In reply to:People stop caring about the world as it is and just look forward to their own death.Aha! But isn't your afterlife based on how you live your earthly life?
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What happens after death?
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In reply to:But isn't your afterlife based on how you live your earthly life?Apparently not in the Christian religion. Dante wrote about the different circles of Hell, but heaven is one big, happy place for everyone who's there. But some Moslems might get to hang out with 70 virgins, after they martyr themselves while driven by their religious beliefs.The criterion seems to be whether you accept Christ as your saviour. So if you're Hitler, and you accept Christ just before you die (plus or minus putting a bullet in your own head), you're all set.So, in a word, the answer to your question is "no".
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Well poo on you then.
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With or without the threat of eternal damnation hellfire, and whether or not heaven exists, people can still live their lives in ways that benefit themselves and others, the way Jesus lived. When I spoke of doing good works, one Christian on this thread said that's what doctors and nurses and firemen are for. That seriously misses the point. If folks would spend more time trying to help the hungry get a good meal, and poor pregnant women get health care, and so on, the world would be a much better place in the here and now. The "afterlife" will take care of itself.The answer to the question, "What happens after death?", is that there is no answer.
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In reply to: So you think all the Jews and Moslems and Hindus and atheists and Buddhists and Unitarians are all going hell? Then why bother with them? Aren't they expendable? aren't they probably thinking the same about us? The only difference is, we don't commit murder in order to prove our cause..Jihad's etc. I know not every group does, and the group that does the Jihad are just extremists. But to answer your question, no, I don't think they are expendable, and as I am not God, I can not pass judgement on them for their beliefs.
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In reply to:The only difference is, we don't commit murder in order to prove our causeNow there's a gross generalization. That was a very bigoted statement. I don't think many non-fundamentalists or any atheists think you are expendable and are going to hell because you're a Christian. I assume you're referring to radical fundamentalists when you mention committing murder. I have news for you. Many Christians have committed murder in the name of their religion (as well as not in the name of their religion).You seem to have a big us-versus-them thing going on. Yet you know precious little about other religions.And even if everyone thinks you're going to hell because of your beliefs, does that mean that you should think the same thing? What kind of logic is that?In reply to:Matthew 13: The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.Matthew 25:41: Jesus says, "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting FIRE,. . ."Is this what you truly believe in your heart? That the folks all around you who don't believe as you do are going to hell, and that's a good thing?Is it even possible to be a fundamentalist and not be a bigot?
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extremists, who didn't follow the true path of the Lord. "Thou shalt not kill" regardless of what the end of that means is. Anyone who kills in the name of the Lord is not, in my opinion a true Christian.
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I never would've thought that A2A would've turned into such a place where people question your beliefs, to the point where they try to prove you wrong, saw it with last, and I thought it ended with him. I was wrong. So take care y'all...have fun.
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I thought on A2A you can question anything.You've posited a number of judgements about other posters. But I thought that was OK.
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Well, just because you think that some of the stuff that he says is ok, it doesn't mean that he must feel the same way about your posts.Just adding that comment, wasn't meant to be an attack of any kind, please don't drag me into this pointless debate.
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Too late.You've now been dragged into this pointless debate.I meant that I thought making judgments about other people was OK. I didn't say that I necessarily agreed with his judgments. If he doesn't like my posts, that's OK, as long as the reason is not simply that I'm judging him.If you lived in the U.S., you might not consider it so pointless. You might in fact be appalled by some of what you saw.Imagine Ireland forty years ago. Now imagine the village priest as your president.
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Yes, I am aware of the horribley biased President that dictates the New World. You should come over here, our president doesn't start wars or go on about religious beliefs, hell, she doesn't do anything! A figure head with no power. Like the Emperor of Japan, just a pretty face.
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I wasn't really talking about U.S. foreign policy, specifically, although it is to some extent, it can be argued, driven by religious dogma. Religion affect politics and society in a big way in the U.S. It can be a bit jarring for Western Europeans who come here. Oh yeah, and Canadians too.
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Well, thats true in a lot of countries, patriotism is one of those new age American inventions. Before you would just have pride in your country, and a handful of gobshites willing to die for it.
