Lets hope God likes spunk..

God created spunk and gave it to a cute little devil’s mom to lovingly
share with the rest of the world, and she does this so well.

flatterer...

He ain't flattering, Jax..He is stating the truth..

I would rather have a thousand like you around me; who are real
Christians..than what I have encountered here, (the bigots and the
'psuedo teachers', in this 'religion' thread..

God save their Damned souls!!

Love You, Jax , You are REAL!..This thread is not!!

resserts, very well spoken. I fear the spin I put on my posts here may
have seemed self indulgent. My apologies to spider, and AB and any
others who saw my 'opinions' as disrespectful. They are just my opinion
and include some of the many reasons why I am an athiest.

I often find it frustrating not to understand the logic of my brothers
and sisters in this world. ressert helped to remind me that there is no
logic when it comes to faith.

In many ways I agree with those of you who believe that heaven is within
and all around you and can be experienced here and now. In many ways I
understand the kind of logic that applies to reincarnation and all the
paths that those thoughts take. It is most frustrating to deal with
comcepts of heaven and hell that exisist for no other reason than as a
reward or punishment for those who believe in the doctrine of a God,
without reason or proof. That is the nature of faith that I need to
learn to accept.

resserts it is refreshing to see someone who studies the word and
beleives what it says and not what your preacher says.

Num 6:24-26
4 "Yahweh bless you and keep you;
25 Yahweh make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
26 Yahweh lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace."'
NKJV
Miles

The pastor was in total error and not a minister of Christ's. His
statement has no value. God is fair and works in a way not understood by
most...including pastors. In the Bible you will find a scripture along
this line. "Many shall come in my name saying I am Christ and deceive
the many." This means that many will come saying Christ is Christ and
deceive the many. Most of the teachers of Christ and God teach a
different Christ and God than that in the Bible and do not even know it.
This is why so many find fault with God. God is fair and will be fair
with you and give you a true chance to understand the truth before you
are judged. Don't worry!

> resserts it is refreshing to see someone who studies the word and beleives what it says and not what your preacher says.

First, thank you for your very kind words, Miles. I truly appreciate
it. I should mention, however, that I'm an atheist — and it's been a
long while since I've studied the Bible.

That said, however, I think most religions tend to be born of the
goodness in humanity. It is only a few misguided or opportunistic
people who twist that goodness into something perverted and evil. I
consider it to be, by far, the exception rather than the rule that
people are disingenuous in their faith.

One of my best friends is a fundamentalist Christian, and he and I have
discussions at length about the existence of God, the nature of ethical
behavior, etc. Not once have we accused each other of stupidity,
dishonesty, or ill will in our debates. It is that sense of respectful
give-and-take that I'd like to see in these discussions on JSH, but
standing in judgment and accusing one another accomplishes little more
than creating an atmosphere where people feel at odds with one another,
rather than celebrating our different perspectives and learning from one
another — even when we strongly disagree with the opposing views. At
the very least, we can gain an appreciation of each other's beliefs.

I rather enjoy reading Abracadabra's entries in these topics, because
his view is sort of a marriage between atheism and theism. While I
don't believe the universe to be sentient, I appreciate his concept
greatly.

I understand what you mean, Redykeulous, when you say that you sometimes
find it frustrating to not understand the logic of people with a
different world view. I often share that frustration, but I think it's
because we want to be sure we see a situation from all sides. When we
are lacking that perspective, we feel unsettlingly disconnected from the
people with whom we are speaking.

Although I think it's unlikely that there is a sentient God who created
the universe, let's consider the following: If a limitless, perfect God
were to exist, would such a God not create a universe that is a perfect
system? I'm not talking about a system in which everything, including
people, are perfect in every way, but a system (i.e. science) that is
perfect in overall function and form. In physics and mathematics, there
is an effort among some to show that the universe is a closed system
with no singularity (i.e., starting point), but even if this theory is
shown to be true it doesn't discount the possibility of a perfect,
limitless God creating a perfect system that has no beginning and no end
as we think of it. (An alternate view is Abracadabra's in which the
perfect, limitless God _is_ the universe, which fits this scenario
also.) The other side is if the singularity is proven, but that doesn't
necessarily prove that the external cause were God; it could be an event
from another universe or dimension that triggered the singularity (for
example). So, I just don't see the debate ever having an end — I cannot
imagine how anyone will ever, beyond doubt, prove or disprove the
existence of a creator God.

My point, which I realize I'm taking my sweet time in getting to, is
that I can never be certain that there isn't something I'm "missing" —
and a theist can never have such certainty either. We each may have the
feeling of certainty, but that feeling can never be more than mere
illusion. I consider using the concept of God to explain the universe
is the needless multiplication of entities, but Occam's razor doesn't
rule out the _possibility_ that there's a more elaborate explanation
than what seems irreducible. It's really a guideline of sorts and, of
course, we cannot know with certainty that we ever have all the
information necessary to derive a valid conclusion.

So, I think we can all acknowledge each other's views as being sincere
and still express our own views in a respectful way. I don't have to
agree with an opposing view (and I don't expect everyone to agree with
my views), but I think we can make our points without resorting to
name-calling, passing judgment, or making hurtful accusations.

And in the interest of admitting to my own mistakes, I should not have
made the comment about "self-righteous a-holes." That was a cheap shot
that did nothing to enhance my point. I was speaking of those I
consider to be perverters of the faith they purport to uphold, but that
was no excuse to resort to name-calling.

I know I've covered a lot of ground here; I apologize for the length and
scope of this post. To paraphrase Blaise Pascal, I have made this post
so long because I hadn't the time to make it shorter. (In other words,
I'm exhausted and heading for bed.)

yw.
It is strange but i find more people who know little about the bible
actually living it more than the so called christian. The holy spirit
Yahweh can put anyone he wants. So if Yahweh has done this to u without
u knowing it you may find out he has great plans for you.. Take care
Miles

I say who are we to juge. there is only one who is alowed and he will
say what he thinks when he is ready.

do u still pick up hitchikers after that?

He is mistaken in his own beliefs.

Some are called today to understanding....these are those of the first resurrection.

Those never knowing the truth and misguided......will learn the truth as the books are opened (Bible/scriptures) in the second resurrection. Then those will have an informed chance to salvation. If they knowing refuse it. Then they shall have their part in the lake of fire with those of the third (implied) resurrection to destruction. (no burning in hell forever and ever.)



That man was as lost in his understanding as a goose would be in a pickle barrel. Forgive him!

Peace!

At the rate I see people arguing over religion not a single one of us is getting into heaven lol so save me a seat

such blaspheme



according to the belief....he's right



your ride had him on the Yahweh to Hell

good lord! (pun intended)

this thread is almost three years old

wouldn't it have been easier to just make a new one?

like they did with The Old Testament

lol no, the old testament wasn't just maded null. It was fullfilled. It's not like they said ah heck with the old testament lets make a new one. The old testiment was fullfilled and done.

The pastor nor any christian can condemn anyone to hell, I am sorry he said that to you. I do believe though, that it is MORE than just actions that determine entry into heaven, It is Gods home and I dont believe anyone sees it who chooses to reject God or his word.

Matthew 10:33

- 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven

are the laws in The Old Testament handed down by God still being fullfilled by those that claim to believe in God ..or are they done