davidsf
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Post by davidsf on Feb 21, 2020 6:48:35 GMT -8
When the end of this life comes for each of us, those who turned to Him, are welcomed in, those who spent their life in rejection of Him, are turned away.And therein lies my conundrum. Those that turn to Him and those who reject Him are only a small minority of the earth's citizens. There are billions and billions who have never heard of Jesus Christ, and wouldn't know the path to follow Him if it punched them in the face. Many of them lead lives as giving and nurturing as any Christian, yet you seem to believe they are all doomed to burn in hell. Human, and limited factoring, MDDad. first, God is not as unreasonable as you suppose me to be presenting Him. He (also) said Christ will not return until ALL have had the opportunity to accept or reject. Second, God did not give me the responsibility to judge others just like he did not give you the responsibility to worry about anyone other than yourself and your family. Obviously, you are free to pick any rationale you want to cover your rejection of Him, but I’m telling you, it won’t hide you when that final gavel bangs. the choice is now and will always be (up until the day you shuffle off this mortal coil) yours to make. |
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MDDad
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Post by MDDad on Feb 21, 2020 7:33:11 GMT -8
first, God is not as unreasonable as you suppose me to be presenting Him. He (also) said Christ will not return until ALL have had the opportunity to accept or reject. I wasn't commenting on the timing of Christ's return. My concern is for the billions of innocent souls who will burn in hell in the mean time because they have never heard of him. You are being presumptuous when you say I have rejected Him. I have not. But I believe in a benevolent God who would not burn good people because of their ignorance of his Son. |
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Bick
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Post by Bick on Feb 21, 2020 8:05:15 GMT -8
Dave & Dad - is it possible that our interpretation of God is different, and because of that difference, not absolute for others, even though it is for us?
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davidsf
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Post by davidsf on Feb 21, 2020 10:07:20 GMT -8
first, God is not as unreasonable as you suppose me to be presenting Him. He (also) said Christ will not return until ALL have had the opportunity to accept or reject. I wasn't commenting on the timing of Christ's return. My concern is for the billions of innocent souls who will burn in hell in the mean time because they have never heard of him. You are being presumptuous when you say I have rejected Him. I have not. But I believe in a benevolent God who would not burn good people because of their ignorance of his Son. Dammit... I apologize: I was not intending to single you out. I was using the General, editorial “you” but I didn’t explain that. You’re right, the way I wrote that IS very presumptuous. God’s promise that Christ would not return until all have had the opportunity to accept or reject includes all those about whom you are concerned. That we might not understand HOW He will pull (or has pulled) that off is irrelevant. If He needed us to know, He would have explained it somewhere... which I believe He has, but not all agree. |
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davidsf
Master Eminence Grise
Posts: 5,252
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Post by davidsf on Feb 21, 2020 10:14:15 GMT -8
Dave & Dad - is it possible that our interpretation of God is different, and because of that difference, not absolute for others, even though it is for us? Yes, absolutely 😄 that said, however, it is our “job,” once we have committed our life to Christ, to find out what we can about the God we serve. Such discovery is not possible without 1) Prayer, and 2) the Bible ... and even then, we can only know so much. What we CAN know, however, is but a handful of Scripture, much of which has to be taken on faith. ALL the rest of it, things like Noah’s Ark, Jonah in the belly of the whale, timing of the last days, even the process of creation... all of it is open to our differences and our argument (using the better sense of that word). i frequently interject my understanding of God when I see what I believe to be inaccuracies, knowing full well the high possibility that I do not understand someone’s written word here. |
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RSM789
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Post by RSM789 on Feb 21, 2020 11:18:20 GMT -8
I know we blast Pete Buttigieg for his buffet approach to Christianity, ... But I have to admit I also sometimes eat at the same buffet. I really hope that is not a euphemism... |
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RSM789
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Post by RSM789 on Feb 21, 2020 11:21:30 GMT -8
No worries about me thinking you're judging me. The God I believe in is a little more reasonable. Sure hope I'm right. 😱 While I am like you in this regard, it is remotely possible that God is a dick and gets his kicks giving people an F for their time on earth, sending them straight to hell. Think of a Thanos as God, that kind of dude. If that is the case, death is gonna really suck. |
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davidsf
Master Eminence Grise
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Post by davidsf on Feb 21, 2020 13:07:58 GMT -8
In fact, he gets no kicks for giving out F’s, but He also gave us all the tools we need to listen to His entreaties and make rational decisions regarding them. In the end, each individual will be held to account for that decision: The simplest multiple choice test and there is only one right answer: Did you give your life to Christ when you were living?- Yes, I did
- No, I did not
Jesus checks the validity of your answer.
