Your Opinion About GOD

[abacab66]

Not at all. He still loves everyone.
“God is good to all, and his mercies are over all his works.” (Psalm 145:9) He provides abundantly so that human life can continue on his property, the earth. Jesus said to the Jews of his day: “Your Father who is in the heavens . . . makes his sun rise upon wicked people and good and makes it rain upon righteous people and unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:45) Any hunger or deprivation that exists is not because God has failed to provide for mankind. It is because of the corruption, cruelty, and inefficiency of humans.

God also allows mankind to exploit the earth’s mineral wealth, and he has not concealed from them a measure of understanding of the starry heavens and the physical makeup of things. Truly, God is good to mankind, even though many arrogantly say that there is no God, and others abuse his goodness for selfish ends, even to the extent of oppressing fellow humans.
The senseless one has said in his heart:
“There is no Jehovah.”
They have acted ruinously, they have acted detestably in [their] dealing.
There is no one doing good.Psalm 14:1.

[KYYX4ever]

Pardon me for my interruption, but that just whole "punishment" or "hell" thing just kills me. I cringe to think that that is what some of the faithful believe. It's the Middle Ages' church way of keeping people in fear. If god is so great and all, so kind and benevolent, why do people need to fear him? Why? Why do we need to be kept in fear? If you live morally, rationally, ethically, and/or kindly, why the need for fear? I don't get it. I have always wondered about this.

[i_like_lectric_motors]

[quote][i]Originally posted by edisonoside[/i]
<br>If given a choice, would you want to live in a deathless, forever-happy painless artificial fantasy world where GOD polices us? A world were NOTHING dies or suffers....If nothing dies?.. What will you eat? Who would you chose to live forever? Where would you place suffering?

Or are you "satisfied" with what we have now? I believe that this is the best GOD can do. A world full of life. An existence of natural cycles. A Life with a beginning and an end. For that IS life.

Would you rather GOD to be your slave, A genie in a bottle that calls you master?

A GOD that gives you eternal life here and now? A GOD that will make you GOD-like?

GOD created life and lets it run it's coarse. Would you have the discipline and patience to do that?

[/quote]

The "best god can do"??? So you think there's this all powerful being capable of anything ... yet he couldn't come up with something better than what we have? What would be wrong with "forever happy and painless", other than the adverse effect it would have on the art world [:D]?If he loved everyone, why would there need to be suffering at all? Why couldn't he have come up with a form of sustenance for his children that didn't require the death of any of his other living creations?

Even if I were to be able to ignore all the scientific evidence against the existence of god, I would find it impossible to believe that a) someone would bother to create this and b) he'd do such a shoddy job of it.

-------
Results:
Too much damage done. Go away. [78%] 63 votes
Yah! Kimiiii is back! Hip hip hooray! [22%] 18 votes

[hutter]

[quote][i]Originally posted by abacab66[/i]
Um, hutter. Where in that scripture does it mention the kind of place Hell is? I believe in Hell, not Hellfire.

[/quote]
Sorry. I misunderstood your intent.

[Quite Life]

Oh great I really don't want to get dragged into this one. Athiest, Jehovah's Witnesses, LDS, on other workers of the kindom of Darkness.

abacab66 and his anihalation doctrine because he doesn't like what the bible says about eternal punnishment!


go here to learn about Jesus---> www.opc.org

[eight6]

[quote][i]Originally posted by Quite Life[/i]
<br>Oh great I really don't want to get dragged into this one. Athiest, Jehovah's Witnesses, LDS, on other workers of the kindom of Darkness.

abacab66 and his anihalation doctrine because he doesn't like what the bible says about eternal punnishment!


go here to learn about Jesus---> www.opc.org
[/quote]


LOL!!! This is what religion is really all about, infighting and backstabbing over differences of fiction. It comes down to this every time.

