A seeker has a few questions

[Itorev]

Greetings everyone. As you have probably noticed, this is my first post. So I extend a hello to all.

Anyhow, I was raised in an athiest family, but I pondered the existence of god(s) throughout my life. Recently I have taken an interest in Christianity, at least for informational purposes at this point. So, if you guys wouldn't mind, I have a few questions.


1.) According to the Bible, all people are sinners without Gods' grace, but what is the fate of babies/young children who die early? Obviously its not their fault that they were unable to recieve the word of God.

Now, I have been told that they are unconditionaly sent to heaven. However, if that is the case, does this imply that its better to die young rather than reach adulthood, as becoming an adult gives you the chance to sin, reject god, and be punished eternally?

If we continue to use this same logic, why would many Christians be strictly against abortion? Wouldn't aborting a fetus be, in actuality, a "favor" (for lack of a better term) as the aborted child is instantly, uncondintionally, sent to heaven, never having to risk the chance of eternal punishment?

2) Much of the world is non-christian, and many peoples have never heard the word of God; not through any fault of their own, but simply because they had never encountered His word. Would these be people doomed to hell because of this? It is not these peoples' fault for being non-Christians; they were simply brought up that way by their parents, and had never encountered Christianity much, or at all.

If such people are indeed doomed to hell, I find this disturbingly unfair. This implies that much of the world will be doomed to eternal torment, simply because they were unlucky enough be born to non-Christian parents, and never encounter Christianity. Even those who have encountered missionaries or so, they are likely to reject the Christian faith; you can't really blame them, because after all, they were born, raised, and taught all thier life to adhear to another faith. Old habits die hard.

3) Finally, my last question is aimed specifically at women. Its no secret that women, throughout history have been considered second-class citizens (or worse) in most cultures. In the Bible, this is appearently no different. Women are depicted as objects to be sold, traded, beat, etc.

It could be simply stated that "that was just the culture of the time". However, most Christians seem to believe the Bible to be inerrant. Futhermore, God himself makes several statements and laws that reinforce the biblical attitude toward women.

My question is, that while im sure the ladies out there are appreciative of the recent freedoms women have enoyed in the 20th century, isn't such freedom blatenly contrary to Biblical law? Women in the Bible seem to be, more or less servants/slaves, if im not mistaking; God himself mandates this social position as law.

Thank you for taking the time to read these questions.

 

[Kelly]

Good questions, Itorev.

It is commonly accepted that babies and the unborn are before an age of personal accountability. There's no exact scripture to prove this but we can look at an example of King David, who's child is dying. When the child dies, David stops praying and his servants question him.
2 Samuel 12
21 His servants asked him, "Why are you acting this way? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!"
22 He answered, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, 'Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let the child live.' 23 But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me."

This implies that the child has gone to heaven.

In terms of abortion being a blessing to the child, remember as Christians, our purpose is to glorify God. We are supposed to be here to do His will for our lives. Otherwise, once we were saved we probably should just die or vanish or ascend into heaven, right? We're done. Our goal isn't simply salvation or heaven...it's to do God's will as well.

2. We leave judgement of the unsaved up to God. I have a feeling that God introduces his Son to everyone on earth at some point in their life. Especially with communication and travel being what it is today. Everyone will be exposed to the Good News at some point, imho.

3. The role of men and women is partially a curse and part of the fall of man. (look in Genesis when God encounters Adam after he and Eve ate the fruit). That being said, the New Testament instructs women to submit to their husbands AND (this part is often ignored) men to love their wives like Christ loves the Church (the body of believers). Who has the bigger, more life altering responsibility now? The idea of submitting to someone who loves you enough to die for your faults, to heal your wounds, to save you from the pit...it doesn't seem like punishment, does it?

Also, read the story of Ruth in the OT, or Esther. There are some very powerful women in the Bible.

 

[Annoula]

welcome to the forums!

i will give you the Orthodox view as i don't know how other denominations would answer your question.

1.) According to the Bible, all people are sinners without Gods' grace, but what is the fate of babies/young children who die early? Obviously its not their fault that they were unable to recieve the word of God.

our nature is sinful because sin was the consequence of the Fall. we don't carry the original sin of Adam but only it's consequence which became to be our nature now.
(this is just to say where the "sinful nature" came from)

regarding abortion... abortion is not an act of compassion or a favor to the unborn, for the prevention of sin. it is physical murder. we are killing a living organism.

2) Much of the world is non-christian, and many peoples have never heard the word of God; not through any fault of their own, but simply because they had never encountered His word. Would these be people doomed to hell because of this? It is not these peoples' fault for being non-Christians; they were simply brought up that way by their parents, and had never encountered Christianity much, or at all.

we are saved through God's Grace only, but we don't really know how this Grace works, as we don't know what each person has in their heart.
thus, we don't know what will happen to people that never heard of Christianity or to babies and the unborn.

3) Finally, my last question is aimed specifically at women. Its no secret that women, throughout history have been considered second-class citizens (or worse) in most cultures. In the Bible, this is appearently no different. Women are depicted as objects to be sold, traded, beat, etc.

the New Testament is much better than the Old Testament regarding the status of women.

It could be simply stated that "that was just the culture of the time". However, most Christians seem to believe the Bible to be inerrant. Futhermore, God himself makes several statements and laws that reinforce the biblical attitude toward women.

i am with the Christians who believe that the Bible presents the society of the time. the Truth of the Bible must be investigated in a much deeper way of thinking.

My question is, that while im sure the ladies out there are appreciative of the recent freedoms women have enoyed in the 20th century, isn't such freedom blatenly contrary to Biblical law? Women in the Bible seem to be, more or less servants/slaves, if im not mistaking; God himself mandates this social position as law.

some Christians say (and Orthodox as well) that the societal status of women became better with Christianity. i am not sure about that. but i know that Christ said "there is no man or woman, there is no free man or slave".
that would be really revolutionary for His time.

i think Christ's sayings were able to take effect in modern society because of the political and general societal freedoms gained by women after the industrial revolution.

please bear in mind that in this fallen place freedoms are not always the best choice. for example, freedom allowed women to go out to work, gradually demanded that women too should work in order for the family to be financially secure, thus leading children growing up by themselves, by some kindergarden centers, by strangers (baby sitters), by the tv etc.

this is one of the prices. although many women manage to cope sufficiently. i would like to be one of them.

take care!

 

[Rafael]

Greetings everyone. As you have probably noticed, this is my first post. So I extend a hello to all.

Anyhow, I was raised in an athiest family, but I pondered the existence of god(s) throughout my life. Recently I have taken an interest in Christianity, at least for informational purposes at this point. So, if you guys wouldn't mind, I have a few questions.


