[Brother Gonzalez]

Re: God Hates Asexuals

Good comparison, with the difference that a good parent loves their children in a truly unconditional way - so a loving parent never sends his/her children to eternal damnation, but always gives a second, third, and n-th chance.

If God was a regular parent, someone would have called child services by now.
I mean, if you drown all your children but one, because you don't like how they behave, well, you will be prosecuted.
Of course, this could only happen in our godless society, where you cannot use the rod as commanded by the Bible without getting your kids taken away from you.

[Basilissa]

Re: God Hates Asexuals

Galatians 5:22-23,

It says that both works and faith are the the fruits of walking in the Spirit.

1 John 4:16,

This whole chapter talks about loving one another. Not all works come from love and not all love has to result in works. I have seen many Christians who do good works not because they love "the poor children in Africa," to the contrary, they feel disgust and disdain towards them, and the act of helping simply makes them feel even more superior. On the other hand, even if you love "the poor children in Africa" you might want to chose to pray for them rather than do something good for them.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

The way I understand these verses is the difference between doing something so you can feel better about yourself and doing something because you're really are a kind person who doesn't want people to suffer.

Mother Teresa was a perfect example of the former, as she really enjoyed being seen helping the poor, received millions of dollars in donations yet her hospitals were dirty, nasty places where people were coming to die because they were not receiving actual medical attention. And they were baptized against their will/without their knowledge during the process of dying. (Which didn't make any difference anyway, as they definitely had no faith necessary to be Saved in the first place).

It has always been my understanding that the "works" that are mentioned are the same as or come from the "fruits of the Spirit" talked about in the above verses.

I agree that both faith and works are necessary for salvation. However the origin of this discussion was whether or not specific works such as childbirth are necessary for salvation.

Let's agree to disagree, then. To me, works are a requirement, and 1 Timothy 2:15 clearly shows what specific work is necessary for women to be Saved.

I believe that God works through the Holy Spirit in every believer's heart to convict them of how they should follow Him; that is why they are referred to as "the fruits of the Spirit".

If He did that for every believer, I don't think we'd have as many shades of Christianity as we do - or do you think that God gives different directions on how to follow Him to the members of Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant churches?

Or do you think that none of the members of ... (fill in the blank) churches are true believers, and only the members of... (fill in the blank) church are true believers?

This is a serious question when you think about all of the religious wars within Christianity, all of the genocides of Christian religious minorities, starting with the genocide of early gnostic sects (OK, they were really weird and only tangentially based on the canon of the Bible as we know it, but - they originated before there was a canon of the Bible), the crusades (when Europeans killed the Eastern Christians together with the Muslims, because they couldn't tell the difference), the genocides of Huguenots and other protestant minorities in Europe, the Hundred Years' War, etc, etc.

Looking at that violent history within different branches of Christianity, do you think that God guided all these people in different ways so that all of the genocides in His Name could happen, or do you think that 99% of the people who call themselves Christian were and are wrong and there is only a tiny minority that really believes what God wants them to believe?

If the latter, what makes you think that you're one of these true believers? What makes you so special?

As an example, my personal conviction is that God has called me not to be in any sexual relationship, but to live my life as a caring and strong friend, to help others through their trials without my mind becoming clouded by sensual desire.

How can you be so sure, though? I understand that God played with your life, exposing you to some bad stuff so that He could see how you behave in difficult circumstances (who knows, maybe He even placed a bet over your life with the Devil just like He did with Job, Job 1:6-12). You cannot really know, though, whether He is telling you to follow the right path or leading you towards eternal damnation (2 Thess 2:11-12).

The solution I found after months of careful thought was the relationship between God and mankind as that of a parent with His children. A good parent doesn't force their child to think in a certain way, but allows them to live their life ultimately as they choose, sometimes choosing to make an effort to help them out of temptation and other times allowing them to be consumed by their own desires.

Good comparison, with the difference that a good parent loves their children in a truly unconditional way - so a loving parent never sends his/her children to eternal damnation, but always gives a second, third, and n-th chance.

