So You Call Yourself a Christian...

...but are you really? In the true sense of the word? Do you really walk in Christ's footsteps? If you think you do, or if you're not sure, below is a video you should view:

Originally posted by ReginaAdonnaAaron
...but are you really? In the true sense of the word? Do you really walk in Christ's footsteps? If you think you do, or if you're not sure, below is a video you should view:

Frankly, if you want to lead people to Christ, the only way that you're going to get them there is by appealing to what matters to them. For some (and I think it's a small number) that might be the whole "wrath of God" stuff, but I've always said that fear is a lousy motivator, and results in a weak faith.

I think that God wants us to love him like he loves us. Unconditionally, because we want to, not because we're afraid of not loving him. Isn't that how you would want someone to feel about you?

So, yeah, I guess that, for some people, like the 23 Minutes In Hell guy, that's the way to go, but I think it's way more of a turn off for people than exemplifying the joy that comes from communion with God.

reply to post by adjensen


What you always will fail to do , is to show why anyone would want to love this guy, when they are never interested in following in the guys footsteps, you will NEVER get anywhere near by worshipping or thinking he is the only Son of God...and the proof is in the total materialistic and miracle FREE churches of the world...

You know , the ones that think they see miracles but actually get nowhere near what Christ said was possible,, IE ALL of them.

Thank you for your great video but we must always remember that our salvation is not based on works. There is no way to earn your way into heaven. What did Jesus die for if we have to be perfect followers of Him? No one is perfect, and that is why we need His death to cover our imperfectness. It's -not- how well you follow Jesus and what He taught that gets you saved. It is His death, and God's grace alone that saves you. But remember He loves us more than anything. That's WHY He died for us. All He is asking in return is to believe in Him and have a relationship with Him and love Him back. Don't you understand people, love for God is the -ONLY- thing that matters! The reason He created us was to share His love with all of mankind. What good is love if it is kept hidden?

Originally posted by GrinchNoMore
reply to post by adjensen

 

What you always will fail to do , is to show why anyone would want to love this guy, when they are never interested in following in the guys footsteps, you will NEVER get anywhere near by worshipping or thinking he is the only Son of God...and the proof is in the total materialistic and miracle FREE churches of the world...

You know , the ones that think they see miracles but actually get nowhere near what Christ said was possible,, IE ALL of them.

I'm sorry, but none of that really made any sense. If English is your second language, I apologize for not getting it. If English is your first language, well, you need to work on things, because whatever point you were trying to make was lost in the general incomprehensibility of what you wrote.

Originally posted by freedish
Thank you for your great video but we must always remember that our salvation is not based on works. There is no way to earn your way into heaven.

That is an excellent point. One thing about fundamentalist evangelicals that I don't really understand is that they are almost always coming from a church that has a Reformed tradition (like the Baptists) and yet, the teachings of the Reformed tradition (Calvinism) seems to be inherently anti-evangelical. Salvation is based on predestination, so God's elect are saved, period, and those predestined for damnation are damned, period, so what's the point of trying to convert anyone?

It would seem that the Catholics, Lutherans and churches that follow Arminian theology (Methodists and Pentecostals, largely) would be the only ones who saw the benefit of evangelism, and yet these are the very churches that aren't really keen on it. I read a book a few months ago by an evangelical, where he described some sort of divine "reward system" for doing such preaching, so maybe that's typical of the motivation.

Originally posted by adjensen

Originally posted by freedish
Thank you for your great video but we must always remember that our salvation is not based on works. There is no way to earn your way into heaven.

That is an excellent point. One thing about fundamentalist evangelicals that I don't really understand is that they are almost always coming from a church that has a Reformed tradition (like the Baptists) and yet, the teachings of the Reformed tradition (Calvinism) seems to be inherently anti-evangelical. Salvation is based on predestination, so God's elect are saved, period, and those predestined for damnation are damned, period, so what's the point of trying to convert anyone?

