How many of you are religious!

[Cebrious Arcane]

Re: How many of you are religious!

Or, people could look up the father of all modern philosophy and read his works.

We wouldnt be having any discussions on religion at all, or "spirituality" and ESP, if people read a few chapters from a couple of works.

"How to think" is a good chapter fx, even though it has such a demeaning title.

Descartes? You're going to bring up, Descartes? Descartes reduced all of reality to conscious awareness then destroyed his own arguement by trying to tie it in with Christianity. Why did you bring him up, anyway? The site Ape linked just offers some unique ideas and interesting comparisons, worth the read, but I'm not sure why you felt compelled to reference Descartes because of it.

Kio123, islam is not a "holy religion" or on the true path or wtf you just said. Islam is asking kids to put dynamite on their belly and blow themselves up because they think there will be virgins in heaven.

Having read the majority of your other posts, I am surprised by the ignorance contained in the above. Islam most definitely is a holy religion. Some of its believers believe that sacrificing yourself to kill infidels will insure your ascension into Heaven, many more do not. I really can't respond any further without getting angry, please read more on the religion before you lump an entire believing population in with psychotic suicidal zealots.

But at any rate, Islam is way more oppressive currently than any other religion and its oppressive in completely random ways, so no.. Dont count on it being "the real deal".

If anything, Islam is repressive, not oppressive. The followers choose to follow the religion, they choose to abide by its doctrines and choose to believe its system. They are not victims of the religion, it is their religion by choice.

Yes, i know that miss clover. That doesnt change the fact that the religion is being worshipped in a very much different way now than what it was 500 years ago, even though gods instructions havent changed at all.

Has science changed? God's instructions are interpretted by the heads of the church. If their interpretation has changed it is because their observations and experiences have changed. Observations determine definitions. Definitions are required for explanations. Exactly like science.

you get -1 point for trying to explain religion with a parallel to science. God thats stupid.

Well give me -10, because I'm just getting warmed up.

 

[zlatan fulgere]

Re: How many of you are religious!

Having read the majority of your other posts, I am surprised by the ignorance contained in the above. Islam most definitely is a holy religion. Some of its believers believe that sacrificing yourself to kill infidels will insure your ascension into Heaven, many more do not. I really can't respond any further without getting angry, please read more on the religion before you lump an entire believing population in with psychotic suicidal zealots.

Yeah, I did have to laugh though at the notion of suicide bombers not knowing whether or not to blow up their virgins in heaven too. (=

 

[fonis]

Re: How many of you are religious!

Zoidberg seems to be the usual "science is the best and la-la-la to all other belief systems" kind of guy. I'm judging him, but I'm probably right.

He didn't even give a counterpoint to my argument that science is a form of a system of beliefs like religion.

 

[maximon]

Re: How many of you are religious!

why dont we just accept what people believe in? whose business is it ours telling people what to believe in when we do not even know ourselves. only thing we do know for a fact is that when we die we lose energy. well that energy has to go somewhere since it is never destroyed. no one knows where it goes. you cant tell me you do for certain. although alot of people have put their 'faith' in religion because the alternative is impossible to think about. but as Henry Youngman once put it "i once wanted to become an atheist, until i found out they have no holidays."

again i state no one has a right to tell people what happens after death, for no one knows. religion is a matter of perception. i would love to believe in god and a heaven, and a happy place that people go to when they die, because compared to the alternative, thats sounds a heck of a lot better. personally if i am lied to and that lie does me no harm, and actually makes me feel a little better inside, rather than the truth that is terrible and makes me want to know why i am even trying to go on if it is pointless in the end, then i much rather be lied to.

so think before you whisper a word about how other people believe, just because you do not believe that, your opinion isnt the only one, and may not even be right. you put one leg into you pants at a time just like everyone else.

ill step off of my soapbox now.

 

[fonis]

Re: How many of you are religious!

OH MY GOD - - HE DIDN'T GIVE A COUNTERPOINT?! HE MUST BE A FUCKING FAGGOT

*cries* you make me so sad, suil

 

[Underwater Ape]

Re: How many of you are religious!

play nice with zoidberg please.

 

[kio123]

Re: How many of you are religious!

Or, people could look up the father of all modern philosophy and read his works.

We wouldnt be having any discussions on religion at all, or "spirituality" and ESP, if people read a few chapters from a couple of works.

"How to think" is a good chapter fx, even though it has such a demeaning title.

