Religion & Spirituality - 23 May 2007

I was reading in Exodus how God hardened the Pharaohs heart so that he would deny Moses' request to let Israel go. So my question is did the Pharaoh ever really have a chance at doing the right thing by letting Israel go? It seems to me that he was a goner from the get go. If so, does that mean there are some people in the world that just can not be saved? Furthermore, if it's someone’s destiny (God's will) to not be saved, should they not be saved by grace for fulfilling their destiny? Case in point, it was Judas Iscariots destiny to fulfill prophecy by betraying Jesus. Did he face eternal damnation or did he fulfill God's will (or both)? I've meditated a lot about these questions and am curious to what others think.

2007-05-23 05:59:42 · 19 answers · asked by Anonymous

in the Bible? Please see the verses I have listed below:

"Let them give glory unto the LORD, and declare his praise in the islands." (Isaiah 42:12)

"Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment." (Isaiah 41:1)

"Therefore the wild beasts of the desert with the wild beasts of the islands shall dwell there, and the owls shall dwell therein: and it shall be no more inhabited for ever; neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation." (Jeremiah 50:39).

"And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places." (Revelations 6:14).

"And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found." (Revelations 16:20).




**"First Principles Of Bible Study" by Harold Camping/Family Radio.

2007-05-23 05:58:54 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous

“What then shall we Christians do with this damned, rejected race of Jews?
First, their synagogues should be set on fire, and whatever does not burn up should be covered or spread over with dirt so that no one may ever be able to see a cinder or stone of it. And this ought to be done for the honour of God and of Christianity, in order that God may see that we are true Christians.
Secondly, their homes should be likewise broken down and destroyed.
Thirdly, they should be deprived of their prayerbooks and talmuds in which such idolatry, lies, cursing and blasphemy are taught.
Fourthly, their rabbis must be forbidden under threats of death to teach anymore.” – Martin Luther

“If I find a Jew to baptize, I shall lead him to the Elbe bridge, hang a stone around his neck, and push him into the water, baptizing him with the name of Avraham!.. I cannot convert the Jews. Our lord Christ did not succeed in doing so; but I can close their mouths so that there will be nothing for them to do but to lie upon the ground.” – Martin Luther

“I hope I shall never be so stupid as to be circumcised; I would rather cut off the left breast of my Catherine and of all women.” --- Martin Luther

“If we are to remain unsullied by the blasphemy of the Jews and not wish to take part in it, we must be separated from them and they must be driven out of the country.” – Martin Luther

Jesus did not call them Abraham's children, but a "brood of vipers" [Matt. 3:7]. Oh, that was too insulting for the noble blood and race of Israel, and they declared, "He has a demon' [Matt 11:18]. Our Lord also calls them a "brood of vipers"; furthermore in John 8 [:39,44] he states: "If you were Abraham's children ye would do what Abraham did.... You are of your father the devil. It was intolerable to them to hear that they were not Abraham's but the devil's children, nor can they bear to hear this today.------Martin Luther

Learn from this, dear Christian, what you are doing if you permit the blind Jews to mislead you. Then the saying will truly apply, "When a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into the pit" [cf. Luke 6:39]. You cannot learn anything from them except how to misunderstand the divine commandments...------Martin Luther

St. John Chrysostom: “I know that many people hold a high regard for the Jews and consider their way of life worthy of respect at the present time... This is why I am hurrying to pull up this fatal notion by the roots ... A place where a whore stands on display is a whorehouse. What is more, the synagogue is not only a whorehouse and a theater; it is also a den of thieves and a haunt of wild animals ... not the cave of a wild animal merely, but of an unclean wild animal ... When animals are unfit for work, they are marked for slaughter, and this is the very thing which the Jews have experienced. By making themselves unfit for work, they have become ready for slaughter. This is why Christ said: “as for my enemies, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them and slay them before me’ (Luke 19.27).”



