I just thought you were actually asking, and wanted an actually discussion is all.

Freaky wrote:

We have had more natural disaters over the past 100 years than we have had over the past 2000 years.

This is not faith, but scientific fact.

FreakyShiki writes:

Christ IS coming back.

Soon.

Are you ready?

Oh, by the way. I've been ready to meet my maker since the day I was born. So if your suggesting that some "Christ" is the creator, then yes, I've always been ready.

Unless you're trying to claim that there's some reason I shouldn't trust this so-called "Christ" to be a reasonable righteous entity?

Are you suggesting that the "Christ" is going to be a nasty tyrant who will be hateful and mean toward people for no good reason?

Unless that's what you are suggesting, why would you think that someone might not be ready to meet this "Christ"?

What are you doing? Trying to spread fear in the name of the "Christ"?

Why should anyone fear the "return" of the "Christ"? From what I hear he's far more loving and forgiving than any mortal human who has ever lived!

Well, gee whiz, I wouldn't have any fear if my Aunt Murdel came back to save the world, so why should I fear the "Christ"?

Are you attempting to suggest that the "Christ" is an unrighteous bully who can't be trusted to even be as nice as much as my Aunt Murdel?

As long as the "Christ" is as nice as my Aunt Murdel, I'm sure we'll be just fine. And if he's not as nice, then I guess my Aunt Murdel surpasses the "Christ" in terms of love, righteousness and forgiveness.

Maybe we should all pray that my Aunt Murdel comes back since you don't trust the "Christ" to be as nice.

Personally I think your mistrust in the "Christ" to be righteous is grossly misplaced paranoia. I've read the rumors about the "Christ" myself, and I see nothing to fear in them. He sounds like a pretty nice guy to me.

So cheer up and try to think a bit optimistically. Think of the most loving forgiving mortal human you've ever met and TRUST that the "Christ" will be even more loving and forgiving than them!

Hope this helps

Jeanniebean writes:

"What's going to happen when Jesus gets back?
or... what has to happen before he comes back?
or .. is he coming back at all?"

If you look at the Prophecies of the Bible, you see that things are being lined up for His return. First of all, the creation of the Nation of Israel in 1948 was the first sign. The next sign is happening now, as the tragedies of the Earth are like "birth pains."

What are "birth pains?" They start far apart, but as the birth nears, they get STRONGER and MORE FREQUENT. Well, look at the natural disaters that have occurred over the past 100 years.

We have had more natural disaters over the past 100 years than we have had over the past 2000 years.

This is not faith, but scientific fact.

People are talking about global warning, and that may be true, but it is the signs of the times.

Christ IS coming back.

Soon.

Are you ready?

If you want to learn about it then "google" it.

Jeanniebean writes that she is ready. Shiki disagrees.

We are called to show the way. His way.
We are conduits to Christ.
Nothing more.

Shinning armor writes:

Hey, didn't anyone get the memo? I AM JESUS CHRIST! I am on vacation becasue there is nothing to do in Heaven. I needed Beer, Broads, and Blunts! I could have visited Uncle Nick but dad is all bent at him still so I am not allowed there. Nick is however visiting me at a titty bar in Vegas like a couple of people here said but no Elvis is still in heaven and dad likes it when he performs Burning Love for him.

Nick does not want your sympathy. Just buy him a beer and he will be happy with you.



Oh God that pic brings back memories! That was one hell of a Halloween party! People assumed I was casting him back to hell. You fools are so wrong. Uncle Nick had a hot date (he said it was in Pompeii) so I was wishing him a good trip.

ShiningArmour wrote:

You seem to think that Jesus/God is this all forgiving nice guy who just kind of winks when you do something wrong. Kind of like santa claus.

When you do something wrong the father disciplines you. Unless he does not love you, then he does nothing.

Do you bear bad fruit? No. You don't hate God as far as I know.

Now back to the father deal, at the end of the world the "World" Is judged for their unbelief in God.

The devil as he's called and his followers (Demons) Are free to do as they wish and God kills just about everyone during what's called "The Tribulation" it's a very drawn out and complex deal. If you want to learn about it then "google" it.

Yes God will forgive IF you choose to follow him and ASK for forgiveness. That's the CHOICE. If you don't ask then God will not force you. It's up to each and every individual.
It's a relationship! If you want to hang out with the cool guy at this party called life then you do! If you want to hit the bar and do things your own way then you do. You stay away from the cool guy at the party. But after the bar closes don't knock on his door and expect him to know you and welcome you in.

He made all his friends at the party. This is the after party get together, and you were not invited. Sorry.

Where do you get that from?

Where did I ever say that I do anything "wrong", or that I would even condone anyone doing something wrong?

Sounds to me like you're jumping to some really wild conclusions that have absolutely nothing at all to do with me.

A person doesn't need to believe in Christianity or Jesus in order to know right from wrong.



Disciplines?

I disagree.

IMHO, a good father would teach a child discipline. You can't "discipline" a child. If you think you can you are sadly mistaken.

You can "punish" a child if you want, but if you do, that's only a reflection of your own ineptitude as a mentor. If a child is so unruly to be unwilling to learn, they are most likely in dire need of psychological help, not punishment.

So the idea of a God who mentors via punishment, or threats of punishment, is an idea of a God who is truly unwise and unintelligent, IMHO.

