Christmas Message from Blogging Theology (2020-12-24) ​

0:00:01 hello in this episode i want to talk
0:00:03 about
0:00:04 how christians imagine the very first
0:00:07 christmas
0:00:08 that time when uh jesus was born 2000
0:00:11 years ago
0:00:12 in bethlehem so how do they imagine that
0:00:17 well i it goes something like this i
0:00:19 think
0:00:20 for them uh it starts with the
0:00:22 conception
0:00:23 when god became a fertilized egg
0:00:27 then god grew in uh grew as an embryo
0:00:31 then a fetus and then god kicked mary
0:00:34 from within her womb
0:00:37 and then at the birth on christmas day
0:00:39 god entered the world
0:00:41 as a baby amid the stench of manure
0:00:44 and cobwebs and hay in a stable
0:00:48 so the gospels tell us mary cradled the
0:00:51 crater in her arms i never imagined god
0:00:54 would look like that
0:00:55 she says to herself but
0:01:00 i would say that the idea that god
0:01:02 became a baby
0:01:04 involves some serious contradictions and
0:01:07 therefore it cannot be true
0:01:09 so consider this the idea that god the
0:01:12 invisible god
0:01:13 became visible the untouchable became
0:01:17 touchable
0:01:18 the unlimited became limited the
0:01:21 infinite
0:01:22 became finite the immutable
0:01:26 became mutable the unchangeable became
0:01:29 changeable spirit became matter
0:01:32 the almighty god became weak
0:01:37 now what lies behind all of these
0:01:40 beliefs these claims
0:01:41 is that god changes big time in his very
0:01:45 nature
0:01:47 but the bible teaches over and over that
0:01:50 god does
0:01:51 not change the prophet malachi
0:01:54 in chapter 3 verse 6 says for i the lord
0:01:58 do not change the letter of james in the
0:02:01 new testament
0:02:02 117 says for every good and perfect gift
0:02:06 is from above coming down from the
0:02:08 father of heavenly lights
0:02:10 who does not change like shifting
0:02:13 shadows
0:02:15 the book of numbers says chapter 23
0:02:19 god is not human that he should lie
0:02:23 not a human being that he should change
0:02:25 his mind
0:02:26 does he speak and then not act does he
0:02:29 promise and not
0:02:30 fulfill psalm 102
0:02:33 tells us of old you laid the foundation
0:02:37 of the work of the world
0:02:38 and the heavens are the work of your
0:02:40 hands they will perish
0:02:42 but you will remain they will all wear
0:02:45 out like a garment
0:02:47 you will change them like a robe and
0:02:50 they will pass away
0:02:52 but you are the same and your years
0:02:55 have no end
0:02:58 so it's a contradiction to say that what
0:03:01 essentially what is essentially
0:03:02 immutable changes
0:03:06 now there are other contradictions uh of
0:03:09 which may
0:03:10 have occurred to you as well the idea
0:03:12 that the new testament teaches that
0:03:14 jesus
0:03:15 was tempted by the devil it says that in
0:03:17 the gospels
0:03:19 but it also says that you can't tempt
0:03:21 god
0:03:23 the gospels say that jesus died but god
0:03:27 is immortal the new testament also says
0:03:29 that in one timothy that god does not
0:03:31 die that he's immortal
0:03:33 jesus is under a god it says he plays
0:03:36 best places that jesus
0:03:37 has a god but god can't be god can't be
0:03:40 under a god obviously because god is
0:03:43 almighty he is the
0:03:44 creator of the heavens and the earth the
0:03:46 source of everything therefore he is not
0:03:48 under anyone else or they would be god
0:03:50 logically and there's a little verse
0:03:53 here in
0:03:53 one uh in luke's gospel uh
0:03:56 chapter two verse fourteen a little
0:03:59 verse but it's so
0:04:00 pregnant with her pregnant pun intended
0:04:04 with implications the child is referring
0:04:07 to jesus the child grew
0:04:09 and became strong filled with wisdom
0:04:12 and the favor of god was upon him
0:04:16 that's luke 2 40. so
0:04:19 the son jesus grew and became strong
0:04:23 filled with wisdom and favor the favor
0:04:26 of gobblers on him so this is a changing
0:04:28 developing
0:04:29 person it's not a static kind of entity
0:04:33 you know the god man um
0:04:36 so there we go so um i i think
0:04:39 the i the idea this christmas is that we
0:04:41 should
0:04:42 certainly reflect on the birth of a
0:04:45 child this child jesus
0:04:47 but also on the later theology that grew
0:04:50 up around him and that it is
0:04:51 if we just look at it very simply and
0:04:54 rationally and logically it is
0:04:56 contradictory
0:04:57 it is incoherent and therefore it can't
0:05:00 be true
0:05:00 and we should jettison this theology and
0:05:03 belief
0:05:04 and believe in something that is purer
0:05:06 and simpler the monotheism that jesus
0:05:08 himself proclaimed
0:05:10 to the jews a pure monotheism a sincere
0:05:14 monotheism
0:05:15 and also the prophets of course proclaim
0:05:17 that as well so i think that that would
0:05:19 be my christmas message
0:05:21 um to invite people to believe in that
0:05:24 pure monotheism what muslims call
0:05:27 tauheed
0:05:28 and just to jettison these uh
0:05:31 contradictory beliefs that make no sense
0:05:33 god doesn't change
0:05:35 he is immutable he is eternal he's
0:05:37 almighty
0:05:39 he is perfect he doesn't grow in wisdom
0:05:42 and uh god is not uh favored and the
0:05:45 favor of god was not upon god there is
0:05:47 only one god
0:05:48 as well and there we are until next time