Blasphemy of the spirit = not accepting salvation. Not cussing at God.
By the way, I guarantee if God were to come to us right now to judge us, we'd all just about crap our pants. You guys may be like, "Oh, yeah, God is a douche; I'd go off and say such-and-such or do such-and-such," but I'm fairly certain it'd be more of bowing down/falling flat on our faces (and most of you all would be like, "Oh, shit, He's real"馃槈.
Amen.
However, Lana, God is the most just Thing that you will ever come across. Believe it or not. And therefor, unlike any judges here on earth, he knows the real motive to every action we do. And has a different judgement for everyone of us. Don't get me wrong, but is some one was mentally unstable, and not aware of his actions, would you pass the same judgement as if he were a man aware of his actions?
I used to feel that way, but If God created everything and said it was good, why would he sent it to hell, though I don't believe in hell.
I see it like this. If you were God and your creations were mice, would you send them to an eternal torment because they didn't understand your rules? What if there were 3000 such groups of mice all with 3000 different rules to be followed to go to heaven? What if some mice were confused and didn't know what group was right, because they ALL said they were right. So what if those mice lived by the fruits of the spirit and didn't chose any group...Would God condemn them??
Why would God judge any of them? They are His creation and he said they were good. If God gave them free will, and they chose the wrong group why would god punish them for chosing the wrong group. Why punish them for using their free will? Doesn't make sense.
Ok, take the Fall. The Fall is the concept of Lucifer (now Satan), with full knowledge of what he was doing, EVEN of the outcome still chose to fight the will of God. And so God told Satan that he know longer has a place for him in Heaven, and thus Hell was created.
Same with us. Christians have to understand that cristianity is the way. Even with doubts you have to accept some things blindely because with age comes wisdom and understanding. That's why sin is such a big deal now a days, because you already know who the winning side is. Yet for some strange reason we still root for the losers. Even become a part of their team. And when you have countless people, places, and things, that are trying to prove to you that God is the way to eternal happiness, and you still decide to say "NO", than what else can you do. If you take the Parable of "The workers in the Vineyard".
In it you have a landowner who got different men at different times of the day to tend his vineyard. At the end of the day, he paid them all equal wages. When the landowner was questioned about his decision his reply was this, "Friends, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your payand go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?"
Now, granted, we will all be paid the same; Heaven. Every one gets full access and not just because you did more more, do you get more. But for those whom he went out and asked to work at his vineyard and said no. Will they be not paid. Because if you don't work for it, you don't reap it. Fables like the Red hen demonstrates this the best.
But on an understanable bases, your fruits of the Holy Spirit. Don't you have to work on a virtue to reap the fruits of it? Same concept as Heaven.
Hope I didn't confuse you anymore.
Originally posted by debbiejo
I used to feel that way, but If God created everything and said it was good, why would he sent it to hell, though I don't believe in hell.
I see it like this. If you were God and your creations were mice, would you send them to an eternal torment because they didn't understand your rules?
What if there were 3000 such groups of mice all with 3000 different rules to be followed to go to heaven? What if some mice were confused and didn't know what group was right, because they ALL said they were right. So what if those mice lived by the fruits of the spirit and didn't chose any group...Would God condemn them??
Why would God judge any of them? They are His creation and he said they were good. If God gave them free will, and they chose the wrong group why would god punish them for chosing the wrong group. Why punish them for using their free will? Doesn't make sense.
Originally posted by FeceMan
Everything was good until Adam and Eve sinned. And then it went downhill from there...What ISN'T there to understand? The Bible gives explicit directions on how to avoid hell and live forever--it's like a two-fer. Should people not heed the advice and ignore the free gift of salvation, I have little sympathy for them. It's FREE, for crying out loud, at least on our part.
Yes, He would. To live by the fruits of the spirit allows one to live a Godly life, but since we all (to be frank) suck, we can't just be good little boys and girls and expect to get into heaven. After all, how subjective would that be? "Well, Johnny over here gives to charity but also is a murderer. He does service work and gives to the church. He even offers free counseling and runs a special camp for children who can't afford to go to Christian camps. Eh..." The Bible puts it quite plainly: "Either you accept Christ as your savior or you don't get in. It doesn't matter if you killed or raped or spent your entire life doing good things. If you chose not to be with God on Earth, you have chosen not to be with Him in heaven."
Once again, they WERE good. The law has given me the right to own a gun. If I misuse that right, there are consequences that must be paid. So it is with free will.
You seem to obtrusive with this. To go in the decending order:
1).Everything was good until the Devil sin. Because Without the devil, there never would have been the first temptation.
2). There is a thing called purity of intention, and self-blindment. Purity of intention is the act of an action out of true belief. If you were to follow a "bad" religion till you died, because no one told you it was wrong, and you weren't offered a better choice, purity of intention is that you did it out true beliefs, and ignorance will save you more or less. But self-blindness is if you know your religion is bad and you chose to do it anyways.
3). God wrote on each one of our hearts the words "Do good, avoid evil." It is found on all our hearts. If at times you seem confused. Shut yourself up in a little room and listen to your heart. Because when you listen to it out of doubt, it is joined by mind and soul.
Originally posted by PrinceofBlades
You seem to obtrusive with this. To go in the decending order:1).Everything was good until the Devil sin. Because Without the devil, there never would have been the first temptation.
2). There is a thing called purity of intention, and self-blindment. Purity of intention is the act of an action out of true belief. If you were to follow a "bad" religion till you died, because no one told you it was wrong, and you weren't offered a better choice, purity of intention is that you did it out true beliefs, and ignorance will save you more or less. But self-blindness is if you know your religion is bad and you chose to do it anyways.
3). God wrote on each one of our hearts the words "Do good, avoid evil." It is found on all our hearts. If at times you seem confused. Shut yourself up in a little room and listen to your heart. Because when you listen to it out of doubt, it is joined by mind and soul.
Originally posted by FeceMan
1. OK, yes, but you know what I meant.
2. True, and I've wondered this myself--what about the people before Jesus? And what about the Indians who weren't introduced to Christiantiy until later? I think that perhaps the former were judged as being all for God or all for gods. I don't know enough of the culture back then to see if there was a middle ground. The latter, however, I don't have an answer for.
3. Though this is true, there is also the desire for malice inside us. The yearning to cause pain to others.
Don't take me the wrong way, but the way I best understand my religion, is by comparing it to Star Wars. Everyone is capable of the force (Christianity-I suppose) but very few learn how to master it. And when you finally tap into your force pool, you have to under go a training so as not to abuse it. But even with the training an aprentice still can chose the dark side. And to go to the dark side the apprentice allows his passions/desires/emotions to rule him (in this case the desire for malice). I bet you anything that Christ felt the desire for malice in the temple when he over turned the tables. But like all temptations he quelled it, and let it go. He didn't surpress it, he merely made it go away. Which is why Sometime the safest thing, is to follow Christs example, but it doens't work all the time.
What I don't get is why people simply cannot understand that not everyone wants to follow Christianity. I am so sick of being preached at because I chose to follow what I feel is right -- that there is no god, heaven, or hell.
Who's to say that Christianity is the 'right' religion, anyway? Why not Judaism, or Islam, or Buddhism, or Shinto? What makes Christianity so special?