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v647/dbince/086scan.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"></a>

[abacab66]

[quote][i]Originally posted by eight6[/i]


LOL!!! This is what religion is really all about, infighting and backstabbing over differences of fiction. It comes down to this every time.
[/quote]
And this is why from the 1st time I tried discussing religious beliefs with Quite Life I realized he doesn't practice what he preaches. He judges and condemns all in one shot. That is not what true Christianity is about.
“Be on the watch for the false prophets that come to YOU in sheep’s covering, but inside they are ravenous wolves. By their fruits YOU will recognize them. Never do people gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles, do they? Likewise every good tree produces fine fruit, but every rotten tree produces worthless fruit; a good tree cannot bear worthless fruit, neither can a rotten tree produce fine fruit. 19 Every tree not producing fine fruit gets cut down and thrown into the fire. Really, then, by their fruits YOU will recognize those [men]. Mathew 7:15-20

It's been fun folks but I know when a discussion has reached its end.

[NuWaveRx]

[quote][i]Originally posted by eight6[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by Quite Life[/i]
<br>Oh great I really don't want to get dragged into this one. Athiest, Jehovah's Witnesses, LDS, on other workers of the kindom of Darkness.

abacab66 and his anihalation doctrine because he doesn't like what the bible says about eternal punnishment!


go here to learn about Jesus---> www.opc.org
[/quote]


LOL!!! This is what religion is really all about, infighting and backstabbing over differences of fiction. It comes down to this every time.

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v647/dbince/086scan.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"></a>


[/quote]


Well said. "My God is the God of Love and I'll mop the floor with anyone who doesn't believe in him"
I'll say it again:
Spiritualism or a belief in God = Good (or at least harmless to others)
Organized religion = Bad

[Bitter Almonds]

[quote][i]Originally posted by i_like_lectric_motors[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by abacab66[/i]

In a very simplistic way I'd compare it to the parent/child relationship. The parent loves the child, the child loves the parent. They both enjoy doing good things for each other. Sometimes the parent needs to discipline the child but the child doesn't love the parent any less. The child will probably develop a healthy fear of displeasing the parent and thus avoid doing wrong things, which will only benefit the child and in return brings honor to the parent.

[/quote]



Yikes. Am I reading this wrong? "Sometimes the parent needs to discipline the child but the child doesn't love the parent any less"? How does "god" discipline his children? You mean like Hurricane Katrina? Tsunamis?


-------
Results:
Too much damage done. Go away. [78%] 63 votes
Yah! Kimiiii is back! Hip hip hooray! [22%] 18 votes


[/quote]

<p align="justify">God does that sort of thing, motors. Did God made it rain for 40 days killing everyone off in one fell swoop? Or is the whole thing about Noah's ark just something they tell the kids?[}:)] There's also Sodom and Gomorrah... another holocaust courtesy of God.

[Bitter Almonds]

[quote][i]Originally posted by i_like_lectric_motors[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by edisonoside[/i]
<br>If given a choice, would you want to live in a deathless, forever-happy painless artificial fantasy world where GOD polices us? A world were NOTHING dies or suffers....If nothing dies?.. What will you eat? Who would you chose to live forever? Where would you place suffering?

Or are you "satisfied" with what we have now? I believe that this is the best GOD can do. A world full of life. An existence of natural cycles. A Life with a beginning and an end. For that IS life.

Would you rather GOD to be your slave, A genie in a bottle that calls you master?

A GOD that gives you eternal life here and now? A GOD that will make you GOD-like?

GOD created life and lets it run it's coarse. Would you have the discipline and patience to do that?

[/quote]

The "best god can do"??? So you think there's this all powerful being capable of anything ... yet he couldn't come up with something better than what we have? What would be wrong with "forever happy and painless", other than the adverse effect it would have on the art world [:D]?If he loved everyone, why would there need to be suffering at all? Why couldn't he have come up with a form of sustenance for his children that didn't require the death of any of his other living creations?

Even if I were to be able to ignore all the scientific evidence against the existence of god, I would find it impossible to believe that a) someone would bother to create this and b) he'd do such a shoddy job of it.

