Quote:
Originally posted by Cerek the Barbaric:
Certainly "one could say that". It is an incorrect assumption based on a lack of personal knowledge, but you're welcome to say it. I know from personal experience that God is a kind and loving Creator. I have felt His touch personally and know His true nature.
AFA as God setting standards that "we obviously aren't capable of reaching", that's also a completely erroneous statement. Obviously we ARE capable of reaching them, otherwise there would be NO Christians at all (since we could never reach that status).
|
That's all rather a deontological thing to say, can you prove it?
Quote:
Originally posted by Cerek the Barbaric:
What's wrong with it being a self-fulfilling prophecy? If it works, it works. Just like with the plastic cup, God's true nature is easy to discover if you test it.
You may base all of your serious knowledge on scientific techniques, but I don't. AFA double standards go, different subjects require different critiria. Art and music are not "judged" by the same method as math or science. The latter do have specific criteria that all answers MUST conform too, but the former are judged subjectively. There is no specific and unbendable criteria by which art and music are judged as good or bad.
|
Because they (self-fulfilling phrophicies) are an enemy of rational thought, and it is this, which we base our modern culture on, indeed Faith itself is the enemy of rational thought, since it demands that we cast aside our objections and instead blindly follow.
Also if you “accept god’s existence” first, anything that happens to you can be used as “proof” of his existence via post Hoc reasoning, while filtering out failures.
Quote:
Originally posted by Cerek the Barbaric:
It is odd, yes, that God "allows Satan to do whatever he likes" and that He doesn't strike him down, even though He could. Why does He do that? I honostly don't know. God does have a plan for us and Satan plays a part in that plan. God will vanquish Satan once and for all, but He will do it on His timetable, not ours.
Also, God does give us free will. You could accept God if you wanted to, but you choose not to. That is your choice, not His. We are all sinful by nature, but sin does not keep us from Heaven. There is only ONE person in the entire history of Mankind that did not sin, and that was Jesus Christ. Every single Christian that has lived, from the original Apostles down to the Pope (and every single pastor, preacher, deacon, and Bible-thumper in between) sin against God every single day in one form or another. Does this keep them out of Heaven? NO. They acknowledge their sins and sincerely repent. God then forgives them of these sins and they start with a clean slate. Heaven is just as full of sinners as Hell is, the only difference is that some acknowledged their sins while others denied them.
I also can't completely agree that the "vast majority" of people will go to Hell. Many new people come to Christ every day. I wouldn't presume to know "which side is actually winning."[/QB]
|
Today there are more Muslims and peoples of others faiths than there are Christians, therefore it seems that at the moment the majority of people will go to hell.