A Struggle

[Star of the Dawn]

Dear whoever is reading this,
This is a plea for help.
I used to be a Christian, I want to be a religious scholar when I grow up, I never chose a denomination because I didn’t want to limit myself at such a young age (I’m sixteen). I looked into all sorts of ‘fractions’ of Christianity and found that I was probably a general Protestant with some Catholic leanings.
Anyway, I’m asking for help. After I left Christianity (I’d been a Christian from a young age, wavered into atheism at age 11-12 then became a believer again) I turned to look at Gnosticism. More precisely, Luciferian Gnosticism. Please don’t judge me; I’m not a Satan worshipper. My basic beliefs are (were?) this:
[FONT=&quot]- [/FONT]God created the world imperfectly and God is imperfect, and trapped Adam and Eve in Eden.
[FONT=&quot]- [/FONT]Lucifer (NOT Satan) saw the potential that humans had and decided to give the ‘wisdom’ to Adam and Eve (not through an apple&#8230
[FONT=&quot]- [/FONT]God and Satan are one and the same.
[FONT=&quot]- [/FONT]Lucifer does not intervene because he gave man free will and wisdom, and he knows that man can use that wisdom to properly exercise his free will.
[FONT=&quot]- [/FONT]I do/did not worship Lucifer, I was simply asking for truth.


Bearing in mind my transfer from Christianity to Gnosticism was very recent, something has been eating away at me and I don’t know what it is. I’ve always felt admiration for the Holy Bible and various Christian items (I own six Bibles and certain items). Still something is eating at me, but the problem is that I don’t know what it is. I’ve been having doubts about a God altogether, but then I look around at the world about me and realise there must be something. There are just so many things in the Bible that I don’t like, for example,
-Old Testament violence
-Worship of God (just because he’s there and he’s awesome why should I worship him?)
-The idea that ‘the Devil made me do it’ (but isn’t God technically still in control of the Devil, since he carries out God’s orders?) ( I also found that most of my so-called Christian friends were not true Christians...and I've never been one for 'liberal' Christianity. She attended New Life Church and that just wasn't my 'thing').


Then I realised that I was basically playing Devil’s advocate – literally. I’d done what the Bible said that transgressors would: I started denying God, I put myself on par with God (I believe/d I am just as good as he is), I started to thieve (I’d done this when I was younger, but then again I was taught to) &c.

I’ve completely lost my spiritual direction.
I’m tired of playing Scripture games.
I’m not sure I could return to Christianity, because I just see too many flaws in it. (Then why did I come here?)

I’m sorry this is so long, but I just hope I’m not a wandering sheep about to be leapt on by the wolf. I don’t want to literally be a case of ‘the Devil made me do it’. I was already doubting my Christian faith as a Christian and maybe he took advantage of that.
But I could never be an atheist. I hate Richard Dawkins too much.

Now I can lay down my actual, current beliefs:
[FONT=&quot]- [/FONT]In the supernatural (things that we can’t see, not necessarily unicorns and elves, but…other beings, certain types of magic that we can’t harness, luck, curses, literal good & evil, spirit beings (not ghosts) that help us or hurt us &c)
[FONT=&quot]- [/FONT]Humans are here for a purpose, the world was created, and maybe evolution happened.
[FONT=&quot]- [/FONT]Bad auras, bad energy (as well as good in both), innate knowledge.
[FONT=&quot]- [/FONT]Maybe the Bible has some credence, I’m not sure. I’m still looking.
[FONT=&quot]- [/FONT]I also enjoy reading about mysterious happenings; I like to think of all the supernatural things that could have been the cause.

Does anyone have anything they can share on my spiritual / religious wellbeing? Am I a ‘tool of the Dark Lord’?

I also feel bad. I feel incredibly awful after leaving the faith (save the ‘I told you so’s please) but I hope it’s not something somehow worse.




M’aidez?

