Okay, I happen to drive by on your street late at night, simply to find your address, but not to call or bother you at that late hour.
Incredibly, I see that your house is on fire. No one else seems to notice; no alarms are going off and no fire department at the scene.
I sit in my car, wondering if I should disturb you with such information. You might not believe me if I tell you that your house is on fire; you might be angry and hateful, and say that I am hateful.
As I watch the fire consume your house, and wonder what I should do, I see an escape ladder come out of a bedroom window and family members half climb half fall down. The FD arrives and fights the fire.
As I visit you in hospital, and learn that one of your children died from the fire, and you were badly burned, you discover that I, your friend, sat outside for over half an hour with full knowledge of the danger, but never tried to warn you.
Do you still consider me to be your friend?
2007-07-24 17:37:13 · 18 answers · asked by Brother Andrew 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
It is truly amazing how many of these people would consider me a ruthless, cruel, not to mention stupid, mean-spirited idiot, if I were to sit in my car and watch their house burn down without trying to warn them.
Surely you would expect me to break your door down under such circumstances and scream YOUR HOUSE IS ON FIRE!
Yet these same folks would get very upset and cry bigotry if I tried to tell them they were in danger of hell-fire.
2007-07-24 17:56:41 · update #1
To qualify, it is a real fire that anyone can see, provided they are outside the house to see it. It is not obvious from inside the house until later on.
I did not start the fire and was in no way responsible for it: I simply had outside knowledge of the danger that you did not. Had you heeded a warning and come outside, you would have agreed that the house was on fire.
Christians depend only on the words of God and the Holy Spirit to convict a sinner.
2007-07-24 18:05:58 · update #2
The thing is, after you die you discover that hell is not imaginary any more, but a real place with real flames. The rich man in Luke 16 found that out the hard way.
2007-07-24 19:15:54 · update #3
Nice parable. i.e. In otherwords, if you care about someone, bring them to God. Don't hesitate for it may be to late for them if you do.
2007-07-24 17:41:17 · answer #1 · answered by Poohcat1 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
There is a parable in eastern tradition very similar to this. Children are inside and the house begins to burn. The father calls them out, but they are playing and will not listen.
The father uses "expedient means" to lure the kids out.
In other words, offers them great gifts and toys if they come out, because they will not listen to the true message of the burning house.
The father then saves the childrens life, giving him the opportunity to explain the danger of the fire at a later time.
If this is mean as a spiritual question and not a literal one, you should not sit and watch the house burn with your friends inside, yet you might not get them to come out by yelling loudly FIRE FIRE!
You may need to awaken them gently with a softer message that will lure them out of the burning house, so you will have the opportunity to explain the real danger they were in later.
You are not a friend if you do nothing.
If this is a literal story, you are not only NOT A FRIEND, but in the wrong to watch someone you care about potentially die because you are afraid they might be angry for being awakened.
I do think that the question is meant in a spiritual context however.
2007-07-25 00:53:04 · answer #2 · answered by Tim H 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Depends on whether it was an imaginary fire that only you can see, lit by your imaginary friend, or a real one that actually exists, proved by evidence.
If it's not a fire that everyone can see, please keep it to yourself - I'm not interested in your sick fantasies. If you were really a friend, you wouldn't have been out looking for my address - you would have already known it - so if it's a REAL fire, it sounds like you might have selfishly started it yourself, and I'd have the authorities investigate you for arson, trespassing, etc. I have a smoke alarm and a fire extinguisher, so I don't need stalkers to drive back-and-forth past my house, looking for opportunities to bother me.
2007-07-25 00:44:19 · answer #3 · answered by gelfling 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Considering I live in an apartment building, I'm not too concerned.
But no, you wouldn't be my friend. And if you're trying to make a point about evangalizing, you didn't do a very good job. Non-Christians know all about Christianity; we CHOOSE not to be Christian. In your example, we would know the fire escape was there and not need your assistance. You're assuming we let ourselves burn to death.
2007-07-25 00:42:18 · answer #4 · answered by Kharm 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Comparing a real event (a house on fire) with a mythical and fictional concept ( you must accept Jesus as your personal savior in order to enter heaven) is completely asinine and typical of Fundies.
2007-07-25 00:58:33 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you did this I would consider you an idiot.....what is your point? I am assuming it relates to religion in some way but I don't see how! I assume you are referring to converting someone or "saving " someone...and yet a person inside a burning house would naturally get out, without anyone telling them they need to. Your analogy is full of holes....try again.
2007-07-25 00:41:50 · answer #6 · answered by Native Spirit 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Interesting metaphor..
Care to continue and get to the point?
Addition:
Wonderful you got to the point...
A house fire is a scientifically verifiable occurrence hell-fire is not... One is reality the other is fantasy... If you knew the difference you could have saved yourself a great deal of typing...
2007-07-25 00:43:05 · answer #7 · answered by Diane (PFLAG) 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Fire we all agree exists, it is objectively demonstrable and we all agree that it is a danger to be warned of and avoided.
Now let's assume you are making a thinly veiled analogy to preaching your religion. How far would you take it? If I see my neighbor's house on fire and he refuses to leave his house, I can knock him unconscious and rescue his children. If he blocks me from rescuing his children, I can legally kill him to rescue them if there is more than one child. A parent whose house is on fire who does not rescue his children from the fire when he can can be imprisoned and his children taken from him.
Are you willing to stand by your analogy, if that's what it is? Are you willing to say that you have the right to kill parents who are leading their children on the path of unrighteousness? Can we imprison those who preach false doctrines because they are, by analogy, arsonists?
I think your analogy is fatally flawed.
2007-07-25 00:44:52 · answer #8 · answered by thatguyjoe 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
good question. No I do not. That being said I would still care about you and not hate you but would not understand why you didnt tell me and my family if you knew it was happening, or if not me and my family at least call 911
2007-07-25 00:43:16 · answer #9 · answered by NatrGrrl 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Let me guess: this is going to turn into a parable about leading people to salvation.
2007-07-25 00:41:54 · answer #10 · answered by solarius 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No. You would have left me to die. Friends are to help. Not to sit around and watch the one's they love die.
Even if your not a friend... how can you, as a human, sit and watch?
2007-07-25 00:41:21 · answer #11 · answered by lilpeaches0315 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