- Is there such a thing as natural death, that is, are all deaths a result of sin? Do all people die because we are sinful?
- What do you make of the sidebar on Original Sin? What questions does it answer? Does it raise any other questions?
- In the section "Jesus Overcomes Our Greatest Fears" we are presented with the basic sotry of how "our hero" Jesus "overcomes the odds." What is the basic story? Is Jesus an example of a hero who did it "all on his own?" Is the lesson simply that we just all need to be braver humans, especially when facing death?
I wanted to make sure that we adequately reflected upon the following questions. So I am listing them here. In the Comment Section I will place my "answers". You can use the comment section to place your own answers or you can click on reply under mine to reply to my comments..
15 Comments
Jay
1/24/2013 02:20:42 am
1. (Question #3):
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Carla
1/29/2013 03:32:25 am
I don't believe that all death is a result if sin. Some, such as a drug overdose, are because the person has chosen to live seeking fulfillment in places other than God.
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Jay
1/29/2013 04:47:15 am
Something to consider. If we think of sin as making choices that are not life-affirming or in the way that God wishes us to love God and one another, then dying from a drug overdose would be as a result of sin.
Ray
1/30/2013 01:06:58 am
To me natural death is a term that just reflects the end of our life on earth . Though at times we use the terms died of natral causes meaing that the person lived a long life on earth under the human conditions but I do not think everyone dies because of their sins. As long as we are on God's Green earth we will all sin, forgivennes of these sins and acceptace of God's love for us our lives will caary on as our spirt leaves our human bodies.
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Jay
1/30/2013 01:50:34 am
The circumstances under which we die though do offer some distinction between "natural" --died of old age, and "other causes"--suicide, or other violent death.
Jay
1/30/2013 01:52:17 am
One other thing you might consider or reflect upon...we have an immortal soul. We have been given a unique body. That body bears with it in this life the effects of our choices, including our tendencies to sin. In the afterlife, there is a reuniting of soul and body--and thus, there is something permanent and unique to our identity about those choices we've made in our lives in the after life.
Jay
1/24/2013 02:22:54 am
2. (Question #4)
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Carla
1/29/2013 03:35:00 am
I thought the sidebar on Original Sin was helpful. It helped me to realize that Adam and Eve represent us, and we're not necessarily being punished for what they did.
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Jay
1/29/2013 04:48:31 am
Good observation. Our handout on Original Sin also made a similar point, not just with the story of Adam and Eve, but the other major stories in Genesis: Cain and Able, Noah and the Flood, Tower of Babel.
Ray
1/30/2013 01:33:06 am
In orgianl sin of Adam and Eve there will always be confusion and I often wonder what life would have been like if they would have listen to God and stayed away from the the forbidden fruit. I agree with Carla that Adam and Eve represent us and we are not be punished because of thier sin.
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Jay
1/30/2013 01:55:00 am
I think I get what you are saying. I would say, death gives finality to a finite being and thus confers a unique identity as well a ultimate meaning upon that being. It is at that point that the Creator can say (hopefully), "Well done, good and faithful servant..." and you can have the ultimate sense of "this is who you are and destined to be."
Jay
1/24/2013 02:26:32 am
3. (Question #5)
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Carla
1/29/2013 05:44:55 am
The basic story of how Jesus overcomes the odds is that he became fully human without losing his divinity, and triumphed over temptation and sin. Through Resurrection, he overcame death, the ultimate consequence of sin. The lesson is that when facing death, we must not be afraid because it can not separate us from the love of Jesus.
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Jay
1/29/2013 06:16:09 am
All of what you say is true, just so long as you see that Jesus did not do this all on his own, but rather the Tri-Une God was with him--the Father who loved him and sent him into the world, the Son who was obedient to the Father, and the Spirit who reconciled God and humanity and made holy this sacrifice.
Ray
1/30/2013 01:56:50 am
There is no better example of a hero than Jesus!!! Jesus is God in his human form. His whole life was to show us the way to love God and to accept him and his love for us.
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