fromdownunder

I really think he wanted to get banned. He has a real martyr syndrome. He can now go back and say his argument was so powerful, that the Infidels would not even let him stay on the Boards.

Norm

Queen of Swords

God : Welcome, thou good and--
savedforgod : No one can find fault with the Proof.
God : Er, I see. Well, as I was saying, come into the king--
savedforgod : Jesus is sinless and is god. They called him a liar. They will be sent to hell.
God : Let's try that again. Here is your rew--
savedforgod : Slow crowd here tonight, lol.
God : What?
savedforgod : Jesus is not a liar. Jesus is the Word of God, which is the Bible.
God : Jesus is the bible?
savedforgod : Where is your response to the Proof?
savedforgod : So much intellectual dishonesty. Unregenerates will go to hell for punishment.
savedforgod : Satan has made them dumb and dull-minded, so they do not accept the Proof.
savedforgod : Very slow crowd, both morally and intellectually.
savedforgod : Jesus died for you. If you call him a liar you will go to hell.
God : I'm already there. It's more peaceful.

EthnAlln

Hmmm, although I'm an atheist, I have a very high regard for many modern Christians, who emphasize the humility and service that Jesus sometimes (not always) seemed to inculcate and practice himself (as in washing his disciples' feet, and that wonderful parable of the sheep and the goats near the end of Matthew's Gospel, which seems to imply that the people he will call his own are those who take pity on the poor and the outcast). The trouble is that the Gospel writers didn't portray a person who was consistently kind and philanthropic. You seem to agree with the other passages, the ferocious ones where he threatens with eternal torture by fire those who don't "believe" in him.

Do you seriously believe that no one can find fault with the Bible? I can find plenty wrong with it. Also, plenty of beautiful and good things, but it's still not my oracle.

You seem to be claiming that you know some people are going to Hell to suffer the tortures that Jesus spoke of in the Sermon on the Mount and other places. Would you care to elaborate? Does that group include, for example, the vast majority of the human race, who lived and died and never heard of Jesus Christ? After all, they couldn't possibly "believe" in him if they never heard of him. What about severely retarded people, incapable of understanding the meaning of believing in Jesus? To Hell with them? Just curious. Don't answer unless you really want to.

Manakin

:notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy:
Bahaha. Excellent. And accurate, I think.

-M:rolling:

EthnAlln

The one thing I agree with savedforgod about is that point. Jesus (as depicted by his alleged biographers) most definitely did teach that there was a place of "eternal fire" and that those who didn't believe in him would go there after death. For example, go to the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew, Chapters 5 through 7): "it is profitable for thee that they members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell." Or, "Enter ye in at the strait [narrow] gate, for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."

Or Chapter 13: "As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity and shall cast them into a furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." (several repetitions of this theme occur in this chapter).

Or go to Mark, Chapter 10: " And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into the fire that never shall be quenched....it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire, where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched." (also found in Matthew 18)

Or take Luke, Chapter 16, the story (not necessarily a parable) of the rich man in hell, who looked up "being in torments" and saw Abraham....

Or go to John's Gospel, Chapter 3 [Jesus speaking]: "He that believeth on him [God's son] is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

Speaking for myself, I'm not like the Red Queen. I can't just decide to believe something, then go out and believe it. No matter how hard I try, I can't believe oranges are blue. Of course, if there were a blue-orange Inquisition threatening me with torture, I might possibly be led to *affirm* that oranges are blue, and I might keep a few moldy ones around to bolster my faith. That's about what most Christians do, I suspect.