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POLL: Is there a God ??

Is there a God ??

  • Yes

    Votes: 213 76.6%
  • No

    Votes: 65 23.4%

  • Total voters
    278
  • This poll will close: .
Even though our sins are supposedly forgiven by his death, I always understood that it was mankind’s original sin that drew the consequences of pain, sickness, suffering, misery, etc. that all became the unfortunate part of the human condition. So, Jesus’ death allowed his Father to forgive mankind’s sins and permit entrance to Heaven, but the the sad consequences of sin, via the human condition, still remained ?? So … my point is still … why the brutal death … just forgive them. I don’t get it.

Of course, TOTAL forgiveness would forgive everything, including all consequences. Even more so, why not just go ahead and forgive TOTALLY and restore mankind to life as originally depicted in the Garden of Eden ??


Your post seems to suggest you know how God will judge and also seems to suggest that people who want nothing to do with God will want forgiveness and an eternity with God. Some may repent, but others will not.

God does not compel people to love Him or obey Him. Nor, it appears, does He demand you be in His eternal presence.

As it reads, I think the mistake of your post is the conclusion that Jesus died so we can be in heaven, as if heaven is a place like earth, but maybe better. But, the new heaven/earth and resurrection of believers is to live an eternity with God.

I am guessing that many who mock God now don’t want to be with God.

God has provided a pathway to be in His holy presence for those who desire Him. Jesus.
 
Your post seems to suggest you know how God will judge and also seems to suggest that people who want nothing to do with God will want forgiveness and an eternity with God. Some may repent, but others will not.

God does not compel people to love Him or obey Him. Nor, it appears, does He demand you be in His eternal presence.

As it reads, I think the mistake of your post is the conclusion that Jesus died so we can be in heaven, as if heaven is a place like earth, but maybe better. But, the new heaven/earth and resurrection of believers is to live an eternity with God.

I am guessing that many who mock God now don’t want to be with God.

God has provided a pathway to be in His holy presence for those who desire Him. Jesus.
I understand the theology as you describe. It is how I was taught. I do not argue against it here. My original thought, albeit perhaps poorly written, was simply to question why God did not TOTALLY forgive sins to the extent that everyone would receive everlasting life and there would be no earthly consequences for original sin. It is a question I would ask him if I were to receive the opportunity. He is God, he certainly could've done it what way. Thanks for the reply.
 
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Your post seems to suggest you know how God will judge and also seems to suggest that people who want nothing to do with God will want forgiveness and an eternity with God. Some may repent, but others will not.
We know how he would judge if he existed. It's quite clear. If you aren't in his Christian club, you get to suffer for eternity for some odd reason.
 
We know how he would judge if he existed. It's quite clear. If you aren't in his Christian club, you get to suffer for eternity for some odd reason.

Actually, you don’t know how God will judge. In fact, he tells us not to judge people speculating on their eternal condition. We are not God. But, we know he will not be wrong.
 
This reminds of where our culture seems headed.

“For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭23‬:‭29‬ ‭ESV
 
This reminds of where our culture seems headed.

“For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭23‬:‭29‬ ‭ESV
Nuns, with vows of poverty and chastity, are duly-blessed, of course. I was taught K-12 by them … very dedicated, to say the least. By far, the best teachers I’ve ever had.

My high school science teacher was off the charts. Physics, Senior year, was the best and most interesting class I ever had in my educational journey.
 
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I'm sure many here already knew this and have a for a long time, but I didn't. I was aware of the various other points in the link below, but never knew or thought about the first point. Here is point #1:

Every story in the Bible takes place in just one tiny area of the globe.

Every person, place, animal, and event mentioned by the Bible are limited to one tiny area. The Bible contains no knowledge of the outside world. It’s as if the Bible’s knowledge of the world was limited by the knowledge of the people who wrote it.

 
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I'm sure many here already knew this and have a for a long time, but I didn't. I was aware of the various other points in the link below, but never knew or thought about the first point. Here is point #1:

Every story in the Bible takes place in just one tiny area of the globe.

Every person, place, animal, and event mentioned by the Bible are limited to one tiny area. The Bible contains no knowledge of the outside world. It’s as if the Bible’s knowledge of the world was limited by the knowledge of the people who wrote it.


The story takes place in one tiny area of the world and, yet, is the most read story of all time reaching more people than any other story. Yeah, that is crazy cool to consider. Especially how relatable Jesus is across time and geography.
 
I'm sure many here already knew this and have a for a long time, but I didn't. I was aware of the various other points in the link below, but never knew or thought about the first point. Here is point #1:

Every story in the Bible takes place in just one tiny area of the globe.

Every person, place, animal, and event mentioned by the Bible are limited to one tiny area. The Bible contains no knowledge of the outside world. It’s as if the Bible’s knowledge of the world was limited by the knowledge of the people who wrote it.


And yet, there are adults that believe that the buybull is 100% factual in every way, and is the unerring word of the creator of billions of galaxies and all known life forms.

