Hello to All

[twiggy]

Hello, everyone!  I'm Twiggy, a thirty-something-year-old from the USA.  I accepted Christ in middle school and went to a very conservative independent fundamental King-James-Version-Only Baptist church where I learned that most people are going to go to hell.  I didn't think much about that teaching until earlier this year, when I finally started reading Unspoken Sermons by George MacDonald.  The more I read the more I thought, "You know, this makes a lot more sense than what I was taught." 

One of the best things about Universal Reconciliation is that since I have found out about it I am finally able to go to sleep at night without anti-anxiety pills.  The more I think about my life the more I think the teaching of ECT played a large factor in my mental health state and the depression I have dealt with since high school.  I have always had trouble with low self-esteem, and thinking that God was always displeased with me and that I might go to hell if I sinned and didn't ask forgiveness in time was a constant burden.  Understandably, I never understood what Paul meant when he said, "God is love," but now I am beginning to understand. 

I am trying to decide whether to continue attending church.  I coordinate an art group at the church I currently attend and the pastor was talking to us today at the end and said, "Love doesn't win" (referring to the recent gay marriage ruling in the US).  He went on to say that in the Bible even though it says God is love that God's judgement consistently overrules his love.  I didn't say anything because I'm no good at debate, but I did feel rather - I don't know how to describe it - weighed down by what he said.  He teaches on hell about once a month, too.   :sigh:

Anyway, it's nice to meet you all!  I hope I can learn some things here and maybe grow more comfortable in sharing the Gospel as I have come to understand it recently.

[sheila]

 :welcome: :newb: :girlheart:

[sheila]

We have a very loving bunch of brother's and sister's on here.....that love the Lord with all their heart

and mind and strength.  I look forward to getting to know you..and to rejoice with you over the

  Awesome,Wonderful Loving Father and Our Loving Saviour,Jesus Christ.   :friendstu: 

[Lazarus Short]

Welcome to the Tent, Twiggy! 

You know, the whole Hell thing is based on concepts carried over from Greek, Roman, Babylonian, and other pagan sources, and yet they call it Christian Theology.  It is based on theologically-driven translations which replace "grave" "pit" and "Sheol" with Hell and then tell you you're probably going to "live" there forever in conscious torment, while the Bible states that you're dead when you die - again, they call it Christian Theology.  It is based on taking a fairly minor Biblical character, Satan, and making him the evil rival of the True God - Christian Theology, but badly twisted.  It is based on works of fiction, such as Dante's Inferno, and Milton's Paradise Lost - they are used to bolster "Christian" Theology, but don't believe it, as it's fiction.  Once you understand this, Hell will dissipate like a mist [missed?] before you.

I have been on a quest for some time to read through the KJV, and point out that even it does not support the Hell doctrine.  I am currently in the book of Job, and have seen no proof of Hell yet.  I'm rather like the metaphysician who is searching in a coal mine at midnight for a black cat which isn't there...

[Dandelion]

Welcome Twiggy!

So nice to have you here. I think you will like this site.

I am very new myself, but find that this is a homey place, with interesting discussions. I am always learning something new here.

New to Christian UR, too, the concept grabbed me, once I heard of it, for how can love end at the grave, if love never fails, and we are loved with an everlasting love?

I am sure I will 'see' you soon!

D.

[rosered]

  Greetings  and welcome Twiggy  ,
So glad you are here !

We share a somewhat similar background   girl!

So  many of us can  relate .

  I know now, its the call  , the Lord  has chosen you to  ''come out of her my people ,  unless you receive her plagues . spare you spiritual harm .you are loved .

  For me it was the Call     that the Father makes  to join  in worshipping Him in Spirit and  truth   and seeks   them   and calls them out of the world 
To come up here    !  being seated with Christ in heavenly places      and give us the mind of Christ

   His Spirit   , for me  , It is the Lord Jesus Christ that completes  us   after the Father examines our hearts  and gives us the gift of faith to believe in His Son Jesus Christ .  after going though the law  of Moses  [dying to self ]    and even being sent to Babylon [spiritual prison ]   many schoolmasters   to lead us to Christ    an abundant Life  for Gods pleasure ,,,

     in our  trials of  faith , hope and Love being the greatest   fruits of the HOLY SPIRIT
Being the author and finisher of our faith   

It is Jesus Christ that grants us understanding   by opening the seals of the Book of Life and it is His Story    that we  can share and have part in  HIS LIFE !