It would seem that the Catholics, Lutherans and churches that follow Arminian theology (Methodists and Pentecostals, largely) would be the only ones who saw the benefit of evangelism, and yet these are the very churches that aren't really keen on it. I read a book a few months ago by an evangelical, where he described some sort of divine "reward system" for doing such preaching, so maybe that's typical of the motivation.

Thank you. Anytime I start believing in the whole saved by works thing I start failing miserably in my life. It's like God says okay, if you think you are good enough to do it alone, go ahead and try. Many people misunderstand the teachings from the book of Luke where Jesus talks about fruit of the spirit and bearing fruit. The whole verse about not being in the vine and not bearing fruit; Preachers often teach that it means you have to try and be 'good'. Which is totally misinterpreted. It's not that we have to 'try' to be good but rather if we are in Jesus, and Him in us, our natural tendency will be to bear fruit and be 'good'. It would be against our nature to be 'bad'. God takes our old nature and replaces it with His own divine, holy nature.

Also I think the verse you're referring to about the 'reward system' is true somewhat. But, I don't think anyone knows exactly what this 'treasure' is. My guess, the treasure has something to do with our love for God. For what better treasure can there be than a great love for God? If you have God on your heart, what else can make you happier? Certainly not some kind of tangible item. I think that people who do things for God because they get 'treasure' in Heaven are doing it for the wrong reasons. When you have a good relationship with Jesus, you naturally want to do things for the kingdom. And storing up treasure becomes a result, not a goal.

Originally posted by freedish
It's not that we have to 'try' to be good but rather if we are in Jesus, and Him in us, our natural tendency will be to bear fruit and be 'good'. It would be against our nature to be 'bad'. God takes our old nature and replaces it with His own divine, holy nature.

Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner! Dang, it's rare that I come across someone who understands this, though I've always found it clear in both Paul and James. We are not saved by our works, but if we fail to do good works, we testify that our faith is hollow.

And storing up treasure becomes a result, not a goal.

I like that, as well, so long as we don't look at it as being some kind of scorecard that earns us favour with God. I'm not 100% on board with those (mostly Lutherans) who say that all works, "good" or not, are abhorrent to God, but I can understand the theology behind it. If I help my neighbour in order to further my own cause (as in the "scorekeeping" that I referenced earlier) I don't see that as being an impartial "love thy neighbour, simply because you love them."

there are many paths to the only truth which I myself have read about in the Christian book of Wisdom...

I personally see the, “your going to Hell” approach, as not the best way to go about it, especially when people have a hard enough time, as it is, just trying to believe there might be a God, to begin with. There are also so many theologies regarding judgment, that it’s difficult to know what is the definitive truth. So for me, Jesus words, have to be the first thing we show/teach or speak about, to a non-believer, and hopefully we will sow some seeds in their minds.

My personal take on Hell, is that it is a place where people will go because they are cut off from God spiritually, because they never got to know God. Over the last few years, I have started to believe in the JWs theology, regarding judgment, in that all non-believers after being resurrected, will come before God on the final day of the resurrection, and may be given a second chance, possibly to repent.


- JC

Originally posted by Joecroft
Over the last few years, I have started to believe in the JWs theology, regarding judgment, in that all non-believers after being resurrected, will come before God on the final day of the resurrection, and may be given a second chance, possibly to repent.

Although I'm not a Catholic, they did a fine job in the Middle Ages of mucking it up, and there's little scriptural support for it, I rather like the idea of purgatory. You die, there's an immediate judgement -- if you're super holy, off you go to be with Christ; if you're super evil, off you go to be away from God. That takes care of, oh, Mother Theresa and Stalin, for example.

For the rest of us, we've still a bit of taint and nastiness around the edges, or worse, so we need to deal with that. In the Middle Ages, the church portrayed that as a punishment, and, as a result, the terrible practice of paying for Indulgences arose, as people tried to "buy time off from punishment" for themselves, Grandma, or whoever. But I don't see it as a punishment, more of a healing, a way to finally get beyond the things that hold us back.

That, I think, would be a fine way of reconciling the whole "second chance" business, without needing to resort to the belief that everyone gets saved, because that seems inherently unjust, particularly in the extremes (like Stalin.)

