Christians of /pol, pls respond

So lately I have taken a genius curiosity in faith. I want to know how Christians feel of some of the following issues however.

1. Are you not terrified of God? If my understanding of His power is correct, he could literally put every person into an incomprehensible existence of fear, pain and loneliness at any time unendingly. The thought of such a being existing honestly would spook me down to my very core. How are you able to not freak out about this possibility?

2. Why do you trust God?

3. Is Heaven like a place of eternal bliss or is it kind of like being a slave where you're forced to worship at all times unendingly forever. Again, sounds terrifying.

4. Is God and Heaven truly eternal or do they also end? This is sort of my lack of understanding of the theology but some of the confusion has come from hearing Christians and the Bible mention "The End of Time" and God being referred to as the Alpha and the Omega (Beginning and End). Does it mean it as in even these things too come to and end or what?

5. Is your time in Heaven eternal or is it a temporary state thing? Like what's God going to have you do there forever? Aren't you afraid that you might eventually be forced into some stuff you don't want to be a part of? I mean this is eternity after all.

Also, this IS NOT a shot at people of faith. I have taken a genuine interest in it but these are just some thoughts that came to mind.

Other urls found in this thread:

biblehub.com/commentaries/john/1-5.htm
christianitytoday.com/ct/2003/juneweb-only/6-2-51.0.html
gotquestions.org/doing-in-Heaven.html
desiringgod.org/interviews/travel-in-heaven
epm.org/resources/2010/Mar/28/it-possible-ages-come-we-will-travel-other-planets/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell
gnosis.org/library/marcion/antithes.htm
pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/christians/christian/
youtube.com/watch?v=nlDNrHGUoOQ
youtu.be/wkRxGAhVqmc
twitter.com/NSFWRedditGif

1. God is a concept and a being. He exists in man and gives us the freedom to choose our own destinies. He's just the one who makes the rules.
2. Because I trust myself.
3. Heaven may or may not exist. I honestly don't know. I'm not going to sugar coat it for you by saying you'll ascend to paradise if you spend your life doing good deeds. (I hope so though, because some people certainly deserve it).
4. God exists in everything. Even when there is nothing.
5. Read 3, to expand on that idea a bit I'll say this;
The concept of heaven isn't supposed to be taken literally, what it implies is that if you live your life doing good things and going the extra mile to be a generally good human being good things will happen to you but if you do bad things and make poor decisions, bad things can happen to you as a result of your actions.

You're not Christian, you might be a Deist at most.

Also why does Christian art always look so spooky?

Bump.

Just coz we need to slide all these hillary rodham threads

I'm a Catholic. Christians can safely agree that God isn't a giant bearded man in the sky zapping people who masturbate.
Also, it's for dramatic effect; typically the thing that shows comfort and safety in the darkness of the picture is Christ or God. This implies that mortality and sin are a dark way of living and the only way to save yourself and make yourself into a complete human being is to accept Christ into your heart.

1. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is real and he is fierce. However, these are his rites. Prepare for a time of miracles, friend, as this is the Priesthood rising!

2. I have been called and anointed to be the next President of the United States. It is up to the anointed Kings to distribute the wealth of the wicked to the righteous.

3. I will bring heaven to Earth.

4. It is eternal. You will be with me, forever.

5. The only thing I fear is the failure of Donald to hand over his delegates. It is only with them that I can secure the Republican nomination and fight a principled conservative campaign for President. It may look as if he's won for now but I remind you of the story of David and Goliath. Donald will fall and the delegates will be mine.

1. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God and God in them.
1 John 4:16

2. Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

Let your conversation be without covetousness being content with such things as you have. For He has said I will never leave you or forsake you. Hebrews 13:5

So this is only as I understand it, or more appropriately as I have faith in it.

1) Yes, in sone ways I am. But I also respect what I see as a grand creator and infallible limitless power and consciousness. I believe that God created me and wishes for me to follow what he wants. I'm pretty bad at it, but then again we all are. Still gotta try though.

2) sort of answered it above, honestly I don't know another way to live. My faith has given me courage and strength through some pretty intense shit.

3) I guess heaven would be closer to peace and basking in the light of God, not so much a gathering of a bunch of flunkies. We're given the choice and free will to follow. Regardless, I beg God's forgiveness everyday because I am a sinner.

4) I think the alpha and omega refers to the end and beginning of creation, not so much the Lord himself. I believe that God existed eternally in both directions. Even from an atheist point of view, like where did all the matter come from? The nature of existence is overwhelming even when not considering a diety.

I hope that clarifies some stuff, whatever you believe, peace & love bro.

Wall damn I was hoping I'd cum straight into an oncoming lightening bolt.

Thanks for replies. I'll consider this more as I ponder of faith longer.

Also why are there so many Shillary threads tonight?

I'll answer the first question.
Yes, I am absolutely terrified of God.
There's a reason the term "God fearing" is used commonly.

3. In my Father's house there are many rooms. If that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? John 14:2

At the ressurection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. Matthew 22:30

1. Basicly there's two possibilitys Either everything is predestined and have no control over it so who gives a shit anyways? Or nothing is pre destined and the u inverse is just a chaotic place both are quality terrifying.
2. God is knowledge to know more and learn is to be part of him.
3.Heaven is supposed to be a place of bliss you served your time in this life and you get to party for a bit until you are reborn as something new.
4. God is eternal we are not however
5. Heaven to me is just a place you reside in once your mortal form is gone.

