If you destroyed all religious books, as well as all science books..
Came back in 2000yrs, only the new science books would read the same.
Why is the christian god better than jade emperor, or the umpteen hundred hindu gods? Why are there so many gods...
Why is christianity, being a much younger religion, right over far eastern religions.. that differ entirely?
Whether its strictly true or not, it remains absolutely true that Judeo-Christianity is the foundation stone of Western Civilization.
I agree... those god fearing christians came here to escape oppression, and killed off and conquered the indians...
What losers those damn indians, if they would have only prayed with us....
And yes the Indians were "losers", at least if we define that term with reference to reproductive success. They were certainly a very backward, benighted civilization.
I bet there ain't a living soul out there that waited on God to pull the ripcord.
why did believers bother rushing the church goer stroke victim to hospital
All they had to do was invest their faith and start praying and let God do the rest.
The amount of times christians put their primary trust in the science of Glocks and trained Paramedics over Their God and feeble prayers tells you how much they really believe in what they are trying to sell you.
Its a wild ass desperate craspshoot chance that ones prayers would line up with their Gods predetermined will. And when it does they claim that prayers worked.
-Bulletproof and Waterproof don't mean Idiotproof.
It's way over my old head. I wish I was much better at explaining "IT", it's called Faith for a reason. When you are saved by faith, it starts right away.
May God bless all, including the non believers.
One of my favorites.
Amen wabigoon.
What goes up must come down, what goes around comes around, there's no free lunch. Trump's comin' back, get over it!
After all this wrangling and arguing, one of my favorite verses comes to mind.:
12And by these, my son, be further warned: There is no end to the making of many books, and much study wearies the body. 13When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man. 14For God will bring every deed into judgment, along with every hidden thing, whether good or evil.
So argue, shout, scream, ask all your questions, make all your denials, and say there is no evidence and so you don't believe. Ok. You have the right to do as you choose. But do yourself an eternal favor. Stop asking men to convince you. Find a spot where you are alone, look up to the heavens, and ask "If there is a God and if you really exist...just show yourself to me in a way I can see and believe". If you really mean it and you really want to know then He will answer. Besides, you know the truth already. You just deny it.
Or if he exists, he's a fickle and vindictive SOB.
What's vindictive about going to paradise?
You are presuming "paradise" exists. I have yet to see good evidence for that.
Sheesh! Really? You still haven't figured this out?
Quote
On a deeper level, you are proclaiming God did that kid a favor by killing it. If that is the case, why haven't Christians closed all their hospitals?
Because only God knows when it's our time to go. And He did command us to heal the sick.
There are very few things in life that are as obvious as the fact that more time here is generally a good thing. We can look at crime stats and see that people generally become more virtuous as they age.
There was feuding and tension and conflict among the very called who were ‘with’ Jesus...and in the early church. People are different, and they see things differently. They feel differently and have different perspectives about things. Whether it’s politics or theology or marriage or raising kids or finances, etc.... Jesus didn't call everyone to agree on everything, but He did command his followers to be united by unconditional love.
2 Peter 3:17-18 exhorts us, "You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard lest, being carried away by the error of unprincipled men, you fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen."
1 Corinthians 1:10 teaches, Now I exhort you, brothers, by he name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree, an there be no division among you but you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment."
"Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ; so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one soul striving together for the faith of the Gospel." (Philippians 1:27)
A few verses later God continues the thought,
"If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose." (Philippians 2:1-2)
Now may the God of perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus; that with one accord you may with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 15:5-6)
"Only Christ is the fullness of God's revelation." Everyday Hunter
Well... heaven must be pretty rural. Only 31% of humans are Christians. Plenty of room for you boys to shoot.
However, I got bad news for you bigots, 79% of of African Americans are Christians...
Maybe you should pick Taoism.... doesnt sound like heaven is where you mouthy boys wanna be, maybe a little darker than you had hoped hahaha
The state of the black church in USA is by and large apostate, marxist-syncretism.
What about the white churches that are allowing homosexuals and even marrying them? What about catholics with young boys peckers in their hands.... what about these mega churches with televised services with pastors making millions? Theres lots more but I will spare you the reading, just so you can feel good about your previous comment lol
Jesus covered that:
Mat 7:21 ¶ "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
After all this wrangling and arguing, one of my favorite verses comes to mind.:
12And by these, my son, be further warned: There is no end to the making of many books, and much study wearies the body. 13When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man. 14For God will bring every deed into judgment, along with every hidden thing, whether good or evil.
So argue, shout, scream, ask all your questions, make all your denials, and say there is no evidence and so you don't believe. Ok. You have the right to do as you choose. But do yourself an eternal favor. Stop asking men to convince you. Find a spot where you are alone, look up to the heavens, and ask "If there is a God and if you really exist...just show yourself to me in a way I can see and believe". If you really mean it and you really want to know then He will answer. Besides, you know the truth already. You just deny it.
