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Religion Ask a Christian - Continued in Part 2
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The devil is the good guy in the bible. Opposition to the established order is occasionally necessary, and the devil's morality stacks up well against biblegod. He's killed less people, been more truthful, and in general shows himself to be less prone to irrationality. He probably believes in the theory of evolution too.
Of course, I don't actually believe in the devil. He's a figment of your imagination.
Vdubs
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I don't imagine the devil to be anything other than the evil that pervades our human race. You and your cronies are not perturbed by sin, or the origin of it, we are.
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Sin is a religious concept so it's natural that we don't accept its validity.
Christianity provides simplistic black and white answers to questions that we all have, as you'd expect from ancient people groups.
The concept of original sin is ridiculous for starters. Why should you be expected to meet the behavioural standards of god or his human form (who wasn't infected from birth) when you've supposedly been infected by a form of evil from the day you entered this world?
Any god worthy of the title would be embarrassed by the design of this system and its mechanisms of punishment and reward.
Much of what you call sin is simply natural human behaviour that is best understood through psychology. I refuse to torture myself psychologically for being human.
Vdubs
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your choices- you once knew the way, and you have decided to go your own way.
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What if "the way" isn't really the way? What if god is logical, and rewards logical people with an eternity in Heaven while punishing religious people in Hell?
You've been warned! Until you come to the realisation that there is no god, all I can do is hope you'll come to a knowledge of the truth.
Your experience is subjective. it's all in your head. God does not exist except for inside people's heads.
Vdubs
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Go Cats.
Vdubs
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Heads and hearts. That's all you need to be alive.
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Is that in the bible? Test it out and remove all of your unnecessary organs, then come back and tell us how it went.
Vdubs
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the brain and heart keep it all alive- that was the point.
sure, organs have their place, but unlike a heart, and brain, life can be sustained without some organs
don't start arguing this one, you're out of your depth
Nah. I tried being a believer, but it didn't work because it is all made up. That decision is the most liberating thing you can do for yourself.
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A church in Melbourne defied the lockdown and had their regular 10am service today.
“God commands in the bible not to forsake the gathering of the people to gather for Church, and I obey the commands of God, not man”, the Melbourne Pastor said."
phoenixwolfj.com
indoistriku Vdubs Your thoughts?
“God commands in the bible not to forsake the gathering of the people to gather for Church, and I obey the commands of God, not man”, the Melbourne Pastor said."
Police ALLOW church to defy lockdown in Melbourne
The Revival Christian Church in Narre Warren opened today as usual for their 10am service. Pastor Paul Furlong told Rebel News that he’d promised his congregation that he would never shut his Church again. “God commands in the bible not to forsake the gathering of the people to gather for...
phoenixwolfj.com
indoistriku Vdubs Your thoughts?
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Almost as many people have an ongoing relationship with Jesus, and he's been dead for 2,000 years. It's the grave robbing I hate most in religion. Mind you, it's at the top of a very long list. Next on that list is why your beliefs should be of any significance, to you or anyone else.
As a non christian from my perspective christianity seems far more interpretative.
Should your statement be more like.
Anybody from my christian religion X who knowingly and deliberately rejects Jesus and my christian religion X's belief system, be answerable to the only true god from my christian belief X? because for you only your christian belief X is the one and only true christian belief?
In talks I've had with christians who believe in their own particular christianity, old 92 year old Mavis who believes in christian religion Y and has lead a moral upstanding life in religion Y won't be saved and the kids down the road who are being raised to believe in christian belief Z won't be saved either because only christian belief system X is the true one and only true religion.
And if we stand outside the local primary school at lunchtime and watch all the kids playing do we come to the realization that if they are all to be answerable to god, if something happens to them they won't be saved unless they are believers in christian religion X?
Interpretation is confusing, how do some say there is no hell others say there is no devil some are forbidden alcohol, others no cigarettes, still others would rather see their followers die than have a blood transfusion, some can't work on Saturday, excommunication, female ministers, homosexuality?? Isn't the text taken from the same book?
Cherry picking and groupthink gone mad.
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When Pastor Billy Bob gives an inspired message from the holy ghost, the Lord Jesus will pull on your heart strings and you'll no longer want to smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, go to biology lectures, or watch midget pr0n.
