What I learned about the gospel from hacking code

Red Sky at Morning

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When I was a kid (showing my age a bit) there used to be computer magazines where you could type in a few pages of code and end up with a game that you could play. I had a ZX Spectrum and I quite enjoyed having a go at it, though it would take hours. One thing I noticed after was that you could start changing or cutting out bits of code without really knowing much about programming and the game would still stand, whilst producing some amusing effects!

KYB-ZXSPECTRUMBT-2.jpg

Then I would get over-confident.

Thinking I knew what I was doing, I would cut out whole sections then I might add some made up bits of my own... and the whole thing would stop working. Instead of a working game, I would get:- "syntax error - line not found" (or something like that!) and not long after that I would abandon the whole project.

It occurs to me that many people who are tempted to alter the message of the Bible to one they find more appealing do this same thing. They may exclude this or that verse from their interpretations or maybe even ignore particular writers altogether. The question must come for such people - at what point will the spiritual program stop working? Cut out Genesis? Take away the virgin birth? Diminish the deity of Christ? Deny the blood of Jesus as our substitutionary atonement? Reject the literal ressurection? This list goes on and on, and this forum and so many others are full of similar ideas.

Each of us will finally meet our maker and give an account. At what point will our modifications lead to us to come face to face with the message "syntax error - name not found"?
 
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When the Son says
"The son can do nothing"
"It is all the father"
"The holy spirit takes from the son"
"Only speaks what he hears"

How can you follow the trinitarian doctrine ? A church fathers doctrine? A church most of you claim is fallen/hijacked ?

Also the New testament contradicted the old. He realised the old code was invalid/outdated. The hellenised Jews were into new age philosophies eg the Greek logos, incarnation, hades, divine justice.
Where in the old testament did it teach that the meek would inherit the earth?
Old testament was dog eat dog. Survival of the fittest. They used to believe if you worship God and do good things you will become rich and have a nice life here. If you sinned you would suffer and in the end everyone would go to Sheol all the same.
So that's why Job suffered moreso due to the lack of knowledge of the law of karma. Despite being pious he was suffering losses.

The point isn't to reject the old testament but to learn programming/coding logic and adapt new code in a new environment.
 

JoChris

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When I was a kid (showing my age a bit) there used to be computer magazines where you could type in a few pages of code and end up with a game that you could play. I had a ZX Spectrum and I quite enjoyed having a go at it, though it would take hours. One thing I noticed after was that you could start changing or cutting out bits of code without really knowing much about programming and the game would still stand, whilst producing some amusing effects!

View attachment 18984

Then I would get over-confident.

Thinking I knew what I was doing, I would cut out whole sections then I might add some made up bits of my own... and the whole thing would stop working. Instead of a working game, I would get:- "syntax error - line not found" (or something like that!) and not long after that I would abandon the whole project.
You deserve this clip.
It occurs to me that many people who are tempted to alter the message of the Bible to one they find more appealing do this same thing. They may exclude this or that verse from their interpretations or maybe even ignore particular writers altogether. The question must come for such people - at what point will the spiritual program stop working? Cut out Genesis? Take away the virgin birth? Diminish the deity of Christ? Deny the blood of Jesus as our substitutionary atonement? Reject the literal ressurection? This list goes on and on, and this forum and so many others are full of similar ideas.

Each of us will finally meet our maker and give an account. At what point will our modifications lead to us to come face to face with the message "syntax error - name not found"?
You deserve this clip.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+25:11-13&version=KJV
 

Red Sky at Morning

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When the Son says
"The son can do nothing"
"It is all the father"
"The holy spirit takes from the son"
"Only speaks what he hears"

How can you follow the trinitarian doctrine ? A church fathers doctrine? A church most of you claim is fallen/hijacked ?

Also the New testament contradicted the old. He realised the old code was invalid/outdated. The hellenised Jews were into new age philosophies eg the Greek logos, incarnation, hades, divine justice.
Where in the old testament did it teach that the meek would inherit the earth?
Old testament was dog eat dog. Survival of the fittest. They used to believe if you worship God and do good things you will become rich and have a nice life here. If you sinned you would suffer and in the end everyone would go to Sheol all the same.
So that's why Job suffered moreso due to the lack of knowledge of the law of karma. Despite being pious he was suffering losses.

