The term “proto-Venus”, especially used to explain a somewhat-literal Genesis account, gives it away.

I believe that Christ used close planetary encounters with the Earth for destructive and constructive purposes. Around 6000 years ago proto-Venus was used to wipe clean the surface of the Earth of the inferior species that existed at the time, in preparation for the advent of mankind. Genesis 1:2 describes the state of the ancient Earth at after that destruction – tohu and bohu, not the creation of the Earth.

He then used all the terrestrial planets in a unique way to replenish the Earth until around 700 BC. The close encounters of the other terrestrial planets (Baalim, or the host of heaven in the Bible) caused millions of deaths by flood and earthquakes, but in the long term resulted in the replenished Earth we enjoy today. In short, catastrophism has been used by God to get mankind this far, and understanding those events hints at an interesting means by which the earth could be destroyed.

Academics today fail to believe in the intervention of God in the world, which is synonemous with uniformitarianism. It is interesting that 2 Peter 3:3-7 prophecies that in the ‘end time’ there will be ’scoffers’ who are ‘willingly ignorant’ of these interventions. It ends as follows: “But the heavens and the earth, [are now] reserved against the day of judgement and perdition of ungodly men.”

The greatest arrogance is to debate or criticise the creator. Come to grips with your mortality, love and accept Christ as your savior and then look forward to the great experience to come.

firmament-chaos.com

I just read your blog & your ‘about me’ section. I hope you find what you are searching for, and I pray it is Christ. “Unitarian Universalism” is not the answer I’m afraid.

/threadjack

Don’t worry, we’re safe from giant lobsters. Enormous arthropods would be too heavy to move.

hmmm….I wouldn’t be so sure about that.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/11/071121-giant-scorpion.html

As stories, myths, tales that point to a higher truth and give some people a way to talk about things that are beyond human explanation or comprehension, I can cede some value to the (collection of) book(s) known as the Bible.

I think your statement of cosmic catastrophe being “just as likely as anything we can cook up” is remarkably naive and dangerous… and is exactly the reason why fundamentalists of all stripes should have their views critically examined by the scientific and educated leaders of our time.

The possibility of global catastrophe (armageddon, end times, et al) has raised significantly in the past few decades, and is the Hoped-For End Game of at least two massive religious groups dominating the world today : christians and muslims.

You honestly think the odds are EVEN between these two options?

1. an asteroid or nearby supernova brings cataclysmic annihilation to Earth and significant portions of our population

2. a group of believers who are of the opinion they have exclusivity on Truth decide to obtain and detonate weapons of annihilation (weapons the likes of which weren’t even fathomable in the time of the biblical scribes) in an effort to bring on the end of the world, heaven, paradise, the second coming, a triumphant return, etc.

Sam Harris’ The End Of Faith absolutely scared the hell out of me (scared the heaven out of me?) in the best possible way. Critical reading for anyone interested in doomsday scenarios (especially eschatology), imho.

What can I say? You apparently put no stock in the scriptures. I do. I guess we disagree on that score.

As to the actions of a few humans destroying the planet, I think you ascribe to us too much power and importance. The dangers of a cosmic catastrophe (asteroid, nearby supernova) are just as likely as anything we can cook up, and they are absolutely out of our control. ( I have never bought in to the Ecological Doomsday scenarios-lots of bad science and incomplete data, some world class fearmongering too.)

Consider the plague which called one-third of Europe’s population. Or the diseases which killed ~95 percent of American Indians. The tens of millions killed in WWII. These were surely catastrophes; from the perspective of those involved, their whole world was shifting, if not ending. As the old song goes, wars may rage and kingdoms fall – even ours – but the Word of the Lord remains.

I don’t doubt we’ll see (and make) future catastrophes for ourselves, but believe there will be a Church still — even if that means only a handful of believers on a parched earth blasted by … whatever. I suppose that makes me “all-millennial,” as in, it will all work out as God sees fit.

+1

Big thumbs up.