posted
The thing is, if you believe that the only thing necessary to go to Heaven is repentance -- or faith -- someone can still sin and lead a terrible life and get into Heaven as long as they eventually feel bad about it. (Note: if you believe in predestination, this is clearly not the case. Of course, if you believe in predestination, you may as well lay down and die somewhere for all the good LIVING does you.)
By the same token, someone who leads an exemplary life but does NOT repent or does NOT convert is, according to many Christians, damned to an eternity of agonizing torture. FOREVER. Forever. Think about that.
How can you possibly think of the afterlife as being a form of "justice" with those alternatives in place?
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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posted
It's not a form of justice but I think more of an earned seat in the house of God. If you don't earn it, you do not get to go to heaven and live among the good people that worked hard to be better than they were all of their days.
I don't think predestination guarantees you are going to heaven or hell because you still have to make your choices through life.
I think true repentance is very difficult to come by. It has to be made out of genuine regret than fear of hell.
Other than that, as I said, I have a hard time with forgiveness for murdering pedophiles etc. I'm not THAT enlightened as of yet. Posts: 103 | Registered: May 2003
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OK OK OK, I get the point, I didn't think what I said would make 3 pages worth of replies, all I wanted was a answer, it is clear to me that I can't, or can, but most likley can't get a answer from GOD, if you feel the urge to write how you feel about GOD, go ahead, be my guest, I won't and can't stop you. I guess I know now people actually listen to my words, and I'm only 13.....I guess this is pretty interesting. -Lee
Posts: 69 | Registered: May 2003
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posted
Age often has little to do with insight and intelligence. Let alone an ability to relate to bigger notions and opinions from others. Posts: 103 | Registered: May 2003
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There is a God. I know this in myself and never needed to be taught it. I knew him before I ever read a scripture or any other thoughts about him from any other person. Why is there such evil in the world? Why then is there good in the world? Because people choose to do one or the other. What does God want? To choose good. Question is - what do you CHOOSE to do?
Posts: 58 | Registered: May 2003
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posted
Please define good and evil. I know one from the other as far as social behavior, but I want to know how we would attain a path of pure good or evil.
Edit: I don't know if anyone would intentionally choose evil, I think its more like a path of self interest or collective interest.
posted
I wanted to correct the notion that "mormons" have 3 flavors of afterlife. There is a 4th for the profoundly sinful, though it is customary to not speculate on who will wind up there. Mormons are even known to argue over whether Judas Iscariot belongs there since he was "part of a plan". Though I tend to think he wasn't an indispensible part and chose his role in it.
A president of the Mormon church, John Taylor, said that the third kingdom was so glorious that if we could see it we would commit suicide just to get there. Thus the deduction that it is the realm of some killers and also relatively posh.
My own heresy is that the afterlife is just going to be more work and development and existence. Thus the cosmic importance of not getting easily discouraged.
I know a lady who feels very strongly that heaven won't be heavenly unless certain people she knows (who she otherwise doesn't think would make it) can be there.
Another personal heresy- the worse thing that can happen to you in this life is not to get hurt, but to cause hurt to another. This is quite problematic in the view of God being responsible for so much of the hurt in the world.
When my baby died I wondered how God could justify doing that to me. I was really angry at Him, but I have to say it never provided greater comfort for me to think He didn't exist. It just made me mad, is all. It's like, God had better be real because He has got some explaining to do.
Posts: 11017 | Registered: Apr 2003
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