 

[steve_bakr]

Christianity is about Jesus Christ. If I were you I would concentrate more on Jesus Christ. The history of Christianity is not perfect, we know that, but don't throw out the baby with the bathwater. I would also read books on Christian Mysticism and the Christian Saints. You also need a guide--Catholics call this a Spiritual Director. Most Monasteries offer spiritual direction. If you have Catholic leanings, go to Mass and check it out. Otherwise, check out other churches. Remember that Christians are just human beings that have faults too.

 

[oi_antz]

Hi SOTD, welcome to the site! You think a lot, we can all make use of that.

Dear whoever is reading this,
This is a plea for help.

First I want to know briefly in your own words why you feel that you need help.

God and Satan are one and the same.

So, if you believe this, then what is the difference between them? And how does that relate to Jesus?

 

[joey_downunder]

No, you have been influenced by the Dark Lord though. You are feeling the way you do now because you have not taken "wisdom"'s advice and you are bearing the consequences. proverbs 4:14-19

Don't despair - God is merciful and forgiving towards all who come to Him. John 6:35-40

Gnosticism is a such a bad distortion of christianity I am sure you realise now it is anti-christian. To use Jesus' metaphor if He is the bread of life - you are suffering from (at best) malnutrition, (moderate) severe food poisoning, (at worst) actual severe poisoning. But remember Jesus is the bread of life and will give you more than enough spiritual life to overcome gnosticsm's poison IF you completely reject this false teaching and believe in Him.

A very important thing to remember: Most of the gnostic literature is from 2nd-3rd century and therefore could not have been written by apostles/students of the apostles.
Who are you going to believe - actual witnesses' writings or writings from many years later that distort , add/subtract stories or totally contradict the original apostles' writings?

Beginning links to help you learn why gnosticism NOT christianity is wrong:
Gnosticism|What is Gnosticism? | Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry
Gnosticism | Apologetics Index

If it's any consolation you sure chose a good heresy to learn if you genuinely want to become a religious scholar! The early church had a very major battle against gnosticism that lasted centuries and it still pops up in various forms.

 

[Star of the Dawn]

I feel that I need help because I believe in a creator/s and yet no religion seems to fit the bill.
There is no difference between God and Satan...like most beings, God has a bad and a good side.
Isaiah 45:7
"I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things".
I figured that believing this effectively made Christianity defunct, and I don't want to believe that I'm a sinner and that I deserve to burn forever, nor believe that I'm a failure and have to worship a being who claims to create evil. That didn't sit right with me, I guess.
So I looked among world religions but no cigar - nothing fit my beliefs closest except for Panentheism and Luciferianism.
And whatever you believe Science is going to try to prove you wrong. Personally, I like my beliefs ground in stone.

 

[bling]

I can assure you all your theological questions can be answered, but that will not solve your problem. You need time one on one with Christ. Jesus is very patient, a great listener, a wonderful example, has lots of stories about similar people, and will guide/help you but not force you. That is the system Christ left us with and it works, but unfortunately it is not being implemented with you. What is suppose to happen is Christ living through a truly Christ like person (Christian) is to introduce himself to you in that way. (True Christians seem to be few and far between in your area). I am truly sorry about that.

It is great that you realize man must have purpose.

What you might not realize is God is doing all He can to help those that are just willing to accept God’s help to fulfill their earthly purpose.

Yes! Man was not made perfect, but there are things that are just not possible to do and even God cannot do that which cannot be done. Man was made “very good” which means as good as a being could be made to fulfill his objective. Christ is perfect and always was perfect, but Christ is not a created being, but is like God (not created) so man could not be made just like Christ since Christ was not made.

Everything can be understood from the objectives:

Man’s objective seems to be to obtain and grow this Godly type Love to fulfill the mission (statement) of Love God and secondly others with all our heart, soul, mind, and energy.

Our “objective” while here on earth is to just accept God’s gift as it was given as pure charity.

