Letters to the Editor
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'one hell of a lot of noise here about nothing. '
I dunno - if nothing else, looks like you've found evangelism a new motto.
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Evangelicals, a sorry group.
Having evangelical preachers in my family, I've met many, many born-again Christians. They're all very nice-to-a-fault, but the vast majority have some underlying anger, sadness, or hatred swirling under the sunny surface, which pops up under stress and when they're not putting on the Happy-Jesus face for the public.
I feel pity for most evangelical Christians. They think they've "found it," but to me they seem quite lost. This brand of religion is shallow and tacky, inadequately soothing a desperation of spirit that's impossible to conceal.
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@xychro
"There's always the chance that you never felt the presence of the Holy Spirit."
Of course I didn't, and neither did anybody else. Didn't I say that already?
"Comparing the rush of a personal achievement to the presence of the Holy Spirit is like comparing a flicker of static to a lightning bolt."
Really? How do you know?
Anyway, I didn't say anything about "personal achievement". I was talking about beauty in its many forms... some of which ARE, of course, human accomplishments, while many others would be unknown to us without human agency. (The Hubble Deep Space View comes to mind.)
Stacked up against that, christianity has the rape and slaughter of the Midianites, the drowning of Noah's neighbors, the incineration of Lot's neighbors, the torture and death of a million people in the Inquisition, the slaughter of American Indians, the slaughter of Matthew Shepherd, the Bosnian genocide, the Nazi slaughter of Jews and other minorities (and Allied soldiers & civilians) in WW 2...
Other slaughters too numerous to mention...
And... the Systine Chapel.
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Are you going to hell?
No, I'm going to rot in my grave. Just like everybody else.
It won't be so bad. You won't feel a thing. But you do need to get used to the idea, because it will happen. Guaranteed. All that lives was born to die, and the cleverest mythologies will not prevent it. None have, and none will.
In the meantime, try doing something meaningful and constructive and helpful to others with your life. Religion doesn't really qualify, so try avoiding religion in favor of something better, something that will give you the sense that your life wasn't wasted on the trivial or the nonsensical.
You'll be glad you did.
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
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'Religion doesn't really qualify, so try avoiding religion in favor of something better'
I think, to be fair, that if someone's religion helps them do something practical and generous that's good. Not praying, theology, forcing your beliefs on others or rendering unto the church - actual good, like charity work or donation, community involvement. Basically something you *could* do if you weren't religious, but wouldn't have because you lacked the motivation, then that means, in the scheme of things, that religion was a good thing. As a rule of thumb, if you mention Jesus at any point - unless you hit your thumb with a hammer or something - you shouldn't be doing it.
The guys that dress up as Star Wars characters and raise money for charity, the 501st Legion, they're basically what Christians should be like. Having fun, really immersed in their fantasy and so on, but making money for charity and doing good.
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Panask
It's fine that you believe that. But it's not what it says. "On that day thou shalt die." Not, "become mortal, and die at some later time."
Panask,
No, thats not what it says. I don't know what translation your using, but the original Hebrew doesn't say that, nor do any of the translations I checked. What your reading is a paraphrased translation, or something you misremember. The King James Version has:
Genesis 3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
Which is closer to the original Hebrew, which has the words pen muwth:
pen {pane} Meaning: conj 1) lest, not, beware lest adv 2) lest Origin: from 06437; TWOT - 1780 Usage: AV - lest, that...not, peradventure; 4
muwth {mooth} Meaning: 1) to die, kill, have one executed 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to die 1a2) to die (as penalty), be put to death 1a3) to die, perish (of a nation) 1a4) to die prematurely (by neglect of wise moral conduct) 1b) (Polel) to kill, put to death, dispatch 1c) (Hiphil) to kill, put to death 1d) (Hophal) 1d1) to be killed, be put to death 1d1a) to die prematurely
Other translations:
Revised Standard Version: Genesis 3:3 but God said, `You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'"
New American Bible: Genesis 3:3 it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, 'You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.'"
New Jerusalem Bible: Genesis 3:3 But of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden God said, "You must not eat it, nor touch it, under pain of death." '
Douay Rheims: Genesis 3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of paradise, God hath commanded us that we should not eat; and that we should not touch it, lest perhaps we die.
If someone steals my dog and phones me to collect a ransom, and I say, 'if you hurt my dog, you will die', does that mean the dognapper will die that day? No, it means he will die sometime in the future when I can catch him.
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'If someone steals my dog and phones me to collect a ransom, and I say, 'if you hurt my dog, you will die', does that mean the dognapper will die that day?'
No it means that through the love of our Lord Jesus Christ, if he *doesn't* hurt the dog, he'll be granted immortality. But that he still has free will. It's also a metaphor for how we shouldn't let gay people get married.
That's the only sensible explanation of those words.
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You have got be kidding me
This guy is a moron. simply put , his momma and daddy must have been cousins to believe that you can lose your salvation and atheists are a waste of human air