1.) According to the Bible, all people are sinners without Gods' grace, but what is the fate of babies/young children who die early? Obviously its not their fault that they were unable to recieve the word of God.

Now, I have been told that they are unconditionaly sent to heaven. However, if that is the case, does this imply that its better to die young rather than reach adulthood, as becoming an adult gives you the chance to sin, reject god, and be punished eternally?

If we continue to use this same logic, why would many Christians be strictly against abortion? Wouldn't aborting a fetus be, in actuality, a "favor" (for lack of a better term) as the aborted child is instantly, uncondintionally, sent to heaven, never having to risk the chance of eternal punishment?

2) Much of the world is non-christian, and many peoples have never heard the word of God; not through any fault of their own, but simply because they had never encountered His word. Would these be people doomed to hell because of this? It is not these peoples' fault for being non-Christians; they were simply brought up that way by their parents, and had never encountered Christianity much, or at all.

If such people are indeed doomed to hell, I find this disturbingly unfair. This implies that much of the world will be doomed to eternal torment, simply because they were unlucky enough be born to non-Christian parents, and never encounter Christianity. Even those who have encountered missionaries or so, they are likely to reject the Christian faith; you can't really blame them, because after all, they were born, raised, and taught all thier life to adhear to another faith. Old habits die hard.

3) Finally, my last question is aimed specifically at women. Its no secret that women, throughout history have been considered second-class citizens (or worse) in most cultures. In the Bible, this is appearently no different. Women are depicted as objects to be sold, traded, beat, etc.

It could be simply stated that "that was just the culture of the time". However, most Christians seem to believe the Bible to be inerrant. Futhermore, God himself makes several statements and laws that reinforce the biblical attitude toward women.

My question is, that while im sure the ladies out there are appreciative of the recent freedoms women have enoyed in the 20th century, isn't such freedom blatenly contrary to Biblical law? Women in the Bible seem to be, more or less servants/slaves, if im not mistaking; God himself mandates this social position as law.

Thank you for taking the time to read these questions.

Welcome. The others have sufficeintly answered, but may I add that the Bible certainly does not give women a second place position, but ascribed great worth and purpose to women equal to that of men. So, I don't know who told your this, but it is a definate untruth. If men have bent the scriptures to say what they want to make it say, then that is one thing, but the sciptures assign roles to man and women of equal value, making the two a whole.
The Bible is the one book that gives women equality before God even though the male has the lead role. There were women judges that ruled over Israel, and it was a women who first gave the good news that Jesus rose from the dead.
The role of wife is of equal value to the one of husband to God. If we think it otherwise, then we contend with God, as is the usual fallen nature of man often attempts to do - changing the values and rules of God to suit selfish purposes instead of those that promote the love and peace that follows those that obey in faith.

Ga 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

 

[AllTalkNoAction]

Anyhow, I was raised in an athiest family, but I pondered the existence of god(s) throughout my life.

Yes, atheism doctrine/faith is that there is no God, but offers no proof, so you are right to seek answers.

1.) According to the Bible, all people are sinners without Gods' grace, but what is the fate of babies/young children who die early? Obviously its not their fault that they were unable to recieve the word of God.

God knows the hearts of all, he knows what they would have done and will judge fairly accordingly, they don't automatically go to heaven.

. . .many peoples have never heard the word of God; not through any fault of their own

God is able to send people to them, and if not, it's the same as (1) above. Old habits don't die hard if you have learned the hard way that those habits don't do any good, but rather make your life worse.
And why would God have millions of sould writhing in agony in hell for ever and ever ? What purpose would that serve ? No, Hell isa place of fire that kills.
If you want to know what the kingdom of God is like, don't reject God's offer, rather receive the Life he's been giving since Jesus returned to the Father (Acts 2).

Women in the Bible seem to be, more or less servants/slaves, if im not mistaking; God himself mandates this social position as law. .

Historically women have had a different time, the bible reports this as it is an accurate historical document (among other things). Men laboured in the heart of the day and fought wars, suffering death and injury, women brought up children, made food & did housework etc.
God made "man" (generically) in his own image ("male and female"). They are equal in his eyes, they complement each other physically and spiritually. By trying to make one a carbon-copy of the other, people undermine the glory of both, and of God.

 

[Chris Norwood]

1.) According to the Bible, all people are sinners without Gods' grace, but what is the fate of babies/young children who die early? Obviously its not their fault that they were unable to recieve the word of God.

Now, I have been told that they are unconditionaly sent to heaven. However, if that is the case, does this imply that its better to die young rather than reach adulthood, as becoming an adult gives you the chance to sin, reject god, and be punished eternally?

If we continue to use this same logic, why would many Christians be strictly against abortion? Wouldn't aborting a fetus be, in actuality, a "favor" (for lack of a better term) as the aborted child is instantly, uncondintionally, sent to heaven, never having to risk the chance of eternal punishment?

First of all, the Bible does not directly address the "age of accountability", but both this and the next question deal with the nature of God that the Bible does make perfectly clear. God is perfectly loving and just, and He will not hold anyone responsible for a decision they are not capable of making. Whether it's because of age or mental capacity (as in the severely mentally challenged), if someone is incapable of understanding and being able to accept or reject Jesus, then God would have to forgive their sins.

Humanity was created for a purpose, to have a relationship with God. And after the fall of man, a second purpose was added, that of helping others get back into relationship with God. These are spelled out in what Jesus called the two greatest commandments (Matthew 22:37-39):Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

So the abortion/dying young question you asked is similar to asking "then why don't Christians just get called up to heaven when they accept Christ?" The answer is that we are all called and gifted to help others and tell them about God's love. But this opportunity is robbed from a child that dies young.

Plus, God wants us to choose to love Him (because how can you have real love if you don't have any choice in the matter), and killing a child before they are capable of making this choice robs them of their free will in the most important matter of their lives. Abortion is a selfish act that destroys life and potential, and the fact that God would not further punish these fragile young lives should not be used to support its use.

2) Much of the world is non-christian, and many peoples have never heard the word of God; not through any fault of their own, but simply because they had never encountered His word. Would these be people doomed to hell because of this? It is not these peoples' fault for being non-Christians; they were simply brought up that way by their parents, and had never encountered Christianity much, or at all.

If such people are indeed doomed to hell, I find this disturbingly unfair. This implies that much of the world will be doomed to eternal torment, simply because they were unlucky enough be born to non-Christian parents, and never encounter Christianity. Even those who have encountered missionaries or so, they are likely to reject the Christian faith; you can't really blame them, because after all, they were born, raised, and taught all thier life to adhear to another faith. Old habits die hard.