Kio123, islam is not a "holy religion" or on the true path or wtf you just said. Islam is asking kids to put dynamite on their belly and blow themselves up because they think there will be virgins in heaven.

The simple fact that Islam has gotten kids before the age of puberty to blow themselves up with the argument "you will get 72 virgins when you arrive in heaven" is hillarious. For all I know, that kid could have been thinking "Should I also blow them up or what?". Which amuses me greatly : )

But at any rate, Islam is way more oppressive currently than any other religion and its oppressive in completely random ways, so no.. Dont count on it being "the real deal".

"Naw, I'm talking about inside, and outside of religion... women have gotten more rights. Women getting rights has nothing to do with religion really, just times change. Like science, as time changes, so does specific things in religion. Like before, women used to never be able to partake in masses (for Catholics) and not they can. Science has also change, because people and the environment is constantly changing."

Yes, i know that miss clover. That doesnt change the fact that the religion is being worshipped in a very much different way now than what it was 500 years ago, even though gods instructions havent changed at all.

You -REALLY- dont see a logic flaw in that? At all? And you get -1 point for trying to explain religion with a parallel to science. God thats stupid. Its prolly why God didnt want girls in church. That and cooties ofc.

yay 3 times for the stupid guy who doesnt read anything but the internet forums

 

[Cebrious Arcane]

Re: How many of you are religious!

Took it to PMs. You guys miss out, hehe.

 

[kio123]

Re: How many of you are religious!

hah print screen plz

 

[fonis]

Re: How many of you are religious!

pics or it didn't happen.

 

[DasSchaf]

Re: How many of you are religious!

don't blow me up and everything will be fine

 

[Black Thunder]

Re: How many of you are religious!

I'm Baptist, minus their most common political beliefs. So many Baptists are very Bush-loving, which isn't good by me.

I am a Christian, I follow Christianity, not for a get out of hell free card but because I honestly think that living like Jesus is the best way to live your life.

Same here. I'm glad someone else takes things seriously, and does it because they know it's right, and not just for "fire insurance. "

u ever notice u can always find "non believers" praying or getting saved while on their death beds? or when in near death experiences?

Aye. It's unfortunate so many don't accept Jesus earlier, but often the Holy Spirit will work on them, along with, as stated, fear of the unknown, in a way that will show them who to really go to.

He didn't even give a counterpoint to my argument that science is a form of a system of beliefs like religion.

Aye. It's supposed to be a logical way to build steps to a logical conclusion for the good of humanity or other goals.

 

[Cebrious Arcane]

Re: How many of you are religious!

*** Okay, I legitimately tried to respond in PMs but the combination of Dr. Zoidberg and my wordiness was too much for the PM system to handle, hehe, and I couldn't even respond once. As such, here is my exact response. Sorry about the personal/off topic stuff I didn't have time to go through it again at work. This is a great thread.***

It's easier to have a quote/response conversation on the forum because you can scroll back through messages, but if you're embarrassed or something, we can keep it in PMs. I don't care. I love these conversations, though I do find it humorous that "someone" gave me negative rep for my response to you, which seems uncharacteristic of the typical readers of these types of debates. Either way, I remember you from a while back and welcome the new perspective

- The reason i brought up Descartes was because of the mechanics of thought he established, which was the foundation for all modern philosophy, and really really simple. Also, the first chapter "how to think", completely obliterates anything written in the link ape gave, i did read a few pages of it. Not really unique ideas, funny yeah, but I sincerely hope theyre not meant to be taken seriously, but rather to consider for the sake of consideration, ie philosophy. Aka, i think ape grossly took it the wrong way, i just dont wanna say so to him in a too hard way because i like that ape has become more philosophical and pondering the last few years.

I don't think Ape took it the wrong way at all and besides that, he's a big boy and can handle your harshness, hehe.

Also, about Descartes "proof of god", all i should say (to avoid spoilers : ) ) is that its quite suspicious in more than one way and I think you will get a blast if you find some more information on it : ) (it really is a funny story, one that should end up as a will ferrel movie)

You took his analysis as sarcasm? I've read obscene amounts of philosophy and continue to do so, Descartes' Meditations included. And just to add credence, I took a course specifically centered around Descartes and his philosophies during college.

Well, no he didnt. The proof of god was an add-on in its own circular logic and doesnt in any way effect the rest of the logics of what you speak of (i assume you mean the all known 'cogito ergo sum').

