@caesar-salad saidNo paper tigers in play here. I am referring to dogma that has been propagated here by numerous Christians in this community for as long as I have been here. If people don't believe in that stuff, so be it. I wasn't referring to them.
And when it is not so intertwined? Let's not set up paper tigers on behalf of other people.
@fmf saidTBH, that seems just as slippery and dodgy as some of the Christian apologists -- "Oh no! I didn't mean those, I meant them. I didn't mean that, I meant this." 😉
No paper tigers in play here. I am referring to dogma that has been propagated here by numerous Christians in this community for as long as I have been here. If people don't believe in that stuff, so be it. I wasn't referring to them.
@caesar-salad saidI am referring specifically to those who believe that non-believers will be tormented in burning flames for eternity. There is nothing "slippery" about it. You weren't able to discern that ~ perhaps because you are 'new' here. I have never 'accused' Christians like Suzianne, divegeester, CalJust and others of holding such views.
TBH, that seems just as slippery and dodgy as some of the Christian apologists -- "Oh no! I didn't mean those, I meant them. I didn't mean that, I meant this." 😉
@fmf saidSo you are substituting "no true Christian" for "no true Scotsman"?
I am referring specifically to those who believe that non-believers will be tormented in burning flames for eternity. There is nothing "slippery" about it. You weren't able to discern that ~ perhaps because you are 'new' here. I have never 'accused' Christians like Suzianne, divegeester, CalJust and others of holding such views.
@caesar-salad saidNo, not at all. I am referring to the beliefs of the Christians here who subscribe to the doctrine of eternal torture and I am not referring to those who don't.
So you are substituting "no true Christian" for "no true Scotsman"?
I don't think I have ever used the term [aside from ironically, perhaps] - or given any weight to the notion of - "True Christian" while engaging this community's Christians in debates.
There was a Scotsman posting here for many years who was regularly accused of not being a "True Christian". But it wasn't something I ever said to him ~ although I had the pleasure of accusing him of all manner of other things.
So for you, this world - this life - is not enough? You need to hope for more?
The world with all it has is wonderful.
I heard that Alexander the Great died of alcoholism. I heard that he requested that his arms be displayed outside of his coffin. The message was that he wanted people to realize that though he had conquered the known world he felt like he was dying empty handed.
Another wealthy monarch with great wealth utter these words upon her dying - "All my possessions for a moment of time."
One silvery moonlit night as a boy, I crawled out of my window in rural Skillman New Jersey (beautiful country living) and on to the roof. I watched a most beautiful scene of the orange leaves of Autumn on the groud shining under the full moon light,
It was utterly beautiful and peaceful. But I felt sad inside. I asked myself -
"Why isn't this enough? Why is this not enough to make be happy?"
Sometimes in the most merry moment of a party one may realize that he is not fully happy within.
cont.
I always wanted to be a composer. And I am a composer now, though not famous or fantastic at it. The first symphony that I ever understood was the First Symphony of Johannes Brahms. That ocean of complex sound one day just clicked and made sense to me after repeated hearings. I thought, "This music should live forever. This music should never go away."
I thought, that if I could created music like that it would be like being in heaven. Latter I learned that Brahms lay in his death bed after a long productive and successful life - crying. He lay there expecting to step into the unknown, weeping.
But Why?
I don't know. But I think the world is not enough. Man has a God shaped vacuum in his being that ONLY God Himself as a Living One can fill.
I don't feel to ARGUE with people who claim they have no such need.
I take their confession with respect. But I believe the innate thirst in human beings for Someone is a longing for the love of God.
And that love is found in Jesus Christ.
Now you go ahead and deny it. You go on and tell of your "lack" of anything pertaining to a need for God. I won't argue with you about it.
@sonship saidAccording to the University of Maryland School of Medicine report of 1998, Alexander probably died of typhoid fever (which, along with malaria, was common in ancient Babylon).
@FMFSo for you, this world - this life - is not enough? You need to hope for more?
The world with all it has is wonderful.
I heard that Alexander the Great died of alcoholism. I heard that he requested that his arms be displayed outside of his coffin. The message was that he wanted people to realize that though he had conquered the known world he ...[text shortened]...
Sometimes in the most merry moment of a party one may realize that he is not fully happy within.
But i know sir you are not hindered by facts.
@sonship saidYou have my commiserations.
cont.
I always wanted to be a composer. And I am a composer now, though not famous or fantastic at it. The first symphony that I ever understood was the First Symphony of Johannes Brahms. That ocean of complex sound one day just clicked and made sense to me after repeated hearings. I thought, "This music should live forever. This music should never go away."
I th ...[text shortened]... n and tell of your "lack" of anything pertaining to a need for God. I won't argue with you about it.
Maybe we actually shrink everything...
The world happens & continues to happen.
But the God-man mounted a cross and died for everyone's sins so that those who believed in Him would enter the Kingdom of God.
Maybe just the three hours on the cross were enough.
Maybe the world is too much.
See? We can all play games about scope & perception.