Do you believe in God?

[Imari]

Having said that, because the Bible is an 'Anything Box', the question is not so much what constitutes a literal interpretation as it is which part is chosen to take literally.

In the sense that people get out of it what they want to get out of it?

I'd agree with that, I think it works quite well when it's acting as an external justification for what people really wanted to do anyway. And fortunately, a lot of people are kind and giving and so act on the parts of the Bible that are kind and giving, and ignore the parts that aren't.

Of course, there are also people who want to believe that they're the chosen one and somehow better than everyone else, and that this justifies them mistreating others and generally being superior, but I'm fairly sure they're in a minority.

And I'm sure there are other types as well. There are probably as many different ways to interpret the Bible as there are people.

I find it an interesting thought that the Bible is not telling people how to behave, but instead people use the Bible to justify how they really wanted to behave all along. That explains a lot to me about how so many Christians can be so kind and generous, and yet how a few can be such colossal knobs while working from the same source material.

And I suppose it extends to most religions. People do what they want to do, but use what they have to hand as justification. Interesting.

 

[squadops]

It extends beyond religion, people act as they choose and use whatever they can to justify it.

 

[Carbonox]

Found this gem of a text message in today's paper.

"Do not worry, atheist. In order to live, man needs a lot more than earthly goods. Anyway just to let you know, you are not making societal decisions, they are being made by someone a lot wiser than you." -Religious person

 

[DCP]

I find it disgusting that learned men worked hard to heal you, and yet you pooh-pooh their work and credit it to God.



I find it disgusting that your company looked after you while you were ill, because your superiors were kind and gentle people who saw your need, and yet you attribute all that they did to God.

You're an :censored:hole. You've got people all around you helping you out, but you can't for one moment step back and recognise all the great things that they're doing for you, because you're so busy licking God's boots.

How about you take a moment and give thanks to all the amazing humans who have made an effort to make sure that you're in the position that you are today?



And yet you keep doing it.

You keep using that word, "understand". I do not think it means what you think it means.

Try and apply an open mind and heart to this.
What's disgusting to you, is your issue. Deal with it yourself.

Secondly, who created those amazing human beings? Certainly not nothing. Someone gave them meaning, love and purpose, all of which didn't come from nothing.

Finally, and most importantly, did I say I didn't thank them, or did you just assume that, like most of your world view made up of assumptions?

Love, humbleness, kindness and appreciation is all of Gods attributes.
Off course I thanked all people involved. Its normal for a person to make another person feel special, when they contribute to something special.

I wouldn't have a problem licking Gods boots, but that is my choice and free will. I'm not forced to.
What is more important is that He will wash my feet and be humiliated for me. That love is all I need.
All I know is, you must face Him, whether you like it or not. You cannot change it. Peace

 

[FoRiZon]

But God gave us a humanity to help us.
Therefore, if you respect humanity who helps you, you automatically respect to god.

Also, being not respect to other human who helps you is a sin to god.
In conclusion, you done the religion wrong.

There i said it.

 

[Imari]

Secondly, who created those amazing human beings? Certainly not nothing. Someone gave them meaning, love and purpose, all of which didn't come from nothing.

Do humans have free will or not?

If they do, then those people chose to help you of their own volition. God had nothing to do with it, any more than your parents have anything to do with it when you're kind to people. When you're kind, people are grateful to you, not your parents.

On the other hand, if people don't have free will then yeah, it's all on God. Well done Him.

Which is it? Because you're seriously muddying the water here by attributing all good things to Him, and yet still attempting to assert that humans have free will.

 

[Com Fox]

Do humans have free will or not?

If they do, then those people chose to help you of their own volition. God had nothing to do with it, any more than your parents have anything to do with it when you're kind to people. When you're kind, people are grateful to you, not your parents.

On the other hand, if people don't have free will then yeah, it's all on God. Well done Him.

Which is it? Because you're seriously muddying the water here by attributing all good things to Him, and yet still attempting to assert that humans have free will.

If it is Gods choice, I am officially confirming the theory that God is just a normal human playing The Sims.

 

[DCP]

@Imari

God has everything to do with it. He gave them all these attributes. We are made in His image.
Even anger. We get angry for anything, while God gets angry because He hates sin.

Let me put it to you this way.
There are 3 directors in the company I'm currently working for. You shouldn't be surprised if I told you 2 of them rejected my assistance, because they felt it didn't seem fair. What do you have to say now?
They had free will to say that, right?

You see it as company politics.
I see it as evil spirits, being selfish and greedy. Each one to his own world view.

What was the ultimate plan, for God to put me on the narrow path to salvation, and get me off the wide road to destruction.

 

[Com Fox]

If it is Gods choice, I am officially confirming the theory that God is just a normal human playing The Sims.

^This now confired by @DCP

@Imari

God has everything to do with it. He gave them all these attributes. We are made in His image.
Even anger. We get angry for anything, while God gets angry because He hates sin.

Let me put it to you this way.
There are 3 directors in the company I'm currently working for. You shouldn't be surprised if I told you 2 of them rejected my assistance, because they felt it didn't seem fair. What do you have to say now?
They had free will to say that, right?

