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Re: Does God exist?
#21777
08/09/07 08:46 PM
08/09/07 08:46 PM
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There's obviously no lifeguard guarding your genetic pool ,so-sick.Woodstock and the 60s were way before my time . I never met a Berkeley student who was from Berkeley so it's irrelevent . Any drug use was probably done by the townies . People were so studious you could hear a pin drop in my freshman dorm.There are more people with advanced degrees that got their undergrad degree from Berzerkeley than any other university.Ofcourse quantity and quality are two different things ,but not inthis case.
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Re: Denial
#21778
08/09/07 08:47 PM
08/09/07 08:47 PM
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My parents hang out at the country club, not the commune.
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Re: Does God exist?
#21779
08/09/07 08:53 PM
08/09/07 08:53 PM
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Whereas the pharmacuetical companies have a vested interest in down playing the side effects of their drugs and exagerating their benefits, the science upon which evolution is based is not the result of financial motives. The good news is that we now ask questions about dental materials and drug side effects rather than trusting doctors and dentists.
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Re: Evoution Myth
#21780
08/09/07 09:09 PM
08/09/07 09:09 PM
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Kriminal, I can't believe in Christianity simply becuse I might be happyif I did any more than I can believe I'm the queen of Spain even if it would make me happy.
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Re: Does God exist?
#21781
08/09/07 09:26 PM
08/09/07 09:26 PM
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I'm arrogant according to someone who claims her financial situation is because likes her more than poorer people. you did'nt accuse me of flunking 5th grade, I would'nt honk my horn about my education.
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Re: Does God exist?
#21782
08/10/07 12:02 AM
08/10/07 12:02 AM
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Yeah, I wouldn't honk it if I were you either.
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Re: Does God exist?
#21783
08/10/07 01:55 AM
08/10/07 01:55 AM
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What's more important though is not going around insisting that you are smarter than everyone else. Aside from that being an ideal way to get your butt kicked, it's the first and foremost sign of an ignorant person. Ignorant people always assume everyone else is ignorant. They don't know any better.
Some of the smartest and most talented people on this planet make huge achievements even before they go to college or without ever going to college. Going to college is not a sign of intelligence. Intelligence is something you are simply born with and then, it is nurtured.
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Re: Does God exist?
#21784
08/10/07 02:16 AM
08/10/07 02:16 AM
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SoSick you are fond of calling people ignorant here. This thread is starting to feel rather unpleasant and argumentative. We are all ignorant in some ways because none of us knnows everything, not if we have 20 letters of qualifications after our names, not if we consider ourselves to be the most devout people on earth. Discussing ideas is fun and interesting, but trading insults is just a real downer.
Linda.
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Re: Does God exist?
#21785
08/10/07 07:24 AM
08/10/07 07:24 AM
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OK, I just had to go and look for myself and see what creationists say about the big bang and plate tectonics. The plate tectonics one is great, I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. Thanks guys for making me go find this out myself. I can maybe see now why no one actually wanted to try to write about it here, how could you do it with any kind of seriousness? Here's an extract from a site I found. I quite liked it. The URL is http://skepdic.com/creation.htmlScientific creationists are not impressed that they are in the minority. After all, they note, the entire scientific community has been wrong before. That is true. For example, at one time the geologists were all wrong about the origin of continents. They thought the earth was a solid object. Now they believe that the earth consists of plates. The theory of plate tectonics has replaced the old theory, which is now known to be false. However, when the entire scientific community has been proved to be wrong in the past it has been proved to be wrong by other scientists, not pseudoscientists. They have been proved wrong by others doing empirical investigation, not by others who begin with faith in a religious dogma and who see no need to do any empirical investigation to prove their theory. Erroneous scientific theories have been replaced by better theories, i.e., theories which explain more empirical phenomena and which increase our understanding of the natural world. Plate tectonics not only explained how continents can move, it also opened the door for a greater understanding of how mountain ranges form, how earthquakes are produced, how volcanoes are related to earthquakes, etc. Creationism is not a scientific alternative to natural selection any more than the stork theory is an alternative to sexual reproduction (Hayes 1996). The theory has not led and is unlikely ever to lead to a serious understanding of biological phenomena in the natural world. Darwin & Gish Darwin’s theory of how evolution happened is called natural selection. That theory is quite distinct from the fact of evolution. Other scientists have different theories of evolution, but only a negligible few deny the fact of evolution. In the Origin of Species Darwin provided vast amounts of data about the natural world that he and others had collected or observed. Only after