It bothers me when it takes five whole minutes to scroll down the list of new arrivals to get past just one answer. It's one thing to answer with your opinion, quite another to write an essay based on someone else's thoughts.

Not really Zack, I read it and go on no big deal to me.

I really don't care about it if i know it is something that might bother me, why take the time to read it? i just don't read the answer and move on.

I just don't read it and take the perfect opportunity to get away with a downrating.

I know the Bible pretty well, myself. Just a simple Chapter and verse would be fine with me. I would know what they meant.

Probably the biggest pain in the whole site.

"1 The words of the blessing of Enoch, wherewith he blessed the elect and righteous, who will be 2 living in the day of tribulation, when all the wicked and godless are to be removed. And he took up his parable and said --Enoch a righteous man, whose eyes were opened by God, saw the vision of the Holy One in the heavens, which the angels showed me, and from them I heard everything, and from them I understood as I saw, but not for this generation, but for a remote one which is 3 for to come. Concerning the elect I said, and took up my parable concerning them: The Holy Great One will come forth from His dwelling, 4 And the eternal God will tread upon the earth, (even) on Mount Sinai, [And appear from His camp] And appear in the strength of His might from the heaven of heavens. 5 And all shall be smitten with fear And the Watchers shall quake, And great fear and trembling shall seize them unto the ends of the earth. 6 And the high mountains shall be shaken, And the high hills shall be made low, And shall melt like wax before the flame. 7 And the earth shall be wholly rent in sunder, And all that is upon the earth shall perish, And there shall be a judgement upon all (men). 8 But with the righteous He will make peace, And will protect the elect, And mercy shall be upon them. And they shall all belong to God, And they shall be prospered, And they shall all be blessed. And He will help them all, And light shall appear unto them, And He will make peace with them. 9 And behold! He cometh with ten thousands of His holy ones To execute judgement upon all, And to destroy all the ungodly: And to convict all flesh Of all the works of their ungodliness which they have ungodly committed, And of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him." Here the same passage, handwritten: "1:1 Λá½¹γος εὐλογá½·ας á¼™νá½½χ, καθá½¼ς εὐλá½¹γησεν ἐκλεκτοὺς δικαá½·ους οá¼µτινες á¼”σονται εá¼°ς ἡμá½³ραν á¼€νá½±γκης ἐξᾶραι πá½±ντας τοὺς ἐχθροá½»ς, καὶ σωθá½µσονται δá½·καιοι. 2 Καὶ á¼€ναλαβá½¼ν τá½´ν παραβολá½´ν αὐτοῦ εἶπεν á¼™νá½½χ· Ἄνθρωπος δá½·καιá½¹ς ἐστιν, † á½…ρασις ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ αὐτá¿· á¼€νεῳγμá½³νη ἦν· á¼”χων τá½´ν á½…ρασιν τοῦ ἁγá½·ου καὶ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. á¼”δειξá½³ν μοι, καὶ ἁγιολá½¹γων ἁγá½·ων ἤκουσα ἐγá½½, καὶ ὡς ἤκουσα παρá¾½ αὐτῶν πá½±ντα καὶ á¼”γνων ἐγá½¼ θεωρῶν· καὶ οὐκ εá¼°ς τá½´ν νῦν γενεá½°ν διενοοá½»μην, á¼€λλá½° ἐπὶ πá½¹ρρω οá½–σαν ἐγá½¼ λαλῶ. 3 Καὶ περὶ τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν νῦν λá½³γω καὶ περὶ αὐτῶν á¼€νá½³λαβον τá½´ν παραβολá½µν μου. καὶ ἐξελεá½»σεται ὁ á¼…γιá½¹ς μου ὁ μá½³γας ἐκ τῆς κατοικá½µσεως αὐτοῦ, 4 καὶ ὁ θεὸς τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐπὶ γῆν πατῆσει ἐπὶ τὸ Σεινá½° ὄρος καὶ φανá½µσεται ἐκ τῆς παρεμβολῆς αὐτοῦ, καὶ φανá½µσεται ἐν τῇ δυνá½±μει τῆς á¼°σχá½»ος αὐτοῦ á¼€πὸ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τῶν οὐρανῶν. 5 καὶ φοβηθá½µσονται πá½±ντες καὶ πιστεá½»σουσιν οá¼± ἐγρá½µγοροι, καὶ ᾄσουσιν á¼€πá½¹κρυφα ἐν πᾶσιν τοá¿–ς ἄκροις τῆς † · καὶ σεισθá½µσονται πá½±ντα τá½° ἄκρα τῆς γῆς, καὶ λá½µμψεται αὐτοὺς τρá½¹μος καὶ φá½¹βος μá½³γας μá½³χρι τῶν περá½±των τῆς γῆς. 6 καὶ σεισθá½µσονται καὶ πεσοῦνται καὶ διαλυθá½µσονται ὄρη ὑψηλá½±, καὶ ταπεινωθá½µσονται βουνοὶ ὑψηλοὶ τοῦ διαρυῆναι ὄρη, καὶ τακá½µσονται ὡς κηρὸς á¼€πὸ προσá½½που πυρὸς ἐν φλογá½·. 7 καὶ διασχισθá½µσεται ἡ γῆ σχá½·σμα á¿¥αγá½±δι, καὶ πá½±ντα á½…σα ἐστὶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς á¼€πολεá¿–ται, καὶ κρá½·σις á¼”σται κατá½° πá½±ντων. 8 καὶ μετá½° τῶν δικαá½·ων τá½´ν εá¼°ρá½µνην ποιá½µσει, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐκλεκτοὺς á¼”σται συντá½µρησις καὶ εá¼°ρá½µνη, καὶ ἐπá¾½ αὐτοὺς γενηται á¼”λεος, καὶ á¼”σονται πá½±ντες τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ τá½´ν εὐδοκá½·αν δá½½σει αὐτοá¿–ς καὶ πá½±ντας εὐλογá½µσει καὶ πá½±ντων á¼€ντιλá½µμψεται καὶ βοηθá½µσει ἡμá¿–ν, καὶ φανá½µσεται αὐτοá¿–ς φῶς καὶ ποιá½µσει ἐπá¾½ αὐτοὺς εá¼°ρá½µνην. 9 á½…τι á¼”ρχεται σὺν ταá¿–ς μυριá½±σιν αὐτοῦ καὶ τοá¿–ς ἁγá½·οις αὐτοῦ, ποιῆσαι κρá½·σιν κατá½° πá½±ντων, καὶ á¼€πολá½³σει πá½±ντας τοὺς á¼€σεβεá¿–ς, καὶ ἐλá½³γξει πᾶσαν σá½±ρκα περὶ πá½±ντων á¼”ργων τῆς á¼€σεβεá½·ας αὐτῶν ὧν á¼ σá½³βησαν καὶ † σκληρῶν ὧν ἐλá½±λησαν λá½¹γων, καὶ περὶ πá½±ντων ὧν κατελá½±λησαν κατá¾½ αὐτοῦ ἁμαρτωλοὶ á¼€σεβεá¿–ς." Source: The Book of Enoch From-The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament R.H. Charles Oxford: The Clarendon Press http://www.heaven.net.nz/writings/thebookofenoch.htm ------- EDITED ------ As some people seemed not to appreciate the quoting of the entire text (which was meant as a little joke), I just maintained the beginning of the text with a reference to the rest, which is available online. Here you can find some interesting information about this text: "The Book of Enoch is any of several works that attribute themselves to Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah and son of Jared (Genesis 5:18). These works are the product of ancient Jewish literature. Most commonly, the phrase Book of Enoch refers to 1 Enoch, which is wholly extant only in the Ethiopic language, with Aramaic fragments from Qumran and medieval Greek fragments. There are two other books named "Enoch": 2 Enoch (surviving only in Old Slavonic; Eng. trans. by R. H. Charles (1896); and 3 Enoch (surviving in Hebrew, c. fifth-sixth century). The numbering of these texts has been applied by scholars to distinguish the texts from one another. The remainder of this article deals with 1 Enoch only. While this book today does not form part of the Canon of Scripture for most of the Christian Churches, it was quoted as a prophetic text in the New Testament (Letter of Jude with also a probable reference in I Peter 3:19,20 to Enoch 6-36, especially 21, 6; 2 Enoch 7:1-5) and by many of the early Church Fathers, and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church regards it to be inspired Scripture. The currently known texts of this work are usually dated during the Second Temple period, between the fourth/third century BC and the first century AD." Source and further information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Enoch

