(April 26, 2017 at 9:53 am)SteveII Wrote:(April 26, 2017 at 9:41 am)Rhondazvous Wrote: If god’s definition of words like justice and love is so different from ours, then what was the purpose of writing a book that never means what it says or says what it means? The church offers no consensus of meaning since Christians adjust the meaning according to secular moral standards. [1]
Case in point: because it makes god look like a draconian psychopath to the secular mind, the church has now toned down its preaching of hellfire and brimstone, and now teaches that hell is just eternal separation from god. By disagreeing with this, you only betray the lack of consensus in the church, so be my guest. [2]
1. Where is the Bible inconsistent with the meaning of those two words?
2. I don't believe the verses on Hell in the NT have been changed recently. Your logic is that if some Christians are wrong in their doctrine that proves then all Christians are wrong--and that's just nonsense.
i love my kids and, no matter what they do, I would not punish them eternally. If behaviour is so important, I would be as clear as possible about what is expected of them. If they end up not doing what I want them to, I wouldn't kill them all and start over, or stone them to death.
If christians say that god told them what a bible passage means, and there are multiple answers among them, what is the most logical explanation? More than one god is telling them these things? No evidence for even ONE god. God tells people conflicting stories? That would explain the bible's contradictions, I guess. That they're lying or mistaken that that the voice in their head is god? Bingo.
"The last superstition of the human mind is the superstition that religion in itself is a good thing." - Samuel Porter Putnam