Like I said above, God will not hold people responsible for things they don't know or understand. What I understand about this is that God reveals Himself to people in lots of ways. Even if people do not have the specific revelation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, He still reveals Himself generally through His creation and in other ways. And we have to remember that God knows our hearts, so He will judge our response to whatever level of revelation He has given. Even before the first covenant the God made with man, people were able to have this relationship with God and the salvation that goes with it because they had faith in what God revealed to them. Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. -Genesis 15:6

And as for your follow question about people and their "old habits", I really don't know. It is certainly very difficult for a person in a nation and culture defined by another religion to turn from that religion and embrace Christianity. At what point to they become responsible for their decision, I'm not sure. The only thing I can say to respond is that God is just and that I and other Christians need to do everything that we can (which is surely more than we are doing) to help everyone we can to fully understand about Jesus and give them every opportunity to make their decision.

3) Finally, my last question is aimed specifically at women. Its no secret that women, throughout history have been considered second-class citizens (or worse) in most cultures. In the Bible, this is appearently no different. Women are depicted as objects to be sold, traded, beat, etc.

It could be simply stated that "that was just the culture of the time". However, most Christians seem to believe the Bible to be inerrant. Futhermore, God himself makes several statements and laws that reinforce the biblical attitude toward women.

My question is, that while im sure the ladies out there are appreciative of the recent freedoms women have enoyed in the 20th century, isn't such freedom blatenly contrary to Biblical law? Women in the Bible seem to be, more or less servants/slaves, if im not mistaking; God himself mandates this social position as law.

Thank you for taking the time to read these questions.

It is very important to make a distinction about what the Bible reports as history ("the way things were") and what it gives as instruction ("the way it should be"). Most all that belittles or sets women up as second-class citizens comes from a description of the culture in which the events took place.

The best place to look for God's real design for women would be Genesis 2 (before the fall) and in the New Testament (after Jesus made us right with God again). Man and woman were created as equals. When creating a "helper" for Adam (which, by the way, is the same word used to describe God Himself many times in the Old testament) God used Adam's rib, which can also be translated as his side, as His starting point. This shows that woman was equal with man while also being his complement (that which makes him whole).

And if you read the gospels, Jesus did nothing other than elevate women and show that they had equal worth as their male counterparts. Later on, Paul made this abundantly clear in the verse which has already been quoted earlier, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." -Galatians 3:28

Obviously, however, there is still a great disagreement amongst Chrsitians as to the actual role is that women should take within the Christian church. There are some verses in the Bible which seem to limit the role of pastor and possibly deacon to men only, so there is some friction between the equality clearly ilustrated in scripture and the apparent limitations placed on this equality in other places. (I personally think that the limitations placed on the role of women were specific instructions for a particular church at a particular time and therefore are not binding on the modern church, while the statement of Galatians 3:28 is far more general and should be considered the "way things are supposed to be".)

These differences in opinion are purely about the woman's role. No one in the Chrsitian church (at least not officially), however, will deny that man and women have equal worth as people.

I hope this helps you some, and I would just encourage you to keep asking questions. And don't just take my (or anyone else's) word for the way things are. Open the Bible and read it for yourself (a good place to start is with the gospel of John).

God bless you in your search for Him!

 

[£amb]

Women in the Bible seem to be, more or less servants/slaves, if im not mistaking; God himself mandates this social position as law.

There are many woman who held honorable positions in the bible that people tend to look over. There are over 160 women mentioned in the Bible. Although not all of their names were written down, their deeds were played in history. There were many woman in the bible such as Sarah, Ruth, Mary, Elizabeth, Mary Magdalene who were great woman chosen by God to do something special.

In the O.T., a woman by the name of Deborah was given a place of honor. She was a ruler, a judge of the Israelite people, a prophetess and a poet (Judges 4 & 5). Deborah led an army of 10,000 troops into battle along with a man named Barak. Even though she prophesied that the Lord would deliver the enemy up, Barak refused to go unless she went with him. Deborah's answer can be found in Judges 4:9 (NASV) "And she said, I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the honor shall not be yours on the journey that you are about to take, for the Lord will sell Sisera (commander of the opposing army) into the hands of a woman."

This prophecy by Deborah brings us to our next important woman. Jael. It was Jael that "Deborah was referring to in her prophecy. Although Deborah and the Israelite troops defeated Sisera's troops, he, himself excaped. As he was fleeing, Jael approached him and convinced him to hide in her tent. While Sisera was sleeping, Jael took a tent peg and a hammer and drove it through his temple into the ground. It was the bravery of Deborah along with the boldness and craftiness of Jael that led the Israelites to overcome the Canaanites and have peace in the land for 40 years (Judges 5:31).

Rahab was a prostitute in Jericho when the Israelites were getting ready to invade the land. She had heard the stories of how the Israelites' God had delivered them out of Egypt, and of the things that happened to the people who opposed Israel. Rahab thought of her survival, and when the Israelite spies came to her door she hid them from her own king. She made a deal with them. She would hide them and help them escape Jericho in exchange for her life and the lives of her family. The deal was made and so was history. The Israelites did invade Jericho and Rahab and her family were spared.

The significance of Rahab's courage lies not only with the fact that the Israelites were able to invade Jericho, but the fact that her life was spared and she goes on to become part of the lineage of Jesus Christ. In the geneology listing of Jesus (Matthew 1) only four women are actually named, one of which was Rahab.

It is important to look at women in the New Testament also. All through the New Testament we see women with important roles in aiding the spread of Christianity. It was women who were first given the word that Jesus was risen from the dead (Luke 24: 1-12). An industrious business woman, Lydia, is recorded as the first convert to Christianity in Europe (Acts 16:14) and opened her home up to the apostle Paul.

Tabitha was an extremely kind woman (Acts 9:36). When she died, those who loved her heard Jesus' disciple Peter was near and sent for him. Peter sent everyone out of the room and took Tabitha's hand and raised her from the dead. She was a woman sorely missed by all which is why Peter was sent for in the first place, and it was her being raised from the dead that led many people to Christianity. Paul takes care to always mention Priscilla, wife of Aquila, who risked her life for his (Romans 16:9). Even though many women are mentioned only briefly, and some are not even given a name, like the poor widow who gave all that she had (Mark 12: 41-44), just the brief account we are given of them gives us a great deal of insight.

 

[Merlin]

1-the Bible doesn't give the specifics of young children.

2-Imagine for a moment, (and this is only a story for illustration purposes) imagine you wish to
travel to Pleadeus-heaven. It is in a distant galaxy. You have no means of getting there on your
own.
The ruler of the land, Jehovah, builds a vehicle which is called Jesus-I in order for you to come.
Jesus-I is the only possible way to get there.

