True to form...
Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 12:30 pm
Dolomite owners are always up for a good discussion.<br>
<br>
Lets think laterally...Satan has many weapons in his armoury. I will list a few...<br>
<br>
1. False religion. Here are some pointers..Historically flawed on faked evidence etc, Fosters unatural practice, non equality of sexes, Fosters violence against non followers.<br>
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2. Bad practice of followers of the real truth. Purges, schism, intolerance, distortion of written texts etc. Again the pointers are similar to item 1. We can also add our own.<br>
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3. The belief that God doesnt exist. Anything goes. With no absolute you can have no absolute authority and therefore no absolute morality. If it feels good do it. But what if it hurts somebody esle? What if the consequences are bad for others later. Doesnt matter not my problem....as long as not too many others are looking. Time is a great healer after all...This is the dont care mentality Ben is talking about. Very prevalent in France.<br>
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4. An evolutionary pseudo scientific world view. This fosters the belief that God may exist but if he does he is remote and not that bothered. It sits very well with the view that he doesnt exist at all..Freedom from all those rules. Great...but freedom to do what? Mess it all up if you ask me. A russian evangelical on trial for his faith summed it up well..."Its no surprise you persecute us...if you believe you are descended from apes then you will behave like animals." Cue our city centres on Friday nights....<br>
<br>
The consequence of these weapons of Satan is that loads of us humans are deceived, and are therefore condemned to join him in eternal destruction.<br>
<br>
But if there is truth at all it must be unique...<br>
If Jesus said.."I am the way the truth and the life" and "I and my Father are one"...basically I am God in the flesh, <br>
and "Noone comes to God but through me" then he is making the most enormous claims. Everyone is free to evaluate them....disagree with them and even deride them. But you only get to do it in this life.<br>
<br>
Funny how the true followers of the master seem to build the most tolerant and free societies...often paying the ultimate price on the way for the freedoms of those who come behind them. They also on the whole make for lovely people....warts and all. One of the truest virtues of the church I go to is that so many people from such diverse backgrounds...(many with no interest in Dolomites at all) get on so well together.<br>
<br>
One of the key tennents the true Christian faith is the seperation of church and state. God in his wisdom knows that you cant force people to believe anything in their own headspace. He made us all free....allowing us even to chose very damnation if we so desire....The founding fathers of the United States had seen the consequence of denying that practice first hand. Thats why they built it in to their constitution.<br>
<br>
So God says if you dont want Me that's fine...you can have my very absence. That's what we see on our streets as Alun was saying. That's what we'll end up with when this life ends if we so choose.<br>
<br>
But those that seek to take away that freedom of belief....by force of violence especially....perform a huge greivance against the God that made them.....and worse still if they claim to do it his name.<br>
<br>
<br>
Jonners<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<p></p><i></i>
<br>
Lets think laterally...Satan has many weapons in his armoury. I will list a few...<br>
<br>
1. False religion. Here are some pointers..Historically flawed on faked evidence etc, Fosters unatural practice, non equality of sexes, Fosters violence against non followers.<br>
<br>
2. Bad practice of followers of the real truth. Purges, schism, intolerance, distortion of written texts etc. Again the pointers are similar to item 1. We can also add our own.<br>
<br>
3. The belief that God doesnt exist. Anything goes. With no absolute you can have no absolute authority and therefore no absolute morality. If it feels good do it. But what if it hurts somebody esle? What if the consequences are bad for others later. Doesnt matter not my problem....as long as not too many others are looking. Time is a great healer after all...This is the dont care mentality Ben is talking about. Very prevalent in France.<br>
<br>
4. An evolutionary pseudo scientific world view. This fosters the belief that God may exist but if he does he is remote and not that bothered. It sits very well with the view that he doesnt exist at all..Freedom from all those rules. Great...but freedom to do what? Mess it all up if you ask me. A russian evangelical on trial for his faith summed it up well..."Its no surprise you persecute us...if you believe you are descended from apes then you will behave like animals." Cue our city centres on Friday nights....<br>
<br>
The consequence of these weapons of Satan is that loads of us humans are deceived, and are therefore condemned to join him in eternal destruction.<br>
<br>
But if there is truth at all it must be unique...<br>
If Jesus said.."I am the way the truth and the life" and "I and my Father are one"...basically I am God in the flesh, <br>
and "Noone comes to God but through me" then he is making the most enormous claims. Everyone is free to evaluate them....disagree with them and even deride them. But you only get to do it in this life.<br>
<br>
Funny how the true followers of the master seem to build the most tolerant and free societies...often paying the ultimate price on the way for the freedoms of those who come behind them. They also on the whole make for lovely people....warts and all. One of the truest virtues of the church I go to is that so many people from such diverse backgrounds...(many with no interest in Dolomites at all) get on so well together.<br>
<br>
One of the key tennents the true Christian faith is the seperation of church and state. God in his wisdom knows that you cant force people to believe anything in their own headspace. He made us all free....allowing us even to chose very damnation if we so desire....The founding fathers of the United States had seen the consequence of denying that practice first hand. Thats why they built it in to their constitution.<br>
<br>
So God says if you dont want Me that's fine...you can have my very absence. That's what we see on our streets as Alun was saying. That's what we'll end up with when this life ends if we so choose.<br>
<br>
But those that seek to take away that freedom of belief....by force of violence especially....perform a huge greivance against the God that made them.....and worse still if they claim to do it his name.<br>
<br>
<br>
Jonners<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<p></p><i></i>
