"...I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me..." [Deuteronomy 5:8-10]
In an "Ask an Atheist" program I gave at a college last month I used the analogy of a girl whose new boyfriend said to her
You're free to date anyone you want. If you go steady with me it'll be peaches and cream and red roses every day of your life. If you exercise your freedom and date someone else, I'll beat you to a bloody pulp every day of your life. But you're free to choose.
I admire your tenacity in your arguements against Christianity. As a believer and a pastor I also despair at the lack of rationality and logic among some of my evangelical brethren. My take on this is a little different.In I John chapter 2 the apostle states that Jesus is the propititory sacrifice for ALL sin..(not ours only ...i.e. believers...but for the sins of the whole world)
Thus, even the sin of an unbeliever has been completly atoned for at the cross. Therefore, it is not our sin which condemns but our disavowal of the source of our forgiveness.
I believe, along with the Apostle Peter, that God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to the knowledge of eternal life. As such I will not be surprised to see many diligent seekers with shocked looks on their faces at the end when they discover that the truth which they sought their entire lives was actually Jesus all along. Keep up the search and the battle...I for one will not be surprised if I see you also standing before the throne. Jesus loves you and has paid the price for your sin. One day everyone will know that and acknowledge him as Lord (Philippians 2:1-11)
Cerrtainly some will be excluded...for Matthew 26 says there will be people on the left hand whom "I never knew" But I don't know where to draw that line so I don't try. I only know that there is salvation in "no one else"
BTW in your historical work you might check out the fact that Luke uses the word epi-grapzo instead of the Greek words for census or taxation.That word simply means "to write down" Since there had been a census in 8 BC this "writing down" must correspond to the loyalty oath to commemorate the 25th year of Augustus leadership which happened to coincide with the 750th anniversary of the founding of the city of Rome. The coincidence was milked by Augustus. He was never "coronated" emperor. He always used the title "princeps" which simple meant "first citizen" Augustus was a master politician who never wore anything but homespun woolens and worn out shoes in public. The populace saw him as a man of the people. At home he lived a life of opulance and luxury. There is evidence of the necessity of going to your home town for such a loyalty oath in the writings of the JEWISH scholar Philo of Alexandria...who was alive at the time of Jesus Birth.
Kent Wallace Callender, Iowa heartsdesireranch@juno.com
I admire your tenacity in your arguements against Christianity. As a believer and a pastor I also despair at the lack of rationality and logic among some of my evangelical brethren. My take on this is a little different.In I John chapter 2 the apostle states that Jesus is the propititory sacrifice for ALL sin..(not ours only ...i.e. believers...but for the sins of the whole world)
Thus, even the sin of an unbeliever has been completly atoned for at the cross. Therefore, it is not our sin which condemns but our disavowal of the source of our forgiveness.
I believe, along with the Apostle Peter, that God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to the knowledge of eternal life. As such I will not be surprised to see many diligent seekers with shocked looks on their faces at the end when they discover that the truth which they sought their entire lives was actually Jesus all along. Keep up the search and the battle...I for one will not be surprised if I see you also standing before the throne. Jesus loves you and has paid the price for your sin. One day everyone will know that and acknowledge him as Lord (Philippians 2:1-11)
Cerrtainly some will be excluded...for Matthew 26 says there will be people on the left hand whom "I never knew" But I don't know where to draw that line so I don't try. I only know that there is salvation in "no one else"
BTW in your historical work you might check out the fact that Luke uses the word epi-grapzo instead of the Greek words for census or taxation.That word simply means "to write down" Since there had been a census in 8 BC this "writing down" must correspond to the loyalty oath to commemorate the 25th year of Augustus leadership which happened to coincide with the 750th anniversary of the founding of the city of Rome. The coincidence was milked by Augustus. He was never "coronated" emperor. He always used the title "princeps" which simple meant "first citizen" Augustus was a master politician who never wore anything but homespun woolens and worn out shoes in public. The populace saw him as a man of the people. At home he lived a life of opulance and luxury. There is evidence of the necessity of going to your home town for such a loyalty oath in the writings of the JEWISH scholar Philo of Alexandria...who was alive at the time of Jesus Birth.
