(April 30, 2013 at 6:24 am)Tonus Wrote: Question 10 strikes me as awkward and unfair. Would anyone honestly answer other than 'yes?'
I know for myself that when I used to be an apologist I would stretch the truth. It wouldn't be an outright lie, but it would be enough to maybe possibly get someone to see that eternity was really at stake in the hopes of one day seeing that person in heaven with me. I could maybe swing the odds in favour of "God's plan".
It's human nature to resist change. Back in those days, if someone had a legitimate point and I couldn't come back with anything, I would dismiss that thought in fear of losing my own salvation. That person wouldn't have a clue, and neither would I, but those thoughts would add up over time since it's not something that can't be controlled, much like "what has been seen cannot be unseen". So basically I asked that question not to satisfy my own curiosity, because I know the answer will be "yes", but rather to instil the thought within the believer that their heart feels like it could actually be "no". Of course, that's something that I'll leave the believer to ponder on.
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it" ~ Aristotle