The bible is like a dictionary or encyclopedia, dig around long enough and you'll find at least one chapter or verse to selectively justify your 'whatever' biased argument. Like TA, get an indicator and curve fit it to price trend to say "told you so, this indicator works 100%".
Right! But isn't that dependent on a change in people's behavior? I've been trying to think of the times the Bible records God changing His mind about anything and I only recall places where God had said He would bring judgment because of certain behaviors and then when the people repented or if someone interceded, God sometimes relented and did not bring the judgment. I think it's kind of like the mom who tells her kid that he can't play outside because he didn't clean his room. After his room is cleaned then she might change her mind and say he can go play. The verse you quoted is from the passage in Exodus where Moses was given the 10 Commandments and while he was gone the people worshiped the golden calf. In that case the people didn't repent, but there was still a change that took place on the human level--Moses interceded with God for the people, before the people repented. Also, God still punished them, just not in the way He first said that He would. One reason that I love God so much is for His stability and faithfulness. We humans are actually very dependent people. We are dependent on our environment...we need air, housing, food, and lots of other things. We have some abilities, but at any moment we may lose the ability to do any of them. We have no rights to tell God what to do or demand that He love us. Yet He promises that whoever will be reconciled to Him through Jesus will have His love and care for all eternity. God is faithful. It is comforting to realize that although I am not self-sufficient in the sense that I can provide all that I need for all eternity, God is willing and wanting to provide care for people in heaven. His promise of what heaven will be like: 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:3, 4 NIV
You know what hell is? It's wasting your whole life on earth consumed with believing religous nonsense. Wasted with being a cultist following an idol denomination and a idol book and idol gurus. If you believe in a devil, this would be his most cunning or conning plan.
What it's really like is, as with imaginary God, imaginary moms can't actually have kids never mind tell them anything. man that's creepy
Hard to tell if you're trolling or what. I would remind all that all Christians are atheist regarding the Christ that I promote, and are currently in hell (despite the appearance of golf courses here), not as a punishment, but as an effect of faith...more precisely, the conflation of faith and knowledge. Stay long enough, and you might feel the heat of an imploding or exploding star. Like a lake of fire in space/time.
themickey said: "You know what hell is? It's wasting your whole life on earth consumed with believing religous nonsense." I can honestly say that even if my beliefs are wrong, I am better off believing as I do. There is a lot of happiness and peace in my heart that comes from understanding God's love for me and the admonitions to take joy in God rather than feel overcome with problems. Taking the moral high road also has benefits of its own.
Imaginary friends don't write books. Maybe I need to spell this out for you. God wrote a Book. Therefore, He cannot be imaginary.
Well people are burning, almost constantly. There are all kinds of burns, here in hell. A good insult that lands can burn. Can be burned by girlfriends and boyfriends and business partners and politicians. Can be sun burned. Everyone is burning calories and constantly need to think about resupplying burning calories. Many people, Christians too, are burning with lust, or burning for some other desire. Others, are burning with hatred or some addiction. Socialists are burning with jealousy and anger about inequality. And did I mention sun burn? Others are burned by radiation. All will burn when the sun explodes, and till then, a few will burn in fires, volcanos, and bombs. Meanwhile, underneath the feet of all, below the thin crust of the planet, a lake of fire and brimstone bubbles constantly (called magma), so hot it liquifies rocks and stones. But oh no, this is not hell, because why exactly? Jesus did go to hell. He came here! Or, is there a neutral zone where there is gnashing of teeth (politics) and where the worm never dies (everybody here has parasites in the body)? That's a neutral zone because the fire is not intense enough? Question is, what was Jesus doing here, in hell?