I could tell you that Jesus literally fulfilled hundreds of prophesies with his life, death, and resurrection. I could take the time to type all of the prophecies out but I seriously doubt it would do any good for people like yourselves who have already made up your mind. I could take the time to type out all the prophecies fulfilled with the rebirth of Israel and Jerusalem now being under the control of Israel but I seriously doubt you would listen. I could take the time to type out the few prophecies that will be fulfilled with the Rapture, the seven year tribulation, and the millennial kingdom that will be set up at the end of the tribulation, but I am quite sure you would dismiss them all since they have not happened yet. What I suggest is that if you are truly interested in knowing about Biblical prophecy that you purchase a few books. There are many authors who have written books that know so much more than me and can explain things better than I could ever dream of doing. If you truly want to know, please follow the link below to a list of books about Biblical prophecy and take the time read a few. Link to books on Biblical prophecy
I wouldn't expect you to take the time to do that. I was just hoping for a web link that enumerated some of the more convincing fulfilled prophecies. I'm interested, sure, but frankly not so interested that I'd purchase volumes on the subject and read them. I would of course be very skeptical of any prophecy. For it be at all convincing, I would expect the following: - It should be very specific in how it would be fulfilled, giving indication of time, place, and particular details of the predicted event. - Not already be in the minds of those who are to fulfill the prophecy. Otherwise it could easily be a "self-fulfilling prophecy". - The occurrence of the events that were prophecized should not, themselves, be in question. Can you point me to a few examples that at least fulfill the above criteria?
Just as much as you know I am not your god, is about how certain I am that your god is not mine either. Not sure how that makes me an extremist. In fact, I think that levels our playing field to be equivalent.
Some people obviously do not understand the significance of Jesus. Jesus died for our sins because NOBODY can live a life good enough to get into Heaven. Man has a sinful nature. Christians sin all the time. Any sin is enough to keep a person out of Heaven. The difference is that Christians are forgiven of their sins as long as they confess them because they believe in Jesus. Christians are supposed to try to live a completely virtuous life yet God knows this is impossible so he gave us Jesus. There are a lot of Christians who are very condescending. They are very eager to point out the sins of others while ignoring their own sins. All Christians are sinners too. The difference is that they are forgiven of their sins through their faith in Jesus. More Christians should take the time to explain salvation through faith in Jesus instead of just pointing out the sins of others.
I'll try to keep it simple so that even you can understand it: Because of all the bad things that are done in its name.
Does this mean that a Christian who commits murder/rape but has faith in God will be forgiven, while an atheist/agnostic who lives a virtuous life (by typical human standards, a few sins here and there are unavoidable) will not? The message this sends is that sin itself doesn't matter, because everyone is a sinner. What matters is allegience to Christian dogma. Not a very appealing outlook, in my opinion.
Yea, that's not very appealing to me. Join the club or go to hell. Love and compassion for all, whoever and whatever they are, is much more appealing. Like Jesus. Like his teaching. Not a fan of structured religion created in his name.
It's not that important. If you believe in Hell, continue to live a virtuous life. If one day you stop believing in hell, intent to live a virtuous life for that an event is just around the corner at any moment to catch you and lure you into a state of personal hell. But even so, no big deal, it's not eternal.
I really should just make this my sig, The existence of God(s) isn't a scientific question. I agree with what Treeman said is that this really is a personal matter that said I am troubled by the counter argument that science is a matter of faith. Believing that the sun will rise in the East tomorrow isn't a matter of faith but a matter of inductive reasoning. I have observed my whole life that the Sun rises in the East so it is a strong likelihood that it will do so again. Further understanding that the Earth is spherical and rotates also tells me that the Sun will rise in the East tomorrow when Earth's rotation brings that part of the Earth I am on facing the Sun.
AHA! So you admit that you are NOT certain. That was all I wanted to hear. The more certain you are in the absence of evidence, the less rational your position is. As for leveling the playing field, I am still going to say that the probability of the existence of a deity is quite a bit higher than the probability that you yourself are God. After all, there are anthropic principle serves as decent evidence for a deity's existence, while you... Well, I've never heard anything about a deity spending time on an anonymous message board trying to convince everyone that deities don't exist. Call that "less than convincing" evidence for the proposition of your holiness.
A person who commits rape or murder can absolutely be forgiven of their sins if they accept the sacrifice of Jesus. Would a Christian who commits these acts be forgiven? That is between them and God however I highly doubt anyone who is a true Christian would commit acts like that. Just because a person says they are a Christian does not make it so. When a person accepts Jesus, they receive the Holy Spirit. I just don't see how anyone has received the Holy Spirit could ever commit cold blooded murder or rape. I know I could never do such things but I have told a few lies(mostly white lies to keep from hurting someones feelings) but not all of them. Some were to keep me out of trouble with my wife or my parents when I was younger. I think you are missing the point. Everyone commits some kind of sin. It is just part of human nature. Being a Christian is not a license to sin. When you accept Jesus and receive the Holy Spirit it changes you. Although Christians sometimes commit sins, they are forgiven as long as they confess them to God through prayer. What matters is not allegiance to the "Christian dogma" but belief in Jesus Christ and the sacrifice he made for you, me, and anyone who is willing to accept him. BTW, an atheist, unless they have lived an entirely virtuous life and committed absolutely no sins(which is impossible for a human to do) can not get into heaven. Sorry, but belief in Jesus is the only way.
So you could murder me today sending me to hell for eternity. Then 10 years from now you can find the holy spirit and accept Jesus as your personal lord and savior, gaining access to heaven. Meanwhile, I am in eternal hell with no chance of redemption while my murderer lives it up in heaven. This just doesn't pass my smell test. That seems like a pretty crappy set of rules for an almighty and all-knowing god. If these were the rules for a board game or video game, it would be exploited to the the point of breaking the game.
If the idea is that all sin is equal before the eyes of God, and that one's sins will be forgiven by accepting Jesus, then frankly it does appear to me that being a Christian is a license to sin. My view is that we should prioritize being good in the life we are given and try to leave the world better off in death, and not worry about what happens to us when we die. If we commit sin, then make amends with and seek forgiveness from those we've wronged. That strikes me as far more respectable than the self-serving act of seeking forgiveness from an entity that decides whether you are rewarded or punished in the after-life.
Jesus Christ was a man who traveled through the land A hard-working man and brave He said to the rich, "Give your money to the poor," But they laid Jesus Christ in His grave Chorus: Jesus was a man, a carpenter by hand His followers true and brave One dirty little coward called Judas Iscariot Has laid Jesus Christ in His Grave Chorus He went to the preacher, He went to the sheriff He told them all the same "Sell all of your jewelry and give it to the poor," And they laid Jesus Christ in His grave. Chorus When Jesus come to town, all the working folks around Believed what he did say But the bankers and the preachers, they nailed Him on the cross, And they laid Jesus Christ in his grave. Chorus And the people held their breath when they heard about his death Everybody wondered why It was the big landlord and the soldiers that they hired To nail Jesus Christ in the sky Chorus This song was written in New York City Of rich man, preacher, and slave If Jesus was to preach what He preached in Galilee, They would lay poor Jesus in His grave.