I applaud his ability to doubt, but the man was Christian. His method is great, his analysis is sound, but his conclusions shatter it all. You can attribute his methods as the "foundation of modern philosophy" but doubt, reduction, and analysis have been used since pre-Socratic philosophy. His "God" wouldn't exist if he didn't have his preconceived and biased opinion that a God did exist.

I know i risk the danger of your e-wrath here, but have you ever read it actually?

See above. Any e-wrath I exhibit is merely misinterpretation by the reader, unless I specifically say otherwise; reference your Islam statement.

-About your "im angry at your ignorant view on Islaam", i think you need to step back a second and re-read what i wrote. I didnt lump an entire population in with a few psychotic fanatics (you just took it that way and went off the hinge), i pointed out that the religion as such accepts these psychotic fanatics and encourage them.

No, they don't. As I said, some do, yet many more do not. Just like some Christians support the crusades, but others, like Pope John Paul prayed for the forgiveness of the crusaders because they knew what the crusaders did was wrong. The believers of Islam that support the violance are vastly inferior to those that are against the violence. Research. You seem intelligent enough not to take propaganda at face value, prove it.

Again, dont mean to be rude or anything, but thats quite public knowlegde. Feel free to get angry though, i dont want to control your feelings or even try, its your feelings.

Ah, you are swayed by the masses then? I guess I was wrong. Research. You'll find otherwise. Don't worry, you won't change or hurt my feelings.

-You say Islaam is not 'oppressive', but 'repressive'. Which is fine.

Reference the definitions. You misspoke out of bias.

What i was talking about was its pratical application and the fact that its very backwards countries where islaam have a huge foothold.

Backwards? As compared with the U.S.? That's pure opinion based on biased misinformation. *shrug*

"Science has changed". Well, i sorta disagree on that one, mainly because of the extraordinarely misleading words you decide to use. Science hasnt changed without merit, science has had open and shut reasons for changing and been able to explain fully why it was changing, whereas christianity one morning decided that pages 113-122 was no longer word of god (hypothetically) because soceity wouldnt buy into christianity as much if those pages wasnt removed.

I suppose we're both allowed our disagreements. How are my words "extraodinarely misleading?" Perhaps they don't agree with the vision you have of your faith, but my words are applicable and accurate. Give me more than your opinion and I'll see what you have to work with.

When christianity changed the way the bible is meant to be understood (since that was the example being considered), it did without "official word from god", even though before the change the bible was considered "word from god".

The "word of God" has always been interpretation, always. God didn't channel into the apostles, he didn't send the Metatron to relay his message verbatim, how do you know God even speaks words? Religion is not a science in any way other than a method of explanation. Science is a religion because it is a system of belief used to define reality.

Denmark? I'm jealous. For background on myself, I was raised, baptized, and confirmed Catholic. I had far too many questions and found far too many holes and contradictions in Christianity to believe it, so I moved on. I originally went to University of Michigan for Computer Software Engineering but didn't want to sit in a cubicle all day so I switched to Physics with a minor in math. Studied physics and quantum mechanics and found holes in that, but more so, I found connections between the quantum "discoveries" and the fluidity of my perceived reality. Stopped by a philosophy discussion and was hooked. At first, I defended the perspective of perception and science, but gradually (through reading various philosophical texts and exposing myself to other opinions) realized that I again had far too many questions for science to answer, and above it all, science is fallible because it is based exclusively on fallible perception. I want something more reliable than "I'll believe it when I see it." And no, recording devices do not suffice because what is a recording device without the person reading it?

As such I have questions. That's all. I am not relegated to any field of thought or perspective but rather ask questions of all fields in search of personal truth. The gross misperceptions about religion bother me because belief is a powerful tool, not to be ignored, and those that are judging the "believers" are hypocritical believers themselves. Science is a system of belief.

I really would appreciate if you were comfortable enough to post this in the general forum. Having other persons' perspectives add a lot to the conversations. Though I also enjoy the one on one, I'm sure I have an adequate handle on your perspective based on your other posts. Please reply though, even if you don't want to post it, as your opinion and perspectives are valuable to me.

Thanks.

 

[fonis]

Re: How many of you are religious!

One thing I've always liked about Cebrious's posts are their consistency. Which follows from why I prefer science, I suppose.

 

[That1blondeguy]

Re: How many of you are religious!

