I was on the atheist experience :)

[Won2blv]

So the first thing is that you would have to be a christian that accepts Pascals Wager as a valid reason to believe in god.

Correct.  I'm classifying this as a response to the wager.

I never really have been one. But regardless, its not necessarily faith that gains you salvation (I use that word instead of heaven because JW's don't believe we go to heaven) and its not necessarily works. And you can't buy your way to salvation either. I could give all my money to poor people, but if I'm absolutely immoral in every aspect of life, it wouldn't help me much

You are dodging the point entirely.  I'm saying that giving all you have to the poor will not lower your chances of salvation but can possibly help them, therefore by the logic of the wager it is compulsory.

As to the 2nd point, Jesus was a teacher not a rule maker. He was teaching his apostles constantly. There aren't underwriters in heaven that have a check list and stipulations like its a mortgage loan. There isn't always an absolute right way and an absolute wrong way in every situation. I personally don't think Jesus was saying, "hey, I'm awesome so its ok for her to splurge on me" I believe that he was appreciative of the fact that she went to great lengths to show her respect for Jesus.

I cannot discern the point you are trying to make.

Your 3rd point, I'm sure if i get what you're saying 100% but again, I don't believe Jesus left us a checklist and said if we don't do these specific things then we're screwed. Jesus own words were that he set an example and Peter himself later wrote that Jesus an example for us. This shows that we should learn from Jesus discernment and conduct.

I am not sure how this is relevant to the discussion.  Again, if a certain action does not lower your chances of winning but might increase them, then performing the action is a required part of any optimal strategy.

And finally, it still has major logical implications. If I have a tv, then according to you, I have an ability to help a poor person.

According to me?  Do you contest that point?

But if i give everything I have, to either a single poor person, or spread out among many, then they have more than I do.

Correct.

Unless they were not christian, I am hindering their salvation if I have this singular thinking.

No you aren't.  If they're Christian, they can give it away to other people.

Jesus did say that we shouldn't be anxious over what we will eat, drink, wear, etc. However, this is an issue I take with atheist. You read a scripture and draw absolute rules from them. This just isn't an accurate or reasonable way to read the scriptures.

So what should I do then, just ignore the parts I don't like and impose the parts that I do like on other people?

Sorry for the late response... So basically, I have never bought Pascals Wager as I have understood it as a valid argument for the belief in God. I definitely fell more into the argument from ignorance camp.

That being said, I still think that my point is valid that many atheist's draw lines and say, "you cannot act outside of these lines without causing a contradiction" when in reality Jesus taught in a way that helped people understand principles rather than rules. That was my point about Jesus not being a Judge that ticks off requirements from a list. Think of any law, there is an underlying principle behind it. And sometimes the principle isn't a punishable offense. Like the whole committing adultery in your heart if you look at a woman with lust. So did Jesus mean that every time I look at a woman with passion, I have committed adultery? No. The principle is that if you start thinking those things and dwelling on them, it'll lead to you breaking the rule. I am very guilty of this principle sadly... Or not depending on where you come from.

Think of it even this way, when you drive there might be a law in effect like a speed limit. But maybe we believe in the principle to drive safe. So if the weather was really bad, then the principle to drive safe would affect us in a way that we possibly drive under the speed limit.

Whats my point? Basically, Jesus didn't teach us to make hard defined rules in our lives. He made that request to that specific man, but in no way did he ever make it a requirement for his disciples. If he did, then it would just be an endless game of passing around stuff.

You're right that I have a lot more than poor people in a lot of other countries. But Jesus himself said that we could even just have those poor and needy ones over for a meal and rejoice that they could not repay us because god would repay us. I can't speak for every professed christian, but those words did inspire me to help out needy ones. I have gone to developing countries in central and south america spending months doing the preaching work. I would also do my best to invite the locals over for dinner and host them as much as possible. So maybe this isn't selling all of my belongings and living like "The Brethren" but I felt good about it. And maybe the JW preaching is looked upon negatively in this forum, but I saw a lot of joy from people being taught for the first time that they could understand the bible themselves. (as the JW's see it)

Sorry, I am not trying to get preachy. But sometimes I wish that I didn't go down the rabbit hole. I genuinely love being a witness. I personally witness a lot of positive effects in mine and other people lives. So this stuff is personal for me, but I digress...