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6th September 2003, 11:48 AM
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Could you have become a Christian without human influence?
Imagine that you were born in the future on a space station. The space station is self sustaining and can exist indefinitely. The space station computers have a library of every writing in history, and they are not ranked in any way. Hours after your birth a virus strikes the station. Being in the incumbation room has saved your life, but everyone else dies. You are raised by androids that have been programmed to nurture you physically and to teach you basic language skills, how to access the computer library, and so on, but not a value system. That task was to have been performed by your parents and space station community.
You are now an adult.
Would you believe in God/Christ?
Would you believe that the Bible is the word of God?
Please explain your answers. |
6th September 2003, 12:00 PM
| | redeemed
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Reps: 227 (power: 0) | | Originally Posted by placebo Could you have become a Christian without human influence?
Imagine that you were born in the future on a space station. The space station is self sustaining and can exist indefinitely. The space station computers have a library of every writing in history, and they are not ranked in any way. Hours after your birth a virus strikes the station. Being in the incumbation room has saved your life, but everyone else dies. You are raised by androids that have been programmed to nurture you physically and to teach you basic language skills, how to access the computer library, and so on, but not a value system. That task was to have been performed by your parents and space station community.
You are now an adult.
Would you believe in God/Christ?
Would you believe that the Bible is the word of God?
Please explain your answers.
I believe morals are innate within us and we have a sense of right and wrong at birth...but these could be tampered with through conditioning etc. So, if the baby was conditioned, who knows. But, if the person grows up without any knowlege of the Bible and all that, then it is not anyone's place to judge whether that person will see God but God. |
6th September 2003, 12:01 PM
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Reps: 10 (power: 0) | | | I believe that God gives each one of us an internal barometer. Our conscience. I believe that if it is Gods will, and you are filled with the holy spirit (this is given by God, apart from man) you will recognize his word as truth.
Man can lead others to God, But it is by Gods will alone that we are saved. |
6th September 2003, 01:38 PM
| | Legend
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 | | Join Date: 14th April 2002
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Reps: 116,104,182,602 (power: 116,104,202) | | | The best I can answer the questions is by saying that I believe in natural revelation. Having never been in such a position, I think it's presumptuous to assume one thing or another. You have to be careful with hypothetical situations. |
6th September 2003, 02:04 PM
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You are either being evasive or you misunderstood the questions. Perhaps this will help. I'm assuming that the Bible is a vital part of Christianity. From my experience of reading and hearing the testimonies of Christians it is not much of an exageration to say that the Word of God jumps off the Bible's pages and into their hearts. I want to know if this would happen without any human interference. Can the Word of God stand alone if read without any preconceptions? And, without any preconceptions, how do you distinguish the Bible as the Truth from any other works? |
6th September 2003, 02:39 PM
| | Junior Member
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Reps: 10 (power: 0) | | Originally Posted by placebo To: oneiric; pamanfu
You are either being evasive or you misunderstood the questions. Perhaps this will help. I'm assuming that the Bible is a vital part of Christianity. From my experience of reading and hearing the testimonies of Christians it is not much of an exageration to say that the Word of God jumps off the Bible's pages and into their hearts. I want to know if this would happen without any human interference. Can the Word of God stand alone if read without any preconceptions? And, without any preconceptions, how do you distinguish the Bible as the Truth from any other works?
I think that if it is Gods will that you are saved, then his word would ring true, with or without human intervention. Very good question though. Guess I would have to think about it.  |
7th September 2003, 02:39 AM
| | redeemed
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Reps: 227 (power: 0) | | | There are some people who have not heard of God's word inside the Bible...and like I said, God will decide. |
7th September 2003, 12:13 PM
|  | Only time enough for love
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| | Join Date: 25th July 2002 Location: Midwest
Posts: 4,392
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Reps: 6,053 (power: 20) | | | Ofcourse all this is supposed to happen without God knowing?? Would it be too hard to imagine that God would be able to communicate with His own and be quite able to deal with any circumstance?
The world we live in, now, has everything that it needs from God to overcome death and sin. It just has to do it.
__________________
Galations 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. |
7th September 2003, 02:26 PM
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Reps: 10 (power: 0) | | | It sure is difficult to get a straight answer around here! |
7th September 2003, 07:55 PM
|  | Veteran
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Reps: 66 (power: 0) | | Originally Posted by placebo Could you have become a Christian without human influence?
Imagine that you were born in the future on a space station. The space station is self sustaining and can exist indefinitely. The space station computers have a library of every writing in history, and they are not ranked in any way. Hours after your birth a virus strikes the station. Being in the incumbation room has saved your life, but everyone else dies. You are raised by androids that have been programmed to nurture you physically and to teach you basic language skills, how to access the computer library, and so on, but not a value system. That task was to have been performed by your parents and space station community.
You are now an adult.
Would you believe in God/Christ?
Would you believe that the Bible is the word of God?
Please explain your answers.
Yes I would. Despite the suffering in the parables, despite the wrath of God I would believe. Jesus was sacraficed to cleanse all sinners who have only but to ask, and turn away from sin. This is how much God loved the children of the earth. His only Son was a sacrafice so that all might be saved from death. Certianly normal humans would not sacrafice their own children in an effort to save those that even hate them. For me, this would be a plan above my emotional perceptions. If I was the only human left I don't think I would be capable to sacrafice my only child in an effort to save person in a hope that they would seek me. But, this is the difference between God and myself. I am selfish and He is not.
Last edited by water_ripple; 7th September 2003 at 07:56 PM.
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