1. Sort of? God's justice is perfect, but so is His forgiveness. Having faith in Him means I'm not worried about the eternal punishment thing.

2. If you can't trust God, I think your standards for whose trustworthy are a little out of wack.

3. Why do you think worship is necessarily boring? Also no, there will be an eternal life to live, worship is just a part of it.

4. God is eternal, so heaven sticks around as long as God wants it around. End of Time cont in next question.

5. Present heaven is temporary. After the End Times God will remake heaven and earth, and basically put heaven on earth. That one will then last forever. Also what would you not want to be part of? You get an eternity of free will and agency, but without the ability/desire to sin/do anything morally wrong. Also, God's love for you is like the perfect parent. Spending time with Him is like being with your favorite relative, only better. Doesn't sound like a bad deal. Besides, if God knew we'd be unhappy with him, and was fine with us being unhappy, then presumably He would never bother with interacting with this world in the first place.

Whenever I think of heaven, I ponder about the multiverse-theory, what if heaven is some uber-fitted paradise per person as anything is possible and anything could happen happens

4 and 5. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or crying. There will be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.

Her DNC acceptance speech

>1. Are you not terrified of God? If my understanding of His power is correct, he could literally put every person into an incomprehensible existence of fear, pain and loneliness at any time unendingly. The thought of such a being existing honestly would spook me down to my very core. How are you able to not freak out about this possibility?
god is omnibenevolent
>2. Why do you trust God?
see 1
>3. Is Heaven like a place of eternal bliss or is it kind of like being a slave where you're forced to worship at all times unendingly forever. Again, sounds terrifying.
heaven doesn't exist in the material world. stop imagining it materialistically, matter doesn't exist in heaven. you are not going ot hang out with gramma and grampa and all your dead pets
>4. Is God and Heaven truly eternal or do they also end? This is sort of my lack of understanding of the theology but some of the confusion has come from hearing Christians and the Bible mention "The End of Time" and God being referred to as the Alpha and the Omega (Beginning and End). Does it mean it as in even these things too come to and end or what?
time is a material concept. see 3
>5. Is your time in Heaven eternal or is it a temporary state thing? Like what's God going to have you do there forever? Aren't you afraid that you might eventually be forced into some stuff you don't want to be a part of? I mean this is eternity after all.
see 4

Yes. You are to fear nothing but Him. He came and gave and died so that if whosoever believeth and give up everything to follow Him in faith through Christ and Holy Spirit shall live forever. I trust Him because who chose to be born? Do computers ask themselves who made them? We trust that the electricity will turn on but we tend to forget our Creator. You can't fathom Heaven. There is no genitalia and therefore no boredom. Bow your head to worship but don't hide. As if you'd even say "forced". You already seem to not belong, to lie, or to have a spiteful agenda. Christ is the Alpha and Omega and Christ is God. It wasn't God the Father only who said that of Himself only, I don't believe. Speaks to how Christ was foretold. Do you have questions about things on earth? Who doesn't. But how can you be bored never having questions? In Heaven and only in Praise and Faith? Every time we do bad things and if it's decided that we are to pass into the Unseen and stay there, (hell) then all that bad shit gets done back to us if God so wishes. Nothing happens without God. He is in control of absolutely everything 101%

>1. Are you not terrified of God? If my understanding of His power is correct, he could literally put every person into an incomprehensible existence of fear, pain and loneliness at any time unendingly. The thought of such a being existing honestly would spook me down to my very core. How are you able to not freak out about this possibility?
Fear of The Lord is the beginning of wisdom. He can be terrible. He is perfect, and you would follow Him because He IS GOOD.
>2. Why do you trust God?
There is NO darkness in Him. God is GOOD.
>3. Is Heaven like a place of eternal bliss or is it kind of like being a slave where you're forced to worship at all times unendingly forever. Again, sounds terrifying.
You'll worship because you'll have a more complete understanding of things.
>4. Is God and Heaven truly eternal or do they also end? This is sort of my lack of understanding of the theology but some of the confusion has come from hearing Christians and the Bible mention "The End of Time" and God being referred to as the Alpha and the Omega (Beginning and End). Does it mean it as in even these things too come to and end or what?
Yes.
>5. Is your time in Heaven eternal or is it a temporary state thing? Like what's God going to have you do there forever? Aren't you afraid that you might eventually be forced into some stuff you don't want to be a part of? I mean this is eternity after all.
Think of the difference in being between a scared rat in a cage and the average person.

I'd imagine the same difference exists between ourselves now and ourselves in Heaven.

1. No, God is perfect, fair, and just. He would never randomly do something like that. Hes made it clear that he loves us too much.

2. He created us, hes given us life, and sent his son to literally die for us. I'll trust him.

3. Heavens more like a big amusement park. You're eternally happy, get everything you could ever want, and etc. You can probably decide when to worship in heaven.

4. God is the beginning of humans and the end. He created the world, and he will send jesus back to end it. Christians will go to be with him in heaven, and non believers to hell, but the world will be destroyed.

