Heavensent

[Liquid Blue]

Sweet.

[Ivan]

Anymore comments before case closed? =P

[Bioture]

Apt has too much contempt for the bible and religion, which isn't particularly the best way to go about things. But at least its better than the brainwashed christians I see everyday, following religion blindly, talking to God only to ask him for things of personal gain. Those people piss me off.

'The land shall not be sold for ever, for the land is mine and you are but my tenants' Leviticus 25:23

[Bioture]

And I absolutely 'believe' that action, not words is what changes things. When you see something that needs doing or stopping, go and act to change it. In my life, I've asked God for many things - money, snow days, a better SAT score, He gave me none of those things. He did, however, bring happiness and contentment to my family and friends. He gave me strength, where there was no strength. He gave me perseverence, when I wanted to give up.

"he who hath ears to hear, let him hear", Matthew 13:43

[adastalin]

How can heaven be as good as it is supposed to be if its populated by ex-humans, all of whom would have serious flaws somewhere?
You cannot build a perfect society based upon the human creature.

[ÆNIMA]

That's what the spirit world (where you stay before the final judgement) and the millenium of Christ's reign is for.

A millenium, do you realize how long that is?

[PUNK rock]

What does time have to do with anything, if people are not "good" in Heaven?

[ÆNIMA]

The Spirit World and what comes after the Final Judgement are two completely different places.

The Final one's a little more...eternal.

[HeavenSent]

The thing that has been, it is that which will be; and that which is done is that which will be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new?
it has been already of old time, which was before us.
There is no remembrance of former things; neither will there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that will come after. Eccl:1:9-11

I have seen the travail, which God has given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. He has made every thing beautiful in his time: also he has set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God makes from the beginning to the end.
I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.

And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.
I know that, whatever God does, it will be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God does it, that men should fear before him.

That which has been is now; and that which is to be has already been; and God requires that which is past. -Eccl:3:10-15

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The deep deep truth here is that this world has already happened. We've already lived it! What we're going through now is a repeat in physical form. God is Spirit, we are spirits contained in a shell. It's this shell we occupy which God has created for His children to give their testimonies of that world that once was. This world is predestined because God is having his children recreate what happened in another world... not another planet but in our true reality in the invisible (to mortals), spirit dimension.
We're taking part in a huge 3D production in heaven of events that already happened.

In God's plan, there are 3 Heaven & Earth ages.
The 1st age, we were all there. It was there that we all had free will to do as we pleased. However, it was destroyed shortly after Lucifer's rebellious campaign against God.
Now, this 2nd age, is like a grand trial of the cosmos and earth is the divinely appointed courthouse. There is no freewill here. Everyone will do exactly what they chose to do in the 1st age as their testimony of their role in that rebellion.
Those that were close to the Lord in the 1st age, God will reveal Himself to them in this world so that their motives in this world are justified and true.
The 3rd age will follow Judgment day, after all have been given a chance to give their testimony and opportunties in the millennial reign to make offerings of repentance.

It's pretty easy to write a story that has already happened than to make one up. God has already written the fate of this world because what will happen has already.
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This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:
That you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished.. (the word here in the Greek means complete annialation.. no survivors... i.e. the end of the 1st earth...) -2Pt 3:1-6

I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.
I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.
I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger.
For this has the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end. For this will the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it. -Jer:4:23-28

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
----<<<insert Lucifer's rebellion here>>>----
And the earth became without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. -Gen 1:1-2

For this says the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he has established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else. -Isa:45:18

[HeavenSent]

Originally posted by syzygy
how does the fact that two (or more) religions respect the same God in two (or more) ways make God "a fickle liar who manipulates the people against each other"?

The God of judeo-christians is not the same god as hindus or budhas, or several tribal beliefs. All you have to do is read how each of them describe their god.

Jesus says, "I Am the Truth, the Way and the Life, no one comes to the Father except by Me."

He's the One that paid the price. Not Budha, Shiva or even Mary.


Yet I am the LORD your God from the land of Egypt, and you will know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me. Hosea:13:4

[PUNK rock]

Originally posted by HeavenSent
The God of judeo-christians is not the same god as hindus or budhas, or several tribal beliefs. All you have to do is read how each of them describe their god.

You are very right about Hindus. The reason being is that they have godS. I might be wrong, but I think that Buddhists don't believe in Buddha as a god, rather something along the line of a great teacher.

[Ivan]

Jesus Christ Fuckers

[Bioture]

this thread got too serious fo shizzle mah nizzle

[syzygy]

Dear Ivan,

Could you please explain the context and purpose of your post? Thank you.

Sincerely,
syzygy

[apt]

Correct, Buddha isn't a god, but more of a wise man. Not a teacher, but a fountain of wisdom. The Buddha most dumb white people recognize, is Siddhartha Guatama, the most talked about Buddha. Because of him, a lot of Buddhist religion sects broke off. And now Buddhism is not 1 religion, but composed of dozens.

If there were to be any "RIGHT" religion or way of living/thinking, Buddhism would nail it on the money.

EDIT: The most prominent reason being that major Buddhist strands stress that you must life for yourself and practice your connection with the rest of the universe. The majority of other religions, dedicate their beliefs, to obsession about what some guy did, or some guy that supposedly exists created everything and now they must dedicate their short lives to them.

Which by those standards makes it pretty obvious that the majority of the world is living in a primitive state of thought. But oh well, the question of whether there is a god or not is sophomoric, a question with no answer. Yet, it stares you right in the face.

2ND EDIT:

He's the One that paid the price. Not Budha, Shiva or even Mary.

I dunno if you are reffering to Buddha? But Buddha suffered more than Jesus Christ. Jesus got off easy and died, Buddhist belief is that life is full of desire, and desire leads to suffering, and thus is full of tempotary moments of passion which are illusion, and the suffering is also illusion. And by departing through death, that is the weakest way to expell the illusion. So 'Buddha', would be one of the many who has found inside himself how to cope with the world, and has unmasked the illusions laid before him. Other religions deal with the later and past too much, such as Christianity. Buddhism emphasises on the now, and clearing a path to your happiness and purity.

Now I don't necessarily believe in that reincarnation or soul bullshit. But I have found Meditation to be the best tool I have ever discovered. I don't practice it often, but it is definetly something worth trying. See with Meditation, you're asking yourself and looking inside yourself for the answers and guidance you seek.

With praying, you're a weak minded fool seeking help from someone other than yourself.