Zone1 Question for Christians

[ActionJackson]

I have a weakness for hot women and have casual sex with quite a few. I know I shouldn't but have a hard time resisting their advances.

I've suffered the same affliction in days gone by. Married 3 times and lived with a couple of ladies. Always was my number one weakness. However, at 63, I no longer live that life. Age changes things.

 

[Meriweather]

Main stream Christianity doesn't generally endorse multiple routs for forgiveness and heaven.

World-wide, non-Catholic/Orthodox Christians make up 38% of the Christian population. So yes, "mainstream" does note the other routes.

However, what Catholics are also quick to note is that they are only authorized to teach/guarantee the Way Jesus taught. This means, don't expect Catholic clergy to teach Judaism, Islam, etc. as a way to eternal life. They only have the authority to teach the Way of Christ. Perhaps it can be called the better/best/easiest way, but scripture confirms it is not the "only" way.

 

[BULLDOG]

Wrong. My life would be entirely different if I did not put God first; if I held my parents in contempt, if I lied, cheated, stole, and killed. I would be miserable if I spent most of my time cheating on my spouse and coveting everything others had and I wanted.

The Beatitudes, while not considered "Law" have also had a tremendous affect on the beauty and blessings in my life.

To me God's Law is to this life as a sign that says "Danger! Quicksand!" is to a marsh or a beach. Follow God's Law, have a happier, easier life--having much the same result as heeding the warning about quicksand allows for a happier day exploring marshes and beaches.

Well make up your mind. You just listed many ways to gain god's acceptance. Can you show me where each of those ways are acceptable for that purpose in the bible, and explain how that meshes with the places that claim only one way is acceptable?

 

[BULLDOG]

You show your anti Christian bias here.

I showed scripture, and ask for an explanation.

 

[BULLDOG]

Please go troll somewhere else.

How many different routs do you recognize?

 

[hadit]

I ask it because the bible says he rejects some people no matter what they do. That doesn't align with a loving compassionate forgiving god.

Your quote, though, doesn't really indicate that. It does not, for instance, say that God will reject any who earnestly seek Him, to use a phrase with which you should be familiar. It, rather, says that God has the right to do with sinful man ALREADY bound for destruction (and remember that God knows the end already), whatever will bring Him glory. It is contrary to God's character to believe that He simply shuts people off from forgiveness of sin, no matter what they do.

 

[ActionJackson]

I showed scripture, and ask for an explanation.

Satan understood the Word as well. Just showing or repeating or even knowing Scripture is only part of the process.

 

[hadit]

So god didn't know, and couldn't prevent his inspired word from becoming bastardized by modern translations? What does that say about today's christians who base their faith on a bible that reads much differently than it once did?

Hence the need for study, trying to understand the original languages, and especially cultures to better understand what the writers were attempting to convey. The modern western mind doesn't understand, for example, how many times Jesus DIRECTLY stated that he is God in such a way that the Jewish minds of that time would immediately understand.

 

[BULLDOG]

World-wide, non-Catholic/Orthodox Christians make up 38% of the Christian population. So yes, "mainstream" does note the other routes.

However, what Catholics are also quick to note is that they are only authorized to teach/guarantee the Way Jesus taught. This means, don't expect Catholic clergy to teach Judaism, Islam, etc. as a way to eternal life. They only have the authority to teach the Way of Christ. Perhaps it can be called the better/best/easiest way, but scripture confirms it is not the "only" way.

That's interesting and all, but mainstream Christianity in the US is not necessarily the same as world wide. Nice try though.

 

[Crick]

I was devoutly Christian until I did a deep study of the bible which presented questions I couldn't find the answers to, and nobody I asked even tried to answer. I wish I could reclaim my faith. Believing in a loving, all knowing God who deeply cared about me personally gave me great comfort in hard times, and I wish I could regain peace that came from the belief that all things would work for the good to them that love God. I conveniently ignored the following part that said only those that were called according to his purpose.

Paul was quite specific when he said there is nothing in human desire or effort to gain forgiveness. God will show mercy or harden who he wants, and nothing we believe, say, or do will have anything to do with his choice. (Romans 9: 16-18) Paul goes on to explain that some people were only created as examples of his glory to be shown to the objects of his mercy. (Romans 9: 19-23) Obviously, those people were created to go to hell, since there is nothing they can believe , or do to change Gods decision on mercy.

Help me out here. Does God offer the chance to go to heaven to everybody, or just his chosen few, and how do you justify what Paul wrote with the idea of a benevolent forgiving God?

I'm confused. Do you believe a god exists?

If so, you have problems and always will. The obvious and infallible solution is to realize that the entire concept of supernatural divinity is an anthropogenic fiction.

 

[BULLDOG]

Your quote, though, doesn't really indicate that. It does not, for instance, say that God will reject any who earnestly seek Him, to use a phrase with which you should be familiar. It, rather, says that God has the right to do with sinful man ALREADY bound for destruction (and remember that God knows the end already), whatever will bring Him glory. It is contrary to God's character to believe that He simply shuts people off from forgiveness of sin, no matter what they do.

