If Christians (myself included) would have truly lived by Christ's perfect blueprint for peace and love, we wouldn't find ourselves in the mess we see here today. It would be much closer to heaven on earth.
Carl Sagan on the Existence of God
- Thread starter What Would Jesus Do?
- Start date
hawkeyetraveler
HB Heisman
While I question your other posts in this thread and have no clue whether God exists or not, I agree with this completely!
Common ground brother.
I’m not sure exactly what to believe. I do believe there is some sort of higher power or being. What that is, I have no idea.
To an extent for me I think it was both. It was going to take much more than just being "raised in a religious family".
I look at that as individuals taking advantage of people’s beliefs. Almost a false prophet type scenario. I look at some of these mega churches where the leader of them wants people to donate their time, money, and so on. Of course they are making six figures or millions.
If/when people like Carl Sagan end up in Hell, they will have horrendous regrets.
Not worth it just to be an atheist, IMO.
Not worth it just to be an atheist, IMO.
Another interesting thought is that we are often made better when we experience the trials of life, so we wouldn't experience that if we didn't have the bad experiences as well.
Study Saint Thomas Aquinas. You could spend a lifetime doing that. He explains everything.
He'll show you the light. 🙂
Texts
Links to On-line Texts of St. Thomas Aquinas. (Incomplete – To suggest additions, please comment below) Opera Omina – The Complete Works of St. Thomas Aquinas in Latin Corpus Thomi…
aquinasonline.com
Lol. Lives a good life, treats people right, doesn't believe in god.. burns for eternity.
It shouldn't really be a mystery why religion will continue to die off in advanced societies.
What's a good life? We all do bad things daily.
Humans are masters of self deception. Even Adolf Hitler thought he was good.
Not believing in god, regardless of all other facts, is sufficient for hell.
Let the dying of religion continue in America.
Let the dying of religion continue in America.
Hell is a choice one makes using free will. You go where you choose. God doesn't force it.
I’m not religious but I find your antics to be odd and indicative of some deeply rooted mental trauma, especially to engage in open religious persecution like a few of you have.
Rev 4:11 says you are worthy, o god, to receive the glory, and the honor, and the power, because you created all things, and because of your will they existed and were created.
Imagine being upset that the creator of all things, the very reason for your existence requires some admiration and respect. Oh the horror! Listen, God doesn't force us to worship him, in fact he's given us the wonderful gift of free will. That means we can choose whether or not we will follow his commands and direction or whether we will reject it. However, those that set there own standards of right and wrong will ultimately face the consequences of their actions.
Imagine being upset that the creator of all things, the very reason for your existence requires some admiration and respect. Oh the horror! Listen, God doesn't force us to worship him, in fact he's given us the wonderful gift of free will. That means we can choose whether or not we will follow his commands and direction or whether we will reject it. However, those that set there own standards of right and wrong will ultimately face the consequences of their actions.
God could stand in front of his sheep and 10% might beleive him tje other 90% would call him a fake and one good guy with a gun would take the bum out. God definately ain t white so he getting the lead
Please just stop, save the proselytizing for people who want to hear it. Pretty sure you're not saving any souls today. 🤣
Whatever makes you feel better about sending an otherwise good person to hell because they don't believe in your god.
Hell is the absence of God. Humans choose it. Would you rather be forced to choose God and have no free will?
The "free will" is a loaded choice. Humans choose to deny "God" mainly because the "God" that humans have created has so many double standards and absurdities that it becomes impossible not to choose absence of God.
Humans have created a God that is conditional. A DIVINE God would never have "conditions." Conditional situations are exclusive to this plane of existence.
Not to mention isaiah 40:22 says there is One who dwells above the CIRCLE of the earth. Yes, 2700 yrs before it was widely accepted that the earth was round the bible told us this to be true. Job 26:7 says he stretches out the northern sky over empty space, suspending the earth upon nothing. This went directly against the teaching of the time by aristotle who taught the earth could never hang in empty space.
That's a typical response when you have no response. "Well... the Bible says I'm right."
I'll quote Jesus back to you: "Is it not written that 'Ye are Gods?' "
Yes.
In that passage, Jesus is referring to Psalm 82:6. The Psalm verse in question is a reference to the judges of Israel who, since they exercised the divine prerogative to judge, were called “gods.”