The difficulty for most of us in the modern world is that the old-fashioned idea of God has become incredible or implausible. When we look through our telescopes and microscopes, or when we just look at nature, we have a problem. Somehow the idea of God we get from the holy scriptures doesn't seem to fit the world around us, just as you wouldn't ascribe a composition by Stravinsky to Bach. The style of God venerated in the church, mosque, or synagogue seems completely different from the style of the natural universe. It's hard to conceive of the author of one as the author of the other.

I don't recall noticing the last time. Must not have been anything of note. Oh.....copy/paste...meh. I tend to think for myself. That must be why it was beyond my radar. <insert religious document here> bashers and pushers are equally blind. If your beliefs work for you, fantastic. If you feel you need to tell me your enlightenment experience or perhaps even what you feel is "the truth", I can tolerate that on a good day (but have likely studied and experienced it to some degree already and made up my own mind). If you argue that your beliefs should be mine, then ironically you've crossed a boundary that is unhealthy for your karma.

When so one goes to that extreme, do they really think anyone is going to read all of it?? I don't care what anyone's faith/beliefs/religion affiliation is....but hey....don't jam it down other people's throats. But most people seem to do that on sites like these to justify their bigotry. THAT is what I find most annoying.

Well I guess that would depend on the question that they are responding to. If you asked what color is your car and you receive the fourth chapter of II Peter that might be a little annoying. I you ask where did the world come from and they pasted the first and second chapter of Genesis that would be OK at least it answered the question .

Its about the same. :P

That's because Zack, they have no real thoughts of their own and think they're "proving" something by showing an example from the book of fables.

Does it answer the question? Do you not like to read?

I don't think it even got under my skin the last time you asked. I've posted Bible verses in answers when they had to do with the questions that were being asked. I hope my answers have never crawled under your skin, though. Have they?

I've never really had much respect for the fundies that spout their bible verses in a question that is obviously secular in nature. But it has been getting on my nerves more that usual.