It might be contrary to god's charactor, but it's not contrary to what Paul wrote in Romans 9: 16-24

 

[Votto]

Please explain that.

Explain how Jesus changed the world?

Where to begin? How about here? We are talking about him now even though he walked the earth thousands of years ago. Why? What worldly major accomplishment did he achieve? He raised no army, he held no political seat, he was not wealthy, etc. He was the son of a carpenter and had 12 followers, all of which abandoned him when he went to the cross.

Today, the Bible is really the main source of religion in the world today. Just look at the predominate religions that point to the Bible. All religions point to Christ as being a man of God, aside from maybe Judaism and satanism, for obvious reasons. LOL

Before Christ came it was a much darker world with most being slaves or worse. Charity was nonexistent for the most part as it was survival of the fittest.

The teachings of Christ helped his followers later to open charities and universities and hospitals, etc. And it became accepted that trampling the poor and weak was no longer PC, even though it continues. At least there are now outreaches for them. And even though there is now more slavery in the world than at any other time in history, governments recognize it as evil for the most part and try to protect people with their laws against it.

 

[BULLDOG]

Satan understood the Word as well. Just showing or repeating or even knowing Scripture is only part of the process.

the process of asking for an explanation?

 

[hadit]

It might be contrary to god's charactor, but it's not contrary to what Paul wrote in Romans 9: 16-24

It is, because we understand that God knows the end. He knows, therefore, when and where the next Adolf Hitler will be born, and He has the authority to treat that person as He wishes for His own glory. He had the authority to allow the first Adolf Hitler to rise to power, only to end his life one of the most hated people on the planet. That does NOT equate, however, to the fear that God is going to arbitrarily decide that someone who has sought Him earnestly their entire life is now fit only for destruction, and proceed to tear them apart and toss them in the trash. God knows what we can't and has authority that we don't.

 

[BULLDOG]

I'm confused. Do you believe a god exists?

If so, you have problems and always will. The obvious and infallible solution is to realize that the entire concept of supernatural divinity is an anthropogenic fiction.

You should read my OP. Most of my life I had a devout belief in god and all the trappings. I truly wish I could still enjoy that belief because of the comfort and peace, and sense of belonging to something greater than myself I gained from it. After study, I can no longer cling to what I once believed.

 

[BULLDOG]

Explain how Jesus changed the world?

Where to begin? How about here? We are talking about him now even though he walked the earth thousands of years ago. Why? What worldly major accomplishment did he achieve? He raised no army, he held no political seat, he was not wealthy, etc. He was the son of a carpenter and had 12 followers, all of which abandoned him when he went to the cross.

Today, the Bible is really the main source of religion in the world today. Just look at the predominate religions that point to the Bible. All religions point to Christ as being a man of God, aside from maybe Judaism and satanism, for obvious reasons. LOL

Before Christ came it was a much darker world with most being slaves or worse. Charity was nonexistent for the most part as it was survival of the fittest.

The teachings of Christ helped his followers later to open charities and universities and hospitals, etc. And it became accepted that trampling the poor and weak was no longer PC, even though it continues. At least there are now outreaches for them. And even though there is now more slavery in the world than at any other time in history, governments recognize it as evil for the most part and try to protect people with their laws against it.

The concepts of charity and forgiveness were quite prevelent before Christianity. Ask the Jews about that.

 

[ActionJackson]

the process of asking for an explanation?

More like the process of actually desiring to know or seeking the truth. If explanations are going to be rejected wholesale then finding the truth was never the real goal, IMO.

 

[BULLDOG]

It is, because we understand that God knows the end. He knows, therefore, when and where the next Adolf Hitler will be born, and He has the authority to treat that person as He wishes for His own glory. He had the authority to allow the first Adolf Hitler to rise to power, only to end his life one of the most hated people on the planet. That does NOT equate, however, to the fear that God is going to arbitrarily decide that someone who has sought Him earnestly their entire life is now fit only for destruction, and proceed to tear them apart and toss them in the trash. God knows what we can't and has authority that we don't.

You are depending more on what you hope god is like and less on what the bible says god is like.

 

[BULLDOG]

More like the process of actually desiring to know or seeking the truth. If explanations are going to be rejected wholesale then finding the truth was never the real goal, IMO.

Got it. You can't answer my question, but I should believe god is nothing like he is described in the bible.

 

[Meriweather]

Well make up your mind. You just listed many ways to gain god's acceptance. Can you show me where each of those ways are acceptable for that purpose in the bible, and explain how that meshes with the places that claim only one way is acceptable?

I have already noted that the Old Testament speaks of an Everlasting Covenant and Paul (in Romans) noted non-believers being judged by their own hearts.

Jesus (in John's Gospel) notes that Jesus is the Way. Look at Jesus' Way and that way can be found throughout the Old Testament. Much of Jesus' ministry was about calling to mind teachings of long ago and that included repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

"Gain" God's acceptance? We have God's acceptance. The better question is, Are we accepting God? Apparently, it is we who don't want God to accept those others who don't believe as we think they should.