Kent Wallace Callender, Iowa heartsdesireranch@juno.com
According to your beliefs, all other sins are irrelevant except the sin of not having the same religion as you do.
According to your beliefs, God created the Universe knowing in advance that "he" would burn most of humanity in eternal hell because they didn't die as Christians.
And you say your "evangelical brethren" show a lack of rationality and logic?
You do not "know" that there is salvation in no-one else but Jesus. That is baloney.
Take a look at Muslims talking about how their religion is the only way. Do they look ridiculous to you?
As for your take on Luke's "census", it's funny how it took almost 2,000 years for some people to "realise" that is what Luke "meant", don't you think?
The more obvious solution to the many apparent errors, exaggerations and out-and-out bizarreness of many parts of the Bible is that it is a human work and not "divinely" inspired at all.
Christianity is stupid. Sorry. There is no other word for it. The notion that God lovers us all but damns most of us for being the wrong religion is idiotic.
Hell is separation from God- it is where God is not. If you want nothing to do with Jesus Christ our living and only God, then Hell is exactly where you want to be. You have free will and Jesus will not force you either way - it is up to you to decide if you want either Hell (absolutely not even a fragment of God) or Heaven (100% God).
Having said that, I think that in your heart you know that the truth lies in Jesus Christ, and this is your way of searching Him out.
It is satan who twists truth and lies to you to stop you finding the truth. Trust me I know how you feel I was in your place not too long ago.
Why not ask Jesus if he is God - he isn't found in any building made by man, rather he is found inside you - your 'conscience', your inner thoughts and feelings - that is your connection to him. Why don't you at least start some kind of dialogue - tell him that you don't know if he is real but if he is to please reveal himself to you. If you ask him honestly and from the heart he will.
May Yahushua (Jesus) bless you and may his Holy Spirit come upon you and guide you to truth.
Do you really believe that a billion hindus and countless muslims, jews, sikhs, buddhists and atheists all "want" to burn in hell eternally because they don't see religion the way you do?
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7 comments:
In an "Ask an Atheist" program I gave at a college last month I used the analogy of a girl whose new boyfriend said to her
You're free to date anyone you want. If you go steady with me it'll be peaches and cream and red roses every day of your life. If you exercise your freedom and date someone else, I'll beat you to a bloody pulp every day of your life. But you're free to choose.
I admire your tenacity in your arguements against Christianity. As a believer and a pastor I also despair at the lack of rationality and logic among some of my evangelical brethren. My take on this is a little different.In I John chapter 2 the apostle states that Jesus is the propititory sacrifice for ALL sin..(not ours only ...i.e. believers...but for the sins of the whole world)
Thus, even the sin of an unbeliever has been completly atoned for at the cross. Therefore, it is not our sin which condemns but our disavowal of the source of our forgiveness.
I believe, along with the Apostle Peter, that God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to the knowledge of eternal life. As such I will not be surprised to see many diligent seekers with shocked looks on their faces at the end when they discover that the truth which they sought their entire lives was actually Jesus all along. Keep up the search and the battle...I for one will not be surprised if I see you also standing before the throne. Jesus loves you and has paid the price for your sin. One day everyone will know that and acknowledge him as Lord (Philippians 2:1-11)
Cerrtainly some will be excluded...for Matthew 26 says there will be people on the left hand whom "I never knew" But I don't know where to draw that line so I don't try. I only know that there is salvation in "no one else"
BTW in your historical work you might check out the fact that Luke uses the word epi-grapzo instead of the Greek words for census or taxation.That word simply means "to write down" Since there had been a census in 8 BC this "writing down" must correspond to the loyalty oath to commemorate the 25th year of Augustus leadership which happened to coincide with the 750th anniversary of the founding of the city of Rome. The coincidence was milked by Augustus. He was never "coronated" emperor. He always used the title "princeps" which simple meant "first citizen" Augustus was a master politician who never wore anything but homespun woolens and worn out shoes in public. The populace saw him as a man of the people. At home he lived a life of opulance and luxury.
There is evidence of the necessity of going to your home town for such a loyalty oath in the writings of the JEWISH scholar Philo of Alexandria...who was alive at the time of Jesus Birth.
