Hypothetical question for anyone

@Rajk999

Tormented as in tortured ? Hit me with a scripture I’m always keen to learn.

@medullah said
@Rajk999

Tormented as in tortured ? Hit me with a scripture I’m always keen to learn.

@divegeester

We have several things in the mix assuming the position as you have stated.

1) The person might have already tried to speak with their family and the message been rejected; the relatives may discern that the teaching is unscriptural or may simply not agree; this scenario could apply to a range of doctrinal points including idolatry; homosexuality; sex before marriage; supporting Tottenham 😛

2) You don’t brow-beat your family (or friends) with religion, else you’ll lose them. You’re better off to trying and win them over with your conduct, which is a scriptural principle in drawing relatives to the faith (2 Pet 3:1), albeit that we are both agreed that the interpretation is wrong in this case.

3) There is also a scriptural principle that if you are too close to somebody that your message may not by heeded anyway (Luke 4:24)

4) In the case of approaching complete strangers with your beliefs it’s a different ball game to somebody that you already know (I’m sure that you must have done cold calling in your sales days). It won’t be like this forum where you can run away if you get it wrong, once you have opened the conversation in the flesh then clearly you would be locked in. Just starting the conversation by itself is going to be a challenge, and you will have to be clear in your mind what your message is (again like selling). In short you will have to know the material.

5) Other obstacles to evangelising will be things like fear of man; never underestimate that one; it will take courage to do this sort of thing. How big are the balls of our hypothetical person? Also, if the doctrinal position of a denomination (variation/sect/cult whatever) is flawed then a discerning alert individual trained highly enough in the scriptures may see it and push back and start challenging things or even leave. You imagine the impact on faiths based on traditions if their faithful had intensive bible training; people may leave in droves?

6) Temperament is also going to be a factor (again sales principals). If somebody gets in your face you have got to have the control/reserve/humility not to bite and come back with a mild answer; that again could be a tall order for some – how calm and level headed is our individual?

@divegeester

I understand but try and present a balanced view.

Kind of related, do you feel that we are in any sort of judgmental situation at this point of time DG ?

@divegeester

A very important point, not to be judgemental. Yet at the same time you have to be discerning.

@rajk999 said
First tell me what you think the following terms mean:
- punished
- tormented
- tortured {not in the bible as something done by God]

I will go first. Punish can mean anything from withdrawal of rewards promised, to torment in hell fire. Both extremes are in the bible Torment is described in the story of the Rich man and Lazarus, and also in Revelation.

Torture is only in the bible describing what a man does to another man, not something God does.

@medullah said
Punished - to be reproved at a price to the person being punished?

Tormented - I believe that the root Greek word is Basanistes, which I believe can be confused. It denotes imprisonment, or Jail?

Tortured - a guess, but I would have thought to either inflict ongoing pain?

Although I agree with your example of Lazurus, I don't feel that there is a literal hell fire, which has been promoted primarily through Catholicism?

Over to you :-)