I grew up atheist for 16 years. I had always kept an open mind towards religion, but never really felt a need to believe in it. My sister started going to a Wednesday night children's program at a church. Eventually, I was dragged into a Christmas Eve service. Scoffing, I reluctantly went, assuming that this was going to be a load of crap, but when I went, I felt something. Something that I've never felt before. I felt a sense of empowerment and a sense of calling. Jesus called upon my soul, just like he did with his disciples. he wanted me to follow him. Now, my life is being lived for Christ. He died on the cross for my sins, and the sins of everyone who believes in him. He was beaten, brutalized, struck with a whip 39 times, made to carry a cross up to the stage of his death. This I believe to be true, and I can never repay him for what he has done. I still have my struggles with Christianity, but I've found this bit of information most useful. Religion is not comprehensible in the human mind, because we cannot comprehend the idea of a perfect and supreme being, a God, but we can believe it in our heart, and that's the idea of faith. Faith is, even though everything rides against me believing in Jesus, I still believe in him because I know that it's true in my heart. I invite my fellow Brothers and sisters of the LORD to talk about how Jesus has helped you in your life. No atheists and no insults please
Say what you want about the Bible, but it gives great advice.
The Bible covers the entire moral spectrum, when you endorse all view points ultimately endorse non. We can just as easily have it endorse horrific brutal acts as we can have it say those very acts are wrong.
Interesting, because that's entirely true. When has arguments about the law and court stuff ever been good?
Yeah, you're right. We should have never talked about the law. We should have never changed it. I want my slaves back!
Say what you want about the Bible, but it gives great advice.
Orly?
Leviticus 20:13 If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
Exodus 22:18 Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.
Leviticus 20:9 For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him.
This is always a nice example of God's just and all loving nature, get people to cannibalize there children and vice versa for disobeying him without pity.
Ezekiel 5:7-11 (KJV) Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye multiplied more than the nations that are round about you, and have not walked in my statutes, neither have kept my judgments, neither have done according to the judgments of the nations that are round about you; Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, am against thee, and will execute judgments in the midst of thee in the sight of the nations. And I will do in thee that which I have not done, and whereunto I will not do any more the like, because of all thine abominations. Therefore the fathers shall eat the sons in the midst of thee, and the sons shall eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments in thee, and the whole remnant of thee will I scatter into all the winds. Wherefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD; Surely, because thou hast defiled my sanctuary with all thy detestable things, and with all thine abominations, therefore will I also diminish thee; neither shall mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity.
Ezekiel 5:7-11 (KJV) Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye multiplied more than the nations that are round about you, and have not walked in my statutes, neither have kept my judgments, neither have done according to the judgments of the nations that are round about you; Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, am against thee, and will execute judgments in the midst of thee in the sight of the nations. And I will do in thee that which I have not done, and whereunto I will not do any more the like, because of all thine abominations. Therefore the fathers shall eat the sons in the midst of thee, and the sons shall eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments in thee, and the whole remnant of thee will I scatter into all the winds. Wherefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD; Surely, because thou hast defiled my sanctuary with all thy detestable things, and with all thine abominations, therefore will I also diminish thee; neither shall mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity.
Yes, I know this is in the Bible, but it's in the same chapter that God describes how much the people have messed up. Ezekiel 20:1-52. And since God is just as well as loving, he HAS to punish evil. Also, you seem to forget that there were PROPHETS who warned these people (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Elijah...) that this would happen. And now it happens, and you say God is unjust! What kind of love would God have if he let Israel keep sinning?
^ One thing i question my lecturer on quite a lot avorne. God says he created evil, evil which is apparently against him. Then you throw the argument of free will into the mix and it gets even more messy.
The only plausible interpretation i could come up with is that by creating free will, God created evil?
The only plausible interpretation i could come up with is that by creating free will, God created evil?
Or, even more simple, God is a manmade concept, not a reality, and thus any inconsistencies and faults arise from millions of people piecing together what they want out of religion...
The only plausible interpretation i could come up with is that by creating free will, God created evil?
I like what Kasic said but I just thought I'd address this. In all the different versions of the Bible I've looked at (KJV, NWT, etc) it's made to sound like God consciously and directly created evil - it doesn't say that he created it indirectly through free will so to interpret it that way doesn't make much sense. Indeed, the 'create evil' part is alongside forming light and darkness, so interpreting it as an indirect creation doesn't make much sense when it's paired with direct creations of God.
What's with the very first "choice"? Adam and Eve eating the apple, is said to have been a choice. But imo it wasn't, since the consequences of both options wasn't clear to them, and they have been tempted (by god).
HahiHa, do your research. Eve was tempted, and God told them that if they ate the fruit they'd die(Genesis 2:16-18). Also, the serpent(who was Satan) tempted them, not God. If you say the warning was temptation, then a lack of warning would have been not telling them the consequences. So either way, Adam and Eve knew the consequences, and they made a choice.
