then that person would be killed and that person who killed that person will be killed and a ever lasting bs cycle has started...
You fail, next time think a little, its not that hard... really.
Yeah, I agree with you there. The death penalty is wrong and killing people to show that killing is wrong is stupid. Even the most pathetic of us have a right to life.
Just not a life of freedom...
--- Theory does not mean an unsubstantiated guess or hunch, as it can in everyday speech. A theory is a logically self-consistent model or framework for describing the behavior of a related set of natural or social phenomena.
Watchman wrote:
um....why would satan write about his own demise and destruction?
To make us think we could win duh.
--- Theory does not mean an unsubstantiated guess or hunch, as it can in everyday speech. A theory is a logically self-consistent model or framework for describing the behavior of a related set of natural or social phenomena.
Hi, Gplex. To be clear, I do not believe God asked me to believe based on blind faith, and I have encountered him in a very personal and miraculous way. If you want to hear about that then I am happy to share with you.
As for the other questions I think you’re getting at:
1) How can God be good in a world that has so much bad in it.
That is one of the most difficult questions to ask, and it is what the book of Job addresses as well as others. You mention watching children starving on tv, disease and tsunami. Have you encountered these things outside of the tv and in person? I have. I was a medical missionary in Africa and held malnourished children in my arms who had worms, were sexually abused, had parents dying of AIDS, and other horrible things that shook me in a big way. I felt overwhelmed and helpless all at the same time. We know a couple things from the Bible, and when we believe we get to experience them in person (so our faith is not blind but built on God’s faithful answer to our prayers). First, we know this is not what God intended for us. He intended us to be blessed. That’s actually how the good book starts off, right. So then we have to acknowledge that humanity walks away from God every day (see question 2 for this). The consequence of turning our back on God is darkness: darkness over our health, emotional stability, relationships, etc. Some of us feel the direct consequences of our sin instantly. Some of us don’t, or at least it doesn’t seem this way. And for most of us, the consequences of our sin are felt not only by us but by those around us. What we know is that the world is fallen through our individual sin and the sin of our neighbors. That is why darkness is in this world.
And if we ask ourselves, why does God allow sin, it’s fairly simple.
What if you had a child you loved very much and you wanted nothing more than a relationship with him and to love him? What if no one could bless him the way you could — it was literally impossible for anyone else to bring him more joy than you could. Now what if he insisted on running away? Would you tie him up to your kitchen table and not let him leave? What if he ran away every chance he could?
True love is freely given. God could take away our free will and force us to love Him or fear Him, but He is a gentleman.
We are like the child in this scenario. We have a loving Father at home who has prepared a room for us and wants to bless us, but we keep running away. Well if we run away to darkness and to sin, how can we expect blessing?
The wonderful, amazing, and joyful news is that God always takes us back and all we need to do is ask. I encourage you to pray this: Father, I have run away, but I wish to come home. I don’t even know what home is. But if you would have me, take me. I surrender to you and offer you my heart. Treat me as a son and wash me in the blood of Jesus that I can be forgiven of all the times I ran away from you. Welcome me home.
The second question you raise (when you ask about God punishing you for lying as a child, etc.):
2) Are you a sinner?
I find it unfortunate that when you think of the sin you committed you think of things that happened when you were a child and therefore not really responsible. The truth is, you’ve sinned today. The truth is you have embraced darkness in a way that even you would have never believed you would do when you were a child. The truth is, I have too.
If you cannot first see that you have fallen so short of the grace of the pure God, then you will never see the need for Jesus. It is not until we see how much we’ve sinned that we see how great God is to receive us anyway.
Imagine this — imagine I had a tall pitcher of water that was from the clearest, bluest spring on earth. Imagine I offered you a glass when you were thirsty. Would you take it? Sure, right? Now imagine I put just a teaspoon of nuclear toxic waste in it and mixed it up. Nuclear waste is poison, but I only put in one teaspoon. Would you drink it then? No way. That is a good metaphor for God’s holiness.
God’s standard is perfect holiness and anything less than that would require Him to compromise the truth. God cannot deny His very nature.
So we need a bridge. We need a bridge to get from where we are today (in our sin) to the holiness of God. That bridge is Jesus. Who took our punishment for us and substituted our 'jail time' for us so we didn’t have to serve. Now, in Christ, we can approach God in freedom and in peace.
I encourage you to look into apologetics and read C.S. Lewis. He lays out the reasons for Christ much better than I can. But I can tell you, God does not require blind faith. He requires simply a willing spirit and a surrendered heart — a heart that earnestly and humbly seeks the truth.
Gplex — are you willing to accept the truth if it is presented to you no matter the cost? Are you humble enough to see if it when it comes by?
I cannot imagine the god of unbelievers. They imagine a god so cruel that he would set us on this fallen earth with no direction, guidance, or hope. That is the god not worth worshipping.
