Trying to put things into perspective?

Question

If I was a good person and I gave you something really, really nice, a wonderful gift but then after I gave it to you I demanded you spend all your time thanking me for it for the rest of your years and I will not take the gift back less I d@mn you to hell, would this still be a kind gift, would I still be a good person? If I said that if you dont spend all your years thanking me for this gift that I will make sure you spend an eternity incased in fiery Brimstone, am I still a good person.

I believe in God but I have a hard time believing that the creator has the mindset depicted above even though this is how most religions portray the creator. God seems to be portrayed as a masterful being who will strike you down in vengence and have you burn in hell just because you didnt know of him or spend the life he gave you dedicated to worshipping him. While it is a wonderful gift God gave us, doesnt the conditions of this gift seem some what not nice, less than holy even?

Answer 1

Good point. If god was real and loved everyone he would want to see us happy. Same as when a parent buys a ncie gift for a child. They do it to see their child, whom they love, happy. They don't do it to force their child into a horrible guilt trip in which the child has to thank them the rest of his or her life for something they did not ask for.

Answer 2

"While it is a wonderful gift God gave us, doesn't the conditions of this gift seem some what not nice, less than holy even?"

Ahhhhhh yes, my friend. You're beginning to move out of the parent/child relationship described in the bible. You are growing spiritually. This is to be celebrated and congratulated.

The parent/child relationship is present in all monotheistic religions. God is all powerful and as such, God can either reward you for good behavior or punish you with eternal damnation. This relationship is fine and dandy when you are in the child stage of spiritual development but what happens when growth occurs?

Two things in my humble opinion. Either you submit uncomfortably, or you move forward spiritually and do what you are doing. You being to question. You begin to want, even demand something better and more fulfilling/satisfying in your relationship with the divine.

Eventually, after a great deal of soul searching, after a great deal of questioning, you will create a more adult relationship with the divine. This is a wonder-full place to be. It's a place where you can look at the "intent" behind all religious texts and see their beauty. You can begin to operate from the active form of love, and begin to recognize the spirituality in every human being, no matter the religious or non religious belief. Respect results. Respect for yourself, for others, and for what you perceive as the divine within you and without. From there...

You begin to recognize your inherent ability to create. You are, without question, the creator of your reality. THIS is the divine gift. And it's a gift with no strings attached. How you chose to create your reality is fully under your control. And it cannot be fully achieved or appreciated as a reflection of the divine until such time as you are able to recognize the divine gift you carry within yourself.

The world truly opens to you once you are here. Here as an adult. Experiencing an adult to adult relationship with the divine. It opens you to the mystery of your own being and aids in revealing the "intent" of the divine - no matter where you find it.

Good luck on your journey. May you continue to be blessed with a questioning, open mind. May you find the divine within and begin the real journey of creating.

Answer 3

good question....it is a wonderful gift and like any gift that we receive, we use it in a way that the giver intended us to use it. We show our appreciation for the gift by living our lives the way our God wants to live our lives. This is how we thank him, and it's not a burden 1John 5:3  For this is what the love of God means, that we observe his commandments; and yet his commandments are not burdensome, And as for a place of torment, the word hell derives from the words pit, grave or ground . It's where all those who die will go. From dust to dust, but the hope of a resurrection is what this loving God as provided.
Job 34:10Therefore, YOU men of heart, listen to me.
Far be it from the [true] God to act wickedly,
And the Almighty to act unjustly!

Answer 4

"The reign of God may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds through his wheat, and then made off. When the crop began to mature and yield grain, the weeds made their appearance as well. THe owner's slaves came to him and said, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where are the weeds coming from?' He answered, 'I see an enemy's hand in this.' His slaves said to him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' 'No,' he replied, 'pull up the weeds and you might take the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest time; then at harvest time I will order the harvesters, First collect the weeds and bundle them up to burn, then gather the wheat into my barn.' " Matthew 13: 24-30

What you hear, and have been told, are the weeds spread by those to whom such a gift remains deaf to their ears.Those who spread weeds are the enemy of the wheat, but they should be loved and forgiven nonetheless Their hands bear the mark of dirt of their deeds, but their hearts remain a child's and can still be saved.

Answer 5

The Bible says that God is a jealous god. Yes, He gives us the option of salvation, but it isn't something for free. You can't just take it and run and shove it in His face saying "Hahaha now I have it You have to let me in!"

I don't believe that once you are saved that your salvation can be taken away, but I also don't believe that you can just get saved without wanting to worship and thank God for it.

You have to believe that God loves you, believe that He sent his son to die for your sins, accept Him into your heart, and worship Him. If you truly believe, then you will want to live the life that God wants you to live, not see that way of life as a punishment.

Answer 6

living in usa the place the financial downturn is horrifying I see issues in attitude daily. there grow to be a time while my husband grow to be consistently bugging me to get greater stuff, a 4 wheeler, a sparkling automobile, a sparkling homestead, a sparkling embody sound. I hate credit and consistently stated no. I thank god daily now while i seem around see what different have lost and we nevertheless have. we are almost debt unfastened (in simple terms a truck cost left different then kinfolk expenses). i'm shelter in understanding that my youngster's futures are secure.

