Late to this part of the thread, but this has me taken aback... So you are asking for censorship of the thread because you do not agree with someone else's views. Fascinating. Sounds familiar. Council of Nicaea, anyone?
Not at all. I have dialogued with lots of people that have views that differ from my own. It's the disrespect that I'm upset about.
Trading futures is really dangerous. When I first started out, I traded live after a couple weeks on demo. I wasn't profitable yet, but I had some things that looked like they should work, so I traded live. I blew my account and called my broker and found that the guy that answered seemed to know some things about trading so I asked a couple questions and I remember he suggested that I trade in demo for a while. I didn't listen to his advice because I thought trading in demo would be wasting my time. So I blew my account pretty soon after that phone call too, but thankfully I had put less money in, in case trading wasn't as easy as it looked. Shortly after that I was again awakened to the fact that the market can really take your money fast, and then it's gone. Since that time, I've continued to develop more of a respect for the market's ability to take my money. This morning I reflected on the similarity between the harshness of the market and the harshness of God's anger at sin. When I first became a Christian, I did so primarily because I understood that it is my sin that separates me from God and I believed God's promise that Jesus was the remedy that God has provided for cleansing from sin. It wasn't any sin in particular that prompted me to realize my need for forgiveness, it was the fact that I knew that I was separated from a right relationship with God because of my sin. What led me to understand my sin problem was an understanding of how God views sin. There are many instances in the Bible where God reveals how He views sin. Most of these times God judges in ways that seem very harsh to us and there is an honest question that can be asked of how God can be loving and yet so terrifying in His judgments. His anger is only against sin, He doesn't get angry with people for anything else. Yet, since I am a sinner, that doesn't leave me in a very good place, unless I have Jesus. After becoming a Christian I have learned to recognize more and more that God is offended by my wrongful behavior. Just as the market can deliver harsh consequences and learning to recognize that is, I think, part of developing into a good trader, in a similar way, learning to recognize that God does deal harshly with sin is part of coming to know who God is. It is sometimes hard for me to wrap my mind around the two extremes: the harshness of God against sin and the love of God that would prompt Him to sacrifice Himself, in second person of the Trinity, by suffering on my behalf just so that I do not have to endure the wrath of God against sin. On Friday I was taken out of a good trade (not excellent, but good) by moving my stoploss to where I thought was a likely place of support, minus 1 tick. Price only came to my stoploss, didn't go beyond it, took it, then turned around and made the move I thought it would make. This reminds me of the times in my life where I thought a little sin wouldn't hurt. I think one thing that may be very different for believers as compared to unbelievers, is that God seems to want to work in our lives to make us hate the sins we love and He does it by not delivering us out of those consequences. There are some things that I look back on and think I never, ever want to do that again because those consequences were painful. One time I won an award, but there was a fine line that I didn't think mattered and I figured I would clarify the matter at the next step. However, the next step I actually received the award, when I thought there was one more step to go, so I didn't explain it, but accepted it. After a period of time God seemed to be reminding me of it and there wasn't really anything I could do to make it right, but I finally wrote and apologized that I wasn't more honest in the details of the "fine line." They were gracious and I wonder if they wondered why I even bothered to apologize...but I have felt better about it ever since. Even aside from Christianity, it is a good principle to own your mistakes and apologize when those mistakes have affected others negatively. I guess that example didn't bring about any consequences except that I struggled with my conscience. It was a very minor detail...yet it was a detail, and maybe it wasn't so minor....I wrestled with those types of thoughts for a long time before writing the apology. God really hates sin. God really loves people, but will not overlook their sin. God provided a remedy, but very few people on these threads want God's remedy. In fact, they seem bent on mocking it and show that they despise God's attempts to win them back from their rebellious ways. If it is unacceptable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15 Amplified
This video discusses the subject of why God has not been performing miracles for large groups of people to witness, such as another parting of the Red Sea, or something else so visible that nobody could deny His existence. Also, according to the Bible, God will not always remain "hidden." There will be a day when all who live on the earth will know Him. "And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD." Jer 31:34. Unfortunately, at the end of that long time, Satan is released and allowed to deceive people again. Even though the people knew God and had access to Him and all the evidence they could ever want, they still chose to rise up against God in the end. There's a lot that can be learned from this, but one thing is that it isn't a lack of evidence that causes people to revolt against God, it comes from the desire of our hearts. God doesn't force anyone to choose Him. Revelation 20 (NIV) And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. 4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. The Judgment of Satan 7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. 9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. The Judgment of the Dead 11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
It's been a while since I've posted on evidence for creation. This video clip is a little long and discusses several evidences for God's existence. "Robert Lawrence Kuhn (host of PBS' "Closer to Truth") asks philosopher and theologian William Lane Craig about whether God's existence can be demonstrated or not. Questions explored: Can you demonstrate God's existence mathematically? Does an argument have to convince everybody in order for it to be valid? What are some of the best arguments for God's existence? What is the Cosmological Argument? What is Leibniz's argument for God's existence? Does the contingency argument depend on a universe having a beginning? What is the Teleological Argument? What is meant by Fine-Tuning and Intelligent Design? Can the universe be "designed" by chance? What is the moral argument for God? Is the moral argument just an assumption? What is the difference between an assumption and intuition? Do all cultures really have different morals? What is meant by "objective morality"? How does Jesus' resurrection demonstrate God's existence? What are some of the evidences of Jesus' death that the majority of historical scholars agree with? What is the ontological argument? What is meant by necessary existence? What is meant by possible worlds? Are religious experiences philosophically valid? Does everything must have evidence (and arguments) prior to acceptance? Can you disprove with arguments and evidences that you are nothing more than a brain in a vat? Can you disprove with arguments and evidences that you were just made five minutes ago with built-in memories that gave you the illusion of being made longer than that? What is meant by a properly basic belief? How are they not arbitrary? What is a "defeater"? Is there an absolute psychological profile for religious people? Is God just a Freudian projection? What is something that is self-authenticating?"
Christians suckers played again. Humans love a suspense horror story, that's what makes the bible so attractive, it's brilliant marketing. Think about the book, War of the Worlds by HG Wells, a bestseller written in 1897 and still in print. ....Plot: No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man’s and yet as mortal as his own... Yet across the gulf of space, minds that are to our minds as ours are to those of the beasts that perish, intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic, regarded this earth with envious eyes, and slowly and surely drew their plans against us. — H. G. Wells (1898), The War of the Worlds Has everything, mystery, drama, killings, suspense, invaders, war...
So the answer is God only shows himself to those who believe in Him. And He doesn't care about the billions of others who don't.
NOOOOO!!! Don't think like that! The evidence is everywhere! God is seeking people but most people won't respond to what they do know, even if it is a little, with the desire to know God. But some will. And those that respond will be given more understanding until they do reject, or they come into a relationship with God. This isn't super clear in the Bible, but there are a few verses that make is sound like this is the case. ...true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him. John 4:23 I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’ Isaiah 65:1 God rewards those who earnestly seek Him: And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6 God wants everyone to be saved: Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways!.... Ezekiel 33:11 He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 2 Peter 3:9 NLT I'm not sure I made the point very clearly. It's late and I am tired. I hope these verses are clear.