My visit to a Messianic service yesterday

[Esaias]

If God became a man, and that man was a Hebrew, then technically God is a Hebrew.

[Antipas]

Originally Posted by Esaias

If God became a man, and that man was a Hebrew, then technically God is a Hebrew.

The man God became was made a Hebrew. Every child is born merely a man or woman.

[Antipas]

Originally Posted by aegsm76

True, but they were his chosen people.

According to them. Every ancient culture's ethnocentric conceptualization of itself resides in its belief that it was exceptionally chosen by God, or the gods. The Hebrews are not unique. What if the point of it all is that God had chosen every nation through which to reveal aspects of divine reality? But each idolatrously assumed it was the only chosen, and in their pride, shattered the grand revelation of Him whom we call, "God"?

[aegsm76]

Originally Posted by Antipas

According to them. Every ancient culture's ethnocentric conceptualization of itself resides in its belief that it was exceptionally chosen by God, or the gods. The Hebrews are not unique. What if the point of it all is that God had chosen every nation through which to reveal aspects of divine reality? But each idolatrously assumed it was the only chosen, and in their pride, shattered the grand revelation of Him whom we call, "God"?

Do you believe the Old Testament?
or
Do you believe the Bible, may be a better question.

[Antipas]

Originally Posted by aegsm76

Do you believe the Old Testament?
or
Do you believe the Bible, may be a better question.

I believe the OT contains many eternal truths relating to God. But I do not believe that the revelation of God is restricted to the OT. In the OT, we are seeing God as perceived by the Hebrews.

[aegsm76]

So, how do you pick an choose which are "eternal truths" and which are not?

And what about the New Testament?

[Esaias]

Originally Posted by Antipas

The man God became was made a Hebrew. Every child is born merely a man or woman.

So I wasn't born Irish? I was born a man (as a child!) and sometime later I became Irish?

I learn something new here everyday!

[Esaias]

Originally Posted by aegsm76

So, how do you pick an choose which are "eternal truths" and which are not?

And what about the New Testament?

Ask him about buddha. I dare you. lol

[Antipas]

Originally Posted by aegsm76

So, how do you pick an choose which are "eternal truths" and which are not?

And what about the New Testament?

I believe that religion in general is a divine revelation that is filtered through the veil of human perception in each individual culture. Each culture attaches the cultural and ethnocentric interests to the faith. They rewrite their history to show their "exceptional" divine favor.

For the initiates of spirituality, there is religion and dogma. A near idolatrous fascination with the "word for word" divine revelation of texts that have been translated and retranslated, modified, corrected, and sometimes outright changed, over and over again. Yet in their spiritual immaturity, they will deny this reality and fundamentally cling to their texts. This causes the divide between all faiths. This is the root of all religious wars. The fruit of this approach is historically rotten to the core.

While the initiates are focused on fundamental "word for word" interpretations, the masters often graduate and are elevated in their reasoning as it relates to religion and spirituality. These individuals are discerning and become quickly aware of the common spiritual threads that are found throughout all faiths. They can also recognize associations that connect what might be considered alien ideas. These individuals see God, not a text. These individuals move beyond merely knowing a text into the realm of literally, knowing GOD.

So, how do I know what is an eternal truth and what is not? I don't. It requires continuous study and searching. What might not have appeared as an eternal truth in a given text today might prove itself to be of eternal value tomorrow. It's a constant searching, seeking, finding. And it isn't limited to the Bible. One can study the texts of many other religions and glean divine understanding from them also.

[Antipas]

Originally Posted by Esaias

So I wasn't born Irish? I was born a man (as a child!) and sometime later I became Irish?

I learn something new here everyday!

As it relates to your "culture", and your perception of reality, you are strongly influenced by culture. You might be Irish by blood. But, if raised in the United States, authentic Irish culture might be quite alien to you. My point was that cultural conditioning actually makes one a Hebrew.