For anyone who is interested in the actual Christian teaching about Heaven and Hell (as opposed to silly caricatures thereof), here is an excellent essay on that topic:
For anyone who is interested in the actual Christian teaching about Heaven and Hell (as opposed to silly caricatures thereof), here is an excellent essay on that topic:
" But why do men hate God? They hate Him not only because their deeds are dark while God is light, but also because they consider Him as a menace, as an imminent and eternal danger, as an adversary in court, as an opponent at law, as a public prosecutor and an eternal persecutor. To them, God is no more the almighty physician who came to save them from illness and death, but rather a cruel judge and a vengeful inquisitor."
I think this is pretty much spot on and has not changed. I am an agnostic/atheist not because I hate "God"... but because I simply cannot believe in a vengeful, psychotic, judgemental deity that sends "his" own creations to eternal torment. I and I do not do "dark deeds".
I don't either. I suppose I am an "agnostic"... as I do not know whether or not a "God" exists but it might... and have no idea as to what form it would take.
Neither does anyone else on earth... despite all the bullcrap spewed by the frightened and/or pompous sheep...
Like Lennon said: "Imagine no religion".... what a better world we would have...
You gave me a weird thought. If everyone had the truth and facts from the beginning, there would already be a One World Religion, .... and it would have existed since the beginning. Perhaos it would also have been a far less poisonous or polluted religion.
I shouldn't say such things, .... the Televangelists Union might hit me with lawfare. lol Such a notion would mean no more money rain,, on their money train..
Jeeze, I would HOPE it would be far less poisonous and polluted!! 🤪
Early man was tribal... they lived in suspicion and fear... danger all around... they developed primitive "religions" to try to explain the unexplainable and to quell their fear. As the tribes grew in number, those that wanted to control large numbers could often do that through being the biggest, baddest bad-ass in the group... or take the "witch-doctor"/"High Priest" approach and gain status and/or control via magic and fear. Only THEY knew the secrets to healing and to pleasing the "Creator". Those with this special "knowledge" of course, required payment and gifts... and especially "status"... it was only fair...
The tribes, each with their own "Priests" and, naturally, their own mythologies... came into contact with other tribes, each with their own "Priests" and, naturally, their own mythologies... generally ended up going to war and killing each other to prove their mythology was supreme.
Isn't it amazing how much has changed over the years!! 🙄
If you read further (I know that this is a LONG essay!), you will see that the "eternal persecutor" idea is a paganistic distortion, introduced by Roman Catholic theologians in the 11th century. Again, salvation is not what a lot of us has been taught that it is!
I think it is all ancient mythology, developed by the evil powerful to control the moronic masses... and it worked for a long time.
IF there were a "God" that gave a damn about humans, let alone "loved" them, why the silent treatment? Why is the world so FUBAR? And if you answer "free will" and "Satan"... I'll be disappointed...
What do you think of Biglino's "The Naked Bible"?? Clif recommended it. Very interesting!
I read all of the liberal Protestant "Higher Criticism" from Schliermacher, through D.F. Strauss, to Schweitzer, and I found all of it to be completely subjective "eisegesis" (i.e., "reading into" a text what you want it to say.). The reductio ad absurdum of this process was the so called "Jesus Seminar" with its "colour coded" Gospels (remember that?).
From that point forward, I have ignored modern scholarship of the past 200 years, as tendentious and ideologically motivated.
And yes, I will answer "free will" and "Satan," so be as disappointed as you please! I think that makes far more sense than Clif's idea that all religions were imported by evil space aliens.
I don't think that there actually are any "space aliens." I agree with scholars like Jacques Vallee that so called "UFO's" are of Earth origin, and that all the "close encounters" correspond almost exactly to ancient accounts of demonic visitations. So there we stand! I suspect we are simply talking past each other, so I will close here.
For anyone who is interested in the actual Christian teaching about Heaven and Hell (as opposed to silly caricatures thereof), here is an excellent essay on that topic:
"The River of Fire" by Dr. Alexander Kalomiros
https://glory2godforallthings.com/the-river-of-fire-kalomiros/
HINT: It is not what many people think that it is!
