If you found out today with 100% certainty there was no afterlife or......

To avoid discussions involving religion as one would avoid poison ivy?

 

When gone about respectfully discussion of religion, ethic belief structure, right from wrong or stances on topics are the only way to encourage thought, which triggers either a changing of beliefs or a strengthening.

 

Discussions about religion can be enjoyable and informative. My religious beliefs would likely be considered fairly weird by most people. But with mine, belief is not the determining factor when it comes to the afterlife. What determines your experience in the afterlife is how you lived in this one. In Christianity however, one's behavior is not especially important as long as one believes. No matter how evil you have been, you can ask for forgiveness at the end, and everything is cool. Also some Christians will claim that one must believe every word of the Bible or you're doomed.

Expressing disbelief or doubts about those matters causes some Christians to become a bit angry. And you don't know for sure how someone will react until you get into the discussion.

 

Brother living life in expectation of having time to TRULY repent and ask God for forgiveness is not the Christian walk....not even in the same ballpark. Do some claimed to be Christians live this way, most definitely...but it truly doesn't represent the life of a Christian. If one embraces and fully believes Jesus Christ as their Savior their lives should be transformed, their desire to be a better person should be visible and their faults transparent....all easier said than done I understand but still should be the case. I believe in Jesus Christ as my Savior but not for a single minute do I believe in the idea that it doesn't matter what I do for I will be forgiven if I just ask...

To simply state you believe is easy, to truly believe transforms you....and this cannot be faked (at least not before God )

As for the "every word of the bible" issue is one often many times occurs when a Christian or even non-Christians ignore to read the entire context/chapter/book the usually pulled single sentence or verse comes from. Doing that often times yields a much clearer answer....I know I myself try to never spout a single verse or sentence from scripture to prove a point due to the fact any excerpt used in a certain way can mean 100% different than what it is truly stating if one reads around the verse/sentence.

Just my thoughts...I by no means am a scholar of the bible though.

 

The assumption that someone does not already know what "apologetics" means and should look it up might seem offensive if someone were easily offended.

An apology in common usage means saying you're sorry. If someone didn't understand what I meant by my post, he could have simply admitted that and asked for an explanation. Perhaps you're right. Perhaps he donned a cloak of pseudo-intellectualism as a means of disguising the fact that he simply didn't understand what I posted. Perhaps he thought I was disrespecting believers, or veterans? Who knows?

As part of my graduate program, I teach an introductory course. How do you think I, or any other instructor, would take it if a student were to raise his hand and ask for an apology for something I said?

I think there are two lessons to be learned here.

1- If you didn't understand what someone said, ask for an explanation, not an apology.

2- If someone asks for an apology for something you posted that doesn't require an apology, ignore him.



May The Sheep Be With You

 

I love my life as a Christian and wouldn't change a thing. I've already lived the other way. You can have it.

 

This post is a poor cover up when reviewing your other posts.

 

Im pretty sure she knew what "apology" meant. But the way it was written, it could've been interpreted either way, going with the common term is what most people would've probably done as most people don't use anachronistic words as "apology" to mean explanation.

 

What? How did you come to that?

 

Would you still pray regularly?

Serious question.

 

Actually, sister would be more appropriate than brother. Sachiko is my mother's pet name for me. It's all she has ever called me. A Japanese name with ko at the end, by the way, always means a female, although I wouldn't expect everyone to know that.

I understand that a true Christian does not live his life anticipating that he will repent and ask for forgiveness at the last moment. However, correct me if I'm wrong, one can, no matter what kind of heinous crimes one might have committed, repent and ask for forgiveness at the end and receive forgiveness, assuming that the repentance was genuine of course. It doesn't have to be at the end of life either. One could lead a degraded life, commit many sinful and hurtful, to others, acts, then come to believe, ask for forgiveness and have the slate wiped clean. Correct? Now in the Catholic teachings, you will have to spend some time in Purgatory expiating those sins. But I gather, many Christians don't go along with that. My religion would approach that situation about the same way the Catholics do.

As far as the Bible is concerned. What I was referring to were items like the story of creation, the flood, etc., which are not supported by current scientific knowledge. Some Christians tell me that one is required to believe them even so.

 

Maybe it's hard for you to understand because you're an intellectual like I.V.

 

Sorry bout the sister thing Didn't realize.

If genuine the answer is a resounding yes. Just as the one criminal hanging on the cross beside Jesus truly repented. Mere words don't do it, it must be genuine.

 

No problem on the sister thing. I have a tendency to assume guys on this forum are guys unless they make it obvious they're not. One wouldn't know that sachiko is a girl's name.

But thinking about it, looking at my avatar, that should be either girly or .



I understand the Christian approach. But in my religion, mere repentance wouldn't get you off the hook. You would still have to pay. There aren't a lot of details though, as to how that would work.

 

Is this an organized religion or a smaller movement one? Just curious as to where you are coming from viewpoint wise?

 

It's Shinto. Most Japanese are pretty much Shinto with a touch of Buddhism. Fewer than 1% of Japanese are Christian. But Christian type weddings are very popular.

Shinto is animistic. My mother was born in California. I was born in Michigan, but my mother raised me Shinto. My family on my mother's side came over from Japan in the latter half of the 1800's.

 

Taking the initial question seriously.....I'd still strive to live with compassion and grace and not change how I treat others.

Honestly, I'd feel a mixed sense of release and heartache. When live is done, it's done. That's could be looked at in a good way or a bad way.

For real though......I choice to believe in a God who's been real to me in ways that I can't call coincidences.

 

Interesting question and while I certainly can't answer for him, your question reminded me of two friends of mine, one an atheist and another who calls himself "spiritual" but certainly not a Christian or believing in any organized religion.

They have both confessed to praying on a regular basis, just admitted they don't know who they are praying to. I can understand this more from the spiritual guy, but not the pronounced atheist. When I questioned her about it, she jokingly ( I think) said to a Goddess but not sure which one, as she is a big women's libber.

 

Im not quite sure your friend can be called an atheist, probably an agnostic.

 

I don't think you or anyone would have ever or would now live that way as we would just be animals operating on instinct.

It would be ugly to say the least.