Why is Ishmael such a brat?He already has the land of milk and honey,given to Isaac what else does he want?
116553
Wow, bit of a controversial question, right? \n\nFrom what I've heard, most Middle Eastern nations protest the existence of Israel because its creation took away land from the Palestinians who had been living there. Yes, the land was originally given to Israel, but in the minds of Arabics, all that was 3000 years ago or so, and it shouldn't be valid any longer. \n\nPlus, many Palestinians are now living in refugee camps or have fled to other nations, and now those nations are having to help them/feed them, etc. The way the nations see it, if Israel had never been created, the nations wouldn't have this problem.
217131
It's possible that Cain and Abel had received some instruction on what constituted an acceptable sacrifice from God, or that Cain had committed other wrongs that would make his offering unacceptable to God. However, the passage does give us some clues. It says that Abel "brought fat portions from some of the firstborn." He offered some of what came first, as opposed to waiting until an animal had plenty of offspring (and the oldest were reproducing themselves) and then sacrificing one of the youngest, and he offered the choicest parts. Abel was clearly giving the best of what he had to God. Cain, on the other hand, brought "some of the fruits of the soil," which were not necessarily the best crops - they may have been damaged and/or been what Cain considered "extra" or "leftover." Abel's and Cain's actions were a reflection of their attitudes towards God - should God receive the best of what they had or not? - and it was their attitudes that God was concerned with.
171875
For those who did not have a Methodist Sunday school teacher for a mother, here it is:  "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."\n\nLike any other Bible passage, it needs to be read in context.  So starting from verse 1, we find that the jews were captives in Babylon.  Jeremiah was a prophet sent to console them in their captivity, so far away from their homeland.  He says go ahead and live your lives here, marry and have children.  Pay no attention to false prophets.  After 70 years in Babylon, God will visit you and if you are faithful, He will remove the burden of captivity and take you all out of Babylon.  If it had not happened roughly like that, Jeremiah would not be one of the books of the Bible.\n\nP.S.  I'm not a Christian myself, but well educated.  My momma gave me a Bible without demanding I make any promises.  I have always respected that.
481611
He is related to the Founders.  It is explained in the Series.  It does make for an interesting nature vs nurture debate.
217883
TO Cooooool: Here're some errors in Qur'an, if you want more - there're plenty of scholar websites on the web showing this. Other Historical Errors\n\nDoes the reader believe that Abraham did not offer Isaac, but Ishmael, as a sacrifice? This is what all Muslim scholars say. Do you know that the Qur'an claims that Haman was pharaoh's prime minister even though Haman lived in Babylon one thousand years later? Yet the Qur'an says so. The Qur'an says that the one who picked Moses from the river was not his sister but his mother (28:6-8), and that a Samaritan was the one who molded the golden calf for the children of Israel and misguided them, and the golden calf was lowing (refer to chapter 20:85-88) though it is well-known that Samaria was not in existence at that time. The Samaritans came after the Babylonian exile. How could one of them have made the golden calf for the people of Israel?\n\nConcerning the birth of Christ, the Qur'an teaches that the Virgin Mary gave birth to him under the shade of a palm tree and not in a manger of sheep (refer to Mary 19:23). The Qur'an ignores all the documented historical evidence available to all people across the ages and brings us new discoveries!\n\nThe Qur'an claims (Chapter 2:125-127) that Abraham and Ishmael, his son, are the ones who built The Ka'ba in Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The late Dr. Taha Husayn (the most famous professor of Arabic literature in Egypt) acknowledges that the information recorded in the Qur'an pertaining to the construction of Ka'ba at the hand of Abraham and Ishmael is not historically documented. He said:\n\n"The case of this episode is very obvious because it is of recent date and came into vogue just before the rise of Islam. Islam exploited it for religious reasons" (quoted in Mizan al-Islam by Anwar al-Jundi, p. 170).\n\nThis declaration invoked the rage of the Muslim scholars against him. The former president of Tunisia did the same thing when he stated that the Qur'an contains mythical stories. Muslim scholars revolted against him and threatened to kill him because these are Muhammad's orders - kill anybody who insults the Qur'an. So what could Taha Husayn or Abu Ruqayba [better known in the West as Bourgiba] (or we) do if the Qur'an rejects the most scientifically documented historical stories? Are we supposed to shut up our mouth and close our minds lest we be killed?
717103
I could never figure out how Cain found his wife.  When I read it he was the only one left after he killed Abel, not counting Adam and Eve.   Seth was born later, so then there would have been Adam and Eve, Cain and little brother Seth, and, of course, dead Abel. So where in hell did Cain find his wife...??\n\nI've been stressing out on this for years.
1026085
He was the father of Rachel & Leah, the first 2 wives of Jacob. He is basically portrayed as a greedy, dishonest man. He tricked Jacob, who had agreed on giving Laban a certain amount of service in exchange for the hand of his daughter, Rachel, in marriage. Laban substituted his daughter Leah on the wedding day, however, and Jacob accepted the substitution, and had to agree to a further period of service in exchange for Rachel. Traditionally he is portrayed as a greedy, lazy drunkard, but the Bible really only gives you the greedy/sneaky thing.
