephSharon]

At what point does a fetus acquire a soul?

In response to “Jesus always new that he was the Messiah”, are you saying that a small boy realized that he was the son of God? On that note, he must’ve developed naturally, if he was a human being… did he one day realize that he had “powers”?

How large was Christ’s following at the time of his death? When did his following start? I’ve heard that his “ministry” only lasted for one to three years before his death. Does this mean that all the miracles in the gospel occurred in those last two years of his life?

I’ve seen allegations amongst the scholarly community online that some of the gospels are mere copies of others or that they are all copied from a primary source document. (please refute and make me feel better)

 

[JosephSharon]

I don’t understand why God had to send Christ to earth to “die for our sins.” Why can’t God do whatever He wants and give eternal life to whomever He wants? What was the purpose of that exercise? On that note, if there are intelligent beings that are comparable to humans on other planets, did God send Christ to those planets, as well?

What does it mean that Jesus is the “son of God.” How can God have a son? Once I start to ponder this, I end up in the territory of the Greek and Roman gods having wives and children and I start to despair.

Why does God demand things of us? Why does He expect us to behave in certain ways?

Why on earth would God consider two adults having sex before marriage or one man or woman masturbating a sin? How does this harm anyone? I can understand Him being opposed to people killing one another, but considering all the murdering and raping and genocide in the world at the time of Christ, why on earth would He care if one man rubs up his body against one woman? Or, for that matter, if three people decide to rub their bodies together? Or if two men decide to rub their body together?

 

[aspirant]

At what point did Jesus realize that he was the messiah and at one point did he begin telling people?

He is God, so he has always known. Or rather, he knows, since all time is present to him. As for the second, “Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age.”

How are the details of Mary’s virgin pregnancy known?

Mary was a member of the Church from its beginning (cf. Acts 1:14, for example).

What was Jesus doing before he revealed himself to others as the messiah? Was he just working with his father as a carpenter?

See Matthew 1:1-4:11 and Luke 1:1-4:13.

Are there any Christians who believe that… everyone will go to heaven

There are Christian universalists. Catholics are not. We may hope for the salvation of all, but we cannot claim certainty that all will be saved.

If God wanted people to know that the messiah had arrived, why wouldn’t he ensure that it was more widely publicized?

The free cooperation of humans in God’s work is an essential element of God’s plan.

What would’ve happened if Constantine hadn’t decided to convert

We know what did happen, not what might have happened.

what if the following of Christianity had completely died out?

Jesus, on more than one occasion, promised that this is not possible.

What was God’s purpose in creating Christ

Jesus is not a mere creature. He is God, through whom all things were made.

How much of Christ’s deeds and miracles are meant to be taken allegorically?

This question appears to be based on a misunderstanding of what allegory means.

At what point does a fetus acquire a soul?

A fetus has been alive from the first moment of embryonic formation.

In response to “Jesus always new that he was the Messiah”, are you saying that a small boy realized that he was the son of God?

He was never merely a small boy, because he is a divine Person.

he must’ve developed naturally

Yes.

How large was Christ’s following at the time of his death?

The total number of followers at this point is not specific.

When did his following start?

“Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age.” (This was not earlier than the “fifteenth year of Tiberius” in about AD 29.)

I’ve heard that his “ministry” only lasted for one to three years before his death.

The latter is more likely.

I’ve seen allegations amongst the scholarly community online that some of the gospels are mere copies of others or that they are all copied from a primary source document.

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are very similar in content, especially when compared to John. They’re called “synoptic” (“viewing together”) for this reason. There have been many theories about these similarities.

St. Augustine of Hippo, for example, thought Matthew was probably written first, then Mark was written using Matthew as a source, and then Luke used Matthew and Mark as sources.

Some more recent scholars have suggested that Matthew and Luke may have used both the Gospel of Mark and a hypothetical source called “Q” (for quelle, meaning “source”) when composing their own Gospels. If I’m not mistaken, this is called the “two source” theory. While many find this satisfying, others do not. Whether we agree with or criticize this theory, or both, it is important to remember Q is hypothetical.

There is absolutely no question that Luke is familiar with other sources for Jesus’ life and sayings. Luke says, at the beginning of his gospel: “Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.”

I’m not sure why you want this “refuted.” Christians have long considered such ideas.

 

[aspirant]

I don’t understand why God had to send Christ to earth to “die for our sins.”

Humans willfully turned from God, without whom we cannot continue to live, so God assumed a complete human nature and endured death in order to conquer death and make our reconciliation and living union with him possible.

if there are intelligent beings that are comparable to humans on other planets, did God send Christ to those planets, as well?

We do not as yet have information about what God is doing among beings on other planets, if there are any.

What does it mean that Jesus is the “son of God.”

He is God, consubstantial with the Father.

Why does God demand things of us? Why does He expect us to behave in certain ways?

God is Love, and we are created in his image and likeness. He wishes us to continue in his love and life, and not to destroy ourselves.

Why on earth would God consider two adults having sex before marriage or one man or woman masturbating a sin?

Sex is a holy mystery created to reflect and express God’s own free, total, faithful, and fruitful love. When we abuse or misuse this gift, we dis-integrate ourselves and cause disharmony with other persons. The same happens when we abuse and misuse other divine gifts.