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I understand, but I don’t do links of any kind. Sorry.
Psalm 99 (that is what that post was based on and why it was referenced) and psalm 2 have a lot of the same allusions
The Reign of the Lord's Anointed
Psa 2:1**Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
Psa 2:2**The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
Psa 2:3**Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
Psa 2:4**He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
Psa 2:5**Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
Psa 2:6**Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
Psa 2:7**I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
Psa 2:8**Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
Psa 2:9**Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
Psa 2:10**Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
Psa 2:11**Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Psa 2:12**Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
The Lord Our God Is Holy
Psa 99:1**The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved.
Psa 99:2**The LORD is great in Zion; and he is high above all the people.
Psa 99:3**Let them praise thy great and terrible name; for it is holy.
Psa 99:4**The king's strength also loveth judgment; thou dost establish equity, thou executest judgment and righteousness in Jacob.
Psa 99:5**Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.
Psa 99:6**Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name; they called upon the LORD, and he answered them.
Psa 99:7**He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar: they kept his testimonies, and the ordinance that he gave them.
Psa 99:8**Thou answeredst them, O LORD our God: thou wast a God that forgavest them, though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions.
Psa 99:9**Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy.
Last edited by Meerkat2; 05-01-2022 at 06:42 PM..
Reason: Ooops ….psalm 99
I was a believer and now am not. We die and cease to exist except in the hearts of those that love us. Religion is a coping mechanism to feel better. We have free will to make choices. You can’t change your beliefs on a whim and if you did pretend to believe it wouldn’t be real.
Thanks for responding! I agree with you that we can’t pretend to be a believer, and it seems impossible that someone could simply believe on a whim. Would you mind sharing how you went from being a believer to an unbeliever? I understand if you’d rather not.
There was a woman who used to come to worship with our congregation, and tried so hard to get her hubby to come. He was one of these super smart people. He just couldn’t bring himself to rationalize God. He said he was an atheist. My husband and I used to hang out with them quite a bit. We loved playing board games together. One Sunday, he came to worship with his wife, which shocked us. He continued to come each Sunday, but he never said much of anything. Then one day, he asked to be baptized. I never understood what happened. How did he go from being an atheist to being a believer in such a short time. Here we are, forty-five years later, and he’s still coming every Sunday with His wife. I guess hearing the gospel had a powerful effect on him.
"If you are an unbeliever have you ever considered what will happen if you are wrong in your unbelief?" Dang, I guess I'd just die of old age....oh, wait....I'm gonna die anyway.
Instead of sitting in some stuffy church every Sunday, pretending to be someone I'm not, smiling at people I'd rather not acknowledge, I prefer to be out on the boat, enjoying life to the fullest. Personally, I have no need for the crutch the church provides, I have stood on my own feet since I quit going to church at 6 years of age.
"If you are an unbeliever have you ever considered what will happen if you are wrong in your unbelief?" Dang, I guess I'd just die of old age....oh, wait....I'm gonna die anyway.
Instead of sitting in some stuffy church every Sunday, pretending to be someone I'm not, smiling at people I'd rather not acknowledge, I prefer to be out on the boat, enjoying life to the fullest. Personally, I have no need for the crutch the church provides, I have stood on my own feet since I quit going to church at 6 years of age.
I’m seeing more and more unbelievers on this forum, and wondering. If you are an unbeliever have you ever considered what will happen if you are wrong in your unbelief? I’d like to hear your thoughts on this. Personally, I made the choice many years ago to be a follower of Christ. If it turns out that I have been wrong, what have I got to lose?
I was reading Psalm 2 yesterday and when I read the following, I have to say, I think I made the right choice.
“Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.” (Psalm 2:12)
Hi MissKate,
What you are proposing is Pascal's Wager, which is inherently flawed - it supposes there are only 2 outcomes:
1 - belief in God turns out to be false so there is "nothing to lose", as you say
2 - belief in God turns out to be true, so in that case you are saved
However there could be many other options.
For example what if it turns out that God only sends those with an honest heart to heaven - in that case those who chose to 'believe' just to be on the safe side could be condemning themselves because they weren't honest by "pretending to believe".
There are many other reasons this is not a good argument as others have posted - like treating salvation as "fire insurance", not being able to "choose belief" etc.
This discussion could be a good entry point to try to understand the truth of our own belief systems. Why do I believe what I believe? Why do I think what I think? Is it only because I'm scared of some eternal damnation that 'might' exist? What if there is eternal nothingness? What is the point of it all etc.
These are deep questions - believing one option or another just because it seems 'safe' has more consequences than you might realize. Hope that makes sense.
You are presupposing that 'afterlife' means some souls will be in endless torment.
You could ask 'what if there is an afterlife and you will suffer endlessly', which is implied by your question. Many people have studied and considered this, and then realized such a place could not be heaven. Living for eternity knowing many other souls are suffering for eternity - this cannot be called 'heaven'. Thus some people reject the entire idea and become atheists.
You are presupposing that 'afterlife' means some souls will be in endless torment.
You could ask 'what if there is an afterlife and you will suffer endlessly', which is implied by your question. Many people have studied and considered this, and then realized such a place could not be heaven. Living for eternity knowing many other souls are suffering for eternity - this cannot be called 'heaven'. Thus some people reject the entire idea and become atheists.
A former fundamentalist Christian poster who became an atheist in her forties (someone who hasn't posted in a while) asked a long-time friend a question along those lines, like, "If you are such a good friend, how will you enjoy heaven if you are convinced I will go to hell because I don't believe?" She said her friend laughed and said, "Oh I won't even remember you. God will wipe the memory of our nonbelieving friends and family from our souls."
Sorry, but I never got past your first sentence. My post wasn’t meant to anger anyone.
OK, that first sentence was simply a forthright observation, not something angry, but I think others also expressed what I did in their posts, so it's fine.
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