dan964
what
I do believe the Bible is historical (e.g. I personally believe in a literal Adam and Eve), however it is a misreading of Genesis to necessitate it was 6 days, its textual form is different from the rest of Genesis.Now this question is more to address your faith, we believe Jesus resurrected on the third day overcoming death, the same Man who healed the blind man with the mud from the ground John 9, the same Man who breathed on his disciples to give the Holy Spirit John 20 ,ponder on that, does that sound familiar?
When God made man from the dust of the earth Genesis 2 and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.
Think about the act of creation in multiplying loaves and fishes or transforming water into fine wine.
God is closer than we think.
And you don't have to hold to a young earth creationism to affirm the truthfulness and the inerrancy of Scripture.
Regarding the holy fire, its not just Wikipedia mind you, I just copied that because it has the citations in place of the actual sources, I still stand by what I posted before. The testimony of people within the church, is that this miracle is at best naturally occured, or is actually done with an actual lighter.
Of course your church would dismiss such claims to the contrary.
Another source:
Victoria Clark recounts a conversation she had with Orthodox Bishop Theophanis in which she asked about the miracle. He replied: “In this ceremony we are offering created fire and from it comes uncreated light, by the grace of the Holy Spirit…before the ceremony begins, a kantila – a little oil lamp – is placed, already lit, on the tomb. The patriarch lights his candle from it while he says a special prayer.”
Bishop Theophanis likens the miracle to Holy Communion when the bread and wine becomes the body and blood of Christ (transubstantiation/ metousiosis). The natural is transformed into the supernatural. In his mind the Holy Fire really is a miraculous fire because the prayer has changed it from ordinary fire to Holy Fire.
But this is definitely not the official position of the Orthodox Church. The official website for the Patriarch of Jerusalem states that “he places a piece of cotton on the Holy Tomb and miraculously it lights up. With it the Patriarch lights the candles and exits the Holy Edicule”.
If Bishop Theophanis’ version is to be accepted then there is no actual miracle. The flame does not appear. The candles do not light themselves and the pilgrims waiting outside the tomb are gullible and naïve. The Holy Fire is nothing more than an ordinary flame and a special prayer. If this is true then the hierarchy of the Orthodox Church is deliberately misleading the faithful.