Eternal decision .the meaning of life . is there one?

originally posted by: EdisonintheFM
a reply to: Lazarus Short

One honest question.

How do you know for sure hell is fiction? If it can't be proved either way isn't it ignorant to rule it out completely?

I get why people are so adamant there's no hell or God.

People want tangible evidence and that's completely understandable, but even if someone provided proof it'll be called fake. Just look at the UFO naysayers, and they too are justified, because of fakery and deception.

To me, the Bible is a history book. I know it's been manipulated by the Catholic Church and to this day it's still being altered by new publishing companies that are woke.

But divine intervention has kept its essence and power in the Bible. People pick and choose what history to believe, what science to believe... Historians and scientists are men, but the Bible is dismissed because men wrote it, even though the Bible itself says who wrote each book. No deception there.

I guess I'm having a problem understanding the reasoning behind people's excuses for not believing the Bible is not a work of fiction but are quick to believe this book or that book.

I would think a skeptic would be skeptical of any history that happened before they reached the age of awareness, for me it was around 5 years old, even though I have memories as early as 2 years old.

Anyway, you seem civil and I respect your views, I have my beliefs, you have yours, I'm not better than you or anyone else. I was just wondering what the official reason is for your belief. Not trying to beat a dead horse and most definitely not trying to goad or irritate you.

I was raised a Baptist, so I got the Hellfire stuff. Later, I was SDA, so I got annihilationism. Later still, I got introduced to Universalism almost by accident. Be aware I am not a member of the UU denomination. So I had a trilemma - damnationism, annihilationism and universalism. In time, I decided to couch them as theories and see which one fit the data (Biblical text) best. It took about two years. I examined every book, chapter and verse in the KJV. I found that "hell" was substituted for "sheol," "hades," "gehenna" and "tartarus," none of which referred to an afterlife place of eternal, conscious torment. Further, I found that the doctrine of the immortality of the soul, on which "hell" depends, came from pagan Greek philosophy. "Hell" itself comes, if you trace it back far enough, from the pagan Norse goddess/ogress Hel. I also found "judgment" rendered as "condemnation," and "condemnation" rendered as "damnation." Over and over, the plain meaning was overlaid with fear porn.

With all that out of the way, this was my big takeaway: God depicts Himself as a refiner of men, and His fire is an agent to do that by analogy with a smelter of ores and metals. God also depicts Himself as Soap. I found that there are only two kinds of fire in the Bible - natural fire and Godfire. There is no "Hellfire." See First Corinthians 3:11-15.

a reply to: Randyvine2

I
find it a bit odd that you would form such a harsh opinion
of anything you don't believe in.

My harsh opinion is of the belief. The belief that a creator God, that Christians purport as a loving God, would create a hell to judge and eternally imprison and punish an individual, that is a part of "his" own creation. Or, that this loving "God" would create a natural system that requires life to devour life, to murder and eat other life in order to survive. Not only that, but a loving God that supposedly gives plagues and natural disasters an upper hand in "his" creation's survival.

I don't believe in the spaghetti monster but I don't have any harsh feelings
towards him either.

There is no "hell doctrine" of eternal punishment for not honoring the Spaghetti Monster. The Spaghetti Monster doesn't threaten to eternally condemn those glucose intolerant or carb watching humans that are prone to avoid its noodley appendages.

originally posted by: Sookiechacha
a reply to: Randyvine2

I
find it a bit odd that you would form such a harsh opinion
of anything you don't believe in.

My harsh opinion is of the belief. The belief that a creator God, that Christians purport as a loving God, would create a hell to judge and eternally imprison and punish an individual, that is a part of "his" own creation. Or, that this loving "God" would create a natural system that requires life to devour life, to murder and eat other life in order to survive. Not only that, but a loving God that supposedly gives plagues and natural disasters an upper hand in "his" creation's survival.

I don't believe in the spaghetti monster but I don't have any harsh feelings
towards him either.

