It's like saying that your government has no right to make laws and enforce them.
They are mere humans, yet we have no choice but to obey them, or suffer the consequences. Do people get that? There is no higher authority than the Creator. He will mete out the consequences, just as he has stated them. Not believing in him will not alter that.
Actually, it's more like the government has no right to give an ultimatum. We have no right to say "You have a choice to do X. However, if you do not make choice X, you suffer the consequences. If you do make choice X, we will reward you." Why make it a choice when the consequence of choosing otherwise would bring consequences on the person who was
asked to make the decision. Free will with fine print.
Our US government has done that all through history. It has not made our country better, though.
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We have a choice to obey the government or not. Many people get away with what the law considers crimes. For example, trying to remember her name, but there was a women way back that got arrested for taking her money from her stocks because she got word from her friend or co-worker about the risk of her investment. It caused no harm to the stock market that would affect our economy. It had no killing involved. She didn't lie. It was just our governments laws. She made the choice to save her investment and instead of letting her keep her money, the government arrested her.
I don't know about other countries, but the US is fickle. I get your point though.
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It's not a freedom of choice and benefit when a person is consequences for not accepting god. That's like the government offering me a 100 dollar paycheck, and I know it came from many crimes in our politics, I say no, and they punish me for it. Yet, they say "you had the choice to say no" as if that choice was a good thing. It's not.
What religious system exists without beliefs? It isn't just Christianity that has them.
There are many religions without god. Thousands of religions without the god you are familiar with. Beliefs and knowledge are two different things. Do you
know god exists are do you
believe he does?
I've experienced the spirits; I
know they exist. I don't need to believe anymore, because I have no need for faith and "what if I'm wrong" feeling. I can walk away but I can't deny the experience and fact of it happening.
Many religious see their beliefs as facts. Nothing wrong with that in and of itself. But like your beliefs, I believe my beliefs are facts not beliefs. Unless we are talking pass each other?
Just sayin'.....but did it ever occur to you that it might not have been your grandmother who communicated with you, but a spirit impersonating her?
Evil spirits exist in all religions for a reason. The Bible explains who they are, how they operate, and what their objectives are. They can pretend to be someone close to you....but wait until you try to leave them, once you know the truth......then they will punish you and show you who they really are.
Of course not. I'd never ask that question of you "did it ever occur to you that it was not god that you experienced since satan can appear as an angel of light?" That's rude from how I see it.
People do things some call evil. People aren't evil, it's just their behavior we dislike because it's against our morals. The behaviors in and of itself is not evil. This is the same with spirits. Spirits aren't evil. You have spirits that are not in your best interest that I am familiar with immediately in a specific environment or around a person; but, I'd never call them evil. I just avoid them.
I understand your point. I just don't see how you'd see an evil spirit from a positive spirit. That's like asking you "what if god were evil but you were fooled by a positive experienced you
thought was god but was not."
Just because I don't believe in god doesn't give me personally the right to question another person's faith. (Sorry, RF....not your everyday atheist
)
We definitely have different realities in many areas of life, no doubt about that. If you were waiting for Jesus to communicate with you directly.....he wasn't ever going to. He communicates with us, not by any 'sacraments' but by means of God's spirit, through the written word. All we need to know is written for our instruction and preserved down to our day.
He already has through the sacraments of christ. We have different realities. I will never change my mind on the sacraments. That's like changing my mind with my grandmother all because I don't want to talk to her anymore. Jesus is a spirit just as everyone else. We both believe he isn't god; so, I personally don't see the difference other than I don't know him as I know my family in spirit.
The church is about 'ritual', not knowledge.......about 'performance', not practical help for the flock. Shepherds are supposed to care for their flocks by giving them sound counsel from God's word, not telling them to recite meaningless repetitions of words after sitting in a box. I don't think you understand how far removed Roman Catholicism is from the things that Jesus taught.
We severely disagree on the Church. I've gone to Church, what, 8 years and confirmed 4. I had no qualms about it. Christianity didn't make me have ill feelings about other people's churches and their members since we are all part of the body of christ (when I practiced) and as such, I have no right to say you're not christian than a JW shouldn't say I was not.