I still strongly believe that we have absolutely no power to achieve salvation by ourselves, but we still have to plead with God for salvation. I always picture accepting salvation as the "child"(us) being in prison with a death sentence, and the "parent" (God) being the only one that can redeem us by sending our "brother" (Jesus) in our place, but we still have to ask and plead with Him to do it.

And all of the truly good people who never had a chance to hear about God and Jesus are predestined to Hell, no matter how much good they do in the world. Praise God for letting us be born in nice white middle class families in America, where we actually got a chance to love God and follow His word, while millions of other people are on the way to Hell and have no way of doing anything to change it!

[Mary Etheldreda]

Re: God Hates Asexuals

The solution I found after months of careful thought

Well there's your problem, dear. You're putting way too much thought into this. The Good Lord didn't write the King James Bible to be studied and analyzed and held accountable to reality, but for Salvation™! While it's true the Bible is confounding enough to spend a lifetime figuring out (so it must be deep), it's also simple enough for a three year old to understand! Do you think God would make Salvation™ too hard for a three year old?

Think about it, dear. As Sam Harris explains, "Nine million children die each year before the age of five. Picture an Asian tsunami, of the sort we saw in 2004 that killed a quarter of a million people. One of those every ten days, killing only those under five. 24,000 children a day, a thousand an hour, seventeen or so a minute, that means before I can get to the end of this sentence some few children will have died in terror and agony."

But Harris doesn't understand. God calls us all to be Judged before Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10). He doesn't leave us without Hope! Even the three year old can have hope because True Faith™ is that simple!

was the relationship between God and mankind as that of a parent with His children. A good parent doesn't force their child to think in a certain way, but allows them to live their life ultimately as they choose, sometimes choosing to make an effort to help them out of temptation and other times allowing them to be consumed by their own desires.

Balderdash. A good parent doesn't watch a child wander off into traffic, muttering to himself, "Well, I can't really force him one way or another. He's got to make his own choices."

Why do you think the LORD preserves parenting guides in the Holy Bible that function to shape a child's thought process, or as Pope Franny calls it, "ideological colonization"? He doesn't like it because he knows it works, and will work against his Satanic cult! Praise Jesus! We know the Holy Bible is the Perfect Guide for Parenting, and nowhere will you find advice to just leave children to their own thoughts.

[Princess L]

Re: God Hates Asexuals

I'm glad you're back. I enjoy talking to you, as we've been able to stay on the issue rather than throw insults at each other. Which makes us better from the people running for president this election cycle.

Haha, I definitely agree with you on that last part.

Please feel free to provide actual verses (and not refer to some vague "other passages") that support your interpretation.

Galatians 5:22-23, 1 John 4:16, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

It has always been my understanding that the "works" that are mentioned are the same as or come from the "fruits of the Spirit" talked about in the above verses.

Otherwise, I do not see anything in the cited passages that would suggest that these works actually stem from faith. Do not get me wrong - I realize that works alone cannot do a thing - Jesus is very clear that good people who do not believe in Him go to Hell (and that includes for example all of the people who lived and died in the Americas before Columbus, and little babies that die before they can accept Jesus as their Savior):

John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

However, I think the disagreement between us on this issue is semantic. Whether we see it as:

faith + works -> salvation

or:

faith -> works -> salvation

the point of James 2:14-26 is that:

faith without works -> no salvation

which means we need both faith and works for salvation, whether the works stem from faith or directly from the goodness of your heart.

I agree that both faith and works are necessary for salvation. However the origin of this discussion was whether or not specific works such as childbirth are necessary for salvation. I believe that Paul defines the "fruits of the Spirit" the way he does (as following from love and a desire to be obedient to God) because of how Christ sums up the commandments; "Love the lord your God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself."

I believe that God works through the Holy Spirit in every believer's heart to convict them of how they should follow Him; that is why they are referred to as "the fruits of the Spirit". As an example, my personal conviction is that God has called me not to be in any sexual relationship, but to live my life as a caring and strong friend, to help others through their trials without my mind becoming clouded by sensual desire.

