If its not true then I have lived my life the best I can by a book who teaches to do good to all. I do not hate anyone nor do I feel I am judgmental myself( although I have been at times in my life). I would have done the best I could. Anyone that knows me personally knows that I help everyone I can and do my very best to treat everyone with respect. I sometimes take criticism because I help people who have never helped me, but anyone will help someone who helps them. Few help those who will not or never help them. Took me several years to get where I am today and some hard lessons. Ive been on both sides of the fence.

 

Except homosexuals. They deserve to be treated as unequals apparently. :idunno:

I am not saying that only homosexuality is a problem according to the Bible. I was just using that cause its been a lightning rod lately given all the talk. And if you want to start a thread about "what if its not true" then start it and it can be debated there, but this is not that thread. This is to question what if its 100% accurate? Where will we stand? Who has actually read it all? Do we care if its right or wrong or will we just take what someone has told us about what it said? The Bible like Jumper Dad said above is very clear that if we get to heaven there are a few things that must happen. And if the Bible is true and there is a Heaven, then the flip side is there is a Hell.

 

If the Bible is 100% the key to getting into heaven, it's going to be a tough road for everyone. First, it's a long book, that covers a ton a ground. With so many "rules" it's naturally going to be tough for everyone to follow all of them. Second, much of it is subject to interpretation, and I'm guessing there will be many cases where we tried, but just got it wrong.

Except homosexuals. They deserve to be treated as unequals apparently. :idunno:

 

If I do not agree with someone's lifestyle does not mean that I personally think they are unequal. This crap above is what gets me ticked off. I cant disagree with something without someone saying I am a bad person. Is there anything that you don't like in the world? Does that make you a bad person or a bigot? Seems you think it does to me so I am going to assume you are "politically correct to the utmost degree and agree with everything".

If the Bible is 100% the key to getting into heaven, it's going to be a tough road for everyone. First, it's a long book, that covers a ton a ground. With so many "rules" it's naturally going to be tough for everyone to follow all of them. Second, much of it is subject to interpretation, and I'm guessing there will be many cases where we tried, but just got it wrong.

 

They key is Jesus.

If I do not agree with someone's lifestyle does not mean that I personally think they are unequal. This crap above is what gets me ticked off. I cant disagree with something without someone saying I am a bad person. Is there anything that you don't like in the world? Does that make you a bad person or a bigot? Seems you think it does to me so I am going to assume you are "politically correct to the utmost degree and agree with everything".

 

My post was in reference to the Bible being a book that "teaches to do good to all", not about you, but whatever dude.

Christians that are at war with the homosexuality sin should focus more on the war of the gluttony sin!

 

For some reason I never see any Christians protesting restaurants with buffets.

In my 30+ years working in the restaurant business,I have witnessed a much greater percentage of Christians taking part in gluttony than two human beings of the same sex participating in a same sex relationship...

 

Matthew 7:3

 

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Paschal's Wager. First thing I thought of after reading the first sentence.

Paschal's Wager. First thing I thought of after reading the first sentence.

 

It's a bit more complicated than that. One thing that Pascal's wager doesn't consider is which God. The assumption in the wager is that there is only one God and it is based on the Christian viewpoint, of which there are many different flavors. Therefore there is a high probability that even if we do believe in a God,since there is a huge benefit versus a potentially huge loss if we don't believe) there is also a high likelihood that we choose either the wrong God or possibly the wrong methodology (Catholic vs Methodist vs Baptist, etc)

If its not true then I have lived my life the best I can by a book who teaches to do good to all. I do not hate anyone nor do I feel I am judgmental myself( although I have been at times in my life). I would have done the best I could. Anyone that knows me personally knows that I help everyone I can and do my very best to treat everyone with respect. I sometimes take criticism because I help people who have never helped me, but anyone will help someone who helps them. Few help those who will not or never help them. Took me several years to get where I am today and some hard lessons. Ive been on both sides of the fence.

 

This seems to be a fair enough answer, and my apologies for singling out one sentence of your response as it might seem petty, however that 100% true Bible has its fair share of passages that would be very hard to consider as conveying a teaching "to do good to all".

 

In the time that it was written with humans with very different mentalities regarding proper reactions and protocols to various behaviors, some of its teaching now in retrospect can seem downright harsh and violent.

 

With that we could either conclude that we as humanity have evolved somewhat to not buy so literally now some of the more extreme ideals, or we could say that we have sorely lost our proper sense of values, and should revert back to following some of those more harsher extreme concepts.

 

As an extreme example, it's people like the Westboro Baptist Church that aims to emphasize those more harsher passages of the Bible and base their whole foundation on it, all the while dousing it with an extra flavor of illogical reasoning to go along with it to ultimately convey a message that lacks any comprehendible sense.

