God

[120 Acres]

So what about the dinosaurs? When can we discuss them? Or can we?

I have a very good friend that will not discuss this with me for he has been taught that scientists have made up dinosaurs to make everyone think that there is no god. All the fossils that have been found have been man made and planted in the ground. He will not talk with me about this at all.

 

[firefighterguy]

I knew you would have an issue with the example of fighting with your parents, but I was fairly confident you hadn't murdered or raped anyone. The principle is the same. You're saying there shouldn't be second chances.

And forgiveness is more than just saying "sorry". In Catholicism, it's a formal process of confession and penance. Confession is your admission what you did was wrong, but a penance must still be done. Either you do penance on Earth, or you do Penance in Purgatory before entering Heaven. Even venial sins - jealousy, anger, etc need to be atoned for.

Not every sin automatically condemns you to Hell. Catholics refer to those sins as mortal sins (they essentially condemn you to eternal "death"). Venial sins won't condemn you to hell (swearing, impatience, minor lies, etc), but still require penance as they are an offense against God. The difference between mortal sins and venial sins is sometimes a very thin line and usually has to do with the context. A lie about taking a cookie from the cookie jar would be venial, but a lie that resulted in someone's death would likely be considered mortal.

That's one of the biggest issues with the Catholic Church. They define sins and who gets forgiven and who doesn't. For example, they recently changed their stance on the forgiveness for abortion. It's now forgivable. Im sorry but Jesus did not die for some sins. He died for all. The stuff about some lies being forgiven and others aren't isn't biblical. Neither is the venial sins thing. All repented sins will be forgiven. God chooses that not a church. I was born and raised catholic. One of the major reasons I left the church was their cult-like control. They tell you that you can't interpret the bible and that to basically believe what they say and don't question it.

It's slightly off topic but I don't believe arguing for Gods existence should be done with non biblical principles.


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[MaddSkillz]

So what about the dinosaurs? When can we discuss them? Or can we?

I have a very good friend that will not discuss this with me for he has been taught that scientists have made up dinosaurs to make everyone think that there is no god. All the fossils that have been found have been man made and planted in the ground. He will not talk with me about this at all.

Religion makes a lot of people avoid reality or make irrational excuses.

Ask him what stars are and then ask him how they could fall to earth as described in Revelation 6:13.

 

[JD8]

So what about the dinosaurs? When can we discuss them? Or can we?

I have a very good friend that will not discuss this with me for he has been taught that scientists have made up dinosaurs to make everyone think that there is no god. All the fossils that have been found have been man made and planted in the ground. He will not talk with me about this at all.

Yep, I've had individuals that will openly admit that viruses and bacteria mutate but won't acknowledge evolutionary biology. Not understanding the basis is fundamentally the same.

 

[Eagle Eye]

Yep, I've had individuals that will openly admit that viruses and bacteria mutate but won't acknowledge evolutionary biology. Not understanding the basis is fundamentally the same.

On the bright side.....in Alabama http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/09/10/438566266/alabamas-science-standards-get-a-makeover

 

[Dale00]

It occurs to me that one of the problems in this discussion is that our frame of reference is the "Bible Belt" and Christianity as it is practiced or mis-practiced here.

There are some serious systemic problems with Christianity "here". It is a culture more than a religion for many people and many churches. My son graduated from High School not long ago and he tells me that the most obnoxious people, the popular crowd, were the pray-at-the-flag-pole Christians. Sad. It seems that typically people are expected to be Christians and have not chosen to be one. It is the easy way to go. As a result people and churches have done some serious drifting away from the core beliefs of Christianity.

Fire and brimstone preaching is a bad memory for me that no longer seems to be around, fortunately. But we have plenty of "churchiness" - people talking nice and dressing nice to show off. People who are always friendly but never a friend unless you look like them, talk like them and think like them. Sad.

Our frame of reference for evaluating Christianity is poor. Christians in other parts of the world who are a persecuted minority are probably a better place to look.

 

[Dale00]

Evolution is a whole other series of threads.
I have no problem with it. I see it as a method used by God. To Him there are no random processes.

 

[SoonerATC]

That's one of the biggest issues with the Catholic Church. They define sins and who gets forgiven and who doesn't. For example, they recently changed their stance on the forgiveness for abortion. It's now forgivable. Im sorry but Jesus did not die for some sins. He died for all. The stuff about some lies being forgiven and others aren't isn't biblical. Neither is the venial sins thing. All repented sins will be forgiven. God chooses that not a church. I was born and raised catholic. One of the major reasons I left the church was their cult-like control. They tell you that you can't interpret the bible and that to basically believe what they say and don't question it.

It's slightly off topic but I don't believe arguing for Gods existence should be done with non biblical principles.

The Church doesn't define who gets forgiven and who doesn't, or that some sins are forgivable and others weren't. All people can be forgiven for all sins - if you truly are repentant for them. You're not reading what I actually wrote obviously. I said there were varying seriousness of sins so to speak. All sins are offensive to God, but some are more serious than others and have different punishments. If you die with a mortal sin on your soul, you go to Hell. If you confess that mortal sin before you die (true confession...not a "rinse, wash, repeat" confession The German was talking about), you will have it washed clean and you can enter Heaven. You still need to do penance for that sin though, in this life or in the next (Purgatory), before entering Heaven. If you commit a venial sin, you aren't condemned to Hell, but you still have to do penance in this life or in the next.

Where does the Bible say that the Bible is the only source of theological knowledge? Prove to me "solo scriptura" using Scripture alone.

And for the tenth time...I don't believe the "church" at the Vatican is the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church taught "A" for 1900 years, and the "Novus Ordo" church teaches "B". Same as Methodists teaching "X" and Baptists teaching "Y".

Finally, tell me what makes you more qualified to interpret the Bible than a Bishop or Cardinal with decades of theological experience and knowledge?

 

[JD8]

To Him there are no random processes.

Looking at cancer and a ton of other horrible diseases..... your "god" is a cruel one.

 

[MaddSkillz]

It occurs to me that one of the problems in this discussion is that our frame of reference is the "Bible Belt" and Christianity as it is practiced or mis-practiced here.

There are some serious systemic problems with Christianity "here". It is a culture more than a religion for many people and many churches. My son graduated from High School not long ago and he tells me that the most obnoxious people, the popular crowd, were the pray-at-the-flag-pole Christians. Sad. It seems that typically people are expected to be Christians and have not chosen to be one. It is the easy way to go. As a result people and churches have done some serious drifting away from the core beliefs of Christianity.

Fire and brimstone preaching is a bad memory for me that no longer seems to be around, fortunately. But we have plenty of "churchiness" - people talking nice and dressing nice to show off. People who are always friendly but never a friend unless you look like them, talk like them and think like them. Sad.

Our frame of reference for evaluating Christianity is poor. Christians in other parts of the world who are a persecuted minority are probably a better place to look.

The problem with this is that in general, the friendliest people I've met are not affiliated with any religion. There are good and bad people everywhere in every religion and out. That's a problem for religion. They don't monopolize good behavior.