chatfsh

Freedom, as expressed through self-determination, is a mere illusion as long as one is still a slave to his sinful inclinations and desires. It is an exercise in self-delusion to believe that one is

Your analogy is inappropriate due to the confining restrictions placed upon the child in your example. God may dictate the standards governing sexual morality

Heh, I

From what I

Well put, ErasOmnius. Now, concerning the afterlife

Misty Edwards. We just bought her CD and hope to see her in soon.

The American economy is still chugging along on life support, primarily in the form of government spending and various incentives designed to create a false sense of economic growth. The stock market is propped up by the same out-of-control government spending, but savvy investors aren

Acriku

Absolutely. The immediate joy that I derived from serving those in need was, in and of itself, a rich reward. Try it, if you haven

The question of the afterlife, is really a question about eternity and how one will spend it. Everything that I have spoken of is with respect to one

My husband and I just had the best time seeing this band in concert. Steven Curtis Chapman

You really missed the point, Wolf (though in the process, you truly showcased your own vanity). I was not referring to your "intelligence", but rather to your religious zeal in rationalizing or calling "good" what Christ has called sin throughout the Old and New Testament. But you lack the courage and integrity to hold fast to your faith. With every word that you utter, you crucify Christ all over again, making His sacrifice irrelevant and His Word meaningless. May God have mercy on your soul.

Wolf, if you put nearly as much effort into proselytizing for Christ as you do in rationalizing immoral behavior that God

Speaking of the afterlife

After hearing all the hype and discovering that several of the showings had been sold out, my expectations were quite high. Inevitably, I felt a little let down by the movie, though it was fairly entertaining. The fall from the bridge sequence was particularly well done. Got quite the chuckle off the kiss bit. I wouldn't rate the movie as a 'Must see!' But rather as a 'Probably Should See'.

Athanasios is correct. The Biblical account is precisely what I was referring to. Though secular historical accounts also attest to the fact that ancient Israel was destroyed. It is God's Word that provides the reasons for the violent demise of the Holy Nation.

And if this church council had decided that adultery was to be sanctioned by the church would that place the belief in conflict with scripture? The truth of the matter is that if an act is condemned in the scriptures as sin (and you know that particular one is), it doesn

As I

The reason that Eras is justified in claiming persecution for his Christian beliefs and you are not is evident. Eras' views are based solidly upon Scripture and are in line with traditional Christian tenets. Whereas, your views conflict with Scripture and therefore, you cannot honestly claim that you are being persecuted for "Christian" beliefs (perhaps for your worldly beliefs...) Your views have obviously been contaminated and compromised by the world. You embrace and even rationalize their gross immorality, all the while mocking and ridiculing God's perfect moral standards.

There is such a thing as righteous indignation which Christ himself displayed when he angrily drove the money changers out of his Father's temple. He will do so a thousand-fold when He returns to purge the earth of all unrighteousness. Of course, Christ is perfect and therefore would express wrath and vengeance in a proper manner. We, however, are imperfect and therefore, incapable of expressing such without the risk of sinning ourselves. Hence, it is best to leave the business of wrath and vengeance to God. But rest assured that the dreadful, fear-inspiring day of vengeance is rapidly approaching.

Regarding the notion of religion merely being a tool to control the masses, one could say the very same about governments and their systems of law and order. Therefore, religion seeking to control/improve human behavior is, in and of itself, neither a negative nor a unique concept. But to imply that this is all that religion is demonstrates a lack of discernment and a distinct inability to ponder concepts beyond the limits of one's material reality.

We

If you were a compassionate person who truly believed that someone

I really do understand what you

When one