DV, any thoughts on the topic?
I've noticed that you are usually inquisitive to the point that some may take it as contradictory. Would you care to chime in with some knowledge and your own personal views?
As for me, I think that this whole situation in the Middle East is going to come to a very big head in the near future. And since that is the final battleground in scripture, one can only contemplate.
I honestly don't know. While our efforts are a bit misdirected in the Middle East, they are necessary. I don't subscribe to the notion that we brought this upon ourselves. We are in a position to help others. Not doing so would make us morally bankrupt. Some may say that we stick our nose where it doesn't belong, but as a global superpower, EVERYTHING other nations do affects us one way or the other.
Once you throw religion into the mix, things get hairy fast. What we can't do is point our fingers at another people and make overly general judgements, because invariably, those same judgements can be made against us.
[offtopic]
DV, what is holding you back from throwing in the towel and surrendering yourself to God's grace and salvation? There is no trial period. [/quote]
Sheesh, that was out of the blue
Let's see what I can do to answer your questions. First, what is holding me back from surrendering myself to God? The same thing that holds you back from surrendering yourself to Zeus or Loki or Ganesh. I simply haven't experienced anything in my life that would lead me to believe that God exists any more than any of the countless other gods throughout history. As the saying goes, "I believe you and I are both atheists, I simply believe in one god fewer than you. And when you understand why you don't believe in all those other gods, you will understand why I don't believe in yours".
You can't just half-believe.
Agreed! That is why I don't believe at all. I have no reason to. Nor do I have any reason to DISbelieve.
There are those who say and act like believers and then one day lose their faith. They weren't true believers. Once you truly believe, nothing can sway your belief.
This is not true. There are many people that truly believed and have set their faith aside. The problem here is that you don't want to accept that fact. Why? Fear. Because YOU believe that you, er, believe, and you are afraid that if someone else truly believed and turned away from Christianity, you could too. Also, there is a HUGE difference between belief and truth. Believing that Santa exists doesn't make him exist now does it?
Don't you worry about your soul? You don't just have a soul, you ARE a soul.
Like gods, I have nothing to lead me to believe in the existence of souls. If I asked 10 different Christians what a soul was, I'd get 10 different answers. That should tell you something.
What do you think happens to you when your body dies? Do you just cease to exist?
Yes. Like a flame that has blown out. Poof. The end. I don't have reason to believe otherwise.
Wouldn't you rather know that you'll wake up in eternity, reunited with God and your loved ones?
Sure. But it's impossible to KNOW that. You don't KNOW that. You believe it, but the knowledge of it is impossible. I choose not to guess because it would make me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I don't have a problem saying that I simply don't know.
Eternal salvation has been bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus. All you have to do is accept it and it's yours.
[/offtopic]
If I said those words today, I would be dishonest with myself. How can I accept something that I don't believe in?