providing the data did he demonstrate how his theory accounted for the data much better than the theory of special creation. Gish, on the other hand, assumes that whatever data there is must be explained by special creation, because, he thinks, God said so in the Bible. Furthermore, Gish claims that it is impossible for us to understand special creation, since the Creator “used processes which are not now operating anywhere in the natural universe.” Thus, Gish, rather than gather data and demonstrate how special creation explains the data better than natural selection, must take another approach, the approach of apologetics. His approach, and that of many other creation scientists, is to attack at every opportunity what they take to be the theory of evolution. Rather than show the strengths of their own theory, they rely on trying to find and expose weaknesses in evolutionary theory. Gish and the other creation scientists actually have no interest in scientific facts or theories. Their interest is in defending the faith against what they see as attacks on God’s Word. For example, creation scientists, mistaking the uncertain in science for the unscientific, see the debate among evolutionists regarding how best to explain evolution as a sign of weakness. Scientists, on the other hand, see uncertainty as an inevitable element of scientific knowledge. They regard debates on fundamental theoretical issues as healthy and stimulating. Science, says evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould, is “most fun when it plays with interesting ideas, examines their implications, and recognizes that old information may be explained in surprisingly new ways.” Thus, through all the debate over evolutionary mechanisms biologists have not been led to doubt that evolution has occurred. “We are debating how it happened,” says Gould (1983, 256).
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Re: Does God exist?
#21786
08/10/07 11:15 AM
08/10/07 11:15 AM
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SoSick you are fond of calling people ignorant here. This thread is starting to feel rather unpleasant and argumentative. We are all ignorant in some ways because none of us knnows everything, not if we have 20 letters of qualifications after our names, not if we consider ourselves to be the most devout people on earth. Discussing ideas is fun and interesting, but trading insults is just a real downer.
Linda. You'll notice linda, that I have never called anyone ignorant until they called me ignorant first. Sorry LInda, but i'm not ignorant and if you or jill want to consistently use that route to slander my opinion or my faith, I will simply smear your face on the wall with your own ignorance. You came here originally throwing rocks at quite a few people until you understood their situations better. Jill consistently throws rocks indiscriminately. take a better look at yourself please. There isn't any info on plate tetonics asiide form a slight mention of what scientists currently believe on that page so I missed the joke. Your understanding of the bible is obviously not very good to begin with which lends quite a bit to the things you lable as riduculous.. as a simple for instance... a day in God's time is not 24 hours like it is in London. the biggest problem is that you think you know the bible, maybe you read some of it, maybe you even read the whole thing. But when you present your ideas concerning it, it's pretty clear your comprehension of what you are discussing , is insufficient. Just like Jill's lack of comprehension when she tries to say that evolution is science and then tosses out a defintion of theory that includes words like empircal, falsifiable, even data... all of which are things that the theory of evolution lacks rather than contains. She is agreeing with me and doesn't even realize it, so she continues arguing. Personally linda, I do think that is a pretty clear indication of ignorance. It really isn't possible to have an intelligent discussion with anyone about anything of one f the people do not understand the words they are using or the ideas they are proposing. What exactly is your point? we all know by now that you think creationism and the idea of intelligent design is funny. OK. But that's just your perspective, which, from another perspective, is not well informed and therefore not worthy of serious discussion. Only this morning did you take the time to examine creationism a little as you tell us above yet you have been acting as though you have been researching it for years,,, which is the problem Linda. it's easy to see that you have not, and you have finally just now admitted the truth, you should have done it days ago because your own ideas are pretty funny too if can say so myself... I cannot say I personally agree with everything on the page you linked here, but that's my perogative. However, it's a pretty well informed opinion. For instance, here is an instance of a Smithsonian Institution sciientist being dragged through the mud for his anti-evolution beliefs: Smithsonian Scientist Was Demoted for Views Critical of Darwinian Evolution http://www.evolutionnews.org/2006/12/the_house_government_reform_su.htmlWhat you apparently don't realize Linda, is that since the current status quo is evolution, if you want a good job, you have to maintain the status quo, at least in public. But I know oh a few people here and there Linda, and i can assure you, that in private, people high and low will tell you most sincerely, if they trust you, that they do believe otherwise quite often. I have anywhere between 2500 and 3000 christian clients Linda, a good portion of whom work in govt jobs. DNA itself was first recognized not using ideas of evolutionary theory... which truly are useless to science, they lead nowhere almost every time... but rather using intelligent design as a foundation. The discovery and mapping of the genetic code is probably the biggest addition to biological research in the past century or even more. Yet, it is far from agreement with evolution. Now at least, you know that and you can research it further yourself.
