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I know of KCDAD's Christian credentials, or lack thereof.
What does whether or not one is a Christian have to do with understanding the Bible?
Is it in some kinda secret code that only certain kinds of Christians are given a secret decoder ring to translate it?
David didn't believe heaven or hell. He believed in Sheol: The Grave. That is where he was going to "meet" his son. His son was dead. Gone. Period. David was also going to be dead. Gone. Period.
Unbelievable how people constantly add things to the Bible and then wonder why it is so confusing....
DarkProphet: It doesn't, but it does affect interpretation. This is why I want different viewpoints to answer my questions. As a non-Nicene Christian you are outside the norm here.
I know of KCDAD's Christian credentials, or lack thereof. Still, that you discount him on that basis alone, how judgemental.
That doesn't help much because it doesn't answer why his son went to heaven. Was is because he was sinless (in a time BEFORE Jesus) or was it because God was merciful toward some children? I say some because like I said in a previous post God murdered and ordered the murder of numerous children in the Bible.
According to Christian doctrine everyone is a sinner, even babies, but some doctrines seem to temper this by saying there is an "age of accountability". Where does this idea come from and where does this "age of accountability" start for people?
There are two things to consider.I brought up the four year old because he is a neighborhood boy that has a lot of bad influences around him (older brothers). He likely did not know that stealing was wrong, or even that it was stealing. Yet when I brought this up with a Christian friend of mine he said that it was still a sin. All sins worthy of hell in his eyes. This seems rather unfair all things considered.
The age of accountability starts when one is able to control their sinful nature. God wouldn't require of a person something that they are unable to do.
owg
CONTROL THEIR SINFUL NATURE????? Where did this idea come from...
we are "totally depraved sinners, unable to control our evil ways without the blood of Christ and the influence of The Holy Spirit."
Who can "control" their sinful nature?
God instructed Cain (and all of us) to do just that:
Genesis 4
:6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
Even though Cain didn't have the enabling holy spirit God told him that he must rule over-control-his sinful nature, in order to be accepted by God. Recall that Paul lamented that he often fell to this other law in his members, i.e. his sinful nature. It is a continuous struggle, and while we sometimes lose we are able to control it. Having the sinful nature is not a sin. Succumbing to it is.
owg
That is a part of it. Most doctrines say yes and people tend to say no. This is a common contradiction but not the whole of the question. The other aspect is the moral responsibility part, some hold that babies are morally responsible for their actions, still others hold that there is an "age of accountability" that magically marks that transition, still others hold that Jesus washes away all sins and that by accepting that you are saved (the side effect is that you are NOT morally responsible at any age). It all seems so contradictory no matter how you look at it.
Reading the Bible I don't get any sense that God would have mercy on children. After all he has children murdered at several points in the Bible.
Could it be, you dont get any sense out of reading the Bible because your reading someone else's mail? Hope that didn't sound mean. Kidding aside you posed an excellent question. I am surprised the Pharisees didn't ask Jesus that very question. If you get the answer that is pleasing to you would it reallly make any difference?
If I got an answer that didn't contradict another aspect of Christianity then it would show one less contradiction. That doesn't seem like much but Christianity would be that much more believable without all the contradictions.
If we all gave you the same answer would you believe it. I dont think so, you would chalk it up to some kind of conspiracy. Look you'll get just as many wrong answers as right ones, unfortunately all Christians will never agree on certain topics mainly because many who profess to be Christians are not at all. i will agree that the Christian community is messed up (by their own doing) but that doesn't invalidate God or His Word.
I'm not sure you understand what I mean by contradiction. In this case God is supposed to be just and at the same time he holds babies accountable to their actions. The idea of age of accountability fixes this contradiction but at the same time creates new ones.
Contradiction as seen in your eyes.
1 Cor 2:14 The man without the Spirit (that's you) does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he (that's you) cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
BTW why do you ask questions when most of the answers require some Faith to understand. If you really are genuinelly concerned about these children's destiny that's one thing but if you merely pose questions in an effort to belittle Christians over the same ol questions from Satan's top ten list, why bother.
Ooops I see this forum is not for debates, I'm a Newbie here so forgive me. I will leave this one alone for now.
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Wait, you are saying that it is just to hold babies accountable for their actions and I just don't see it that why because I don't the "Spirit"?
This board is meant for asking questions. Your reluctance to answer them is very telling itself though.
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