Am I Going to Burn in Hell?

[David Sklansky]

"You have a sensitive gag reflex, David, but I think I understand what triggered it. You realize, of course, that believers who misrepresent Christian doctrine are analogous to terrible poker players who bring a dogeared copy of The Theory of Poker to the table? I choose to judge your peerless work on its own merits. I'd hope you'd extend the same courtesy to that other Book which also happens to be pretty good."

So felson is misrepresenting Christian doctrine?

[CrisBrown]

Hi Sun,

[ QUOTE ]
lets say BillyBob. BB lives in the year 2004. BillyBob is a great man, he donates tons of money to charity. He feeds the hungry around the world. He sacrifices his life to being a servent to others. He decides to live a life of poverty and gives up all his net worth away. BillyBob refuses to believe that he is a sinner. I'm scared for BillyBob.

[/ QUOTE ]

So Christ was kidding with that whole "as you have done to the least of these, you have done to me" thing in Matthew 25:31-45? I wouldn't be scared for BillyBob in the least, and in fact I'd have a lot more hope for him than for the people who claimed that a one-sentence prayer entitled them to a free ticket to heaven when they spent their lives putting others through hell. (I'm NOT saying this is you, Sun.)

I like this one: "Beloved, let us love one another, for anyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who loves not, knows not God, for God is love." (I John 4:7-8, emphasis added)

By that metric, and that of Matthew 25:31-45, and that of Matthew 22:34-40 (the greatest commandment), I feel very good about BillyBob.

Again, I like the contemporary Catholic doctrine on this, which is (paraphrased): "If anyone sincerely seeks God, by whatever spiritual path, God will find him."

Cris

[IronUnkind]

"So felson is misrepresenting Christian doctrine? "

The idea that grace and morality are somehow divorced, which the OP (not felson) suggests is, in my estimation, a misrepresentation of Christian doctrine.

[Jman28]

I understand all the arguments.. I expected those, but nobody has really responded to the initial post (im going to bed now) which I thought was pretty good.

[FrankLu99]

Just one perspective
---------------------------------------------------

Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life? Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.

- Matthew


One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
-Matthew

The fool says in his heart,
"There is no God."
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
there is no one who does good
-Psalms

Its not even close do u see why? lol sorry just had to throw that in

[Sephus]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
But why wait until 2 min before you're about to die? why not do it now so that you don't have to worry about it?

[/ QUOTE ]

Are you serious? That makes no sense at all. Why would I stop living a life of selfishness, hedonism etc now when I can just do it 1 moment before my death and get the same benefits of a person who's led a life of sacrifice, selflessness etc all along?

[/ QUOTE ]

you can't. the poster who said you could was wrong. when you ask for God's forgiveness, you must truly believe that Jesus died for you. nobody believes that Jesus died for them and yet lives a life of hedonism, because they would also believe that that life damages their realtionships with God and others. if i believe that Christ died for me, i don't to repay that sacrifice by spitting in his face and living a life of sin which God says is harmful to me.

do you think, being that (hypothetically) you life a life of hedonism now because you don't believe, that you can all of a sudden force yourself to believe and be truly sorry for your sins just before you die?

if you believe in God and God's commands, you try to obey God. if you live a life of sin planning on deathbed repentence, God is not going to be fooled.

this should be obvious.

[Sephus]

[ QUOTE ]
The way I see it. I think Player B is in better shape. You don't know when 2 minutes before you're about to die is. Sometimes you have a general idea, but sometimes death comes very unexpectedly.
I prefer to know now instead of banking my eternity on "2 min before I die". But thats just me.

[/ QUOTE ]

so you're saying that someone who plans on living a lifetime of sin followed by deathbed repentance "just in case" that gets them into heaven will actually be sincere in their repentance? if all along you belived that the life of sin was best, God is not going to buy it when you pretend to confess to him that you were wrong.

i dont know how you can possibly see that as any kind of alternative.

[Sephus]

[ QUOTE ]
You need to read a little closer. I didn't say(or does the Bible) that you have to stop living the way you are right now.

[/ QUOTE ]

what does "repentance" mean to you?

"i repent of my sins but feel no compulsion to stop committing them." how is that anything but nonsense?

[Sephus]

[ QUOTE ]
The rationality behind your choice to live a life of selflessness is to what, please god? To emulate Christ? These are irrational.

edit - let's not start that argument.

[/ QUOTE ]

if i believe that God sent Jesus to die for me, and that selfishness is the root of sin and harmful to me, then the only rational way for me to live is selflessly.

if i claimed to believe in Christ and yet lived selfishly, then i would be acting irrationally.

[The once and future king]

[ QUOTE ]
Then maybe it's lucky for you that God doesn't force you to believe in Him. It's your choice.

[/ QUOTE ]

Good job santa clause donst force you to believe in him either, or the easter bunny or the tooth fairy.