Hello everyone, this is my first post. This may be a bit lengthy, but please bear with me. I have read through all of your comments and hope I can shed some light on what Christianity really is, and what we believe. As for me, I am a Christian, and I DO believe that The Bible is the inerrant, inspired Word of God, every word of It. I do NOT believe you can pick and choose from different parts of scripture, by doing so you are in essence saying that you don't fully trust God as all knowing and all trusting, as He says He is. Many people say they want proof of God before they will believe. While there are many proofs to the existence of God all around us, I am going to use the most obvious. If you look at any object, a building, a painting, a car, ANYTHING. You don’t automatically assume it just happened. The laws of cause and effect govern the universe we live in. Therefore, a building must have had a builder, a painting must have had a painter, and a car must have had a manufacturer. This concept applies to everything within the boundaries of our universe. Thus, as you look at all of creation, you can't honestly say that this all happened by some random chance, even over billions of years. That is completely illogical. The fact that we DO have the extreme complexity of life, the system of planets, the seasons, the laws of physics, and the human conscience, just to name a few, shows us there must be a creator. "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse."(Romans 1:20). Most people think you cannot have both religion and science, that they are completely contrasting. This is another false belief. The fact is that true, unbiased science, actually credits the Bible. As Albert Einstein stated "Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind." Science talks about a Big Bang, the beginning of the universe, The Bible talks about The Creation of the universe, see the connection?? I simply don’t understand why people think that when talking about the origin of the universe from a scientific standpoint, you can’t bring in Religion. A quote by Steven Hawking “I think that there are clearly religious implication whenever you start to discuss the origins of the universe. There must be religious overtones.” The truth is there, you just have to open your eyes to see it. I urge you to do your own research; don’t just believe what so-called scientists with their biases have to say.

 

[That1blondeguy]

Re: How many of you are religious!

Some people ask the question, "If God created everything, then who created God?" This is a very good question, yet the answer is quite simple. Since God created EVERYTHING, he also created time. He created time and subjected man to it and because we are subject to time, logic demands that everything must have a beginning and an end. God dwells OUTSIDE of time, in "Eternity” This can be proven by the study of Bible prophecy, which btw the Bible is the only book, which has accurate, literal, fulfillment of prophecy. That is because only God knows the beginning from the end.
Obviously there is a creator, but is the creator of the universe, the God of the Bible? The Bible makes a very large claim. Well, God backs up the Bible by providing some very interesting facts, both scientific and medical. Most of these found in the Old Testament, keep in mind that the even the New Testament was written around 2000 years ago. In Isaiah 40:22, the Bible says “It is He that sits upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretches out the heavens as a curtain, and spreads them out as a tent to dwell in.” Isaiah served as a prophet to Judah from 740-681 BC. The word translated “circle” here is the Hebrew word chuwg, which is also translated “circuit” or “compass”(depending on the context). That is, it indicates something spherical, rounded, or arched-not something that is flat or square. Another interesting fact is that this verse states that the heavens are “stretched out like a curtain.” Scientists have only recently discovered that the universe we live in is constantly expanding.

 

[That1blondeguy]

Re: How many of you are religious!

Another interesting verse is Job 26:7 which states “He stretches out the north over the empty place, and hangs the earth upon nothing.” The book of Job was written approximately between 2000-1800 BC, and is widely considered to be the oldest book in the whole of Scripture, both New and Old Testament. During this period of time, Earth was considered to reside on the back of a large animal or even on a giant. However science now knows, the Earth literally “hangs upon nothing” in space.
Not to far in the past, blood letting was a common practice in medicine. Blood letting is the act of cutting a sick person to drain their blood in hopes that disease would leave their body. However, if earlier generations would have read Leviticus 17:11a “For the life of the body is in its blood…” they would have recognized that this was a detriment to their health. The book of Leviticus was written between 1450-1410BC. There are many more scientific and medical facts found through the pages of scripture. I urge you to do some research on the subject.
Another common argument is the fact that the Bible was written several thousand years ago. No one can argue against that. Over that many years, it had to change. But has it? The truth is that God has verified both the Old and New Testament in our lifetime. In 1947 was the discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls. The Dead Sea scrolls are large portions of the Old Testament, which were dated as being a thousand years old than any existing copy. Amazingly, there were no real changes in the original Hebrew text. The only "changes" that have been made, were made for clarity. When it comes to the New Testament, there is more evidence that the text is the same as it was when it was originally written, than there is for texts such as Caesars Gallic Wars, Homer, and Plato, to name a few. The earliest copy we have of Caesars Gallic Wars is dated at 900AD. The original was written between 10-44 BC, That’s a thousand years later. The earliest copy of Homer is dated at 400BC, the original written in 900BC, there's 500 years. And of course Plato, most recent dated at 900AD, original was written between 427-347BC, that’s a 1200-year difference. Yet, no one questions the reliability of these texts. Then there is the New Testament; to date we have over 24,000 manuscripts verifying the authenticity of the New Testament books, each of these dating no later than 50 years after the original. The writing are said to be written between 40-100AD, the earliest manuscript is dated at 125AD. If there were any significant changes in the writing of either the Old or New Testament, it would be known. Plus, the writings of the Bible are all archeologically accurate, "We account the Scriptures of God to be the most sublime philosophy. I find more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history whatsoever." SIR ISAAC NEWTON. Many people think that the only text that speaks about Jesus is the Bible. Once again NOT TRUE! Writings outside of the New Testament which confirm His birth, death, and resurrection include Flavius Josephus (A.D. 93), The Babylonian Talmud (A.D. 70-200), Pliny the Younger’s letter to the Emperor Trajan (Approx. A.D. 100), and Annals of Tacitus (A.D 115-117), Mara Bar Serapion (Sometime after A.D. 73) and Suentonius’ Life of Claudius and Life of Nero (A.D. 120).

