Why I have such trouble believing in Christianity

Tube Socks Dude said:

I have to admit plagiarizing Allan Watts for this one.

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Thanks for saying that.

My answer is the same as the maid on Family Guy when asked to do things she does not want to do.

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:snorts:

PaladinGirl said:

Hmmm, thanks everyone for encouraging me so much. I have honestly been considering Hinduism lately and I think I may very well choose to be a Hindu.

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MY COMMENTS: Hi PaladinGirl. Let me start by commenting on your OP.

unfortunately, it is true that 'traditional theology' teaches the immortality of the soul and the use of "eternal", telling us that the soul of the wicked dead go to unending punishment in 'hell', while that of the righteous go to everlasting bliss in heaven.

There is one thing wrong with that 'theology', is isn't true from the most accurate literal meanings of the Scriptures.

In Genesis 2:7 we read, "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the graound, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."
NOTICE: A separate soul was not joined to a prepared body. Man became a living soul (being) when the breath of the spirit of life was breathed into his nostrils.

Man is a living soul, because he is a living sensate being. From the Bible, Soul could be said to be the consciousness, the feelings, the desires, produced by the breath of life vitalizing the body.

As for "hell": it is a poor interpretation of three words in the Greek NT:
Gehenna....Hades....and ...Tartarus

None of them have the idea of an etherial place of fire and sulfur somewhere in the center of the earth--as the popular view goes.

"Gehenna" was a place outside the walls of Jerusalem where the city garbage and offal were dumped and kept burning to help purify the air and burn up as much of the trash as possible.
To a Jew, the worst kind sentence by the Jewish Elders was to be sentenced to Gehenna. Because, after being stoned to death, the criminals body would be thrown into Gehenna, and what part of his body the fires didn't consume, the maggots (worms) did.
It was there during Jesus earthly ministry, and, he alluded it would be during the coming Millennial Kingdom.

"Hades", even though a place in Greek mythology, is now a "God Word", sactified by the Spirit. It means "hidden" or "unseen" and can mean "the grave." It can not mean "a place of burning fire."

"Tartarus", in the Scriptures, is a place of deepest gloom where the fallen angels are chained until they are judged.

Bick

Continuing on: My friends, I say again, there is nothing in the Bible that tells of lost "souls" going to a place of conscious eternal punishment.

The message of redemption is, all mankind sin (miss the mark) coming short of the glory of God;

All are dying because we are Adam's offsprings;

Mankind can never do enough "good deeds" to be declared "just" or "right" before God;

BUT, God has provided the sacrifice for sin, even coming down to earth in his Son, Jesus Christ;

By believing in your heart in Christ as your personal Saviour, you will be saved and be filled with wonderful peace and joy now, and be promised a future in the heavenlies as a member of the body of Christ.

The unbelievers who have died, from Adam on, will be resurrected and be judged for their deeds before Christ Jesus on his great white throne. There they must give account for their acts and if judged to not deserve life, they will die and be cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death, to stay for the coming two ages.

Those judged worthy of life (whose names are in the book of life) will go into the New Earth which has been created.