Answer 7

for the first question, no. If you want it to be a kind gift, you would give it and ask for no thanks or gift in return.

In the same way, God is not asking for us to thank Him 24/7. He just wants us to love Him because He is Our Father. Just like you would love you mom, dad, sibbling, wife, children, or girlfried, God wants us to love Him.

And don't let anyone tell you you're going to hell because that is for God to know and only God. Not even Mary the Ever Virgin Knows if your going to hell. Not even your gardian angel knows.

Answer 8

Try reading the New Testament...not listening to what other people say including preachers- who can be false prophets! Read it yourself, especially Mathew, Mark, Luke, John. From reading your question, it sounds like you've been exposed to some strange teachings over the years. Look at scriptures yourself and ask God to help you. You seem intelligent, so study yourself.

Answer 9

Take into consideration for a moment, that maybe you have a misconception of how this whole story is balanced. And that's not a criticism of you, because many people have been misled by religion through the years. This is why ALL Biblical scripture has to be taken into account, to get the story right. Don't be quick to judge God's character when you aren't seeing the whole picture, or you don't understand what's really going on.

God is good, and He never changes. When He created this world and put mankind into it, He said it was very good. That's how things started out. That's how He intended things to be for eternity. Everything was great until man decided to disobey Him. The entire Godly order of planet earth was destroyed the moment man decided to rebel against God. The spiritual nature of man was changed in that instant to be wicked and against God. At that time, there was no way to repair that damage. The story of the Bible is what God did about fixing the problem. This is called redemption.

Now mind you, He didn't HAVE to do anything about it. He could have just sent everyone to hell, and been done with it. He would have been just and right to have done so. But God is loving and patient, and He did not want to scrap all of humanity - because He knew that many would receive Him when given the chance. This whole process of redemption was not an easy thing to pull off.

He is a Holy God, and sin cannot be in His presence at all. That is the real problem It's like putting matter and anti-matter together. Also, the very nature of sin is to corrupt and destroy. He could not allow that to continue, so He sent His Son Jesus Christ into the world. He had to have someone that He could work through, who would obey Him perfectly. Only someone that is completely without sin could do that. Why? Because to satisfy the righteous demand of Holiness in the universe, blood had to be shed for sin. "The soul that sins shall surely die." We all had a sin debt that had to be paid. Jesus paid that debt in full on our behalf - the righteous for the unrighteous. This was the only way that eternal justice could be satisfied, and for us to escape judgment simultaneously.

But what happens next? Each person must accept this payment in full for themself. God is not cramming redemption down anyone's throat. He is not willing for anyone to perish, but rather for all to come to Him through Jesus Christ. Damnation awaits everyone who refuses to accept "the fix." There is no place in all of God's domain for anyone who insists upon rebellion against Him. If anyone doesn't like it - tough. Why? Because God is the Creator, and all of His creation is subject to Him. We have to do what He says. The reason why we might not like what He says in the first place is because we have the sin-nature passed down to us from our parents, which they got from Adam and Eve through all the generations of man.

God is very merciful. That is why even though the world is spiralling out of control right now because of sin, He is patiently waiting and giving people the opportunity to choose Him and accept His Son Jesus. But He will not allow things to continue as they have been forever. That is why He is coming back, to destroy sin in the earth once and for all, and to reestablish peace and harmony in the earth, with the righteous ones that have accepted Him. This is what the Bible tells us.

Answer 10

Does the Creator not have authority over His creation?

And if you dont accept Jesus you'll end up in the lake of fire

But is wise to thank God for what He's given,giving you,and yet to give;so that he will prosper you.

Answer 11

How good do you have to be to get to Heaven? God is holy, and requires holiness. Holiness is purity. Even though you may think you are good enough, even one sin disqualifies you from being in the presence of God. You could never be good enough. That is why you need Jesus.
The Bible says that there is none good enough. "There is none who does good, there is not even one," (Rom. 3:12). Goodness is measured by God's standard - not yours.
To say that you are good enough means that Christ did not have to die. But He did die to save sinners. The Bible says if righteousness can come by good deeds, then Christ didn't need to die (Gal. 2:21), but He did, so being good isn't enough.


Even if you could do far better than you are doing now, you still can't do well enough, because you don't please God by being good (Gal. 2:21), but by accepting Jesus (John 1:12).
Sincerity is not the way to heaven. What if you are sincerely wrong? (Remember John 14;6?)
If you are relying on your sincerity, then you are saying because you are sincere, you are therefore good enough, on your own, to be with God. Don't you see, to appeal to your sincerity is to appeal to pride, because you are appealing to something that is in you and not God, for your reason to go to heaven? I am sorry, sincerity is not enough. You must have faith, in Jesus.
How long have you been doing your best? Has it worked so far? Has it given you eternal life?