Though he was an Anglican, not a Catholic, C.S. Lewis' The Great Divorce is a nice novel that lays out a similar view of Purgatory. It's a short read, and well worth the time, as it also answers a question that always kind of bugged me -- if absolute proof of God were at hand, would anyone turn away? Well, Lewis thinks lots of them would, and the book is a depiction of a few of them.

Originally posted by freedish
Thank you for your great video but we must always remember that our salvation is not based on works. There is no way to earn your way into heaven. What did Jesus die for if we have to be perfect followers of Him? No one is perfect, and that is why we need His death to cover our imperfectness. It's -not- how well you follow Jesus and what He taught that gets you saved. It is His death, and God's grace alone that saves you. But remember He loves us more than anything. That's WHY He died for us. All He is asking in return is to believe in Him and have a relationship with Him and love Him back. Don't you understand people, love for God is the -ONLY- thing that matters! The reason He created us was to share His love with all of mankind. What good is love if it is kept hidden?

edit on 11-2-2011 by freedish because: (no reason given)

According to the words of Jesus, you are wrong. Matthew 7:15-27
15“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

(In case you didn't know a prophet is: somebody who interprets divine will: somebody who claims to interpret or transmit the commands of a deity; somebody predicting the future: somebody who predicts the future; advocate of something: somebody who advocates a cause or idea.
You are the kind of person followers of Jesus should watch out for, because you are either ignorant or lying about what you are teaching here. According to Jesus, everyone bears fruit of somekind, be it either good or bad. And every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.)

21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you who break God's laws!’

(God is not interested in lip service, you are either bearing good fruit or you aren't. These people obviously were counting on God's grace to get into heaven, they will even state their case for how much faith they had, surely they had enough faith in God to drive out demons and perform miracles, but did they obey all of God's commands? They must have been taught that it's by grace through faith that they are saved, which according to Jesus, just doesn't cut it.)

24“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

(Followers of Jesus puts his words into practice and he considers them wise for doing so, anyone who doesn't will fall with a great crash. If the blind man leads another blind man, both shall fall into a ditch.)

reply to post by Wonders


It is impossible to follow the law 100%.

If you have even sinned once you cannot enter Gods kingdom.

So by your logic if you have even one tiny sin, you will perish in the lake of fire.

Works based salvation is dead.

Being 'Good' is impossible for us.

But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. - Is 64:6

The ONLY way to be 'good' is believing Jesus died for you and accepting the holy spirit. Our old nature dies and we are given a new, godly nature. That is why we call it being 'born again'.

In my walk with God I have noticed that the harder I 'try' to be good the more I fail to be good and the further I move from God. We don't have to 'try', God does it for us. It should come naturally to you.

I am not a chapter & verse person, but I keep these two scriptures in mind:

The just shall live by faith.

We will be like Him.

Really, who could ask for anything more?

My replies are within the quote.

Originally posted by freedish
reply to post by Wonders

 

It is impossible to follow the law 100%.
(Who says it's impossible to follow God's laws 100%?
Mark 9:23 "What do you mean, 'If I can'?" Jesus asked. "Anything is possible if a person believes.")

If you have even sinned once you cannot enter Gods kingdom.
(You and I both know that the above statement is not true.)

So by your logic if you have even one tiny sin, you will perish in the lake of fire.
(Just what is a "tiny sin" anyway? "Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear," says Isaiah 59: 1-2. "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear." )

Works based salvation is dead.
(Rather, James 2:17 "So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.")

Being 'Good' is impossible for us.
(Impossible for who? Please don't lump us all into the same litter box. According to the bible, there are and there were righteous people.

