Why don't we define "Forcing their Beliefs" first.
Last time I noticed in my neck of the woods here in the U.S.A., I hadn't seen anyone beheaded or tortured for not accepting the bible.
Last time I remember, Jesus emphatically told His followers to "Turn the other cheek". Doesn't sound very "forceful" from the very Author of Christianity, does it?
Also remember that all those folks in the O.T. that died as a result of God's judgement, are not necessarily going to eternal perishing, but have their moment of truth, and decision reserved. In fact all will or have faced the work of Christ at the cross and will be judged by their response, yeah or nay to His sacrifice for their souls eternal plight.
The N.T. says that during Jesus' 3 days of death, He proclaimed the Good news to those who were "asleep" or waiting.........Which is in reference to all those who died physically in the past in the O.T.. Jesus even condemned many of the people of His day and said that it would go easier for those that perished back in the time of Sodom, than for those nowadays who have actually seen Him and still refuse to believe in Him. Just look up in the book of John about the disciple/apostle Thomas when he first encountered the risen Jesus.
The "Ball" is in our court right now. What will we do with it? A time is coming when the "Ball" will be removed from our hands, and we won't have an opportunity to choose.
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Bill Cosby told a humorous story dating back to his high school metal shop days. He had a metal shop teacher, that the boys called "Mr. Nasty". He was a mean old shop teacher, that constantly nagged the boys, and made metal shop not an enjoyable experience. "Mr. Nasty" had the reputation of getting confessions out of wrong doers with very cruel, but effective strategy.
One day, one of the boys in Cosby's class, decided to play a prank in Mr. Nasty's class. He brought a live bullet from home, and placed it in the metal shop furnace. All the boys in the class new about it, and quietly kept "tink, tink, tinking" away on their projects. There were little subtle chuckles between the boys as they worked on their projects and awaited that bullet's explosion in the furnace.
"POW!", that bullet went off. Mr. Nasty, immediately reacted after figuring out what caused the commotion. "Alright class, who put the bullet in the furnace?". "Tink, tink, tink", the boys quietly concentrated on their metal work projects. No one confessed, so Mr. Nasty applied his infamous method of finding the culprit. "Whoever put that bullet in the furnace must have a real rotten mother.". Immediately the perpetrator, screamed out, "I didn't put the bullet in the furnace, and my mother is not rotten!". Culprit caught............
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If that fictional scenario in the metal shop doesn't visualize what I expressed in my last thread, I don't know what will.
Folks deny things, cause it hurts to admit fault or wrong doing. The old saying, the best offence is a good defense, might have some similarities here. Only, instead of defense, lets replace it with "denial". Denial, is ........
1: refusal to satisfy a request or desire
2 a (1): refusal to admit the truth or reality (as of a statement or charge) (2): assertion that an allegation is false b: refusal to acknowledge a person or a thing : disavowal
3: the opposing by the defendant of an allegation of the opposite party in a lawsuit
4: self-denial
5: negation in logic
6: a psychological defense mechanism in which confrontation with a personal problem or with reality is avoided by denying the existence of the problem or reality
— in denial : refusing to admit the truth or reality of something unpleasant <a patient in denial about his health problems>
Mr. Nasty applied an untruth about the perpetrator's mother, but evoked a response of defense, as the perpetrator was carrying guilt or responsibility for the original offense, namely, placing the bullet in the furnace.
Now in the bible, God also makes some pretty brash statements about mankind. One comes to mind from the N.T. book of Romans, in the third chapter and verse number 23, "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.". Now, contrary to Mr. Nasty's statement about this young man's, mother's reputation, God doesn't use unprincipled, or shrewdly premised methods to evoke responses from man. He flatly calls it as He sees and knows it!
Now what is man's defense? The bible is thousands of years old, and it's also written by mere man.