The point isn't to reject the old testament but to learn programming/coding logic and adapt new code in a new environment.
Perhaps fortunately for all of us, I will not be the one waiting for you the other side of this life, @AspiringSoul - you are free to choose what to do with the code you have found and God will honour your free will.
 

Helioform

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What I have learned from coding, is enough logic to figure out that the Bible is full of contradictions and should not be taken literally as the unique "Word of God". I am amazed that people, who usually are pretty rational, fall for this. Seems like it's an emotional problem more than anything else because it is easier to accept that this book contains all truth there is, than to take what is true, reject what is obviously false and just move on to something else - instead of clinging on to the idea that this Bible will automagically have all the answers you need when reality is a lot more complicated than that.
 

Red Sky at Morning

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What I have learned from coding, is enough logic to figure out that the Bible is full of contradictions and should not be taken literally as the unique "Word of God". I am amazed that people, who usually are pretty rational, fall for this. Seems like it's an emotional problem more than anything else because it is easier to accept that this book contains all truth there is, than to take what is true, reject what is obviously false and just move on to something else - instead of clinging on to the idea that this Bible will automagically have all the answers you need when reality is a lot more complicated than that.
I think what you say here ties in to something I was thinking about denominations earlier...

https://vigilantcitizenforums.com/threads/the-muslum-christian.5045/page-21#post-183552
 

TokiEl

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What I have learned from coding, is enough logic to figure out that the Bible is full of contradictions and should not be taken literally as the unique "Word of God". I am amazed that people, who usually are pretty rational, fall for this. Seems like it's an emotional problem more than anything else because it is easier to accept that this book contains all truth there is, than to take what is true, reject what is obviously false and just move on to something else - instead of clinging on to the idea that this Bible will automagically have all the answers you need when reality is a lot more complicated than that.
If there is a Creator of the universe... how would that Creator inform us about this ?
 

Helioform

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If there is a Creator of the universe... how would that Creator inform us about this ?
In various ways, don't forget that there are more than one religion in this world. You get a better insight on who this Creator is by reading everything you can on the subject.
 

TokiEl

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In various ways, don't forget that there are more than one religion in this world. You get a better insight on who this Creator is by reading everything you can on the subject.
I've been there and done that.


What we have are various old discrepant documents all purporting to be from the Creator.

So we must either choose one or reject them all.
 

DavidSon

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...Each of us will finally meet our maker and give an account. At what point will our modifications lead to us to come face to face with the message "syntax error - name not found"?
We should trust that God will guide us in all matters. If we live a good life there is no need to fear for the future/unknown. As it's said, His mercy endures forever.

It's an interesting thought about programming. I think our brains dump any messages that don't compute. Awake people cannot and will not accept what feels untrue in their core. What I find unfortunate is many who claim the Bible don't read Ecclesiastes or Kings, Daniel, etc. That includes the gnostic texts and apocryphal. I mean how could you claim to be a seeker and not search out any and all documents of inspiration related to the Almighty? IMO knowledge of say Native American beliefs, or a lesser known group like Baha'i, strengthen our personal faith and can only increase our capacity to love.
 

Red Sky at Morning

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We should trust that God will guide us in all matters. If we live a good life there is no need to fear for the future/unknown. As it's said, His mercy endures forever.

It's an interesting thought about programming. I think our brains dump any messages that don't compute. Awake people cannot and will not accept what feels untrue in their core. What I find unfortunate is many who claim the Bible don't read Ecclesiastes or Kings, Daniel, etc. That includes the gnostic texts and apocryphal. I mean how could you claim to be a seeker and not search out any and all documents of inspiration related to the Almighty? IMO knowledge of say Native American beliefs, or a lesser known group like Baha'i, strengthen our personal faith and can only increase our capacity to love.
One road or many roads? It can't be both, unfortunately.

