Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:God is kinder than you think!

How would you know? Certainly not from some of the stuff that's ascribed to him in the Bible!

In C.S. Lewis’ tale, The Lion the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the character Aslan is a lion, a savior figure. Lucy, a young girl, asks Mr. Beaver about him. “Is he quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”
He responds, “Who said anything about being safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
Aslan wasn’t safe but he was good.

This is like the God of the Old Testament. He’s dangerous, powerful, but always overflowing with loving kindness.

As long as you believe in Him.

Does God love everyone? Yes, He shows mercy and kindness to all. Does God love Christians more than He loves non-Christians? No, not in regards to His merciful love. Does God love Christians in a different way than He loves non-Christians? Yes; because believers have exercised faith in God’s Son, they are saved. God has a unique relationship with Christians in that only Christians have forgiveness based on God’s eternal grace. The unconditional, merciful love God has for everyone should bring us to faith, receiving with gratefulness the conditional, covenant love He grants those who receive Jesus Christ as Savior.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:God is kinder than you think!

How would you know? Certainly not from some of the stuff that's ascribed to him in the Bible!

In C.S. Lewis’ tale, The Lion the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the character Aslan is a lion, a savior figure. Lucy, a young girl, asks Mr. Beaver about him. “Is he quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”
He responds, “Who said anything about being safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
Aslan wasn’t safe but he was good.

This is like the God of the Old Testament. He’s dangerous, powerful, but always overflowing with loving kindness.

As long as you believe in Him.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:God is kinder than you think!

How would you know? Certainly not from some of the stuff that's ascribed to him in the Bible!

In C.S. Lewis’ tale, The Lion the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the character Aslan is a lion, a savior figure. Lucy, a young girl, asks Mr. Beaver about him. “Is he quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”
He responds, “Who said anything about being safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
Aslan wasn’t safe but he was good.

This is like the God of the Old Testament. He’s dangerous, powerful, but always overflowing with loving kindness.

Anonymous wrote:God is kinder than you think!

How would you know? Certainly not from some of the stuff that's ascribed to him in the Bible!

There's simply no way to know from our earthy perspective what is true from the perspective of heaven. It's useless for Christians to cite passages from the New Testament, because non-Christians do not believe the book is the word of God. It also does no good for non-Christians to simply say that Jesus is not necessary for salvation simply because Jesus is not part of their inherited revelation.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If there is a true afterlife and we are judged in some meaningful way before entry I personally don't think belief will be the arbiter. It is too entirely random and based on where you were born, who raised you etc.

If it's a real thing and you are really judged then IMO you're being judged on one of two things, being a steward of the world, or being a steward of humanity. Or some combination thereof. So I think Buddhists or Tibetan monks are the most likely to get in. Nuns, people who dedicate their life to service.

Hinging it on belief IMO just helps bad people think they would be weighed favorably on the scales of justice. Being a good person is part of being human that someone of every religion can theoretically practice.

Agree. And people of no religion can be good people, as well.

Yes! I should have worded it thusly .

God is kinder than you think!

Anonymous wrote:If there is a true afterlife and we are judged in some meaningful way before entry I personally don't think belief will be the arbiter. It is too entirely random and based on where you were born, who raised you etc.

If it's a real thing and you are really judged then IMO you're being judged on one of two things, being a steward of the world, or being a steward of humanity. Or some combination thereof. So I think Buddhists or Tibetan monks are the most likely to get in. Nuns, people who dedicate their life to service.

Hinging it on belief IMO just helps bad people think they would be weighed favorably on the scales of justice. Being a good person is part of being human that someone of every religion can theoretically practice.

Agree. And people of no religion can be good people, as well.

If there is a true afterlife and we are judged in some meaningful way before entry I personally don't think belief will be the arbiter. It is too entirely random and based on where you were born, who raised you etc.

If it's a real thing and you are really judged then IMO you're being judged on one of two things, being a steward of the world, or being a steward of humanity. Or some combination thereof. So I think Buddhists or Tibetan monks are the most likely to get in. Nuns, people who dedicate their life to service.

Hinging it on belief IMO just helps bad people think they would be weighed favorably on the scales of justice. Being a good person is part of being human that someone of every religion can theoretically practice.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It would be nice to hear back from pp(s) who asked why non-believers come to an open religion forum.

Several people tried to explain it.

That's because PP doesn't want those rational, reasoned answers, nor a reasonable discussion about them.

PP simply wants you to stop.

Maybe. We'll see. Maybe pp and some other religious people assume any explanation or expression of disagreement is proselytizing- perhaps because proselytizing is an accepted or even required part of their religion.

I do hope that the logic and factual basis of what's been said here gets through to some religious readers. And if their faith is strong, they needn't be ultimately concerned. Periods of doubt are acceptable in Christianity -- and they say that afterwards, faith comes back stronger than ever.

Sometimes faith comes back stronger than ever. Other times it leaves permanently. Otherwise, there would not be so many people raised in a religion who are now agnostics and atheists.

Hmmm. Maybe this is what's happening to the Christian pp who was espousing and defending Christian beliefs before disappearing

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It would be nice to hear back from pp(s) who asked why non-believers come to an open religion forum.

Several people tried to explain it.

That's because PP doesn't want those rational, reasoned answers, nor a reasonable discussion about them.

PP simply wants you to stop.

Maybe. We'll see. Maybe pp and some other religious people assume any explanation or expression of disagreement is proselytizing- perhaps because proselytizing is an accepted or even required part of their religion.

I do hope that the logic and factual basis of what's been said here gets through to some religious readers. And if their faith is strong, they needn't be ultimately concerned. Periods of doubt are acceptable in Christianity -- and they say that afterwards, faith comes back stronger than ever.

Sometimes faith comes back stronger than ever. Other times it leaves permanently. Otherwise, there would not be so many people raised in a religion who are now agnostics and atheists.

Anonymous wrote:and they say that afterwards, faith comes back stronger than ever.

Faith may come back, but not the faithful. At least not to this thread!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It would be nice to hear back from pp(s) who asked why non-believers come to an open religion forum.

Several people tried to explain it.

That's because PP doesn't want those rational, reasoned answers, nor a reasonable discussion about them.

PP simply wants you to stop.

Maybe. We'll see. Maybe pp and some other religious people assume any explanation or expression of disagreement is proselytizing- perhaps because proselytizing is an accepted or even required part of their religion.

I do hope that the logic and factual basis of what's been said here gets through to some religious readers. And if their faith is strong, they needn't be ultimately concerned. Periods of doubt are acceptable in Christianity -- and they say that afterwards, faith comes back stronger than ever.

Anonymous wrote:It would be nice to hear back from pp(s) who asked why non-believers come to an open religion forum.

Several people tried to explain it.

That's because PP doesn't want those rational, reasoned answers, nor a reasonable discussion about them.

PP simply wants you to stop.

It would be nice to hear back from pp(s) who asked why non-believers come to an open religion forum.

Several people tried to explain it.