I was thinking...

[jn.loudnotes]

You guessed wrong.  I read the passage several times, though I'd seen it before, in order to try and get at your meaning, since there wasn't any theological interpretation of which I was aware that backed up any of your previous statements.  Then I remembered that you don't interpret the writings, but instead take the exact meanings of the words - excuse me, the translated words.  And frankly, on re-reading the passage yet again, I don't see anything especially significant - the sins mentioned have all been frequent throughout history.  There are more people in the world today, so there will be more of everything in total, but I haven't noticed any change in the proportion of evil.

That being said, you have merely pointed out that there is evil in the world - which by no means proves any other assertion I and others have taken issue with.

["Sixhits"]

The vast majority of Americans are Christians.  

The vast majority of Americans are NOT fundamentalist Christians.

The reason most people disagree with you, Ghost, is the degree to which you take your faith.  It's one thing to believe, it's another to attempt to follow a 2,000 year old text literarly, and bash those that disagree with you over the head with your faith.

[l ! l Ross]

I hope that if the world dose come to an end I will be there to see it.

Anyway I don't have a religion and I don't think there is a god like most people conceive him.

My idea of god is kind of mother natior kind of thing. A different kind of intelligence working in the background kind of like a different plain of thinking.

I accept the fact that I could very well be wrong and I have no problem with that.

What makes me believe there is some kind of god is the fact that a flower can grow to use insects for pollination but that flower has never seen a insect and has no concept of it but still it has evolved to use them. For me thats is some sort of higher intelligence somewhere.

I don't think Jesus will come back from the dead and the end of the world will start. I also think we are not alone in the universe.

Now its 5 in the morning and I will probably get up in the morning and wonder what the hell I was writing.

Ross

[seth]

you would see that those things are happening in abundance these days.[/color][/size]

lots of people did predictions, the most famous being Nostradamus. The thing, you see whatever you wanna see in those words.

GS, start reading this:
"Thou shalt not kill."

[Toxic::Joka]

You see, in the end, Jesus will come and bring to heaven all those who are saved on this earth.  There will then be 7 years of tribulation, during which the world will be laid to waste.  Then the earth will be reformed as it was originally, with a fermament, and Jesus will reign here for 1,000 years with his deciples.
[/size]

Ummm... what religion is this? I'm am a lutheran (in the sense that I'm lutheran on papers) and I can't remember anything like this from the bible.. . Is this a catholic thing?

[*DAMN Bondo]

Ummm... what religion is this? I'm am a lutheran (in the sense that I'm lutheran on papers) and I can't remember anything like this from the bible.. . Is this a catholic thing?

It is the book of Revelation...its at the back of the Bible I'm Lutheran too (sort of.)

However, I don't believe much of what was in the Bible. People love reading and interpreting saying "hey, this sign of the apocalypse is here" of course I wonder, if God was allowing these predictions, why didn't he just have them write, "and then the anti-Christ, Bush, will launch a war in Iraq..." vagueness is the sign of a bullshit artist, what, did God not know the proper names of these future events...I thought he was omnipotent. Besides, the majority of the New Testement we get from Paul, who never met Jesus (well, allegedly he met the ghost of Jesus) yet somehow he knows all about what Jesus wants? Personally, if I thought I saw a ghost of Jesus and had God telling me what he wants, I'd think I'd gone mad, I wouldn't write a fucking book. And if I felt hostile towards women and gays, I'd have to admit that I'm suppressing my homosexuality. Paul was a mysogynistic, homophobic, nutter who would simply be sent to a mental institution if he lived in a different age.

It is odd how fundamentalists both take the Bible as inerrant word of God...yet also are so selective in choosing what to act upon.

[BFG]

Read the whole thing...

So question is still there like Loudnotes said. Are you actually going to respond to people's posts, or just quote a passage that in no way supports the accuracy or efficacy of any statement you've made?? The Bible does not prove the Bible!

[Brutha]

GS, the quote you have there does not only describe the world today, but also the world this last 6000 years of recorded history.... When this was written, 4000 of those 6000 years had passed. It dosnt take a genious to undestand that the next 2000 years will be pretty much the same. What I wish you could answer to us non-believers out here is this:

1. How acurate can this book be? After all, the words that are written in it had been passed from generation to generation for many generations before anyone wrote them down.

2. This book was written in ancient greek. And the beginning of the book describes the word of which it all started. Now I wonder, how can we be so sure that it was supposed to be the word "word", when this has many meanings in greek? One of which is "thought".

3. What makes you so sure your interpretation is correct? Many others have different views on this, but all seem sure that theirs is correct?

Well, I do believe you will find answers to my questions.

[BTs_GhostSniper]

FAITH FAITH FAITH, PEOPLE!

If you have the faith of a grain of mustard seed you can move mountains!

This is where science and proof theory is going to condemn all of you to hell.

[BFG]

What?

Right, faith - Hitler had it.... Faith in what he was doing, that what he was doing was right.

Faith in things can be good - but as soon as that faith is blown out of proportion - as soon as you become fanatical about your faith you head down a scary path... and that is probably why most people disagree with you GS - we all have faith in one thing or another - but we are not blinded by our faith in somthing beyond recognition which it sometimes appears you are.

yayayaya see you in hell mate. U get the sausages i'll bring the tins

[BTs_GhostSniper]

yayayaya see you in hell mate. U get the sausages i'll bring the tins

tins???

[*DAMN Bondo]

I prefer to believe the free market version of afterlife destinations.

I think hell is probably a pretty sweet place because Satan wants to attract people. Sure, it may feature some of the more lewd sinful activities like wild fornication, drug experimentation, and perhaps real life video games where you shoot each other to fuck, but on the whole it won't be incredibly painful, just wild and crazy fun.

