is this the best of all possible worlds?.
if it isn't, wouldn't that be the best possible proof that a benevolent and all-powerful deity had nothing to do with creating it?.
if a loving and benevolent creator was going to create a world--why make one with a built-in self-destruct mechanism??.
Everything man designs is designed to function properly.
Properly would mean IT DOES WHAT IT IS DESIGNED to do.
Can man design a unbreakable design? Does not age, does not wither and does not require repairs or any kind intervention for the design from wear and tear, aging and so on?
Yiz
thread for nasticanasta to have at with proof that it does..
Terry,
In other words, God is limited.
God can't engage a million conversation with a million topics with a million people all at the same time.
God can't see creation, the death of His Son on the Cross and the end of Earth's chapter all at the same time.
God can't sit on His Throne, be Jesus in the flesh and have his Holy Spirit hovering over the earth all at the same time?
Yiz
set yourself free .
.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxgnpukowhu.
Religion is anti-freedom
Christianity is not a religion, it is anti-religion. Jesus hates religion and organized religion to be more specific. See how Jesus calls the Pharasees "Broods of Vipers! Blind Guides!" Because they practice relgion as opposed to "relationship" Religion is about man for man, it's never has been for God.
Religion is about fear and control.
Christianity is about freedom from control, both mind and body.
Jesus wanted to bring back "relationship" between man and God.
The Pharasees wanted control, so they brought "religion" to man and put them in shackles of fear "do this or my god will destroy you"
Yiz
thread for nasticanasta to have at with proof that it does..
Hell is a jail, it's the lake of fire you really wanna worry about.
God's justice system isn't all that different from our own justice system here on earth. You commit a crime, you go to jail until you have your day in court. If found guilty, you go to prison.
Die in your sins, you go to jail (hell), until you have your day in court. If found guilty, you go to prison (lake of fire).
People mistake the idea that hell and lake of fire is one and the same place. it's not...
Rev 20:14-15 "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." (book of life refers to people who are saved by accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior and their sins are forgiven, their names are then written into the book of life).
Yiz
said to myself & others by a jw elder.. i always recall this as a sort of .
when this elder was pressed on the matter, he replied that it was because of all the years of laughing & sneering & mocking that he had put up with, quoting the scripture that goes along the lines of 'where is this promised presence of his'.. i realise now that this person is not loving.
and yet, i would hear similar sentiments from others such as 'just wait until the end' or 'i wonder if they'll be saying that when jesus comes with his big sword'.. even as a jw pioneer, the thought of such a thing happening to people repulsed me.
Jambon,
Can you read between the lines and know when words are written from man to God and what's written from God to man?
It's tough seeing the difference.
Here's a suggestion, that I offer to everyone new to Christianity, read the NT first before they begin to read the OT. Because if they do the OT, they're not going to understand the mind of God unless they read the NT first. I specifically tell them to read the book of John first, after that Romans. Then go back from the beginning in the NT and read it all the way to Revelations. Then go ahead and read the OT starting from Genesis all the way to the last book of the OT.
That helps alot for people to really understand and know the difference what words are the heart of God and what words are the heart of man.
Yiz
said to myself & others by a jw elder.. i always recall this as a sort of .
when this elder was pressed on the matter, he replied that it was because of all the years of laughing & sneering & mocking that he had put up with, quoting the scripture that goes along the lines of 'where is this promised presence of his'.. i realise now that this person is not loving.
and yet, i would hear similar sentiments from others such as 'just wait until the end' or 'i wonder if they'll be saying that when jesus comes with his big sword'.. even as a jw pioneer, the thought of such a thing happening to people repulsed me.
I see someone beat me to it...
Psalm 137 was written by man to God, not the other way around.
Pretty much the same thing as I was trying to say in my previous post
Yiz
said to myself & others by a jw elder.. i always recall this as a sort of .
when this elder was pressed on the matter, he replied that it was because of all the years of laughing & sneering & mocking that he had put up with, quoting the scripture that goes along the lines of 'where is this promised presence of his'.. i realise now that this person is not loving.
and yet, i would hear similar sentiments from others such as 'just wait until the end' or 'i wonder if they'll be saying that when jesus comes with his big sword'.. even as a jw pioneer, the thought of such a thing happening to people repulsed me.