God is not trying to get you to do something, but is trying to give you something.

That “something” is the most powerful force in all universes since it is the force that compels God to do all He does.

God’s Love compelled God to create beings that could Love like He Loves and did it for the sake of those few that would accept His Love.

The problem is not sin (unforgiven sin is a huge problem), because God will forgive our sins which helps us to Love (…he that is forgiven much will Love much….) God hates sin, but does allow it so we can more easily accept His Love (in the form of forgiveness the easiest way for us to accept His charity). The problem is not knowing that God exists, since a very small amount of faith is needed to help humans and knowledge of there being a God would only upset those that do not want the Christian God. The problem is our fulfilling our objective.

There are some things that God just cannot do like create a being that was never created and the one important to us is instinctively create us with Godly type Love since that would be robotic type Love. God will also not force his love on us since that would be unloving on God’s part (there has to be reasonable alternatives to make it a choice [the perceived pleasures of sin]). The easiest way for us to get this Love is through accepting it as a pure charitable gift. The problem being humans (due in part to the needed survival instinct) do not like accepting Charity from a Giver that paid a huge price for the gift.

The easiest way for humans to accept God’s charity (Love) is out of a huge need and that need is the relief from the burden of hurting others in the past (sin). By accepting God’s forgiveness we accept God’s Love (mercy/grace/charity) and thus we will Love much since Jesus has taught us (we also see this in our own lives) “…he that is forgiven much will Love much…”

Once we accept Godly type Love, we can truly Love and have the privilege and honor of Loving God (the forgiver) and others (God’s children) with all our heart, soul, mind, and energy.


This Godly type Love is defined by Jesus’ words and deeds (you can also use 1 Cor 13 and 1 John 4).


Since God is “Love” and part of the definition of Godly type Love is unselfishness God is totally unselfish? If God is totally unselfish, He will do and allow all He can to help those that are just willing to accept His help fulfill their objective (Love). That “all” includes: Christ to go to the cross, satan to roam the earth, tragedies of all kind, hell, evil, and even sin.

Will we know people do not like to accept charity especially from a giver that paid a huge price? People will try to earn the gift, pay back the gift, be more deserving of the gift than the next person or just say they got the gift without having to accept it. The easiest way to accept the gift is through accepting God’s forgiveness (this is after you have sinned) since forgiveness is charity, grace, mercy Love. AND Jesus has taught us “…he that is forgiven much will Love much…”

The problem is God wants us to be like He is (God’s Love is compelling Him to create beings that can Love like He Loves and made these beings for the sake of those that will accept His Love).

If we continue to refuse God’s Love and really do not want to Love unselfishly, where is there for us to go? Heaven is one huge Love feast so we would not be happy there and God wants us to be happy.

 

[Harry3142]

Star of the Dawn-

Since you have Bibles, lets start with them.

1. Romans 3:19-5:10. We cannot trust in ourselves to keep laws and commandments so well that God gives us a pass into heaven. It won't happen. Instead, we are to put our trust in God himself. It is not a righteousness which we manufacture using deeds and piety that will ensure our salvation. Instead, it is our willingness to put our trust in God himself and what he has done already on our behalf that ensures our salvation.

The Old Testament patriarchs didn't trust in laws and commandments. They put their trust in God himself, and that was counted as righteousness.

2. Galatians 5:16-26. With the nature that we originally have there is no way to truly say and do what God wants of us. So instead of demanding that we do what he already knows that we are incapable of doing, he implants in us a new nature. It is his Spirit rather than we ourselves who subdues our original, sinful nature. It is also his Spirit rather than our own works that implants the new nature inside us (the fruit of the Spirit). It is these 'fruit' (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control) which are the impetus for all words and actions which we can be assured of as being 'in synch' with God's will.

