An Inescapable Conclusion about Some Religions

[andyfox]

"He is a just God who punishes all sin because it is a slight on His Character."

How does that make him just? Doesn't it make him vindictive, ppunitive, egotistical and overbearing?

[NotReady]

You would prefer a god who doesn't punish sin?

[gasgod]

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You would prefer a god who doesn't punish sin?

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Yes, of course.

GG

[etgryphon]

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Would you say the same thing if I was referring to someone who believed in rushes or crap systems or astrology or Islam?


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Rushes: No, there is math to show that this is an incorrect assumption

Craps Systems: No, again there is math to show that this is incorrect.

Astrology: I personally don't believe it to be correct, but I wouldn't presume to try to prove it incorrect. This is a belief

Islam: Again, I do not belive it to be correct, but to an outside observer there is no difference between validity of Islam and Christianity.

I think you are reading too much into my post. I will not and cannot prove the validity of Christianity. I can only tell you what it stands for and why it makes sense as truth to me and a ton of people. If you are trying to think your way into a belief system it wont work.

All I can say is be comforted by your choice to believe or disbelieve. I don't really understand your vehemence agaisnt a belief that is personal.

Do you argue with people who have a different favorite color than you? It's about the same here. Why do you like a certain color over all other colors. It is because it is personally appealing to you. It would not be a psychological problem as you state.

So with an argument of the lesser to the greater. If we can choose our favorite colors, Why can't we choose the belief system that appeals to us personally.

David, I just hope that you can be as comfortable with your disbelief as I am with my belief.

-Gryph

[etgryphon]

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Alos, if you have sinned once in you life you deserve hell and to be seperated from God and punished for eternity.

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So, if I steal a snickers bar from the convinient store, I should justifiably go to hell where I will burn & suffer for all time?

Uh, sorry, no.

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Sorry to break it to you, but that is what Christianity preaches. Accept it or don't accept it is up to you.

Make your own religon up with whatever God you want.

-Gryph

[etgryphon]

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Gryph,

Thanks for answering the question.


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You're welcome.

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While it appears to me as a painfully twisted and forced logic, I'll grant you the right to believe whatever you want.


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I'm sure it does. It is an extra human plan. But, I would like to hear what you consider "twisted" or "forced". I don't know what Christianity looks like to someone who doesn't believe it to be true.

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I'll just continue to live the best life I can and trust that if there is a god, it is a just and loving one and that "He" will understand that I tried to be generous, loving and kind. Even if thats not enough to get on St. Peter's list, maybe God will let me in anyway.


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Well, we will both find out one day. I could owe you an apology for telling you something wrong.

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Or maybe my father in law is right and I'm going to burn in eternal hell-fire regardless of the way I live, unless I recite the magic words printed in his good book.


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We all deserve to burn in hell. I would send myself to hell if I was God, but I'm so glad he provided the way out.

-Gryph

[purnell]

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We all deserve to burn in hell. I would send myself to hell if I was God, but I'm so glad he provided the way out.

-Gryph

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^lost cause

[purnell]

Since we are making stuff up... I have a way to make poker playing into "god"'s work.

"For lo, I am the angel of poker, and I was sent to earth from my heavenly home in order to punish greed amd stupidity whenever I find them hanging out together." purnell, 7:7.

[GrunchCan]

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Alos, if you have sinned once in you life you deserve hell and to be seperated from God and punished for eternity.

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So, if I steal a snickers bar from the convinient store, I should justifiably go to hell where I will burn & suffer for all time?

Uh, sorry, no.

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Sorry to break it to you, but that is what Christianity preaches. Accept it or don't accept it is up to you.

Make your own religon up with whatever God you want.

-Gryph

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Why isn't it enough to just do your best at being a good person?

Here's another way of looking at it. From what I know of Christianity, you can pretty much get everything wrong your whole life and still be rewarded for it when you die. If Hitler suddenly understood that he was evil his whole life and repented before God just before dying, he could be in heavan right now. He did the evil things he did in the first place b/c he excercised the free will that was given to him by god. He did bad things becasue he chose to. But then if he repented and meant it, that's just fine, he gets a ticket to heaven.

So you can screw everything up in your whole life and still go to heaven - everything but one thing. You have to take on faith that god is God. You have to believe it. And not just say that you believe it, but actually believe it in your soul. If you screw this up, you're going to hell. Even Mother Theresa, if she didn't really believe in God, would go to hell without faith.

This is simply illogical. And I don't buy that it's something that mere mortals are incapable of comprehending, either. Humans wrote the bible, humans are the leaders of the religious world, humand interpret divine law. The idea that man cannot understand the will of god is a human construct.

Besides, if I am simply incapable of truly believing something for which I have no evidence, or if I have evidence to the contrary, then it is only becasue god built me this way. Why would he build me this way, predisposing me to hell even if I live my life as rightously as possible, but give you the ability to have blind faith, guaranteeing you a spot in heaven even if you kill 1000 babies? Again, simply illogical.

[etgryphon]

It the nature of a Holy God. Holy means without sin. God cannot allow sin to go unpunished. So if someone sins once they deserve punishment (go to hell).

You can only go to hell once (ultimate punishment) so no matter how many sins a person commits in a life time they are still headed to the same place as if they told one lie or killed 1000s babies. The underlying sin has to still be punished.

Be coming a Christian is just saying "I've sinned by [fill in the blank...killed 1000s babies, lied to my parents, looked lustfully at a girl] and I deserve God's eternal punishment. I believe that Christ became my sacrifice for my sins so that God punished my sin through Jesus."

It's putting your hope in the work of Another.

Thats why any person (read even Hitler) can repent of his sins at his last breath and be saved after living a horrid life.

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The idea that man cannot understand the will of god is a human construct.


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You can understand the will of God in the frame of Christianity. It is to call upon Jesus as your Lord and Saviour.

Christianity is not a bunch of rules it is a relationship. It like if you have a gf or a wife, you want to give them flowers and notes and such because you love them. You can also do it out of duty, but where is the enjoyment in that and what is the point? You don't think they are going to know that you are just doing lipservice.

It's a flawed analogy, I know but just take the case where they were able to see your motivations for doing those things.

-Gryph