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Originally Posted by janaeaspie77
I have had some major issues myself lately. I was Christian as well, but I don't buy it all anymore. I started looking at other religions and exploring them, and was convinced that they were cults because they tell their followers not to stray, but didn't mine do the same? And the book does not add up for me at all. There are so many things that contradict each other. Preach the word, run from those not equally yoked. Do not kill, take no prisoners. God is the same, constant, and perfect, the one who knows all past and future. Why create man flawed, yet in his image ( and this perfect God displays some really imperfect human emotions) to sin, to send a savior to pay for sin that could have been left out of the plan in the first place? People will argue that free will and blah blah. To me it is a way to keep order. Keep the people fearing the consequences of hell and eternal damnation, but also give them hope, just a small amount (by the skin of their teeth). It keeps the order. It gives us a standard to live up, and excuse when we don't with a cop out with the fact that someone else paid the price, and some real esteem issues, because we will never live up to perfection but keep trying to. All the while we are not living. We just go through the motions. I watched Religious last night by Bill Maher. Wow, I would recommend that. It crushes me to believe that I have believed something untrue, and now I am so confused, but I also feel more freedom and excitement that I ever have before. I hope you find the answers that you need and seek, and I wish all the best to you.
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You don't buy what Jesus taught as in first-century Christian teachings, or don't buy what modern-day clergy teach as Scripture when not really found in Scripture, but teaching 'church' traditions and customs of men ? - Mark 7 vs 1-7,13; Matthew 15 v 9. People should have major issues with clergy teachings that are not what the Bible really teaches.
For example: the non-biblical teachings of hell and damnation as forever pain.
Contrast the difference between the biblical hell and the non-biblical religious-myth hell.
The myth hell which is falsely taught as Scripture is forever in pain
The Bible's hell [ Hebrew word 'sheol' ] is not forever and not pain.
Clergy often use the permanent myth hell as a scare tactic to control people by using such horrific fear.
KJV translated the word 'Gehenna' in English as: hellfire. Gehenna was a garbage pit.
Nothing burned forever in Gehenna but was destroyed in Gehenna.
So, Jesus used 'Gehenna' as a fitting symbol for: destruction.
Jesus talked about the choice between life and perishing. Perish would be the same as: destruction.- John 3 v 16
2nd Peter 3 v 9 also gives the choice between repenting or perishing [ being destroyed ]
That is why Psalm 92 v 7 can mention that the wicked will be destroyed forever, not in pain forever.
Also, temporary biblical hell itself ends up gone forever in a symbolic 'second death' - Rev. 20 vs 13,14
Please notice everyone in hell is 'delivered up' out of hell. That would mean resurrected out of the Bible's hell before emptied-out hell is cast vacant into 'second death' for vacated hell [sheol ].
If hell was a forever place, then Jesus could Not have been resurrected out of hell.- Acts 2 vs 27,31,32; 13 vs 30,37
The day Jesus died he went to hell; the stone-cold common grave of mankind.
Jesus taught the dead sleep in death. Not in pain at death- John 11 vs 11-14
So, Jesus would have believed he would be in a sleep-like state until God resurrected Jesus out of hell.
Jesus could base teaching the sleeping condition of the dead from the Hebrew OT Scriptures which teach sleep in death.
[ Reference: Psalms 6 v 5; 13 v 3; 115 v 17; 146 v 4; Ecclesiastes 9 v 5; Daniel 12 vs 2,13 ]
After Jesus ascended to heaven he was given the keys to unlock biblical hell. - Rev. 1 v 18
Some resurrected to heaven [ Rev. 20 v 6; 5 vs 9,10], but the majority or mankind [ John 3 v 13 ] will be resurrected back to physical life on earth during Jesus coming 1000-year reign over earth.- Acts 24 v 15; Rev. 22 v 2