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Re: Does God exist?
#21787
08/10/07 11:48 AM
08/10/07 11:48 AM
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You keep using the word "research." This stuff just isn't scientific. Scientific ideas come from hypotheses that seem to best fit the available facts. The best scientists do not set out with an agenda; they look at the facts and analyse as best they can. As time goes on, other scientists usually add to the body of knowledge and improve or change the hypothesis. Creationism works from the opposite direction. You want to believe the Bible word for word so you set out to attempt to prove that everything it says is true. No one can logically defend this as being scientific, no matter how you try to dress it up. That's one thing the article said. That isn't the only article I read, I came across another that said creationists now believe that the continents were created as one land mass that quickly and suddenly blew apart. There's all manner of things wrong with that idea, it's impossible according to the laws of physics for a start.
I also read about this claim that a day in the life of God isn't the same as a day in the life of mortals. Again, this is totally unscientific and cannot be proved one way or another, it's pure religion. Someone tried to tie Einstein's relativity into it, talking about time dilation and so forth. The only way this person's ideas would work is if God were zooming around at close to light speed while he was creating everything (which itself was not moving), then slowed down as soon as he made Adam. Uh, yeah . . .
I've spent more time looking into this than most everyone else who takes evolution as fact. Most of the world sees it as lunacy. There were news reports here of that creationist museum opening in Tennessee and they were pretty tongue-in-cheek, it's just hard not to laugh at the lengths these people go to, to live their own special version of reality.
I have no doubt that some very religious scientists eventually became uncomfortable with not being able to reconcile fundamentalist beliefs with their science, and chose to throw the science out the window. I did ask here if anyone could point to a non-religious creationist but they couldn't, they don't exist.
BTW if you really do believe a divine being created everything, why does it have to be the Christian god? Do you also believe that all other world religions have got it wrong and everyone who isn't a Christian creationist is going to hell?
You're also repeating the idea that anyone who objects to part of the Bible, or certain interpretations of it, is ignorant. This is spurious logic because you are effectively claiming to dismiss all opposition as being uninitiated in this special knowledge you claim to have -- knowledge which should prove beyond a doubt that this stuff is literally, word-for-word fact. Give me some of that knowledge then, prove it. Or is it still a waste of your time to condescend to such a request?
Linda.
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Re: Does God exist?
#21788
08/10/07 12:36 PM
08/10/07 12:36 PM
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You keep using the word "research." This stuff just isn't scientific. Scientific ideas come from hypotheses that seem to best fit the available facts. well, Linda... in my above post, I only used the word research twice... once here --> 'yet you have been acting as though you have been researching it for years...' and the second time here --> 'The discovery and mapping of the genetic code is probably the biggest addition to biological research in the past century...' ..so hey Linda, I am done with this truly. Because either you cannot read, much less comprehend no matter how hard you try. The fact that you do not consider the massive amount of research that has gone into genome mapping in the past decade or two scientifically significant tells me everything I need to know about the validity of your opinion.
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Re: Does God exist?
#21789
08/10/07 01:16 PM
08/10/07 01:16 PM
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I'm sorry? Can you explain about the genome mapping? I don't have knowledge of every single branch of science. I do know that people's distant ancestors have been traced using mitochondrial DNA. I am not aware of any controversies.