Kent Wallace Callender,
Iowa heartsdesireranch@juno.com
I admire your tenacity in your arguements against Christianity. As a believer and a pastor I also despair at the lack of rationality and logic among some of my evangelical brethren. My take on this is a little different.In I John chapter 2 the apostle states that Jesus is the propititory sacrifice for ALL sin..(not ours only ...i.e. believers...but for the sins of the whole world)
Thus, even the sin of an unbeliever has been completly atoned for at the cross. Therefore, it is not our sin which condemns but our disavowal of the source of our forgiveness.
I believe, along with the Apostle Peter, that God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to the knowledge of eternal life. As such I will not be surprised to see many diligent seekers with shocked looks on their faces at the end when they discover that the truth which they sought their entire lives was actually Jesus all along. Keep up the search and the battle...I for one will not be surprised if I see you also standing before the throne. Jesus loves you and has paid the price for your sin. One day everyone will know that and acknowledge him as Lord (Philippians 2:1-11)
Cerrtainly some will be excluded...for Matthew 26 says there will be people on the left hand whom "I never knew" But I don't know where to draw that line so I don't try. I only know that there is salvation in "no one else"
BTW in your historical work you might check out the fact that Luke uses the word epi-grapzo instead of the Greek words for census or taxation.That word simply means "to write down" Since there had been a census in 8 BC this "writing down" must correspond to the loyalty oath to commemorate the 25th year of Augustus leadership which happened to coincide with the 750th anniversary of the founding of the city of Rome. The coincidence was milked by Augustus. He was never "coronated" emperor. He always used the title "princeps" which simple meant "first citizen" Augustus was a master politician who never wore anything but homespun woolens and worn out shoes in public. The populace saw him as a man of the people. At home he lived a life of opulance and luxury.
There is evidence of the necessity of going to your home town for such a loyalty oath in the writings of the JEWISH scholar Philo of Alexandria...who was alive at the time of Jesus Birth.
Kent Wallace Callender,
Iowa heartsdesireranch@juno.com
Hello Kent
Thanks for your comments.
According to your beliefs, all other sins are irrelevant except the sin of not having the same religion as you do.
According to your beliefs, God created the Universe knowing in advance that "he" would burn most of humanity in eternal hell because they didn't die as Christians.
And you say your "evangelical brethren" show a lack of rationality and logic?
You do not "know" that there is salvation in no-one else but Jesus. That is baloney.
Take a look at Muslims talking about how their religion is the only way. Do they look ridiculous to you?
As for your take on Luke's "census", it's funny how it took almost 2,000 years for some people to "realise" that is what Luke "meant", don't you think?
The more obvious solution to the many apparent errors, exaggerations and out-and-out bizarreness of many parts of the Bible is that it is a human work and not "divinely" inspired at all.
Christianity is stupid. Sorry. There is no other word for it. The notion that God lovers us all but damns most of us for being the wrong religion is idiotic.
Hello owner of this blog,
Hell is separation from God- it is where God is not. If you want nothing to do with Jesus Christ our living and only God, then Hell is exactly where you want to be. You have free will and Jesus will not force you either way - it is up to you to decide if you want either Hell (absolutely not even a fragment of God) or Heaven (100% God).
Having said that, I think that in your heart you know that the truth lies in Jesus Christ, and this is your way of searching Him out.
It is satan who twists truth and lies to you to stop you finding the truth. Trust me I know how you feel I was in your place not too long ago.
Why not ask Jesus if he is God - he isn't found in any building made by man, rather he is found inside you - your 'conscience', your inner thoughts and feelings - that is your connection to him. Why don't you at least start some kind of dialogue - tell him that you don't know if he is real but if he is to please reveal himself to you. If you ask him honestly and from the heart he will.
May Yahushua (Jesus) bless you and may his Holy Spirit come upon you and guide you to truth.
In Love,
Anna
Hello Anna
Do you really believe that a billion hindus and countless muslims, jews, sikhs, buddhists and atheists all "want" to burn in hell eternally because they don't see religion the way you do?
Wow, you are a horrible person. And stupid too.
P
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