Just run on down to the altar and let the Lord into your life, and all of your problems will go away.
Jesus wants you to have all of this for free....with a small 10% Jesus and Services tax applied for the duration of your life.
Vdubs
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One God, one Jesus, One way to God, multiple churches. Nothing new there.
Any "Christian" who does not believe in Jesus is an impostor.
Whatever your X ,Y and Z are, as long as the basic belief is faith in God, acceptance that Jesus is His Son, and the way to God, and part of the Trinity, then all is good.
This is universal Christianity, whether it be Catholicism, Presbyterian, Baptist, Revivalist, Church of God etc .
Vdubs
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Very off-hand analysis - if that's what you experienced, hence the cynicism.
When a pastor does give an inspirational message, there can be an altar call, whereby those searching, and not yet Christians, may have an opportunity to commit their lives to Jesus Christ. This can apply to believers as well, who want to make a recommitment.
It is expected that this relationship causes the new Christian to shed his or her former self, and to live a life bearing fruits of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 (New International Version)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Now clearly, that is an edifying and honourable way to live.
There is no compulsion for tithing in any churches I have attended, and people often give outside of church scenes as well.
There is certainly no guarantee that all problems are solved- in fact, many people have their faith tested and fail, because the good Lord did not absolve them of all life's problems, including pain, death, cancer, problem kids, addictions, etc etc. The test of strong faith in God is perseverance with faith amidst all these problems, knowing that whatever you go through, God is there with you, via your relationship with Jesus. To know that you will not be tested beyond what you can handle is reassuring for Christians.
1 Corinthians 10:13 (NASB)
13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
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It’s pretty obvious we evolved to see God. You might have missed the boat sunshine.
Never mind chin up.
It is hard to know which one of us is the mutant and which one is normal.
How convenient.
Completely irrational to me though. One god but multiple churches all with different beliefs.
If we use footy as an analogy one premiership but different teams, then every year we all win the premiership. Happy days.
If I took doctrine belief from church A to church B I would be looked at as a heretic and at best socially isolated, at worst excommunicated.
Christianity is purposely high control and non-negotiable exclusivity is central to every belief.
I am not, just like i am not trying to tell Muslims that their experience of Allah is false, i am not telling the Hindu that how Krishna sat on their lap. I am also not trying to tell the millions who claims to have been abducted by the aliens that their experiences are *****. All of them must be true, cause you know millions are reporting it.
As usual, you can't play a bouncer.
You are not able to define sin or the characteristics of god. Would you threaten your child with murder and hell if they don't listen to you? who does that? There is NO GREATER PUNISHMENT for a father than the loss of a child. It never happened to me but it happened to my closest ones. I cannot fathom the thought that a loving kind caring god will find no other way than murder and eternal suffering for his children those who have gone astray.
Look inside you for the answer, not the Bible.
Seriously? all denominations of christianity are the same? Early Christians before the Nicea had the same beliefs as post Constantine?? are you inventing history??? Familiarize yourself with Non-trianitarianism. No matter how much you squeal or call people names, a large majority of pre-Nicean christians were non triniatarians. Please educate yourself. It wasn't until Constantines conversion and the Roman Empire, trinitarian became MSM basically. Trinitarian belief was basically made mainstream to fend off Gnostics and Arianism and by 420AD non trinitarians were basically persecuted for their beliefs.
The Great Commission and a few other alterations were added by the Catholic church to make sure trinitarianism makes its stand clear in the Bible so that no one can refute it.
Arius asserted that the Spirit was created by the Father through the Son, and that the Spirit was subservient to the Son as the Son to the Father. Again, I refer to the Confession of Ulfilas:
[The Holy Spirit] being neither God [the Father] nor our God [Christ], but the minister of Christ ... subject and obedient in all things to the Son; and the Son, subject and obedient in all things to God who is his Father .
perhaps, since Constantine was baptized as an Arian, he may have had more leanings towards it earlier in life, like when he ordered the Council of Nicea, he could push more for it. If he was influential enough amongst the bishops, the council might lean in favor of Arianism
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Did your god make me an Atheist?
No you did, exercising your free-will however God has a special place for you in hell for not praising him.
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