What are the Characteristics of a NT Christian?

[Harry Nevis]

So no free will in heaven as long as you stay within God's effective radius. And you turn out to be a literalist. God is omnipresent and located in heaven. God is a spirit and likes to sit in a chair. Good thing you believe he can only do the 'actually possible' or who knows what sleight of reality you'd have him doing.

Your definition of omnipresent is off. The idea is that God is aware of all points in the physical universe--not that he is in them. I posted this awhile back:

Before you go saying that God is everywhere, that is not going to hold up. The universe is expanding. If God was everywhere, is God expanding? Or perhaps becoming diluted? Additionally, the universe if finite. Does that mean that God is finite. More silly conclusion can be drawn from a too-simplistic view: for example, is a portion of God in my coffee cup and the rest of him outside of it? No, God does not occupy space and is therefore not literally everywhere. I believe he is cognizant of and causally active at every point in space.

Don't blame us for you misusing words. It seems the most silly conclusions come from not thinking, but apologizing.

[Whateverist]

So basically you're saying it is logically impossible to draw valid inferences regarding the necessary characteristics of a being whose being can not be demonstrated.  I have to agree.

Yeah...they typically don't like it much when we use the phrase:

"Making shit up as you go along."  [emoji57]

[emoji57]

Yeah that's what makes them so cute.

---

So no free will in heaven as long as you stay within God's effective radius. And you turn out to be a literalist. God is omnipresent and located in heaven. God is a spirit and likes to sit in a chair. Good thing you believe he can only do the 'actually possible' or who knows what sleight of reality you'd have him doing.

Your definition of omnipresent is off. The idea is that God is aware of all points in the physical universe--not that he is in them. I posted this awhile back:

Got to give him this much. He definitely has been saying stuff about the ineffable and sometimes backing it up with the occasional convenient bit of text from the bible - as if that meant anything at all.

[Neo-Scholastic]

It would be wise to remember that the free will versus predestination debate has a long history even within the Christian church. Personally, I think scripture in indeterminate and I'm not sure that it matters a whole lot. What I do know is that we love Him, because He loved us first.

[Brian37]

It would be wise to remember that the free will versus predestination debate has a long history even within the Christian church. Personally, I think scripture in indeterminate and I'm not sure that it matters a whole lot. What I do know is that we love Him, because He loved us first.

It would be wise to remember it is still a book of myth. Men don't magically pop out of dirt, women don't come from a man's rib. Donkeys and snakes and bushes don't talk. Nobody poofed water instantly into wine. Nobody rose the dead. No such thing as magic babies with super powers. And humans don't survive the torture act the bible would imply is possible.

"Paul said" yea the same character who was an asshole prior as "Saul".

But I guess if you ask forgiveness you can do all sorts of shitty things. 

I am for forgiveness too, but that would still be my choice, and even so, if someone did what Saul did, regardless of "forgiveness" in real life those people do some serious time in prison.

So all you have to do after you murder someone for their wallet is say, "my bad" and both the murderer and dead victim end up in heaven together? 

Again, I can forgive someone sure, but depending on what they did to me, would not mean I would want to spend one more minute with them.

Sorry, that is still an old book of myth and even the Paul/Saul story is a twisted and vile story. 

Same with God allowing the infanticide of the Egyptian first born over an adult beef. Same with the genocide of the flood story.

Roof was forgiven by some of the family members but none of them would ever, even in that case, want to let him out of prison.

The Saul/Paul story is a myth too. Still a book of myth, written for the people back then, and does not represent our better understanding of human behavior or legal system we have today.

[LadyForCamus]

Before you go saying that God is everywhere, that is not going to hold up. The universe is expanding. If God was everywhere, is God expanding? Or perhaps becoming diluted? Additionally, the universe if finite. Does that mean that God is finite. More silly conclusion can be drawn from a too-simplistic view: for example, is a portion of God in my coffee cup and the rest of him outside of it? No, God does not occupy space and is therefore not literally everywhere. I believe he is cognizant of and causally active at every point in space..

