A Question

[MysticPhD]

Originally Posted by Ilene Wright

I've seen you talk about this believe/on as opposed to believe/in and I still don't get what you're saying Mystic. Can you spell it out in layman's terms?

Originally Posted by kiggy

Yes, I'd like more clarification as well.

There are things we truly believe and it is impossible for us to NOT believe them. Those are what we "believe ON." There are things we intellectually accept that could possibly change based on newer intellectual information. Those are what we "believe IN." The first reflects our inner character and what we do or do not truly believe (also would or wouldn't do) regardless of any external considerations . . . essentially who we truly are. The second impacts what we claim to know and believe and may or may not have any correlation with who we actually are. The fact that you never "felt right" about ET, Ilene means that God's love is part of your inner character . . . not the result of external considerations. In fact . . . it was the external factors (precepts and doctrines of men) that conditioned you to intellectually accept things that went against that inner guidance.

[rodgertutt]

Originally Posted by MysticPhD

There are things we truly believe and it is impossible for us to NOT believe them. Those are what we "believe ON."

There are things we intellectually accept that could possibly change based on newer intellectual information. Those are what we "believe IN."

The first reflects our inner character and what we do or do not truly believe (also would or wouldn't do) regardless of any external considerations . . . essentially who we truly are.

The second impacts what we claim to know and believe and may or may not have any correlation with who we actually are. The fact that you never "felt right" about ET, Ilene means that God's love is part of your inner character . . . not the result of external considerations. In fact . . . it was the external factors (precepts and doctrines of men) that conditioned you to intellectually accept things that went against that inner guidance.

I tend to agree with you Mystic, but I'm surprised that, up till now, no ETer has responded by accusing you of "character assasination."

During this lifetime I shall never be able to understand how ETers can claim to feel right about God letting anyone suffer forever.
One ETer on this forum actually said, "Why is it that ET bothers you but it doesn't bother me?"

Why indeed?

One thing that helps me cope with the ETer's attitude is to perceive them as temporarily vessels of grossest dishonor, God's foil of contrast, the blackest of all backgrounds upon which He will eventually paint His glorious masterpiece of universal transformation, using the paint brush of His undefeatable grace.