"PLATO AND THE CREATION OF THE HEBREW BIBLE" - RUSSEL GMERKEN - MUST READ
What is being shared herein is reason, known facts to
date, and openly evaluating if we have good reason to believe anything in our bible is as true as we've all been told to believe.
My study into this started near 2000 and hundreds of viewpoints and evidences have been studied to see if anything makes good
sense - or not. Initially my study was to the teachings of Jesus in our New Testament with the principle of the Instructions
of God about who He said to hear versus who He said to ignore in Deuteronomy 4, 12, 13, 15, and 18. The methods make
good common sense, so all I did was to take them and put them into action.
The
whole NT was read for over 50 years, and being a third generation preachers son, and having gone to David Lipscomb in Nashville
as a Bible Major, I've always had interest in religions and belonged to the Church of Christ most of my life, and also had
experience teaching adult bible classes - one on continueing revelation - as that related to many other churches starting,
such as Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Seventh Day Adventists. Our church believed they were the one true church
because they held the value to simply be "New Testament Christians" who followed what the Bible says, instead of
the multitude of denominations that were based upon the Creeds and Doctrines developed by councils of men through the years.
My focus was to see if what I'd been taught was really
true - was I taught what Jesus taught, or not? It seemed reasonable to make a listing of Jesus teachings - the imperatives
he said his disciples are to do, as this was the concluding charge at the end of Matthew, to make disciples of him and teach
them whatsoever he had first commanded or taught them to do - or to not do - the imperative teachings of Jesus. I will
invite everyone on the face of the earth to repeat what I did to see if what I'm saying is so - or not. This is a scientific
experiment that should be verifiable by anyone with the dogged interest to do it - to see if what we've been taught is so
- or not. Starting with Matthew, it had over 200 imperitive teachings. Progressing into Mark, the number was much
less. Luke was close to Matthew, but was lacking the completeness therein. John perhaps had the least, but it
also had the most about the need to do as he taught - a curious book, considering it lacked the founding sermon on the mount,
and it testified against the other gospels from start to finish. This is most easily discerned by review of historical
details being wildly different from Matthew. Then I considered that Luke and Mark also had considerable contradictions
when compared to Matthew. How could this be so if they were all true as we've been told to believe?
What I brought to my study is a heafty dose of common sense, combined with the skills learned from
working for the Department of Transportation in California for 40 years. Details matter. Standards matter. Specifications
matter. Guiding Permits matter if a project required specific Permits to be authorized to do the work - such as Permits
from the Air or Water Quality Boards, Fish and Game, or provisions involving work that required Native American inspectors
present during excavation work in the Sierra Foothills or Mountains. You would not believe how many things are involved
in a large project to design and construct a highway re alignment through environmentally sensitive areas. It was fascinating
work in a beautiful area that I much enjoyed, and I suspect you would have enjoyed having Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, Death Valley,
Santa Cruz, and Santa Barbara as your work zone. It was the greatest experience of my life to work with so many people,
as well as being privilaged to work for the Senior Construction Engineer who oversaw most of the Senior and Civil Engineers
doing the work via the Contractors who won the bidding process. Some jobs I was working with also included the San Fransisco
- Oakland Bay Bridge. Multiple year projects with some valued over a Billion dollars. It was a huge responsibility
to have worked within. It involved a lot of planning and paying attention to details and specifications of required
elements that were considered "key indicators" for how well Construction staff were doing their jobs. When
other Agencies complained about a problem, I was the one who had to investigate matters and see if there was a problem, and
how we might resolve it. Taking on my study was a great opportunity to put all those skills learned to the task of seeing
if what I had been taught was so - or not. This study exposed things that involve everyone - every church, not just
the church of Christ.
In
Matthew 24 Jesus warned of the end times and how wickedness will grow upon the earth, as he encouraged his disciples to see
this is what he said would happen, and that we not be afraid and that we give special heed that our love does not grow cold.
Jesus taught love for God and our fellow mankind. I would also like to interject a sermon once heard - I recall every
single word of it - as I'm confident you will also be able to memorize this one: "Love is a verb." It was
at a small church near Stockton, Ca, and the preacher was tiring of how people were treating others. Most focus on love
as a feeling, but it's actualy a verb - an action. Love is known and observed by our actions, not our feelings.
I also looked into the "Law" Standards, and in 2021 a purported ancient copy from the days of Ezekiel was published
- and it pretty much matches this viewpoint - and shows that the Law defines love - what it will do, and what it will not
do! 70 years of study have led me to conclude at this time that the teachings of Jesus have drawn so much praise
and honor amongst mankind because he was 'putting legs' to the words of God. .
The core reason about Jesus is people view the Sermon on the Mount to be remarkable
teaching, both then and today - throughout history. Why does Judaism hate Jesus more today than back then? Why do they
believe God will not forgive them until they rid the face of the earth of Christians? Me thinks they protesteth too much
if what Matthew said was invented by them or Rome. Where did Jesus get his teachings? THAT is the proper question. And,
are his teachings valuable to this day? Forget all the crap and fakery of Judaism and Christianity - observe his teachings
to do them - and see if you are blessed, or not.