Here's where the denial happens. Clearly written in the scripture, it is stated that the bible is inspired by God, but human vessels/people have written down that inspiration for other fellow human beings to receive. Yes, under inspiration, the bible says. Now if God, is is not omnipotent, then I'd have my doubts about man being inspired by God, but I don't, because, I can't create a tree, an amoeba, a sun, a planet, an atom, nor life itself from mere atoms and molecules.
Mankind must refuse that last comment, because if mankind accepts it, then they have a metaphorical, hot potatoe to deal with.
If the bible is written by God-inspired men/women, then what must "I" Mr. Human Being, do with it, or deal with it's communicated contents?
Is that "Force"? If I was resisting what Jesus was saying about my spiritual condition in respect to God's desires, I might think that a "hard court press" was being exacted on me.
Physically? No. Mentally? Most likely.
Now to be mentally battered, or feel or think there's exacting force on us,
we must in certain ways, accept the statements that have evoked this mental disarray, don't we? I.E.. Romans 3:23......."For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.".
People who don't believe in God, or believe in some higher power other than the one revealed in the bible, will usually react with a certain amount of angst or upset, and claim the "Forcing" defense. What's evoking this upset......Well, it's pretty basic. "I'm not a sinner!" "I don't like being called a sinner!". So the old, "Your forcing your beliefs on me.", defense comes out in technicolor. Why? If one does not accept the bible as inspired by God, then why should one react with more than rejection, but transgress into emotional or reactive denial?
Thats the key to the "God inspired Word". It clearly cuts to the "quick". Paul said that God's word cuts so deep into a man/woman's soul that it is as though it pierced to the very marrow of the bones. Confucious sayings, astrology, fortune cookie nuggets of wisdom or hope, finding one's inner whatever, isn't what Jesus's earthly ministry for 33 human years was about. He flatly came to save the "sick". Sick in health?......Not really, although He convincingly displayed His divinity through the mass healings, mass feedings of thousands, yet He evoked anger, and rejection in many because of those deeds. He upset the "apple cart" of Jewish religious, life.
The "sick" were the spiritually "sick", that He came to free or heal. He came to impart His Spirit, or new life in the sick, and or dead human spirits of mankind........the "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." masses of humanity. No one was exempt.
Paul said that one is either alive to the world or alive to God. There is no in-between.
I do understand, that "force" accusation, is in most cases the best defense for resisting the gospel or good news. It's a natural human response. The "force" is the uneasy feeling in the soul, when confronted with one's self smacked right up against what scripture says about us in respect to God's holiness. It's like "fight vs. flight". Of course there is another alternative......."Acceptance", that leads to repentance, which leads to salvation.
All the education or intellect in the world, doesn't negate the natural human beings innate nature. God says that no matter of smarts trumps, our innate, fallen nature before a holy and just God. Christ is the bridge between that "Grand Canyon" or gulf. He was the Passover Lamb. It was His protective blood that was symbolically sprinkled on the lintel posts of the children of Israel's homes while in Egypt when the "death angel" passed over and took the lives of the all the first born males in Egypt that didn't have that sprinkled blood as a protection.
The O.T. is filled with myriads of words, and happenings, pointing straight at Jesus's future incarnation/birth in Bethlehem. Prophets wrote of his birth, and even the form of death by crucifixion hundreds of years before His birth. Their writings of death by crucifixion wasn't even a form of Roman execution at the time of their writings. So much fullfilled prophecy, and so much more that awaits fullfilling. It is awesome to some and chilling to others.
Sadly, people will grab little snippets here and their from scripture and use it to deny, deny, deny.
I've yet to read a novel, and just read snippets and get the full gist of the author's intent.
Yes, your right. There is a force exacted......but it isn't physical, its internal...........it cuts right to the very marrow of man. Now other systems of belief, categorized as religions, do not duplicate or evoke this reaction. Why? Cause they are man made IMO.
When man authors a system of belief, it will give accolades to humanity, and will raise humanity to a pedestal, as it has no other source of inspiration or direction but itself. It has no accountability, but to set it's own parameters.
