Do you guys all read the same book or something? It's almost like there is a scripted response to everything I post because I see it every time I have this conversation. Neither Heaven nor Hell are my motivators. Like I said a few posts back, there are things that work out in my mind to be far outside the realm of possibility of what you guys would attribute to sheer coincidence or luck if I actually took the time to tell the story. I'm not sure if that's what you believe or if that's the easy response. I am motivated by the fact that I know that God exists and I know the Bible is the rule book for what I am supposed to do while I'm here. I was raised to follow the rules, regardless of who made them or how inconvenient they are. There just happens to be a reward at the end of the tunnel if I do what I am told. I don't need to get a bonus at work to motivate me to do my job. I'm not sure why this is such a foreign concept.
I never said God wrote the bible. I also already acknowledged your point. But even still there is no evidence to discredit much of the bible.
It's the Word of God spoken through man. I'm sure all of the POTUS, past and present, have personally written all of their speeches as well. Who says He doesn't? Just because you can't hear Him doesn't mean He isn't speaking.
Emphasis on the spoken through men part. A diety that can't make his message understood? Surely you jest? I guess I forgot. "The Lord moves in mysterious ways" and "I don't understand how the Holy Spirit works" still seem to be the standard answers for difficult questions concerning God.
I missed the part where I questioned your understanding or I said there was anything mysterious about it. You have made it abundantly clear that you don't enjoy others putting words in your mouth so don't do it to me. It sounds to me like you want the freaking sky to open up and for a giant audible James Earl Jones voice to correct you every time you are about to do something wrong. Confirm/deny?
i am not choosing anything, god is. i am just a rational person who believes in reality. if it is true that god sent his only son here and that we need to believe in him to go to heaven, then i am screwed. i cant believe in that no matter how hard i try. Sorry, Bubba. In this game of life/death, we all make a choice. You can't say, "Oh, I don't want to play." If you say you don't want to choose, then you just made your choice. You did not accept Him. We have no choice in this competition between God and Satan as far as participating. You will serve one of the two. God wants us to all accept Him. Sure, He has the power to just command it to be so. But He wants us to make the decision on our own. Any earthly parent wants their child to love and honor them. But we can't make them do so. They have to choose to.
Ever think about giving Satan some of that credit you are passing around? Satan is the ruler of "this" universe. He is the "prince of darkness" the Evil One. God made him the most beautiful of all angels and placed him as second in power. Satan just had to try for number one so to speak. God cursed him and it has been that way ever since. Don't ever think that Satan is just dressed up in a red costume with a pitchfork. He is very powerful and does his best to battle God daily. Eventually, they will battle.
You conveniently edited this part out. I'm not backpeddling. You are only reading what you want to read in order to support your argument.
really? well he spoke to adam (perhaps) and abraham (in a way) and moses and job and solomon and ezekiel and muhammed and saul/paul and to the 12 apostles (as jesus) to several others after resurrection and sent angels to numerous. seems like those dudes were just lucky because i think its fair to say that many/most of them would not have been believers without those events. seems quite unfair then if eternal existance will be based on this. but i guess i get it. if he had to beat every human over the head to get them to believe then what sort of praise would he really be getting.
