ATL2CDG said:
Timebuilder:
While I welcome and appreciate your efforts, that response completely fails to codify what is and what isn't the word of Deity. LDS believe that Joesph Smith was inspired by Deity when he translated the plates composing the Book of Mormon. As such, what makes the inspiration that he received any less important or valid than what any of the authors wrote?
Also, where does it state that Deity is not a linear time entity? It would amaze me that the story recounted in Genesis is so starkly structured around the basis time were Deity not bound to its constraints.
Why is what Joseph Smith did less important? Because the Bible is complete, warns of other doctrines and false teachers, and gives no indication of such a person in prophetic scripture. Remember, the Bible is THE word of God. Not A word of God. The Bible is specific as to the doctrine of God, the nature and character of God, and the method we use to pray, to praise, to follow, and be saved. Plainly, other doctrines are in conflict with the teachings of Christ, who is The Word, the personality of God that speaks to and interacts with Man. No one knows The Father, except through Him. He is the personality that formed the world, gave the commandments to Moses, and made the supreme sacrifice on our part. While we do not fully understand His nature, being that one personality is all we usually have, and we are relatively powerless and weak, it is the strength of God that makes us more than we seem.
Genesis is not given as a timeline because God exists in time, it is written that way because
we do.
I can find you references and explanations by very savvy Bible scholars, but frankly, right now I have too much on my plate. I already spend more time here than I should, but it is a sacrifice I make to help my friends, you and the other pilots and beginners here, and to do so on as many subjects as I can. The Bible is only one of those subjects. Perhaps Super80 has time to answer more questions.
Maybe your best bet is to find a good Bible church, and sit down and work through your questions with someone who has devoted their life to understanding the Bible. Someone who can sit across the table and talk.
If you have the interest, that's what I would recommend.