Question about blind faith

[cranny]

I've said before, I'm pretty much agnostic in my beliefs. Grew up in a Babtist church as a kid. But I still have prob. with the faith issue. Here's a question for you. When I was at my Nana's funeral yesterday one of the preachers basically said good deeds would not get you into heaven. Didn't matter how good of a person you were, how good a character you showed, how much you gave, nor how much you loved god. None of that mattered. Only that you believe in Jesus as your savior. He will take you unconditionally. Sorry, but you'll never convince me of that whichever God you pray to. That makes no sense to me at all. So you can curse at the Lord, murder, rape, steal, and lie. All you have to do is accept Jesus as your personal savior and you're in. I truly wish I could understand the blind faith idea. So many Christians have it. I've tried to believe whatever they say in church. But as I've gotten older, I start to think, what a minute that dosen't make sense or that's not right. But boy when you air out your questions and concerns, I've always gotten the same old answers. You don't question that. You just believe. Or it's god's plan that your not suppose to know, WTF? Can you shed some light on this grasshopper?

 

[c00per]

Lemmings follow the same belief when they throw themselves off a cliff.
The lemming doesn't believe he has the answer but he is pretty sure the one in front of him does.

Condolences on the loss of your gran.

 

[Assertive Guy]

I've said before, I'm pretty much agnostic in my beliefs. Grew up in a Babtist church as a kid. But I still have prob. with the faith issue. Here's a question for you. When I was at my Nana's funeral yesterday one of the preachers basically said good deeds would not get you into heaven. Didn't matter how good of a person you were, how good a character you showed, how much you gave, nor how much you loved god. None of that mattered. Only that you believe in Jesus as your savior. He will take you unconditionally. Sorry, but you'll never convince me of that whichever God you pray to. That makes no sense to me at all. So you can curse at the Lord, murder, rape, steal, and lie. All you have to do is accept Jesus as your personal savior and you're in. I truly wish I could understand the blind faith idea. So many Christians have it. I've tried to believe whatever they say in church. But as I've gotten older, I start to think, what a minute that dosen't make sense or that's not right. But boy when you air out your questions and concerns, I've always gotten the same old answers. You don't question that. You just believe. Or it's god's plan that your not suppose to know, WTF? Can you shed some light on this grasshopper?

Perhaps this form of Christianity is better for those a bit dumber than you. Seriously.

 

[morph60]

I have blind faith that there is a higher power then I ...an I dont belive in the bible...hell i dont belive in jesus...but I try to be a good person...so off to hell I go

 

[blueta2]

That is nuts! And anyone preaching that you only need believe in Jesus to go to heaven is CULT freak!
I also do not believe in the bible, I do believe in a higher power, but I also believe in life and being kind to my fellow humans. Be good, be good and what you get in return is a calmness and contentment while alive! Who cares what happens when you're dead!
A old dying Buddist once said "In these last few moments of my life, all that matters is how kind I was to "life"..I leave a happy man"!

 

[Y_lifter]

I think the difference in Christian beliefs -

Being saved by Grace alone, not by works lest anyone should boast


Being saved by:
Going to Church each week, eating fish on Friday, giving 10%, not drinking,
not hanging out with bad people, judging others etc.

Can be blamed on the Vatican IMO..

They took a simple concept and made lots of rules and regs in order to keep
the subjects/people in line and to maintain power .

Sounds like this Pastor was following basic New Testament Biblical principle teachings vs a Literal Interpretation. Although I will agree that the bible if full of contradictions, so it should be used as a guide vs a rule book.

 

[cranny]

That is nuts! And anyone preaching that you only need believe in Jesus to go to heaven is CULT freak!
I also do not believe in the bible, I do believe in a higher power, but I also believe in life and being kind to my fellow humans. Be good, be good and what you get in return is a calmness and contentment while alive! Who cares what happens when you're dead!
A old dying Buddist once said "In these last few moments of my life, all that matters is how kind I was to "life"..I leave a happy man"!