Heaven on the other hand is painless, but perhaps boring with all its morality. I don't think God is going to let you be tapping that find angel's ass.

But heck, since I have faith in this, it must be true.

[jn.loudnotes]

Did you read any of my posts GS?  I accepted that you believe things based on faith, and I already critiqued it.  Do you have any response to that, or can you?

You still forget the bigoted illogic of your argument that everyone who doesn't share your faith will go to hell.  How can you believe that your just and merciful God would send so many righteous people (who simply have different faiths) to an eternity of torment?  What about the examples I cited...?

Is Mother Theresa in hell because she was Catholic, and not a fundamentalist Protestant?  Is the Dalai Lama going to hell?  How about your average rabbi, or non-fundamentalist Christian minister - are they going to hell, GS?  How about the 5.5 billion people in this world who don't agree with you - are we all going to hell?  Does it make any difference how righteously we live our lives?  Why should I adopt a moral attitude against war, when I'm going to hell anyway?  Yet I do believe it is wrong - I have faith, even, that it was wrong.  Yet you have the audacity to tell me I will go to hell with my beliefs?

THAT, GS, is why people don't agree with you.  You discount every opinion that contradicts your faith as irrelevant.  You haven't responded to 90% of the assertions in this thread because you can make no other response than, "My faith says otherwise."  Take some time to think about why you have such a strong faith in your beliefs.  You may find they're not quite as just as you think.

[BTs_GhostSniper]

You still forget the bigoted illogic of your argument that everyone who doesn't share your faith will go to hell.  How can you believe that your just and merciful God would send so many righteous people (who simply have different faiths) to an eternity of torment?  What about the examples I cited...?

He will because he said so in the Bible.  I have faith in that book far above anything you write here.

Is Mother Theresa in hell because she was Catholic, and not a fundamentalist Protestant?  Is the Dalai Lama going to hell?  How about your average rabbi, or non-fundamentalist Christian minister - are they going to hell, GS?  How about the 5.5 billion people in this world who don't agree with you - are we all going to hell?  Does it make any difference how righteously we live our lives?  Why should I adopt a moral attitude against war, when I'm going to hell anyway?  Yet I do believe it is wrong - I have faith, even, that it was wrong.  Yet you have the audacity to tell me I will go to hell with my beliefs?

No, nobody is in hell because of their specific religion.  The Bible doesn't say that everyone who isn't a Baptist will go to hell....it DOES, however, say that anyone who does not accept Jesus as their Savior WILL go to hell.  And I AM NOT THE ONE TELLING you, God is in the Bible.  So don't blame me when you end up there.  I tried to warn you.

THAT, GS, is why people don't agree with you.  You discount every opinion that contradicts your faith as irrelevant.  You haven't responded to 90% of the assertions in this thread because you can make no other response than, "My faith says otherwise."  Take some time to think about why you have such a strong faith in your beliefs.  You may find they're not quite as just as you think.

No, it isn't that I havn't responded to every thread because I can't make a response, it's because I actually have a job that requires my attention sometime and I can't always answer every single question asked of me as fast as you would like.  I know I'm good, but I'm not God.

Now then, I come from a strong Christian background and upbringing.  Maybe that is why it is easier for me to accept these things and have faith in them than some of you.  My father has been a Missionary since he retired from the Air Force in 1993.  My wife's father has been an ordained minister since he retired from the Air Force in 1972.  I was brought up in a Christian household, going to church every time the doors were open.  So maybe you just can't fathom the extent of my faith, that's okay.  Just read the Bible.  Believe it.  And accept Jesus as your savior.  That's it.  That's all you have to do.  But don't say you were never told this when you stand before the Judgement Seat of God.  For on that great and glorious day, every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Peace.

-GhostSniper Out.

[*DAMN Bondo]

No, nobody is in hell because of their specific religion.  The Bible doesn't say that everyone who isn't a Baptist will go to hell....it DOES, however, say that anyone who does not accept Jesus as their Savior WILL go to hell.  And I AM NOT THE ONE TELLING you, God is in the Bible.  So don't blame me when you end up there.  I tried to warn you.

But that means that only Christians go to heaven and thus all others go to hell...and thus specific religions that are not Christian do go to hell. Why are the 2 billion Christians right and the 1.5 billion Muslims wrong? The Qur'an has just as much validity as the Bible.

[BTs_GhostSniper]

The Qur'an has just as much validity as the Bible.

Hardly.  A book that tells its followers to kill non-believers.  I don't think so.

[spike]

Hm, the popes seemed to find enough justification in the bible to launch five or so crusades to kill muslims. Come to think of it, there have been quite a few wars based/created/justified by the bible.

[seth]

The Qur'an has just as much validity as the Bible.

Hardly.  A book that tells its followers to kill non-believers.  I don't think so.

oh my god, am I dreaming  

[BTs_GhostSniper]

Hm, the popes seemed to find enough justification in the bible to launch five or so crusades to kill muslims. Come to think of it, there have been quite a few wars based/created/justified by the bible.

BUT, no where in the Bible does it tell believers to go out and kill non-believers, as the Qur'an does.  The things of which you speak were done by men who distorted and perverted the Word of God.

[*DAMN Bondo]

BUT, no where in the Bible does it tell believers to go out and kill non-believers, as the Qur'an does.  The things of which you speak were done by men who distorted and perverted the Word of God.

Umm, the Qur'an doesn't tell believers to kill non-believers any more than the Bible does. And those that do kill in the name of faith are just as much distorting and perverting the word of god in Islam as they are in Christianity.