Stephen Hawking has died.

[Depleted]

I meant that children born into the "wrong religion" ... who then grow up ... believing what they were taught to believe. Where I got it from ...? People who have studied Scripture ... theologians who have studied what the bible says and it does not say Hell. If all of these theologians are wrong, then I am wrong as well.

that means that you are right ... of course ... I understand that ... there is no room for anything other than a literal reading of the Bible which is of course inerrant and infallible and never has changed ... despite all the rewrites, changes, mistakes, errors, and obvious plagarism.

But yes, be right. To be right would send all non christians, approimately 6.5 billion (if you include Catholis) .. to Hell ... and oout of the 1 billliion left how many are saved.

No, makes no sense at all. But you are right.

Do you only read from "theologians?" If so, then that's a problem. If you read the Bible you are a theologian. "Theologian" just means "one who studies God." So, yeah, many theologians are wrong.

 

[p_rehbein]

Don't we go to church in part to hear a sermon from the pastor? Are we not trusting that what the pastor is teaching lines up with the Bible? That pastor went through years of seminary to do what he does. Not everyone has the ability to be beyond good enough. If we were, we'd either all go to seminary, or there wouldn't be a need for seminary.

I go to Church to worship God.....the Sermon is not why I go.....Worshiping God is explained in Scripture...

Psalms, Chapter 150 is a good example

I listen to the Sermon, and, based on my understanding of Scripture received through study and praying to the Holy Spirit for understanding allows me to determine if the Sermon is the Gospel of Christ. I do not rely on the Pastor to teach me.

Not all Pastors went to Seminary....many never went at all, and are excellent Preachers/Pastors/Teachers. Seminary does not make a person a more perfect man/woman of God, the Holy Spirit does that. Pretty sure none of the Apostles attended Seminary, but, I could be wrong.

Seminary serves a purpose, and graduating one should be considered when a Church is looking to hire a Pastor, but the MAIN qualification is are they filled with the Holy Spirit? I am not dissing Seminary, just saying it is only one option a person can choose to learn Scripture...but, even then, IF one does not have the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, what they learn will be meaningless.

 

[Depleted]

I do not know Stephen's heart. God does. I do know that his contributions to the field of physics are immense. For that reason he will always have my respect.

Were they? (Real question.) All I know about what he's done was to create a new theory on how the universe started (apart from any chance there was a god), and started string theory. Seems to me both areas are a dog chasing its own tail, just in the other direction.

 

[Depleted]

Yeah there is Tommy. King David tells us he is going to see his dead child again in 2 Samuel 12.

Also Paul talks about being alive BEFORE. He knew the law. A clear indication of his ignorance in childhood.

King David was chosen by God. He was a man after God's own heart. The Lord told him he'd see his son again, so I believe he's with his son. King David isn't every single parent ever.

As for Paul? Of course he was alive before he knew the Law. He was a Pharisee so knew of the Law way before a blinding light knocked him off his ass and made him blind. Before that moment he knew of the Law. After that moment he understood the Law. He wasn't a kid that day.

 

[p_rehbein]

jsr1221:

I should have stated none of the 12 Apostles attended Seminary.

Reason being, The Apostle Paul was educated in the Scriptures, which would probably qualify him as having attended the "Seminary" of that day.

 

[WineRose]

Aww man...I kinda liked that guy, even if he was non-religious...

 

[Depleted]

C'mon Tommy, you know that game is wrong. For example, the word trinity isn't in Scripture, yet we know it exists.

And again. I think if you dig far enough into the Law surrounding circumcision you can have your question answered.

I've actually done studies on both topics. Trinity I can prove biblically. Age of Accountability I can't.

And if it's the age of circumcision? Does that mean if you die before 8 days old you're golden? Otherwise, not?

 

[Depleted]

Can you define it? I don't find the word in the bible, but I know Tri means three.

And, uni means one. Three in one. Not that hard to define.

 

[Depleted]

Tommy, you are so right to question the trinity doctrine as it was stated by the Nicene Creed. This Council was called by Constantine and the RCC. I view that the Father and Jesus are entities that can occupy a certain space. Not so with the Holy Spirit, it is everywhere at once. I think the label of trinity is a little off. Our finite minds cannot understand the infinite things of God. We put a label on it, and we limit it.

There was no RCC before Constantine!!!

All they were doing at that time was letting the Christians come out from hiding, and then learn which were the sacred writings vs. which were the tabloid/deceptions that laid hold during the centuries of hiding.

 

[Depleted]

I'm not being disagreeable, but I'm not sure I'm buying what you say either.

My thing is, why can't we just be content with the bible? Why do we contrive things and make up doctrine?

For trinity, it's not contriving or making anything up. It's taking the Bible as a whole and keeping it that way.