"I didn’t go to religion to make me happy. I always knew a bottle of Port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity."​
C. S. Lewis
 
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mecca

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You get a better insight on who this Creator is by reading everything you can on the subject.
Well, technically you only get insight on what some human beings wrote about their idea of their creator... there's no way to get direct insight on the creator itself and there's no way to prove any god from any religion's existence.
 

Helioform

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Well, technically you only get insight on what some human beings wrote about their idea of their creator... there's no way to get direct insight on the creator itself and there's no way to prove any god from any religion's existence.
I don't really agree with that. Clearly there were some texts written by people who had a state of consciousness that let them access that kind of knowledge. I am talking mostly about Vedic texts and such old scripture that describe the nature of the cosmos for example in rather great detail.
 
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What I have learned from coding, is enough logic to figure out that the Bible is full of contradictions and should not be taken literally as the unique "Word of God". I am amazed that people, who usually are pretty rational, fall for this. Seems like it's an emotional problem more than anything else because it is easier to accept that this book contains all truth there is, than to take what is true, reject what is obviously false and just move on to something else - instead of clinging on to the idea that this Bible will automagically have all the answers you need when reality is a lot more complicated than that.
Unsaved people cannot understand the Bible. Thus, it doesn't matter if you read it five thousand times-you still wouldn't understand.

1 Corinthians 2:14

“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
 

DevaWolf

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If there is a Creator of the universe... how would that Creator inform us about this ?
With a clear book that is without doubt FOR ALL, so everyone can play a fair game. Right now this is not the case.
 

DevaWolf

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Unsaved people cannot understand the Bible. Thus, it doesn't matter if you read it five thousand times-you still wouldn't understand.

1 Corinthians 2:14

“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

And that is why I don't believe the Bible is Gods word.
 

Red Sky at Morning

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And that is why I don't believe the Bible is Gods word.
Jesus meets a man stuck between two understandings of Him...

Mark 9:23-25 (NKJV)

23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!

I have always found the laying along side of these two opposites in this respond interesting!
 
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With a clear book that is without doubt FOR ALL, so everyone can play a fair game. Right now this is not the case.
Proverbs 14:12

“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof arethe ways of death.”
King James Version (KJV)

Proverbs 16:25

“There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof arethe ways of death.”
King James Version (KJV)

Proverbs 16:18

“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”
King James Version (KJV)
 

Red Sky at Morning

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@DevaWolf

One person I greatly admired in my journey was C.S. Lewis. As I child I heard the Narnia books but it was only as an adult that I came to understand the person behind the stories. He wrote a couple of very good books on his own personal journey, “Surprised by Joy” and “Pilgrims Regress” where he pictures his journey as an allegory. I still don’t know which of the two I preferred.

Lewis was a seeker after truth and he set the bar high. He came to faith after a number of years and after holding a range of views.

In a moment of refreshing honesty, he later said the following:-

“Agnostics talk cheerfully of man’s search for God but they might as well talk about the mouse’s search for the cat.”
— C. S. Lewis

The reason why I bring this up is that each of us who you encounter as Christians have had a journey to get where we are (and continue to have a journey to get where we should be). At one point we’re were all in one way or another where you are now!
 

Allegra

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@DevaWolf

One person I greatly admired in my journey was C.S. Lewis. As I child I heard the Narnia books but it was only as an adult that I came to understand the person behind the stories. He wrote a couple of very good books on his own personal journey, “Surprised by Joy” and “Pilgrims Regress” where he pictures his journey as an allegory. I still don’t know which of the two I preferred.

Lewis was a seeker after truth and he set the bar high. He came to faith after a number of years and after holding a range of views.

In a moment of refreshing honesty, he later said the following:-

“Agnostics talk cheerfully of man’s search for God but they might as well talk about the mouse’s search for the cat.”
— C. S. Lewis

The reason why I bring this up is that each of us who you encounter as Christians have had a journey to get where we are (and continue to have a journey to get where we should be). At one point we’re were all in one way or another where you are now!
CS LEWIS was great. My friend gave me his copy of The Screwtape Letter but I'm too lazy to read it lol. I'm always distracted by other things. But I will find a time to read it.
 
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