You see it as company politics.
I see it as evil spirits, being selfish and greedy. Each one to his own world view.

What was the ultimate plan, for God to put me on the narrow path to salvation, and get me off the wide road to destruction.

 

[Spurgy 777]

@Imari

God has everything to do with it. He gave them all these attributes. We are made in His image.
Even anger. We get angry for anything, while God gets angry because He hates sin.

Let me put it to you this way.
There are 3 directors in the company I'm currently working for. You shouldn't be surprised if I told you 2 of them rejected my assistance, because they felt it didn't seem fair. What do you have to say now?
They had free will to say that, right?

You see it as company politics.
I see it as evil spirits, being selfish and greedy. Each one to his own world view.

What was the ultimate plan, for God to put me on the narrow path to salvation, and get me off the wide road to destruction.

So when humans do good things it's because of god, when they do bad things it's because they are sinners? Not really proving Imari wrong on you having disgusting view points.

 

[DCP]

You guys are missing the point.
God gave us all the attributes. How we use them is our free will.

 

[jimipitbull]

You guys are missing the point.
God gave us all the attributes. How we use them is our free will.

He is making you say that.

 

[DCP]

You're free to decide for yourself.

 

[Com Fox]

This is now as confusing and contradicting as the Bible

 

[ImaRobot]

You guys are missing the point.
God gave us all the attributes. How we use them is our free will.

By that, then god had nothing to do with those physicians, who's work you so easily disregard. As the outcomes are solely based on what they do.

 

[Spurgy 777]

You guys are missing the point.
God gave us all the attributes. How we use them is our free will.

No you're missing the point, you thank god when people do good things, but you don't blame god when people do bad things. All I read from that is that you're a hypocrite who can't possibly value human life because you're too busy degrading human accomplishments to give the credit to your god.

 

[DCP]

Your'e entitled to read and judge how ever you feel fit. Your opinions matter only to you for as long as you need them to.
People again do bad things by their free will, because all bad people have good in them.

 

[The McMerc]

I consider myself agnostic, because basically I'm just not interested in the whole religion thing. The few times I've been to church I've found myself to be incredibly bored, not only with the repetitive use of adjectives like "graceful", "holy", and "forgiving", and the monotonous nature of the 4000 hymns they play, but just the whole idea that 2015 years ago a person was executed for the "salvation" of man. There are so many things in the bible that are absolutely ludacris: "You can't wear clothes woven from two different fabrics, you have the right to own a slave, if you see your neighbour working on a Sunday (or Saturday whichever one) then you have the right to stone him" etc. Yes I know the New Testament is predominately about loving one another etc. but have a look in the old testament and it's a cesspool of hatred and wrath from the supposed loving and forgiving god. But then in the back of my mind I always think, what if it really were true? What if hell is real? If so will I get sent to it because I've been unfaithful? And the same with other religions. How am I supposed to know if Christianity is complete nonsense and Islam is what I should have faith in? All the major religions (to my knowledge) only allow you to be faithful to that particular religion. So it's kind of like a game of Russian Roulette; if I pick the wrong religion, I get sent to hell, but if I pick the right one, I get sent to Heaven. Anyway I know I've rambled on but that's just my two cents

 

[Com Fox]

Isn't it the over way around... don't we all have sin and we do good deeds to free ourselves...

I have no idea what Christian School/Church taught you?

 

[The McMerc]

Isn't it the over way around... don't we all have sin and we do good deeds to free ourselves...

I have no idea what Christian School/Church taught you?

Was that in reply to my post or DCP's?

 

[jimipitbull]

Your'e entitled to read and judge how ever you feel fit. Your opinions matter only to you for as long as you need them to.
People again do bad things by their free will, because all bad people have good in them.

What if god was a bad person that free willed something good. How do we know it wasn't Satan, playing tricks on you?

 

[Com Fox]

Was that in reply to my post or DCP's?

DCPs, sorry

 

[DCP]

I consider myself agnostic, because basically I'm just not interested in the whole religion thing. The few times I've been to church I've found myself to be incredibly bored, not only with the repetitive use of adjectives like "graceful", "holy", and "forgiving", and the monotonous nature of the 4000 hymns they play, but just the whole idea that 2015 years ago a person was executed for the "salvation" of man. There are so many things in the bible that are absolutely ludacris: "You can't wear clothes woven from two different fabrics, you have the right to own a slave, if you see your neighbour working on a Sunday (or Saturday whichever one) then you have the right to stone him" etc. Yes I know the New Testament is predominately about loving one another etc. but have a look in the old testament and it's a cesspool of hatred and wrath from the supposed loving and forgiving god. But then in the back of my mind I always think, what if it really were true? what if hell is real? If so will I get sent to it because I've been unfaithful? and the same with other religions. How am I supposed to know if Christianity is complete nonsense and Islam is what I should have faith in? All the major religions (to my knowledge) only allow you to be faithful to that particular religion. so it's kind of like a game of Russian Roulette; if I pick the wrong religion, I get sent to hell, but if I pick the right one, I get sent to Heaven. Anyway I know I've rambled on but that's just my two cents

If you don't understand Christianity and what Jesus did for you, then you would have all the issues you mentioned.