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2007-05-23 05:56:18 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous

In a recent post a poster stated, "since we do not know all the answers, a supreme being is the only logical answer."

Do you see any problems with this?

2007-05-23 05:54:33 · 21 answers · asked by Starvin' Marvin 3

I think the gay God can beat the straight God when he becomes a bully... if push comes to shove.

2007-05-23 05:54:26 · 29 answers · asked by CHEESUS GROYST 5

Christianity has been in retreat for centuries in Europe.

Even our closet allies have little of America's religious convictions, and they think of us as more than a little backward.

Christianity has dug its heel in deep in America, like it's preparing for a last stand.

What will it take to rid ourselves of the Fundamentalist version of Christianity that America has produced?

2007-05-23 05:53:45 · 37 answers · asked by Anonymous

2007-05-23 05:53:33 · 9 answers · asked by ghostoutlaw21 1

2007-05-23 05:52:32 · 20 answers · asked by Anonymous

I am curious about the total number of people that have never been exposed to Christianity and what the Christian faith says about these souls, are they saved or condemed?

2007-05-23 05:52:30 · 10 answers · asked by Bruce 1

What is yours? I have to admit that I love to play slot machines at the casino once in awhile.

2007-05-23 05:52:12 · 4 answers · asked by Kaliko 6

2007-05-23 05:49:58 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous

If there is no God, then we all are chance occurences in an immesurable universe. Our lives are our short time to perceive and experience this universe. Is there really, then, any question what the ultimate goal of science is, namely to cure all disease and stop aging (and, if that is accomplished, we'll need more planets to live on eventually) to extend our "stay" as long as we can? If that is what the world is striving for, who is it that will decide who is allowed to partake in an ageless and disease-free life? Those who have enough money (b/c it's not going to be freely handed out; to suggest it will is to be naive)? Will those who have access to this not hold it over those who want access to have their bidding done? Isn't this, essentially, what is already unfolding, those in power have something their underlings want, so we do what we are told to do by them in the hopes of receiving what it is that they have and we want?

2007-05-23 05:48:55 · 21 answers · asked by randyken 6

2007-05-23 05:46:47 · 19 answers · asked by ☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻ 1

Might be because the Flesh is weak but the will and spirit is strong in Christ?

What I see just from my being here is that Christians are insulted called derogatory names, are accused of many things yet they remain steadfast in there belief because Christ's spirit is superior than that of just human will and flesh?

The flesh will become weak and die, but the spirit always remains strong if you believe, what are your thoughts?

2007-05-23 05:44:57 · 27 answers · asked by Anonymous

Can somebody explain this to me or even give me a website so i can be informed?

2007-05-23 05:44:13 · 15 answers · asked by hotstallion54 2

I made a clone for ya

love

pretty Tony

2007-05-23 05:42:17 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous

intersexed people are people who have a mixture of female and male chromosomes. meaning, they have both of the sexes in different amounts. if a person is to live that way, what is your religions view on the way they should live their sexual lives?

Thank you

2007-05-23 05:41:58 · 22 answers · asked by Antares 6

Which topic do you wish would never be brought up again on this R&S site?

2007-05-23 05:41:42 · 19 answers · asked by Kaliko 6

have you ever tried another denomination? everyone believes their own to be correct. do you notice that the feeling is similar no matter which religion you practice?

2007-05-23 05:41:18 · 16 answers · asked by NotAnotherNickName 2

2007-05-23 05:40:34 · 17 answers · asked by Anonymous

a philosopher? Since his ideas were obviously divinely inspired.

