[quote]Oleena wrote:
pat wrote:
Oleena wrote:
But in the end is still sounds like your just mad at God for being a big meany. It sometimes bothers me too, but sometimes I get a glimpse of the purpose and order of it all. It’s a tiny glimpse but I admit I need it to keep goingÃ?¢?Ã?¦
I’m more upset by the fact that you cannot hold God to the same standards he holds you to (see above post to Push).
Saying that god, as described in the Bible, is a big meany, is putting it lightly IMO. Irresponsible and selfish by regular human standards might be more accurate. Here’s why I think that:
In the old tesiment, numerous peoples and eventually the whole world save Noah and his family were destroyed and sent to burn in hell because they were not god’s chosen (I don’t capitalize god because I don’t believe it’s a more important word than the others). So basically, just in the time before Jesus arrived, more people were destroyed and went to hell than went to Heaven. It’s rehashed in 2 Peter chapter 2 verse 4-10 (which for those of you who aren’t familiar, is the new testiment under the new covenent:
“For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgement; if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on the unglodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly, and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of the lawless men… if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrigtheous for the day of judgement, while continuing their punishment. This is especially true for those that follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority.”
So basically, many, many more were created than ever got into the kingdom of Heaven. Since the point of getting into the Kingdom of Heaven is to serve god, what else can be concluded but that he created millions which he knew beforehand that he would destroy just so a few could praise him?
If your own child did this, you would be very upset with them for their lack of responsibility and obvious selfishness. Unfortunately, according to the bible, we are not allowed to hold God to the same standards that we hold men. That’s good for him because he would look horrible.[/quote]
You still stuck on the strict Biblical interpretation, that’s what is discouraging you. I don’t subscribe to it as a book of facts and history. It’s a book of truth, a philosophical book if you will. It uses various methods of getting it’s point across. You have to take into account the time in which some of there books were written, the people it was written for. I mean we’re talking 1800 B.C. and older here. These are ancient texts that have been translated many times. The same things occur in literature. The older the text the more gradious and elaborate the story. But the stories basically conveyed to messages to the Jews of the time. That God loves them and will do anything for them, but they too need to act right. That was the basic message of the old testament. The delivery being perhaps unsavory to us more civilized and educated folk, but back then, people were the opposite. Uncivilized and uneducated, so it worked for them then.
Just take a step back and relax for a minute. It is just not that doom and gloom. In my opinion all the measuring and begetting is far more agonizing than the wars and Armageddon. At least those stories are entertaining.