Good post bro. Agree w/ your thoughts.

 

[blueta2]

Good post bro. Agree w/ your thoughts.

I'm a sista and thanks

 

[GrandMaster]

IMO just be a good person, look for the best in whatever it is your doing........

simple things like helping the elderly load up their groceries...or helping someone fix a Flat tire or something....simple generosity. the kindness from one person lending a helping hand.


i try to not get caught up in all that religious stuff.
nobody really knows what lies for us after death.......so live happy and do what u think is rite...

 

[Wulfgar]

Lemmings follow the same belief when they throw themselves off a cliff.
The lemming doesn't believe he has the answer but he is pretty sure the one in front of him does.

Condolences on the loss of your gran.

wtf?? i think this is the first time I have seen you speak coop

 

[Wulfgar]

It does my heart well to read this and see that this generation has alot more free thinkers and enlightened people than generations before us

 

[digimon7068]

Hmmm. . .so if you're like a HUGE asshole your whole entire life and you're lucky enough to get, say, cancer. . .where you have an opportunity to contemplate and prepare for your death and you decide that now might be a good time to accept Jesus as your savior. . .you get to go to heaven.

But, the good guy, who lives a good life but maybe he's a Catholic or and agnostic for that matter, and he gets hit by a bus. . .no chance to prepare. . .that guy goes to hell?? WTF?

Heaven's going to be full of a bunch of assholes that were lucky enough to die slowly.

I think I'll just keep being a good person.

 

[Phenom78]

I think the difference in Christian beliefs -

Being saved by Grace alone, not by works lest anyone should boast


Being saved by:
Going to Church each week, eating fish on Friday, giving 10%, not drinking,
not hanging out with bad people, judging others etc.

Can be blamed on the Vatican IMO..

They took a simple concept and made lots of rules and regs in order to keep
the subjects/people in line and to maintain power .

Sounds like this Pastor was following basic New Testament Biblical principle teachings vs a Literal Interpretation. Although I will agree that the bible if full of contradictions, so it should be used as a guide vs a rule book.

Simplistic and inaccurate.


It first should be pointed out that 2/3rds+ of world Christians do not believe in the concept of faith alone.

Over the last several hundred years non Catholic Christians have butchered the concept into some kind of legalistic "get into heaven" free card. It amounts to a claim that God is lying by claiming a person is justified in some legal sense, but not actually so in his life. Akin to being covered under Christ's cloak of righteousness. It isn't that actual sanctification is unimportant in this peculiar Christian theology. It's just that the actual degree of sanctification is irrelevant to whether you go to heaven.

Catholics believe that what God declares He does. Any justification not interwoven with actual sanctification is no justification at all. Therefore you cannot declare " Christ is my savior" then proceed to rape and murder those around you.

Part of it comes from a butchering of translation from the Greek which has been incorrectly attributed to mean justified instead of freed in the context of Paul's words on sin.

Also I find it odd that they didn't teach you to spell Baptist instead of Babtist. It isn't as if P and B are close together on the keyboard.

 

[biteme]

You can spend a lifetime trying to figure it out and you never will. If God is God he chooses to remain largely anonymous.

 

[biteme]

I am learning as I get older that it's better to give than to receive. I really believe that........ right now.

 

[biteme]

Perhaps maybe there is a good reason God chooses to remain anonymous. Maybe it's the only way people will be what they really are when they think noone is watching. Just maybe. I believe that God leaves little signs throughout your life if you're really seeking. As has been the case with me. Some will say, you find because you're looking and you will see what you want to see. But, that's not always true. There is something going on, what it is isn't exactly clear. Follow me?

 

[UA_Iron]

If you are a good person, and are denied entrance to heaven because you didnt accept jesus - yet some murder who accepts jesus walks past you into heaven - is that a God you want to spend eternity with?

 

[2dagym]

They took a simple concept and made lots of rules and regs in order to keep
the subjects/people in line and to maintain power .