Many people in many lands and many languages will have different pronunciations of Jesus-I
and many spellings too, but there is only one vehicle to get you there.

Jehovah (the ruler of Pleadeus-heaven) has made reservations in your name, but you must get
on board the vehicle yourself.

Now, many other (travel agents) want to make money selling you a ticket. But unless that
ticket is for Jesus-I, you won’t arrive where you want to.
A ticket on trans-global airlines will deliver you to Hawaii, not Pleadeus-heaven.

Many travel agents [religions] (perhaps called Catholicus, or Baptismus) will truly give you a
ticket to Pleadeus-heaven. But some charge higher prices. Sure you get your ticket, but they
burden you with other baggage.

The thing to be concerned with, is that Jesus-I only makes one trip, so you have to be on board
when it leaves.
If you get on board the wrong vehicle and miss the flight, it’s too late to belly-ache to your
travel agent.

3-The early church wondered about the law too and what laws should apply:.

Acts 15:6
6 The apostles and elders met to consider this question.
7 After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: "Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.
8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us.
9 He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.
10 Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear?
11 No!
We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are."

The consensus was:
Acts 15:28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements:
Acts 15:29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.

 

[Kelly]

atheosis,

It's not just about salvation for the afterlife. It's more about doing what God created you for, to worship him. That's one downside of evangelistic style theology. It's all about getting saved. "OK, I'm saved, now what?" Many churches focus strictly on saving the lost but not equipping them for their purpose in life.

All I can add is what's happened to me in my personal life. I was agnostic/atheistic in my college years, lived only for myself, basically. When God revealed himself to me my life changed, it's so much better now I can't even explain it. I'm a better father, a better husband, a better friend and I have a peace that I had never known before. The Lord's Rest some call it.

 

[matthewgoh]

But if you would like my opinion, I believe this is the only life you get, there is no afterlife. I think one is better off if they live life to the full, and not worry about another life they may not get. Death is simply the end, it is nothing to fear. Being dead is just like what it was before you were alive. My advice is stick to being an athiest my freind, or at the very least agnostic.

Death to non-believers is nothingness... you might be right. What about the salvation God wants us to have? the eternal life, the great joy in heaven.

To me, God is real, Christ is real, the Holy Spirit is real.... turning away from him is just not right. Just want to share with you briefly. Wish you will find the truth. God bless.

 

[MikeMcK]

1.) According to the Bible, all people are sinners without Gods' grace, but what is the fate of babies/young children who die early? Obviously its not their fault that they were unable to recieve the word of God.

The Bible does not explicitly say what happens to babies and young children, butit does infer a teaching called the "age of accountability".

This says that those who are too young to understand the moral consequences of their actions are shown mercy and are not held acountable for those consequences that they can't comprehend.

A good example of this is found where David loses his infant son, but says that he will see him again in Heaven.

Now, I have been told that they are unconditionaly sent to heaven. However, if that is the case, does this imply that its better to die young rather than reach adulthood, as becoming an adult gives you the chance to sin, reject god, and be punished eternally?

No. We were created to live, not to die.

2) Much of the world is non-christian, and many peoples have never heard the word of God; not through any fault of their own, but simply because they had never encountered His word. Would these be people doomed to hell because of this? It is not these peoples' fault for being non-Christians; they were simply brought up that way by their parents, and had never encountered Christianity much, or at all.

Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans that God has made a provision for those who have never heard the Gospel to be saved. He tells us that God has given every man two witnesses: the external witness of creation, and the internal witness of the conscience.

Those who have heard the Gospel and responded to it will be saved.

Those who haven't heard the Gospel, but respond to the two witnesses the Bible tells us have been given to every man (the witness of creation, and the witness of the conscience), can be saved, as well.

The Old Testament Jews were saved in the same way that those who lived after Christ's atonement are saved: by Christ's atonement.

The only difference between us and them is that, while we look back on the cross, they looked forward to it.

They secured their salvation by keeping the law until it was to be fulfilled by Christ. Sort of a spiritual escrow account.

When the faithful Jews of the OT died, they did not go to directly to Heaven because Jesus's resurrection had not yet opened that door. Instead, when they died, they went to a place called Abraham's Bosom, which was a sort of paradise where they would wait for the promises of the completion of the law to be fulfilled.

This happened at the cross and, in those three days that Jesus' body lay in the tomb, He went to Abraham's Bosom to preach the Gospel to those faithful Jews of the OT, and open the door for them to enter into Heaven.

Abraham's Bosom is closed now, but in a similar way, those who have never heard the Gospel can still be saved by responding to those two witnesses by faith (here we go back to the idea of building up a spiritual escrow account), just the way that the faithful Jews of the OT responded to the law, until such time as Christ's fulfilment of the law was made known to them.

Does that help?

3) Finally, my last question is aimed specifically at women. Its no secret that women, throughout history have been considered second-class citizens (or worse) in most cultures. In the Bible, this is appearently no different. Women are depicted as objects to be sold, traded, beat, etc.

There are two important things to remember here.

The first is that many of the things we read in the Bible are historical accounts, and not necessarily teaching.

In other words, just because the Bible acknowledges that something happened, doesn't mean that it is taught or condoned by the Bible.

The second thing to remember is that women are constantly portrayed as heroines and great heroes of the faith all throughout the scriptures.

Even to this day, young Jewish girls are taught to emulate Ruth and Esther and Deborah.

We see wonderful examples of Godly women who accomplished all sorts of things for God's kingdom.

There are women prophets, judges, landowners (in a culture where women typically were not allowed to own land) and leaders in the church. Paul even went so far as to call Priscilla his "partner in the Gospel".

I hear people say all the time that the Bible teaches that women are second class citizens or worse, that they're not respected, that they're told to just sit down and shut up, but I don't see any Biblical basis for these claims.

((I wrote this before I read Lamb's excellent post. She said it much better than I did.))

Futhermore, God himself makes several statements and laws that reinforce the biblical attitude toward women.

Since the Biblical attitude toward women is an overwhelmingly positive one, I would say that that's a good thing.

If you have a Bible handy, check out what the book of Proverbs has to say about women sometime.

Read the stories of Ruth and Rahab and Deborah and Esther sometime. You'll be surprised to find that what the Bible really says is much different than what you've been told.

My question is, that while im sure the ladies out there are appreciative of the recent freedoms women have enoyed in the 20th century, isn't such freedom blatenly contrary to Biblical law?

Again, how can this be "contrary to Biblical law" when we see such strong and powerful women who are leaders in the nation of Israel, and in the church?

What "Biblical laws" are you basing this on?

Women in the Bible seem to be, more or less servants/slaves, if im not mistaking; God himself mandates this social position as law.

Where do you find this in the Bible?

Thank you for taking the time to read these questions.

