Evaluation is a form of judgment; its purpose is to ascertain correct from incorrect (or right from wrong), without applying condemnation to the equation. Most people fail to realize this. They mistake "judgment" as being inherently equal to condemnation or a "holier-than-thou" complex...when in fact, nothing could be further from the truth. A person looking at 2 boxes, one red and the other green, is making an evaluation by determing the color of each one visually. The same basic principle holds true with regards to morality. God set the original standard, but over the centuries, mankind has tried to continually redefine it, instead of simply trusting in Him. The result is the twisted world we now live in.
LOL.
"the twisted world we now live in"? when in the past it was the Lord's law that punishment for rapists was to marry their victims?
when you had to slaughter animals and burn them to make an odor that "pleased" the lord?
you are nutty.
regardless of the laws God set, God also set time bombs between Teenager's crotches, GOD did that.
he MADE them horny see? he "defined" them as such. wonder why he then is so adamant about no sex until marriage, maybe he likes to see them suffer in the throes of sexual frustration.
maybe that is "pleasing unto him"
Humanity's imperfections were not created by God; they are the result of the first disobedience by Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden. When they sinned, it started a total chain-reaction, that corrupted everything in existence.
for the last time.
God is all seeing and all knowing.
God KNEW what his creation would do, so much so, he provided the reason for "sin" he created the tree of life and then asked his creation to not partake of it ( when it would've been simple to not create it) he also not only created the serpent, but made it "clever" ( and apparently able to talk as well) and watched as the serpent swayed his beloved creation into disobedience, why would he do this?
I don't know.
From that moment forward, God set a plan into motion, to redeem humanity, and brings us back to Him.
all he really needed to do is forgive.
I believe that's all, no grand scheme needed.
That plan was the sacrifice of Jesus.
the hell?
In olden times, people sacrificed animals as a sign of their sorrow for sin.
if I remember correctly God ASKED for offerings.
Jesus was the final payment, which is why we no longer need an earthly blood sacrifice. His crucifixion was prophesied thousands of years before the Romans even invented it, and in the end, Christ bore the full consequences for every concievable sin on Himself, so we could be set free through faith and acceptance in Him.
huzza what now? I really don't understand how you can take the full irrational bulk of this and still believe it.
Jesus died for your sins? you hadn't been born! and YES we ALL "sin" because that's how we were made! in order to forgive us, all go had to do was FORGIVE US!!!! why is that not sinking into your skull.
it's utter insanity.
"hey Carlos, sorry about scratching your favorite CD
"
"oh, don't worry, I'll forgive you but first you have to ......KILL THIS KITTEN!!!!!!11!!!!11!!!1!!!!1!"
Of the 13 disciples that Jesus had (Matthias replaced Judas after his suicide), all of them but John were horribly tortured and brutally murdered, because they refused to abandon their faith in Christ (John died in prison for adhering to Jesus' message). Why would they willingly go through such a horrendous fate, if they knew it was all a lie?
wow! just wow!
In 1997 a man named Marchall Applewhite convinced 38 ( woah, that's more than 13) to commit suicide in order to leave the earthly plain and ascend to the next level on a comet.
Why would they willingly go through such a horrendous fate, if they knew it was all a lie?
in 1978 Jim Jones convinced his followers to kill two men at an airport and then commit suicide.
all in all 913 people ( woah, 913 at the same time, this guy must have been BETTER than Jesus!!!!) followed his orders.
Why would they willingly go through such a horrendous fate, if they knew it was all a lie?
The only other options were to believe that Jesus was either insane, or telling the truth. The fact that he proclaimed Himself as the Son of God proves He wasn't insane, because good religious leaders don't claim such a thing. therefore, the only remaining option is that Christ's words were total truth, whether people agreed with Him or not.
David Koresh claimed that he was chosen to father a child that would lead the new generation as the new Messiah.
later he changed his story to reflect the fact that he HIMSELF was the messiah.
he set up camp with some followers and also said that he was entitled to 140 wives.