:HeartThrob:   The Father  delights in faith  without it , it is impossible to please Him and  obedience  is far better than sacrifices  made for not obeying
  leading to sin that is missing  , a part or share in the Life of Christ in my  understanding  , He come to give us  His Life and  abundantly   so we can Live in the SPIRIT & TRUTH  WITH HIM  now   and there is no end  to His Life  nor Spirit  nor Love    they are  the  very  core and source   of all   existence   in  GOD

  Lo I come in the volume of a book written of Me   Hebrews 10 Christ's Sacrifice Once for All
...6IN WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND sacrifices FOR SIN YOU HAVE TAKEN NO PLEASURE.


7"THEN I SAID, 'BEHOLD, I HAVE COME (IN THE SCROLL OF THE BOOK IT IS WRITTEN OF ME) TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD.'"


8 After saying above, "SACRIFICES AND OFFERINGS AND WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND sacrifices FOR SIN YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, NOR HAVE YOU TAKEN PLEASURE in them" (which are offered according to the Law),

  author Strong's G747 - archēgos
ἀρχηγός
Transliteration
archēgos

the chief leader, prince

of Christ

one that takes the lead in any thing and thus affords an example, a predecessor in a matter, pioneer

the author  An author is broadly defined as "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility for what was created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work and can also be described as a writer.


He is the WORD of God made flesh      and the seed is Christ  in you the Hope of glory  and Hope lives   in us  though LOVE  OF GOD for us all

   the incorruptible seed  is sinless , holy and pure     and is not prone  to    error or corruption  ,
This is my joy and hope in Jesus Christ   for all mankind   BECAUSE OF HIS GREAT LOVE   sending His Son Jesus Christ to make the way  and complete us  and present us holy and clean before the Father   to be all in all !

I get excited and carried away in the Spirit  of Gods loving embrace  and presence in our lives !

God has  given us a good safe haven at the Tentmakers  were we all love one another and share in the experiences that   God is with us

so glad to have you  sister  :HeartThrob:

[gregoryfl]

Welcome twiggy,

So thankful that you are experiencing his peace, for that is what his truth brings.  :gimmefive:

[ed]

Hi Twiggy!

I was raised Independent Fundamentalist Baptist as well.

I did hear about Jesus, love and the Romans road there.   I could not live up to the legalism that I thought I was supposed to, though I wanted to so very badly.

Love found me, when I was journaling about my confusion.  I saw myself as selfish and the biggest problem in the world being selfishness.  I decided that life was not worth living if only for myself, and I was not suicidal.  I tried to not be selfish, and found that what I was doing was what I heard in church but never really got...........I was trying to love.  I started reading the Bible with love in mind.

Over the years I was transformed, by the realization that I was truly loved, and that love, enabled me to love.  The basis of true spirituality is the love of God.  Doctrine matters, because it is what our mind believes to be true.  The doctrine of hell, and what it stands on, and you dismantling it, will most definitely bring good fruit into your live..............Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control.  You know you are on the right path by the fruit.

BTW, my mom left that Baptist church that we were raised in, and ended up at a Bible Chapel that she still attends to this day...........that we 30 years ago.

Welcome to Tentmaker!

[twiggy]

Thank you all for the warm welcome!  This seems like a very nice forum.  I asked God to help me know Him better and he lead me to UR; I asked God for reassurance and he lead me here - also He lead me to a video on youtube today that said, "God's judgement is love."   God is good!

[Dandelion]

So glad you are with us!

:Hi5:

[Tom]

Hi Twiggy. Welcome to the forum. I've been persuaded to come out of hibernation temporarily by a dear sister, and your testimony caused me to reach out to you. After reading further down the thread, I see that God already revealed to you what I was going to tell you about God's judgment being love. Folks who push the lie of "hell" like to separate God's judgment from his love in an attempt to justify the lie. The word "hell" is simply an Old English word used in the King James to translate the Greek "hades," literally "unperceived" or "unseen," referring to the "unseen" state of the dead. The church committed forgery in the translation of scripture by intentionally confusing "hell" with "Gehenna" twelve times to deceive people with irrational fear of torture in fire forever after dying, which doesn't even make any sense because how could you keep burning forever without burning up? But that's what we were all programmed with by church doctrine. "Gehenna" is a real place, a ravine, below Jerusalem where Christ spoke of the corpses of executed criminals being burned in the next eon, not so called immortal souls being burned forever. Your pastor and all the folks who preach torture in fire forever ignore scripture that says God is the savior of all mankind, and all on the earth and in the heavens will be reconciled to God through Christ's blood on the cross. No where does scripture say that God's judgment goes against his love or always means condemnation. No where does scripture say God will torture anybody in fire forever. You need to read an accurate translation of scripture, sis. Here's a link to a free copy of one. http://concordant.org/online/index.html God bless you.