Mehmet Hascan Oct 29, 2010:

To Simon Hi Simon,

I would kindly suggest that you watch Robert Beckford's documentary "Who Wrote the Bible?" on Channel 4. Robert Beckford is a British academic theologian. It has been, without doubt, one of the most sensational documentary of the century.
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/who-wrote-the-bible/4od#2...

SeiTT (asker) Oct 29, 2010:

The Greek original (correction, with apologies) Even if taken literally, when we go back to the Greek there is no problem at all. The Greek original says “monogenēs” (μονογενής). This comes from the Greek verb “gennao” (γεννάω), meaning “to beget (of the father); to bear/bring forth (of the mother); to generate, produce” (Liddell and Scott Abridged).

The Father, at the beginning of time, generated the Son of His own essence; this was before the physical universe existed, so there can be no misunderstanding here.

Why?

God is love, and love entails relationship, not icy aloneness. But God is still one (‘üçte birlik’ in Turkish: Father, Son and Holy Spirit).

Later, in order to save us from our wickedness, the Virgin Mary was made pregnant by the agency of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35), not by the agency of any physical act. Thus Jesus is fully God and fully man.

Perhaps, even so, you object to God “getting His hands dirty” by becoming a man. But any loving father will be happy to “get his hands dirty” to save the children He loves. And the proof of that is Jesus’ death in our place on the Cross, to offer us all forgiveness for the sins which, otherwise, will inevitably condemn us to an eternity in Hell.

SeiTT (asker) Oct 29, 2010:

The Greek original Even if taken literally, when we go back to the Greek there is no problem at all. The Greek original says “monogenēs” (μονογενής). This comes from the Greek verb “gennao” (γεννάω), meaning “to beget (of the father); to bear/bring forth (of the mother); to generate, produce” (Liddell and Scott Abridged).

What happened was that the Father, at the beginning of time, generated the Son of His own essence; this was before the physical universe existed, so there can be no misunderstanding here.

Later, in order to save us from our wickedness, the Virgin Mary was made pregnant by the agency of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35), not by the agency of any physical act. Thus Jesus is fully God and fully man.

Perhaps, even so, you object to God the Son “getting His hands dirty” by becoming a man. But any loving Father will be happy to “get His hands dirty” to save the children He loves. And the proof of that is Jesus’ death in our place on the Cross, to offer us all forgiveness for the sins which, otherwise, will inevitably condemn us to an eternity in Hell.

Mehmet Hascan Oct 28, 2010:

To Simon; In King James Bible, John 3:16 reads:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only ** begotten Son**, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

"to beget" means "to be the father of someone through sexual intercourse".

So, people may infer from this expression that God had sex and hence Jesus was begotten!

Maybe use of the term "begotten Son" was the translator's fault altogether.

Just a caveat on that one - the Surah Al-Ikhlas in the Koran declares "God begat none, nor was He begotten".