But it's not even the gospels who wrote the bible; they would have all been long dead by the time the bible was written.. which means that it is, at best, vague stories passed down generations until someone decided to ink it to paper; not even beginning to get into the fact that it's been translated & re-translated into so many different variants.
Even if the stories were passed down, the Gospels are still as close as we can get. Are you denying that?
Yes, I remember this. Point is though, I'm not blind. I know of the story of Jesus, and the bible, and god, but I choose to ignore them. So.. while I'm not evil, I just don't worship god - however in the eyes of the bible, that makes me evil. I want to know what *you* think about people like me going to hell. Since you believe, and.. know, or think you know what happens after we die, then you have to know where I and people like me are headed. I want to know how you feel about that.
When as anyone ever said that non-Christians go to Hell no matter what? If you are a good person, you aren't going to Hell. I'm not the one who judges you, so don't ask me how feel about you going to Hell, because you haven't been judged yet!
Did any of those new testament scripture quotes I made sink in? The old testament is still a part of christian faith, and is meant to be followed. Just because you don't think it all makes sense or maybe disagree with some of it - according to your own beliefs, it's not your place to make those decisions; unless you're not a believer, in which case you can think whatever you want.
The Old Testament exists in its time and place, and was law in its time and place. Do you think people are still killed for sinning despite Jesus saying that the hour is changing? It's not important what it says precisely, but whether or not it applies to the new world in which the gates of heaven are opened.
Well, according to many parts of the faith, conquest, religious domination & slaughter are A-O.K. From the bible there are many stories of conquest (the best ones are where they only kill the wives, husbands & sons, and take the virgin daughters for themselves), and from more accurate historical data, we can look to the crusades, inquisition, and witch hunts.
I've always said that religion doesn't judge the person. These were moral failures within the Christian faith, and they aren't something you can judge me about. If you find ME involved in a witch hunt or crusade, then I'll happily admit that you caught me red-handed. Keep your eyes peeled.
At this stage though, we're not debating your opinion. The bible says it's wrong - I guess I'm having difficulty understanding your half-way stance on the subject & feeling bad for those people. Again, it's this case of the bible is the word of god, or it isn't. I don't have to care about any of the contents of the bible, but I find it very strange that many people who believe don't even read the bible or don't follow it's tenets as if it really was the word of god.
Well, I haven't read the whole Bible because I'm not a priest or bishop and I don't have any intention of becoming one. What's written in the Bible is not engraved in stone, and is not first-hand information. So some of us know our own God well enough to know how he would feel about people being tormented for being gay. Resisting sexual pleasure at all is a difficult test for a gay, and is not a fatal one either. Please, tell me where you're getting the idea that all Christians must do everything it says in the Bible no matter where or when it was written. Killing in the Old Testament doesn't apply anymore, eating certain foods doesn't really apply anymore. Even google Christian and try to find in its definition:
someone who believes in Jesus Christ and must follow the exact words of the Bible words for words or they believe they will burn in HellI sure do - but that's another opinion I feel they should keep to themselves. Fine - christians feel abortion is wrong & that a woman shouldn't have the right to control what's going on with her own body. So... christians shouldn't have abortions. Keep your fingers out of everyone else's pies.
You can't be serious... You really don't know why the Church is against abortion, or why anyone could possibly be against abortion? You aren't aware that many consider the fetus to be alive? Even if you don't agree with that... get a clue (no offense)!
It's true though. It can be made almost entirely safe.. and yeah, some forget the almost, some will get careless or unlucky, or make mistakes. But those are their own mistakes to make. With proper education, they can make those educated decisions for themselves, and live with any of the potential consequences. But not preparing them for the possible outcomes I feel is irresponsible. We teach people how to drive properly, how to cook meat properly, to look both ways before crossing the road... should we tell people that driving is wrong and not show them how to do it properly because it *could* result in a serious accident if someone makes a mistake? No.
That's why I said it was true. And as I said before, they believe the fetus is alive, and not their own life, so that's why they won't let the others make the decision for themselves. Your analogy with car accidents was a good one, but unfortunately, over one million abortions occur in the US every year. Can't say the same about car accidents. Plus, they have at least had some worldly experience. The fetus is robbed of the light without having seen it yet. Don't mean to turn this into an abortion thread, though.
You seem to have already judged everyone in the Christian faith based on moral failures in the past. No matter what I say, you aren't understanding what I'm trying to tell you about Hell, forgiveness, sex... Maybe I'm wording it wrong, but you probably just haven't the least ounce of respect for Christians and don't find anything they say valid. Sorry to be so rude, but every post you've made has got me thinking, and I read them with an open mind. understanding what you were saying while not agreeing. You try to do the same, because you don't understand what I'm saying.
