It IS if you truly accept Christ into your heart. God is willing to forgive and accept anyone who truly repents and turns to Him for salvation. It's not about what YOU have done, but rather what Jesus has already done for you. You can't save yourself, Jesus saved you if you will accept His pardon.

 

Twisted, melodramatic nonsense.

 

As far as I get it ( am one of the happy 'nothings', who are happily looking forward to experiencing what 'hell' will be like, if that should be the price- which of course it isn't- for freedom) Jesus actually fought against twisted minds like you. He was one of many people who tried/try/will try to spread a bit of ethics and freedom of thought among people, according to what he felt was good. He is just one of many others.

 

Frodo, you are as far away from a sane spirituality as possible. Lighten up a bit, relax man. Spirituality is not that complicated and one-dimensional and melodramatic and humourless, you know.

 

 

 

 

Or you are a troll, but it's getting boring. No development whatsoever. Booh.

It's not my intention to offend you, but the gospel can be offensive. I'm not judgling you. I'm simply trying to tell you the facts of everyman's spiritual situation if they don't have Jesus in their life. Please take the time to read this first post and pray that prayer at the bottom of it to God from your heart.

I wasn't posting in response to you, fool, read for context. -_-

Well, this seems to be the religion thread I suppose. I know this ones mainly centred around Christianity, but it's all similar to me.

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/12860407

 

An example of people refusing to allow their 'God' to punish the person in question, since in reality it's all about them losing control and not being able to enforce their beliefs and dogmas on others. If what she is doing is wrong then let her go to hell or whatever. I wouldn't parade myself in a bathing suit, but if somebody wants to then that is up to them.

I wasn't posting in response to you, fool, read for context. -_-

 

Mt 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

Twisted, melodramatic nonsense.

 

As far as I get it ( am one of the happy 'nothings', who are happily looking forward to experiencing what 'hell' will be like, if that should be the price- which of course it isn't- for freedom) Jesus actually fought against twisted minds like you. He was one of many people who tried/try/will try to spread a bit of ethics and freedom of thought among people, according to what he felt was good. He is just one of many others.

 

Frodo, you are as far away from a sane spirituality as possible. Lighten up a bit, relax man. Spirituality is not that complicated and one-dimensional and melodramatic and humourless, you know.

 

 

 

 

Or you are a troll, but it's getting boring. No development whatsoever. Booh.

 

I challenge you to demonstrate through the bible, that what I have said contradicts Jesus. I gave you His EXACT words, yet you do not believe.

so if we post here on this thread we go to heaven

 

You need to read the first post. It will tell you what you must do.

Of course not. That would be silly.

All you have to do is offer up your life to a holy book which restricts your freedom and holds you back.

 

No, you give your life to the God who's words are the Holy Book and gives FREEDOM through His word.

If God doesn't exist, then who wrote the bible?!

I understand where everyone is coming from here. perhaps I could throw in my two cents with the intention of preventing this from getting out of hand.

 

I grew up Christian. I've spent half my life in the church, and half my life away from it. I know what both sides are like. Frodo (I feel strange calling you that), i'm going to humor you for a minute and assume that you ARE serious, because if this is a big satirical joke (believe me, people do things like that all the time, and since this is a forum, anything is possible) then you should be ashamed of yourself. If you are indeed serious, then allow me to try and put things into perspective with the intension of alleviating any tension (because trust me, while Christianity is not a sore subject for you, it is to others.)

 

I understand what the Bible means to you. It is the secret to life; the book that was responsible for your rebirth; the key that unlocks eternal happiness. I understand that, and I know how it makes you feel. What you need to understand is that people (albeit perfect strangers on a forum) who aren't familiar with what you've experienced personally in developing a relationship with God are not going to read a forum post that dictates their eternal fate and immediately think "Wow, this perfect stranger is right." Because it IS greatly imposing. With something as intimate and personal as a relationship with God, your approach completely lacks intimacy and tact. Its like telling someone about a movie and giving away the ending. They're much less likely to see it. It just doesn't work that way.

