Personalities of Matter

Do planets have personalities? I think the tendency of an entity to follow a particular course of action makes up personality, and it could either be simple or complex. In the case of a large body such as a planet, its personality is fixed to following a certain orbit--and no more. On the smallest scale, the traits of electrons are to some extent varying yet simple. Human beings, on the other hand, have a complex decision path, which makes their personalities dynamic and compound as opposed to being rigid and simple. If man has such a complicated personality, I think the personality of the Totality should be as complex, even more so.

Also, it makes more sense to think that the personalities of nature, man, planets, atoms and bugs are derived from the overall personality of the Totality. In other words, the Totality should be able to think like a person, an atom, a bug AND a planet. This is important for people who don't believe in Ex Nihilo because it implies that new traits cannot be created out of nothing, only reproduced. If one believes that the complex personality of man was created out of the Totality's simple personality, then he/she is saying that the Totality created a complex algorithm out of nothing. Thus, the very notion of personality evolution supports Ex Nihilo.

The future was calculated

Events can be foretold in the calculational sense. If man can predict the orbit of satellites (an "event") with some degree of accuracy through calculation using Keplerian two-line elements, why not God? Still, I wouldn't argue that God uses the same kind of mathematics because the kind we have today is limited to accounting physical behavior and is not 100% accurate. In contrast, God's superior form of "mathematics" is precise because it accounts for both the material and the immaterial, i.e. can account for the tendencies of our consciousness, as in the cases of Abraham and King David. In addition, God's almighty intelligence should be able to make use of all the millions and millions of available parameters in His "equation", unlike the inferior mind of man that can only identify and use a few. With these superior "tools" at His disposal, I believe God can predict the future with certainty and precision.

He knew it all along

God knew that free will was lethal, but He also knew that death could be avoided by sacrificing His body on the cross. So, in the final analysis, the only way that God could grant free will to man without compromising His holiness was to give up His own life. Such is the love of God.

Who's talking?

The LORD who talks and deals directly with the prophets (i.e., Moses, Isaiah) is the Son. The Father is present in the verses only when He is talking to the Son, or when the Son is talking to Him, for example, in the Creation account.

Biblical Prophecy

Prophecy is used mainly to validate the foreknowledge of God. That's the reason why prophecy is very symbolic and not instructive; it only becomes redemptive when it is absolutely necessary, i.e. to inform the Christians to get out of the city as soon as the Roman army surrounds Jerusalem so that the elect are spared of the impending judgment.

Orthodoxy and Catholicism

I was simply describing an historical development which brought the clergy into the political structure of the Roman Empire, and which has remained with us.

What in particular has remained with us? At the very least, a distinction should be made between the historical development of the Orthodox Church and that of the Roman Catholic Church. The genuine Roman Empire was situated in Constantinople for a thousand years, and its clergy was never as political and powerful as the Papacy of the West. In fact, the Orthodox clergy had suffered greatly during the spread of Communism, and it is a shame that whenever people think of the Catholic Church, they think of the Papacy, the Inquisition and the Crusades--all of them malevolent creatures of the West.

Liberal Theology

How can people be objective when their skepticism takes priority over what the author is trying to express in plain words? If they could establish the relationship between the author of Genesis and their skepticism, then I'm all ears.

In the end, the subjective approach is never objective, and a researcher's personal bias should never be treated as a valid premise in his very research. "Anyone's" beliefs and biases, particularly in this modern times where extant ancient historical records are often dismissed as mythical, are irrelevant in understanding Scripture. What is important is the writer's belief, and we can ascertain what it is by consulting records that are contemporary to the writer's lifetime. Such records are preserved by tradition, the importance of which cannot be overemphasized in the methodical investigation of biblical events.

Time, Change and Energy

You don't need time for change to occur, you need ENERGY. Energy produces change. Time is just a perception of our consciousness that appreciates these changes.

A Bubble in God's Existence

Phyisically, the universe is a bubble in God's existence. The FINITE energy that used to occupy the bubble became Jesus Christ. Since Creation, the Father became the infinite God outside the bubble, and the Son acted as the FINITE God inside the bubble. At this point, it becomes clear that Jesus was begotten by the Father, and that the energy of Jesus is not infinite (but can be replenished). When the Bible said that God created the heavens and the earth, it was actually referring to Jesus Christ actively creating the sun, not the Father.

Epistle of Barnabas 4
13 Then he dearly manifested himself to be the Son of God. For had he not come in the flesh, how should men have been able to look upon him, that they might be saved
14 Seeing if they beheld only the sun, which was the work of his hands, and shall hereafter cease to be, they are not able to endure stedfastly to look against the rays of it.
15 Wherefore the Son of God came in the flesh for this cause that he might fill up the measure of their iniquity, who have persecuted his prophets unto death. And for the same reason also he suffered.

So, would a finite entity (Jesus) need rest after consuming so much energy in creating all the stars in the universe?

Yes, of course.

From whence did Jesus replenish the lost energy?

Where else but from the Father's infinite supply of energy.

On Apologetics

Apologetics strengthen the faith of those who become insecure due to lack of knowledge in certain areas. But it has to be pointed out that God arguments are only effective from the third-party perspective. In other words, arguing with atheists serves as a demonstration to the theist audience that Christianity is rational; it has little to do with actually converting the atheists.