The God of the Bible has spoken clearly in His Bible. Who are we to tell God that we know better and His Word isn’t enough?
And trust me, friend, it is. It is if you’re willing to receive it. But you have to knock with a heart that is at least wiling to receive.
Watchman wrote:
I dont want to just give you a casual answer because I want you to identify who exactly is this persona that you have identified as the “devil”....
p.s.
although the Bible is written in human language it is not written in the mentality of men..
How can you say that?! The “god” from the bible has the same mentality as the Greek gods, which everyone agrees came from the minds of men. (Jealousy of worshiping other gods, making bets with other gods[the devil in the story of Job], sacrifices, having favorite races of people and “taking their side”...) There is nothing “divine” about the mentality of the bible at all. “God” has very VERY human traits. This is revised in the NT where it focuses almost exclusively on Jesus, leaving talk about god almost absent. I’m aware that Jesus is suppose to be god, but this is still nothing new either. There have been stories of “godmen” throughout history in religions long before Jesus.
Watchman wrote:
I dont want to just give you a casual answer because I want you to identify who exactly is this persona that you have identified as the “devil”....
p.s.
although the Bible is written in human language it is not written in the mentality of men..
How can you say that?! The “god” from the bible has the same mentality as the Greek gods, which everyone agrees came from the minds of men. (Jealousy of worshiping other gods, making bets with other gods[the devil in the story of Job], sacrifices, having favorite races of people and “taking their side”...) There is nothing “divine” about the mentality of the bible at all. “God” has very VERY human traits. This is revised in the NT where it focuses almost exclusively on Jesus, leaving talk about god almost absent. I’m aware that Jesus is suppose to be god, but this is still nothing new either. There have been stories of “godmen” throughout history in religions long before Jesus.
opinions are like assholes...they stink and everyone has one....Have you read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation or have you just skimmed it and read what you want and come to your own conclusion....Thats the problem with people who claim God is this and that, trying to see Divinty through their own shallow and pitifull humanity. The Bible’s standard of truth goes beyond your conception and imagination because itis a sentient book, filled with a person..the person of Christ who is the Spirit...The truth this spirit gives through this Word are the highest in this universe and usually meets our need...You should try it
People physically wrote the Bible no matter what you believe. But I think the most likely scenario is that man influenced any physical writing on this planet. And the shocker, that the Bible is the work of a man not a superior being. Likeliness: 100%.
--- It’s not about money. It’s about sending a message. Everything burns.
of course people were used to write it...they ranged from slaves to kings, and spanned across a 2, 3 thousand period, with very few of them actually knowing one another. Yet the book is totally interwoven with the God of resurrection throughout, giving men a peek at times as to who He is, what He is doing and what will be....No sane man can have the utterance that is within this book.....i mean who has ever described himself/herself as LIGHT, LIFE, SPIRIT, before....not one general, politician, actor, philosopher, king, etc, has ever described themselves as such and if they did where is there the belief INTO this person on the scale of Jesus Christ. Actually, the book describes things that no man could have imagined simply because they remain beyond his scope....things such as death, Life,......
well reality is truth...at least that’s what truth in greek means....The Bible gives/ presents a reality that is so far beyond the ken of men that it has to be written in a mystery...at least in this sage. But that reality is wrapped up in something called truth, which Jesus went on to say will set you free.Thing is , you cant mentally (using your logic ) be persuaded to believe/ see this. like wise when you seee this reality, you cant unsee it and neither can you be mentally swayed to not see. Most people think that their living and life is true because of their experience...But the truth in the Bible presents something other than just mere human experience. It presents the reality of THE SITUATION
Watchman wrote:
well reality is truth...at least that’s what truth in greek means....The Bible gives/ presents a reality that is so far beyond the ken of men that it has to be written in a mystery...at least in this sage. But that reality is wrapped up in something called truth, which Jesus went on to say will set you free.Thing is , you cant mentally (using your logic ) be persuaded to believe/ see this. like wise when you seee this reality, you cant unsee it and neither can you be mentally swayed to not see. Most people think that their living and life is true because of their experience...But the truth in the Bible presents something other than just mere human experience. It presents the reality of THE SITUATION
Meh. I used to be Christian but I ultimatly turned away from it. I used to be one of those christians like “Evolution is impossible." I used to think Ken Ham was telling the truth and I believed all the creationist bullshit. I relized something thougj: Partially because Ramunematt and Gplex gave good evidence to support evolution. There is many reasons...It just felt like I woke up from delusion.
and yet the world situation remains the same.....thats a another problem. everybody is ususally preoccupied with their situation even though the wars, chaos, plague, starvation are increasing and increasing. Its like their’s this blind refusal to wake up. No, its kinda like a belief that its not going to happen and that if I continue what i’m doing everything might work out?
you woke up you say...i think that you’ve gone back to sleep again No matter what you do outside Christ, all the negatives in this world will continue....
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