3. Romans 7:14-25. Here St. Paul described what psychologists now call 'paradoxical intention'. It's also the reason for the saying, "The harder you try, the faster you fail." Either the words and actions will come naturally, or they won't come at all. That's why the new nature had to have as its foundation feelings and motivations rather than a new determination to keep laws and commandments.

4. Matthew 25:31-46. We Christians are to reflect Jesus' compassion toward others. Just as he alleviated the suffering he saw around him, so we are to alleviate the suffering we see around us. The needs of others are not to be seen as an interruption of our worship. Instead, they are to be seen as a confirmation that our worship is genuine.

As for gnosticism, that was a heresy that came into vogue about 100 years after the time of Christ. Some gnostics believed that there were two gods, one who was a good god and created all that is spiritual, and the other who was an evil god and created all that is material. According to their theology any woman who married was automatically damned. They refused to accept the words of Genesis 1:1-2:3, where after God created each thing, he called it good. Also in their theology Jesus Christ the man was simply a vessel that the spiritual Son of God occupied for a time, and then left at the time of his crucifixion.

A word to the wise: When looking for a church home, be careful. Some denominations, especially in the more evangelical area, use intimidation to coax new members into joining with them. If you have someone tell you that you need for him to protect you from God's wrath, or guide you around it, leave that church immediately. The only person that you need between yourself and God is you.

Also some will use 'bait'. With certain churches you need to speak in an unknown tongue that not even you can understand. With some you need to be baptized by immersion or else your faith will be of no avail. With some you need to accept the words of their leaders as if they were the words or God himself, and obey without question any and all orders they give you. And with some you need to accept that the day we call 'Saturday' is the only proper day of worship.

And why do I call these 'bait'? It's because they are the bait that is used to get people into those denominations. But once the people are ensnared, they find that the denomination has set up a never-ending list of ecclesiastical laws that must be obeyed. I call this 'salvation on a stick'. There's always 'one more thing' that must be done, or an agenda that needs for you to embrace it ever more forcefully.

An easy way to detect these churches is to simply ask if they require that their members take catechetical classes before they can join that denomination. If they do, you're safe. But if they accept simply getting wet or some other spur-of-the-moment act in order to join their community, leave.

 

[joey_downunder]

c

There is no difference between God and Satan...like most beings, God has a bad and a good side.
Isaiah 45:7
"I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things".
I figured that believing this effectively made Christianity defunct, and I don't want to believe that I'm a sinner and that I deserve to burn forever, nor believe that I'm a failure and have to worship a being who claims to create evil. That didn't sit right with me, I guess.
So I looked among world religions but no cigar - nothing fit my beliefs closest except for Panentheism and Luciferianism.
And whatever you believe Science is going to try to prove you wrong. Personally, I like my beliefs ground in stone.

One of my favourite christian apologists says this:''First rule of biblical interpretation: context, context, context.
http://biblestudies.net/didgodcreateevil.html
Disagreeable teachings or passages that do not appeal to us naturally does not therefore mean they are lies and/or God doesn't exist.

Re the hell/sinner doctrine: Would you apply the same logic if you went to a doctor who told you you had a serious illness that will be fatal if left untreated ? '' I don't want to believe that therefore it's untrue"

Re the science supposedly disproving christianity is wrong- science cannot do that because science only deals with what can be measured and observed via the 5 senses. Don't fall for the distortions of scientism.

If archeologists or historians could disprove anything about the bible, especially anything in the gospels THEN christianity would be in serious trouble. E.g. prove Jesus didn't rise from the dead and I would be an atheist.

 

[paul1149]

Star,

I think you suffer from some misconceptions of God, based on misunderstandings of the Bible. The old covenant was a placekeeper, a mere type and shadow, until Christ arrived, and it gave a very imperfect representation of God's nature. But Christ is the express image of the invisible God... the radiance of His glory... in whom the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him we see that God's nature is love (1Jn 4.8).

God is not the author of evil. That came into the world through satan (Ezek 28). But God does take responsibility for allowing history to unfold, and He is doing that because in His wisdom He is accomplishing His purposes, the saving of much life, through it.

