Zone1 Pray for the Iranian people, many comparisons right now to the Book of Esther.

[hobelim]

Wow - I don't remember you being so petty. You're the one that is "Bringing the light and deeper meanings of ancient texts to light. Something no one knew until NOW"

Toughen up, cub scout.

As far as egos go - I respect many of your insights - and a lot of what you state as "Deeper thinking" may seem offensive to fragile egos - but when it comes to Ancient Texts/Biblical Texts my heart was turned to stone by the relentless (Dead) insults and brain-dead/spiritually-dead knuckleheads who quote the same 3 verses of of 30,000+ verses as evidence that God or Ancient texts are either false or come from a "Lesser/Evil God".

It's the equivalent of someone telling you they were struck by lighting. You find it hard to believe. You go outside during the next 3 thunder/lightning storms but "somehow" you don't get struck by lightning.

The next time you see that person you tell them that on this day and this day and on that day I went outside during a lighting storm and did not get struck by lightning.

Then, you firmly tell them they were never hit by lightning and that they imagined it like some sort of fairy tale. And since they're "fools for thinking that" you set them straight by telling them that they will never get struck by lightning because you went outside 3 times during a thunderstorm and didn't get struck.

And the entire time you already know the chances of getting struck by lightning are between 10,000 - 1 and 15,000 - 1 - meaning it would have been a "miracle" had they been struck by lightning.

Had they survived it - the true miracle would have been opening their hearts to faith, sprouting the tree of knowledge, awakening their minds - producing the fruit of wisdom, opening their eyes and finally realizing how naked they were when quoting 3 verses out of 30,000 verses.

If you don't get three verses why would I give you more? Thats being said, get the first command right and I'll be happy to discuss the second one with you and so on and so forth.

You will never understand calculus if you don't learn basic math, arithmetic, your A, B, C's.

You know, like 1+1+1= 3

 

[Ace Nova]

If you don't get three verses why would I give you more? Thats being said, get the first command right and I'll be happy to discuss the second one with you and so on and so forth.

You will never understand calculus if you don't learn basic math, arithmetic, your A, B, C's.

You know, like 1+1+1= 3

That's mostly true.

How can you ask me to get the first command right when you lack the cornerstone of faith?

To be clear - I'm not one of the "hippie - wow - I'ts all in the Spirit" types. (I've had those moments and they are amazing)

I think it can and does work for many people - because God can and does give Grace - and I am grateful for the Grace God has given me,

I - because of my nature and paths I've taken - wrestle with what is implied and what is within. Faith - true faith - outside and within - above and below - allows me to do that. Faith is the substance that holds it all together - allows it to communicate through Mind - Body - Spirit - To and from God - The Spirit - The Universe. It is the "fiber optics" in an infinite - quantum level world.

When I come across someone with so much knowledge (a good amount of wisdom) but with no faith - not in the Spiritual sense - I admire the amount of mental fortitude it must take to absorbed Quantum level knowledge - meant for the Mind - Body and Spirit - and to compress it down to basic math arithmetics - so that only your mind understands it.

You are given quantum level knowledge and compress it so that it reads like basic math. That's impressive - not easily done. Painful. Extremely painful. It's like trying to build a house by yourself with just a hammer and nails. Every time you miss a nail and hit your hand - you keep going because you have no choice - because you know it's there and if you keep going, you'll eventually get it done.

The thing is - you've been going through this your entire life - you built the foundation 30 years ago - and as of now you've got several frames done on the first floor. The problem is now the foundation is starting to wither because it's been exposed - so you already know you're going to need go back and deal with that eventually.

So much stress - so much work - so much pain - no wonder you don't want to bother with faith - with some help - I don't blame you.

To deal with it - you go back to the few frames you built - analyze them - see what It takes to make them sturdier. You already know what you built - so it's a coping mechanism - "I'll make sure these frames I built are perfect"

The problem is - nothing else gets done - and the foundation continues to wither away.