-------
Results:
Too much damage done. Go away. [78%] 63 votes
Yah! Kimiiii is back! Hip hip hooray! [22%] 18 votes


[/quote]

<p align="justify">I wholly agree with ya overall. I'd have an easier time believing we live in... [i]the matrix[/i][8D] than any of the stuff [i]The Holy Bible[/i] proclaims.

[empyrean]

I should've asked

"Do we need Religion to believe in God?

Or do we need Religion to enter the gates of Heaven?"

Does believing in God in our own way, without any organized religious help enough?

[eight6]

[quote][i]Originally posted by empyrean[/i]
<br>I should've asked

"Do we need Religion to believe in God?

[/quote]

Religion will tell you yes. But obviously, what does religion know?

[quote]

Or do we need Religion to enter the gates of Heaven?"

[/quote]

No, but slipping St. Peter a C-note couldn't hurt your chances.

[quote]

Does believing in God in our own way, without any organized religious help enough?

[/quote]

No, it seems you have to buy the whole package, or somebody will rat you out.

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v647/dbince/086scan.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"></a>

[ben_at_work]

[quote][i]Originally posted by Quite Life[/i]
<br>

go here to learn about Jesus---> www.opc.org
[/quote]

Are you qualified to represent the OPC? [:p][:D][;)]

[Bitter Almonds]

[quote][i]Originally posted by Blir[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by eight6[/i]
<br>That's a bit limiting...it also sounds a bit simplistic.
[/quote]
No doubt - it's kinda two sides to the same supernatural coin. I think a lot of people here are thinking of two different coins entirely.

Speaking of which, I don't see the validity of judging the spiritual world on observations of the physical one or vice versa. They're different things. It doesn't make sense that knowledge of the measurable gives you knowledge of the immeasurable, nor does an in-omniscient being claiming absolute knowledge of the omniscient strike me as credible. I think you can certainly learn from the thought processes you apply to one or the other but not 'what' you learn about one to the other.
[/quote]

<p align="justify">Funny that when others speak of their prayers to God, they don't get the whole, "But you're unfit to try to change the mind of God; you're not the omnipotent and omniscient being who planned this whole thing out, so to try to change God's mind is inconceivable." It's only when I jokingly speak of wanting to kick God in the pants that I get that... and why couldn't I - or anyone else, for that matter - call shenanigans on God? After all, the answers Christian mythology provides for some of the questions I had/have only lead to more questions[}:)] To allude to needing absolute knowledge of an imaginary omniscient character is the same as needing to know everything there is to know about dragons and unicorns. Right now, I could claim there's a giant imaginary friend in the room. Why couldn't anyone here say "that's bullshit[:D]" without getting replies in the form of: "You need to know everything there is to know about imaginary friends before you can say it's 'bullshit'." It's ludicrous and preposterous to expect full and perfect knowledge of an idea/concept which is fictitious and changes with the times, not to mention it changes from each individual's perspective.

[Quite Life]

[quote][i]Originally posted by ben_at_work[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by Quite Life[/i]
<br>

go here to learn about Jesus---> www.opc.org
[/quote]

Are you qualified to represent the OPC? [:p][:D][;)]
[/quote]

Anyone who is a member of the OPC can represent as long as they do it truthfully I just encourage those to learn about our denomination by checking out the official standards from our website. As far as so called intolerance goes many conservative reformed (i.e. Calvinist) denominations are against religious pluralism. We sometimes have a tongue and cheek saying win the OPC as well as the RCUS when it comes to our reformed denominations which are about 6 (used to be 4) that we associate in fraternal ecclesiastical relationships. We sometimes say “Us four no more close the door”. Anyways I encourage you to check out our denominational website or one of our sister denominational website.

http://www.opc.org/
http://www.pcanet.org/
http://www.rcus.org/
http://www.reformedpresbyterian.org/
http://www.covenant-urc.org/urchrchs.html