 

Honestly, no matter how true anything may be, a big decision such as that takes more than just expecting people to believe the words you tell them solely because "The good book says so." The people you're trying to reach out to don't recognize The Bible as "The Good Book." A lot of people see it as propaganda that men have used to legally murder their own kind. You believe it as the word of God, but the people you reach out to don't (otherwise you wouldn't be reaching out to them). If you are serious about being "on fire" for God, and want to make a difference for the greater good and you want to reach out and be a good witness, then you should go to Japan, and help rebuild their country. Or feed the homeless. Or go into missionary work. If you're doing that, great. I just can't stress it enough that there are some places where it is not okay to tell people about heaven and hell. Sounds hard to believe, right? This is heaven and hell we're talking about! I've got to warn EVERYONE!!!!! no no no, it shouldn't be like that. let me explain...

 

 

In order for you to be a good witness, you need to understand what I'm about to tell you, and that is this: The leading cause of Atheism are Christians that lack patience and understanding, and I can back that up with COUNTLESS stories about people that I've grown up with personally. I've watched people grow up in homes where they believed Christianity because they were told to. Now most of these people are atheist. That is because of personal experiences with judge-mental people force-feeding them "the word," and learning about historical tragedies caused by the Church. You may think to yourself "Hey, I'm not being judge-mental" but the people you're trying to reach out to are perceiving you as just that. Be sensitive to people's feelings, because Christianity is a sore subject for people who don't follow it. The fact that there are Christians out there who are overjoyed about the tsunami in Japan because they believe that God is punishing the atheists is a PRIME example of why if you want to be a good witness to God, you've got to tip-toe extremely carefully around people's feelings. Remember, the majority of people already have a bitter taste in their mouths from it. And also remember, the disciples were outcasts, and Jesus listened to them. If he had just arbitrarily approached them and said right off the bat "I am the way, the truth and the light" then people would have thought he was arrogant and insane. A true witness does his work without saying a word, just by being there.

 

I used to work at a coffee shop next to a Private Christian school. The students would come in and order coffee, and over the years I watched them grow up and eventually graduate. Talking to them about life, most of them left and immediate "became atheist" and left Christianity with a bad taste in their mouths. Actually, I don't think they became atheist. Rather, I believe they were atheist all along and that their elders never listened to them, they were too busy establishing order and enforcing strict guidelines that they expected their students to follow. Did you ever read 1984? Forcing someone to believe something for no other reason but "Because the Bible tells us so" is ludicrous and involves no effort to connect with people. Its like that parent that says "Because I said so!" That kid is going to grow up and become smart enough to question their parent's lazy logic.

 

No book has ever controlled a person's decisions. We decide on our own, because God gave us all free-will. All beliefs should come naturally, and the only way for that to happen, is to LET it happen. Don't force it or expect it.

 

Everyone here is a human being of equal importance. Everyone has their own mind, their own story, and their own heart. "Being Lost" is subjective and people don't appreciate when someone (in so many words) insinuates that they are lost. Thats no way of establishing human contact. I'll accept you as a person with your own mind, story, and heart, but not as a person with an agenda.

 

I'll leave you with this. God is love. Though we cannot understand or fathom the idea of a perfect being or creator or know how one thinks. We do, however, understand love. And if I were God, I wouldn't want someone to follow me in fear of Hell. That paints a picture of God being like a "mafia boss" of sorts; using fear to get respect. That isn't love. Only the weak would use such tactics. The most fulfilling relationships are created out of pure desire, trust, and the freedom to leave at any point, but always choosing to stay.

^ I like you.

That there is THE Chad, in action.

 

Yeah I didn't read a word of that so what?

LOL

 

Reilly... you are one of a kind, my friend...

Corner Kid, expect a response in about 3 weeks.

so he just pops in every once in a while to do his spiel and leave?

ah, i read the thread without checking the dates. Geez he's been doing this sporadically for a while. I wonder how its working out for him.

^ I like you.

 

+1

.....

LUL no response I am amused

 

how expected

I understand where everyone is coming from here. perhaps I could throw in my two cents with the intention of preventing this from getting out of hand.

 

I grew up Christian. I've spent half my life in the church, and half my life away from it. I know what both sides are like. Frodo (I feel strange calling you that), i'm going to humor you for a minute and assume that you ARE serious, because if this is a big satirical joke (believe me, people do things like that all the time, and since this is a forum, anything is possible) then you should be ashamed of yourself. If you are indeed serious, then allow me to try and put things into perspective with the intension of alleviating any tension (because trust me, while Christianity is not a sore subject for you, it is to others.)