In the Psalm, God is condemning the judges of Israel for their wicked judgments and reminding them that they will face him at the ultimate judgment. In the Gospel of John, Jesus is pointing out the hypocrisy of the Jewish leaders in assuming the descriptor “god” but denying it to Jesus.
You sure it wasn’t the need for numbers for protection, hunting, gathering, and procreating wasn’t what brought people together to form the first civilizations?
Once again Hell is NOT a Bible teaching!
Does it make sense to you that a God of love would punish people get ally in hellfire?
1 John 4:8-Whoever does not love has not come to know God, because God is love
Doesn’t say God has love or can love .. it says God is love. Can you as a human father imagine punishing your children by pushing their ear onto a hot stove and just leaving it there for them to suffer in pain and agony!?!! Didn’t think so.
To accuse God of something similar is not consistent with what the Bible teaches about Him.
It in fact paints him as a cruel tyrant which couldn’t be FURTHER from the truth .
Perhaps if people actually learned who Cod is they might actually stop believing the Satanic lie of hellfire .
Hell is purely Biblical.
Jesus talked more about Hell than He did about Heaven.
Did Jesus Say There is a Hell?
For many people today, the concept of hell is outdated, a relic of the past that has served its purpose and can be safely done away with. But for those who are interested in what Jesus taught, hell cannot be so easily dismissed. In fact, no other biblical figure speaks about hell more often than...
www.christianity.com
You should really ask someone you know in real life to read these things before you post them.
Your interpretation of Scripture is far different from mine. That's another hole for so-called Bible literalists. There is no "one right way" to interpret Scripture.
I read this and have a completely different understanding:
5 They do not know or understand; they wander in the darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. 6I have said, ‘You are gods; you are all sons of the Most High.’ 7 But like mortals you will die, and like rulers you will fall.”…
John 10:34
Jesus replied, "Is it not written in your Law: 'I have said you are gods'?
You have your way, I have mine. God neither punishes, nor rewards. God is not a "He" in my understanding. My God doesn't have, or need, a penis.
Right. You can't simply take a line of Scripture and interpret it out of context which is why I explained John 10:34 to you.
Jesus was not saying that we are all gods.
This is comical lol . What exactly do you mean by double standards? God does not have double standards ! There is good and evil . There is Gods commandments and principles and there is human made up beliefs and philosophy! The majority of people choose to ignore Gods clear commands on what is considered good conduct in his eyes!
The fact is most have chosen to follow their own path , choosing to ignore Gods viewpoint.
Really this scripture has never been more true:
Isaiah 5:20-Woe to those who say that good is bad and bad is good, Those who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, Those who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter”
This accurately describes what people have done ! Rhey minimize or water down Gods clear commands on many things.
I have to apologize to you . I responded to quickly on your other post. I misread the part where you said humans have created a God that is conditional . Sorry bout that .
I think we agree in principle about God having his standards and people choosing to make their own rules …
Yes, HE WAS! He was emphatically telling his disciples that precisely!
33 “We are not stoning You for any good work,” said the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because You, who are a man, declare Yourself to be God.” 34 Jesus replied, “Is it not written in your Law: ‘I have said you are gods’? 35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken—…
“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father."
He was specifically telling anyone who would listen that "I and the Father are ONE." He is us and we are him!
Now, of course, the Church stands to lose a lot of ground if people are led to believe that we don't need THEM! That's one of the main reasons he was crucified BY the church! "That guy is trying to run us out of business!"
I don't refer to God as "He" or "Him" or "His' or "Father" or "King" or any other masculine-gender-specific term. It makes my overall understanding MUCH more valid and clear. I'm finally aware of my own responsibility and not some "super human" male parental figure floating in some parallel universe.
He was not.
In that passage, Jesus is referring to Psalm 82:6. The Psalm verse in question is a reference to the judges of Israel who, since they exercised the divine prerogative to judge, were called “gods.”
You, like many people of Abrahamic belief systems, are convinced that "God" is separate from you. And, more importantly, God is a MALE-something. And, you only pick-up God on one station- The Bible. God is available in countless ways. God is inclusive. God is EVERYTHING and NOTHING and all that is in between.
This restricted understanding of a God that mimics a human body and human behavior is not something I'm willing to limit myself to in order to get some ticket out of the imaginary place called Hell. God gave me knowledge and the ability to question and reason, and I intend to honor God's gift by using those abilities as much as I can while I occupy this form.
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