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In reply to:
Just because you believe something that makes you feel good doesn't make it true. It just makes you feel good. The problem I have with irrational belief is that it's intellectually dishonest.
It's about time somebody said that. I feel exactly the same way. Which is one reason I've never understood why people can constantly stand up for evolution/atheism, which is intellectually dishonest in every practical and scientific way. It's one of the most irrational beliefs I've ever come into contact with, existing for the sole purpose of abolishing God from the equation to make people feel like they're the best and nothing could possibly be greater than they are. The ultimate pride. Honestly, I don't see what our conflict is. I seem to agree with you on a lot of your base points. I'm tired of things pushing real science out of schools. I mean, the American society is trying to create a dream world by pushing Christianity out of the public school system.
Anyway, just because you are a Christian doesn't mean you can't have a 'normal' job. Not even everybody here at Ozark Christian College is going into vocational ministry. A guy down the hall has 9 years of Judo and a ton of weapons training behind him, ready to become a police officer after he finishes here. People can do whatever job they love to do, using the gifts and knowledge they have. Very few people (even of those that try) are called to full-time ministry. Many here also study to be school teachers, psychologists, scientists, and computer programmers. I know Christians that work in NASA research labs, government agencies, junk yards, department stores.
And I do care about the environment. I never said Jesus was coming back tomorrow. I never said he wasn't. There's a chance that my kids will have to live in this world, and I'd like it to be as nice as it can be when they get here so they don't have to go through hell (not literally, of course) to fulfill their purpose.
One last thing, NO ONE is expendable. It would defeat the purpose of the great commission. While we are here, we are to teach as many as possible the truth. We are to love and care for ALL people, regardless of ANY quality, any lifestyle, any characteristic. If the Christian faith hadn't gotten so mixed up with the world, and was brought back to what it is supposed to be, it would be the greatest thing that's ever happened to this world. However, irrational beliefs tend to lead to bad things...
Please don't generalize my religion.
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OK, that all sounds reasonable, except for the belief-in-God part, but this puzzles me:In reply to:...atheism, which is intellectually dishonest in every practical and scientific way.Does the same apply to agnosticism?
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In reply to: It's about time somebody said that. I feel exactly the same way. Which is one reason I've never understood why people can constantly stand up for evolution/atheism, which is intellectually dishonest in every practical and scientific way. It's one of the most irrational beliefs I've ever come into contact with, existing for the sole purpose of abolishing God from the equation to make people feel like they're the best and nothing could possibly be greater than they are. The ultimate pride. Honestly, I don't see what our conflict is. I seem to agree with you on a lot of your base points. I'm tired of things pushing real science out of schools. I mean, the American society is trying to create a dream world by pushing Christianity out of the public school system. Sorry, had to grab all of that as it is all one big fat flawed piece of poo!1. What has evolution got to do with atheism?2. Religion and Science do not mix!3. How is evolution not possible? It is a theory, yes, but with no less proof than of the god or his power. Anything that can be explained as being the will of god can be explained as an act of science. The forces that move around us may have great power but can be explained with physics, and chemistry, and biology and all of their sub-categories. To believe that the devine creator manipulates everything around us is not only ignorant, but plain lazy!4. Not once has evolution made man king of the world. No more so than your god story.
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You've been dragged into the swamp of epistemology. But now you should have a better handle on American culture, especially in the Deep South.
You have to realize, though, that you're arguing against faith.
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Yeah, I just don't understand how people can believe so blindly in something that can't be true, atleast in the way that they believe it is. Heaven and hell are here on Earth, personally god isn't something that watches over us, that guides, damns and forgives, not in the sense that people believe. God is an ideal invented by people thousands of years ago and has now been corrupted by modern greed and fear.Now, that seems like a big condradiction of what I said earlier, but this is what I'm trying to say:God only exsists for those who want god to excist. The thought of someone watching and guiding them brings them comfort and helps them make moral decisions based on their fear of being punished. They believe that god is in their hearts, but sadly it is just in their heads.
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What happens after death? You can't post to this forum anymore.
