The Lie Known as "Salvation"

[julep]

If you need the idea of a god to feel happy, I'm sorry that's the case, but go for it.  I don't think that your interpretation fits with the actual texts, but since it's all fictional, what does it matter?  Your god sounds like one of those creepy MLM front-men...follow these simple steps and soon you'll have the vacation homes and private jets.  Appeal to greed and the desire to get good stuff without earning it: it's an effective con, sure.   

Doesn't incline me to believe, trust, or sell the vitamins.

[LadyForCamus]

[Haipule]

[Wyrd of Gawd]

How about using the "hide" feature on crap like Post #33?

[robvalue]

God sure is a terrible author. He could just beam whatever he wants to say into our minds, right now, and save all this squabbling about ancient texts.

[Haipule]

I do NOT "believe" in God. I trust Him to be the solid ground of the invisible bridge I walk on called "life". A journey of epic proportions!

Well, what do you believe God to be or are you content to leave it as an unresolvable mystery?  If you're down with the mystery, would you be down with an entirely natural God rooted in your noggin - a god that knew the contents of your heart but far from omniscient, a God that creates the possibility of your existence as you find it but no, not the entire cosmos.  See if you could scale back the extravagant claims I at least would have no beef with a natural god.

---

Well, at least you've rationalized a way to sleep at night.

I'm pretty sure that is the job of the massive doses of margaritas he takes.

Whateverist: you know that I love you and I am not alone! But please! God is NOT nature and, nature is NOT God!--never has been and, never will be! Yet, nature reflects God!

As Paul said: "You will know God by the things that He has made!"

Be not concerned!

Please consider the righteousness of God! If, if, if, God commanded all things to exist according to HIS standard of perfection, which is His own righteousness: then should we pursue(seek) HIS righteousness?

Lets get real stupid: did God invent the hamburger, in all of it's glory, to be enjoyed in all of it's glory? If you said yes then, you pursued that perfection--I hope--as I did, shoots--I ain't even done yet!! So, why don't I go to your house so that I can enjoy the most righteous burger that God invented for us all to enjoy--straight from your God given intellect and God given ideal, pursuing God's perfection--which is His standard of the "all things" including hamburgers?!

Pursuing that standard, in anything related to life, will make you the best as God will guarantee it! Regardless of  my "massive doses"! Everything else truly sucks! 

The above is true--is it not? The death that is "theology" could never tell you that! The life that is God's Word--SCREAMS IT! Science, except for cooking, is numb!


Nature is God's design! Use it to the fullest advantage and be glorious!

Stay shiny my friend and bling!

The world is yours and all it contains. SEIZE IT! NOTHING can stop you!

As John said, "What is that which concurs the world? Your faith(trustworthiness)! As a pursuer of the perfection of God in the all things of His making and design that is nature!

[Haipule]

Drich! REALLY! Eternal? Nothing that has a beginning, or end , can be "eternal"! Most certainly NOT time! The word you translate as "eternal" is "aiOnios". ai = breath + -On = existence + -ios = belong to he/she/it! Breath-being-belong-to-he/she/it!

Did God say for us to have "eternal life"? Or, was God communicating to us that we should be a breath-being-belonging-to-her zOE-life(feminine) as trustworthy useful ones--right her, right now!?

Did Jesus Himself say the He is, "The Way, the Truth and the life"?

Then why do you attempt to teach the atheist, agnostic and the antitheist the uselessness of "salvation"? Instead of the promised abundant Life that is Jesus alone? And that, according to God's Faith for them that is the body and content that is Scripture; according to God's hope for them found in Scripture, utilizing God's love which is their potential leadership skills, so that they can seek God's righteousness in the all things He has made for them to pursue, so that they, themselves, might be glorified and honored for such honest pursuits?

Everyone understands themselves as honest, loving and honorable! God recognizes that as a true potential of anyone. Then why is it you tell them that they "must be saved" while they are already being as honorable as they know how to be? You didn't teach them that! You teach them that they will suffer the second death and burn in "hell" if they don't "believe" in Jesus!

That is a BOLD FACED LIE you learned from the clergy whom wrote books, apparently, just to prove how completely useless you, and they, are!!! And they have spent nearly 2,000yrs trying to convince everyone how smart they are, "godly" and "spiritual"! It's enough to make God puke!!!

The people on this forum, if I may speak for them, are already involved with life and love! Help them to be the best or, shout up and listen! So that you can be the best you can be completely schooled!

The end game is the "Book of Life". Are you going to tell me that anyone who's name is not found in that book is an "unbeliever"? And that everyone in that book is "saved"? There is NOTHING more important to anyone's life then their own including all their responsibilities they are challenged with which include their capacity to love!

Those people are hero's God never said was useless!

Now, my point was that the only proof that God exists is THERE OWN life and not "theology"!

[vulcanlogician]

Whateverist: you know that I love you and I am not alone! But please! God is NOT nature and, nature is NOT God!--never has been and, never will be! Yet, nature reflects God!

As Paul said: "You will know God by the things that He has made!"

I'm glad you're back from Margaritaville, man! We were lost without you.

The issue I take with your quotation of Paul here is that (assuming God exists) his followers seem to ignore Paul's advice--ironically focusing to much on Paul's letters whilst ignoring this little tidbit of wisdom embedded in the letters themselves.

I think Khem hits the nail on the head when he says "magic book worshippers." I've talked to tons of Christians (online and in RL) and, aside from a few exceptions, most of them worship a book and are utterly clueless about how one might know God outside it.

[Caligvla XXI]

[Joods]

OMFG can you all either snip what you aren't responding to or put that shit in hide tags? Scrolling for 10 miles just to get to two or three lines of text is really unnecessary.