(October 12, 2011 at 6:35 am)FutureAndAHope Wrote: As for 99% of people going to hell I don't buy that for a minute. The whole of scripture says that God is merciful, not willing that people should perish, does not delight in the death of anyone.
A perfect example of how xtians interpret their bible and see the things they wish to see while not acknowledging what it actually says. Matthew 7:13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it."
"God" basically admits that the greater majority are going to hell and the minority are going to heaven, so don't try to sell us on your lovey-dovey, happy-go-lucky god who wants us all to go to Heaven. In fact, your argument is even stupider since he's the one who actually created hell.
Quote:I think there is but one isloated verse in the bible that says "few are they who find it" and every one jumps on it and says few people will go to heaven, and ignore all the other positive parts of Gods character. As for the verse saying "few are they who will find it", the word find is the same root word used for huristic search, meaning to reason out something. In the context of the whole passage Jesus was talking about false teachers not reasoning out the truth. Jesus could well have been saying few people are actually reasoning correctly, not as is commonly stated perishing. I hope that makes sense, few people are reasoning correctly as opposed to few people are finding heaven. Because the word is not to find heaven, rather it is a reasoning process.
"It has to be understood in context." I find this amusing because it comes from the same crowd that likes to push likewise extracted verses that support their particular view. Often it is just one of the verses in the contradictory set which is supposed to be taken as THE TRUTH when, if you add more to it, it suddenly becomes "out of context."
Or better yet "this word 'find' doesn't mean "find" in THIS verse, but o yes, it does mean 'find' in these other 10 verses" .... you know like, "Seek and ye shall FIND!"
Sheep!