Thank you for taking the time to ask them. These are very common misconceptions about what Christianity teaches and it's always refreshing to have a chance to correct them.

 

[Faith In God]

Greetings everyone. As you have probably noticed, this is my first post. So I extend a hello to all.

Welcome.

Anyhow, I was raised in an athiest family, but I pondered the existence of god(s) throughout my life. Recently I have taken an interest in Christianity, at least for informational purposes at this point. So, if you guys wouldn't mind, I have a few questions.

Shoot.

1.) According to the Bible, all people are sinners without Gods' grace, but what is the fate of babies/young children who die early? Obviously its not their fault that they were unable to recieve the word of God.

And even if they did, they can't understand it. I really don't know. David talked about a young child whom he would see in heaven...

but what about babies of pagans? Is abortion a ticket to heaven?

I really don't know. Oh, you mentioned that. I don't know. All I know is that we can trust God to do right.

2) Much of the world is non-christian, and many peoples have never heard the word of God; not through any fault of their own, but simply because they had never encountered His word. Would these be people doomed to hell because of this? It is not these peoples' fault for being non-Christians; they were simply brought up that way by their parents, and had never encountered Christianity much, or at all.

If such people are indeed doomed to hell, I find this disturbingly unfair. This implies that much of the world will be doomed to eternal torment, simply because they were unlucky enough be born to non-Christian parents, and never encounter Christianity. Even those who have encountered missionaries or so, they are likely to reject the Christian faith; you can't really blame them, because after all, they were born, raised, and taught all thier life to adhear to another faith. Old habits die hard.

Here it is (you addressed a few issues in one question)

People who haven't heard the Word:

Such groups are getting fewer and fewer. Missionaries everywhere, satellite technology...

but what about Judgment?
It is not fair that they should go to hell simply for lack of knowledge of the Gospel...

and they don't.

Why are people sent to hell?

For rejecting Jesus?

No (though those who reject Jesus will go there, that is not why there is a hell).

Hell is God's just desserts on His creation that chooses to do evil.

Even those who aren't God's people have morals. Their own consciences testify that they have done wrong when they lie, steal, murder, etc.

"But they are not brought up to accept any such ideas as Christianity..."

Right. As you said, old habits die hard. And they must.

Jesus said that no man can come (no man) unless the Father draws Him. And although this drawing can be resisted, the drawing overpowers any part of man that would unjustly allow him to be damned just by habit.

God will do right. Although those that have sinned without the light of the Gospel will be punished, it will be less punishment than those who have heard and have rejected it.

BTW, eternal torment is not biblical. While the effects of hell is eternal, the burning is not. "Eternal fire" burns until there is nothing left, and then that which is burnt never comes back.

3) Finally, my last question is aimed specifically at women. Its no secret that women, throughout history have been considered second-class citizens (or worse) in most cultures. In the Bible, this is appearently no different. Women are depicted as objects to be sold, traded, beat, etc.

Where is that??

It could be simply stated that "that was just the culture of the time". However, most Christians seem to believe the Bible to be inerrant. Futhermore, God himself makes several statements and laws that reinforce the biblical attitude toward women.

My question is, that while im sure the ladies out there are appreciative of the recent freedoms women have enoyed in the 20th century, isn't such freedom blatenly contrary to Biblical law? Women in the Bible seem to be, more or less servants/slaves, if im not mistaking; God himself mandates this social position as law.

Thank you for taking the time to read these questions.

Women are not inferior to men, but they do have a different role than men. If both parties are loving, the woman will gratefully serve the man, and the man will gratefully provide, protect, and serve the woman.

I don't know if you are meaning in the context of marriage or society, so I can't really answer specifically...I answered in the context of marriage, because that is the issue more addressed in the Bible (nowhere in the Bible does it say that women are second-class human beings).


Hope that helps.
God bless

 

[Fares]

Greetings everyone. As you have probably noticed, this is my first post. So I extend a hello to all.

Welcome brother .

1.) According to the Bible, all people are sinners without Gods' grace, but what is the fate of babies/young children who die early? Obviously its not their fault that they were unable to recieve the word of God.

They are innocent . Do you expect God to send them to hell ? God is not a butcher , he is mercifull and just .

Now, I have been told that they are unconditionaly sent to heaven. However, if that is the case, does this imply that its better to die young rather than reach adulthood, as becoming an adult gives you the chance to sin, reject god, and be punished eternally?

True but it gives you also the possibility of rejecting the sins, accepting God and win the love of God . Plus been here is also about helping those surrounding you . You can not help them from up there .

If we continue to use this same logic, why would many Christians be strictly against abortion? Wouldn't aborting a fetus be, in actuality, a "favor" (for lack of a better term) as the aborted child is instantly, uncondintionally, sent to heaven, never having to risk the chance of eternal punishment?

We reject abortion because life is a gift given from above . You do not reject gift from God . Life has so much value in christianity . Rejecting life is like rejecting God .

2) Much of the world is non-christian, and many peoples have never heard the word of God; not through any fault of their own, but simply because they had never encountered His word. Would these be people doomed to hell because of this? It is not these peoples' fault for being non-Christians; they were simply brought up that way by their parents, and had never encountered Christianity much, or at all.

As I told you God is just, you will not be judge according to the things you dont know but to the things you knew yet ignored .

If such people are indeed doomed to hell, I find this disturbingly unfair. This implies that much of the world will be doomed to eternal torment, simply because they were unlucky enough be born to non-Christian parents, and never encounter Christianity. Even those who have encountered missionaries or so, they are likely to reject the Christian faith; you can't really blame them, because after all, they were born, raised, and taught all thier life to adhear to another faith. Old habits die hard.

Again God is just .
Muslims ( for example ) are born and raised on a blind faith like , "Mohammed is a trustworthy", "Islam is the truth" etc...
They are brainwashed and God does not expect from them to wake up on their own. Its up to us, God's soldiers, to help them see the light . So he will judge them according to their acts . But those muslims who knows Jesus and his teachings yet reject him because its a problem to leave Islam and their family, will be judged and Jesus will turn his back on them as they have turned their back on him .

3) Finally, my last question is aimed specifically at women. Its no secret that women, throughout history have been considered second-class citizens (or worse) in most cultures. In the Bible, this is appearently no different. Women are depicted as objects to be sold, traded, beat, etc.

I am a catholic , we do not have the option to divorce . Why ? Because women are not objects . We get one woman that we will honor and respect till death do his part .

It could be simply stated that "that was just the culture of the time". However, most Christians seem to believe the Bible to be inerrant. Futhermore, God himself makes several statements and laws that reinforce the biblical attitude toward women.