This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. (Gen 6:9)
Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. (Mat 1:19)

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. (Luke 2:25)

And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. (Mat 23:35)

and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard) (2 Pet 2:7,8)

Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? (James 2:21)
that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Mat 5:45)
But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners. (Mat 9:13)

Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. (Mat 10:41)

For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. (Mat 13:17)

Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. (Mat 13:43)

This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous (Mat 13:49)

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. (Mat 23:29)

Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?” (Mat 25:37)

Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. (Mat 25:46)

On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17)

And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. (Luke 1:17)

I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. (Luke 5:32)

and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. (Luke 14:14)

I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. (Luke 15:7)

and I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. (Acts 24:15)

For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” (Rom 1:17)

For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. (Rom 2:13)

Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. (Rom 3:20)

Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. (Rom 5:7)

For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. (Rom 5:19)

Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.” (Gal 3:11)

We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, (1 Tim 1:9)

to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect (Heb 12:23)

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. (James 5:16)

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. (1 Pet 3:12)

And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” (1 Pet 4:18)

Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. (1 John 3:7)



But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. - Is 64:6
(This is what Isaiah was referring to: The Lord said, "This people draw near with their words and honour me with their lips service, but they remove their heart far from me (Isa 29:13).


The ONLY way to be 'good' is believing Jesus died for you and accepting the holy spirit. Our old nature dies and we are given a new, godly nature. That is why we call it being 'born again'.
(What I want to know is, why are you telling me that its impossible to fully obey God and be good and then telling me that you are born again with your new nature? By the way, believing Jesus died and rose again is not enough. Luke 16:27-31 says:
27 “Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. 28 For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’

29 “But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.’

30 “The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’

31 “But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen even if someone rises from the dead.’”

(Remember, Jesus rose from the dead.)

In my walk with God I have noticed that the harder I 'try' to be good the more I fail to be good and the further I move from God. We don't have to 'try', God does it for us. It should come naturally to you.
(Really, first you try to refute my first post where I showed you what Jesus said and now you claim a "walk with God"?)
Amos 3:3 Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?

(As for you saying you move further from God when you try to do good...)
James 4:8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

edit on 6-3-2011 by freedish because: (no reason given)

reply to post by Wonders


I can't reply to your post because of the formatting, but I saw James in there, and I've done a fair bit of study and thinking on the subject of faith and works, and have a different view of James, which is a book that Protestants such as myself often like to avoid.

There are three general perspectives. Catholic -- you are saved by faith, but not faith alone, your works matter. Protestant "A" -- you are saved by faith, and faith alone. Protestant "B" -- you are saved by faith, and faith alone, and everything you do ("works") are actually repugnant to God, because it is always self-serving.

By that third view, even when you do something good, you're not doing it because you are committing a selfless act, but you're expecting a reward -- "thanks", or someone thinking well of you, or something from God. Luther held this, though Lutherans generally do not, but it is one of the core tenets of Reformed theology.

However, Protestants, even Reformed, are to do good works anyway, which is what most Catholics (and too many Protestants) don't get. For the Reformed, the view is that, regardless of what our motivation is, and what God thinks of us, you still made someone else's life better, so that is the benefit of works -- the value is never for yourself, always for others.

The rest of us Protestants can look to James for our reason -- works demonstrates true faith. James is not saying that YOU are dead without works, but that your FAITH is dead, it is not a true faith at all. You won't be saved by Christ, not because you didn't do good things, but your intentional not doing good things shows that you had no faith in Christ, even though you thought that you did.

reply to post by Wonders


I'm glad you are able to follow God's law perfectly, as for me, I am a sinner. I still sin today. And I thank Jesus that He died for me.

As for you, good luck following the law, it is a heavy burden to be carrying around. You have to always watch your steps. It can make one cold and bitter. I would rather walk in grace with God. And if it ends up that I don't go to heaven because of believing that faith in Jesus was enough, then I will tell God that I truly am sorry for who I am and my sins-and that I did try to follow His law but failed many times. I apologize for my inequities, my failure to resist temptation, my weakness to sins snares. Maybe when this flesh body is dead and gone things will be different for me. Until then sin is everywhere, my heart is still bleeding from other peoples sins that affected me from my early childhood. I am doomed to live up to God's perfect standards. Thank you Jesus for dying for me, and covering my sins with your blood.

For me, even when I sin I know I still love God. His love is what keeps drawing me back to Him.