I would say I guess you have to experience it. At least in an Orthodox Church, at least. There are only Roman Catholics where I live. I came from a baptist and nondenominational bible-belt family; so my perspective of the Church isn't how you all make it seem.
It's like everyone is evil in the church or something. "Love the sinner hate the sin" doesn't work. The Church is a Catholic Christian's identity because they are one body.
We disagree here.
It is....but again, who has a better right to issue an ultimatum than the Creator.....as the one who made this earth and everything on it?
No one has. Doesn't matter who that person is, his role, whether he's a fly, human, or bodhisattva. No one.
We believe that he is going to introduce his rulership back to this earth in the near future. As the rightful 'Landlord' of planet Earth, he has authority to set the tenancy agreement. If we abide by the terms, we get to reside in that kingdom, under his care, in peace and complete security. All we have to do is live according to the rules. If we have no desire to do that, then we will not be forced to live under conditions that do not suit us....governed by a God we don't think is real. An eviction notice has been posted and all of the terms are clearly stated. We make a choice about our own future by accepting or rejecting those terms. Is that somehow unfair? I don't see how.
I never had an opinion about it. A lot of things in the bible disturb me because of it's history. Not just Catholic but all around history. I'd have to go back and study it beyond the spiritual understanding. Spirituality you don't really need to know the nooks and crannies. I'm not familiar with theology to discuss the knowledge of it. But many protestants value knowledge of scripture. As a former Catholic, I never got that. It's in christ not scripture.
You don't seem to understand that it is meant to divide people...."sheep from goats". Do we know what camp we personally are in? There are only two, so we are all in either one or the other. Jesus is the judge of that.
There are no goats. That mindset harms many many people. It's your belief but I don't know if you see how much that view hurts people's spirits.
It is what separates us....because its suppose to. (
Matthew 10:32-39)
We are both human, same sensations, same ability to love, and all of that. Our perspectives and interpretations are different. The love itself is not. Unless you're an alien or?
Your own personal experience is yours.....as my experience is mine. We are all shaped by our nature and nurture.....but God is a reader of hearts and if he "draws" you, it is hard to resist him. (
John 6:44)
We don't share experiences and interpretations of realities. Because we are human, if someone stubbed my toe I'd feel pain just as you would likewise. Our interpretations are different, our pain is the same (taking out the severity and semantics of it).
If you are not "drawn" it is because you don't have the qualities that God is looking for in the future citizen of his kingdom. This will be the place where God's will is done, "on earth as it is in heaven." I personally look forward to that life....I don't know what life you look forward to?
The reason why I don't have it is because I outright rejected it when I left the Church. That is different than someone never being drawn in the first place.
Not everyone was going to...that is the point of the preaching that Christ commanded for his disciples. (
Matthew 24:14) No one will be able to say that no one told them about this outcome. Like all natural disasters, warning is issued but not everyone believes or heeds it....but because they were warned, their lives are in their own hands.
I trust what you say is in scriptures. I don't have a reason to doubt you.
So it's "those who do not know God" because they don't want to know him...and 'those who know him, but fail to obey' Christ's teachings that came from his Father. "Everlasting destruction" is pretty permanent.
That's pretty negative thinking.
Those who do not know him, are ignorant not goats.
Those who know him and decide to walk away are exercising their freedom of choice which was not murder.
Those who do not want to know him most have good reasons why they don't. No one should hold them against their choice. They didn't murder anyone.
The bible does speak about people who out right reject christ. When you haven't known christ father, what about christ are really objecting to other than his words. That doesn't mean one isn't drawn by his spirit. They just realize his spirit speaks of someone they do not believe in. It's like finding your long lost brother, mending relations, and he tells you that you your mother isn't actually your mother, you have the choice to believe him or say it's not true. Though, regardless, you shouldn't be held accountable for it.
Jesus already said that "few" are on the road to life.....now you know why.
(
Matthew 7:13-14)
I know. Sounds sad. I actually find it alright for a few to know. People won't have to lie to their spirit at the expense of trying to believe a god exist. It's easier to say honestly, "hey, I didn't believe. Whatever happens, happens" and live a good life then be miserable to live someone else's truth and not one's own.