Incredible!
 
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And yet, there are adults that believe that the buybull is 100% factual in every way, and is the unerring word of the creator of billions of galaxies and all known life forms.

Incredible!
It is truly amazing that not one single fulfilled Bible prophecy as been incorrect. Absolutely mind blowing. Heck, in only looking at prophecies written about Jesus (300 in the Old Testament), which have all been historically proven to be written 500-1000 yrs prior to Jesus' birth, life, and crucifixion (all of which have been historically proven outside the Bible), not one prophecy got it wrong. Not one. And there are close to 300 of them.

The mathematical chances that any one person could fulfill all of them is one chance in a trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion. And Jesus had to fulfill every single one, or He was not the Messiah at all.

This doesn't even begin to take into consideration all the Biblical prophecy unrelated to Jesus prophesied in the OT that has come true, and has been proven to be true outside the Bible. Absolutely stunning.
 
And yet, there are adults that believe that the buybull is 100% factual in every way, and is the unerring word of the creator of billions of galaxies and all known life forms.

Incredible!
I’ve often marveled at the devotion and passion displayed by those who fall under a religious spell. They make the most hard-core sports fans seem dull.

Some of them will actually kill anyone who challenges their beliefs. I think it’s probably because they were groomed as children to be “holy warriors.”

They’re almost universally male, minimally educated, socially unskilled and seem to have a burning need to follow. The most dangerous of them, that is. Those who are more educated and intelligent usually lead and prey upon the followers.
 
I’ve often marveled at the devotion and passion displayed by those who fall under a religious spell. They make the most hard-core sports fans seem dull.

Some of them will actually kill anyone who challenges their beliefs. I think it’s probably because they were groomed as children to be “holy warriors.”

They’re almost universally male, minimally educated, socially unskilled and seem to have a burning need to follow. The most dangerous of them, that is. Those who are more educated and intelligent usually lead and prey upon the followers.
Jesus loves you and died on the cross for you, my friend. Place your faith in Him!

God Bless!
 
I’ve often marveled at the devotion and passion displayed by those who fall under a religious spell. They make the most hard-core sports fans seem dull.

Some of them will actually kill anyone who challenges their beliefs. I think it’s probably because they were groomed as children to be “holy warriors.”

They’re almost universally male, minimally educated, socially unskilled and seem to have a burning need to follow. The most dangerous of them, that is. Those who are more educated and intelligent usually lead and prey upon the followers.
If Stan Lee and other great superhero comic writers had existed in BCE and collaborated on a book, would people be worshipping THE Amazing Spider Man, Batman, Superman, THE Incredible Hulk, Wolverine, THE Flash, THE Phantom etc? 🤔
 
If Stan Lee and other great superhero comic writers had existed in BCE and collaborated on a book, would people be worshipping THE Amazing Spider Man, Batman, Superman, THE Incredible Hulk, Wolverine, THE Flash, THE Phantom etc? 🤔

As a kid I read many of The Amazing Spider-Man comic books. I believed him to be real. It said so right there in the books themselves. Every detail of how he became Spider-man, and the accounts of his great deeds, all right there. What more proof could a person need? The only logical reasons that people deny his existence is that they are either angry at Spider-Man, they had a bad experience when attending Comic Con, or they were never taught about how Spider-Man can save them.
 
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If Stan Lee and other great superhero comic writers had existed in BCE and collaborated on a book, would people be worshipping THE Amazing Spider Man, Batman, Superman, THE Incredible Hulk, Wolverine, THE Flash, THE Phantom etc? 🤔

Not a smart take. If you are going to reject Jesus, pretending He was a fictional character is a poorly contrived, against the evidence, reason. Additionally, while the writings from those times are fewer, for good reason, it’s not as if there were not a lot of BC stories that refute your snarky theory.

But, if you were merely baiting for a response, congrats.
 
I'm sure many here already knew this and have a for a long time, but I didn't. I was aware of the various other points in the link below, but never knew or thought about the first point. Here is point #1:

Every story in the Bible takes place in just one tiny area of the globe.

Every person, place, animal, and event mentioned by the Bible are limited to one tiny area. The Bible contains no knowledge of the outside world. It’s as if the Bible’s knowledge of the world was limited by the knowledge of the people who wrote it.



Wow, didn’t know a lot of those points in that article, is that true??
 
You get what you truly desire...either a relationship with God for eternity, or separation from God for eternity.

But this has been discussed 10,000 times in this thread...
So just those two options? You proselytize a religious dogma and I proselytize science.

In religions there are absolutes, i.e., the word of God. In science there are no absolutes because knowledge leads to more knowledge.

Religion, especially American protestantism it seems, uses fear as a tool for conformity. In science, conformity is a bad thing because it can keep a bad idea alive and that can suppress progress towards more knowledge.
 
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So just those two options? You proselytize a religious dogma and I proselytize science.

In religions there are absolutes, i.e., the word of God. In science there are no absolutes because knowledge leads to more knowledge.

