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--- jn_en_2020_03_26 [2020/03/26 09:02] – potthast
+++ jn_en_2020_03_26 [2020/03/26 10:39] (current) – potthast
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 ** Human Life ... **
-There is more to say about our approach to gain insight into human life. We need insight which touches and properly treats all stages of human life. Birth, adulescence, partnership, love, age, death. We need to find adequate concepts for all of this. There is our desire to be important. There is our human desire to be loved. We want to be unique. We want to be seen. We want to play, to talk, to do, to make a difference. Today,
+There is more to say about our approach to gain insight into human life. We need insight which touches and properly treats all stages of human life. Birth, adulescence, partnership, love, age, death. We need to find adequate concepts for all of this. There is our desire to be important. There is our human desire to be loved. We want to be unique. We want to be seen. We want to play, to talk, to do, to make a difference.
 Evolutionary biology tries to develop concepts which explain human behaviour as mechanism which have been important for evolution. The idea is that over many millions of years higher animals and finally humans evolved from very simple amino acids. It is an interesting concept. At the same time it is fascinating to see the explosion of cultural life from about 3000 BC, with languages and writing developing about 1500-1000 BC. This is a time, where biblical tradition already started to develop the stories and narratives which are given to us in the five books of Moses, who might have lived about 1400 BC, plus minus 100 years. Abraham, whos story is described in the first book of Moses, is said to have come from Ur to Kanaan around 1900 BC, plus minus 200 years. In terms of human cultural development, these books are very early in human cultural history, with high probability edited and finally composed many years later during the excile time of the people of Israel 600-500 BC. The critical view into these stories is very late, florishing strongly at about 1970 AD in many western theological seminaries.
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 What can we say about the existence of God? The experience of both Jewish and Christian believers is that God exists, that he is present through his holy spirit. The Christian message is convinced that God is spirit, that he is beyond time. God is the creator, not the creation. But he does penetrate all creation, and it is possible to talk to him any time, with your voice or silently. It is important to look deeper into the biblical stories. It is important to understand the character of God, who is said to be love, truth, trust and purity. God wants you and me, he wants to be the God and center of our life. The Christian view sees him as the origin, purpose and goal of all what is.
-So does God exist? How do you find out? I would say it is good to study the Christian tradition, the New Testament books as well as the Old Testament books. But some study them for decades without finding God. Others hear only a few words, and find him immediately. To find God you do not need to learn many things, but just open youer mind and your heart to the words which Jesus spoke, listen and take it serious ...
+So does God exist? How do you find out? I would say it is good to study the Christian tradition, the New Testament books as well as the Old Testament books. But some study them for decades without finding God. Others hear only a few words, and find him immediately. To find God you do not need to learn many things, but just open your mind and your heart to the words which Jesus spoke, listen and take it serious ...
 (Roland Potthast)