The fact that he did these things prove he wasn't insane, because good religious leaders don't do such things.
Unfortunately, many people believe this sort of thing. For an example, let's compare this to buying a car. I like red (for the sake of this post), and you like blue. We could spend all day arguing about red cars vs. blue cars, and get nowhere, because its an opinion. But, if we were discussing the safety of a car (say, a 2007 Camry vs. a Pinto), the debate would have inherently more weight to it. We would be talking about which choice would save us from injury or destruction. Sadly, most people equate "true vs. false" to be the equivalent of "red vs. blue", rather than safety vs. destruction. I'ma a Christian not because of some thoughtless whim, but because Jesus promises eternal salvation (from sin, death, hell, and condemnation) to all who have faith in Him. that's quite a bargain, and the best part is, you don't have to spend you life, hoping you've earned it.
but you just said something about your faith, something rather long winded without actually attacking any of the points he made.
you implied that people have "apprehension" about sex, and this implies a knowledge of right and wrong.
but you failed to take into account that not all people have these "apprehensions" and that a lot of the people who do have had these concerns burned into their skull by their parents and/or environment.
sex, regardless of what you think, is not wrong.
went badly for you? sorry can't be helped, some people have trouble in their jobs doesn't mean working is sinful.
and just to make it clear to you.
I respect a lot Christians, I really do, I have a lot of friends who are catholic/ Christian or whatever, we argue sometimes but I respect why some of them are adherent to that faith.
you are a Christian because you are weak.
simple, stop glorifying your weakness.
Animals mate through pure instinct, and are not created in God's image.
We are fashioned by God's hand, and made to be a reflection of Him and His glory.
the animal kingdom doesn't "reflect god's glory"?
By twisting his original design for sexual union (heterosexual intercourse in the confines of marriage), we ultimately fail in our greatest purpose, which is to be an example of His work to the world at large.
ok, you just went from incoherent to insane.
see, a lot of people ( not all) are BORN Homosexuals, which would mean that GOD intended them to be such.
how exactly does two guys/girls having sex make a bad example of God's work to the world at large. I need to know how, because I know these two lesbians that love each other and are the true definition of a couple.
these women have been together through everything and have found strength in each other.
you are saying that this is not a right way to live as a couple?
Homosexuality may be "natural" in the sense that it can be physically achieved, but that doesn't make it right. Scripture even refers to it as an abombination more than once; that's pretty descriptive for something which a few would like to dismiss as "okay" or "beneficial".
scripture refers to a lot of nonsensical things that some have written off as hyperbole.
but anyway, tell me why YOU think it's wrong, why you think it's harmful.
sure, I know, the bible says it is, however, it must have a reason for doing so, a logical reason. therefore I want you to tell me what this reason is.
The various "religions" in this world came about, because the human race wanted to redefine God for itself
really?
how are the far eastern religions which require much more discipline than Christianity a redefinition of god for man?
how were the pagan religions which require stricter adherence to procedure and observation of religious holidays a redefinition?
why is it, that Christianity takes key elements from these religions but only until it comes in contact with them ( not before if it was a "set the record straight" thing) in fact, Christianity is a mish mash of pagan beliefs set into a monotheistic structure.
in some pagan religions Nature is to be revered and respected.
in Christianity nature is to be subjugated.
in some pagan religions and some Far Eastern religions the world is to be kept in balance and cared for.
in Christianity the world is meant to be used, the world is man's toy.
in some pagan and far eastern religions, after death there is only nothingness.
in Christianity there is some great reward or punishment.
you tell me which faith is redefined to sever man.
First off, purgatory is something invented by the Catholic Church. Jesus said plainly that there were only two options, heaven and hell...and that we make the choice, by accepting or refusing the sacrifice and salvation He offers.
and in the end.
the truth.
this isn't a god of love you speak about is it?
a good father is not so because he asks his daughter to love and respect him or else he will rape and beat her.
this in the end is what's wrong with your specific religious beliefs.
they are based on fear.