There is no "hell doctrine" of eternal punishment for not honoring the Spaghetti Monster. The Spaghetti Monster doesn't threaten tp eternally condemn those glucose intolerant or carb watching humans that are prone to avoid its noodley appendages.

I can't speak to "life devouring life" or God's part in natural disasters, but I do know that "Hell" is an insertion from paganism, and therefore, a 404, not found. See my post above. I believe God is loving. Why would He create a Cosmos, only to hate it?

a reply to: Lazarus Short

My grandfather was a Pentecostal preacher. I heard the hellfire messages as well.

My mom started going to a nondenominational church when I was around 13 years old. Before that she church hopped for 5 years. Once I moved out on my own I quit going to church. The jobs I worked always had me working Sundays so Sunday became just another work day.

I do regret not staying in church. I know things would be different now of I had.

Seems to me the atmosphere has changed and people are waking up, whether it be spiritually, mentally, or politically.

There's an unseen force trying to erase God, some of us know and understand, some don't see it and some support it.

Everything is so hectic and haywire and it seems there's more hate than love. More war than peace. More insecurity than security. The government does the devil's dirty work. Anyone who can't see that is basically saying war is a part of life. It may have been around for eons but it's not what life is about. We're supposed to help each other not harm one another.

Anyway. I get where you are coming from. I've been there but I have seen and heard what I needed to in order to come to the conclusion that God is real.

A person would have a better chance at convincing me McDonald's isn't real, than convincing me God is nonexistent.

Either way, time reveals all truths and exposes all lies.

originally posted by: EdisonintheFM
A person would have a better chance at convincing me McDonald's isn't real, than convincing me God is nonexistent.

And yet you have no workable definition for such a thing. Nobody does.

Either way, time reveals all truths and exposes all lies.

I would say that time and death mock us all. All of our beliefs and activities, good or bad, right or wrong, amount to nothing when we die. Our socially acceptable "productive delusions" keep us going. Also the experience and fear of pain.

Amino acid pool

To live and learn

originally posted by: EdisonintheFM
a reply to: Lazarus Short

My grandfather was a Pentecostal preacher. I heard the hellfire messages as well.

My mom started going to a nondenominational church when I was around 13 years old. Before that she church hopped for 5 years. Once I moved out on my own I quit going to church. The jobs I worked always had me working Sundays so Sunday became just another work day.

I do regret not staying in church. I know things would be different now of I had.

Seems to me the atmosphere has changed and people are waking up, whether it be spiritually, mentally, or politically.

There's an unseen force trying to erase God, some of us know and understand, some don't see it and some support it.

Everything is so hectic and haywire and it seems there's more hate than love. More war than peace. More insecurity than security. The government does the devil's dirty work. Anyone who can't see that is basically saying war is a part of life. It may have been around for eons but it's not what life is about. We're supposed to help each other not harm one another.

Anyway. I get where you are coming from. I've been there but I have seen and heard what I needed to in order to come to the conclusion that God is real.

A person would have a better chance at convincing me McDonald's isn't real, than convincing me God is nonexistent.

Either way, time reveals all truths and exposes all lies.

Remember that God has gobs of time to teach us our lessons, and the worst we seem due for if we are really bad, is a late entry into the Kingdom...and loss of rewards. In any event, we will all be salted with fire, but it is for our ultimate benefit.

a reply to: Blue Shift

I can understand your viewpoint.

I for one don't believe in the Boogeyman Global Warming because we've only kept records of the climate for so long and those crying Global Warming are the same ones that say Earth is billions of years old, so humans are obviously ignorant to changes in the climate, from Year One to Year 4.543 Billion.

But I do believe in God, not just because of what s preacher said or what's written in the Bible, but because of what I've seen, heard, and felt. What else would I need to make an informed decision?

Some believe God is our creator, some believe an alien is our creator, some believe we're here due to happenstance, some have not yet decided, and some simply do not care.