Marry is the mother of Jesus ( the Mesiah ), a saint, a pure soul, the queen of the Angels and Saints . And she is a woman . Women are an important part of christianity . Plus a christian woman has more freedom then any other woman on earth . I have never heard my father telling my mother to stay at home or to do this and that . Its even the other way arround . Rolf, poor dad .
I always say the world is in a bad situation because women are not active enought in issues concerning the world .

My question is, that while im sure the ladies out there are appreciative of the recent freedoms women have enoyed in the 20th century, isn't such freedom blatenly contrary to Biblical law? Women in the Bible seem to be, more or less servants/slaves, if im not mistaking; God himself mandates this social position as law.

Show me precis verses. Maybe you have misundertood .

Thank you for taking the time to read these questions.

I hope we have clarified things for you .

 

[Adstar]

Greetings everyone. As you have probably noticed, this is my first post. So I extend a hello to all.

Anyhow, I was raised in an athiest family, but I pondered the existence of god(s) throughout my life. Recently I have taken an interest in Christianity, at least for informational purposes at this point. So, if you guys wouldn't mind, I have a few questions.


1.) According to the Bible, all people are sinners without Gods' grace, but what is the fate of babies/young children who die early? Obviously its not their fault that they were unable to recieve the word of God.

Now, I have been told that they are unconditionaly sent to heaven. However, if that is the case, does this imply that its better to die young rather than reach adulthood, as becoming an adult gives you the chance to sin, reject god, and be punished eternally?

Babies are innocent. They have no knowledge of good and evil. Therefore they have no need for a Savior.

If we continue to use this same logic, why would many Christians be strictly against abortion? Wouldn't aborting a fetus be, in actuality, a "favor" (for lack of a better term) as the aborted child is instantly, uncondintionally, sent to heaven, never having to risk the chance of eternal punishment?

We are against abortion because it is murder of the innocent. And unsaved murderers have eternity in the lake of fire. We stand against abortion more for the sake of the abortionist than the aborted. The aborted have eternity with God but the abortionist is under the penalty of their crime.

2) Much of the world is non-christian, and many peoples have never heard the word of God; not through any fault of their own, but simply because they had never encountered His word. Would these be people doomed to hell because of this? It is not these peoples' fault for being non-Christians; they were simply brought up that way by their parents, and had never encountered Christianity much, or at all.

I have trust in God that He will deal with all these people in a just way.

If such people are indeed doomed to hell, I find this disturbingly unfair. This implies that much of the world will be doomed to eternal torment, simply because they were unlucky enough be born to non-Christian parents, and never encounter Christianity. Even those who have encountered missionaries or so, they are likely to reject the Christian faith; you can't really blame them, because after all, they were born, raised, and taught all thier life to adhear to another faith. Old habits die hard.

Everyone who hears the Message of Jesus are responsable for their response to it. Jesus calls many to come.

3) Finally, my last question is aimed specifically at women. Its no secret that women, throughout history have been considered second-class citizens (or worse) in most cultures. In the Bible, this is appearently no different. Women are depicted as objects to be sold, traded, beat, etc.

It could be simply stated that "that was just the culture of the time". However, most Christians seem to believe the Bible to be inerrant. Futhermore, God himself makes several statements and laws that reinforce the biblical attitude toward women.

My question is, that while im sure the ladies out there are appreciative of the recent freedoms women have enoyed in the 20th century, isn't such freedom blatenly contrary to Biblical law? Women in the Bible seem to be, more or less servants/slaves, if im not mistaking; God himself mandates this social position as law.

Thank you for taking the time to read these questions.

[/QUOTE]

Gods call to men is to love women. Not to beat and sell them as slaves. You are right many cultures today have changed and the most "progressive" cultures are coming to the realisation that they are effectively barren. most western feminist societies are dying out because most "liberated" women are not having children. When it comes down to basics, a society that cannot even renew itself will have no claim to the future.


All Praise The Ancient Of Days

 

[IAmFreeToLive]

Let me ask you a question. Say you sat in a court room and there stood a man that had murdered and tortured twenty people just for the pleasure of watching them die. Now the man is convicted of murder, however the judge says that he does not care he is letting him go free. Is he a just judge? Absolutely not. Now if God were to judge by his standard of the ten commandments, and he asked you if have you ever lied? Have you ever dishonored your parents? Have you put something else before God? Have you ever wanted something that someone else had? Answer yes to any of these questions and you have broken his laws. For the Bible says that in God's eyes if you break one of his laws then in his eyes it is the same as breaking all of them. Why you ask, because God is holy and perfect and for him to not punish for your sins would make him an unjust judge, something he can never be. If you are atheist or budist or anything other than Christian ask yourself this question, do I know that in my heart that somethings that I do are wrong? Yes, why because God has created you that way, if you ask someone on the street if murder is wrong they will say yes, why? Because God has put that knowledge in their hearts. Don't deceive yourself into thinking that people don't know when something is wrong. They do however they made a decision to do the wrong thing. Look at children they deliberately disobey knowing they are wrong. Abortion babies may go to heaven, but that does not make abortion right. Children are a gift from God, and abortion is a rejection of that gift. Women are to be loved and honored and cherished and taken care of by their spouses as a command from God, men are to love their wives as Christ loved the church, whom he gave his life for. That does not sound like a second class citizen to me. For if my husband loved and took care of me even a quarter of what Christ does I will consider myself blessed. God says that when a man and women marry that the two become one. Why would God join two things together if they were not equal in his eyes. Men are the providers, women are the supporters, that is God's design. Does that mean that one is less then the other. Absolutely not for what would your house be without its supports. Both need the other, we all have different jobs and different talents and purposes, none of which makes anyone better or worse then another.

 

[Rafael]

2) Much of the world is non-christian, and many peoples have never heard the word of God; not through any fault of their own, but simply because they had never encountered His word. Would these be people doomed to hell because of this? It is not these peoples' fault for being non-Christians; they were simply brought up that way by their parents, and had never encountered Christianity much, or at all.

If such people are indeed doomed to hell, I find this disturbingly unfair. This implies that much of the world will be doomed to eternal torment, simply because they were unlucky enough be born to non-Christian parents, and never encounter Christianity. Even those who have encountered missionaries or so, they are likely to reject the Christian faith; you can't really blame them, because after all, they were born, raised, and taught all thier life to adhear to another faith. Old habits die hard.