Sounds like this Pastor was following basic New Testament Biblical principle teachings vs a Literal Interpretation. Although I will agree that the bible if full of contradictions, so it should be used as a guide vs a rule book.

Total agreement. Things were pretty screwed up back then and they had to put some type of fear into people. How better but to make them accountable to a higher being for their actions - someone untouchable and unyeilding.

 

[cranny]

Simplistic and inaccurate.


It first should be pointed out that 2/3rds+ of world Christians do not believe in the concept of faith alone.

Over the last several hundred years non Catholic Christians have butchered the concept into some kind of legalistic "get into heaven" free card. It amounts to a claim that God is lying by claiming a person is justified in some legal sense, but not actually so in his life. Akin to being covered under Christ's cloak of righteousness. It isn't that actual sanctification is unimportant in this peculiar Christian theology. It's just that the actual degree of sanctification is irrelevant to whether you go to heaven.

Catholics believe that what God declares He does. Any justification not interwoven with actual sanctification is no justification at all. Therefore you cannot declare " Christ is my savior" then proceed to rape and murder those around you.

Part of it comes from a butchering of translation from the Greek which has been incorrectly attributed to mean justified instead of freed in the context of Paul's words on sin.

Also I find it odd that they didn't teach you to spell Baptist instead of Babtist. It isn't as if P and B are close together on the keyboard.

So let me get this right. You don't agree w/ my post so you decide to point out a grammatical error. What a tool. You christian wacko's crack me up w/ your attitude.

 

[Mr. dB]

Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, Rick Grech, and Ginger Baker

 

[Phenom78]

So let me get this right. You don't agree w/ my post so you decide to point out a grammatical error. What a tool. You christian wacko's crack me up w/ your attitude.

Actually it was a spelling error. And while generally speaking I don't point out spelling errors, it just struck me as strange that a lifelong baptist thinks it's spelled babtist. Rather like not knowing how to spell your last name correctly.

Also I didn't disagree with your post. I actually offered an outlined view of why I also agree that the theology of "faith alone" is fatally flawed. I'm also catholic, which in the common vernacular, especially in the US, has become rather distinct from the classification of "christian."

So technically it could be argued that your entire post was in error. Except I am a tool. The sharpest one in the shed.

 

[cranny]

Actually it was a spelling error. And while generally speaking I don't point out spelling errors, it just struck me as strange that a lifelong baptist thinks it's spelled babtist. Rather like not knowing how to spell your last name correctly.

Also I didn't disagree with your post. I actually offered an outlined view of why I also agree that the theology of "faith alone" is fatally flawed. I'm also catholic, which in the common vernacular, especially in the US, has become rather distinct from the classification of "christian."

So technically it could be argued that your entire post was in error. Except I am a tool. The sharpest one in the shed.

Point taken. You got me on that. But I must clarify that I'm not a life long Baptist. I did go to a baptist church as a kid. Since, I've been to a methodist church several times(hope I got the spelling right). I just didn't understand why you couldn't stay w/ the question in the post about having blind faith. Instead, you felt the need to point out an error w/ the way it was written.

 

[Phenom78]

Point taken. You got me on that. But I must clarify that I'm not a life long Baptist. I did go to a baptist church as a kid. Since, I've been to a methodist church several times(hope I got the spelling right). I just didn't understand why you couldn't stay w/ the question in the post about having blind faith. Instead, you felt the need to point out an error w/ the way it was written.

Unfortunately it has become the case that a common device employed by many to further an agenda is to claim a false solidarity with their opponents prior to "ripping them apart" as a way of adding false credibility to their case.

Lately, especially on the internet, everyone against the war has served in the military. Everyone used to be a "true believer" Christian. Everyone is a democract or republican just before they rip apart that party.

Baptist isn't simply the name of a particular Christian denomination. It derives from the word baptism which is one of the central parts of every Christian religious group. To be frank it made me suspicious of your claim. It's sort of like saying I'm a former Christian who no longer believes in Jebus

 

[SoreArms]

it's for the blind