If these are at the root of your objections to Christianity, I would suggest you focus more on the New Testament for a while, and get to know the amazing character of Jesus. He is the ultimate revelation of God, and through Him we can understand everything we need to understand. When you study the Old Testament, make sure you are doing it with the benefit of a New Testament perspective.

 

[oi_antz]

I feel that I need help because I believe in a creator/s and yet no religion seems to fit the bill.
There is no difference between God and Satan...like most beings, God has a bad and a good side.
Isaiah 45:7
"I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things".
I figured that believing this effectively made Christianity defunct, and I don't want to believe that I'm a sinner and that I deserve to burn forever, nor believe that I'm a failure and have to worship a being who claims to create evil. That didn't sit right with me, I guess.
So I looked among world religions but no cigar - nothing fit my beliefs closest except for Panentheism and Luciferianism.
And whatever you believe Science is going to try to prove you wrong. Personally, I like my beliefs ground in stone.

Cain and Abel knew God, Noah knew God, do you think you really need religion to know God?

You didn't answer me. What does God/Satan have to do with Jesus, according to your current belief?

 

[Star of the Dawn]

Jesus hasn't much to do with my current faith, since I'm seeking I don't profess any faith really. I came here because most Christians are open minded people willing to aid people in spiritual crises, and because I'm a former Christian I'd understand the perspective.
No, one doesn't need a religion to know God, but it does give one a sense of direction and belonging. People who go solo aren't generally well liked, no offense to anyone here.

And thanks for the advice, but I'd rather not 'read the Old Testement with New Testement perspective' because I think that's wrong. The Jews had to worship God based on the teachings of Moses - Old Testament of course. I suppose I also have trouble reconciling Christ to the God of the OT. They just seem so unalike, and I can sympathise with the Gnostics who believed in two Gods - it sounds reasonable to me.

Sorry this is short, I'm writing it at college and I'll be able to post more when I get home. Thanks.

 

[razeontherock]

My basic beliefs are (were?) this:

God created the world imperfectly and God is imperfect, and trapped Adam and Eve in Eden.

Lucifer (NOT Satan) saw the potential that humans had and decided to give the ‘wisdom’ to Adam and Eve (not through an apple…)

God and Satan are one and the same.

I do! If you seek Truth, holding these beliefs will eat at you because they are false. The most dangerous one is perhaps that middle item; Lucifer had nothing to give! Developing that further:

Lucifer does not intervene because he gave man free will and wisdom, and he knows that man can use that wisdom to properly exercise his free will.

This is almost true, kinda. He most certainly intervened, but to take free will and a sound mind, and replace it with his own dominion.

That will certainly "eat at you!"

There are just so many things in the Bible that I don’t like, for example,
-Old Testament violence

We're not supposed to like that! It's there precisely so we won't like it.

-Worship of God (just because he’s there and he’s awesome why should I worship him?)

Don't look now but this is clearly satanic influence!

We worship G-d because of who He is. One day we will all encounter so much of Him that we will have no choice but to worship, in humble recognition of His greatness. Avoid the rush, and remove yourself from His fierce wrath as a nice side benefit

I just hope I’m not a wandering sheep about to be leapt on by the wolf. I don’t want to literally be a case of ‘the Devil made me do it’. I was already doubting my Christian faith as a Christian and maybe he took advantage of that.

No maybes to it! Here, you are being Prophetic

Now I can lay down my actual, current beliefs:
In the supernatural (things that we can’t see, not necessarily unicorns and elves, but…other beings, certain types of magic that we can’t harness, luck, curses, literal good & evil, spirit beings (not ghosts) that help us or hurt us

Humans are here for a purpose, the world was created, and maybe evolution happened.

Bad auras, bad energy (as well as good in both), innate knowledge.

Maybe the Bible has some credence, I’m not sure. I’m still looking.

