Meh, think about all the natural disasters. tsunamis, hurricanes. The USA and Muslims in particular have been very naughty! I'm afraid they will be smote soon enough.
Methinks things really are coming to an end. But i wanna finish my hotrod first. I am ALMOST ready to put the engine in!!
I find the way you Christians seem to think the end of the world is upon us, to be honest, quite amusing. Not that I mean to offend you, but the end of the world has been predicted so many times in the past and passed by uneventfully (eg. the year 2000, for a good long list see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_unfulfilled_Christian_Prophecy).
While looking for that list, I also stumbled upon Islamic eschatology. It sounds much nicer than the Christian version, I must say. From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_eschatology :
Much more pleasant than Christianity, with its eternal damnation and such.
Other religions have their own theories on the end of the world. Judaism has 2240 AD as the date. Buddhism originally predicted the end of the world 500 years after the time of Buddha, but that was later extended to 5000 years. The Mayan religion predicts the end of the world in the year 2012. The full article is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eschatology.
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I'm not saying you're wrong, and I'm not accusing you of preaching, I'm just saying its strange to always be thinking that the end is coming. By now enough predictions of the end of the world have come and gone to make it clear, at the very least, that its nearly impossible to predict (and as you say, it is impossible to prophecise, and in fact, its wrong to speculate about it). If I were a Christian, I'd not worry about it and take a more passive approach. Its easier to plan for the future without taking an apocalypse into account, and something like that is impossible to take into account anyway.
Also, according to the Muslim faith, you are saved from hell after a time if you have any faith at all. Which I find is much more lenient than the Christian idea (a stay in hell is eternal). It is also possible to get into the Muslim heaven without actually being Muslim.
if people constantly live in the shadow of a coming apocalypse, they're more likely to live a good, moral life. i mean.. if the day of reckoning were tomorrow, would you be crossing through the pearly gates? probably not. but you'd be passing out sandwiches to the homeless and helping old ladies across the street all f**kin day, eh? if i were god, i'd make it more like a pop quiz.. keep the world in the dark about it so when it comes, people get caught with their pants down..!! muahaha! (literally, in some cases.)
i, personally, think these organized religions are a load of crap. however, the morals and general ways of life are something to be recognized and admired. can't say i've read much into islam, but the 10 commandments and the majority of the fables of the bible are a good baseline for any civilized society. and the best way to ensure people stay anywhere near this baseline.. is the ever-present "your day of reckoning will come". but yea, i'm on the verge of rambling... back to work.
I find the idea that as long as youre basically a good person, no matter what religion you follow, the worst you get is a temporary stay in Hell, and that all people will eventually get into Heaven.
I'm just an outside observer really, I'm an atheist, and I find the idea that there is no heaven or hell more appealing than either.
The idea of not existing is impossible for the human mind to comprehend. I know this. It doesnt worry me. This idea, to me, simply makes sense, and I'd rather think that this really is all that there is, rather than a test which decides what happens to me for eternity.
Most atheists are agnostic, I know this. I'm not.
HAHA! like a time-out in the corner to think about what you've done!
Yeah. lol
Outside of this world there is no time "1000 years is as a day and a day is as 1000 years."
In truth, eternity is not only ALL the time, but it is the absence of time. so there really cant be anything "temporary" in eternity because one minute is the same as ALL eternity which is forever. so complicated to explain...
Sorry, it's not just gonna be a slap on the wrist.
BTW, Catholics don't worship the saints, they ask them to pray for them, because they are in higher standing with god because they were so pious. see?
Interesting post there Nickel. Deep.
You say "its not just gonna be a slap on the wrist" like going to hell forever is a reasonable punishment. But since no sin is greater than another sin in the eyes of God, people are condemned to an existence solely of pain for the smallest of sins. Even if they didnt know they were committing them. Such as the billions of people who have lived and died without even hearing about the existence of this man called "Jesus".
Outside of this world there is no time "1000 years is as a day and a day is as 1000 years."
In truth, eternity is not only ALL the time, but it is the absence of time. so there really cant be anything "temporary" in eternity because one minute is the same as ALL eternity which is forever. so complicated to explain...
Sorry, it's not just gonna be a slap on the wrist.
BTW, Catholics don't worship the saints, they ask them to pray for them, because they are in higher standing with god because they were so pious. see?
Paladin:
"For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Tim. 2:5). Tells us that they are, indeed wrong.
"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way. This is good, and pleasing to God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:1?4). Tells us that praying for others and asking others to pray for you is not bad.
Wil5on:
I'll quote something I've said before that applies:
In the bible, Abraham was told that God was going to give him a son and that the son would become a great nation. Abraham got tired of waiting for God, so he and his wife Sarah, took things into thier own hands and decided that Abraham should impregnate Hagar, Sarah's maidservant. Her son was Ishmael. Then a bit later, Sarah also became pregnant and had Isaac, whose descendants are the tribes of Israel.
God also said he would turn Ishmael into a great nation. Ishmael's descendants are the people who we now refer to as "Muslims." Pretty much everyone ranging from Iraq down to Saudi Arabia.
Because of Abraham's sin of adultery with Hagar, People even now are suffering because of these people who are the direct result of his sin. I wanted to write this to explain that this is why bad things happen to good people. Because God gave Abraham free will, and by his free will he chose something that resulted in bad things happening to good people. If God took away the consequences of Abraham's actions, then he may as well have not had free will to begin with. This is the answer to the question I'm SO sick of hearing: "Why does such a loving god let bad things happen to good people?"
It's not only because of thier sins, It's because of the sins of others. Just like we are ALL paying for abraham's sin because now we have to deal with these muslim Extremists. Also, this is the reason why Christians try to SPREAD the gospel... Not to piss ppl off or to get more money (stuff i've heard, really) They do it because they don't like ppl going to hell, and they want them to go to heaven and be nice ppl and stuff. see? The decisions you make will not only affect you, but your children too. and thier children and so on. Because if god takes away the consequences of your actions, then did you really have free will to begin with?
Interesting arguments Nickel, but all ones I've heard before.
Is there any mention in the Bible of other groups with no relation to Abraham? For example, native Americans, native Australians, native Chinese, in fact the native people of almost any area outside the middle east, europe and northern africa. None of these people were descended from Abraham, in fact, many were not even aware of Christianity until after the 15th century AD.
It fascinates me that your sense of justice says it is right to punish someone for something beyond their control.