5. Actually a wonderful question! God wont force you to do stuff in heaven. Thered be no reason to. But you can do anything forever. It wont get boring, because god will keep it from being boring. Boredom is more of a human thing. And it beats eternity in hell. And yeah, heaven is eternal.

Can God grant me an orgasm so powerful that even he can't deflect its force with the zap of a lightning bolt?

#askingtherealquestions

Friendly bump, since I too am curious.

My big question is how do you make that leap of faith? I want to believe, but the psychological leap is... intimidating, for want of a better word. What if it's the wrong call? How do we know we aren't fooling ourselves, or worse, that we've chosen the wrong 'God', and that the real God sees our decision as idolatry?

As a Britbong, it's made worse due to the fact that most Christians in Bongistan simply wont talk openly about their beliefs, so it's hard to see faith in action these days.

Also, without taking a degree in theology, how on earth do you navigate all the different denominations? I have more sympathy for the apostolic churches in historical/theological terms, but they seem to lack a lot of vibrancy or enthusiasm these days compared to Protestants. Especially the Orthodox (but also the Catholics and Anglicans), I get the strong impression they just don't care about getting new converts these days.

>god is omnibenevolent

Where is that in the Bible?

How do you christians feel about pagans, or more specifically, northern pagans, asatruar.

I have given some thought and I think I have a pull towards that belief system. Not necessarily that there is a literal world of gods, elves, dwarves, giants, etc, but that there are near conscious forces that control our world, and I like to think of them in that northern fashion.

I also can't believe in my old "Nothing happens when you die" thing. It just doesn't make sense in my mind.

1. Yes. But this is fine, the Bible says the beginning of all wisdom is fear of the LORD. Infinities can be terrifying, but God wouldn't be able to speak with any authority if he wasn't willing to back up His word.

He is also loving, so no need to be afraid or freak out all the time, more of a cautious wonder situation.

2. Because faith is assurance in the things we hope for and confidence in things we do not see.

On a personal note, because there have been many times in my life were I had no control, prayed on it and things turned out okay.


3. Don't know, but I wouldn't think it is the latter. As noted in your first question, if God wanted to punish you, there is already a place.

Also the Bible calls God the source of love. I would think the joy would be less a compulsory thing and more a result of being near the source of joy (being illuminated doesn't mean light is being forced on me, it means I'm standing near a light)

4. Could be both. Eternity is defined as the absence of time. If you live in the absence of time you could describe it as the end or as something that was everlasting. You would exist in a way alien to our current existence, and therefore it would be difficult to describe your experience. God is everlasting not because he experiences time the way we do and persists, but because he doesn't (or at least until he became a man in Jesus Christ).

5. This is a philosophical dilemma. I don't have a great answer to it. But I think that a being of infinite intelligence could find a way to resolve the "its been 1000000 years and I'm bored" problem. Maybe the difference lies in how you would experience eternity.

>It just doesn't make sense in my mind.

What about it doesn't make sense? If I smash your computer it turns off, the programs stop running, etc. That is equivalent to "nothing happens when you die", in effect you just turn off.

This also isn't hard to imagine from a first person perspective because we fall into deep unconscious sleep. Nothing, experientially at least, is happening then.


To note, I am not saying it is right or wrong, merely that it is internally consistent and does appear to make sense.

Gonna kinda be hard to get a answer especially during summer with the influx of shills, newfags and redditors

God is jealous. He gave us free will but He wants us to love Him. I saw a testimony of a hell visitation and people who serially killed or who mistreated their kids or their workers were treated better in my opinion than pagans down there. Killers got eaten by a giant snake while playing billiards, unexpectedly, (that soul had enjoyed that game); to be vomited up and eaten by demons half digested. Maltreators of their own children would be seen to be believing that they were at their beloved grabdparents' farm. Trees would come out at last second to strangle. Tree loving pagans? Demons would break their head with a rock. Over. And over. And over. It would grow back. Only to be stoned again

1 John 1:5

Oh come on, that is a huge stretch. The passage in no way asserts omnibenevolence.

biblehub.com/commentaries/john/1-5.htm

Commentaries on the passage, exegetical or otherwise, don't agree with your reading either.

I understand the logic behind it, as I said, I used to believe in that completely. I guess I just didn't think about it enough.

It's like, it would be impossible to prove a computers consciousness, and in fact, no computer today does have consciousness.

I don't know where my mind was going with that, but my train of thought started there. I don't exactly know how to explain how it doesn't make sense to me, but almost like... I guess I don't know how to explain it, sorry.

Maybe I'm just too dimwitted to conceptualize nothingness, but I just feel like the idea of consciousness existing is already impossible, so the idea of it disappearing makes just as little sense. Like how am I conscious, how does anything become self aware? How did we get here? How can this go away? Gah

>My big question is how do you make that leap of faith? I want to believe, but the psychological leap is... intimidating, for want of a better word.
It helped me by studying Jesus Christ for a bit, and contemplating on the "spirit" or motives behind his actions. Have good will and humble yourself towards what is right.
> What if it's the wrong call? How do we know we aren't fooling ourselves, or worse, that we've chosen the wrong 'God', and that the real God sees our decision as idolatry?
Please don't think like that. If you've seen The Son you've seen The Father, so know that the Lord God is NOT a petty creature.