See, you do have some Truth. Hold on to that! Have you ever read the book of Job? It's immensely difficult, and not usually anything I point someone to. It does address your basic needs though. The very first point is that things are not as they appear, and G-d is NOT the only entity in the Spirit realm. There is a reason He sets Himself apart!

 

[oi_antz]

Jeuss hasn't much to do with my current faith, since I'm seeking I don't profess any faith really. I came here because most Christians are open minded people willing to aid people in spiritual crises, and because I'm a former Christian I'd understand the perspective.
No, one doesn't need a religion to know God, but it does give one a sense of direction and belonging. People who go solo aren't generally well liked, no offense to anyone here.

Who says that we have to be liked? Are you looking to join a brainwashing cult? Jesus said we would be hated by the world because the world hates Him. He apparently wasn't too worried about that, clearly there are people who love Him, and He felt loved by God. Let the ignorant be ignorant since that is how they choose to be, I wouldn't consider that a good influence anyway. Who do you want to serve, man or God?

And thanks for the advice, but I'd rather not 'read the Old Testement with New Testement perspective' because I think that's wrong. The Jews had to worship God based on the teachings of Moses - Old Testament of course. I suppose I also have trouble reconciling Christ to the God of the OT. They just seem so unalike, and I can sympathise with the Gnostics who believed in two Gods - it sounds reasonable to me.

Sorry this is short, I'm writing it at college and I'll be able to post more when I get home. Thanks.

Yes, please write more! Every time you do, you reveal a bit more.

WRT reading old testament with new testament perspective, try instead to think of it the other way for a little bit. Think of the new testament God being the same as the old. There is no difference in the God who claims to be God, but there is a difference in the attitudes of His people. We live in the Christian era, where the world is being reaped. Jesus brought the revelation of the nature of God's kingdom in a way that redeemed the whole world. All the work was and is still being done by Jesus, and everyone who calls upon Him can be saved. Don't presume this makes it easier just because it sounds easier, there is plenty of evidence that it some people do not find it as easy as it sounds.

Anyhow, you have decided that Jesus is not your kind of king, I'm still a bit confused what you are hoping to achieve around here..

 

[Star of the Dawn]

All right,

This is almost true, kinda. He most certainly intervened, but to take free will and a sound mind, and replace it with his own dominion.

Then why did he 'give us the apple' in the first place? If it weren't for that our eyes wouldn't have 'been opened' and we'd still have been living in oblivion, like animals. If God intended us to be better than mere animals why did he not 'open our eyes' instead? It almost appears that God didn't trust us with free will and knowledge.

We're not supposed to like that! It's there precisely so we won't like it.

Maybe you read it wrong - I mean the way God kills his own people. How many people did God kill? A whole town? Many more. How many people has Satan killed, recorded in the Holy Bible? If he did incite us to 'sin' then I guess one could call it 'spiritual death' but can't we make the best out of a bad situation? So Satan may tempt us, but he doesn't force us.

We worship G-d because of who He is. One day we will all encounter so much of Him that we will have no choice but to worship, in humble recognition of His greatness. Avoid the rush, and remove yourself from His fierce wrath as a nice side benefit

People thought the same thing about Charles Manson, Stalin, Shoko Asahara, Hitler, Thor...
(They had a fierce wrath, too, didn't they?)

Sorry, I'm not trying to be pedantic; you asked for more. I guess my beliefs are still Luciferian in nature then .

Oh and as a kind of 'side note' I don't like organised religon, I don't think it works, but I have nothing against its adherants. I prefer the Left Hand Path.

 

[razeontherock]

All right,
Then why did he 'give us the apple' in the first place?

He didn't give us anything:

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly."

This lays some important groundwork, that you'll need to apply diligently, to see what's going on here.

If it weren't for that our eyes wouldn't have 'been opened' and we'd still have been living in oblivion, like animals.