Are you going to address any of the points I made above, or just quibble about my use of the word "research" and dismiss everything I say as ignorance that doesn't deserve a proper response? That's a handy way out of any discussions, just tell the other person they are an idiot and that they only disagree because they cannot comprehend. I have my faults but no one who knows me would call me an idiot. If all you can do is claim to have some secret arcane knowledge that comes through a study of the Bible, knowledge that others like myself who have read it a number of times have inexplicably missed, then I'm disappointed. "I know God and you don't" is neither scientific nor logical and it's not a satisfactory explanation for anything.
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Re: Does God exist?
#21790
08/10/07 02:08 PM
08/10/07 02:08 PM
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Not to ask anyone to take their eyes off the other things I was talking about here, but I presume the genome-mapping comment was about scientists mapping the genomes of animals and humans. I was aware this was going on, too, but as I never had any interest in creationism I never looked at it from that angle. Presumably they are trying to use this as "proof" of some kind that these genomes are too complex to have evolved on their own.
I don't mind talking about these specific topics. What I find frustrating is when people refuse to engage with me and just brush off what I say. Anyone can do that without actually having to present their side of a discussion/debate.
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Re: Does God exist?
#21791
08/11/07 03:32 AM
08/11/07 03:32 AM
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Master Member
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Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 323
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So far the only one being outright offensive here (and by offensive I mean name calling) is SoSick. Only this morning did you take the time to examine creationism a little as you tell us above yet you have been acting as though you have been researching it for years,,, which is the problem Linda. That's the problem - it's impossible to have spent years and years (let alone earn any sort of qualified educational diploma) reseaching creation: it simply hasn't been around that long! Furthermore, what information on the subject does exist isn't enough to spend years researching - it can actually be done in a day. A summary read of this entire thread shows posters like Linda and Jill and many of the others as truly trying to put forth an idea or a an argument. They're giving the other side of the argument plausible ideas for them to dissect and try to prove or disprove. I like to adopt a bird's eye view and look at the whole situation, but SoSick, could you maybe try to retaliate to some of Linda's (and other's) points made in a previous post which, so far, have gone unrefuted? There's some very good statements made here and no one's disproved her. In future posts, let's try not to focus on name calling or responding emotionally and instead focus on the task at hand. There's some really interesting segments of this grand debate which could be tossed back and forth, and I'd like to see it happen. I'm not the board moderator/administrator, so it's not my place to dictate things. Instead, I'll ask. Kindly. Can we please stop the name calling and rudeness from this point onward? Thanks.
"I'll see what Russ makes of this."
-CTD
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Re: Does God exist?
#21792
08/11/07 03:45 AM
08/11/07 03:45 AM
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Master Member
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Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 323
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To the Christians of this forum (and anyone else who may be a follower of a monotheistic religion - the kind which usually dictates their faith as the one "true" faith), I'd really like some polite feedback on the following.
Do you believe that anyone who is not a Christian (including people in remote corners of the world who couldn't possibly even know what Christianity is) will be subject to eternal damnation when they die?
If the answer is no, then why should it matter if anyone be a Christian or not? You may say because it's about finding God and having a relationship with Him, which I respect - but what about those of us who have found our own Gods and have enjoyable relationships with Them? Why would you want to stop someone if they've already found what they're looking for? Or if you don't want to "stop them", why do you believe they'd be subject to eternal sadistic inhumane torture for following something which they find appealing, versus following some other religion which they might not find appealing?
I think the best attitude for a Christian - and indeed any other religion - to have is: live and let live.
I would greatly appreciate polite and constructive feedback. Thanks!
"I'll see what Russ makes of this."
-CTD
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Re: Does God exist?
#21793
08/11/07 02:59 PM
08/11/07 02:59 PM
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Speaking of poisoning people with prescription drugs , many people, including the seventeen year old sister of famous model Nicki Taylor, have died suddenly from side effects of asthma drugs.
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Re: Does God exist?
#21794
08/11/07 03:13 PM
08/11/07 03:13 PM
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Pwcca, What about the people alive before the bible was written ? Will they go to hell ? If there is a god, is he so arrogant that he likes to be worshipped and will send good people to hell for not worsipping him and send murderers to heaven if they worship him?
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Re: Does God exist?