::bold mine::

How nice you hold that belief, Steve. But a word means what it means, regardless of what you need it to mean in order to reconcile the obviously absurd (even to you) notion of omnipresence asserted by your holy book.

"Justified rational belief, or justifying your belief through rationalizations."

I don't remember who said this earlier on in the thread, but it is perfectly fitting...

[brewer]

[edit]

It would be wise to remember that the free will versus predestination debate has a long history even within the Christian church. Personally, I think scripture in indeterminate and I'm not sure that it matters a whole lot. What I do know is that we love Him, because He loved us first.

bold mine

Payback is a bitch. 

Prove it.

[Neo-Scholastic]

It would be wise to remember it is still a book of myth. Men don't magically pop out of dirt, women don't come from a man's rib. Donkeys and snakes and bushes don't talk. Nobody poofed water instantly into wine. Nobody rose the dead. No such thing as magic babies with super powers. And humans don't survive the torture act the bible would imply is possible.

"Paul said" yea the same character who was an asshole prior as "Saul". But I guess if you ask forgiveness you can do all sorts of shitty things. ...all you have to do after you murder someone for their wallet is say, "my bad" and both the murderer and dead victim end up in heaven together? ...Sorry, that is still an old book of myth and even the Paul/Saul story is a twisted and vile story. 

Same with God allowing the infanticide of the Egyptian first born over an adult beef. Same with the genocide of the flood story....The Saul/Paul story is a myth too. Still a book of myth, written for the people back then, and does not represent our better understanding of human behavior or legal system we have today.

[GrandizerII]

Before you go saying that God is everywhere, that is not going to hold up. The universe is expanding. If God was everywhere, is God expanding? Or perhaps becoming diluted? Additionally, the universe if finite. Does that mean that God is finite. More silly conclusion can be drawn from a too-simplistic view: for example, is a portion of God in my coffee cup and the rest of him outside of it? No, God does not occupy space and is therefore not literally everywhere. I believe he is cognizant of and causally active at every point in space.

Just to nitpick (because why the hell not), the universe and the cosmos are not the same thing.

[Brian37]

It would be wise to remember it is still a book of myth. Men don't magically pop out of dirt, women don't come from a man's rib. Donkeys and snakes and bushes don't talk. Nobody poofed water instantly into wine. Nobody rose the dead. No such thing as magic babies with super powers. And humans don't survive the torture act the bible would imply is possible.

"Paul said" yea the same character who was an asshole prior as "Saul". But I guess if you ask forgiveness you can do all sorts of shitty things. ...all you have to do after you murder someone for their wallet is say, "my bad" and both the murderer and dead victim end up in heaven together? ...Sorry, that is still an old book of myth and even the Paul/Saul story is a twisted and vile story. 

Same with God allowing the infanticide of the Egyptian first born over an adult beef. Same with the genocide of the flood story....The Saul/Paul story is a myth too. Still a book of myth, written for the people back then, and does not represent our better understanding of human behavior or legal system we have today.

"Critical thinking=Allah" Surely that works for you.
"Critical thinking=Yahweh" Surely that works for you.
"Critical thinking=Buddha" Surely that works for you.
"Critical thinking=Brahama" Surely that works for you.

Yea yea because a 13.8 billion year old universe gives one flying fuck about human invented myths. Ok buddy, get in line take a number. Claims are like assholes, everyone has one. 

We can prove the age of the universe and you still have no evidence for your invisible friend.

Nope sorry, someone sold you a old book of myth and you fell for it. I hope for your sake you snap out of your needlessly self inflicted delusion before you waste your entire life on fiction.

[LadyForCamus]

Anyway...what the hell is supposed to be the difference between 'causally active' and 'physically present'? I mean, for fuck's sake, Steve...