Weird Time for Christians

[funhusker]

Bottom line for me.  Christianity is the same as Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc.  They are all man made religions that can be very valuable at creating a framework of morals to live by.  They can also make people say and do some crazy stuff.

 

I'm not denying that there isn't a higher meaning in life or something pulling the strings, but I have a very hard time believing any specific religious groups knows exactly what/who that is.  So it's frustrating when any people from any of the groups mentioned feel they should involve their beliefs in anyone else's life.

[Archy1221]

5 hours ago, funhusker said:

And god chose Hitler, Stalin, Putin,  Kim Jung Un and on and on…

 

God doesn’t appear to do very well in the HR dept.

God doesn’t choose any of those leaders.  The greatest gift he gives the people of the Earth is the free will to choose a path.   The people chose those leaders.  

[Guy Chamberlin]

3 hours ago, Crusader Husker said:

Christians are never supposed to follow things that morally go against what we are taught.  

 

If you are also beholden to follow all leaders and respect the political office, things are likely to get messy. 

[funhusker]

17 minutes ago, Archy1221 said:

God doesn’t choose any of those leaders.  The greatest gift he gives the people of the Earth is the free will to choose a path.   The people chose those leaders.  

I'd agree with that.  That's why I question when people say God chose Biden and others along with Trump.

 

I don't think God chose any of them either.

[Guy Chamberlin]

14 minutes ago, Archy1221 said:

God doesn’t choose any of those leaders.  The greatest gift he gives the people of the Earth is the free will to choose a path.   The people chose those leaders.  

 

I would be willing to sacrifice that "gift" and let God choose the folks who would actually make this an Earthly heaven.

 

At one time we could claim democracies allowed free will and majority rule as opposed governments that offered little to no choice. But it's pretty clear that consolidation of power is preventing free will all over the place. Somewhere at this very moment, a person has chosen a righteous path and someone else just shot them in the head. 

[funhusker]

3 minutes ago, Guy Chamberlin said:

 

I would be willing to sacrifice that "gift" and let God choose the folks who would actually make this an Earthly heaven.

 

At one time we could claim democracies allowed free will and majority rule as opposed governments that offered little to no choice. But it's pretty clear that consolidation of power is preventing free will all over the place. Somewhere at this very moment, a person has chosen a righteous path and someone else just shot them in the head. 

I know right.

 

Wasn't "free will" actually a punishment for eating the apple?  (or is free will why Eve ate the apple?  If so, God is a d!(k!) Along with free will, we got murder and cancer and war and famine and drought and....

 

What a gift!

[Lorewarn]

6 minutes ago, funhusker said:

Wasn't "free will" actually a punishment for eating the apple?  (or is free will why Eve ate the apple?  If so, God is a d!(k!) Along with free will, we got murder and cancer and war and famine and drought and....

 

 

The forbidden fruit story is best understood as a fable exploring the problem or the burden of consciousness and what to do about it. 

 

Before becoming conscious, there's no such thing as good/bad/right/wrong, and creatures only exist in harmony with the planet around them in the way they're meant to.

[funhusker]

1 minute ago, Lorewarn said:

 

 

The forbidden fruit story is best understood as a fable exploring the problem or the burden of consciousness and what to do about it. 

 

Before becoming conscious, there's no such thing as good/bad/right/wrong, and creatures only exist in harmony with the planet around them in the way they're meant to.

Pretty much the entirety of Genesis should be looked at through this lens.

[JJ Husker]

6 minutes ago, Guy Chamberlin said:

 

I would be willing to sacrifice that "gift" and let God choose the folks who would actually make this an Earthly heaven.

 

At one time we could claim democracies allowed free will and majority rule as opposed governments that offered little to no choice. But it's pretty clear that consolidation of power is preventing free will all over the place. Somewhere at this very moment, a person has chosen a righteous path and someone else just shot them in the head. 

Meh, there would be absolutely no purpose without free will. We all would just be pre-programmed robots. I get that what so many choose to do with that free will sucks and makes things miserable for a whole bunch of people but life would just be a perfect petri dish without it. It would prove nothing and serve no purpose.

 

Now I’d be okay if God stepped in  and prevented some (a lot) of the associated misery and hardship but I don’t pretend to understand how that could actually work. I have a hard enough time trying to understand how the way things are make any sense.

 

Not to get off on a tangent but the thing that is hardest to accept/understand is that we’re supposed to give credit/glory to God for all the good things that happen, treat those like answered prayers, but the bad things, well they’re the result of men and their free will. I’ve grown to call BS on that. He either is responsible for all the good and the bad or he isn’t. After considering all the s#!t that happens in this world, I’m leaning towards he isn’t involved in our day to day affairs at all.

[knapplc]

2 minutes ago, JJ Husker said:

Now I’d be okay if God stepped in  and prevented some (a lot) of the associated misery and hardship but I don’t pretend to understand how that could actually work

 

This, essentially, is heaven. It's what happens after the whole "free will" earthly experience is done, you've made your choice and your reward is eternity in paradise.

 

So, essentially, all this life is is a chance to eff up your chance at heaven. Where you could be right now, if god wanted. No chance to "free will" your way out of paradise, or into a fiery cauldron of hell.

 

Pretty weird way for a loving father to filter out his beloved children.

[Lorewarn]

37 minutes ago, knapplc said:

Pretty weird way for a loving father to filter out his beloved children.

 

 

And here you've successfully diagnosed where Christianity got Jesus wrong from the very beginning

[Guy Chamberlin]

2 hours ago, JJ Husker said:

Meh, there would be absolutely no purpose without free will. We all would just be pre-programmed robots. I get that what so many choose to do with that free will sucks and makes things miserable for a whole bunch of people but life would just be a perfect petri dish without it. It would prove nothing and serve no purpose.

 

I'm just saying I'm willing to give up free elections and let God choose leaders that He knows for a fact aren't a$$h@!es. 

 

No campaigns. No campaign financing. No campaign commercials. Just a bright white light and there he/she is: our new leader. 

[JJ Husker]

1 hour ago, Guy Chamberlin said:

 

I'm just saying I'm willing to give up free elections and let God choose leaders that He knows for a fact aren't a$$h@!es. 

 

No campaigns. No campaign financing. No campaign commercials. Just a bright white light and there he/she is: our new leader. 

I’m down with that for sure. Heck they could even still be slight a$$h@!es if we don’t have to suffer election cycles anymore. 

[Archy1221]

5 hours ago, funhusker said:

I'd agree with that.  That's why I question when people say God chose Biden and others along with Trump.

 

I don't think God chose any of them either.

Me neither 

[Archy1221]

5 hours ago, Guy Chamberlin said:

Somewhere at this very moment, a person has chosen a righteous path and someone else just shot them in the head. 

Yes, that does happen.   The person who chose the right path will have eternal glory.  The other person, well, not so much.