What God would you rather accept?

Here's the deal. For religious & spiritual folk it will be interesting to see the answers to my question. For atheists and all others, just play devil's advocate with this in presuming there is a higher power.

What I would like to hear from our members is this;

If you could choose between a God who has a set of rules that must be adhered to where some are "saved" based on following those rules - OR - a God who has no rules or constraints and everyone is "saved" yet it means that those you consider vile and "sinners" are also invited into heaven with you,

which God would you choose if you knew that the first God meant that the majority of human-kind would have to either burn in hell or be destroyed forever?

I based this question upon the proliferation of "I am now God" threads appearing on BTS, and wondered which of the two God's most people would choose. You can only pick one or the other.

I've already chosen the first.

reply to post by ben91069


well, as god i'd choose my system. people that are good, they die and get a reward. if you're not good, you start over again until you live a life where you are good and then go to heaven.

Good question Ben, thanks for asking it. I think if anyone chooses the option of following laws just to get to heaven, they have misunderstood Jesus' message. Jesus was against organized religion, including his own Jewish religion. His point, IMHO, is just to follow his simple rules; don't judge, practice tolerance and love your neighbor as well as yourself. Be kind to others and follow the Golden Rule, do unto others, etc.
It's a simple message and doesn't require any organized religion. He railed against having alot of rules and denounced the Jewish rabbis for doing so.
I can't think of any church laws that WEREN'T human made and therefore, just that - opinions of humans, not Jesus.

reply to post by madnessinmysoul


So, what is your definition of "good"?

And what good does it do to be given another life to "try to be good" again? If I have theoretically wasted a lifetime's worth of chances to be "good", why do I deserve another? Especially since I cannot remember the previous lifetimes to sufficiently learn your lessons.

Yes, God expects certain things from His children but these things are not unreasonable and stem from the perfect love that He is. I love God with all my heart, all my soul and all my strength. I am a servant who strives to be pleasing to Him and live an obedient life here on earth so that one day I may live an obedient life in service to Him for all of eternity. Is it easy? Not always, but the more you do it the more it becomes a part of you and it's rewards are great. I choose to walk the hard and narrow path which leads to salvation and eternal life, rather than the easy and wide path to destruction. I do this because I love His commandments and His instruction. They are worth more to me than gold and silver and I seek them as one would seek buried treasure.

Matthew 19:24
Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God."

Originally posted by ReginaAdonnaAaron
I choose to walk the hard and narrow path which leads to salvation and eternal life, rather than the easy and wide path to destruction.
Matthew 19:24
Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God."

If the path to destruction is easy, then why did Jesus quote:

matthew 11:29-30
"Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Doesn't that seem contradictory to you that you call your path hard, when Jesus says his ways are easy? Just curious.

Wide is the gate that leadeth to destruction and many that go therein.
That is not word for word, I think.
But if you choose Jesus' way, he makes it easy. But, it can be challenging according to your ability, to give you patience and help you grow.


Forestlady,
It was Jesus' custom every Sabbath to go to the temple.
He either taught or listened, but he went.
Organized religion can be what you make of it.
You're not there for other people, but for God.

From the options available, the latter. Why should my perceptions of right and wrong be the judgement of others.

However, the 'God' I accept is the one that does not intervene either way and leaves it up to each individual to decide their fate, bearing in mind that the state of mind of the individual when it comes to self-judgement on this scale is far more critical than individual ego bellowing 'I Deserve Heaven'.

It's not as if anything is real in the way you perceive it anyway, or that any of this has ever actually happened. So what is the point of external judgement?

Originally posted by ReginaAdonnaAaron
I love God with all my heart, all my soul and all my strength. I am a servant who strives to be pleasing to Him and live an obedient life here on earth so that one day I may live an obedient life in service to Him for all of eternity.

first, to the op's question....to play the game i choose the latter. i don't like rules and that. i don't need to be 'punished' if i don't follow some dudes rules.

as to this part that i quoted....i want to continue to be the polar opposite of this...i can not wrap my brain around people who actually strive to be a servant and obedient....
it really boggles my mind...i just wanted to get that out there.....friggin strange to to god

reply to post by criticalmiracle


good... i guess i'll go with a statement of wiccan morality that i've adopted as part of my personal atheistic buddhism (deities like myself are default atheists, we have knowledge of our own existence and have no need for faith)

"Do no harm"
that's how you're a good person, by striving to do as little harm as possible and to help as many others as you can

And what good does it do to be given another life to "try to be good" again?

well, what bad does it do?

If I have theoretically wasted a lifetime's worth of chances to be "good", why do I deserve another?

well, why do you deserve ETERNAL punishment for it?
i think being denied the reward of a paradise for another lifetime is punishment enough

on a different note... my heaven is quite a bit different than the traditional eternal bliss view.

Especially since I cannot remember the previous lifetimes to sufficiently learn your lessons.

life isn't about lessons being dictated, the reason you get another chance is to learn for yourself.

It's naive for humans to ask questions of each other about God. Humans are servants, whether or not any individual complies with Divine Edict. Every person born was preconceived in The Mind of God before time. No one can alter God's Plan.

Free will is illusion. People who lack faith either will be given It, or not. Many relative truths exist. For those comfortable chasing their tails in endless hoops of sterile facts; While tucking their heads under a pillow of logic, plugging each others' ears, and covering each others' eyes, while chanting, "There is no god"; Nothing changes but the size of their butts.