 

On the other hand most more accepted respectable churches, although still claiming the Bible to be 100% truth, will ignore the more extreme harsher passages for fear of scaring away their patrons as it could undoubtedly spawn puzzling questions of its interpretation that could easily be viewed as contradictory inconsistencies.

 

I've no doubt that you're a good person, nor would I ever try to insinuate that you're not, but why is it that many of those who have full faith in the infallibility of the writings of the Bible tend to overlook some of these more harsher passages, all the while teaching that the book in its entirety is solidly the truth?

Im am no fan of Westboro Church and the way they butcher the Word. Like I said, I promise you I have been as the Apostle Paul would describe the "chiefest of sinners" and always bragged that when I lived for Satan I gave it 100%. What happened to me I cannot even describe other than God drew me to him and my sinful nature fought him very hard to even listen to what he was trying to do with me and in my life. I went to church and then would say the people here are hypocrites and are worse off than me all the time I was feeling in my heart I needed a big change. Could not describe the feeling in my heart then nor can I now for how I was feeling. Through a series of events that happened in my life that I wont go into here, I accepted Jesus and started reading the Bible. I prayed daily and asked God to give me understanding of what he would have me to learn and how to become a better person. While I fail him daily I am convicted in my heart when I fail( yes none are perfect, only one, Jesus himself) that I repent of that and do my very best to try not to do anything that would offend God or anyone.( my temper gets me in trouble alot lol) I certainly did not mean to offend you or anyone here. My motives are not tainted with this thread to get anyone to do anything other than think some ( call it Paschal's Wager or whatever) because there are things that I do not agree with based off the Biblical principals that I try my best to live by. Just because I dont agree with you on something does not make me a bigot or hypocrite or does not make me think any less of you as a person. We are all created equal. I have friends and players that play for me that are Gay. I treat them no different than straight people, matter of fact I have been told I treat them better because I dont want them to think because I am a Christian that I look down on them or think they are less than me. Most know what I think but also know that I understand God commanded me to love everyone, saint and sinner alike. He will take care of the rest.

It's very hard for me to believe that we are basically just animals and once we die, we die. We have to have a greater purpose than that, right?

It's a bit more complicated than that. One thing that Pascal's wager doesn't consider is which God. The assumption in the wager is that there is only one God and it is based on the Christian viewpoint, of which there are many different flavors. Therefore there is a high probability that even if we do believe in a God,since there is a huge benefit versus a potentially huge loss if we don't believe) there is also a high likelihood that we choose either the wrong God or possibly the wrong methodology (Catholic vs Methodist vs Baptist, etc)

 

All people [flavors] can go to heaven. Catholics, Methodists, Baptists, Muslims and Atheists are all in heaven.

All people [flavors] can go to heaven. Catholics, Methodists, Baptists, Muslims and Atheists are all in heaven.

 

I agree, but that's not what the Bible says.

Christians that are at war with the homosexuality sin should focus more on the war of the gluttony sin!

 

For some reason I never see any Christians protesting restaurants with buffets.

In my 30+ years working in the restaurant business,I have witnessed a much greater percentage of Christians taking part in gluttony than two human beings of the same sex participating in a same sex relationship...

 

Matthew 7:3

 

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

 

Why is it that this is an often quoted scripture when there are those trying to say one shouldn't judge? Why not post the entirety of Matthew Chapter 7? Could it be it contains other scripture that may not fit this agenda? I would suggest reading Matthew Chapter 7 in it's entirety.

 

Another scripture about judging:

 

John 7:24New International Version (NIV)

 

24 Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”

Why is it that this is an often quoted scripture when there are those trying to say one shouldn't judge? Why not post the entirety of Matthew Chapter 7? Could it be it contains other scripture that may not fit this agenda? I would suggest reading Matthew Chapter 7 in it's entirety.

 

Another scripture about judging:

 

John 7:24New International Version (NIV)

 

24 Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”

 

Ok...Right before I read Mathew chapter 7 in it's entirety I prayed and asked God to reveal to me an answer to your reply. I've read over this chapter several times and I keep getting the same answer in the form of a question. What do these words have anything to do with one sin is greater than another sin?

 

I also prayed and read John chapter 7 and God revealed to me,We must not judge concerning any by their outward appearance, but by their worth, and by the gifts and graces of God's Spirit in them.

 

One thing I can give the non believer credit for is they can see right through the bull on how some Christians pass judgement on others.

Sad thing is.so many Christians today do a better job of turning people away from the church than turning them on to Jesus...