I've gone beyond faith in God's existence. Because of experience I know God exists.

originally posted by: EdisonintheFM
But I do believe in God, not just because of what s preacher said or what's written in the Bible, but because of what I've seen, heard, and felt. What else would I need to make an informed decision?

Some believe God is our creator, some believe an alien is our creator, some believe we're here due to happenstance, some have not yet decided, and some simply do not care.

I've gone beyond faith in God's existence. Because of experience I know God exists.

I understand that people often experience a heightened physiological reaction to thinking about certain things, and "God" seems to be one of them. People describe a feeling of "vastness" like standing at the edge of a cliff. But that's the warning thrill of not knowing something. People experience it in groups, too, like church groups. They then attribute that feeling to a kind of poorly-defined concept of a creator / controller entity. That's fine, I understand that. It's more comfortable for most people than just saying "I don't know."

For me, though, I just couldn't figure out a way to believe in something I couldn't define or comprehend. Do I believe in "pafoosalla?" Why would I? What even is pafoosalla? Is it a creature? Is it a dessert topping? *shrug*

a reply to: Blue Shift

The biofeedback he is referring to is undeniable though. Not only does it feel like an enduring euphoria, it also is accompanied by a magnetic draw that others around you perceive. The halos around the Saints? That's because their aura was so beautiful that they had a glow to them. The biomagnetic enhancement reinforces the notion that whatever made our bodies also made them so we would know when were on the right track

These are real empirical conscious experiences that are ubiquitous among the Saints and the pursuers of love and truth in general.

Just like you can tell when someone is sick by their lousy demeanor, you can also tell when someone is awakening by their enhanced demeanor.

a reply to: Blue Shift

In order for you to understand who God is, you'd have to read the Bible.

But you don't have to read it cover to cover, right away.

Obviously Genesis is a good start. The Old Testament is filled with history, but there's also Proverbs, the book of wisdom. And don't read the King James version, pick the NIV or NKJV, those are modern English.

Once you understand God, everything falls into place.

It's like watching the Matrix. The first time you don't get many references, but after that, when you see it again, and Switch calls Neo copper top, you get it...as long as you know copper top is a nickname for a Duracell battery.

God is misrepresented by so many people, usually intentionally. The same for the Bible.

Barack Obama showed his ignorance, and arrogance, when said,

“Which passages of Scripture should guide our public policy? Should we go with Leviticus, which suggests slavery is ok and that eating shellfish is abomination?”

The Muslim POTUS was quoting the Old Testament, we now live under the New Testament.

The only way....to know God....is to read His word.

Trust NO man to introduce you to God.

If you're not willing to read the Bible, then you don't want to really know Him.

Keep in mind, God already knows you. Talk to Him. Like you do anyone else. But respectively, don't be a jackass.

a reply to: cooperton

But it happens with yoga, occultists, mediums, cult members, sometimes unexpecting people who start a search for the meaning, aliens or whatever...
So it's not tied to God, let alone a purely Christian thing.

You want it to be God, it's your decision to believe that. There's just no way you can know what you are in contact with.

a reply to: beyondknowledge

Polly want a cracker?

Stop parroting lies.

You've heard some "guy" who has a title and you liked the idea that God is not real.

Next you'll be saying Noah's Ark is a emo band where the band members are furries.

Only the ignorant would comment on a book they've never read, and then echo some other parrot.

We should start a Bible thread and erase ignorance on a daily basis.

Who's down?

a reply to: EdisonintheFM

Stop parroting lies.

Oh the irony coming from a Pentecostal....

a reply to: TrulyColorBlind

Let him wallow in ignorance.

He'll grow tired of it soon enough.

a reply to: beyondknowledge

There wasn't a church on Earth when the books of the Bible were started.

Everything else you've said is now null and void.

I think the meaning of life is to just experience. If there is life after death, that’s the only thing that makes sense to me. It’s not about learning lessons, it’s just about experiencing. That’s more than enough for me.

a reply to: EdisonintheFM

Well yes the new testament was written after Jesus died, longer after Jesus died than the first Church was founded.