I honestly don't give a rats arse who it is refering to here. Smashing babies heads against a rock is just hideous.
Can't see how any human can see it any other way.
Neither do Jesus. When the writer wrote about babies being smashed against the rocks, it was written from the heart of man, not from the heart of God. Man wrote this down in anger and in anquish from the memories after witnessing what they had done, because at the time, in 586 B.C., the Babylonian Soliders murdered many Jewish babies because they did not want them to grow up to avenge the deaths of their parents. When the writer wrote verse 9 of Psalms 137, he was writing the words from his own heart, not from the heart of God.
You need to learn to read between the lines, rightly dividing the word of Truth. Many words written by man speaking of eye for an eye, tooth for tooth and words of killing, revenge and so on were from the heart of man, the anger and anquish of what they have witnessed with their own eyes and crying out for Revenge.
Now after reading Between the words, words that come from the heart of God comes something like this......
"Vengence is mine, I shall repay" - God is telling man, I will bring Justice to those who murdered your children, because God knows the heart of man and how they will react and especially, "OVERREACT" such as blind revenge, rage that blinds the reasoning center of the brain and the killing to avenge the deaths of their children by killing Babylon's children. God doesn't want them to end up regretting what they had done when they come down from the seething rage and reasoning returns to their minds and realize what they had done was wrong. Throughout history, even today, all too often man strikes back man for whatever has wronged them and often it's done out of pure rage and anger. Can you think straight when you are enraged??
So when God brings justice, he brings what a sound Judge should do, with of sound of mind and logic, not influenced by emotion such as anger, He will bring TRUE justice against those who commited a crime against innocent little children. That includes those that murdered little children out of anger and revenge because theirs was also murdered. Two wrongs don't make a right.
Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied."
Jesus: Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has
seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father
and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who
dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you
do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who
believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.
Jesus came to show us the heart of the Father, the heart that does not support the revenge killing of children simply because their children was killed.
And this is what Jesus said...
Matthew 5:38 -41 "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth. But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles."
Note Jesus said, "You have heard" Jesus never said "God said that it was eye for eye", that shows that God never supported that supposition to act on vengence, but rather the opposite. Who ever wrote that wrote from the heart of man and not from the heart of God and Jesus showed just that from his own lips and action, "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father"
Know what's harder? Forgiving the actions of the wrongs that was done against you. It's easier to fall into anger and take matters into your own hands than to forgive.
So remember, read between the lines and know the difference between what is written from the heart of man and what is written from the heart of God."
Yiz
A news reporter asked a 100 year old man on his birthday what it feels like being 100 years old..
"Well, it's like being a baby again."
"What you mean it's like being a baby again?" The reporter puzzling asked
"Well, I'm bald again, I have no teeth again and I'm wearing diapers again."
Yiz
thread for nasticanasta to have at with proof that it does..
Matthew 12: 38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you." 39 He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
Sign of Jonah referred to our Lord’s resurrection to come (Acts 2:22 -36). Jonah was at the door of death, and God kept him alive with a miracle.
In spite of all Jesus did to prove who He was, using miraculous, unfathomable healings, and words of incredible wisdom that baffled the most learned of men, they still asked for a sign. While Jesus continued to receive criticism from the pious, fraud Pharisees and Scribes who just did not get it, they still had the audacity to ask Him to prove it. They attacked Him, tried to falsely implicate Him of a crime, tried to trick Him and accused Him of being a demon, yet, they still had the impertinence to ask The God of Eternity and their only Hope for Salvation to prove it. Thus, Jesus turned the tables on their unrighteous deeds and placed a mirror in their face for them to see their own hypocrisy!
Any of that sound familair?
Yiz
thread for nasticanasta to have at with proof that it does..
Hell is a construct of primitive, despotic leaders to control the people by fear. The idea Satan and even God serves the same purpose.
You could say the same thing about your parents when they down the rules that they expect you to follow. Or the same to a cop or judge when they expect you to follow the law.
Yiz
