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[FightyF]

Yup, it was in the Spring. And the "Three Wise Men" actually didn't arrive to see young Jesus until he was somewhere around 10 or 12.

I didn't know that either.

 

[soundwave05]

The ultimate goal of the Bible is not to be a historical record, but to point the way to salvation. The Old Testament is used to convict the sinner of his sins and the New Testament is used to share the good news of Jesus.

I think this is somewhat debatable. At the time the Roman Empire was in deep sh-t, they needed something to rally the Empire around, so the Emperor figured they'd adopted Christainity which was gaining favor in the Middle East/Syria at the time.

Its hard to know exactly what they changed, but almost definitely having a state-sponsored religion be the only way to salvation would be something they would have insisted on.

 

[Crow357]

Well, my Grandfather and my Dad were both Lutheran pastors and I spent quite a few years studying at a Lutheran college so I know what I'm talking about. The purpose of the bible is to point the way of salvation. Everything in it is geared towards that ultimate goal. Some sections will talk about how we're supposed to live and how we treat each other, but that's all secondary.

 

[soundwave05]

I went to Catholic school for 10 years.

Its important to understand the historical context in which the church was founded. The Romans very much had their own agenda to pursue, which was to maintain power.

Saul of Tarsis (who later changed his name to Paul) is probably actually the most influential writer of the New Testament (certainly has the most to say), but he never even knew Jesus and a lot of his teachings run contradictory to what Jesus taught.

So I don't blame people when they question certain things. As a book though, the Bible has to be said to be the way to salvation, otherwise there'd be no way it could rally people behind it, which is what the Romans needed. What people get out of the Bible is different for just about everyone, and you can see that in the widly different interpretations that many different demnominations/groups have.

 

[Flynn]

The sun's angle of inclination is the real reason for the season.