Micro,
No apology required. It probably wasn't good humor on my part, anyway, or I would have gotten to know you better before I posted something which could be misconstrued.
FWIW, I believe in prayer, miracles, and spiritual purpose. I also believe this period of time is a spiritual test for anyone who is paying attention.
History and experience has taught me, however, that AFTER every authentic prophet, savior, and teacher there is commonly a self-serving, and mostly materialistic, priesthood. And that priesthood generally represents the government apparatus better than the original source. So only a portion of the message which suits their bias and interests gets through. Other things get added. People forget, or don't look to original sources, etc.
As I am sure you know, not all books made it into the Bible. And not all Bibles are the same. And that is all before we consider honest translation differences, who did the writing, translation, authenticity, and other issues of nuance, bias, and context.
In other words, the victors of the war write, -- and often rewrite -- the history. That was what I was, poorly, trying to interject in your thread. I will try to be more careful.
I have come to realize that men are not born to be free. Liberty is a need felt by a small class of people whom nature has endowed with nobler minds than the mass of men. -Napoleon
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