Religion, especially American protestantism it seems, uses fear as a tool for conformity. In science, conformity is a bad thing because it can keep a bad idea alive and that can suppress progress towards more knowledge.
Like I said earlier, Jesus loves you and died on the cross for your sins. I pray you give your life to Jesus.

God Bless!
 
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So just those two options? You proselytize a religious dogma and I proselytize science.

In religions there are absolutes, i.e., the word of God. In science there are no absolutes because knowledge leads to more knowledge.

Religion, especially American protestantism it seems, uses fear as a tool for conformity. In science, conformity is a bad thing because it can keep a bad idea alive and that can suppress progress towards more knowledge.

There are no absolutes in science? Are you saying that faith is needed to believe in science and there is no truth, because everything is subject to change? Is that science?

Actually, conformity in science is a good thing. It’s called reproducibility. Conformity of results helps us understand whether something can be trusted.

What kind of science do you proselytize?
 
Science attempts to describe “reality.” It, however, offers nothing to disprove design or the existence of a creating God. Faith in a creator and acceptance of science are completely compatible. Denying the possibility of God is probably not seeing reality as it is.

And, most of the atheists on this board borrow cliched comments from others to attack faith in God and still claim abiogenesis is “reality” without any evidence. Seems the atheists see what they have “been told to see.”
 
Wow, didn’t know a lot of those points in that article, is that true??
Here is just one example of controversial points of contention in the Bible and how it evolved … fwiw … regarding truth and accuracy, I do not pretend to know.

Also, if interested, here is a lengthy debate that was conducted in the past week.
 
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Do you think all religious people are lower in intelligence?
Not at all. Religious people are on the same levels of intelligence as everyone else. It’s education where I think there’s a difference. Education does not equal intelligence, of course. It’s how someone uses education that indicates intelligence.

The education that most religious people get about life and its complexities has religious origins, beginning when they are children by their churches, mosques, parents, etc. That education is more influential than the “formal” education they may get, which is most often limited to the basics required by their societies.

The emphasis of religious education is to follow. Exploration of differing ideas and self discovery are suppressed. The hierarchy of the particular religion to which someone is bound provides answers to all existential questions.
 
Wow, your last 3 links are very interesting, had no idea that list in your first link was true.
There are many interesting videos and debates, albeit non-conclusive, regarding the origins of the Bible and the Quran. Most feature people who have spent their entire lives studying the origins and historicity of the holy books. Covering so many years, there is lots to study, of course.

As a side note, I’ve always wanted to see a PRACTICAL and LOGICAL discussion of Heaven and Hell. Heaven, in particular.
1) WHERE is it ??
2) Does it occupy physical space ??
3) How do certain billions exist there ??
4) How do you find others ??
5) How can infinity not get boring ??
6) etc … ???

Heaven is a place
A place where nothing
Nothing ever happens
--- "Heaven" by Talking Heads
 
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Not at all. Religious people are on the same levels of intelligence as everyone else. It’s education where I think there’s a difference. Education does not equal intelligence, of course. It’s how someone uses education that indicates intelligence.

The education that most religious people get about life and its complexities has religious origins, beginning when they are children, by their churches, mosques, parents, etc. That education is more influential than the “formal” education, which is most often limited to the basics required by their societies.

The emphasis of religious education is to follow. Exploration of differing ideas and self discovery are suppressed. The hierarchy of the particular religion to which someone is bound provides answers to all existential questions.


So then does that mean you yourself are highly educated and you have discovered that your peers also share the same religious (or non-religious) views as you? Do you have a doctorate?
 
So then does that mean you yourself are highly educated and you have discovered that your peers also share the same religious (or non-religious) views as you? Do you have a doctorate?
I do. I don’t think in terms of religious and non-religious views. My focus is on the foundations of all views based upon a reductionist outlook that allows me to look at what makes up things, whether they’re intangible, such as behavior, or having a physical presence.

To me, there is only nature. Supernatural is an oxymoronic compound word. To believe means to accept without evidence. Philosophy and religion are human constructs conveniently used by many to fill in gaps of their understanding of life, gaps that they don’t want to take the time to understand from a formal scientific view.

Too many still think that a “higher power” controls their lives and determines what they do or should do. They subsequently depend upon those who are “representatives of the higher power” to teach them about and to direct their lives, since there is no way to access the higher power directly.

The brilliant astrophysicist Stephen Hawking has a clever quote about some people’s idea about predestiny: I have noticed that even those who assert that everything is predestined and that we can change nothing about it still look both ways before they cross the street.
 
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Question for the believers. Have you ever had a conversation with the invisible man in the sky? Like, a real dialog? You telepathically or audibly ask him questions. He telepathically or audibly gives you answers. Anyone…other than Speaker Mike Johnson?

Just curious.
What I've always found interesting is when people commit crimes, claiming God told them to do so, but people and the legal system do not believe it happened. How do you know or judge ??
 
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