#21795
08/11/07 03:31 PM
08/11/07 03:31 PM
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Why do you believe in the existence of DNA so-sick since you are so skeptical about science in general?Did you ever take a university genetics or biology class? Geneticists , biologists, astrophsicists etc believe that evolution is a science, not a religion. DNA is relevant to the science of evolution . Mutations in DNA are one aspect of evolution and a single mutation at one base pair can have drastic effects.One example is scientists' use of DNA to determine how many years seperate organisms from a common ancestor. The discovery of DNA had nothing to do with intelligent design . I knew a genetics professor who worked with Watson etc.
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Re: Does God exist?
#21796
08/11/07 03:35 PM
08/11/07 03:35 PM
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When you say that intelligence is something you're born with , are you suggesting it's genetic ? Even if one is innately intelligent, one cannot understand evolution without a strong scientific background.
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Re: Does God exist?
#21797
08/11/07 11:39 PM
08/11/07 11:39 PM
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<img src="http://herballure.com/ForumExtras/Images/ibfzoznetp.jpg">
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Re: Does God exist?
#21798
08/12/07 01:31 AM
08/12/07 01:31 AM
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"According to traditional Judaism, G-d gave Noah and his family seven commandments to observe when he saved them from the flood. These commandments, referred to as the Noahic or Noahide commandments, are inferred from Genesis Ch. 9, and are as follows: 1) to establish courts of justice; 2) not to commit blasphemy; 3) not to commit idolatry; 4) not to commit incest and adultery; 5) not to commit bloodshed; 6) not to commit robbery; and 7) not to eat flesh cut from a living animal. These commandments are fairly simple and straightforward, and most of them are recognized by most of the world as sound moral principles. Any non-Jew who follows these laws has a place in the world to come. " http://www.jewfaq.org/gentiles.htm#Noah
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Re: Does God exist?
#21799
08/12/07 02:43 AM
08/12/07 02:43 AM
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As a non-Jew, I've just got a problem with two of these. Firstly, presumably "idolatry" is worshipping a god other than Yaweh. Rules out quite a lot of people in the world. Secondly, the human race evolved by eating some meat as well as fruit, veg, etc. Fish, pre-modern-pollution, was one of the healthiest foods to eat. Vegetarianism might be an ideal of purity to some but it isn't the healthiest option for most.
Still I suppose this is rather more tolerant than some other creeds.
Linda.
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Re: Does God exist?
#21800
08/12/07 04:01 AM
08/12/07 04:01 AM
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"As a non-Jew, I've just got a problem with two of these. Firstly, presumably "idolatry" is worshipping a god other than Yaweh. Rules out quite a lot of people in the world. " It essentialy rules out all those who do not believe in monotheism. "After God destroyed His world by water, making a fresh start with Noah and his family, God told Noah,Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. Like plant vegetation [which I permitted to Adam], I have now given you everything.... Only of the blood of your own lives will I demand an account. (Gen. 9:3, 5) Up until this point, humanity was expected to be vegetarian. Butafter Noah and his family left the ark, God allowed them to eateverything – except other people. http://www.geocities.com/m_yericho/ravkook/gold-noah.htm
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Re: Does God exist?
#21801
08/12/07 01:08 PM
08/12/07 01:08 PM
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I recall the story of Cain and Abel. Abel kept sheep and goats, for pets, for their skins, or for food?
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Re: Does God exist?