Jesus was constantly rebuking the pharisees for upholding petty laws. Try to understand what the love of God IS.

1. I personally am not terrified, although at first the concept of God is not easy to comprehend. However, the idea of Hell is the most terrifying concept that there is. It is revealed in The Bible how one should live in order to be saved from horrors of Hell. Everyone has that opportunity and that shows his infinite grace.

2. Who else is there to trust if not the creator of this undescribable, unmeasurable wonder called the universe and all life in it?

3. No mortal being knows what it really is and how it works there. But one thing is certain - it is a much better place than this planet. Some of the aspects of Heaven are described in The Bible but it´s almost impossible to intrepret them in a way that we could be 100% sure what Heaven is actually like. That is one of the hardest things about faith. Naturally, you want to get to Heaven and in order to achieve that, you must accept God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit in a way that they are part of every of your decision or thought. There is no other way around this and the only reassurance happens after you die.

4. I don´t know if God is eternal or whether at some point he will cease to exist. I don´t think anyone knows answers to these questions. Imagine how small we are in this universe, how can we understand even remotely someone who created it? Do you think an ant is able to understand why some kids burn them up with firelighters and other keep them in a terrarium?

5. I personally like to believe that in Heaven there is absolutely nothing that could cause anyone to be afraid in anyway.

The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works Psalm 145:17

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17

And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” Luke 15:2

I'm not OP, but the same applies to me, I in no way am trying to renounce your faith.

Is hell justifiable to you? How could a single lifetime of sin/not accepting Jesus as your lord, be punishable by eternity in unimaginable anguish? It just sounds like life imprisonment for stealing a candy bar when you are 5, it seems overly harsh to me.

How do you justify it?

>1 John 1:5
5.And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you: God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.

1 John and John are different things.

>Are you not terrified of God? If my understanding of His power is correct, he could literally put every person into an incomprehensible existence of fear, pain and loneliness at any time unendingly. The thought of such a being existing honestly would spook me down to my very core. How are you able to not freak out about this possibility?

I'm afraid of him, in a loving way if makes sense

Sometimes I feel I may not have steel life because of my sins
>2. Why do you trust God?
Why wouldn't it?

>3. Is Heaven like a place of eternal bliss or is it kind of like being a slave where you're forced to worship at all times unendingly forever. Again, sounds terrifying.

Nope.

Heaven is a place where we will do everything we do on earth, but better. Heaven is a city, new Jerusalem, which will appear on the new earth, in the new heavens. There are some good biblical research on what we will do in heaven. Exploring the heavens is one thing, which not only includes new earth but the outer heavens (space) itself

In heaven, you will not remember the things that caused you pain. You will only remember the things that brought you joy.
>4. Is God and Heaven truly eternal or do they also end? This is sort of my lack of understanding of the theology but some of the confusion has come from hearing Christians and the Bible mention "The End of Time" and God being referred to as the Alpha and the Omega (Beginning and End). Does it mean it as in even these things too come to and end or what?


Eternal life

>5. Is your time in Heaven eternal or is it a temporary state thing? Like what's God going to have you do there forever? Aren't you afraid that you might eventually be forced into some stuff you don't want to be a part of? I mean this is eternity after all.

Externity

Here's some good pieces on this
christianitytoday.com/ct/2003/juneweb-only/6-2-51.0.html
gotquestions.org/doing-in-Heaven.html

1) The fault line under me could break, the dams uphill of me could break, an armed human could enter my house and kill me any time. There are literally thousands of things that could kill me within the next day; god can't kill me any more dead.

2) Honestly? He's smart enough to lie and fool everyone. But what do I have to lose vs what do I have to gain by trusting him?

3) You know how sometimes, you're so grateful to someone you literally can't stop thanking them because you're overwhelmed with appreciation? When we're fully able to appreciate everything god has done, it's supposed to be like that.

4) Eternal

5) Some will go to heaven, but the majority will stay in a paradise on earth, as he originally intended. It will be forever.

Some brief, honest answers.

Dahnld deh dehlehgnuts.

> I just feel like the idea of consciousness existing is already impossible, so the idea of it disappearing makes just as little sense.

Maybe it isn't a truly existing "thing" to begin with. Likewise with a software program, it is a process not a thing, so it ceasing isn't the same as it going out of existence.

Part of this could be that we are largely overestimating the "magic" of consciousness. Attention Schema Theory for example makes sense of consciousness in a way that doesn't render it as something categorically special compared to a sophisticated computer program. Rather it merely is one that also feeds into sense inputs and has the capacity internalize images.


>Maybe I'm just too dimwitted to conceptualize nothingness,

It actually may be impossible to truly conceptualize nothingness, there are some thought experiments that try to demonstrate this. Which is why I went right to appealing to our knowledge of it indirectly, namely the non-experience of deep sleep.

I am no theologist or anything of the sort. I am just a regular person, trying to get through this plane of existence while trying to soak the least possible wickedness of this world and I often fail to do that. Only thing I can do is try harder and pray for forgiveness.
Whether existence of Hell is justified I do not know. But my personal opinion is that it must exist and I fully trust God to distinguish those who deserve it and those who don´t. For example Native Americans. They lived for centuries in their pagan society while Jesus already lived, died and was ressurrected. There was no way for them to accept him. I like to think that God knows that and if some Native American person was good enough person, he could at least get to Purgatory even though he participated in their pagan rituals.

