Calling all Christians!

**icarusfall** · 07 Jul 2002, 03:00 AM

I have questions for the christians of the board:

What's up with the book of Nod?

Why did Jesus disappear for years on end?

Why am I going to hell if God doesn't want me to?

Does God really just want everyone to be the same, so as to get into heaven?

I'm not being a jerk, I really would like some of these answered if you can.

These are som of the reasons I'm not Christian anymore.

I ask because all 'people of faith' ever give me is poorly worded nonsense to make me leave them alone...

**Reno** · 07 Jul 2002, 03:12 AM

Originally posted by phoenix angel wing
I have questions for the christians of the board:

What's up with the book of Nod?

No idea on this one, sorry.

Why did Jesus disappear for years on end?

He didn't disappear. The accounts of Jesus' life were written after his time, so it's understandable if the people who were with him during those 'lost years' weren't alive or available to contribute to the books at the time of their writing. I mean, let's just say that Jesus only had 3 or 4 real good friends during his teenaged years. If they were all killed in a little skirmish somehow, who would be able to tell the authors of his teenaged life?

Why am I going to hell if God doesn't want me to?

Two words. Tough love. It's like the mom who doesn't really want to ground you for 2 months, but has to because she wants you to realize that what you've done is bad... or something.

Does God really just want everyone to be the same, so as to get into heaven?

Morally speaking, I guess so. The ability to know right from wrong and good from evil and all that sort of thing.

I ask because all 'people of faith' ever give me is poorly worded nonsense to make me leave them alone...

That's pretty understandable.

**rezo** · 07 Jul 2002, 03:57 AM

book of Nod is fiction.

Morally speaking, I guess so. The ability to know right from wrong and good from evil and all that sort of thing.

you're supposed to follow them because they're mandated by god, and not because of moral value, though you may find similar conclusions in some respects, with whatever method you choose.

**Curtis** · 07 Jul 2002, 07:41 AM

First of all, let me say from the outset that Im not at all what you would refer to as your "traditional" Christian. I wouldnt call myself a Christian at all, really, simply a believer with my own ideas on how things should be done, most of which are ripped from the words of Christ himself.... Who, oddly enough, is the ONE person in the book whose words many Christians dont pay much attention to, anyway. For example, Jesus said "Go out into the word and preach the gospel (Good News)," but not once did her say, "Stay in your own, vicious sect, looking down upon and condemning to hell for me anyone who thinks differently than you."

And a disclaimer on my behalf: Please, people, note that I said "many" and never once did I say "all."

Originally posted by phoenix angel wing
I have questions for the christians of the board:

What's up with the book of Nod?

Fiction, good sir! Kinda like what those crazy Mormans try to feed ya... Only different.

Why did Jesus disappear for years on end?

He didnt, really. They say wisdom sometimes comes in the oddest places, and I think a very good explanation of this was presented in "Dogma." The idea the writer, Kevin Smith, had was that it (those eighteen years) was omitted as it took young Jesus quite some time to come to terms with what he had to do with his life. Which is not too far fetched if you take the Garden of Gethsemane, where he flat out prayed for another way to go about things just hours before Judas showed with the soldiers who would arrest him. Son of God or not, while he was here, he was still a man. Likewise, if someone pulls a gun on your child, youll throw yourself in front them. Its just the way it is. You dont want to die, not at all. If there were another way, you would be more than happy to take it, but when its clear that theres is no other option, sometimes sacrifices have to be made.

This is the situation Jesus found himself in throughout his entire life. He wasnt given the, well, luxery of only having a split second to just react and throw himself between his child and a gunman, he was give many, many years to know his fate, and be forced to deal with that. As such, its more than believable that it took him a while to come to grips with this, and were slowly having taken away anything that presents the human side of Jesus. Hell, the NIV (New International Version) of the Bible, which is becomming more and more widespread as things are presented in a more contemporary version of our language, completely omits his asking if there were another way to got about things while he was in the garden. Were trying to trun Jesus into superman, and that is missing the entire point. Christ was, more than anything, a sign of pity from God. An easier way out for us, and a true example in how a man should carry himself, rather than having only the words of an omnipotant super-being to compare to. Its important that we see his human side, and I have to wonder why its being taken away.

Why am I going to hell if God doesn't want me to?

This one Im tempted to leave alone, as Im afriad my idea will start something here. So, alright, Ill kick it off by saying this: If you (And thats a general "You" as in anybody) have a differing opinion, its more than welcome, as I truly like debates on topics like this. Just dont be an ass about it.

Hell was created for the wicked. Those who would stand up and oppose God outright. Then we were created after the fact. At first, I think the bar was set far too high for us. Plain and simple, and I think Jesus was a concession of sorts. An aknowledgement from God that we needed something to fall back on. Created in his image or not, we have the basic instincts, and as such the weakness to fall into these instincts, as animals. Christ was a way for us to reach heaven without haveing to worry about losing a calf if we screwed up, which weve established that were prone to doing. Yes, we are told to strive to be perfect, but its never said anywhere in the New Tetiment that actual perfection is even expected of us. Literally, were being told "Just try. We know that perfection is something that you cannot attain, and that you will screw up sometimes, maybe even many times, but try all the same. Well forgive you for your downfalls, and glorify you for the successes. Just believe, and just try." Simple, eh? But what does this have to with your question? Everything. I dont think that if you spend your life believing, praying, and trying that you will go to hell. I think its rather sad that its taught that its completely unexceptable to screw up. When the entire church body looks down upin sixteen year-old Susan because shes pregnant, were forgetting that to err is human, and that were human is the very reason we were given Christ to begin with. Whether or not this would apply to an atheist is a tougher question, and its honestly one that I would sadly answer in afirmitive to what the church teaches. Sadly because I dont want to see anybody end up like that. Especially someone who wasnt some horrid human being.

So, yes, even I think that there are some downfalls here... We were given a way out, and a rather simple way at that, but with Science disproving much of whats written in the Bible (All things writeen by men, however. One would be hard pressed to literally disprove anything that Christ himself said), and even church itself helping atheism along in its own way (Threats of hellfire instead of word of Christs love, and standing firm on an obviously flawed book written by obviously flawed men while ignoring the words of the one they claim to worship, etc.)

Does God really just want everyone to be the same, so as to get into heaven?

I wouldnt say "the same." I think its safe to say that he wants an underlying sense of right and wrong, and for to strive to do the former at all times, but if he wanted us all the same he would have made us all perfect. He would have made us all drones. This is not the case at all.

Sitting back and waiting for the stones from believers and non-believers alike,
Orochi

**rezo** · 07 Jul 2002, 06:34 PM

Gongos, the book of Nod is literally fiction. Its about
how Cain became the first vampire and such and

its a good read though, for the first 1/3 of it anyways.
gets weak as it drags on.

Fiction, good sir! Kinda like what those crazy Mormans try to feed ya... Only different.

Mormons, they are the new christians. And christians, they
are the new jews. get with the times!

**EThugg** · 07 Jul 2002, 09:09 PM

LOL, christians crack me up! Every religious text is fiction!

**innova** · 07 Jul 2002, 10:55 PM

you know whats even more funny?......catholics, i went to catholic skool for two years, my god did i have fun fucking with the clergy and the religion teachers.

**Tracer** · 07 Jul 2002, 11:28 PM

The Book of Mormon is not nearly as far fetched as other popular religious texts, though all of them offer little other than hearsay to go on but at least it suffers from less semantic issues than other books.

ºTracer