Add to that the idea of a God who would threaten "everlasting punishment" to his children if they disobey him and you reduce God to having no more common sense than a barroom drunkard. Not to mention that such a God would have clearly given up on his own ability to properly mentor his children.

All you have left in that case is a God who is taking out his own frustrations over his own ineptitude as a mentor, on his children.

That would be a God who is both inept, and an extremely abusive parent.



I don't feel any animosity toward the creator of life if that's what you mean.

But I do have a lot of questions for Her should I even have the pleasure of meeting Her face-to-face.



Judged for disbelief in God?

How could disbelief be considered "disobedience"?

If the child is unconvinced that the parent even exists, that can only be gross ineptitude on the part of the parent. Especially in a scenario where the parent is supposedly omnipotent and can do anything to make him or herself known to the child and fails to do so. The child, being grossly limited in their ability to verify the existence of a God could not be expects to believe in one, and it would be utterly insane to consider their disbelief as "disobedience".

Any mythology of gods that claims that it's considered "disobedience" to not believe in their God should be highly suspect as being nothing more than man-made propaganda to brainwash people into worshiping their mythology over anyone Else's mythology. I wouldn't trust any authors who make such a claim further than I can spit.



Well, now your asking me to read a mythology that not only claims the existence of a God but it also claims the existence of evil boogieman who is out to get everyone if they don't turn to the mythological God to be "saved" from the boogieman.

So does this mythology claim that there are then TWO Gods? One that is "good" and one that is "bad"?

No, of course it doesn't. I've already read the story.

No, the boogieman in this mythology has absolutely NO POWER of his own.

He's not a "god", he's just a pathetically stupid fallen angel who has NO POWER of his own, yet the supposedly "Good God" allows him to wreck havoc with his children.

Tell me, if you were a parent, would you unleash a boogieman on your children and give him YOUR POWER to do EVIL THINGS to your children and to get your children to do evil things?

I personally wouldn't think very highly of you if you did that to your children. I know I wouldn't do it to mine.

Yet, you expect me to believe in a mythology that claims that our "Heavenly Father" is doing precisely that to us?

Why would you accept a mythology that claims that our creator is such a nasty untrustworthy parent?

We'd be better of if atheism were true!



With all due respect there is nothing "cool" about the God described by the mythology that you are referring to.

I would not want to be a friend of that "God".

That would be like befriending Hitler and supporting his views just to avoid his wrath.

Hitler had it in his mind that he would cast all the undesirable people into a fiery furnace and keep only the people he approves of to breed a super race of superior humans.

Well, I hate to tell you this, but the biblical mythology of a God isn't all that much different. That God is portrayed as wanting to cast all the undesirable people into a fiery furnace and keep only the people he approves of as his pets.

Where's the difference?

The only difference is that Hitler was not the "all-powerful" creator of the universe, so everyone thinks that he had no "right" to play with humans that way.

But since "God" is the creator of the universe, it's ok for him to play with his human pets that way because, after all, he created them and they are his to do with as he likes.

In other words, if Hitler had actually created humans, then his decisions and actions would be totally justified.

I see no reason to believe in the Hebrew mythologies of god.

The characters that they place onto God are simply not "godly" IMHO.

The stories are riddled with contradictions, absurdities, and outright injustices (like condemning people for simply not believing in the stories) That's a totally absurd notion right there, IMHO.

Moreover, there are FAR BETTER spiritual pictures and philosophies available.

There exist pictures of a spiritual "God" that are far better that the stories the ancient Hebrews have written. Pictures that make far better sense in terms of wisdom and intelligence as well.

So why CHOOSE on PURE FAITH a lame picture of God?

If you're going to do this on PURE FAITH, why not CHOOSE an intelligent picture of a truly wise and righteous God?

Why belittle God, by choosing to place your faith in a story that belittles God?

If you child never saw you face to face, and after many years you finally met your child and she showed you a portrait of criminal and said, "Hey daddy, I thought this was you!"

Would you be impressed by that? I think not.

You'd probably be far more impressed if your child had "believed" that you are a decent nice person instead.

So, yes, if I want to insult God, I can choose to believe in the Hebrew picture of God too.

But why would I want to insult God?

There are better spiritual pictures of gods to be had. Why not choose one of them. Surely any real God is not going to be upset with my because I thought he was BETTER than he truly is!

What's he going to do? Scream at me yelling, "No you fool! I'm nowhere near that nice! You're going to hell for thinking that I was actually NICE!"

What kind of a "God" would do such a thing to an innocent sincere child who was only trying to find the best possible picture to show their daddy?

In order for me to believe in the Biblical picture of God, I'd need to believe that God is the most heartless uncaring entity possible.

Nope, I'm not going to insult God by suggesting that I thought She was a mean old judgmental male-chauvinist pig who is chomping at the bit to cast people into hell for merely not believing that God could be such a heartless jerk.

Nope, I'm not going to insult God by doing that.

If you want to do that, that's your choice.

Who knows, maybe God truly is a jerk and he'll be pleased that you accepted that and he'll cast me into eternal damnation for thinking he was better than that.

Anything's possible.

Even atheism, which sounds better than the biblical picture to me.

What's wrong with using google? If you would like you could go to church and ask an acctual pastor, Or you could read revelations. But I doubt you would understand any of it.