In the afterlife, we will be given the authority to rule the heavens under god

Remember this, the heavens are not just the new earth, the new heavens includes space as well.

It is human nature itself to explore and travel. Revelations states we will be able to enter and exit the gates of Jerusalem whenever we wish, why wouldn't we able to reach the outermost reaches of God's creation?

Good reads on this

desiringgod.org/interviews/travel-in-heaven
epm.org/resources/2010/Mar/28/it-possible-ages-come-we-will-travel-other-planets/

1.god tries to protect you the devil causes that shit cuz he's a cunt
2.that's like saying do you trust your parents
3.eternal bliss
4.god will live forever the end of time means the destruction of our world where he chooses who is worthy to enter heaven the alpha and omega thing is to say you don't have to be the best
5.eternal you would worship him but if you get into heaven you already know what you'll do to worship him

Well, in terms of denominations, you have the big ones (catholicism, anglicanism, and the orthodoxy). Then you have the groups that make up Protestants, like Lutheranism, Baptists, Methodists, etc. There's a whole fucking lot of denominations.

The problem with viewing consciousness as a simple process is that I am here. I legitimately am here, or at the very least, I can think about being here. I have free will I guess.

I guess this line of thinking is what gave rise to religion in the first place.

>god tries
>god
>trying

its like you think he isn't perfect

1 Samuel 16:14 Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him. (NIV)

Isaiah 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things. (KJV)

Amos 3:6 Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? Shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it? (KJV)

2 Thessalonians 2:11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie (NKJV)

Philosophically there are real issues as to what constitutes omnibenevolence, and I certainly don't think a sound case can be made. The word isn't translated from the Bible and Christian Theology would probably be best served using the a descriptor like "moral perfection" rather than a term meaning infinitely compassionate. Moral perfection is far easier to square with a deontological God who is concerned with justice than infinite compassion is.

Just my opinion though.

Concern yourself with what God wills for you. Read the bible and disregard whatever cuck groups assert their authority over the things of The Lord.

You dont seem to realise the gravity of your own sin because you only compare yourself to other sinners. Hell is perfectly justifable. Now Jesus said "no man commeth unto me unless the father who sent me draws him" so you must pray to god to reveal truth to you and it will be done.

>1. Are you not terrified of God?
I don't think so. I'll accept whatever is is God has in store for me. The "fear of God" is more about awe fundamentally I think. I am certainly in awe of God.

>2. Why do you trust God?
I want to.

>3. Is Heaven...
I don't really care how heaven is. I'm only here to serve my God. He says its paradise - if it is (and I trust that it is since He says such), then neat.

>4. Is God and Heaven truly eternal or do they also end?
Eternal.

>5. Is your time in Heaven eternal
That's what is said, yes.

Why jesus though? There are Muslims and Jews who are just as convinced their messiah is the true messiah, so why are you so sure Jesus was the one?

They think of you as foolish and misguided if they think you can be converted and if you can't be converted they hate your guts. So don't waste your time looking for approval, If anything be wary of anything they say.

You might find the rare Christian who doesn't hate or look down on Pagans but its rarer than tits on a bull.

1. god is good if he was not you could have suffered more , but here you are shitposting on 4 chin

2. Read the bible to understand god the father through his son

3. we dont know what heaven is satan rebelled in heaven

4 we dont know

5 we dont know

I am not actually sure of this.

Linguistic traps aside, sure there are discreet persons in the manner of body-complexes with the capacity to internalize imagery. However there doesn't seem to be any so called Cartesian theater, both from neuroscience and from critically scrutinizing, phenomenologically, one's experience. As Hume and the Buddhists pointed out, there isn't any substantial self that one can discern, only bundles of phenomena. The "I" is largely an illusion, and one we may be teleologically oriented towards because of its evolutionary benefit.

Take Descartes assertion,Dubito ergo cogito; cogito ergo sum: I doubt, therefore I think; I think, therefore I am. He is fundamentally presupposing the I to begin with, thus his assertion is circular and doesn't actually demonstrate anything.

While phenomenologically we are justified in merely observing "there is doubt" and "there is thought", much like "there is lightning".

As I said, if you pray to GOD and honestly ask him to reveal the truth then you will get a visit from Jesus. Thats how you know.

Curious agnostic here. I read recently that hell is not eternal punishment but rather destruction of the soul and thus that way eternal separation from God. The reasoning being that only believers get eternal life and that hell was never meant for humans anyway. Is this true?

I hope you don't take this as a cop out but I think this is where faith comes in. I believe that if God does something "questionable" it's for the greater good. Keep in mind we are all His property anyways. We're not going to understand shit most of the time.


I pretty much agree with you anyways. In my mind omnibenevolence=moral perfection, mainly because of what was witnessed with Jesus Christ.

If you got that information from any other source than The Bible then it´s not relevant and most likely not true.

If you got that information from any other source than The Bible, then it´s not relevant and most likely not true.

1.) The term "God-fearing" implies that it is normal for Christians to fear God. Although to fear something that is all powerful seems redundant.

2.) Because you have no choice. If he is all powerful, your trust does not enable or prevent him from destroying you.

3.) Depends who's version you believe.