" But why do men hate God? They hate Him not only because their deeds are dark while God is light, but also because they consider Him as a menace, as an imminent and eternal danger, as an adversary in court, as an opponent at law, as a public prosecutor and an eternal persecutor. To them, God is no more the almighty physician who came to save them from illness and death, but rather a cruel judge and a vengeful inquisitor."
I think this is pretty much spot on and has not changed. I am an agnostic/atheist not because I hate "God"... but because I simply cannot believe in a vengeful, psychotic, judgemental deity that sends "his" own creations to eternal torment. I and I do not do "dark deeds".
I don't have an issue with the notion of God, .... I just detest Religion. Religion is a poison.
I don't either. I suppose I am an "agnostic"... as I do not know whether or not a "God" exists but it might... and have no idea as to what form it would take.
Neither does anyone else on earth... despite all the bullcrap spewed by the frightened and/or pompous sheep...
Like Lennon said: "Imagine no religion".... what a better world we would have...
You gave me a weird thought. If everyone had the truth and facts from the beginning, there would already be a One World Religion, .... and it would have existed since the beginning. Perhaos it would also have been a far less poisonous or polluted religion.
I shouldn't say such things, .... the Televangelists Union might hit me with lawfare. lol Such a notion would mean no more money rain,, on their money train..
Jeeze, I would HOPE it would be far less poisonous and polluted!! 🤪
Early man was tribal... they lived in suspicion and fear... danger all around... they developed primitive "religions" to try to explain the unexplainable and to quell their fear. As the tribes grew in number, those that wanted to control large numbers could often do that through being the biggest, baddest bad-ass in the group... or take the "witch-doctor"/"High Priest" approach and gain status and/or control via magic and fear. Only THEY knew the secrets to healing and to pleasing the "Creator". Those with this special "knowledge" of course, required payment and gifts... and especially "status"... it was only fair...
The tribes, each with their own "Priests" and, naturally, their own mythologies... came into contact with other tribes, each with their own "Priests" and, naturally, their own mythologies... generally ended up going to war and killing each other to prove their mythology was supreme.
Isn't it amazing how much has changed over the years!! 🙄
Things certainly seem to rhyme. Only the methods change.
If you read further (I know that this is a LONG essay!), you will see that the "eternal persecutor" idea is a paganistic distortion, introduced by Roman Catholic theologians in the 11th century. Again, salvation is not what a lot of us has been taught that it is!
I think it is all ancient mythology, developed by the evil powerful to control the moronic masses... and it worked for a long time.
IF there were a "God" that gave a damn about humans, let alone "loved" them, why the silent treatment? Why is the world so FUBAR? And if you answer "free will" and "Satan"... I'll be disappointed...
What do you think of Biglino's "The Naked Bible"?? Clif recommended it. Very interesting!
I haven't read it. Will I? Doubtful. Here's why.
I read all of the liberal Protestant "Higher Criticism" from Schliermacher, through D.F. Strauss, to Schweitzer, and I found all of it to be completely subjective "eisegesis" (i.e., "reading into" a text what you want it to say.). The reductio ad absurdum of this process was the so called "Jesus Seminar" with its "colour coded" Gospels (remember that?).
From that point forward, I have ignored modern scholarship of the past 200 years, as tendentious and ideologically motivated.
And yes, I will answer "free will" and "Satan," so be as disappointed as you please! I think that makes far more sense than Clif's idea that all religions were imported by evil space aliens.
I don't think that there actually are any "space aliens." I agree with scholars like Jacques Vallee that so called "UFO's" are of Earth origin, and that all the "close encounters" correspond almost exactly to ancient accounts of demonic visitations. So there we stand! I suspect we are simply talking past each other, so I will close here.
You won't read Biglino, but expect people to read what YOU recommend?
Pretty arrogant and pompous, no?
Bye.