1154537
Why did Sampson love Delila?\n\nSampson lusted for Delilah. Foreign women were a idol in Sampson's life which finally cost him the anointing on his life not to mention his life.\n\na cautionary tale of how we should not indulge every desire of the flesh.
659484
1) He was talking about non-Jews as indicated by using the word "gods" therefore if anything, they wouldn't be sacrificing it to Him.\n2) God sacrificed His Son for all of mankind, all humans could do with a sacrifice would be to appeal to God. With a sacrifice, God prefers animals like lambs, not humans.\n3) God gives children as a gift to us, I suppose you could say that sacrificing a child would be the religious equivalent of repackaging a gift and giving it back to the same person (God). And as far as I know, God doesn't like receiving the gifts that He gave you. :P\n\nMatthew 18:3\nAnd said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.\n\nMatthew 11:25\nAt that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.\n\nNeedless to say, God likes children and babies. :) The sacrifice of His Son was a demonstration of His love for us.
1090643
Please, please, Sean believe in my god.  I think my favorite avatar was crucified for my sins.  Is he rising?  I await patiently.
504580
i'm pretty sure you know the Christian view... this is something i've been thinking about a good bit lately - Genesis talks about 'when a man leaves his parents and basically takes a wife... they live together and become one.. sorry - paraphrasing i dont like... i'll add more as i research\nI'm curious more because of the jewish prophecy concerning the messiah; of a virgin, yet of the line of David. \n& my head hurts.
364396
Yes, Muslims believe that it was Ishmael that was the one to be sacrificed. Abraham's knife, however, did not cut, because God just wanted to test him. As a reward for his outstanding devotion, He granted him Isaac. From Isaac descended all the prophets of the Children of Israel; except for Muhammad PBUH: he was the only prophet that was a descendant of Ishmael. As for the "chosen people" part, we Muslims - to my knowledge - do not believe that we are the chosen people per say, but are mere servants of God, as are all those who worship God alone. If you want the Islamic version of the sacrifice story, you can check my msn space:\nspaces.msn.com/abrahampbuh (under 'Ultimate Sacrifice') and if you want to learn about Islam/stories of our prophets, you can check the list on the right. Hope this has helped. Peace be with you.
432961
we read of the plagues God sent upon the land of Egypt, but Pharaoh would not let the people go.  But God knew that after the final plague, Pharaoh would let the people go.\n\nAnd so Moses told the Israelites that each house was to take one perfect lamb,  which was under a year old. And the lamb was to live in the house with the people for 14 days, and at the end of the fourteenth day they were to kill the lamb in the evening.\n\nAnd they were to take the blood of the lamb and put it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the house, and they were to roast the lamb and eat it, and nothing was to remain.   And that night the LORD would pass through the land, and all the people who were the first ones born in their family,  would die, but the blood of the lamb was to be a sign, and whenever God saw the blood on the doorposts, he would pass over the house, and no one in that house would die.  And this day was to be called the passover, and was to be celebrated each year.\n\nAnd so the people of Israel did as the LORD had commanded, and at midnight on the chosen day, all the people born first in the land who were not protected by the blood of the lamb died, including Pharaoh's first born child.\n\nAnd so on that day Pharaoh agreed to let the people of Israel go with their flocks, and with jewels and clothing that the people of Egypt gave to them, and there were 600,000 men, not counting women and children. \n\nAnd so after 430 years, the time had come for the Israelites to leave the land of Egypt, and God brought them out of the land.\n\nThe blood of the lamb which protected the people of Israel is a perfect picture of the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for us.   What a wonderful thing it is that the Lord Jesus did for us because he loves us.\n\nMemory verse:  Exodus 12:13 "...when I see the blood, I will pass over you."\n\nQuestions:\n1. What was the LORD going to do to the people of Egypt?\n2. What instructions did the LORD give about the lamb the people chose?\n3. What were they supposed to do when the lamb was killed?\n4. What happened when the LORD came through the land?\n\nAnswers:\n1. He was going to cause the first born person in each family to die.\n2. There was to be one for every house, it was to be perfect, it was to be less than a year old, and it was to live with them in the house for 14 days.\n3. They were to put its blood on the sides and top of the door of the house.  They were to roast it and eat it.\n4.  When He saw the blood on the door posts, no one in that house died, but all the people who were born first who were not protected by the blood of the lamb died.
565379
It all goes back to Abraham and Ishmeal. The fighting and feuding won't ever end. Read Genesis to see the proof.....
398648
How is this MainWorry character. Whats wrong with you man? Don't you think for yourself? F*cken tosser...\n\nsharon: That's what they all say, lol!
901221
That's a good question, and further to that, what is he doing now -- other than willingly watching the world go to ruin?  (And please don't start on that stuff about the fulfillment of prophecy, etc.)
411415
At that time Egypt was a fertile, luxuriant land and the Pharaoh became friends with Joseph (son of Jacob, grandson of Isaac, great-grandson of Abraham) after Joseph had been exiled by his brothers.  Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's dream of the seven fat cows and seven thin cows, and as a reward, Pharaoh promised that Joseph and his people would be welcome in Egypt during the years of famine to come.  \n\nOver much time and many years later this attitude changed and the Pharaohs saw that the Jews had become numerous and decided to enslave them instead.\n\nOf course, reality might have been different but that's what is written in the Torah/Old Testament.