No Ma'am. Before the fall, Adam and Eve's existence was not like the animals.

If God intended us to be better than mere animals why did he not 'open our eyes' instead? It almost appears that God didn't trust us with free will and knowledge.

A & E had both free will and knowledge before the fall. The only thing they didn't know was evil; they certainly knew good!

Maybe you read it wrong - I mean the way God kills his own people.

Your use of the present tense here is factually wrong, no small thing, and also on display here:

I prefer the Left Hand Path.

You will have to choose between light and darkness, life and death. Choose Life!

[Note that Jesus didn't say anything about creating any new organized religion, so your stated notion that you have to choose between that and the left hand path is a false dichotomy)

 

[Star of the Dawn]

No Ma'am. Before the fall, Adam and Eve's existence was not like the animals.

I don't mean like animals in the sense of consciousness. I mean like animals in that they just lived to serve a Master - like a dog as it might be.

The only thing they didn't know was evil; they certainly knew good!

There is no good without evil. Evil may have existed yes, but they can't have known personally 'I'm a good person' because to them it would just be 'I'm a person.' I don't think that there can be free will without 'evil' because morality is relative.
Limited Free Will?
A person cannot ever be fully good, for instance: one may have to lie to save a life. If there is a mad axeman at your door and you know he's out to kill your father and he's asking you where your father lives and you know where he lives, it is your duty not to lie but it is also your duty to protect your father's life!
This is a moral problem we know, and you can say that such a problem wouldn't occur in God's perfect world...
Wouldn't such a perfect world get boring, a world where no-one ever faces challenges, problems to win victory over, ways of bettering yourself? Perfection is the last thing I desire.

Your use of the present tense here is factually wrong

No, I meant present tense. God killed his own people, God kills his own people, and God will kill his own people.

[Note that Jesus didn't say anything about creating any new organized religion, so your stated notion that you have to choose between that and the left hand path is a false dichotomy)

You're right, he didn't say anything of the sort. By LHP I mean creating my own morals, dogmas, &c. This is not something one can do in a religion - with- a - book so to speak. Your basic lifestyle is all laid out for you.

 

[razeontherock]

No, I meant present tense. God killed his own people, God kills his own people,

The use of present tense here is factually wrong. How do you suppose G-d currently goes about killing people?

You're right, he didn't say anything of the sort. By LHP I mean creating my own morals, dogmas, &c. This is not something one can do in a religion - with- a - book so to speak. Your basic lifestyle is all laid out for you.

You can create your own morals w/o being LHP. You can follow the Bible and not have your lifestyle laid out for you, at all. In fact, very little about what we are to do is spelled out. You were worried about being pounced on by the wolf? I think you are evidencing more profound effects along those lines than you realize ...

 

[Star of the Dawn]

I think you are evidencing more profound effects along those lines than you realize ...

I think I'm more of a goat now...

The use of present tense here is factually wrong. How do you suppose G-d currently goes about killing people?

I don't think it's beyond God to be able to stop tsunamis and volcanic eruptions...

 

[razeontherock]

I don't think it's beyond God to be able to stop tsunamis and volcanic eruptions...

While I agree, that doesn't mean it is He who is actively "killing His people." In the OT where the ground (is said to) literally open up and swallow the Israelites, and so many died in one day ... that is different. We see no present tense application for this sort of thing.

I think this is an important point!

Change of subject: why do you relate to being a "goat?"

 

[Sir Wilshire]

Does anyone have anything they can share on my spiritual / religious wellbeing? Am I a ‘tool of the Dark Lord’

Well, as Christians, we believe the important thing is having a commitment of faith in Jesus. This is how the Christian life starts and how it is sustained and lasts. Due to this belief, and because of your professed turmoil, the best thing I can ask is what is keeping you from Christianity? Finally, in Christianity, temptation comes not only from Satan, but the world and our sinful natures too. No need to blame everything on the devil.