In other words, it's neither faith nor works but God's Grace that saves us. So you can be an exemplary Christian who has faith and does good deeds all over, and yet God can decide to throw you to Hell anyway.

I know, it kinda sucks, but what can we do. As I said before, God created this world, so we have to follow His rules and just hope for the best.

After which He still can make the decision to throw us to Hell (see your own quote above in bold).

I see that you concentrate on the Thessalonians verse and chose not to answer to Ezekiel 20:25-26. A wise decision, as the Ezekiel verse really does not leave any room for interpretation.

However, when you look again at 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

I'm not really sure how do you get from: "it's Him choosing whether or not to help us out of our earthly temptations" to "It's not Him damning or saving us." I mean, if He doesn't help us out (2 Thess 2:10), then we cannot do it on our own, especially when the He piles up more delusions for us (2 Thess 2:11), so we are damned (2 Thess 2:12).

That becomes even more clear when we look at this verse:

2 Timothy 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

Here we can see where Kalvin got the idea of predestination from: the Grace was given to certain individuals (obviously not to all people, because God didn't create Hell for it to stay empty) even before the world began.

I suppose we can interpret it in the light of this verse:

Psalm 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.

As evidence that God - who, after all, knows everything - knows how we'll live our lives long before we're born, and gives an extra "push" to those who will make the right choices anyway. Yet, when I try to think about free will in this context, it makes my head spin.

Oh believe me, this was a tough issue for me to consider too (and I could have explained it better). When I said "under no obligation to show us mercy", I should have explained that more clearly as "under no obligation to offer us salvation".

The solution I found after months of careful thought was the relationship between God and mankind as that of a parent with His children. A good parent doesn't force their child to think in a certain way, but allows them to live their life ultimately as they choose, sometimes choosing to make an effort to help them out of temptation and other times allowing them to be consumed by their own desires. I still strongly believe that we have absolutely no power to achieve salvation by ourselves, but we still have to plead with God for salvation. I always picture accepting salvation as the "child"(us) being in prison with a death sentence, and the "parent" (God) being the only one that can redeem us by sending our "brother" (Jesus) in our place, but we still have to ask and plead with Him to do it.

[Basilissa]

Re: God Hates Asexuals

Neither can I, life is busy.

I'm glad you're back. I enjoy talking to you, as we've been able to stay on the issue rather than throw insults at each other. Which makes us better from the people running for president this election cycle.

Paul is using "works" to refer to those works that naturally follow from true faith. These are referred to in other passages as "the fruits of the spirit". They're implied as necessary because only true belief would result in such actions. In other words, works such as what Paul is talking about are faith->works=saved, not faith+works=saved

Please feel free to provide actual verses (and not refer to some vague "other passages") that support your interpretation.

Otherwise, I do not see anything in the cited passages that would suggest that these works actually stem from faith. Do not get me wrong - I realize that works alone cannot do a thing - Jesus is very clear that good people who do not believe in Him go to Hell (and that includes for example all of the people who lived and died in the Americas before Columbus, and little babies that die before they can accept Jesus as their Savior):

John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

However, I think the disagreement between us on this issue is semantic. Whether we see it as:

faith + works -> salvation

or:

faith -> works -> salvation

the point of James 2:14-26 is that:

faith without works -> no salvation

which means we need both faith and works for salvation, whether the works stem from faith or directly from the goodness of your heart.

Wrong. Be careful not to confuse God's merciful offer of salvation with belief in it. Those verses point out that not only do we have no power to save ourselves, but also that God is under no obligation to show mercy to us.

In other words, it's neither faith nor works but God's Grace that saves us. So you can be an exemplary Christian who has faith and does good deeds all over, and yet God can decide to throw you to Hell anyway.

I know, it kinda sucks, but what can we do. As I said before, God created this world, so we have to follow His rules and just hope for the best.

