Poll for NotReady

[NotReady]

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By that I mean that almost all religious people would be tickeled pink to find out that some other monotheistic religion was true


[/ QUOTE ]

I think you would be tickled pink to lay down your burden.

Pilgrim's Progress
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{93} He ran thus till he came at a place somewhat ascending, and
upon that place stood a cross, and a little below, in the bottom,
a sepulchre. So I saw in my dream, that just as Christian came up
with the cross, his burden loosed from off his shoulders, and fell
from off his back, and began to tumble, and so continued to do,
till it came to the mouth of the sepulchre, where it fell in, and
I saw it no more.

{94} Then was Christian glad and lightsome, and said, with a
merry heart, "He hath given me rest by his sorrow, and life by his
death." Then he stood still awhile to look and wonder; for it was
very surprising to him, that the sight of the cross should thus
ease him of his burden. He looked therefore, and looked again,
even till the springs that were in his head sent the waters down
his cheeks. [Zech. 12:10]


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For His yoke is easy and His burden light.

[latefordinner]

excellent response. at least andrew sullivan shows capacity for thought.

[Lestat]

Subtley funny, eloquent, and powerfully accurate. If this post were an Olympic dive, I'd think a 9.98 from the foreign judges, and perhaps a 10 from your home country would be reasonable.

[Lestat]

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excellent response. at least andrew sullivan shows capacity for thought.

[/ QUOTE ]

I admit it. I'm dumb.

Is the moral that even if a Christian's cross becomes too burdensome to bear, he can still find the Lord? I don't get it.

[donkeylove]

I asked this same question to a Christian minister one time. I had posed the question as from a Buddhist slant ie. if I was born in Thailand or Tibet. He pointed me to Acts 16. Paul desired to spread the gospel eastward but was advised in a dream by an angel or messenger to instead take the gospel westward, and from that point on it went west.

I would guess a Christian would have to assume that God knew that his message would be received there, while not received to the east. That also implies to me that their was something in the character of the people that was unreceptive to the message and was somehow generational.

If you believe in Christianity, you have to almost assume that rejection of Christ is passed down like a bad gene through cultures, and that present day Muslims have the same rebelliousness present that their ancesters did. I am not espousing this belief, but it makes more sense than denying you would be a Muslim if you were born in Saudi Arabia. You would almost have to believe that God blesses following generations if you adhered to a belief in him.

I know there are occasional exceptions in any Muslim country, and sects like Coptic Christians in Egypt, but they are very small in number, so it's very,very likely that born in SA means Muslim.

I would actually be interested in NotReadys response, because to me this question has always been unanswerable logically in any other way than there being something fundamentally missing in all other people who adhere to other faiths, if Christianity is in fact the true way.

[revots33]

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After death, all people, Christians and non-Christians, simply merge with the Deity in a loving embrace.

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that's a load off my mind

[vhawk01]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
After death, all people, Christians and non-Christians, simply merge with the Deity in a loving embrace.

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that's a load off my mind

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Think how many man-hours, billions of dollars, and 'human suffering units' PTB's revelation would have on mankind. I don't mean that as an insult to PTB, it really would be great if everyone accepted that...I just don't think its very likely.

[kurto]

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God makes sure that the people who are most likely to reject Him are born in non-Christian countries...

probably so that they do not damn us all...praise the Lord for he is good.

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Praise be to God!

[NotReady]

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I would actually be interested in NotReadys response


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6But (G)the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: "(H)DO NOT SAY IN YOUR HEART, 'WHO WILL ASCEND INTO HEAVEN?' (that is, to bring Christ down),

7or 'WHO WILL DESCEND INTO THE (I)ABYSS?' (that is, to (J)bring Christ up from the dead)."

8But what does it say? "(K)THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART"--that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,

9that (L)if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and (M)believe in your heart that (N)God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

10for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

11For the Scripture says, "(O)WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED."

12For (P)there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is (Q)Lord of (R)all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him;

13for "(S)WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."

14How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him (T)whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without (U)a preacher?

15How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "(V)HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO (W)BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!"

16However, they (X)did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, "(Y)LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?"

17So faith comes from (Z)hearing, and hearing by (AA)the word of Christ.

18But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have;
"(AB)THEIR VOICE HAS GONE OUT INTO ALL THE EARTH,
AND THEIR WORDS TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD."

19But I say, surely Israel did not know, did they? First Moses says,
"(AC)I WILL (AD)MAKE YOU JEALOUS BY THAT WHICH IS NOT A NATION,
BY A NATION WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING WILL I ANGER YOU."

20And Isaiah is very bold and says,
"(AE)I WAS FOUND BY THOSE WHO DID NOT SEEK ME,
I BECAME MANIFEST TO THOSE WHO DID NOT ASK FOR ME."

[Hopey]

It's not surprising that when people ask NR for his thoughts, he responds my quoting scripture.