Faith is a Gift from God. It is not given to every person, but only to those who require It. Not all people are chosen. The belief of any person is not an indication of Truth, but only where any individual fits in God's Plan. The illusion of free will exists out of God's Mercy for all humans, and Respect for Himself. It wouldn't be respectful of God to Himself if God's worshipers were forced to worship God.

It also wouldn't be respectful to people destined to serve Satan if they knew there was no way they could be part of The New and Everlasting Kingdom.

A person can choose, to a degree, Who God will be to him/her, by thanking God for everything, forgiving other people, remaining chaste, working hard, being honest, and open to exploring one's self; And I don't mean in any sensual way.

Who God IS in the view of an individual IS Who God Truly IS; Minus pain, fear, and ignorance; Through the lens of human existence. Unless a person is Meek and Humble of Heart, and make no mistake, there is a boldness that comes with humility, mistaken for arrogance by heathens, and others who justify sin, because a humble person speaks Truth, without regard for human praise. In speaking The Truth he/she receives Praise from God.

Truth is not hidden from the righteous, because the righteous can see. No human should use God to justify himself, while condemning others, because Jesus' Christ Apostles can be likened to fishing nets, thrown into the ocean of the world, to catch Those Chosen by God The Father to become man/Gods, of The Race of Jesus Christ, and The Blessed Virgin Mother of God, Mary.

These chosen are being murdered by Satan by the millions, through women descended from witch clans, using the family court system to usurp The God Ordained Authority of God's Sons over them.

Here's how that works: All Nature adores the virgin, as she strolls naked and unashamed through the garden of innocence. The lover beholds beauty so breathtaking, and innocence so pure, surely she must contain the blood sacrifice of innocence to atone for the accursedness in his seed.

He places her needs for security and commitment above his own base instincts, elevating person-hood above passion, and making her a true equal to himself.

She picks the time and place she shall surrender to him, being herself pierced, as Nature whispers heart engravings to the young lovers, 'Until death you shall not part'. This is called The Physical Law of Marriage, and necessitates a human death occur if the couple is ever separated involuntarily, while the breath of life remains in both, except in cases of indecency.

For centuries the jezebelian empire of darkness, a kingdom of demons, has pursued The Sons of Man through generations, using the progeny of witches (Women who rebel against God Ordained Authority), to entice These descendants of The Sons of God into marriage, and then rebel against them, using the family court system to enforce plunder against The Son of Man. Nature cannot be made a liar for having said, 'Until death you shall not part', The Sons of God are being murdered by suicide.

Divorce Court is occult practice, because the leprechaun behind the bench rapes every wife with his signature, and claims he has authority to violate Physical Laws of Nature.

Copyright SwanSword, et al.
All Rights Reserved.

Originally posted by ben91069
Doesn't that seem contradictory to you that you call your path hard, when Jesus says his ways are easy? Just curious.

Honestly, no, it's not contradictory at all. The Narrow path is harder than the wide, which is why there aren't as many people on it. It takes strength, conviction, faith and trust and many other qualities to stay on it and all around you are temptations and people who want to derail you.

So I guess the question is, how easy IS it for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle?

reply to post by ReginaAdonnaAaron



But you really did not answer the question, but just reiterated what you said previously.

Again, why is the narrow path "hard" when Jesus said his ways are easy?

reply to post by SwanSword


Well said Swan. Nice writing on the ending part too and will be interesting to read more of your thoughts in the future.

Originally posted by ben91069
But you really did not answer the question, but just reiterated what you said previously.

Again, why is the narrow path "hard" when Jesus said his ways are easy?

If following in Christ's footsteps (walking the Narrow Path) were all that easy, wouldn't more people be doing it?

It's not easy because we are sinful by nature. The reason it's not easy is because of the world we live in. That's why endurance is spoken of so often in the Scriptures. Additionally, there are always people, things and various other temptations that could cause us to stumble and fall or knock us off that path. It's not easy to change your way of life, your way of doing things and even your way of thinking... but once you DO it becomes easier in time through love, faith and trust in God. Through these things your worries and concerns are taken care of because you know that by living righteously, God will care for you. So in that aspect, it is easier, but it takes time.

Originally posted by ReginaAdonnaAaron
It's not easy because we are sinful by nature. The reason it's not easy is because of the world we live in.

I was trying to test you and I understand what you are saying. The above sentence sums up why it seems "hard"; the sinful nature. We are naturally drawn towards the one, yet want to go towards the truth.

I have found, however that Jesus' way becomes easier and truly less burdensome over time as we come to know Christ better. Thats why it seems to me contradictory when someone mentions the truth is the more difficult of the two paths. I guess it depends upon how close to the truth of love one comes to that it is either difficult or easy.

Thanks for clarifying.

Originally posted by ben91069
If you could choose between a God who has a set of rules that must be adhered to where some are "saved" based on following those rules - OR - a God who has no rules or constraints and everyone is "saved" yet it means that those you consider vile and "sinners" are also invited into heaven with you,

No rules => anarchy [= modern Protestant sects]. :shk:

reply to post by Vojvoda



So you are disagreeing with the absence of rules or Protestants?

Originally posted by ben91069
reply to post by Vojvoda

 

So you are disagreeing with the absence of rules or Protestants?

I talk about formal principle of Protestantism aka sola scriptura which caused 'anarchy' in Protestanism.