What's your religion?

[cyso]

Dusk:
If you read the Bible, you may get the feeling that it doesn't want a lot of things to exist such as murders, the sexually immoral (this category isn't limited to homosexuality), those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars. Basically, it doesn't want any sin to exist. Note that if/when you do sin, it's not as if you are a lost cause beyond saving. Here's a few verses from 1 Corinthians.

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, emphasis mine.

Grr! Why can I not post before 3 other people do!

Dusk: So we go to Hell or He revokes our power to choose?
No, as Christians, we still have the power to choose, and we still are people.

[Duskling]

1. If sin doesn't exist, there would be no balance, meaning no order, meaning the world will fall into chaos, but, without order, chaos cannot exist, so either a paradox will open, or the entire universe will be destroyed.

2. Fair enough, if I understand correctly, you are saying that God "washed" us, meaning... saved us from sin, right? Because He saved us from sin, He doesn't want us to fall back? Again, though, sin cannot be annihilated, as hard as anyone will try, as that will disturb a balance.

[bugfartboy]

I think that many people see Christianity as conformism. Would you slaughter the whole litter of pups just because most of them misbehave? Would you lock them up in too small cages while loving them more than a parent loves it's child? God sees us as unique individuals that there will never be two of. And Duskie, if he was going to take away free will, I think he would have done it centuries ago. The US has strayed farther away from it's Christian founders and look where it's gotten us. Submersed in debt, death rates higher than ever, the unborn being murdered, and corrupted government that will do anything to get into office. Back when this country was truly under GOD ALMIGHTY(!), it flourished. We prospered. And we grew too big for our britches as my grandfather would say. We thought we didn't need GOD ALMIGHTY(!) and we fell apart. So if God were planning on killing us or taking away choice, he would have done it a loooooooonnnggg time ago.

Gah. I typed all that up and was beaten by Cyso and Duskie. And there can be order without chaos. Just look at the world in the beginning. Did the earth split in two? Nope. And man was created in the very image of GOD ALMIGHTY(!) and was perfect as thus in the beginning.

[cyso]

1. If sin doesn't exist, there would be no balance, meaning no order, meaning the world will fall into chaos, but, without order, chaos cannot exist, so either a paradox will open, or the entire universe will be destroyed.

2. Fair enough, if I understand correctly, you are saying that God "washed" us, meaning... saved us from sin, right? Because he saved us from sin, he doesn't want us to fall back? Again, though, sin cannot be annihilated, as hard as anyone will try, as that will disturb a balance.

1. Since when did I say sin didn't exist? Sin is like darkness. Darkness isn't a thing, it is a lack of light. If the world was nothing but light, there would be no darkness. Sin, moral darkness, is caused by a lack of moral light. There was a time when there was no sin, just God's will and God's law. But, by its nature, the law could be broken, which would be sin. I'm not quite sure where you got the thing about balance.
2. We can't annihilate sins. Jesus absorbed and took our sins on himself.

Fyer, you just beat me with your last post.

[bugfartboy]

Yay!!! I win!!! But yeah. What do you get when you turn off the light? Darkness. And Jesus, the only man to live a completely perfect life, died to absorb our sins and returned from Hell with the key to it so that all who truly believe and accept the offer to be brought under his payment of perfect blood may be free from the darkness that is sin. And that doesn't make us conformists. A true Christian is like someone who has bought health insurance. He's covered. But does that mean that he's going to start throwing himself under trains and busses? And in response to Ducky's statement a couple months ago, the major differences between buddism and Christianity is this: did budda live perfectly and die perfectly to live again three days later? Nope. He's still dead. Was budda the son of GOD ALMIGHTY(!)? Nope. Do buddist monks really care about each other if each is "to be an island unto himself"?

[cyso]

And in response to Ducky's statement a couple months ago, the major differences between buddism and Christianity is this: did budda live perfectly and die perfectly to live again three days later? Nope. He's still dead. Was budda the son of GOD ALMIGHTY(!)? Nope. Do buddist monks really care about each other if each is "to be an island unto himself"?

Please tell me that I'm interpreting this wrong and that Ducky didn't actually say Buddhism was like Christianity.
But, for some more differences between Buddhism and Christianity, just in case anyone wants to know:
Buddhism: You work to achieve Nirvana
Christianity: You can't work enough to somehow nullify your sins and make them not exist. You can't work your way to heaven. You need Jesus.
Buddhism: There is a cycle of suffering and rebirth. You achieve Nirvana and escape that cycle.
Christianity: You don't get reincarnated. When you're dead, you are dead until God judges the world.

[bugfartboy]

More elaboration on that last point of Christianity: judging doesn't mean everyone is damned. It's merely the separation of those who have been reborn though Jesus into God's family and those who pretty much did anything but. No middle ground there.

[cyso]

I probably should have pointed that out.

Quote from: Revalation 21:8
But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."

The quote from Revelations may at first seem as if everyone is screwed and everyone will suffer the second death. But, if you look at the quote from 1 Corinthians, you may notice that Paul says "And that is what some of you were." When we become Christians, our sins are taken by Jesus, and we are forgiven. God doesn't hold them against us. So, even if you lied a thousand times, when God forgives you, he doesn't consider you a liar, so you aren't consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

[ArtDrake]

Wait. What happens when God supposedly judges the world?

[bugfartboy]

But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."

This speaks of the judgement of mankind.

[cyso]

The unbelievers are consigned to the fiery lake, the believers spend eternity with God. Here's the verses.

Revelation 21:1-4
Then I saw "a new heaven and a new earth," for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

[ArtDrake]

I thought that already happened when people died...

[Deagonx]

Not necessarily duckling. They go to hell, pretty bad there I hear.

Anyways, I hear a lot of talk about how there is no proof and I won't sit here and tell you that everything is proof of god. But, I don't think there would be much test of faith if just outright proved his existence. People would follow him not because they are faithful, but because if they don't they go to hell. And from then he would just be a dictator.

Also, they have proved with cosmology that at one point the universe came from nothingness, that it is ever expanding and was not just 'there'

Big Bang theory is just that, a theory. And although it makes sense, there is nothing to prove this happened.

[bugfartboy]

And DeagonX stated what had been ignored when I said it: the universe has a proven creation point. It hasn't always been here.

[Kaseke]

Only one thing troubles me about this "God made the world" thing... Where did god come from? I'm an atheist, so I don't know. Please tell me.