 

[That1blondeguy]

Re: How many of you are religious!

Very briefly I am going to show you that there is NO contradiction in the book of Genesis. In Genesis Chapter 1, we read about the first six days of the creation of the heavens and the Earth, the plants, animals, birds, and on the sixth day Man. Then in chapter 2 we read about another explanation of creation that seems to contradict the first. However, it doesn’t. In chapter 1, God is creating the entire earth and everything in it. In Chapter 2, God is creating the Garden of Eden, at this time the whole rest of the world is filled with plants and animals. God created man and placed him in the Garden, then he created plants and animals in the garden to show Adam, that He had the power to create, that He was not just taking credit for an existing world. God also did this so that Adam could name all of the plants and animals. Notice in Genesis 2:9, it states that God created only the plants that are pleasant to the sight, and good for food. All this was on the sixth day of creation. On this day, God also created Eve.
When it comes to the Crusades, and the Salem Witch trials, all I have to say is don’t judge an entire group from the mistakes of a few. Just because someone says they are doing something in the name of Jesus, doesn’t mean that’s what Jesus wants them to do. PLEASE, don’t sacrifice YOUR eternal salvation because of someone else’s actions! It is to heavy of a subject to just dismiss.
People in our generation are beginning to believe that the Great Flood never happened. This is a huge mistake! There is ample evidence for the flood. From the fossil record, to the way the sediments lay. Take for instance the dinosaurs; most people believe that the dinosaurs lived millions and millions of years ago. Are the dinosaurs really that old? Most people don’t realize that when scientists date dinosaur bones, they don’t use the most common method of dating, carbon 14 dating. If they use this method, they get a result of only a few thousand years. So instead of accepting that, and tying it in with the flood, they use another method that more suits their biases! Another little known fact is that, many dinosaur bones, when found, STILL CONTAIN BONE MATTER! They are not completely fossilized! If they were millions of years old, you’d think there would be no bone left. Some have even been found to contain red blood cells. There is much documentation to support this. Dinosaurs could have very easily been on the Ark with Noah, of course God wouldn’t have provided full grown dinosaurs, he would have taken small, young dinosaurs, thus they would fit AND they would have a longer breeding life. Having to do with the Ark, it is very likely that at this time, many of the animals were in hibernation, therefore, they would not have eaten anything, and they would not have caused a “mess.” Also, as for the fossil record, after 150 years of searching for Darwin’s “Missing Link” scientists still don’t have one. I think I have the answer to his. There is no “Missing Link” The fossil record shows the sudden appearance of fully formed, fully functional animals and plants! There are NO transitional species! This can be backed up with research into what archeologists call the Cambrian Explosion.

 

[That1blondeguy]

Re: How many of you are religious!

While we can see now, that Christianity is NOT based on blind faith. There is still faith involved. The question is, is Jesus divine? Much of the Old Testament is based on prophecy. A lot of this prophecy is about the coming Messiah. There are well over 400 prophecies in the writing that tell us about this Messiah. Everyone one of these was fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. Prophecies which include where He would be born, that He would be born of a virgin, that He would be a descendent of David, that He would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver, that He would be crucified, and finally that he would raise from the dead, among MANY others. For more information on this topic, please do a search for Messianic Prophecies. As I said, Jesus, and only Jesus fulfilled all of these prophecies.

