Multicolored Lemur

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Atheist / Agnostic
Nov 23, 2021
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1 And the Pharisees and Sad′ducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered them,[a] “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather; for the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed.

a = “Other ancient authorities omit the following words to the end of verse 3”

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I’ve heard “red cap” and “sailor’s delight.” I guess it’s a pretty good generalization, but it definitely is a generalization. And it depends on the time of day.

And what is the “sign of Jonah”?

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I’d say there are at least a couple of good starting places for sermons in the above verses.

And, this is another example of Protestant ministers focusing on the letters of Paul more than the three synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

Not sure about the Roman Catholic Church.

Not sure about Eastern Orthodox churches such as Russian Orthodox and Greek Orthodox.

Not sure about the Church of Jesus Christ, more informally known as the Mormons.
 
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And what is the “sign of Jonah.”
Matthew 12: 39-40 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth
.

And I’d say this is another example of Protestant ministers focusing on the letters of Paul more than the three synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
What? What in the world does Jesus referring to the sign of Jonah have to do with Paul’s letters or Protestant ministers?
 
Google AI —

"The Synoptic Gospels are the books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke in the New Testament, named so because they share significant similarities in content, style, and chronological order, allowing them to be ‘seen together’ . . . ”

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Okay, so synoptic is more of a fancy word meaning “seen together.”

definition —
“1. affording a general view of a whole “

Alright, so the 3 similar Gospels.

Although frankly, as a former Christian, I don’t see the Gospel of John as being that different.
 
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For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly;


Most actual Christians believe the Bible is “inspired, not literal.” Now, a close 2nd is the “word by word” belief.

And really, Jonah and the Whale might be the number one example of people not believing the Bible is literal. One word is allegory, which means very similar to parable.
 
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The Bible deserves the same respect as any other ancient religious book.

as an example of people trying their best, and maybe as trying something new and fresh in regards to the big questions of life
 

39 But Jesus replied, “Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.”

This is a contradiction.

Jesus died around 3:00 pm Friday and rose from the dead around 6:00 am Sunday. That’s closer to a day-and-a-half. It’s 39 hours to be exact.

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Of course, these times are church tradition.

The 4 Gospels were written 40+ years later, anonymously at first, with the traditional names being later put on them.
 
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And . . . were on our own figuring out ethics.

For example, this guy is not a saint, merely a guy who tried while he was alive.
 
Most actual Christians believe the Bible is “inspired, not literal.” Now, a close 2nd is the “word by word” belief.
This post makes no sense at all. First, the overwhelming number of Christians that I know believe the Bible is both inspired and literal. You seem to have the misconception that inspired and literal are opposing terms. This is simply not true.

Second, word for word usually is related to translation type. You citing it as a “close 2nd” is nonsensical.

I also noticed how you completely ignored my question. How does the story of Jonah relate to Paul’s letters and Protestant ministers.
 
Although frankly, as a former Christian, I don’t see the Gospel of John as being that different.
I’m sorry friend, but a “former Christian” does not exist. The Bible is very clear in its teaching that those who put their faith in Christ are sealed by the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption (Eph.4:30). If you are not a Christian now, according to the Bible, you never were. You may have been a church member, sang in the choir, and paid your tithes, but these works do not make one a Christian.

And yes, the Gospel of John is totally different from the other three Gospels.
 

“While about four-in-ten Christians (39%) say the Bible’s text is the word of God and should be taken literally, 36% say it should not be interpreted literally or express another or no opinion.”

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39% and 36% show the two viewpoints are very close in how many people believe in each.