Dan56

I don't think the religious right will ever die, they just seem to need an occasional lobotomy from time to time. The religious right tends to try and force their beliefs onto the rest of society, and when they get too pushy, you just need to politely knock them on their ass. That said, I don't think basic conservatism or liberalism are problematic, its the extreme liberal left wing and radical right wing that seem to want to force their unfair biases on societies mainstream. In politics, Nixon screwed-up and we elected Carter, Carter screwed-up and we got 8 years of Reagan, 8 years of Clinton, 8 years of Bush, and 8 years of Obama. So it seems that we get cyclical swings, one group spurts into power after the other messes everything up. Right wingers feel its okay to legalize guns and left wingers feel its okay to legalize pot, the problem is that we end up with a bunch of armed stone-heads. I am against left wingers because they are anti so many things that I support. Such as; Creationism taught in schools, when evolution is taught. Healthcare for everyone, when everyone pays for it. Same sex unions, when it doesn't redefine marriage. Respect for other faiths, when they respect mine. The right to question abortion, the right to question the Koran without being killed, the right to pray in schools without being expelled by those who are against God. etc, etc.

And that's not a Heaven that I'd care to live in

Its estimated that there's over 2 billion Christians in the world today, so I'd say that saving Noah and the Hebrews was the greater good. But even so, I don't believe the numbers are priority one for the biblical God, those who reject Christ are already dead in sin. In a sense, we're both correct, but are just defining "necessity" differently. I believe God has a plan and is in control, He therefore does what's necessary to execute that plan. For example, when God says that the wages of sin is death, He means it and will carry it out. When God flooded the world, I believe He deemed it necessary. When Christ suffered the Cross, I believe it was necessary to save souls. But your correct in saying that God doesn't 'need' to do anything, He does what He wants.

I can agree with all that... Sure, God could have done things differently, but He does what He wants. Sin equals death though, and once God determines that there will be no repentance and no hope of people turning from their ways, He brings the hammer down. We may not deem it necessary, but God obviously does.

Your not considering free-will, there's nothing God cannot do, but He will not force us to accept him. We were condemned to these flesh bodies to perish, endure pain, hardships, and to struggle for a season. The whole purpose is to bring about a greater good for those who accept God, and to eliminate those who don't. Those destroyed in the flood and the plagues God sent against the Pharaoh in Egypt destroyed the bad and freed the good.

Its no excuse, its biblical... The necessity is for us, not God. This does not negate that God is all powerful, it simply reveals a characteristic that God possesses. Your analogy of strangling a baby is murder, its not compatible with God's correction and it certainly doesn't create a greater good.

I'm guessing that the opposite is also true... Once you've decided that nonviolence will work, you may not live long enough to give it a try.

A negative occurrence does not automatically equate to something bad, reversing a bad is good. Sometimes bad is a necessity in bringing about a greater good, its like disciplining a child to create a responsible adult. If 'good' is the endpoint, then correction is good.

'Good' is not defined by power, but is demonstrated by deed and exist in righteousness. God being good isn't an opinion or a subordinate adherence, but a characteristic of God. But of course, the definition of what's "good" is subjective and determined differently by anyone with knowledge of good and evil. Essentially, what's right is good and what's wrong is bad. Every individual must clarify the difference for themselves, but in Christianity, Christ clarified, defined, and demonstrated good.

Loving sin and evil only perpetuates sin and evil. Nondiscriminatory love towards someone like Charles Manson is tantamount to a stamp of approval towards the bad and harmful things he did. For God to unconditionally love a mass murderer, He would simultaneously be condemning the victims of the murderer. Pure love must therefore be bound in justice, otherwise it punishes the innocent and rewards the guilty. When God corrects and disciplines, its a demonstration of His love, not a selfish cry for attention. Part of being Christian is believing that salvation only comes through Christ. Being good is not good enough, although its an admirable trait. From a biblical perspective, sin equals death and we have all sinned. God will judge, but my faith clearly states that we are only perfected in Christ, and since we cannot save ourselves, those who reject Jesus cannot enter the Kingdom of God. Of course, there are also not-so-conservative Christians who think differently (Hex-Pete). I've never been offended here, no question or discussion is offensive, so feel free to write whatever you want. I'm usually the one that others find offensive because I have a very narrow one-dimensional view of God. None of us think the same though, so don't worry about offending anyone that you disagree with. As I've mention before; "Remove all pride and its impossible to be offended". Fawzo has never offended me, and trust me, your not even in his league Imo, God is good, evil is a direct or indirect consequence of sin.

The type of love that you describe is not the kind of love I'm interested in. Its abusive, selfish and unjust. If God loved sin, evil, and unrighteousness, I would not want to be a part of his kingdom. Unconditional love doesn't work, its an empty one-way street, and it can only exist in an unjust environment. An unconditional 'love me no matter what' type of love embraces every unrighteous aspect of a person, and that's a dangerous kind of love where people inevitably get hurt. Love is a commitment, and a commitment requires a degree of discipline.

