okay, we don't know each other, but i've been reading strangers' blogs a lot lately. i wasn't going to comment on yours but hey..

i just had this thought that a lot of the questions you're asking are the types of things that are usually answered in church, like in adult sunday school or in sermons. since you seem quite interested in this stuff, you might want to find a church somewhere with a good educational program (or a well-educated pastor/s) so you can talk these things out with people who have grad school training in theology (and they probably took a lot of Bible classes in undergrad, too).

for example, not everyone thinks Revelation is about the end of the world. there's a theory that it was about the fall of the roman empire or parts of it--i don't remember entirely--so the reason it was so coded was because it was political and John (who wrote it) was already in political exile. you'll find there are theories on just about everything. there are theories on salvation, which is seemingly so basic (do people who have never heard about God go to hell? does God maybe come to them personally, or does their salvation depend on our willingness to go tell them, and that's why God is so intent on evangelism? but wait, he surely wouldn't let people go to hell just because we were too lazy to go to Istanbul? is there even a hell? after we die, do we "go to sleep" like some parts of the Bible say, and sleep until Jesus comes back? or do we go to heaven, and then when Jesus comes back, everyone in heaven is reolocated back to earth? and so on). it's really good that you're asking questions, and there are some things that have straightforward answers. but, some of the questions you're asking have rather complicated answers, and those things are more easily addressed in church, because they take hours.

still, it's great that you're thinking things through.

hey....not fair. you posted it when i ha da shut down. nice bunny entertained while i regrouped.

hehehe

on my way to see your latest.

luvya

good to see you visiting and thanks for the comments.

my initial response, after reading this, is thus;
i have never done that sort of thing. the Bible must be taken in CONTEXT and not selective hearing.

example..a young Bible student in a Bible College wanted to know what God's will is for the day. he opened his Bible, flipped the pages, shut his eyes an pointed. the verse said "judas went and hanged himself"   "well that sure can't be God's will for me!" so he did it again, this time he founf "go thou and do likewise".  third time's a winner right?  "whatsoever thou doest, do quickly!"

wrong use of Bible.

give me a list of all forms of divination. thanks....

come on over today!!!! it's our christmas!!!

working on it....thanks.

done enough for now....how ys doin!

onto the study of DIVINATION;

from wikpedia;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divination

Julian Jaynes categorized divination according to the following types:

<LI>Omens and omen texts. "The most primitive, clumsy, but enduring method...is the simple recording of sequences of unusual or important events." (1976:236) Chinese history offers scrupulously documented occurrences of strange births, the tracking of natural phenomena, and other data. Chinese governmental planning relied on this method of forecasting for long-range strategy. It is not unreasonable to assume that modern scientific inquiry began with this kind of divination; Joseph Needham's work considered this very idea. <LI>Sortilege. This consists of the casting of lots whether with sticks, stones, bones, beans, or some other item. Modern playing cards and board games developed from this type of divination. <LI>Augury. Divination that ranks a set of given possibilities. It can be qualitative (such as shapes, proximities, etc.) Dowsing (a form of rhabdomancy) developed from this type of divination. The Romans in classical times used Etruscan methods of augury such as hepatoscopy (actually a form of extispicy). Haruspices examined the livers of sacrificed animals. <LI>Spontaneous. An unconstrained form of divination, free from any particular medium, and actually a generalization of all types of divination. The answer comes from whatever object the diviner happens to see or hear. Some Christians and members of other religions use a form of bibliomancy: they ask a question, rifle the pages of their holy book, and take as their answer the first passage their eyes light upon. Other forms of spontaneous divination include reading auras and New Age methods of Feng Shui such as "intuitive" and Fuzion.

By far one of the most popular methods of divination is Astrology, typically categorized as Vedic Astrology (Jyotish), Western Astrology, and Chinese Astrology, though besides these main three branches many other cultures also have or have had their own forms of Astrology in the past.

there were 103 forms listed. they fall into these categories mentioned above. these general categories are the ones i'll be looking at.

*Omens and omen texts;

seems to be a method of studying past historical events and such for patterns on which to plan for the future. more of a scientific study of repeating patterns.

*sortilege;

as simple as playing cards. these were (and probably still are) banned by some churches as satanic. i have seen firsthand a game of risk in which the last two players went in streaks, one constantly throwing winning die and gaining territory only to then start constantly losing to the other, at the point when all they needed was ONE more country to win the game. then the other person starts winning every toss and gaining countries only to get to ONE country left and then they, too, start to lose all they had gained....and on and on for hours like that....back and forth, constantly throwing one sided winning streaks for 15 minutes in a row, hour after hour....and only when it got down to ONE country left did the tide turn the other way.

i remember thinking "this is NOT a coincidence!"

*augury;...gonna have to go to their sites for this one...a bit of an unknown to me..will work on it this week. interesting topic. new info i never had before. helps explain and describe some of my own experiences...

edit;monday night.

looked up a few definitions of augury. seems akin to numerology. came from the study of birds, other animals, their inners after sacrificing, also the study of other inanimate things. seems to be superstitious more than anything else. one bird is a sign of  one thing like joy, two a sign of something else like pain, and on and on. i imagine that the intestines laying this way= x while if they lay that way then it would = y.

 

sponteneous is probably used by most people without them even knowing they are doing it.

my main observation in all of this is that if we look for "enlightened information" from ANY source, we will likely find it or think we've found it. the Bible is a set of standards that aren't subjective, but rather Objective. sooo many christians try to figure out "god's will for my life" when, in all actuality, it is already recorded. God isn't interested in what job you get, what clothes you wear, what street yoy are on on a given day. Rather, He has told all of us to seek His face while it may be found. Give cheerfully. Do thiongs heartily as unto Him. Forgive tresspasses. Love our enemies. be angry and sin not. humble ourselves under his mighty hand.

these are the will of God. no flippin through pages.

in the O.T. the priests going into battle sought God's directions (before written scriptures) by tossing the urim and the thummin (spelling off the top of my head!). yes and no questions. only the priests did it. only in a prescribed way. and God chose to honour this and answer them. only them. by this means only. if people wanted to know "the will of God" they went to the "church leaders"....they went to God through the leaders. there was no access like we have today for the ordinary man to come into the presence of God. (( however there were exceptions to messages to individuals in the old testament... leaders like Job, the prophets, Gideon). Christ has made it possible for us to enter His presence on an individual basis. there is no need for the priests to convene for us on our behalf. there is also no need to "seek the will of God for my life" since it is all written out. the New testament explains the old. not  contradict it. we have all we need to know about what God wants from us and wants to give to us written in the Bible.

this info is off the top of my head and from years of study and experience. i am open to discussion and learning on a deeper level. the Bible is my absolute. experience backs it up.

comments????

questions???

observations????

HEY I GOT THE DATE WRONG..... MY FRIEND'S BAND IS PLAYING AT THE thunderbird ON THE 5TH OF NOVEMBER AT 7 ..... SO  I WAS WRONG ITS NOT THE 4TH IT IS FOR SURE THE 5TH I HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

LOVE EMILY

o where, o where has my Krystal gone? o where-o where can she be? with her sparkle smile and her wings so strong, o where....o where can she be?