Every person that has experienced life has had a conversation with the Creator of all things - Jesus. They may not know Him by name, but they will meet Him and talk about how they lived their lives in the judgment. The Bibles says that all men know that God exists just by experiencing life and seeing the creation before their eyes. They have "being" because of God, and the language of life is deeper than anything that can be spoken. Perhaps this is what is meant when the scriptures says that "deep speaks unto deep" through the waters of this life. However we live, we do not have to have someone write it down to know that killing another man is wrong. We innately know this as wrong. If we go against conscience and do what we know as evil, we are accountable for that evil. The Bible also indicates that judgment comes according to what one is given in life, so who is the only One worthy to judge? It would have to be the One who created and gave that life. We tend to judge for God, but then we will be judged, ourselves, by the measure we use on others. If we are merciless, then we will receive no mercy.

Romans 1:18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who push the truth away from themselves.
19 ¶ For the truth about God is known to them instinctively. God has put this knowledge in their hearts.
20 From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God.
21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. The result was that their minds became dark and confused.
22 Claiming to be wise, they became utter fools instead.

Lu 6:37 ¶ "Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

John 1:1 ¶ In the beginning the Word already existed. He was with God, and he was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 He created everything there is. Nothing exists that he didn’t make.
14 So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father.

Lu 12:48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

 

[ChristIsTHEKing]

1. Taking a life may keep them from some suffering on earth but the act of taking that life is not our right or our decision to make. Our infinite minds cannot know God's divine plan therefore any act outside of God's commands would be wrong. Besides it is the suffering that brings more people to God.

2. I think instead of worrying about what we don't fully know or understand we should make our own salvation a priority. God is offering his grace to you, first accept that, then you can take the message to others, and let Him take care of the rest! Remember, God is not finite or enclosed and certainly not limited to bring anyone to know Him. The very Heavens and Earth tell of His Glory yet so many people take it for granted.

3. Unfortunately people in general have been mis-treated throughout history. But this is attributed to the sinful (pride, covetness) nature of man not to God's will. The bible clearly states that man and woman are equal under God. The "law" you stated by God of social position deals with the roles that men and women were given by God in order to fulfill the best order. (unfortunately some men and women have distorted this subject to suit their personal desires, but that is off-topic) An example would be at say a school. If everyone was given the role of principal, nothing would get done. Consequently if everyone was given the role of teacher, things would be disorganized, and the same for a cook or janitor. A reasonable person would not make the claim that the teacher was a lesser human being than the principal, or the cook lesser than the teacher, correct? The same thing applies with the roles of men and women.

God has offered you the opportunity to know Him, I pray that you repent and accept His offer and build a personal relationship with Jesus Christ!.

 

[Kelly]

Hey, Itorev?

Have we been helping you? Any more questions?

 

[AvgJoe]

If we continue to use this same logic, why would many Christians be strictly against abortion? Wouldn't aborting a fetus be, in actuality, a "favor" (for lack of a better term) as the aborted child is instantly, uncondintionally, sent to heaven, never having to risk the chance of eternal punishment?

God commanded us not to commit murder.

2) Much of the world is non-christian, and many peoples have never heard the word of God; not through any fault of their own, but simply because they had never encountered His word. Would these be people doomed to hell because of this? It is not these peoples' fault for being non-Christians; they were simply brought up that way by their parents, and had never encountered Christianity much, or at all.

If such people are indeed doomed to hell, I find this disturbingly unfair. This implies that much of the world will be doomed to eternal torment, simply because they were unlucky enough be born to non-Christian parents, and never encounter Christianity. Even those who have encountered missionaries or so, they are likely to reject the Christian faith; you can't really blame them, because after all, they were born, raised, and taught all thier life to adhear to another faith. Old habits die hard.

God can reach anyone he chooses to, at any time. For many years, 1000s of Muslims have come to Christ because they have dreamt of Him.

http://amightywind.com/fastfood/dreams/040723muslimdreams.htm
http://net-burst.net/hot/muslim.htm
http://isaalmasih.net/isa/dreams-philippines.html

With God, nothing is impossible.

This is an excellent article on those who haven't heard: http://www.behindthebadge.net/apologetics/discuss188.html

 

[Angel4Truth]

Greetings everyone. As you have probably noticed, this is my first post. So I extend a hello to all.

Hello ! Welcome to Christian Forums !

Anyhow, I was raised in an athiest family, but I pondered the existence of god(s) throughout my life. Recently I have taken an interest in Christianity, at least for informational purposes at this point. So, if you guys wouldn't mind, I have a few questions.

Don't mind at all . Happy to help you the best that I can .

1.) According to the Bible, all people are sinners without Gods' grace, but what is the fate of babies/young children who die early? Obviously its not their fault that they were unable to recieve the word of God.

Obviously , that is correct . God is a loving a just God , and would not hold one accountable for something they had no knowledge of or had the opportunity to know and understand imho. I will give you some examples and some scriptures to back what I am stating .

The accountability for sin entering the world is one example -sin is accounted to adam , even though eve sinned first but later in the NT we find that its because eve was deceived , but adam sinned willfully . An act of the will shows that the person had the knowledge of what they were doing and did it deliberately with understanding . Deception is a different matter and implies lack of understanding and or knowledge.

Genesis 3: 13. And the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?'' And the woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate.''

Romans 5: 19. For as by one man's disobedience (adam)many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience (Jesus Christ) many will be made righteous.

1 timothy 2:14. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.

God doesnt say to eve that she went against what He commanded, but says it to adam in genesis :

Genesis 3: 17. Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, `You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life.

Then there is the example from the psalms that you were already given on the first page where king David speaks about his dead child and says that the child will not come back to him , but that he (king david) would see Him again . Pretty clear the infant would be in heaven.

The most compelling argument however in my opinion from the scriptures for accountability and knowledge and understanding is from Jesus Christ :

John 9: 41. Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, `We see.' Therefore your sin remains.

The pharisees claimed knowledge of the truth and judged themselves instead of receiving Gods judgment making themselves accountable because they claimed to know the truth , Jesus said they would have no sin if they were clueless as to the truth which is directly tied into accountability.

Here is another ;

John 15:22. "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.

This is pretty obvious that unless you know and understand what sin is or have the opportunity to know, accountability has not yet happened . Jesus has spoken to us through His word so we know , we have the bible . Obviously babies cannot read it or have the gospel presented to them to make an informed decision to repent and give their life to Christ hence they are not held accountable .

Now, I have been told that they are unconditionaly sent to heaven. However, if that is the case, does this imply that its better to die young rather than reach adulthood, as becoming an adult gives you the chance to sin, reject god, and be punished eternally?

This might be your thoughts on the matter , but our purpose was to have relationship with God and fellowship with God , so in Gods opinion would this be better ? No. It would negate what we were created for to begin with.

If we continue to use this same logic, why would many Christians be strictly against abortion? Wouldn't aborting a fetus be, in actuality, a "favor" (for lack of a better term) as the aborted child is instantly, uncondintionally, sent to heaven, never having to risk the chance of eternal punishment?

