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From: dan@scgvaxd.UUCP (Dan Boskovich)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: my belief
Message-ID: <371@scgvaxd.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 5-Aug-85 16:41:44 EDT
Article-I.D.: scgvaxd.371
Posted: Mon Aug  5 16:41:44 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 12-Aug-85 01:05:25 EDT
References: <8510@watarts.UUCP>
Reply-To: dan@scgvaxd.UUCP (PUT YOUR NAME HERE)
Organization: Hughes Aircraft Co., El Segundo, CA
Lines: 70

In article <8510@watarts.UUCP> jharman@watarts.UUCP (James Harman) writes:
>
>
>My philosophical beliefs are probably too unsophisticated for this
>group but what the heck.
>I am an agnostic. I have several evangelistic friends, otherwise normal,
>(ooooohhhhhh, sorry), who claim that i will "burn in hell" because
>I do not accept Jesus into my life.
>I say that IF there is a God then IF I lead a "good" life
>then HE would not consign me hell because I did not truly believe in his
>existence, without proof.
>Any god who would do so, strictly on such an arbitrary basis, is not a God
>worth worshipping. Under that, Men like Ghandi would be doomed
>while men like Torquemada would have an honoured place ( Confess).

 The Bible teaches that all man is in rebellion against God. God will
 not send you to Hell, you will go there by choice. When Adam sinned,
 he seperated himself and his seed from God. We can be reconciled to God
 through the sacrificial death of His Son in our place.
 It is impossible to lead a "good life" because we are self-centered.
 The word "sin" means to "miss the mark"! It is an archery term. NO matter
 how "good" we try to be, we will always miss the mark. That is why God
 came down in human flesh to die in our place.

 Torquemada was NOT a christian. Christian's do not execute people for
 their beliefs. Only people who call themself Christians but are not.
 The bible has plenty to say about people like that.

>Besides, what is so great and merciful about the Judeo Christian 
>God anyways?
>	He gave the Promised Land to the Isrealites, and evicted the
>original inhabitants.

   The original inhabitants were evil people who sacrificed their own
   children by fire to their pagan gods. God tried for 400 years to
   bring these people to repentance, but they would not. God's act was to
   served two purposes. One: Judgement upon an evil people. Two: Protect
   the Isrealites from evil influence. This one failed because the Isrealites
   didn't listen.

>	He MURDERED EVERY first born Egyptian male, now c'mon,
>Everybody in Egypt was bad, that's like saying every German during
>world war II was a Nazi.

    It is amazing what God has to do to get some people's attention.
    Perhaps if they would have let the Isrealites go this would not
    have been necessary.

>	He covered the earth in water, EVERYBODY WAS EVIL?

     See above!

>	What about Sodom and Gomorrah, I suppose that the only good
>people in TWO WHOLE CITIES were Lot et al.
>
      Same as above!

>etc.
>	The funniest thing about these stories is that people 
>actually BELIEVE them.
>Oh well, why am I wrong?
>I don't think you will convince me.

     Probably not! Because you have made up your mind already! But you
     owe it to yourself to check into it with an open mind!

     I am sending you something else to read in the mail!


					     Dan