Christ's death and resurrection opened the door of salvation, but we still have to make the decision to enter it.

After which He still can make the decision to throw us to Hell (see your own quote above in bold).

Wrong again. You're misinterpreting that verse. They didn't receive the love of the truth because they chose not to, and God allowed them to give themselves over to their sinful ways. It's not Him damning or saving us, it's Him choosing whether or not to help us out of our earthly temptations. He may have given them a delusion, but the implication is that they embraced it with open arms. I have personally known people who God gave over to their own sin, but in the end came to know salvation.

I see that you concentrate on the Thessalonians verse and chose not to answer to Ezekiel 20:25-26. A wise decision, as the Ezekiel verse really does not leave any room for interpretation.

However, when you look again at 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

I'm not really sure how do you get from: "it's Him choosing whether or not to help us out of our earthly temptations" to "It's not Him damning or saving us." I mean, if He doesn't help us out (2 Thess 2:10), then we cannot do it on our own, especially when the He piles up more delusions for us (2 Thess 2:11), so we are damned (2 Thess 2:12).

That becomes even more clear when we look at this verse:

2 Timothy 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

Here we can see where Kalvin got the idea of predestination from: the Grace was given to certain individuals (obviously not to all people, because God didn't create Hell for it to stay empty) even before the world began.

I suppose we can interpret it in the light of this verse:

Psalm 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.

As evidence that God - who, after all, knows everything - knows how we'll live our lives long before we're born, and gives an extra "push" to those who will make the right choices anyway. Yet, when I try to think about free will in this context, it makes my head spin.

You present God as some vengeful deity like the greco-roman gods. Don't slander him with such speech!

I am not doing it. The Holy Bible does it for me.

He may get to make all the rules and serve out justice as he sees fit, but he is still loving toward us and slow to anger.

True. He really loves the small minority of people whom He chose (whichever way) to be Saved:

Matthew 7:13-14
13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Since when is Google a better definition of aspects of Christianity than the Word of God?

Well, all of the words contained in the Holy Bible have their definitions in the English language. While the Holy Bible does not provide such definitions, because it's not a dictionary, we have dictionaries to provide such definitions. Merriam-Webster is a very reliable source of such definitions, whether in its printed or online version.

Yeah I know I'm not "blessed" in that way, I guess my name isn't the only thing I share with a certain doubtful apostle.

You should pray to Jesus to help you with that weakness.

You presume that it is impossible to know that God loves me. I have been through far too many trials in life to believe anything else. Were it not for the love and grace of God, I wouldn't still be here.

And I respect your faith in this respect.

[Princess L]

Re: God Hates Asexuals

You're mighty sassy, Princess and mistaken to boot. No Christian would claim that Jesus was hung from a cross. And H-a-n-g-e-d-o-n-a-c-r-o-s-s? I have never heard that said by anyone, ever. Jesus was nailed to a cross. That's a pretty big thing to be confused about. For an expert, like yourself, who wants to tell actual Christians about your bizarre theories about Jesus, you are remarkably uninformed. Salvation may still be possible for you, but I doubt it. My guess is that you will be swimming in the Lake of Fire before you know it.

Even the KJV uses that terminology

Acts 5:30

[Alvin Moss]

Re: God Hates Asexuals

H-a-n-g-e-d o-n a c-r-o-s-s

I'm sure you've heard it stated that way before, it's basically the same thing as saying "crucified"

You're mighty sassy, Princess and mistaken to boot. No Christian would claim that Jesus was hung from a cross. And H-a-n-g-e-d-o-n-a-c-r-o-s-s? I have never heard that said by anyone, ever. Jesus was nailed to a cross. That's a pretty big thing to be confused about. For an expert, like yourself, who wants to tell actual Christians about your bizarre theories about Jesus, you are remarkably uninformed. Salvation may still be possible for you, but I doubt it. My guess is that you will be swimming in the Lake of Fire before you know it.