Generally speaking, when you say look up at the heavens... is that in the direction of the moon? Do I look down at lunch time then or directly at the sun?
Well... heaven must be pretty rural. Only 31% of humans are Christians. Plenty of room for you boys to shoot.
However, I got bad news for you bigots, 79% of of African Americans are Christians...
Maybe you should pick Taoism.... doesnt sound like heaven is where you mouthy boys wanna be, maybe a little darker than you had hoped hahaha
The state of the black church in USA is by and large apostate, marxist-syncretism.
What about the white churches that are allowing homosexuals and even marrying them? What about catholics with young boys peckers in their hands.... what about these mega churches with televised services with pastors making millions? Theres lots more but I will spare you the reading, just so you can feel good about your previous comment lol
Jesus covered that:
Mat 7:21 ¶ "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
So is it only the homosexuals who wont get in, or the people who sat in the pew next to them? Its all very confusing lol
The state of the black church in USA is by and large apostate, marxist-syncretism.
What about the white churches that are allowing homosexuals and even marrying them? What about catholics with young boys peckers in their hands.... what about these mega churches with televised services with pastors making millions? Theres lots more but I will spare you the reading, just so you can feel good about your previous comment lol
Jesus covered that:
Mat 7:21 ¶ "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
I prefer the translations that have "you evildoers" translated along the lines of "workers of lawlessness". Why? Because it emphasizes that The Law has not passed away and it makes identifying who these people are much easier.
I've been witness to enough miracles of the "hit-you-over-the head" variety, that I cannot believe other than that God does answer prayer.
One thing all this has taught me: When one is not feeling God's presence in the World, it is because of personal blindness, perversity, or ignorance. It's not that God is failing to reveal himself. He's there. You're just not open to it.
I am not at all certain about the mechanics of prayer. I have no clue. I have seen prayer work. I have seen prayer not work. However, I have seen prayer work in such bizarre, unexplainable ways that I do not and cannot deny its power. There is stuff going on there of Cosmic complexity, that I'm not even going to venture a guess. Given that, I will give the following advice:
Pray. It may feel silly at first, but it is well worth the effort.
Give thanks. Talk to the air and just thank whatever might be listening for the good day you've had, or that feeling you get when you crawl between the sheets at night. Remember to say thank you for every piss you take. Consider the alternatives and you will, believe me.
Talking to the air helps. I've been talking to God longer than I've been a Christian. Forget the mechanics or that it doesn't make sense. You talk. Something listens.
This isn't Santa Claus. You don't want to get hooked on writing your daily Christmas list. It ain't gonna work.
Do not look for proof. Proof will come, but do not ask for it and do not expect it. There are a bunch of reasons for this. The biggest reason is that clear and certain proof is not something anybody wants. Most people who get that kind of proof don't continue breathing. Been there. Done that. I've got the broken coffee mug and the ripped T-shirt.
Most people get hung up trying to address the Big Hairy Guy in the Sky. I don't know if he's there or not. What I do know is stop thinking about looking at the big Mountain far off in the distance or the clouds above and wondering how to get the Guy up there to listen. Instead, contemplate the idea that you are in the middle of the Mountain, and what you are trying to reach is all around. If that idea doesn't blow your skirts up, go for a walk in the woods. God is all around you. God is within you. There is no place you can go where God does not Exist, except in your own heart.
This latter concept is an illusion. God is there, you just don't want to recognize it.
Remember, the role of shaman was not something I signed up for. It showed up on my doorstep. I got pushed into it. It came as an overwhelming wave of coincidences that I ended up having to recognize. When I've tried to walk away from it, strange things have happened.
Last evening a man in our church had a major stoke. They got him to the hospital, ran a CAT scan and found a huge pool of blood and a lot of brain damage in his frontal cortex. The hospital here is a branch of the big one in Boise where they have a special stroke unit. They decided to fly him to Boise but the helicopter had a problem of some kind and they couldn't use it. They did a 2d CAT scan to re-assess the damage and decided it was bad enough that he really needed to get to Boise. So, they loaded him in an ambulance for the 2 hr drive. When they got to Boise, they ran yet another CAT scan. After the specialist looked at the results, he walked in the room about 3am this morning, pointed at the sky and said the man was the recipient of one of the Lord's miracles. There was no bleeding and no brain damage. It was gone.
There's always the question of why does God heal some and not others. I don't know. God will heal who he wants to heal. It's his world and he calls the shots. I was once healed myself of pneumonia about 25 years ago. I'd been very sick for over a week and was having breathing problems. My wife's aunt, who was a staunch Christian, prayed for me and it was gone. It felt like a huge belch starting at the bottom of my lungs and quickly pushing to the top. That took about 1.5 seconds I could breath freely again. It took a few days to cough the crud out of my lungs but the bug was gone.
I absolutely believe God answers prayers. But, he does not always give us the answer we want. God is God and I am not.
John
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