I'm sort of in the same boat - but imagine what you're dealing with and magnify 3 fold - MIND - BODY - SPIRIT. I only post on these boards a few times a month because of the amount of energy it takes to do so - it requires a balance that only comes ever so often. If the balance is off - and I've done it - I'll speak through the Mind/Heart - it's straight to the point and if something has been bothering me - I'll let it be known. It comes across in ways it was never intended as coming across as - although it is the truth as I understand it - what good is the truth if no one understands it or believes it because they think you're out of your mind?

 

[hobelim]

That's mostly true.

No... thats absolutely true. 1+1+1=3

How can you ask me to get the first command right when you lack the cornerstone of faith?

I asked you because I have faith, IN THE TRUTH, which IS the cornerstone of faith. And the truth, the very truth, is that you die every time you set aside the Law of my God to seek spiritual life from a lifeless piece of bread made by human hands at mass, never finding peace in death, week after week, month after month, year after year, decade after decade.

I don't deny you are having a profound religious experience at mass, its just not a good one.

 

[hobelim]

To be clear - I'm not one of the "hippie - wow - I'ts all in the Spirit" types. (I've had those moments and they are amazing)

I think it can and does work for many people - because God can and does give Grace - and I am grateful for the Grace God has given me,

You have confused faith with obstinate stupidity and a state of grace with being OBLIVIOUS to your demise for knowingly and willingly sinning by defying the first command. Dummy.

You were clearly informed as a child, at the age of reason, that it is a sin to worship anything made by human hands, a mortal sin under penalty of death, descent into hell, and ultimately destruction. Then you were told that to become catholic you will set that instruction aside to worship and seek spiritual life from bread made by human hands, baked on human dung.

I will tell you something. Try to hear.

YOU DIED THAT DAY AND DESCENDED INTO HELL, THE REALM OF THE DEAD WHERE YOU HAVE BEEN STUMBLING THROUGH LIFE FLAILING ABOUT ON FIRE OBLIVIOUS TO THE CAUSE OF YOUR UNSPEAKABLE SUFFERING AND SO YOU REMAIN LURKING IN YOUR TOMB FILLED WITH THE STENCH OF CORRUPTION AND DEAD MENS BONES.

The habitation of every foul and loathsome beast and bird on earth.

LIFE IN THE LIGHT TERRIFIES YOU BECAUSE YOUR SHAME AND GUILT OF SIN REMAIN.

So I have to admit that you are right. I do not have what it takes, I don't have "the faith" to be a false person, a phony piece of pretentious shit for the rest of my life on earth because a talking serpent failed to beguile me when I was a child into doing what YOUR CHURCH teaches is a mortal sin with the lure of some amazing reward in hebbin when my body dies after going through every day of my life like a pretentious and faithless cowardly schnook.

So where is your faith? Oh yeah. You have confused faith with obstinate stupidity and being oblivious to the FACT that you died a very very long time ago with being in a state of grace.

You do have my condolences.

 

[ding]

You have confused faith with obstinate stupidity and a state of grace with being OBLIVIOUS of your demise for knowingly and willingly sinning by defying the first command. Dummy.

The first commandment was about their transitioning from polytheism to monotheism. It has nothing to do with the nature of God which is what the trinity is about. Go peddle your subversive perversions somewhere else.

 

[hobelim]

The first commandment was about their transitioning from polytheism to monotheism. It has nothing to do with the nature of God which is what the trinity is about.

Ahem. Belief in a roman trinity is polytheism. Holy fuckin shit! Thanks for the laughs!

 

[ding]

Ahem. Belief in a roman trinity is polytheism. Holy fuckin shit! Thanks for the laughs!

No, it's not. It's understanding the nature of God in light of the testimony and actions of Jesus Christ.

 

[hobelim]

what good is the truth if no one understands it or believes it because they think you're out of your mind?

Sometimes what some people claim is the truth like ding just did, lol, and does all the time, like you do all the time, by trying to justify idolatry, is evidence that they are out of their mind, or in biblical terms, under a curse, the death, a deliberately artificially induced state of mind perpetrated by talking serpents devils demons ghouls swine that do not ruminate teeming vermin vultures dogs wolves goats maggots creeps etc., that resembles a very deep sleep.