[Princess L]

Re: God Hates Asexuals

You have mentioned this hanged man several times. I am thinking it might be useful to point out that he was actually crucified, as was Jesus.


God Bless!

H-a-n-g-e-d o-n a c-r-o-s-s

I'm sure you've heard it stated that way before, it's basically the same thing as saying "crucified"

[Princess L]

Re: God Hates Asexuals

I do apologize for not posting earlier; unfortunately, I do have a life outside of the internet and cannot be online 24/7.

Neither can I, life is busy.

I dunno, how do you explain it in the light of the following verses:

James 2:14-26 (some parts cut out for brevity, but you can read the whole passage here - the cut out verses include specific examples)
James 2:14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
[. . .]
James 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
[. . .]
James 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
[. . .]
James 2:24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
[. . .]
James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Paul is using "works" to refer to those works that naturally follow from true faith. These are referred to in other passages as "the fruits of the spirit". They're implied as necessary because only true belief would result in such actions. In other words, works such as what Paul is talking about are faith->works=saved, not faith+works=saved

In the light of above verses, the miracle suggestion that was provided by Mary and that Didymus fellow seem the most plausible/logical. After all, some passages suggest that it doesn't really matter what we do nor what we believe, because God already decided who will be saved and who will be damned at the beginning of time:

Romans 9:14-18
14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

Wrong. Be careful not to confuse God's merciful offer of salvation with belief in it. Those verses point out that not only do we have no power to save ourselves, but also that God is under no obligation to show mercy to us. Christ's death and resurrection opened the door of salvation, but we still have to make the decision to enter it.

That passage makes even more sense when we consider that sometimes God simply wants to send some people to Hell and clouds their judgement on purpose:

Ezekiel 20:25-26
25 Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live;
26 And I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the fire all that openeth the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am the Lord.

2 Thessalonians 2:8-12
8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

The latter passage is especially interesting because if you look closely, you will notice that the wicked ones are damned because "they received not the love of the truth," so God deluded their minds so they'd be damned for good.

Wrong again. You're misinterpreting that verse. They didn't receive the love of the truth because they chose not to, and God allowed them to give themselves over to their sinful ways. It's not Him damning or saving us, it's Him choosing whether or not to help us out of our earthly temptations. He may have given them a delusion, but the implication is that they embraced it with open arms. I have personally known people who God gave over to their own sin, but in the end came to know salvation.

From our human point of view, the decision whom God will save and whom He will damn might seem a bit random or even unjust, but what can we do - it is His world, so He gets to create the rules of the game, and we have no other choice but to try to follow them (salvation through faith and works) and hope for the best (salvation through Grace).

You present God as some vengeful deity like the greco-roman gods. Don't slander him with such speech! He may get to make all the rules and serve out justice as he sees fit, but he is still loving toward us and slow to anger.

Let's see what the dictionary says:

1. 1 a : allegiance to duty or a person : loyalty b (1) : fidelity to one's promises (2) : sincerity of intentions
2. 2 a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2) : complete trust
3. 3 : something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially : a system of religious beliefs <the Protestant faith>

I have highlighted the most pertinent definitions.

Since when is Google a better definition of aspects of Christianity than the Word of God?

As Mary pointed out, you don't know that God loves you; you believe it. You should know that God prefers those who believe without any evidence over those who want some tangible proof:

John 20:29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

I hope that was helpful. I do enjoy the conversation we are having. I will be offline most of the day tomorrow but I will try to post again at night.

Yeah I know I'm not "blessed" in that way, I guess my name isn't the only thing I share with a certain doubtful apostle.

You presume that it is impossible to know that God loves me. I have been through far too many trials in life to believe anything else. Were it not for the love and grace of God, I wouldn't still be here.

[Alvin Moss]

Re: God Hates Asexuals

how do you explain the man hanged next to Jesus?

You have mentioned this hanged man several times. I am thinking it might be useful to point out that he was actually crucified, as was Jesus.


God Bless!

