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Post by thedude on May 20, 2010 19:51:59 GMT -5
I think God is willing to love everyone but if a person is constantly sinning and doesn't believe in God then God can stop loving them. That doesn't mean that the person can't change the way God views them if they repent for their sins and become a believer.
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Post by Jeremy on May 20, 2010 20:25:27 GMT -5
1 John 4:8 "The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love."
I think people misinterpret verses about God's hate. God does not hate sinners but instead the act of sinning. God hates sin.
Also, when people do not accept the sacrifice for our sins (Hebrews 10:26) a person's sin is not removed and thus they are not forgiven (John 3:36).
And of course an example of God's love is Christ.
Romans 5:6-8 "For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
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Post by Azrael on May 23, 2010 19:42:52 GMT -5
1 John 4:8 "The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love." I think people misinterpret verses about God's hate. God does not hate sinners but instead the act of sinning. God hates sin. Also, when people do not accept the sacrifice for our sins (Hebrews 10:26) a person's sin is not removed and thus they are not forgiven (John 3:36). And of course an example of God's love is Christ. Romans 5:6-8 "For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Bingo. Hebrew has a lot of different words for hate. The ones used for instances like "God hated Esau" are like "God despised Esau's actions and the way in which he behaved." Ironically, most of the 101 Bible Contradictions are either copying errors (Ahaziah was 22 when he began ruling over Israel. One book's copying error puts him at 42) or examples of insensitive translation over ambiguous words. As for the whole concept of not being able to love and condemn, I would like to remind everybody that God is just. Parents love and punish. So does God. Additionally, love is proof of our infinite free will. God's supreme commandment is to love him and our neighbors. Being that love cannot be forced, coerced, or taken without ceasing to be love, God's existence remains unprovable such that every human may make their choice to love or not to love God ignorant of the diverging path that the choice represents so that their choice is motivated out of genuine love rather than an act of coerced submission. Brent, Richard Dawkins, and the Retarded Response Squad don't fear Hell for a very compelling reason: they do not have knowledge of the existence of God. This is a text-book definition of free will. Since none will ever have real and empirical knowledge of the existence of God, none will fear Hell. If you believe in it, you aren't going. If you don't, then it doesn't worry you anyways. God could, as Dawkins and many others demand, snap his fingers, reveal himself, and cause everybody to believe. The problem is that they would be unable to obey his first commandment. Nobody can truly love somebody knowing that they will spend an eternity in separation and anguish if they don't.
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Post by dlectronic on May 23, 2010 21:14:38 GMT -5
I think that it would be inappropriate to quote your whole response, Azrael, and put the whole thing in my signature. But such does not change my opinion: that was a very telling response.
Oftentimes we seek to "prove" God like we could prove that 5x5=25. We (or at least I) sometimes forget that these arguments, no matter how sound, should be to convince somebody to choose God.
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Post by scribe on May 23, 2010 21:53:45 GMT -5
Unconditional love would maybe exist in a utopia, but not on this Earth. You can never truly understand an individual, you may have an incredible bond with a mother or father or something but nope sorry no unconditional love. I do believe it exists in humans. However, I think a better, more pure example of unconditional love can be found in animals such as the love dogs have for their masters. I can't remember exactly, but I believe the Greek word for 'adore', as we are supposed to adore Christ, literally means 'to lick the hand', like a dog licks the hand of his master. Just something to point out - if it exists in animals, it surely has the potential to exist in us.
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Post by Patrick on May 23, 2010 23:44:05 GMT -5
God could, as Dawkins and many others demand, snap his fingers, reveal himself, and cause everybody to believe. The problem is that they would be unable to obey his first commandment. Nobody can truly love somebody knowing that they will spend an eternity in separation and anguish if they don't. Wow, I never thought of it like that before.
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Post by thedude on May 24, 2010 0:34:52 GMT -5
As for the whole concept of not being able to love and condemn, I would like to remind everybody that God is just. Parents love and punish. So does God. Additionally, love is proof of our infinite free will. God's supreme commandment is to love him and our neighbors. Being that love cannot be forced, coerced, or taken without ceasing to be love, God's existence remains unprovable such that every human may make their choice to love or not to love God ignorant of the diverging path that the choice represents so that their choice is motivated out of genuine love rather than an act of coerced submission. yeah that
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Post by conner on Jun 10, 2010 14:54:47 GMT -5
I hate.
Therefore, I am.
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runny
New Member
I am cool or something.
Posts: 11
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Post by runny on Jun 10, 2010 16:20:32 GMT -5
hi im gonna create humans and send them to hell because i love them
Makes perfect sense, RIGHT GUYS?
*sigh*
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Post by Jacob on Jun 10, 2010 16:40:00 GMT -5
"Hi son, I love you but you went against my commandments and now you're gonna be grounded."
*sigh*
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runny
New Member
I am cool or something.
Posts: 11
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Post by runny on Jun 10, 2010 22:26:23 GMT -5
hi dad, i never knew you existed so your still gonna send me to hell
*sigh*
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Post by Radiant Magnificence Alastair on Jun 10, 2010 22:56:43 GMT -5
You didn't?
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Post by Jacob on Jun 10, 2010 23:13:57 GMT -5
"Hello son,your house was proof that I existed and I left an instruction manual for you."
*sigh*
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runny
New Member
I am cool or something.
Posts: 11
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Post by runny on Jun 11, 2010 4:50:43 GMT -5
hi dad uh what?
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Post by Jeremy on Jun 11, 2010 10:23:02 GMT -5
Son, I am disappoint.
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