No one else could have done it because no one else is perfect (sinless). Jesus wasn't a Buddhist protester, he was God incarnate, the unblemished lamb of God who took the sins of the world upon himself. Our deaths can't remove sin, it would be like trying to dry a floor with a wet mop. God's forgiveness is unconditional for all who believe in him and repent of their sins, there's no extortion about it, its 100% voluntary. Steal a car and see if a judge has compassion and lets you go free just because you regret it, there would be no justice in that. Forgiveness alone does not erase sin, sins can only be extracted when atonement is made. What Christ did transcends mercy, compassion, and forgiveness, he suffered and died so others might live, and In my book that's not something a tyrant would do. You sure have a pessimistic way of looking at things.

Its the sacrifice of Christ for the remission of sins that brings salvation to those who believe. "He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5). No one else in the universe could or would have done what Christ did.

You are correct sir... but only to the extent that believers are justified through Christ. Nonbelievers are judged by the law, their sins are not washed in the blood of the lamb because they've rejected His sacrifice. Therefore, they are accountable for their sins. Not at all... Ever wonder why those pesky Christians are always preaching the salvation of Christ? Its because they do have compassion for others and want them to be saved. We take solace in that righteousness will reign in the end, everyone will answer for their choices, and everyone will reap what they sow. That's a system built on justice, repentance, and everlasting life.

Yes, upon repentance all but one sin is forgivable. But God is not mocked and knows the sincerity of a death bed repenter. And yes, vengeance belongs to God, and I think many Christians take solace in knowing that no sin will go unanswered. "Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head" (Romans 12:20). "It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones" (Luke 17:2). I believe that's why Christ told us to pray for our enemies, to help them change, repent, and be corrected, instead of having to endure an awful fate, the wrath of God.

Why thank you gentlemen. Most Christians believe Christ became our Passover forever. The blood of lambs were used by the Hebrews on their door-posts in Egypt, but this was a token (Exodus 12:13) or temporary sign until the Lamb of God became the everlasting sacrifice. Jesus was buried just in time for the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the ordinance ended when Christ became the Bread of Life. Dates aside, everyday is Passover in Christ because we escape death in Him. Christ also became our Sabbath, our Sacrifice, and High Priest, so all of those ordinances and statutes regulating those things via Mosaic law and through the Levitical priesthood became obsolete when the laws were fulfilled in Christ. JMO

Yes, we are all disobedient, that's sin and we all commit sin. But that doesn't mean that we don't have faith and it doesn't necessarily make us evil. Remember that Peter denied that he even knew Christ, but Peter wasn't evil. We have faith but our faith isn't perfect, we all have moments of weakness and slip-up, that's the battle, that's the struggle, and that's the purpose of repentance. So imo, there's no gray area between good and evil, sin boils down to disobedience and a lack of discipline, while evil is the acceptance of bad in place of good. Its not likely that an evil person would even want to try and follow the example of Christ.

Despite being a Christian, I fundamentally agree with Halloween, Easter, and Christmas originating from Pagan roots. Ishtar especially bothers me, I believe the KJV bible incorrectly translated Passover as Easter (Ishtar). In Acts 12:4, the Greek word "pascha" is Passover. this word (pascha) appears twenty-nine times in the new testament, and twenty-eight of those times the word is rendered "Passover". The NIV corrected the error. The actual birth of Christ was actually between Sept 24 and 29th, although Yeshua was conceived on Dec 25th. JMO

"..There is none good but one, that is, God" (Mark 10:18) "I am the good shepherd" (John 10:11).. These verses pretty much narrow down who's actually good. "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). It seems that God isn't too impressed with how good we are Sin is breaking God's law, it doesn't necessarily make a person evil, just disobedient.

Its important to distinguish evil from sin. I think that evil is often the result of sin. Men do evil, but no good comes of it, because its derived from sin. When God employs evil, its for a greater good. Sin is disobedience to God, anything outside of the righteousness of God is sin. Evil is generally a consequence of sin, good is the complete absence of sin... JMO

When my sister lived in Canada, I mailed her a birthday gift and she told me not to do that again because she had to pay a hefty tax on the value of the gift.. She also needed an x-ray once and had to wait 3 months for it, and drive 300 miles to get it. When my brother-in-law decided to leave Alberta and retire in Florida, Canada took HALF his money in taxes for moving his money out of the country. Socialism is an expensive proposition, I don't envy our friends to the north, nor do I think its wise to emulate them. When you want government to take care of you, be prepared to surrender a lot of freedom and empty your wallet. jmo

Boy if that ain't the truth My belief is that God was already one of us, and we killed him.

I am grateful for God/Christ and His sacrifice I am grateful for Grace, Mercy, and the Love of God. . I am grateful for the faithful; prophets, apostles, etc. I am grateful to be counted with the Elect. I am grateful for the knowledge that life is more than flesh and blood. I am grateful for my health and that all my needs are met.

Hope your not part of any Colorado barbeque Makes you wonder why so many states outlawed controlled burns which use to help contain these run-away fires. From the pictures, it doesn't seem like a reduction in air pollution was realized

I had to look-up 'Messianic Judaism'..... Seemed like an oxymoron since Jews don't recognize a Messiah? Not as confusing as Islamic-Judaism (if it existed), but still a contradiction. I guess a new religion that could mesh Jesus, Issac, and Ishmael together would solve a lot of the worlds problems?