>>On the contrary, I think it is God's prerrogative to do whatever He pleases.
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>I agree with you there.
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>Basically, you led off your earlier comment by saying "I believe that God's laws have to change,..." which seem to say God is somehow reacting to humanity. God, in his omniscience, would have known everything beforehand and thus he is not at the mercy of our actions. In rereading your comments, perhaps you did not mean this in the way I took it.

Well, I was meaning, more or less, that certain laws are adapted to changes in the situation of mankind. God must have known these situations beforehand, but that doesn't change the fact that there are certain changes in society, and that God's laws should adapt accordingly.

For example, I seem to remember that in several cases, Jesus Christ said something like: you have heard such-and-such, but now I tell you such-and-such.

To me, this means, among others, that humanity is progressing (or at least, is expected to progress!). For example, in the Old Testament, revenge was (more or less?) a law; Jesus teaches us that now (i.e., 2000 years ago) is the time to advance one step further, and pardon the offender.

>As for Matthew 5:18, I'll have to study more on this because clearly this is not as cut and dried as I thought.

Hmmm... I will have to look it up when I am back home. But I do have the impression that laws have to change, and that some laws have, indeed, changed. But, on the other hand, God's purpose is one and unchanging, and the heart, or essence, of His teachings (and laws) remains unchanged.

I should add, lest you get a wrong impression, that I have this belief from the teachings of the Bahá'í Faith. I do not consider myself a Christian, although I do accept the Bible as Holy Scripture, and that Christ was sent by God.

Greetings,

Hilmar.