 

I understand what the Bible means to you. It is the secret to life; the book that was responsible for your rebirth; the key that unlocks eternal happiness. I understand that, and I know how it makes you feel. What you need to understand is that people (albeit perfect strangers on a forum) who aren't familiar with what you've experienced personally in developing a relationship with God are not going to read a forum post that dictates their eternal fate and immediately think "Wow, this perfect stranger is right." Because it IS greatly imposing. With something as intimate and personal as a relationship with God, your approach completely lacks intimacy and tact. Its like telling someone about a movie and giving away the ending. They're much less likely to see it. It just doesn't work that way.

 

Honestly, no matter how true anything may be, a big decision such as that takes more than just expecting people to believe the words you tell them solely because "The good book says so." The people you're trying to reach out to don't recognize The Bible as "The Good Book." A lot of people see it as propaganda that men have used to legally murder their own kind. You believe it as the word of God, but the people you reach out to don't (otherwise you wouldn't be reaching out to them). If you are serious about being "on fire" for God, and want to make a difference for the greater good and you want to reach out and be a good witness, then you should go to Japan, and help rebuild their country. Or feed the homeless. Or go into missionary work. If you're doing that, great. I just can't stress it enough that there are some places where it is not okay to tell people about heaven and hell. Sounds hard to believe, right? This is heaven and hell we're talking about! I've got to warn EVERYONE!!!!! no no no, it shouldn't be like that. let me explain...

 

 

In order for you to be a good witness, you need to understand what I'm about to tell you, and that is this: The leading cause of Atheism are Christians that lack patience and understanding, and I can back that up with COUNTLESS stories about people that I've grown up with personally. I've watched people grow up in homes where they believed Christianity because they were told to. Now most of these people are atheist. That is because of personal experiences with judge-mental people force-feeding them "the word," and learning about historical tragedies caused by the Church. You may think to yourself "Hey, I'm not being judge-mental" but the people you're trying to reach out to are perceiving you as just that. Be sensitive to people's feelings, because Christianity is a sore subject for people who don't follow it. The fact that there are Christians out there who are overjoyed about the tsunami in Japan because they believe that God is punishing the atheists is a PRIME example of why if you want to be a good witness to God, you've got to tip-toe extremely carefully around people's feelings. Remember, the majority of people already have a bitter taste in their mouths from it. And also remember, the disciples were outcasts, and Jesus listened to them. If he had just arbitrarily approached them and said right off the bat "I am the way, the truth and the light" then people would have thought he was arrogant and insane. A true witness does his work without saying a word, just by being there.

 

I used to work at a coffee shop next to a Private Christian school. The students would come in and order coffee, and over the years I watched them grow up and eventually graduate. Talking to them about life, most of them left and immediate "became atheist" and left Christianity with a bad taste in their mouths. Actually, I don't think they became atheist. Rather, I believe they were atheist all along and that their elders never listened to them, they were too busy establishing order and enforcing strict guidelines that they expected their students to follow. Did you ever read 1984? Forcing someone to believe something for no other reason but "Because the Bible tells us so" is ludicrous and involves no effort to connect with people. Its like that parent that says "Because I said so!" That kid is going to grow up and become smart enough to question their parent's lazy logic.

 

No book has ever controlled a person's decisions. We decide on our own, because God gave us all free-will. All beliefs should come naturally, and the only way for that to happen, is to LET it happen. Don't force it or expect it.

 

Everyone here is a human being of equal importance. Everyone has their own mind, their own story, and their own heart. "Being Lost" is subjective and people don't appreciate when someone (in so many words) insinuates that they are lost. Thats no way of establishing human contact. I'll accept you as a person with your own mind, story, and heart, but not as a person with an agenda.

 

I'll leave you with this. God is love. Though we cannot understand or fathom the idea of a perfect being or creator or know how one thinks. We do, however, understand love. And if I were God, I wouldn't want someone to follow me in fear of Hell. That paints a picture of God being like a "mafia boss" of sorts; using fear to get respect. That isn't love. Only the weak would use such tactics. The most fulfilling relationships are created out of pure desire, trust, and the freedom to leave at any point, but always choosing to stay.

 

 

Very well said, I hope that your words are truly read and understood

This ad is on the page:

 

http://www.christianprayercenter.com/

 

Makes you sick doesn't it? Financial blessings. Nuff sed.

....

,,,,

@@)

You guys have got to admit, he's good at getting your attention.

Alright then. I guess that wraps-up this thread.