yes it is, I dont believe in an eternal hell, I believe that those left behind will be consumed by fire,
'ashes to ashes, dust to dust'


I also dont believe people are condemned for not believing, unless they are given the information and REJECT it

condemnation comes from not keeping the laws, much like our justice system works,,

I do believe rejecting Gods greatness and denying Gods mercy, will prevent one from being 'forced' to spend an eternity with such an otherwise 'average' and 'merciless' figure,,

and of course, if one believes God to be anything so terrible, why would they WANT to have to spend eternity with him

condemnation is rejection(in my opinion)

if some are rejecting God, arent they saying they want nothing to do with HIM and not the other way around?

Condemnation comes from not keeping the law

What EXACTLY is the law? Do I need to read the old testament to get the law or is it in the new testament only?

If I want clarification of a law, like when to use medical intervention over faith where does it tell me that?

If a child comes to me for help from an extremely abusive and intoerable situation, do I return the child and tell him/her that THE LAW says to honor thy mother and father? Remember that child protective services may not even exist in this situation so how would I clarify that particular law?

I could go on and on but there are an infinate number possible situations and only a few laws - please explan how those few laws cover an infinate number of situations?

If we are to love our enemies and love the wretched, and love the sinner - how can we condemn them - is that not a judgment of their situation?

Who interprets every situation in accordance to a few laws in the bible legal manual to reach a godly condoned rejection of others?

If condemnation is rejection - then what is ostracism? Is it determined by the same steps as the condemnation of others?

The quote above is a position many Christians take but they do so without imagining all the choices for which no clear answers are provided in ‘the manual’. If the manual is so difficult a tool to use that it requires a highly educated individual to interpret its meaning for another person’s situations then the tool is a KING MAKER for its purpose is to keep followers in line.

If, however, the manual does have the answers as the form of [his guidance] then why are so many believers tortured over the choices they must make in their lives?

BELOW ARE FICTICIOUS SCENARIOS

My child is very ill, perhaps has rare form of leukemia, or AIDS from a blood transfusion, and the doctors say that only very expensive and intensive medical protocols will save the child’s life.

More about me and the situation:
I am a staunch Christian, my husband a pastor/preacher from a long line of the same. I have a job and family health insurance benefits and we have five children. Family discussions tend to agree that faith is the best treatment the child can receive.

I have actually considered the fact that even with health insurance there is no way our family could afford the treatment but now I wonder – did that have anything to do with the decision we made for NOT to treat the child? I report to my husband that I am Fearful that I’m not fit to make this decision. One of the teenagers overhears our discussion and barges into the room yelling “you have to treat her” and then the father tries to calm her saying “No, this is a test our faith” … and then he starts chanting bible passages to justify his case. Days pass, the sick child becomes sicker, the teenager hates to come home, and the family gathers to say prayers.

Ok – I gotta stop, there must be more than enough situational type choices that have to made, tell me … what does your manual say about all this? Keep in mind that the manual must provide [Guidance] which will be the same for EVERY situation that is exactly like this one.

But how many situations are exactly like this one? Change some things, even minutely and the choices change and the justifications change, for example – say the child did not have the same amount of faith as her parents and was so sick she just wanted to be better and kept asking to go to the hospital. What does the manual say should be done – what “guidance” does it offer?

NOW – There’s a point to be made, if every individual depended ONLY on their faith then there would be no right or wrong decisions because every individual would ‘believe’ that by their faith alone they cannot make a wrong decision.

BUT –enter the manual – the manual has the law, it states what your choices should be and no matter the amount of faith you have – if your choice goes against the manual….. Your child could die, your family be broken and your hopes for eternity – dashed.

So where are the answers in the manual that would take into account EVERY POSSIBLE nuance of every situation? How would any person possibly make heads or tails of the ten commandments as answers for such situations, and what about other ‘so-called’ laws or directives – I mean Jehovah Witnesses refuse blood transfusions “in accordance with the manual”. Well who’s not in accord and why?

Is it ‘remotely possibly’ be that the manual does not provide the necessary knowledge with which to make the choices that will bring god’s mercy, or favorable judgment, upon you? If you see it as infallible tool then show me the above situations in the book and what the correct choices are suppose to be for each person who is involved in that situation?

Kleiso wrote:

Are you going to tell me, that having the feelings I am having, and I am talking an innate sense of: "This is it, there's not going to be anyone else", that....I would have to ignore that like it is not there because of one or two differences? That I would have to pass up what very well could be my one day wife simply because of what a book says?

Now, I am no longer a Christian as of last fall, BUT let's say for a second I still was. In the Bible, you are told that it is unwise to be unequally yoked in marriage. Meaning of course, to be with someone whose religious beliefs are not the same as yours, and don't line up with the so called truth.

So? You've changed your religious views so you would no longer be ignoring that wisdom anyway.

It just says not be unequally yoked. It doesn't say that you need to convert your spouse to your religion.

Converting to her's solves the problem just as well.

I'd like to add my own story into this as well. About 9 months ago, when I was still a Bible believing Christian for all intents and purposes, I met a girl online who....was totally my opposite. I was a believer, she was not, I was a little more rigid in my ways, she was not. Now...in the early days knowing her, we engaged in some things by phone and by chat, that spiritually speaking probably were not the healthiest, irregardless of beliefs. But in spite of that, there was a spark, a chemistry in our conversations, my heart could feel it though I didn't quite know or understand it then.

As time went on, the less healthy things more or less faded away, and we began to get very close. A deep bond and friendship between us started to form. Again bear in mind, we were two different people with very different beliefs when we met.

It is now at a point to where, my heart is saying loud and clear that I love her. My mind has tried to fight it, to come up with every reason why this wouldn't be a good idea, but my heart won't hear it. It pretty much knows what it wants, and she's it. It's unlike any other feeling I've ever had before in my life. That's how certain my heart is about this.

Now, I am no longer a Christian as of last fall, BUT let's say for a second I still was. In the Bible, you are told that it is unwise to be unequally yoked in marriage. Meaning of course, to be with someone whose religious beliefs are not the same as yours, and don't line up with the so called truth.

Are you going to tell me, that having the feelings I am having, and I am talking an innate sense of: "This is it, there's not going to be anyone else", that....I would have to ignore that like it is not there because of one or two differences? That I would have to pass up what very well could be my one day wife simply because of what a book says?

Books, instruction manuals, they can be good for some things. But when it comes to matters of the heart, personal, emotional decisions such as the ones I and Redykeulous have described, they really get in the way more than they help.

lol that it did. I actually think, my changing had a lot to do with us getting closer really.

This type of thing though just shows how out of touch these so called holy books can be.