Jesus appeared to be "out of his mind" when he had the audacity to teach that Kosher law was not about food. And Jesus knew that those who perpetuated a literal interpretation and application of the divine commands like ding were under a curse for defying the Law of God.

So who is really out of their mind? You who practice idolatry and teach others to do the same expecting eternal life, not a curse, or the person who alerts you to the fact that even given thousands of years of tradition practicing idolatry it remains a sin under penalty of death?

Take your time.....

 

[ding]

So who is really out of their mind?

You are. You're a joke.

 

[Ace Nova]

You were clearly informed as a child, at the age of reason, that it is a sin to worship anything made by human hands, a mortal sin under penalty of death, descent into hell, and ultimately destruction. Then you were told that to become catholic you will set that instruction aside to worship and seek spiritual life from bread made by human hands, baked on human dung.

It was never that complicated for me. It was simple - "Don't worship false idols"

 

[hobelim]

It was never that complicated for me. It was simple - "Don't worship false idols"

Sure, then you started blubbering to a Roman trinity like a sheep being led to slaughter. Unless of course you made sinfulness a conscious and deliberate choice. If thats the case.

You are screwed.

 

[Ace Nova]

So who is really out of their mind? You who practice idolatry and teach others to do the same expecting eternal life, not a curse, or the person who alerts you to the fact that even given thousands of years of tradition practicing idolatry it remains a sin under penalty of death?

Take your time.....

"Love God with all your mind, heart, soul and strength" and "Love your Neighbor as yourself"

 

[ding]

It was never that complicated for me. It was simple - "Don't worship false idols"

Today... false idols would be worshipping created things rather than the creator.

 

[ding]

But then you went and started blubbering to a Roman trinity, like a sheep being led to the slaughter.

That's just an argument you find convenient to attack Christians with. You don't believe in any god.

 

[ding]

"Love God with all your mind, heart, soul and strength" and "Love your Neighbor as yourself"

I can't figure out if his problem is he hates himself or loves himself too much. I suspect it's both.

 

[hobelim]

Today... false idols would be worshipping created things rather than the creator.

OK. If it is wrong to worship what God has made how much more wrong is it to worship what man has made, like your god in the handy form of a lifeless cracker made by human hands?

 

[Ace Nova]

But then you went and started blubbering to a Roman trinity, like a sheep being led to the slaughter.

It was never that complicated for me - God is God and manifests himself as 3 persons in the Holy Trinity.

 

[hobelim]

It was never that complicated for me - God is God and manifests himself as 3 persons in the Holy Trinity.

Thats fine. Not everyone can be sane or rational; eternal life was never meant for everyone.

 

[Ace Nova]

Thats fine. Not everyone can be sane or rational; eternal life was never meant for everyone.

In John 3:16 it is written:

“For God so loved the world
that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him
may not perish
but may attain eternal life."

 

[hobelim]

In John 3:16 it is written:

“For God so loved the world
that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him
may not perish
but may attain eternal life."

In John 3:14 it is written, on whatever it is that they write upon;

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up."

Jesus compared himself to this story of when Moses lifted up the bronze statue of a serpent for the people turn to for healing during the time of testing in the wilderness which was the object of idolatry for almost 1000 years until king Hezekiah was born, the subject of the verse, "A young maiden shall conceive", who "followed the law and did what was right in Gods eyes" and destroyed the bronze statue OF A SERPENT that Moses had made.

Heres the thing;

If it was right for Hezekiah to destroy the bronze statue then it was never right to turn to it for healing. What does that tell you if not that Jesus knew that he would be the object of idolatry.

This also explains why Jesus exhorted his sleeping disciples to pray to be spared "the test".

So all you have to do is ask yourself, "WHAT WOULD HEZEKIAH DO"? AND THEN DO IT.

That is if you ever hope to become "a living being"