:DDN: The new testament isn't any less at odds with other religions. According to it (or at least most of its respected interpretters) everyone that isn't accessing god through Jesus Christ deserves to burn in hell forever? As a christian you are obliged to inform your hindu, muslim, jewish, buhdist, and taoist friends that they all deserve to burn in hellfire eternal for belonging to these religions. How demeaning is THAT?! Shaun:: DDN, after all this time you still don't get it. You still think Christians are some arrogant punks who think they better than everyone else (when, in fact, real Christians are the opposite) You are right about one thing. That is, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, Muslims etc... deserve hell. They do. But do you know what? Christians, including me, deserve hell too. We have all, I repeat all (that's every one of us!)have broken God's laws. God created laws to keep us holy and to keep us safe. But all people have sinned. Look at this world we are reaping what we sow. We all have sinned and as a result, we have brought suffering and pain to ourselves………
DDN: Whatever. The bottom line is, y’all are going to heaven and nobody, I repeat nobody (that’s EVERYONE ELSE) else is going to HELL, correct? You wouldn’t call that arrogant? I think this is the very HEIGHT of arrogance. And Darya is still incorrectly calling herself a christian by saying she believes in being tolerant and respectful of other religions. What’s there to be tolerant and respectful OF if following these other belief systems will land you in hell forever?! What are christian missionaries doing all over the world? Being tolerant and respectful of other peoples religions? Not hardly. Their trying to displace their religions completely with Christianity, aren’t they?
Shaun: …..Do you want some examples? Ok
: 1)God has told us to take care of our bodies because it is the temple of the Holy Ghost. Drunkenness, smoking, gluttony are all sins. Many people disregard these commandments, and as a result get sick and die early. It's not God's fault. He warned us.
: 2) God has told us that sex is something only married people should share. You can only be married to one person at a time, and it must be something for people of the opposit gender. Well, some people want to break that rule, don't they? Some people think it's ok to cheat on thier spouse. Some people think it's OK to have sex with people of the same sex. Some people think it's OK to sleep with someone they hardly even know. Thats why these people get Aids. Thats why families get broken up. Thats why people turn to alcohol. That's why there are so many unwanted pregnancy's.God didn't do this to them, they brought it on themselves.
DDN: Whoah there Shaun. You’re losing me here. Let me see if I understand this correctly.
1) If these are the reasons we are worthy of hell, then not doing bad things and obeying the ten commandments would make us NOT worthy of hell, correct?
2) You have stated that everyone is either going to hell or to heaven when they die.
3) Hence, if you are not going to hell, then you must be going to heaven.
4) And, since not doing bad things and obeying God’s laws makes you unworthy of hell then by obeying god’s laws you have secured your place in heaven.
5) But, you have also said that good deeds and obeying the OT laws will not get us into heaven.
How do you reconcile this contradiction? Will obeying all of God’s laws (by itself) get you into heaven or not?
Shaun: ……God is our heavenly parent who knows better than us. Just like when you were a kid mom wouldn't let you do everything you wanted to because she knew better. God loves us and want's us to be happy. So back to the point. We all deserve hell, because that is the punishment for breaking God's commands but JESUS CHRIST offers salvation to ALL wh ask. Unlike every other religion in the world, Christianity is not something you are born into. Christianity is not even a religion per se. Christianity is the state of being saved by grace because our sins are forgiven. Jesus is offering you eternal life in heaven-do you want it?
DDN: Sure! How do I accept his offer? No one, not even the Bible, has been able to tell me yet.
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: : DDN: You are not a christian, Darya.
Shaun: How do you know if she is or not? She said she was. ….
DDN: She also demonstrated that her belief system is fundamentally at odds with Christianity as the Bible and you yourself have described it: Completely and utterly intolerant of other religious beliefs. She also demonstrates fundamental missconceptions about Jesus as he is described in the bible. You (or McChick) have explained to me that, to be born again (and hence be christian) one must not only “know ABOUT” Jesus, one must also “KNOW jesus”, but Darya demonstrates that she doesn’t even know ABOUT Jesus so how in the hell can she “KNOW” him, and hence how can she be christian?
Shaun: ……My question to you is this: What are you going to do on the day you see Jesus face to face and he tells you " I'm sorry- your sins are not forgiven. You have never accepted my free gift of salvation. I've offered you a chance to escape eternity in hell and you turned down the offer." Then, Daddio, will you be thinking "Gee, I wish I had believed the Bible. I wish I listened to all the Christians I have met in life"
DDN: Not exactly (god Shaun, sometimes you make this too easy). I’d be more likely to say something like “Wow, so THERE you are. I’ve been wondering about you. I gladly accept your free gift of salvation, thankyou. Hey….what’s that thing you’re driving? It looks an awful lot like a flying saucer. And oh my, what big insect like eyes you have. Bet you can see me pretty good with those things. And what’s that on your hip…..a ray gun? I think I better see some credentials first. Hey!!…..what the!….get your hands off of me you little green freak!!! Police! Police! ”
But seriously folks. I’d more likely say something like the following:
“Hi Jesus. I’m sorry I didn’t accept your free gift, but your inept little representatives downstairs couldn’t explain to me what the gift even WAS or even how to accept it. There’s a lot of weird people down their handing out a lot of “free” things – you’ve gotta watch yer ass. And the christians are the wierdest of them all. Here, just take a look:
(A pillar emerges from the cloud we’re standing on and a monitor pops out of it showing snake handlers in Mississipi getting bitten by copperheads and rattlers. The scene morphs into Jimmy swaggart waring S&M garb, getting whipped by some bimbo in cheap motel room and swiggin a bottle of whiskey, then into Jim Baker pilferring funds given to him by poor old lonely women. The screen goes black for a dramatic moment then you hear the agonized screams of innocent children being burned alive by roman catholic priests. I bang on the monitor to try and get the picture to come in but doesn’t work. I have to explain to Jesus that the Christian backed “competetive” capitalism down there insured that all of our products (including the monitor we’re watching) would ware out after a relatively short period of time and apparently this monitor’s time had come.)
“Hmmmm.” Jesus scratches his head and stares at the blackened screen. “How would you like a new job?”