[Basilissa]

Re: God Hates Asexuals

I do apologize for not posting earlier; unfortunately, I do have a life outside of the internet and cannot be online 24/7.

If salvation is faith + works, then how do you explain the man hanged next to Jesus? He was described as a thief, implying that he was a sinful man, but in those last moments of his life he professed his faith and Christ told him "This day you will be with Me in paradise."

I dunno, how do you explain it in the light of the following verses:

James 2:14-26 (some parts cut out for brevity, but you can read the whole passage here - the cut out verses include specific examples)
James 2:14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
[. . .]
James 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
[. . .]
James 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
[. . .]
James 2:24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
[. . .]
James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

In the light of above verses, the miracle suggestion that was provided by Mary and that Didymus fellow seem the most plausible/logical. After all, some passages suggest that it doesn't really matter what we do nor what we believe, because God already decided who will be saved and who will be damned at the beginning of time:

Romans 9:14-18
14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

That passage makes even more sense when we consider that sometimes God simply wants to send some people to Hell and clouds their judgement on purpose:

Ezekiel 20:25-26
25 Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live;
26 And I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the fire all that openeth the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am the Lord.

2 Thessalonians 2:8-12
8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

The latter passage is especially interesting because if you look closely, you will notice that the wicked ones are damned because "they received not the love of the truth," so God deluded their minds so they'd be damned for good.

From our human point of view, the decision whom God will save and whom He will damn might seem a bit random or even unjust, but what can we do - it is His world, so He gets to create the rules of the game, and we have no other choice but to try to follow them (salvation through faith and works) and hope for the best (salvation through Grace).

What do you think FAITH even is?

Believing and trusting that God will take care of me and that he loves me. I know that God loves me, so I can have faith that he will work everything for my ultimate good, even if I don't know what that means for me. Just like how a child trusts his parent to lead and raise him, even if he doesn't know what that means.

What's your definition?

Let's see what the dictionary says:

1. 1 a : allegiance to duty or a person : loyalty b (1) : fidelity to one's promises (2) : sincerity of intentions
2. 2 a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2) : complete trust
3. 3 : something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially : a system of religious beliefs <the Protestant faith>

I have highlighted the most pertinent definitions.

As Mary pointed out, you don't know that God loves you; you believe it. You should know that God prefers those who believe without any evidence over those who want some tangible proof:

John 20:29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

I hope that was helpful. I do enjoy the conversation we are having. I will be offline most of the day tomorrow but I will try to post again at night.

[Princess L]

Re: God Hates Asexuals

Assexuality is great since i enjoy anal sex.

This type of sexuality helps me and my wife in bed.


If ask who my wife is she is a feminazi bitch.

Asexuality and anal sex are opposites, you imbecile.

[Didymus Much]

Re: God Hates Asexuals

Assexuality is great since i enjoy anal sex...

And unless you're trying to justify it with the KJV, no one cares.

...If ask who my wife is she is a feminazi bitch.

Might as well be, she ain't real anyway.

[Gay wilson]

Re: God Hates Asexuals

Assexuality is great since i enjoy anal sex.

This type of sexuality helps me and my wife in bed.


If ask who my wife is she is a feminazi bitch.

[Mary Etheldreda]

Re: God Hates Asexuals

Believing and trusting that God will take care of me and that he loves me. I know that God loves me, so I can have faith that he will work everything for my ultimate good, even if I don't know what that means for me. Just like how a child trusts his parent to lead and raise him, even if he doesn't know what that means.

What's your definition?

Don't be silly. Using a word in its own definition just means you don't know what you're talking about. You don't know that God loves you because you have no, wait for it... PROOF. You have FAITH that He loves you. You ASSUME that to be true. And you HOPE that He won't toss your whiny ass into the fiery pits of Hell for all eternity.

I guess you're right. In your case, it's dangerous because it's blinded you to the Gospel. Instead, you follow your own little magic spotlight through life that no one else can see but you and you alone because you're so gosh-darned special to Him, whiny butt and all.