@sonship saidNo one is claiming Christianity hasn't been a successful religion.
@FMFDon't be so silly. Virtually anybody and everbody can imagine it.
I don't think it is silly.
Many many myths have been spun for thousands of years.
No one's life has so divided history into two major portions as Jesus of Nazareth. BC and AD (or CE) seem to mean -
"Since this Person lived the world will never be the same."
- Joined
- 03 Jan 13
- Moves
- 13080
No one is claiming Christianity hasn't been a successful religion.
You're trying to put words into my mouth.
I didn't write "Christianity has been a successful religion."
In many regards Christianity ( perhaps Christiandom) has not been a successful religion. In many regards it has been a dreadfully corrupt religion.
And God is not a religion. God is ultimate reality. That's what I think.
And since Christ predicted that some people would even kill Christians thinking they were doing the will of God, He gave us heads up that Christianity would be corrupted.
Now since Jesus walked the earth His impact on the consciences of men has made the world a different place. Some struggle mightily against this conviction to the point of imagining He never lived. People like Richard Carrier whom you admire, take this desperate route.
@sonship saidNope. You said this:
@FMF
You're trying to put words into my mouth.
I didn't write "Christianity has been a successful religion."
No one's life has so divided history into two major portions as Jesus of Nazareth. BC and AD (or CE) seem to mean -
"Since this Person lived the world will never be the same."
And I said, not you, I said "No one is claiming Christianity hasn't been a successful religion." You were touting Jesus's impact on history.
- Joined
- 03 Jan 13
- Moves
- 13080
FMF, If I do not want to spend much time looking for something you dug up, that is my business. If you don't want to bump it up I choose not to expend time looking for what you're talking about.
I am here now and will take a look if you bump it.
If I am not as obsessed with talking about it as you seem to be, that's too bad for you.
Anyway, generally speaking (though it has little to do with this thread) our lives and our words will effect the decisions of people even concerning eternal destinies.
Knowing this it is good to often confess to God our failures so that we may be cleansed and justified according to His promise that He will forgive us.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." (1 John 1:9,10)
I admit that I have sinned in the past concerning many things.
Do you admit that you have sinned in the past on things ?
@sonship saidI dug it up for you twice before, as you well know. On both occasions, you made a fool of yourself.
FMF, If I do not want to spend much time looking for something you dug up, that is my business. If you don't want to bump it up I choose not to expend time looking for what you're talking about.
@sonship saidI am not "obsessed" with it, sonship. I brought it up because it was pertinent to a question divegeester has asked you - a reasonable one - but one you are dodging nevertheless.
I am here now and will take a look if you bump it.
If I am not as obsessed with talking about it as you seem to be, that's too bad for you.
- Joined
- 03 Jan 13
- Moves
- 13080
Billions and billions of people have believed in Jesus throughout history and billions do so today.
Speaking for this person and many that I fellowship with - we believe because what He described as making Himself available to men has occurred.
I am glad John recorded these conversations.
"Judas, not Iscariot, said to Him, Lord, and what has happened that you are to manifest Yourself to us and not to the world? "(John 14:22)
It is a good and appropriate question. How in the world if Jesus goes away will He manifest Himself to His believers?
His answer:
"Jesus answered and said to him, If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make an abode with him." (John 14:23)
The triune God has a way to impart Himself as Father and Son by the Holy Spirit into a man to manifest God to him. We who have received Jesus go back and read this and exclaim - "Why we know what this is saying now."
So this resurrected God-man is available to be known intimately, personally, corporately, collectively, just as He taught.
This is good news.
It should not be thought of as bad news. It is good news.
@sonship saidAre you saying that, if you did claim ~ that I may have caused "hundreds" of RHP members to face being burned alive for eternity as a result of being exposed to my non-Christian perspectives ~ that it was a "failure" that you ought to confess to? Is that what you are sayin?
Anyway, generally speaking (though it has little to do with this thread) our lives and our words will effect the decisions of people even concerning eternal destinies. Knowing this it is good to often confess to God our failures so that we may be cleansed and justified according to His promise that He will forgive us.
- Joined
- 03 Jan 13
- Moves
- 13080
I went back to page 13 and didn't see something brought out of archive about
what FMF referred to.
I doubt it was before page 13. So I asked it to be bumped up.
If FMF doesn't want to then I don't care to spend more time looking.
Dive out of the blue brought up his favorite topic to argue with me about, saying
How long ago did you last try to lead someone (in real life) away from their destination of being burned alive for eternity?
I spot checked after this post to see some archived or past comment FMF says was related to this (I think).
Anyway, Just above here I made a general comment about our lives and words effecting the destinies of others. And I mentioned that it is good for me at least to realize this and "confess our sins" which may effect others before a forgiving and righteous God according to 1 John 1:9,10.
- Joined
- 03 Jan 13
- Moves
- 13080
Now this is really significant. So I do not mind writing it again:
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us."
The next chapter continues with something very significant for us who are conscious of our many failures.
"My little children, these things I write to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous;
And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for those of the whole world." (1 John 2:1,2)
This is good news.
Anyone think this is not good news?
- Joined
- 03 Jan 13
- Moves
- 13080
By the way. I hasten to add a little about conscience does not mean gross introspection.
Being overly introspective is harmful. It is not productive. But when we open the Bible and read (if our hearts are at all opened) we should receive some sense of where God want's us to agree with Him on some sin we may have done.
He wants us to agree and to confess. He wants us to not be introspective but to BELEIVE that Christ died for our sins and is willing to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.
Confession is really to agree with God.
God is righteous totally.
The righteousness of God is something He cannot and will not give up ... ever.
He wants us to agree with Him about our known sin.
As He enlightens the conscience through the help of His word, He wants us to confess accordingly. And then He says that our sins and iniquities He will by no means remember anymore.
It really really is not hard to understand if we realize:
1.) God is righteous perfectly by His nature. And He cannot and will not go against His eternal nature.
2.) He has made provision for our sins. He has made provision for our justification.
He commands that we take it.