The Wages Of Sin Is Death

I deserve a raise.

 

If it is in there that you go to.hell forever. Show me?

 

For what? Best poster on the hip forums?

 

But he/she/it loves us.

 

As long as we're all pale imitations of Jesus Christ.

 

the assumption we can't is self fulfilling. there is nothing to keep us screwing things up, but our own premeditated ignorance. a premeditated ignorance that is promoted because some find it facilitates exploiting others.

 

Not really. Having and acting upon an active conscience seems good enough. That's why Jesus supposedly died for us (our sins). Yeah, I have a little trouble with the forgiveness of sins like that too (nobody has to die when I am forgiving someone ). But it seems that's why we don't have to be like Christ to avoid eternal damnation Or maybe having an active conscience and acting upon that IS acting similar like Jesus Christ?

 

I don't think so...I think people do that naturally. Christianity befuddles everything by telling people they won't do that naturally, frightening people into believing that inside we're all raging madmen.

 

We all have the potential to be raging madmen and saints as well. This is what is done naturally. Christianity doesn't befuddle things inconsistency in thought word and deed does this. What is inconsistent about the approach of most is they care more or less. What we care for more we invest in, what we care for less is expendable and that includes other human beings when you get down to your nitty gritty.

 

Sure, a working conscience is something we have naturally. But to ignore our conscience happens to be an action we do just as naturally Especially where it comes to social constructs we don't give a (big enough) crap about. Like a moral that happens to be important to someone else but not to the person not acting upon their conscience. Or at least not at that point in time when it is working against them

I think you are missing the point. The point is we don't have to be and live exactly like Christ in order to avoid hell. Christians are aware they just need to get a clean conscience, which you don't get by faking things.

 

The bible is a repository for symbols. If hell exists it isn't in fact in the bible.

 

I don't have the potential to be either of these things. I'm just a normal person; I was born that way. As were most of the children in my childhood classes, evidently. I've literally heard Christians say that if it wasn't for Christ they'd be rapists and murderers. Maybe that is true for them, but it's not normal or natural at all.

Maybe Christians don't need to behave exactly like Christ to avoid hell, but that isn't my point. The point in the first place is that, according to the Bible, hell does exist. And according to justbreath that would make God a monster, I guess. I think Christians hold kind of a double standard, because they put Christ up on this pedestal and simultaneously say it's impossible to be like him. Don't expect me to believe they don't expect people to act like Jesus when their favorite saying is "What would Jesus do?" though. They act like if you're being good at all you're doing something Christlike, when really you're just being a normal person. People do good things; people do bad things. It's not going to change if we have to stop worshipping some dude. In fact it hurts things to have an icon of unobtainable goodness raised up above our heads.

So as for taking the Bible literally, when something is inconvenient to your ideal worldview, that was just symbolic...

 

If I recall right there are some words about the afterlife for bad people (gnashing of teeth etc.) but the word hell isn't in the Bible. The word hell stems from a heathen concept of the same thing. And our idea of hell is partly borrowed from the jewish concept (of which some thing is mentioned in the bible) and what christianity later made of it.

This counts perhaps for some christians but it is not my experience with them. They're quite diverse anyway.

Is that a fact? I guess it can go either way, but it generally does not seem to hurt as much as it seems to inspire people. And the only unobtainable part about Jesus Christ seems to be the divine (arguable), certainly we can act and live the same if we really want to.

 

It may not say "hell" but it does say eternal punishment. I think you're arguing a moot point there.

One of my best friends is a Christian. I agree they are diverse, but I still wish they were just comfortable in their own shoes. I think they turn to Christ out of fear, basically. Fear of their own mortality and fear that the monsters will take over the earth.

Well it's all a mess. I don't believe that any image of a man should be revered. At least not like Jesus. For example, it's easy to see how messed up it is when we set up tyrants like Hitler and Stalin as untouchables. Any time I see a man set up like this I think there's something wrong with it. My Jesus would have been a humble MAN. Maybe you could have a picture or a statue here or there...that would be respectful. Not all, but the vast majority of Christian denominations don't treat him that way. They treat him like a tyrant, and that's why people see God as a monster.

 

Nope, I'm not claiming it isn't in there. Just tried to be helpful by getting more specfic how it is in there.

I think most are pretty comfortable in their own shoes. Especially where it comes to their mortality. There are also christians that worry more about other people's mortality than their own (after all, they're save and the soul of the infidel next door isn't)

Hm, are you talking about the vast majority around you? Maybe you should move then Here Jesus is overall regarded as a humble man. But I think it is up to the individual how to perceive him. If you do not like how an inspirational person is portrayed restore the image



Personally I am not a fan of idolizing either, nor tyrants. But I just don't recognize what you say about the vast majoirty (I'm not in the US though) and how they portray/treat him as a tyrant. I will admit I am not sure about what's the christian majority on specific matters in other countries around the world, but the same probably counts for you.
Another thought: it seems to me most people that see God as a monster do so because God is supposed to be almighty and so they blame God for all the pain and suffering in the world (which He should be able to prevent so easily)

 

No. The bible is a book, a repository of symbols. My comment has nothing to do with my world view but the fact of what a book is. The symbols don't act the interpreter of symbols does. There are lots of ways to interpret the idea of hell. If it consists of weeping an gnashing of teeth then we might say that people experience hell as a matter of transient or unrewarding substance in their lives.

 

Personally, I LOVE repent. Sometimes I just want Jesus to punish me so badly for being such a bad girl.

 

Eternal life means to be fully alive now and continuing into the future. That's ultimately why Jesus came to show the way to be fully alive. It's not just something you receive in the future for being a "good" person. Sin is what inhibits this from happening.

 

That's why I want him to punish me and spank me hard