Well we cant use "this logic" that youve set forth because its not logical . It denys the reason we were created to begin with and circumvents relationship with God with someone who can willingly give their heart to Him .

Asto the rest of your concern about abortion , Gods word forbids murder . It would not be logical or doing anyone a favor as it would be creating sin which is disobedience to Gods law which forbids murder . It also attempts to circumvent His plans and intent for the life that was created .

Jeremiah 1:
5. "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; and I ordained you a prophet to the nations.''

Pretty hard evidence we are more than just a collection of cells , God already calls us a person then tells us not to murder :

Exodus 20:13. "You shall not murder.

So no , its not logical if you care to follow God to willfully be disobedient by taking the life of another purposely for selfish reasons .

2) Much of the world is non-christian, and many peoples have never heard the word of God; not through any fault of their own, but simply because they had never encountered His word.

Not sure where you get your information , christianity is the largest world religion , second only to islam which both have more adherents than agnosticism.
http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html

Due to communications technology the bible has just about been published in all languages of the world and due to rigorous missions workers the gospel has been spread in most of the world also so time is getting short .

Matthew 24: 14. "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Would these be people doomed to hell because of this? It is not these peoples' fault for being non-Christians; they were simply brought up that way by their parents, and had never encountered Christianity much, or at all.

again please read what ive already explained , Accountability is based on what we know and have the opportunity to know we are accountable to search for the truth , that our conscience bears witness to .

Gentiles are all people that are not jewish by birthright.

Romans 2:12. For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law
13. (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified;
14. for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things contained in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves,
15. who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them)
16. in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.

Again , accountability based on what is known and the opportunity to be known and God also gives us a conscience to know what is right and wrong and for one earnestly desiring the truth , seeking God , they will be found and He will write it on their hearts .

If such people are indeed doomed to hell, I find this disturbingly unfair.

It would only be unfair if they had no conscience and no way to seek God and God refused to answer the seeker .

Proverbs 8: 17. I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me.

Jeremiah 29:13. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

See my signature also.

Ezekiel 18: 32. "For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,'' says the Lord God. "Therefore turn and live!''

Hebrews 10:
16. "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,''

This implies that much of the world will be doomed to eternal torment, simply because they were unlucky enough be born to non-Christian parents, and never encounter Christianity.

Its not that simple because again godwill see to it that anyone who earnestly desires the truth will receive it and holds us accountable for it when we can receive it and understand it and have the capacity to receive or reject it .

Even those who have encountered missionaries or so, they are likely to reject the Christian faith; you can't really blame them, because after all, they were born, raised, and taught all thier life to adhear to another faith. Old habits die hard.

Yes , I can blame them when God calls to them with His Spirit through their conscience when they hear and understand the truth and willfully reject it . god knows the difference and isnt fooled . He knows the heart and if its sincere or not and if it desires the truth or not and has seen that they had the opportunity to know it in a way they could understand . See the verses ive already posted .

Its about truth not habit.One either desires the truth or they dont.

3) Finally, my last question is aimed specifically at women.

Yayy ! Im a woman

Its no secret that women, throughout history have been considered second-class citizens (or worse) in most cultures. In the Bible, this is appearently no different. Women are depicted as objects to be sold, traded, beat, etc.

Correct and it was prophecied that it would be so right from the begining , a nice strong example of the bibles truth , that you can admit yourself has happened .

Gods desire for mankind and what mankind does are always at odds and just because men have behaved shamefully throughout history , that does not mean that it was Gods desire for him to treat his daughters so badly but a resulting consequence of a fallen world which stated right at the begining that it would be so because of sin having entered the world . Lets look at it :

Genesis 3: 9. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?''
10. So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.''
11. And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?''
12. Then the man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.''
13. And the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?'' And the woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate.''
14. So the Lord God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.
15. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.''
16. To the woman He said: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.''
17. Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, `You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the groundfor your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life.

If you notice in the above passages , ONLY the SERPENT was cursed of the three God spoke to , adam and eve were given the result of their sin upon the world which is that because of man making the decision to be his own judge (that is what is meant when it says they have become like US (God) knowing good from evil) its saying that mankind has decided to make its own decisions about what is right and wrong instead of of obeying God hence making himself his own god (judge).

Man would seek to replace God (willful sin deciding his way was better than Gods making himself his own judge)
usurp Gods authority and its happened throughout mankind . He also has to work hard as a result of sin destroying the earth and we see that throughout history too .

Woman would seek to please man instead of God replacing God with man . History bears witness to women looking to please men for self image all over the place instead of seeking self image from God and seeking mans headship over her instead of Gods too which feeds into men ruling over women because of his new sinful desire to be the ruler which is a result of sin , not a command from God . Men of course in the desire to rule would pervert this also because its part of the fallen nature.

Youve already been given the verses about there being no male or female in Christ , because the cross rights everything again when we submit our will to him in repentance for sins and exchange our dead sinful life for His perfect and spot free one . The verse for that is above too how Christ took sin out while adam brought it into the world .

It could be simply stated that "that was just the culture of the time". However, most Christians seem to believe the Bible to be inerrant. Futhermore, God himself makes several statements and laws that reinforce the biblical attitude toward women.

Not really . Not if you look at it closely and in context . God will though use the way the world is for the benefit of protecting those who love Him by adding His commands . Moses allowed divorce , because of the hardness of mens heart for one and moses was who God put over those in the exodus . We have free will and God lets us screw up all over the place so we can see firsthand the horrible results of sin and pride and selfishness . Since there are 613 laws that were given and many were given for theocratic cleanliness reasons and other reasons that applied to that theocracy , we couldnt get into all of them for the purpose of this discussion not to mention this is not a debate forum , so i am simply answering your stated questions . But being as i AM a woman , i have to disagree with you and i would know .

You have a quite a lot of commentary too btw added in with your questions for someone who is just seeking answers and if you know the bible well enough to try to make blanket statements about what it says as if you are an authority , it seems to me you would have learned the answers to these questions by reading the same bible that you are making your claims from . Anyway , Gods word never comes back void , so lets press on

My question is, that while im sure the ladies out there are appreciative of the recent freedoms women have enoyed in the 20th century, isn't such freedom blatenly contrary to Biblical law? Women in the Bible seem to be, more or less servants/slaves, if im not mistaking; God himself mandates this social position as law.

You are mistaken , God seeks to protect his daughters and does so and gives specific instructions to men on how to treat them in the new testament . Nowhere in the bible are we called slaves and servitude is what ALL believers are required to do for one another not just the women . Christ himself washed the disciples feet and served us and He is the God of all creation !

Thank you for taking the time to read these questions.

Anytime ! Hope to see you heaven !