but you know who really scares the crap outa me? Jesus. The parables he tells of what if means to be holy, how hard it is to get into Heaven. and I'm scared; b/c there's no way I can get into Heaven by his definition, no matter how hard I try. The Bible speaks of being saved by Grace, and not by works, but if I recall, those quotes in Romans and James weren't from the mouth of Jesus.

Fightin' Texas Aggie Class of '02
][otard Hall
Company V-1
UCM

Don't be scared of Jesus. That's like being scared of a parent who just died to save your life, loving you all the way to the grave.

Be scared of the Tempter, but realize your dad is bigger, and can save you from that, too.

Be scared of your own human will leading you away from Christ.

Be scared of him that can kill the soul.

Be scared of peopole who offer up a rationalized, compromised, soft version of "truth" to tickel your ears.

Be scared of things worth being scared of. God is only worth being scared of if you ignore his pleadings to come home. Those who ignore or refuse Him will be scared when they face the result of their choices.

NonregCT

I understand you concerns and fears. I used to be concerned about what I believed to be all the stipulations that were placed on salvation.
Felt like it was sold to you as accept Jesus but then you have to do this, this , and this or its a no go.

I am not one of the guys that come on here and quote scripture. Some times I feel less than adequate because of my inability to do so, but that is not something I can do. What I tend to do is try and use common sense combined with whats in my heart and what I beleive and understand.

First thing I would tell you is you don't have to be afraid of Jesus. Only be afraid if you do not know him.

The only things you have to do to is recognize him as the son of God and ask him to come into your heart, ask for forgivness, and salvation is your through grace.

When you accept him and follow him you will try and do the right things. I said try because no matter what you do you will fail, because you are only a man and a sinner by nature.

This is the important one, you cannot do enough to earn your way into heaven. Many people frustrate themselve trying to work their way in to Gods favor. Just accept his gift.

How do I know these things? I have drifted back and forth in my commitment to Jesus during my life. Everytime I have found my self in a pickle and I turn to him in prayer I am amazed at the peace, comfort, and clearness of mind that comes over me. I have done some rotten things but each time I ask for forgiveness I feel a great weight lifted from me because I know I am forgiven.

Last it helps me to think of God and Jesus as a list of haves rather than have nots. Men make up most of the have nots. Jesus is about have me have life.

Don't be scared to realize the fallacies of religions. There are many. As a human imagination construct, religions of all cultures have logical and practical flaws that are constantly being exposed by the inquiring mind. The church would tell you just to accept it.

I'm scared of Christians!

I'm scared of hand puppets.

you know what? be the best person you can be. what i mean by that is look at your neighbor and try to understand where he/she is coming from. act accordingly.

look at your enemy. try to understand his/her motivation. act accordingly.

try to be good to people. really, this is what religion (all religions) is about. just be good to people. try to help them. any of them. whether it be some old lady trying to cross the street or whatever. just be nice.

that's all. be nice. it's not about deeds.

people will try to disguise the whole thing with a deeds vs faith argument. just know that it isn't even about that. it's about what's in your heart. open that thing up. i think you'll be fine.

what about the gays? i can be mean to them, right?

only if you are a self-righteous christian

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only if you are a self-righteous christian

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Because there is no such thing as a self-righteous Jew, Muslim, Hindu, or Athiest.

which is the most self-righteous?

should any of them be self-righteous?

which of your choices should be the least self-righteous?

The point of my statement is that you singled out self-righteous Christians as mean to homosexuals. Hand puppet isn't even a Christian, so why did you make that statement?

i don't know hand puppet from a hole in the ground. i was merely commenting on the prevailing moral/political winds in our country.

but, while we're on the subject, i still am curious. by what right does one of any religion in a free country condemn another based on different beliefs?

this is not necessarily a thread hijack, as this thread seems to be besed upon the road to salvation. of course, this is merely a matter of faith and opinion. in the end i guess some people will be wrong adn some be right. and in the meantime we'll all trade smug looks with those within our own secure group knowing that we'll be spending eternity with them. we just don't know where.

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i don't know hand puppet from a hole in the ground. i was merely commenting on the prevailing moral/political winds in our country.

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Translation: He applied labels based on his own perceptions of philosophies I know nothing about. He also is unable to distinguish between a philosophy and its abuses.

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Translation: He applied labels based on his own perceptions of philosophies I know nothing about. He also is unable to distinguish between a philosophy and its abuses.

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pronoun confusion aside, i know plenty. i know that there is much ado about nothing concerning that topic. (roll a statistical analysis on the gay verses in the bible versus, oh, i don't know, the verses on poverty)... be that as it may.

let's discuss the "be good to each other" doctrine that i've outlined.

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by what right does one of any religion in a free country condemn another based on different beliefs?

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How does the condemnation of a person by another enfringe on that person's freedom? Why does the freedom of the condemner not include the freedom to condemn?

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How does the condemnation of a person by another enfringe on that person's freedom? Why does the freedom of the condemner not include the freedom to condemn?

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when the condemnation uses caesar as a strongarm.

condemn all you want, if judging others is your bag. i don't care. throw your figurative stones. just don't use the government.

The bottom line is... There isn't much you can do about it. I think the message of Jesus has been massively distorted over the last 2000 years. It was one of freedom initially. Look at the early church and Paul's letters. They were in response to the abuses of the new freedom people were gaining.

All you can really do is this. Live a responsible life, in your means, and love Jesus. Don't worry about what you have to do to get into Heaven. You can't do much about it anyway. What is weird about being human is that when we create "codes" to live by, people purposely break them.

Just be free, love others, love Jesus, and don't worry about the future.

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Just be free, love others, love Jesus, and don't worry about the future.

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And yet Jesus said, "If you love me, keep my commandments."

quote:

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when the condemnation uses caesar as a strongarm.

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In what way has caesar been used as a strongarm of condemnation?

thanks for all the advice.

Fightin' Texas Aggie Class of '02
][otard Hall
Company V-1
UCM