4.) Depends who's version you believe.

5.) Depends who's version you believe.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell

The answers there will be as accurate as anything you'll read in this thread, so you might as well look where it's concisely explained.

1. Yes im Terrified
2. I trust God because its reassuring for me to do so. Ive explored many different philosophies, lost faith in college but never felt at ease during those times. People make fun of faith but having peace of mind when the world shits on you is a serious virtue
3. Eternal bliss I guess. Doesnt really have to be the Angels with Trumpets scenario just a state of peace and relaxation is what I would hope to expect. I dont see eternal worship as torture. We choose to worship God. True love I wouldnt expect to grow stagnant thus it wouldnt feel like chore most likely in the scenario of a afterlife.
4. No answer, God is depicted as Alpha and Omega. If yhere was an end than God would decide otherwise it would probably be eternal
5. Similar to what I said previously if it was eternal or temporary than God would decide


Faith by no means is easy. People judge you as being an idiot despite pursuing higher education and you feel like you miss oit on life at times. For alot of things that faithful individuals avoid its probably better in the long term but being bombarded everyday with sex, drugs ect everywhere you turn takes serious willpower. Again I have been on both sides of this argument.
Matthew 18:12 always makes me tear up a bit op and influenced me to return to faith. This verse is why I worship

It's written in the new testament that God made provision for all the righteous.

I don't think that is a cop out. To me it isn't a matter of whether or not God does something questionable. Reason being is because according to Christian theology he is a deontological God, that is morality stems from the very rules he establishes, not from the utility or harm/benefit etc. As such it doesn't even seem relevant if it is for the 'greater good' or not, because that entails analyzing actions using an entirely different, and by Christian standards "man-made", system of morals (utilitarianism or consequentialism) rather than God's standard.

Simply put, whatever God does is innately moral, hence it syncing so well with moral perfection.

While infinitely compassionate isn't something that stems from his deontological nature and doesn't seem entirely necessary. That is if you don't equate omnibenevolence with moral perfection (I don't).

To note, God emphasizes this point at the end of Job. That "questionable" or even implicitly justifying it in terms of the greater good is fundamentally inapplicable, because he is God, he is literally the standard itself.

As such his standard is innately self-justifying, and asking for further justification is incoherent. Which includes squaring it away for one's own sake in one's own mind.

Just my opinion, I'm not a Christian by any means so I could be wrong.

this is why i'm a gnostic

gnosis.org/library/marcion/antithes.htm

In a similar vein, I think Marcionism is probably the most badass strain of Christian mythology.

Evil creator God that another God is trying to save you from using the vehicle of Jesus. = top tier battle between good and evil

Would God have sent down His only Son to die and bear the sins of the world if He didn't have omnibenevolence?

>For if, when we were enemies of God, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son
>For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish

It is written that it's not God's will that we should perish, but He will judge because He is righteous.

>As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.

...

1. Sure, you should afraid God. It's not that God will put you somewhere, you'll put yourself somewhere because your actions make it impossible for you to be in His presence.

2. Because why not
3. Bliss. You're hardly a slave.
4. No, they don't end. Time simply doesn't exist there. That's why Christ said ''before Abraham was, I am''.
5. Yeah, forever. I don't know, it's a lot of work to get there, that's the main concern.

Hello, so the Polish poster looks like in a state that I used to be in a couple of months ago. Since then I honestly think I made progress in discovering what the Message means and I truly am seeking to accept it fully. Its pretty cool.

Do you guys have any websites and stuff that you visit on a regular basis ? Im looking for something other then what Ive been browsing in the past years - Sup Forums, vidya sites, movie sites and porn ..

In my view yes. He loved the world sufficiently to send His Son. Nothing about that requires as a necessity being infinitely compassionate.

Being infinitely compassionate can actually get in the way of being just for example, as well as creating all sorts of entirely unnecessarily philosophical issues for Christian theology.

I think largely this tendency to push for omnibenevolence is more for man made reasons than respecting God as is depicted in the bible.

(1) I'm not terrified of God. God as I see him is the embodiment of love, kindness, and goodwill towards others. He has the power to torment us and destroy us, but instead uses that power to create goodness. He's given us life, love, sunsets, friends, laughter. I love him like my closest friend and I can never thank him enough for all he's given me.

(2) I trust God for reasons very similar to my answer above. I love him and I believe he loves us too. When someone loves you and wants the best for you, then you have no reason not to trust them.

(3) Heaven is a very complicated concept. I personally believe that heaven is a place where you are able to learn about the universe and Gods creation by experiencing it and experiencing the lives of every person. The more you learn, the more you appreciate and love the one who created it. I also believe that heaven, hell, and purgatory are fluid. If you realize in hell that you long for God's love, a fair God wouldn't reject your attempt at reconciliation. If in heaven you grow hateful of God, a God seeking your true and honest love wouldn't force you to stay.

(4/5) The concept of eternity terrifies me. There have been times that I've wanted to die and if I got to heaven and realized that I had to exist forever I don't know how I would handle it. My hope and my faith is that if I do have to exist forever, God has made it wonderful and worth enduring. God values our free will. He wouldn't force us to do things for all eternity and would give us a path where we can opt out if we want. This is just based on my belief that God loves us more than we can comprehend.

