Dreadsox said:
Interesting, YOU accuse others here who do not see two options of not using their mind. I as a teacher, believe the person who sees more than two options, more than black and white, ect as having used their mind. I would say the student who sees only two options as being limited in their thinking.
So because YOU did not mention, it is not worthy of being a part of the discussion. There are references int he Bible of people becoming Christian and doing something with their faith rather than sitting idly by. Maybe it is YOU who are not open to looking at iother roads in the intersection.
Then clearly YOU are picking and choosing what parts of the Bible are relevant to YOU and your point of view. Very limiting.
If YOU are directing a statement at someone, try using something other than YOU.
What a awful think to say about a person. Who do you think YOU are to make a statement like that? Get off the seat of judgement. Who are YOU to decide what Anitram, or any other poster feels about god. YOU may not agree with them, but that does not make them any less corect in their FAITH than YOU are in yours.
If YOU are not here to have a discussion but to prove YOU are right on a matter of FAITH why post?
i'd like to start by pointing out, that if a person doesn't want someone directing posts at someone else by using the word you, maybe they shouldn't do it themselves.
okay, now that that's out of the way...i think i'm ready to discuss these things. so i'll ask a question: what other ways exist at this intersection? obviously there are those that would disagree with me on this issue, so instead of attacking me this time, let's address the issue. i don't believe that it is possible to have any other conclusions than Christ was the messiah, as he claimed, or he was a madman. others disagree. please explain the other alternatives.
next point...good works. good works are not how one gets into heaven. salvation is through faith alone, grace alone, and scripture alone. however, this doesn't mean that works don't have their place. faith in Christ truly changes an individual, and one of the ways this can be seen is through their works. so, faith in Christ saves, and then produces a willing spirit. works in and of themself, work nothing towards salvation. they are fantastic in terms of what they work towards the good of the world, but without a belief in Christ, they work nothing towards a person's salvation.
again, others here would accuse me of picking and choosing parts of the bible to fit my own understanding. fine, i'll accept their opinion, but i would again ask that they would provide instances of this, and show me my error, and how i can correct it. (maybe someone could show me some versus, and explain them in their greater context, and prove me wrong)
i have also been asked how i can make inferences on anyone else's thoughts on God. my answer: i cannot know what is in their hearts. it is not my place to judge. i cannot know if anyone else is going to be saved or not. however, i think that is well within my intellectual capacity to read someone else's statements on said matter and judge their opinion based on what they put out in a public forum, just as others judge me based on what i write.
finally, i think that if we are not allowed to point out what we find to be flaws in other people's logic, in a matter where it would seem that we are all professing to be seeking an ultimate truth, then we will have a very poor discussion in deed. if an opinion is necessarily right, and not to be questioned simply becaus a person has that opinion, how a can a person ever advance past their current intellectual state?