Someone here thinks that there's nothing more than a mythology here of a judgemental God.
The other thinks that God couldn't preserve the manuscripts.
It would be accurate to state that some among us know (as certain sure as you KNOW God to exist) some of us KNOW that religions evolved as a means for primitive peoples to explain the natural world around them.
And we know that certain members of the tribes took advantage of those early superstitions and used them to control the people of the tribe. They used those superstitions to extort monies, food, and virgin girls from the tribe.
Those certain members became a Priesthood, those extortions evolved into tithes, and offering plates. The virgin girls became Nuns.
God was invented by Man, not the other way round. The Bible was written by the Jewish and then the Catholic Priesthood to keep the peasants under control and the Priests fat, happy, and well laid. Then it was edited by emperors for political expediency.
The difference between myself and HC are many.
For 1, I can not profit if another chooses to believe as I. I am not passing any offering plates.
For 2, I am not trying to be recognized as anyone's leader.
For 3, There are 10s of thousands of extant and extinct religions over the history of this world, And I recognize any one of them has as much chance of being correct as I.
Recognize that society's definition of God continues to evolve to suit the needs of that society. Thus the evolution of God from OT to NT. The vengeful God of fear and retribution had no place among a world controlled by centralized governments with their sword wielding minions.
Conservative Christian preachers can continue to scream from the pulpit, crying for the God of the early 18'th Century. Society continues to move on and your audience is becoming extinct.
God will continue to evolve to serve the needs of 21'st and 22'nd Century Ministries.
