Omnipotent god

And another thing. God does not demand we accept him. He gives a choice. If he would provide proof of his existence then I could see why you would thing he was demanding our worship. He doesn't though. People like Miss_Tery and S_Nut and yourself do not believe in God. That is your choice and God hasn't taken that away from you by giving you proof of his existance. If you believe in Hell then I assume you believe in God. Not worshipping him when you believe in him is something I think God has a right to punish.

 

you using live bait today?

 

What if...

What if Christianity is a lot like voodoo. They say it only works if you believe in it.

 

I disagree with this. Free will was given as to whether we would choose to believe or not, not how we interpret his word. Man has taken free will with the Bible and created seperate religions. Why has God allowed this to happen?

 

God presented the truth to us and if some choose to reject it or twist it then that is not God's fault. The gospel is accepted by all christian religions. Those who do not accept the gospel have chosen to follow a false religion.

 

What seperate religions? Give me some examples of where they differ in their interpretation of the Bible.

 

How do you know? Have you heard or read something that puts limits on man's free will? I'm not trying to be snotty, I'm genuinely curious.

I don't like it, but I think it's part of the idea that God will give us all the 'rope' (freedom) we want -- whether we choose to hang ourselves with it is up to us. I know that's not a very good answer, but it's the only one I have.

 

From what I've been able to learn so far, the practicality behind almost all the laws would suggest that they were given to keep us from harm, either short-term or long-term. Or both.

But what becomes obvious is that the more about God's laws we learn, the more we realize we can't live up to His standards. There is part of us that struggles against it and fights to be independent. That is the other function of the Bible. It's a guide, but it's also a spiritual mirror and the reflection comes from God's perspective. Whomever decides to take an honest and open look into that mirror will realize they need a Savior. That concept is communicated clearly and often throughout the Bible.

Once that's established, there are 4 gospels and a few long letters from Paul that point us toward that Savior. Jesus taught more about how to live life on earth than He did about life in heaven or hell. But the best model I've seen of salvation instructions is the exchange between Jesus and the thief in the book of John. The rest of the New Testament is largely comprised of reflections on that model and the life of a Christian.

Good question. But if the New Testament is true... no, if the gospels alone are true, then God made the effort to come down to earth, live life as a human being for over 30 years, taught people night and day for 3 years, and basically allowed Himself to be a living example of what He wants us to do. And even then, the majority of people rejected Him or didn't believe Him. So what does that say about how mankind as a whole thinks about God?

 

In some ways, I think the two have something in common in that regard. People who do not believe in God usually can't see His influence around them.

The difference is that the Bible predicts a day when it will prove itself irrefutable (i.e. Judgment Day). I don't know if voodoo does that or not. :huh: