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You'll find "the truth" out there right next to the fountain of youth. I don't understand the fascination with thinking you know the truth about religion, Christianity, God, what happens when you die, etc. Those are things you can never know for sure.
I feel bad for you. That's a rather bleak outlook on life. I believe God is real--and he wants his followers to know him.
Christians saying not to look to man, or churches; read the bible for yourself, etc. Well if someone does just that and comes out with beliefs that differ, then you will hear a different tune.
Christians saying not to look to man, or churches; read the bible for yourself, etc. Well if someone does just that and comes out with beliefs that differ, then you will hear a different tune.
The fact that so many people claim to read the Bible cover to cover and don't find it disturbing is, well, disturbing.
..or the right amount of brainwashing. That is why it is called "faith", and suspension of logic is a prerequisite.
You try to make it sound bad, but I have no problem whatsoever that I have faith.
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Originally Posted by nightflight
Christians saying not to look to man, or churches; read the bible for yourself, etc. Well if someone does just that and comes out with beliefs that differ, then you will hear a different tune.
No different tune...I'd still tell them it's up to them to study God's word. You will never hear me say someone is condemned to hell. I may say I don't believe I'll see them in heaven, but I do not say, you're going to hell. If their beliefs differ from mine, I'll discuss them with them. That's what this forum is for.
No different tune...I'd still tell them it's up to them to study God's word. You will never hear me say someone is condemned to hell. I may say I don't believe I'll see them in heaven, but I do not say, you're going to hell. If their beliefs differ from mine, I'll discuss them with them. That's what this forum is for.
Many have done just that and have come out of it with views that are considered by the mainstream as unorthodox. Doesn't matter if the person was sincere, he/she will be told that they are wrong. After all, some have studied the Bible and have found no evidence for a "Trinity"; some have found universalism, some have found conditional immortality, lordship salvation, baptismal regeneration.
So much for the admonition to simply study the Bible.
You try to make it sound bad, but I have no problem whatsoever that I have faith.
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My intent is merely to show that what you believe in is because of faith. I arrived at the opposite conclusion because of deliberation - despite what was fed to me. We both have our rights - afterall, this is a nation ruled by the constitution which protects both our paths.
I thought you believed that god is omnipotent...If that is so how can he be unhappy about anything he does...He could just change his mind rather than kill billions of innocent folk to feed his ego.
Oh, He is omnipotent alright but what He is unhappy with is what we are doing to ourselves. If you yourself have children, are you happy when they go out and do something you know is wrong or bad for them? Don't you want to dissaude them from going out and doing something harmful to themselves? There's not much you can do when they are stubborn and bull-headed so all you can do is let them go and find out for themselves. God gave us free will so we can certainly make our own decisions but how many times do we end up screwing things up? More often than we care to acknowledge.
BTW, it's the humanistic ego says that he can do anything and doesn't need a god and believes that everything is just fine, thank you. If that's the case, then why is the world in the worst shape that it's ever been in history. And remember that God gave us free will to make our own decisions so we can't blame this mess on Him....
Oh, He is omnipotent alright but what He is unhappy with is what we are doing to ourselves. If you yourself have children, are you happy when they go out and do something you know is wrong or bad for them? Don't you want to dissaude them from going out and doing something harmful to themselves? There's not much you can do when they are stubborn and bull-headed so all you can do is let them go and find out for themselves. God gave us free will so we can certainly make our own decisions but how many times do we end up screwing things up? More often than we care to acknowledge.
BTW, it's the humanistic ego says that he can do anything and doesn't need a god and believes that everything is just fine, thank you. If that's the case, then why is the world in the worst shape that it's ever been in history. And remember that God gave us free will to make our own decisions so we can't blame this mess on Him....
No, I'm not happy when my kids mess up, but I'm not about to do the god thing and kill them all for disappointing me...That is what the rapture belief is all about, the way I understand it.
I disagree that the world's in the worst shape ever. I think things have never been better....You go back and live in the dark ages with the ignorance, black plague and open sewers if you want...I'll take a pass.
During my time here on City Data, if there is one thing that I've noticed, it's the fact that if I had to "give my life to Christ," I am going to end up on the wrong side of someone else's Christianity. Just believing in God is apparently not good enough. It comes down to how you believe in him and what do you believe about him. The same goes for Jesus, followed by how you interpret the scriptures and the subsequent do's and don'ts.
Where's the appeal?
Hey, that's the easy part!! YOU get to gloat over all the other suckers who are goin' to hell!!!!, Tis the draw, I suspect.
Wow, I go out for a minute and come back and this??? LOL
I still stand by my point. Since the start of the Christian faith up to now, there have been all kinds of differing opinions about God, Jesus and various verses in the Bible. Again, you need go no further than City Data to see this.
Some are saying that we need to make this a personal faith, yet I doubt anyone would agree that a person can stay home and "work out their own salvation" because God can inspire them right where they are.
This is what happens, in my estimation, when one steps into that tricky realm of faith to dominate their lives. It is like magic. And to make matters worse, the Bible is a book that reflects different opinions, one which readers try to read it based on a faulty logic that says ALL the books are saying the same thing when in fact, here and there are doing the very same thing the readers do - disagreeing OR presenting a different view.
My mother, a Jesus only believer, goes to a church that believes in baptizing people in Jesus' name only based on an example in the book of Acts. Other churches believe a person should be baptized in the name of the "father, son and holy ghost" based on a command in yet another book. Then there are those fighting over whether or not there will be a rapture and others arguing over who is "pre-trib," "mid-trib" and "post-trib." Let's not forget the Preterists and the Futurists and those in between.
There is also another interesting observation. There are actually Christians who try to simmer things down (as I have seen at leas one do here before) and appeal to unity and love only to be told they are "weak," "soft" and not putting their foot down to correct false belief. There is no place for that "love" stuff because it suckers one to embrace Christians who are okay with gay people, even as clergy, or those who tone down their rhetoric about hell or might even believe in it or those Christians who believe everyone will, in the end, come to see the light and enter God's favor.
The list goes on.
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