Testament means covenant.

You have the old covenant and the new covenant.
The old covenant was the sacrificial law of Moses for the Jews. Only a sacrifice could atone for sins. It was very harsh, and sometimes very hard to acknowledge. It showed just how Holy God is, and why He hates sin.
If you want to be smart and ask "then why did God create sin", this will help you understand: http://www.gotquestions.org/did-God-create-sin.html

Then came the new covenant, where the Perfect sacrifice bore the full wrath of God, through His Son.
Because of Christ, we no longer fall under the old covenant, but under the new covenant of Grace. This is why you can call on Christ to forgive you for your sins, and then turn from them.
Orthodox Jews reject the Messiah, and willfully ignore Isaiah 53.
Islams prophet learnt from Orthodox Jews, mixing it with the Gospel and the pagan Arabs from which he originated.
This Hajj practice they go for each year, has been around since before muhammed.

Jesus says, one should not pray as the heathens do, using repetitions etc. I'm sure you know how all religions pray, in repetitions.

The prostitute was about to be stoned by followers of the old covenant, yet Jesus picked up her and said" Your sins are forgiven. Go, and sin no more".

The Bible says " For it is by Grace that you have been saved through Faith. It is the gift of God, and not of yourselves, so no man can boast.

All other religions still offer sacrifices etc, and the Pope is just an ordinary man, and does not have any right to forgive a person from their sins.

Here is a verse suited mostly for false popes and preachers:

22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.

Here is a verse for people who abuse the free gift of salvation "asking for forgiveness yet still sinning"

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

 

[The McMerc]

If you don't understand Christianity and what Jesus did for you, then you would have all the issues you mentioned.

Testament means covenant.

You have the old covenant and the new covenant.
The old covenant was the sacrificial law of Moses for the Jews. Only a sacrifice could atone for sins. It was very harsh, and sometimes very hard to acknowledge. It showed just how Holy God is, and why He hates sin.
If you want to be smart and ask "then why did God create sin", this will help you understand: http://www.gotquestions.org/did-God-create-sin.html

Then came the new covenant, where the Perfect sacrifice bore the full wrath of God, through His Son.
Because of Christ, we no longer fall under the old covenant, but under the new covenant of Grace. This is why you can call on Christ to forgive you for your sins, and then turn from them.
Orthodox Jews reject the Messiah, and willfully ignore Isaiah 53.
Islams prophet learnt from Orthodox Jews, mixing it with the Gospel and the pagan Arabs from which he originated.
This Hajj practice they go for each year, has been around since before muhammed.

Jesus says, one should not pray as the heathens do, using repetitions etc. I'm sure you know how all religions pray, in repetitions.

The prostitute was about to be stoned by followers of the old covenant, yet Jesus picked up her and said" Your sins are forgiven. Go, and sin no more".

The Bible says " For it is by Grace that you have been saved through Faith. It is the gift of God, and not of yourselves, so no man can boast.

All other religions still offer sacrifices etc, and the Pope is just an ordinary man, and does not have any right to forgive a person from their sins.

Here is a verse suited mostly for false popes and preachers:

22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.

Here is a verse for people who abuse the free gift of salvation "asking for forgiveness yet still sinning"

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

Ever worn polyester? I know I have, so does that mean I have to ask for forgiveness?

 

[DCP]

Ever worn polyester? I know I have, so does that mean I have to ask for forgiveness?

So by choice you just ignored everything about the old covenant, and you ask a silly question like that..
I can relate to what you mentioned earlier though. By the time I reached 14, my parents realized I was rebellious, and was too tired from the previous night to even wake up for church.
Today I realize that because I didn't have the heart to understand God, it's the reason why I preferred to be rebellious.
A person can go to church their entire life, yet not know who God is. That is the unfortunate reality. Peace.

 

[Aphelion]

If it is Gods choice, I am officially confirming the theory that God is just a normal human playing The Sims.

Yeah, and he has been AFK for the last 2000 years.

 

[The McMerc]

So by choice you just ignored everything about the old covenant, and you ask a silly question like that..
I can relate to what you mentioned earlier though. By the time I reached 14, my parents realized I was rebellious, and was too tired from the previous night to even wake up for church.
Today I realize that because I didn't have a heart to understand God, it's the reason why I preferred to be rebellious.
A person can go to church their entire life, yet not know who God is. That is the unfortunate reality. Peace.

So by choice you just ignored what I said and completely skip away from the question? I'm not "Ignoring everything about the old covenant" I'm just asking a question which you failed to address in my previous post. You don't seem to be able to answer it.

 

[Spurgy 777]

You don't seem to be able to answer it.

Wouldn't be the first time.

 

[Scaff]

Because of Christ, we no longer fall under the old covenant, but under the new covenant of Grace. This is why you can call on Christ to forgive you for your sins, and then turn from them.

Jesus says your wrong.

 

[DCP]

Jesus says your wrong.

I don't follow the islamic jesus...