They are not sick in the head, weak minded, or a coward, they just haven't had their minds open to the truth yet. Weren't you at this same place at one time?
If someone would worship a being...any form of being...Human, God, whatever who would torcher FOREVER MOST of his creation, then these people are indeed sick, or cowardice (worshipping out of fear).
Many followed Hitler, (out of fear), who is but a pale example to a maniac who would torcher most of his own creation (his own CHILDREN) forever in a fire.
Its just my opinion, im not asking anyone to agree with me...Its pretty black and white to me. Its also the reason i believe Jesus said "Look the prostitutes are entering the Kingdom before you!", and "The last will be first"...
In other words, the ones who THINK they are first, will end up last.
Atheists dont have a 'god' per se, yet many of them manage to love out of the goodness of their hearts, with no reward, or thoughts of a heavenly afterlife...
All through their lives they believe that if the Christian teaching (traditional hell forever nonsense) were true, then they would be FIRST into the hellhole...without knowing that they are the 'last' that will be 'first'. (To heaven).
Who will argue with God on judgement day? - The surprised athiest who discovers that God is actually great, full of love and NOTHING like most of Christendom?
Or will it be the 'Christians' (traditional hell fire believers) who want JUSTICE! They want PUNISHMENT! They want TORCHER! "Nooooo God! Burn them!!"
Who will God put first and who will He put last?
I know what I would do.
And no, i never worshipped the image of such an evil god...I couldnt...I love people to much. Heaven would be hell for me if most of mankind ended up in hell anyway.
Also, the thought of being in a 'heaven' surrounded by all the religious hypocrites i came across my entire life never really appealed to me...Heaven sounded more like hell.... having to listen to that crap? not just for a lifetime, but forever...whoa!
I know there are people out there who wouldn't be interested in hearing the meaning of words in the Bible but there are others who would be. I am not talking about teaching Trinity, or other doctrines, just the meaning of words that have been misunderstood, mistranslated, and misused.
I think any reasonable person would seek out the truth...Or at least deconvert from traditional Christianity...How can one love a God of love, while believeing that this God of love sends most of his own children to an eternal torcher pit? How can one love a 'god' who would burn his own unbelieving family (mother, children, brothers, fathers, sisters) in hell forever and justify it by saying...."A book told me so".... ...It never made any sense to me....It just goes to show how willing some people are to lose their mind over a book without actually consulting their brains, emotions, conscience etc at the same time...Most Christians dont even know the meaning of the world love, or mercy...How can they if they worship a being that would torcher forever his own children? They dont have the first clue about love...Thats why we have people who believe in eternal torment killing their children and going nuts in a supermarket with a rifle, or why we have Muslims who jump in the nearest plane and smash it into the closest building they can find....They dont have a clue about love.
But i aggree, its great to put the truth out there so that others 'might' respond, but i feel the best way to show God to the world is to be Christlike "So that they see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven", as Jesus said.
Sadly few bother to do this, most instead sit around on forums all day, jobless and in never ending futile debates.
Again, its their choice, but to the non believeing world...THAT is what they see....arguments, lazy 'Christians', forever debating this or that, doing no real 'good' in the world at all, and continually in a cycle of belief, unbelief, belief, unbelief, constantly need reasurrance and actually just wasting their lives. Many end up turning from the faith or cracking up and non believers see how hypcritical and loveless they really are and think..."Whoa im better off as I am, who would want to be that mixed up and 'lost'".
The unbeliever may be 'lost' in sin, but at least he will get through life without jumping off a bridge.
The rest of the Christian world, just becomes a Christian one day in a packed out church and goes around for the rest of their days saying they are a Christian. Ask them where the book of Deuteronomy appears in the Bible and they respond something thus-
"Whats a Duesteranomie?"
They dont question their 'faith', dont have a clue what or who they are worshipping, and dont really care, but they are quick to point out that they are going to heaven while most other people are going to hell forever, because they are so incredibly wise and 'sorted' and good people, and everyone else is evil and satanic.
All this ramming stuff down peoples throats, and all this "im right and your wrong" rubbish is embarrassing. I dont get involved anymore, i finally grew up.
If people WANT to find answers they WILL, because their conscience and other influences will FORCE them to seek, as probably all the members on here could attest one way or another.
I am agreeing with you, I think its great to get the truth out there...But.... A lot of damage has been done with this eternal torment doctrine and i think we need to be careful with who we talk to about it...In other words, if someone doesnt want to hear it, why share it? Rocking peoples beliefs can actuallys send them off their head. Most people get to a stubborn point in a particular faith where as soon as someone questions their belief they go
"WHOOOAAA!! STOP STOP!" And cover their ears.
Their life made no sense without their belief, and anything that challenges it, they dont want to hear about it. Its a very sensitive issue, and the reason i mention that is on forums in the past i have continuously seen UR believers debating day in and day out with ET believers...Both sometimes ending up sounding just as bad as each other.
I see the UR believer say that hell wasnt a word until 720 ad, and then 5000 pages later on the forum, i see that it still hasnt 'sunk in' to the ETERs head and they are still saying "Jesus said hell more than he said heaven!"
I believe in showing people God in the way we live, or at least getting off our bums on occasion to actually do some good in the world...Faith is a great thing, it helps you, but if your not doing any works it does bugger all to help anyone else....especially if you keep talking about your great 'faith' and how great Jesus is, when all the while your jobless, and sit around on forums all day, not lifting a finger to help anyone or do anything.
Sorry for the long rant, most of it wasnt directed at you (i just want to make that very clear! I was just on a roll and i thought "why stop now!"? i just wanted to make a few points! I actually cant stand religion.
True religion to me is the same as Christ said - "Visiting the widow and orphans in their distress".
I have no time for 'crap'. I just wish people would start loving each other and helping each other, God or no God. Were only here for a short time. I wish people would just believe "God is love", and get on with it.
Does it matter what colour of panties Judas wears or how many times the cock crowed...It doesnt to me.
Faith hope and love....the GREATEST of these is....dun dun dun.....LOVE.
That means that the atheist (faithless) who loves, is greater than the Christian (with faith) who doesnt.
Urgh just love each other! That was Jesus's final and GREATEST COMMANDMENT (love your neighbour as yourself) (how can you love God whom you cant see if you dont love your brother who you CAN see?)
Does the world listen?
Does it EVER listen?
No, because its deaf, and until Christians actually LIVE their faith, they will NEVER understand what love actually is, or who God is.
People should just read - "Love your neighbour as yourself", and leave it at that...Thats enough to do in any one lifetime for anyone. Instead of continually debating about whether Paul had a gold filling on his left tooth or his right, or whether Peter was better at catching tuna than Matthew, or how long St Johns beard was, or whether or not Samson used horse steriods.
If everyone did that (loved each other like they love themselves)...Then we would see a change, but if everyone keeps sitting around on forums (like me tonight), all that will happen is there will be
more people on a forum (whoa talk about world change!!)
......While orphans are dying from hunger and widows are dying alone from a broken heart.
People are so preocuppied with -
"Ohhhhh where will i go when i die....Help! Help! I need answers! Am i saved!?" - Making their own life
hell and everyone around them.
Jesus made it simple...
MARK
The Greatest Commandment
28One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"
29"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.e 30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'f 31The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'g There is no commandment greater than these."
32"Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
34When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.
JOHN
2My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I commandFor fook sake, wake up world....At least get the
MOST IMPORTANT commands right before you bother what colour of eyes St Herod had.
