"Be it that palm of victor awaits him, be it that he is destined to sink beneath the weight of his herculean task, at such a time he is no longer man. He is demigod!" -Polybius (Roman Historian) of Hannibal
The only seed you planted in your friend mind that day is the seed of fear! The fear of punishment, fear of the unknown and the fear of death are some of the psychological seeds that promoted the cave dwellers thousands of years ago to create GOD!
"Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom" - Kierkegaard anx·i·e·ty aNGˈzīədē/ noun a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.
I agree...and it worked! Thank you! He's much involved in his church now and he's much more open to religion than I ever was. He and I believe in God from our hearts, but I might add that I'm resistant to "religion" in general. The both of us have logical/scientific reasoning type of mental processes, but it doesn't stop us from being "believers"...like it does for so many other logical thinking snobs!
There is absolutely no problem in any person believing what ever they want to believe in. The problem arises when the FEW try to impose their way of thinking on the MANY. For centuries, mainly due to the lack of "information", or to be more specific, the lack of "communication", the MANY were blind, aka "ignorant" to what was going on in the world as a whole. This led to a way of thinking that gave the FEW power and authority. Since the late 1800's and early 1900's, with the arrival of "means of communication", the MANY slowly started to gain access to "information". We have just started, and it has taken just over 100 years to wipe out most of the brainwashing that was carried out for many thousands of years. Some say that in another 50 years things will have changed dramatically from the way they are now, as the last of the "ignorant" era passes away. Trading has a lot in common with religion For those interested in learning about the timeline...a starting point https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_communication#/media/File:Sumerian_26th_c_Adab.jpg
If you really want to experience God on this earth, then all you need do is reverse the 3 letters Your best friend. Unconditional love. Forever faithful. Would die for you. Brings joy and happiness to the whole family. Beat that!
Stocktracker and Oddtrader...do you think "God's Way" is always fluffy, kind, and certain? Don't you think God has used "fear" to connect/communicate with us in the past...it's in the Bible isn't it? Have you ever heard the term "GOD FEARING PERSON"? What are you guys thinking?