”A” enters Heaven
”B” goes to Hell
At that point, there is no argumentation, debate, or “yeah, buts”... there is only “yes” or there is “no.”
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RSM789
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Post by RSM789 on Feb 21, 2020 13:21:13 GMT -8
Well, in my defense, I did say it is only remotely possible...
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MDDad
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Post by MDDad on Apr 2, 2020 21:45:00 GMT -8
In fact, he gets no kicks for giving out F’s, but He also gave us all the tools we need to listen to His entreaties and make rational decisions regarding them. In the end, each individual will be held to account for that decision: The simplest multiple choice test and there is only one right answer: Did you give your life to Christ when you were living?- Yes, I did
- No, I did not
Jesus checks the validity of your answer.
”A” enters Heaven
”B” goes to Hell
At that point, there is no argumentation, debate, or “yeah, buts”... there is only “yes” or there is “no.”
Then I must ask again, using the above multiple choice test, is it your belief that all Jews, all Muslims, all Buddhists, all Hindus, and all members of all religions other than Christianity are going to hell? |
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davidsf
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Posts: 5,252
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Post by davidsf on Apr 3, 2020 12:17:24 GMT -8
In fact, he gets no kicks for giving out F’s, but He also gave us all the tools we need to listen to His entreaties and make rational decisions regarding them. In the end, each individual will be held to account for that decision: The simplest multiple choice test and there is only one right answer: Did you give your life to Christ when you were living?- Yes, I did
- No, I did not
Jesus checks the validity of your answer.
”A” enters Heaven
”B” goes to Hell
At that point, there is no argumentation, debate, or “yeah, buts”... there is only “yes” or there is “no.”
Then I must ask again, using the above multiple choice test, is it your belief that all Jews, all Muslims, all Buddhists, all Hindus, and all members of all religions other than Christianity are going to hell? The issue is not what they are called or with which group they affiliate. the Bible says, very clearly, ALL are called: All, regardless of church, group, heredity, or deformity. All means all. The Bible also says everyone has an inherent understanding of God (Romans 1:18-19), so no one has an excuse. So, regardless of the religious (or other) group with which one is affiliated or identifies, the multiple choice quiz still remains the only way... EVEN if one identified as “Christian,” they... we all have to pass the test. It is the only game in town after we die. |
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MDDad
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Post by MDDad on Apr 3, 2020 12:30:45 GMT -8
Then I must ask again, using the above multiple choice test, is it your belief that all Jews, all Muslims, all Buddhists, all Hindus, and all members of all religions other than Christianity are going to hell? The issue is not what they are called or with which group they affiliate. the Bible says, very clearly, ALL are called: All, regardless of church, group, heredity, or deformity. All means all. The Bible also says everyone has an inherent understanding of God (Romans 1:18-19), so no one has an excuse. So, regardless of the religious (or other) group with which one is affiliated or identifies, the multiple choice quiz still remains the only way... EVEN if one identified as “Christian,” they... we all have to pass the test. It is the only game in town after we die. So to make a long story short, you're answer is yes, you believe all those members of all other religions are going to hell. Right? |
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davidsf
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Post by davidsf on Apr 3, 2020 12:48:25 GMT -8
My answer is, “The Bible is the final authority.”
I am not sure why you seem to need me to utter specific words.
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Post by vilepagan on Apr 3, 2020 12:57:50 GMT -8
Well, given that he's made two mutually exclusive claims, I don't think he has a rational answer.
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MDDad
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Post by MDDad on Apr 3, 2020 13:11:03 GMT -8
My answer is, “The Bible is the final authority.” I am not sure why you seem to need me to utter specific words. And I'm not sure why you seem so reluctant to do so. It's like your multiple choice test, yes or no, do you believe all people of all the world's other religions are going to hell? |
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