I also believe that God and eternity exist outside of time. Even if there is a barrier for the beginning and end of existence (like creation and heat death) God and souls can travel forward and backwards through time at will. That creates a virtually infinite number of things to explore and learn from even within the parameters of a finite timeline.

Thanks for asking.

1. While God could do that, he doesn't and it's not worth worrying about. When you're little it's a scary thought, like the idea of nuclear apocalypse or an unstoppable plague used to really scare you, but as you get older you stop worrying viscerally about it happening and don't plan your life around it if you're a normal person.

2. Trust him in what sense? That he exists? I'm afraid this question is a little too vague.

3. As I understand it, heaven is a constant feeling of absolute release from worldly concerns and freedom from the burden of sin and its consequences. Its and end to the game of earth after a virtuous life- peace of mind, oneness with God. Interestingly, this is a possible view of death even in the absence of heaven or hell.

4. God is eternal, but conceiving of him as an expanded man (a personality most assuredly limited by its mortality) leads to head-scratching when you think about his existence throughout all time, even though it's easy to... anthropomorphize him as he is recorded speaking to men. You must regard him as an entity that understands humanity and the hearts of men but is not *characterized* by that relationship; exists beyond it. I'm not sure what you've read but Judgment Day is usually considered an affair of resolution between God, mankind, and the spiritual hosts of heaven and hell, not necessarily the absolute cessation of all existence in the universe.

5. Entering heaven may involve a partial or complete obliteration of the ego, and so your time in heaven may be eternal, but does it feel like being a human being laying in a grave or walking through a garden for *all eternity*? No, you could say that that is an anthropomorphization of the afterlife. You may experience time and the universe differently when you die..

I pray that God leads me into all truth, and that I'm not too stupid to resist it.

I used to post on /christian/ over at eightchan but was finally banned for calling Catholicism a "cuck cult."

All I do is watch a youtube sermon, but what is key for a Christian it to ALWAYS FOLLOW CHRIST.

Remember that God loves you. Let Him live in you so you may live in Him.

>Let Him live in you so you may live in Him.
Pray for God to help you by the way. You will probably fall away like I have done so many times but you have to keep at it.

Ex Catholic here. Has anybody noticed how there's so many "religious" people that live pretty much the ideal secular life, and don't follow catholic teachings, making them a deist at most, but when you try pointing it out they through a hissy fit?

Look at all of history. Outside of monastic and mendicant orders, do you see anybody following the word of Jesus in even 75% of their actions? It's human nature to take religion as a corrective force rather than following the letter through iron discipline

I've actually had the opposite experience. When I've pointed out that my friends have shifted from Christian to more of just a spiritual person they kind of just agree.

Jesus is a concept that trips up a lot of people because it's hard to wrap your head around why all those shinannegans were necessary, but as kids we basically have it drilled into us that if you reject Jesus you can't get into heaven.

There's a lot of social and psychological factors going into what a person considers themselves spiritually.

Catholics in particular tend to not be as consistent Christians as Protestants.
Check this out
pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/christians/christian/

Catholics have issues.

I believe God is evil because he chose to fall, and works in league with Satan the Devil the serpent/dragon. Whilst the archangel Michael opposes them both, and is sufficient enough to play the role of God since he is the Son of God, the great Prince of Heaven, and since he cast out Satan the Devil from Heaven.

Revelation 12:7-9
Revelation 12:12
Daniel 12:1

youtube.com/watch?v=nlDNrHGUoOQ

you're not a Christian.
You might think you are but all the things you do and don't believe/are unsure of show that you're not

That's because of the Second Vatican council, it's a phenomenon that appeared in the last 50 years. And please, protestant countries in Europe started sliding way earlier. And even today they are on the forefront of degeneracy.

:D

You called Catholicism a "cuck cult" ? Thats pretty harsh I guess, and way too judgemental perhaps ...

Look at Catholic beliefs and compare them to Protestants. No matter what you look at, Catholics are far worse in regard to literally everything, from reading the Bible, to believing morality comes from God, to holding God as the most important thing in their life. They fail on all fronts - they lose on every single issue of faith to Protestants.

>I'm a Catholic.
What the hell are they teaching you there?
You don't sound very Catholic.

Im pretty sure "believing morality comes from God" and "holding God as the most important thing in their life" is pretty Christian ...

Google "pope kissing feet". That fruitcake'll be the first against the wall and then he'll be scourged by departed Popes on his way to the circle of traitors

Catholics don't.
% of Evangelicals that hold religion as at least "very important" in one's life - 79%.

% of Catholics that hold religion as at least "very important" in one's life - 58%

And that isn't even the most pathetic of the statistics. It gets even worse. They lose in *EVERY* question.

The bible never refers to it as the end of time
The other books like the quran simply call it "the end" without saying what it is thats ending
Its the end of suffering

1. No, I'm not, though fear and respect of the Lord is a good thing.
But I know that God no longer destroys people for committing sin and never has since he sent Jesus to die so that we can have forgiveness for any sin.
But bear in mind that God is omnipotent and omniscient and He DOES get angry.