Originally posted by adjensen
reply to post by Wonders

 

I can't reply to your post because of the formatting, but I saw James in there, and I've done a fair bit of study and thinking on the subject of faith and works, and have a different view of James, which is a book that Protestants such as myself often like to avoid.

There are three general perspectives. Catholic -- you are saved by faith, but not faith alone, your works matter. Protestant "A" -- you are saved by faith, and faith alone. Protestant "B" -- you are saved by faith, and faith alone, and everything you do ("works") are actually repugnant to God, because it is always self-serving.

By that third view, even when you do something good, you're not doing it because you are committing a selfless act, but you're expecting a reward -- "thanks", or someone thinking well of you, or something from God. Luther held this, though Lutherans generally do not, but it is one of the core tenets of Reformed theology.

However, Protestants, even Reformed, are to do good works anyway, which is what most Catholics (and too many Protestants) don't get. For the Reformed, the view is that, regardless of what our motivation is, and what God thinks of us, you still made someone else's life better, so that is the benefit of works -- the value is never for yourself, always for others.

The rest of us Protestants can look to James for our reason -- works demonstrates true faith. James is not saying that YOU are dead without works, but that your FAITH is dead, it is not a true faith at all. You won't be saved by Christ, not because you didn't do good things, but your intentional not doing good things shows that you had no faith in Christ, even though you thought that you did.

That's so strange, why do Protestants like yourself like to avoid the book of James? Catholics may believe that works matter, but they also believe in calling an earthy man "Father", something that Jesus said not to do, among other craziness such as praying to Mary.
Protestants, are just as bad as Catholics! There is a Mother of Harlots (unfaithful to God and His Word) and yes the "Mother" has many children!
Yes, there is nothing wrong with expecting a reward from God for obedience! The bible mentions rewards, you would have to be deaf and blind not to expect a reward!
Ugh, and "the Reformed"?! I'm not interested in their view either! What did Jesus say?! Love one another as you love yourself. He didn't say to love others more than we love ourselves! He said that in comparison to our love for God, our love for others and for ourselves is to be like hatred! The value is for GOD, and GOD alone! God says we are dead if we don't obey Him! It's not a threat it's a promise!
Don't you read the parts of the bible where it says that our very lives are at stake?
This makes me sick! Christians:"Oh yeah of course we know that Jesus told some people to go and sin no more but He didn't mean it because He knows that not even He can keep us from sinning."

Originally posted by freedish
reply to post by Wonders

 

I'm glad you are able to follow God's law perfectly, as for me, I am a sinner. I still sin today. And I thank Jesus that He died for me.

As for you, good luck following the law, it is a heavy burden to be carrying around. You have to always watch your steps. It can make one cold and bitter. I would rather walk in grace with God. And if it ends up that I don't go to heaven because of believing that faith in Jesus was enough, then I will tell God that I truly am sorry for who I am and my sins-and that I did try to follow His law but failed many times. I apologize for my inequities, my failure to resist temptation, my weakness to sins snares. Maybe when this flesh body is dead and gone things will be different for me. Until then sin is everywhere, my heart is still bleeding from other peoples sins that affected me from my early childhood. I am doomed to live up to God's perfect standards. Thank you Jesus for dying for me, and covering my sins with your blood.

For me, even when I sin I know I still love God. His love is what keeps drawing me back to Him.

Hypocrites, deaf and blind! Jesus said that if people don't listen to Moses and the Prophets, they won't listen even if SOMEONE rises from the dead. You can't rely on Jesus' death to save you! You need to carry YOUR cross, if you have one! OF COURSE YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO WATCH YOUR STEPS HAVEN'T YOU READ THE BIBLE?!?! God loves you but you have a mistaken perception of God's grace. ALL THE SORRYS IN THE WORLD WON'T SAVE YOU ON JUDGEMENT DAY! Please read the bible!!!!!!!! THERE IS NO EXCUSE!!!! JESUS SAID SO HIMSELF!!!!
You are not to be a product of your childhood! DOOMED???!!!! You should WANT TO LIVE UP TO GOD'S PERFECT STANDARDS!! REMEMBER WHAT JESUS SAID!!!!

Luke 6:46 Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?