 

[Depleted]

Amen. finally someone gets it. Exactly. If there is a hell, it is not described very well in the Bible. Gehenna, that Jesus referred to was a burning garbage dump. I do not deny Jesus christ. I do worry that the we have misunderstoood the Prince f Peace, though. We only have Jesus words some 70 years AFTER his death. We have memories of what he said. Since He spoke in parables, the "way" could have meant something entirely different from what we think it meant. I read Sermon n the Mount. Jesus told us to forgive 70 x 7. could He do any less than He is asking of us. If it is faith alone, and not what we do, then why did he Minister for 3 1/2 years on how we are to treat one another. That is all that I am saying. You cannot read the bible like yesterday's newspaper. It must be read in the context of the times it wa written in. Jesus was infallible; the Bible not so much. The earth is not flat, the sun does not go around the earth, etc. Who made these mistakes? Men did. God does not make mistakes.

You're reading way too much crap! The letters in the NT weren't started 70 years after his death! Geesh louise! How old do you think the letter writers got? 100? 120? 150? You think the Bible says the earth is flat? How about stop reading conspiracy theories and actually read the Bible itself?

It's like you're really polishing up the coprolite to a high sheen and think we are impressed. Big deal! It's still fossilized poop!

 

[Depleted]

Answer this: How could Jesus who preached love and forgivness torment people (let us say Jews here ... who grew up Jewish obeying what their parents taught them ... this is their religion ... just as christianity is my religioin). They are taught by their parents that this IS the truth. do they go to hell because they obeyed their parents and believed them? Or a Hindu for that matter. this is not willfully not knowing Jesus ... it is the sum total of where you are born, the family you are borne into.
If you were a Jew, you would be saying that Jesus was a great man, but not the son of god. Yoou would believe that because that is what you were taught. That is my point.
Do thse people who are essentially ignorant of the "truth" go to Hell for that?
I believe in justice for criminals ... but, of course that justice is God's , not mine.

More shiny coprolite. Obviously you don't believe "justice for criminals." Sin is a crime, and you think you're meriting out justice, because God doesn't.

 

[Depleted]

You've noticed an interesting paradox. It seems most atheists think of God, death, and Hell more often than Christians do. Or at least they have more to say about it.

Yeah. I don't believe in the Tooth Fairy or the Easter Bunny, and yet, don't spend much energy thinking about either too. There isn't even a title for those who don't believe in either.

 

[Depleted]

I often hear people say that the Bible has mistakes, because men made mistakes in copying, but I would think that God is powerful enough to oversee and make sure there aren't any.

Actually, those who keep saying that never bothered doing the research. The research is in. What we have now is as close to original MSS as we can get. And considering how close it was from originals, that's saying a lot. The original MSS were held sacred during the centuries of persecution. After the persecution, they compiled all the scared writings and important writings together to see what they had. (Constantine's time.) And, lo and behold, although Christians hid for two centuries, with little contact with one another, they all chose the same text for the sacred writings.

This has been proven, and yet the YouTubers/tabloiders keep saying it's not true, as if saying the lie often enough will make it the truth.

 

[Depleted]

By that logic, shouldn't everyone be Biblical scholars? No need to for people to become teachers, doctors, and police. Just to name some of the most important jobs in the country.

Nah, that wasn't compelling the argument forward. That was simply hyperbole.

 

[Depleted]

He has also given us a free will so that anyone can feel free to make mistakes when copying the Bible...by accident or not...so I believe corrupted Bibles are a fact.

No, you prefer it as your theory. The facts support your theory invalid.

 

[Depleted]

Don't we go to church in part to hear a sermon from the pastor? Are we not trusting that what the pastor is teaching lines up with the Bible? That pastor went through years of seminary to do what he does. Not everyone has the ability to be beyond good enough. If we were, we'd either all go to seminary, or there wouldn't be a need for seminary.

If you are trusting any pastor who preaches the sermon as the one who teaches you the Bible, you're a fool.

 

[preacher4truth]

Sure, but why go so far as to make words up?

Well, think about what you're really saying. Was a word made up, or, was a descriptive word employed? Do you believe God is Sovereign? Of course he is, yet this isn't used in the KJV as far as I know. We use the words omnisapient, omipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, all describing the attributes of God. We use the word Bible as well. Not all are found in Scripture, but the concepts are.

Since we are communicative creatures we employ descriptive language in order to convey in words what we see. It's like when we see a red rose, we say "it is red," but nowhere on the rose is a tag giving a description or declaration of its attributes. We are merely describing what we see and what is there.

 

[Susanna]

No, you prefer it as your theory. The facts support your theory invalid.

What theory?

And,

what facts?

 

[LaurieB]

I understand you. However, many many christians believe as I do. We do not believe that jesus died in vain at all. He died for ALL people.
We do believe that those born into other faiths can do good/be good, love God ... but not believe exactly the same as we do ... because they are TAUGHT differently. Not their fault. God's mercy is wide. Catholics believe this. Jews believe this. Most religions believe this. Only evangelical Christians do NOT believe this.
it is the same Gospel, and while we are on the subject, we need to follow, with actions,rather than words alone, what Jesus taught ... that is how to be saved. LIVE HIS WORDS.