 

[That1blondeguy]

Re: How many of you are religious!

There is one final problem. If the Bible IS God’s Word, then you have a serious problem. God has set aside a Day in which He will judge the world in righteousness. The standard he will be using to judge you is the Ten Commandments. So before that, judge YOURSELF by the Ten Commandments. Ask Yourself; Have YOU ever told a lie? Even a little white lie? Even only one? If so, that makes you a liar! Have you ever Stolen anything? Even something small like a piece of gum? If so, that makes you a thief! Have you ever taken Gods name if vain? If so you’ve committed blasphemy. Instead of using a four-letter cuss word to express disgust, you used the name of the God who gave you LIFE in its place! Jesus said in Matthew 12:36 “But I say to you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give an account thereof on the Day of Judgment.” Have you ever committed adultery? Jesus also said in Matthew 5:27-28 “You have heard that it was said of old, You shall not commit adultery; But I say to you, that whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her HAS already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Now ask yourself have you ever lusted? Unless your LYING to yourself, you know you have told a lie, you know you have stolen something, you know you’ve taken Gods name in vain, and you know you have committed adultery in your heart! That makes you a lying, thieving, blasphemous, adulterer at heart. So many your not like all the rest of humanity and haven’t lied, stolen, blasphemed, or lusted. This is only 4 of the Ten Commandments! Ask yourself then, have you ever committed murder? Jesus also said in Matthew 5:21-22 “You have heard it said of old, You shall not kill, and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of judgment. But I say to you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of judgment.” According to Jesus, if you have hated someone, you’ve already committed murder in your heart! Have you always honored your Father and Mother? Even as a teenager? Have you EVER looked at someone else’s possessions and been jealous? That is called coveting, the Tenth Commandment. It means you are not thankful for what God has already given you. Have you ALWAYS remembered the Sabbath? God asks us for just 1 day out of the week, to rest and honor him. And finally, have you ALWAYS put God first in your life? This is the essence of the First and Second Commandment. You shall have no other gods before me, and You shall not worship any idols. Keep in mind; an idol can be ANYTHING you put before God. It can be money, possessions, sex, drugs, ANYTHING! It can even be a god you have created in your own mind, a god you are more comfortable with, it can be science, yourself, anything. Keep in mind also “God knows the secrets of the heart”(Psalm 44:21). He knows what has gone on in your mind, and behind closed doors. If you are honest with yourself You know you have broken everyone of these, not just a couple times, but a MULTITUDE! And you have to face God on judgment day! So if God judges you by the Ten Commandments, ask yourself will you be found innocent or guilty? You know you will be found guilty! So ask yourself now, will you go to Heaven or Hell? Many people will answer to this question Heaven, because they think God will just forgive them. However, try that in court. Only a corrupt judge would let you go after breaking the law. A good judge would say that justice demands that you pay for your crimes! God is not a corrupt judge. He is a Holy, Righteous Judge, he HATES Sin! Jesus warned that God, in his wrath, will cast all who sin against him into eternal fire “where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”(Matthew 13:42) So if you are honest with yourself, you know you are heading for Hell! Now imagine your in a courtroom, you’ve committed a crime, all the evidence is there, you ARE guilty. The judge set the fine at $200,000, and just as they are about to haul you away to jail, a person you don’t even know comes into the court room and tells the judge, “I have sold all my worldly possessions, I love this person, here is $200,000 dollars, set him FREE. Even though you broke the law, and you ARE guilty, your fine is paid and you are set free! This is exactly what Jesus Christ did for all of us! He lived a PERFECT, SINLESS life, DIED on the cross for us, and ROSE three days later, DEFEATING DEATH. YOU CANNOT EARN ETERNAL LIFE THROUGH WORKS! As ALL other religions say. It is GOD’S GIFT to all who humble themselves and come to Jesus. “Turn to God in repentance and have faith in the Lord Jesus”(Acts 20:21). He will forgive your sins and give you a new heart! “If anyone is in Christ, He is a NEW CREATION!”(2 Corinthians 5:17). God is not going to forgive you of your sins just by asking him, just like a judge wouldn’t let you go just by asking him. God commands that all REPENT(turn from sin) and submit your life to Jesus, then and only then will God forgive you of your sins! I plead with everyone reading this, PLEASE, read your Bible. If you don’t have one get one! Find out the TRUTH! After all, there is NOTHING more important than your ETERNAL SALVATION!! Thank you all for taking the time to read this, and I do apologize for making it so long.