#21802
08/12/07 02:55 PM
08/12/07 02:55 PM
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"Albo’s theory took as its starting point, not sacrifices but two other intriguing questions. The first: Why, after the flood, did G-d permit human beings to eat meat? (Gen. 9: 3-5). Initially, neither human beings nor animals had been meat-eaters (Gen. 1: 29-30). What caused G-d, as it were, to change His mind? The second: What was wrong with the first act of sacrifice -- Cain’s offering of “some of the fruits of the soil” (Gen. 4:3-5). G-d’s rejection of that offering led directly to the first murder, when Cain killed Abel. What was at stake in the difference between Cain and Abel as to how to bring a gift to G-d? Albo’s theory is this. Killing animals for food is inherently wrong. It involves taking the life of a sentient being to satisfy our needs. Cain knew this. He believed there was a strong kinship between man and the animals. That is why he offered, not an animal sacrifice, but a vegetable one (his error, according to Albo, is that he should have brought fruit, not vegetables – the highest, not the lowest, of non-meat produce). Abel, by contrast, believed that there was a qualitative difference between man and the animals. Had G-d not told the first humans: “Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves in the ground”? That is why he brought an animal sacrifice. Once Cain saw that Abel’s sacrifice had been accepted while his own was not, he reasoned thus. If G-d (who forbids us to kill animals for food) permits and even favours killing an animal as a sacrifice, and if (as Cain believed) there is no ultimate difference between human beings and animals, then I shall offer the very highest living being as a sacrifice to G-d, namely my brother Abel. Cain killed Abel not out of envy or animosity but as a human sacrifice. That is why G-d permitted meat-eating after the flood. Before the flood, the world had been “filled with violence”. Perhaps violence is an inherent part of human nature. If there were to be a humanity at all, G-d would have to lower his demands of mankind. Let them kill animals, He said, rather than kill human beings – the one form of life that is not only G-d’s creation but also G-d’s image." http://www.chiefrabbi.org/thoughts/tzav5767.html
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Re: Does God exist?
#21803
08/12/07 04:54 PM
08/12/07 04:54 PM
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This is what I never liked about Western religion: the idea that humans are somehow separate from, and superior to nature (made to "rule over it"); and also that humans are innately flawed and sinful and need to keep seeking forgiveness for this from God. I'm happy to eat my meat with a clear conscience, knowing it was grass-fed in pastures and humanely slaughtered, and that it is nourishing my body. Humans evolved eating meat and there is not one indigenous culture to be found that excludes it entirely from their diet.
Linda.
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Re: A God Who Is Able To Deliver
[Re: Russ]
#80002
03/09/16 08:58 PM
03/09/16 08:58 PM
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Master Elite Member
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 15,835
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Hey Tracy,
Just thought I'd chime in on your question/statement since I've been stepped on most of my life as well. My friend/business partner Laura has been continually amazed at how many people have abused their relationships with me since she's known me.
My belief in God does not stem from an emotional need—as much of my family incorrectly believes—it stems from researching many aspects of truth and finding that the Bible is amazingly reliable and has and does foretell the future.
With all this in mind, I have learned from the Bible and through experience that "it rains on the just and the wicked", in other words, we all feel the effects of evil in the world, even if we're not evil ourselves.
Many on this forum, including you and myself, have lost a great deal of our lives because of someone who poisoned us (I strongly believe that this was intentional on the ADA level but ignorance—yet horrible negligence—on the dentist level.). This is amazingly unfair, but the world is set up this way to teach us that we are not islands unto ourselves. We need to be passionate about the deeds of ourselves as well as those of others to prevent these types of crimes against humanity (you and I) from happening. This was one of the constant warnings of the forefathers. They knew because they lived through unjust suffering as well.
Unfortunately, due to collective apathy, these evil people are in power and are making decisions that make us suffer and die while they profit unimaginably.
Nevertheless, there is a day coming when there will be a judgment. This not only means that evil is judged and punished without end (What would you do with someone who intentionally poisons millions of people and causes the type of suffering you are going through?) but it also means that those who have "held on to their testimony" and kept themselves from participating in this evil will receive an unending peace and love that will make all of the suffering seem small.
"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God."
—Romans 8:18-19
"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."
—2 Corinthians 4:17-18
As hard as it may be to imagine, our afflictions in this life are small compared to the things that await us on the other side. This not intended to belittle anyone's suffering at all. It's just a device—a comparison—to demonstrate how worthwhile suffering is in comparison to how great the life ahead is.
We also have to remember that this suffering is referred to as "fire" in the bible.
"And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God."
—Zechariah 13:9
We also have to remember that this suffering is as a fire that purifies gold. The fire burns away all of the perishable parts of us and leaves only the best.
I have seen this in my own life already as the severe suffering that I endured in my younger days taught me how selfish I am. The suffering enabled me to be a person who puts in the time managing and posting on this forum with little or no benefit to myself. The credit for this is not mine. The credit goes to God who was the mirror that enabled me to see myself—as painful as that was—and empowered me to become more pure through suffering. Childbirth is designed as a great symbol of this kind of pain that ends in such joy that the pain is soon forgotten.