2. Because God loves his children like any good father.
If you had a good and wise father you would know that you could trust him to always have your best interests in mind and never let you down.
The same can be said for God, our "heavenly Father"

3. That's a harder question. Heaven is supposed to be paradise, yes.
Immortal, unfading, paradise where there is no pain or discomfort.
However, I've come to a thought that most other Christians I know have never thought of:
If we cannot sin in heaven that means we no longer have free will
so therefore, since I know that God cares about our free will more than anything (letting us choose or not choose him, the Tree of Knowledge, things like that) then there must be free will in heaven and therefore it must be possible to sin there.
But I think we'll always have the conscious understanding that if we commit a sin that we'll be kicked out of heaven.
You would have to put a lot of conscious effort into sinning there.

4. Alpha and Omega does not mean God is not eternal. Almost all Christians will agree that God is eternal, and He is.
Heaven on the other hand does have an end.
At least we won't always be in heaven.
God will eventually reclaim the earth and establish his kingdom there and all Christians who were in heaven will go and live their immortal lives there.

5. Partially answered above.
As to what we'll be doing millions of years from now in heaven?
No idea. Bible doesn't go that far.
In sci-fi all the immortal omnipotent beings get bored eventually and lose their minds.
But this is an understanding from a limited mind.
So maybe we'll never get bored, who knows?
Maybe God will keep creating more universe.

Look at the facts. Countries where Catholicism is still relatively strong are waaay less degenerate than protestant countries. In fact, I can't think of a single country where protestants influence anything. UK is in the shitter, Germany, Sweden, the USA.

1. God is Love
2. Because God is Love
3. Heaven is unity with God/Love
4. God is beyond time/space
5. Heaven means escaping space-time. The word "eternal" is misleading, as it implies a concept of time

>Are you not terrified of God?

Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Of course I fear God, he is literally infinitely more powerful than me. Rather than freak out about it, I take solace in the fact that he has not done such a thing. Given the amount of time humanity has existed, I feel reasonably confident that he will not do that.

> Why do you trust God?

He has revealed himself as loving, and as a father to his people.

>Is Heaven like a place of eternal bliss or is it kind of like being a slave where you're forced to worship at all times unendingly forever.

Eternal bliss, eternal worship, we will experience God in the fullest of our capacity.

>Is God and Heaven truly eternal or do they also end

God is eternal. Heaven will be made anew at the end of time.

>The End of Time" and God being referred to as the Alpha and the Omega (Beginning and End

God created time. God exists outside of time. Time will one day cease. He is the beginning and the end because he is eternal.

>Is your time in Heaven eternal or is it a temporary state thing?

There will be a new Heaven and a new Earth. IIRC humans will live on the new Earth.

>Like what's God going to have you do there forever?

It boggles the mind to think about. I really couldn't say.

>Aren't you afraid that you might eventually be forced into some stuff you don't want to be a part of?

Love is an attribute of God, therefore I have no fear of this in the afterlife. The world is where I do things I don't want to do (fast, pray, penance) to store up treasures in heaven.

You don't understand the meaning of the word God. You repeat it because you have heard it before, but you don't know what it means. You are like a child trying to extrapolate what you know. You think God is just like you but being able to perform some tricks, you don't understand what defines God. You ask questions like "why should I think triangles have 3 sides?"

I *AM* looking at the facts.

Sources of guidance on right and wrong among Catholics:
Religion - 30%

Belief in absolute standards for right and wrong among Catholics:
"There are clear standards for what is right and what is wrong" - 30%

Frequency of reading scripture among Catholics:
Seldom/Never - 52%

Views about abortion among Catholics:
Legal in all/most cases - 48%

Views about homosexuality among Catholics:
Should be accepted - *70%*

Holy shit. Evangelicals beat Catholics out in religious principle on *EVERY SINGLE ISSUE*. These statistics are absolutely *DAMNING* for Catholics.

This is what I think about them.

starting to realize I'll probably never get a real (You) after typing all that

These are all questions arguably up to now interpretation

So I will give my wild science fiction because it is fun and I hardly get a chance to share my autism

>1.
No, in the fight or flight sense of fear, absolutely not, I feel guilty and ashamed and sad sometimes but not terrified. Of I was, I can't remember the day.
>How?
John 3:16, and
youtu.be/wkRxGAhVqmc

I don't know if I can write a short explanation in such short notice, but God has made a promise that he will watch over righteous people, so it is in the best interest of Christians to always "overwrite" their deeds and life choices with righteousness so that they gradually become more righteous themselves, like building good habits and replacing the bad ones, except with a view on God.

In this way, you have nothing to fear, because accepting Jesus and wanting to become righteous will most likely put you in the right mindset and keep your heart in the right place, even if you don't fully understand when or how you meet this "salvation" threshold ie "what if I didn't do enough" "what if I wasn't baptized" "what if I didn't pray" etc Remember that God already knows you sin, Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

>2.
For the reasons above
But also, because God came to us, God spread his message to the right people and the right time and sent his son to perform miracles during the most infamous empire of our history. This is a being far beyond our comprehension, and instead of simply culling us, he wants us to overcome our physical desires and cycle of barbarity to not only follow the right way of life but to share that with people so that they also have peace in their lives and enter God's kingdom. I trust Him because he watches over us and wants us in his kingdom. Psalms 143:1-2 Blessed be God, my mountain, who trains me to fight fair and well. Romans 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

>4.
Yes,God is eternal