2007-05-23 05:37:22 · 10 answers · asked by Nels 7

I attend church weekly and I pay my 10% (which I don't have a problem with because it help the upkeep of the church) I do have a problem when your pastor says "your blessing is comming" and every week and even during the week he gets payed for ministering. My pastor has a 4 bedroom house, great big truck and Lexus car. I am not saying that I am not blessed because at least i do have a roof over my head, a car to ride to work in and food on the table. However why does a preacher get payed to preach the free word. He is suppose to be in the business of saving souls. Sunday is payday. Monday through Saturday if he goes out to another church to preach is payday. Anniversary and Vacation I get 5% raised a year. For the celebration of that one day he get about 10 times his salary from the congregation and then a raise in Salary. When I read the bible it said that Jesus was the same as his people. The difference was his powers to heal, save and love. Why is man treated better than Jesus.

2007-05-23 05:35:30 · 34 answers · asked by T.C. 2

Would they stop then or come up with some other excuse?
I believe God has already done this from the scripture we already have.

2007-05-23 05:35:24 · 20 answers · asked by don_steele54 6

Chapter 41 of the Nazirene Gospel (verses 10-13), which was removed from the Bible by the Gentile-Roman Church, says...
---

10.And there was a certain man who was blind from his birth. And he denied that there were such things as sun, moon, and stars, or that color existed. And they tried in vain to persuade him that other people saw them; and they led him to Jesus, and He anointed his eyes and made him see.

11.And he greatly rejoiced with wonder and fear, and confessed that before he was blind. And now, after this, he said, I see all, I know everything, I am a god.

12.And Jesus again said to him, How can you know all? You can't see through the walls of your house, nor read the thoughts of your fellow-men, nor understand the language of birds, or of beasts. You can not even recall the events of your former life, conception, or birth.

13.Remember with humility how much remains unknown to you, yes, unseen, and doing so, you may see more clearly.

2007-05-23 05:33:55 · 18 answers · asked by Anonymous

provable experiences, as well as friends and relations. There is no question about the validity of it.
Religious fanatics need not apply; bible quotations of myths, legends also not applicable.
Sensible answers only please and that does not mean a simple `yes` or `no` to boost your ratings.

2007-05-23 05:33:55 · 15 answers · asked by Montgomery B 4

I have asked you guys alot of questions and I hope it doesnt bother you. I am just a thinker, I think all the time about things that are normally hard to say outloud or convey to someone else. Anyway I will try to ask this question in a way that is understandable. This is NOT a sarcastic or attacking, or judgeing questions, it is simply a question in order to better understand, if you are willing to share with me the true inner nature of how you feel.............thanks in advance for your answers and responses.


Atheist meaning is that you dont believe in a deity right?

I was thinking on a deeper level though, of conscienceness...
Is it the "believing in God " part that you reject. Or is it the
" Being subservient to a superior being"
And hypothetically, what if you did believe in God, would you struggle with feeling subject to Him?

2007-05-23 05:32:14 · 26 answers · asked by Anonymous

I think so...and take it this says so too? Yes/No?

2007-05-23 05:31:19 · 40 answers · asked by SDC 5

I don't understand what it's all about. The Wikipedia article didn't help me at all. Please forgive my ignorance, but I'm very interested in learning what exactly gnosticism is.

2007-05-23 05:30:41 · 11 answers · asked by Pirahã 5

Our species has been so successful in spreading over the world and changing it, sometimes more to our liking, that it is difficult to see ourselves in relation to other forms of life, to see ourselves "in nature." We have made ourselves different and set ourselves apart from the rest of the natural world. Perhaps for that reason alone, among many others, it is useful and instructive to try to understand our origins and to reconstruct our relationship to other life on the planet.
Since the great task of classifying the world's life forms according to their anatomical similarities got well under way during the late 18th century, the affinities between humans and the great apes have been recognized and pondered. In the mid nineteenth century, Charles Darwin postulated that apes and humans had a common ancestor. Until recently, however, we classified the apes as very distant cousins of human beings.

2007-05-23 05:29:52 · 21 answers · asked by Anonymous

They constantly want to blame them for everything and would exterminate them given the chance--all to please their fear god.

2007-05-23 05:26:42 · 14 answers · asked by St. Tom Cruise 3