I have heard many stories of people who have had near-death experiences. Some of them experienced an hellish experience that "scared them straight". Others have experienced a joy and peace and love that inspired them to be the best that they could be for the rest of their lives.
We are being watched, every moment of every day. The world is indeed a stage and when we exit, let us make sure that we have no shame or whatever we do have, we allow Christ to remove from us so that we all may experience this promise from a God who is able to deliver.
And when you stand on the right side of the gulf staring into the faces of those who tormented you, there will be a great peace in you knowing that you will never suffer again, and that those who deliberately caused it will pay.
"There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."
—Luke 16:19-31 ---- (Posted 3/9/2016) Blessings Russ, this is simply beautiful. If people take the time to read this Scripture verses, and ask the Lord to open their (spiritual) eyes, they could grow to have faith. "Without faith it is impossible to please God." "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God." So where do we get the faith? IN JEHOVAH GOD! As you read the Bible, He will open your eyes to His truth. Ask and you shall receive, Seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened to you." / Creation Calls / Brian Doerksen~ Click on the blue line for a video of the awesome of Jehovah God! < https://youtu.be/yjXugh1yeXY>
Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." [John 14:6]
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Re: DOES GOD EXIST?
[Re: tracy]
#88836
08/15/19 09:46 AM
08/15/19 09:46 AM
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 15,835
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---THE LORD'S GLORY ~~ -(Please Read PSALM / Chapter 8 / NASB ~) ------ O LORD, our LORD, How majestic is Your name in all the Earth, Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!
From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength Because of Your adversaries, To make the enemy and the revengeful cease.
When I consider Your Heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, Which You have ordained;
What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him?
Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty!
You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet,
All sheep and oxen, And also the beasts of the field,
The birds of the heavens and the fish of the Sea, Whatever passes through the paths of the Seas.
O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the Earth! --[A Newer Version of Creation Calls/ Truly Magnifies our Lord Jehovah YAHWEH! YHWH~]
-- --/ < https://youtu.be/b-kVMcvMWcg> --[The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." --[PSALM 14 VERSE 1]
Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." [John 14:6]
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Re: DOES GOD EXIST?
[Re: tracy]
#90703
01/15/20 12:28 PM
01/15/20 12:28 PM
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 15,835
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---JESUS SAID, "I AND MY FATHER ARE ONE" [JOHN 10:30]
--[Also please read of the Divinity of Jesus Christ // JOHN 1: Verses 1 thru 14 ~- ]
---EVER-PRESENT PRESENCE~~
~~~We have the reassuring promise from Jesus, "I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). Knowing He was about to return to Heaven, Jesus comforted His disciples by assuring them He'd always be with them, through the Presence of His Spirit (V. 20; John 14:16-18).Christ's Spirit would comfort, guide, protect, and empower them as they took the message of Jesus to cities both near and far. And when they experienced periods of intense loneliness in unfamiliar places, Christ's words would likely echo in their ears, a reminder of His Presence with them. Jesus is the Word of God. (John 1:1-14) No matter where we go, whether close to home or faraway, as we follow Jesus into the unknown we too can cling to this same promise. Even when we experience feelings of loneliness, as we reach out in prayer to Jesus, we can receive comfort knowing He's with us always. Yes, Jesus is immortal, invisible, God. Trust Him! ~~ ---"JESUS, THANK YOU THAT I AM NEVER ALONE BECAUSE YOU ARE WITH ME ALWAYS. PRAISE YOUR HOLY NAME Jehovah Yahweh, YHWH, our Covenant-keeping God and Creator of the Universe. ---ODB/LMS--"Immortal, Invisible [God Only Wise] // Tommy Walker // < https://youtu.be/6S97XYCkJhY> ~~~~~~~~~
Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." [John 14:6]
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Re: DOES GOD EXIST?
[Re: tracy]
#90743
01/17/20 12:32 PM
01/17/20 12:32 PM
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Master Elite Member
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 15,835
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---STORM CHASERS~~
"He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed." --(Psalm 107:29)
----"CHASING TORNADOES," says Warren Fraidley, is often like a giant game of 3D-chess played out over thousands of square miles." The photojournalist and storm-chaser adds: "Being in the right place at the right time is a symphony of forecasting and navigation while dodging everything from softball-sized hailstones to dust storms and slowmoving farm equipment."
Faidley's words make my palms sweat and heart beat faster. While admiring the raw courage and scientific hunger storm chasers display, I balk at throwing myself into the middle of potentially fatal weather events. In my experience, however, I don't have to chase storms in life--they seem to be chasing me. That experience is mirrored by Psalm 107 as it describes sailors trapped in a storm. They were being chased by the consequences of their wrong choices but the psalmist says, "They cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm" (Psalm 107:28-30).Whether the storms of life are of our own making or the result of living in a broken world, our Father is greater. When we are being chased by storms, He alone is able to calm them--or to calm the storm within us. ~~ "Thank You, Father, that You're with me in my struggles and Your power is greater than any storm on my horizon. I give you all praise, in Jesus Name. Amen~ " ODB/BC--- -"The Skies Proclaim" / Tommy Walker / (feat. Eileen & Emmie Walker)--< https://youtu.be/QMCZJeJ0AQ4> --------------
Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." [John 14:6]
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Re: DOES GOD EXIST?
[Re: tracy]
#94823
08/17/21 11:13 AM
08/17/21 11:13 AM
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Master Elite Member
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 15,835
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---THE TRINITY ~~
--Although we may have difficulty understanding it, God the Father, Christ the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are all three persons of one Godhead. They are not three separate gods. They are all one God. Our finite minds may struggle to comprehend such majestic and infinite existence. The Scriptures reveal that whenever God encountered people, He did it in one of three ways: in the person of the Father, Christ the Son, or the Spirit. Whenever God is working, all three persons of the Trinity are involved. This is a profound truth that Jesus' twelve disciples had difficulty grasping. After three years with Jesus, Philip asked, "Show us the Father," and Jesus responded, "Have I been among you all this time without your knowing Me, Philip? The one who has seen Me has seen the Father....Don't you believe that I am in the Father and Father is in Me? The words I speak to you I do not speak on My own. The Father who lives in Me does His works" (John 14:9-10). --[Referral Scriptures == "My Father is still working, and I am working ....I assure you: The Son is not able to do anything on His own, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does these things in the same way. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him everything He is doing. [John 5:17, 19-20] --'Experiencing God' // Knowing and Doing the Will of GOD / HENRY and RICHARD BLACKABY //
Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." [John 14:6]
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Re: DOES GOD EXIST?
[Re: tracy]
#95232
10/20/21 12:44 PM
10/20/21 12:44 PM
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Master Elite Member
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 15,835
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---STUDYING THE SCRIPTURES / GOD IS REVEALED ~~
---'[Jesus said], "These are the very Scriptures that testify about me.'" ---[John 5:39] ---IN HIS classic work Knowing God, J. I Packer (1926-2020) spoke of four well-known believers in Christ whom he called "beavers for the Bible." Not all were trained scholars, but each one exercised great care to know God by gnawing into Scripture, like a beaver digs in and gnaws away at a tree. Packer further noted that knowing God through Bible study is not just for scholars. "A simply Bible reader and sermon hearer who if full of the Holy Spirit will develop a far deeper acquaintance with his God and Savior than a more learned scholar who is content with being theologically correct."
Unfortunately, not all who study the Bible do so with humble hearts with a goal of getting to know the Savior better and becoming more like Him. In Jesus' day there were those who read the Old Testament Scriptures, yet they missed the very One they spoke of. "You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life (John 5:39-40). Do you sometimes find yourself stumped as you read the Bible? Or have you given up studying the Scriptures altogether? Bible "beavers" are more than Bible readers. They prayerfully and carefully gnaw away at Scripture in ways that open their eyes and hearts to see and love Jesus--the One who revealed in it. ~~ -[Jesus is on every page of the Bible, yet He becomes G-D incarnate in the Virgin Birth Mary . ~~]--ODB/AJ~
Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." [John 14:6]
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