The problem with your fantasy is that you aren't God. So what you say isn't written by God but by you. Furthermore, yes, what you say is fiction written by you.
They are god's own words, not mine. They are quotes from god him/her/itself and you are slandering god by saying it is false. The fiction is in your beliefs about Jesus. You believe in some fictitious words written by someone called John. John is not Jesus. John is not god. Jesus is not god. Only god is god and I have quoted god but you slander it. god said: "God did not write the bible". Do you believe that or do you not believe that? "The bible was written by man". Do you believe that or do you not believe that? Those are simple but very important questions. What is your answer? Do you believe it or do you not believe it? The title of this thread is "Were they forgiven?" and you are using John as your reference. God said John's words are fictitious. Do you believe John or do you believe God? Do you believe in God or do you believe in fiction? Are you religious or are you not religious? Do you believe God is the creator of heaven and earth or do you believe John is the creator of heaven and earth?
The problem with this fantasy is that you and @Injeun are not God. You are not Jesus. You are not John.
I reckon it depends on what version of god you follow. I am sure the Allah version is much different.
Seeing that such a supreme being as is inferred by the Bible would have to be totally beyond mere human understanding, it stands to reason that none of our paltry languages could ever rise to the level of adequately describing "God". Therefore, the most we could ever hope to achieve would be metaphorical descriptions. Taking the words of man as anything more is an insult to whatever "God" one respects. It might even be judge blasphemy. In any case, being told about Jesus or reading about Jesus is still only hearsay. The meaning of Jesus is personal revelation, and without that there is only the gift paper wrapping with no gift inside.
Oh dear, - did someone say we are gods? Bless your heart. You don't have to believe anything you dont want to believe. As a matter of fact, I don't think people can CHOOSE to believe anything, which is why it would be a waste of time to try to persuade someone who is dedicated to rejecting God. Perhaps one day you will see the light, and perhaps you never will. Even the Bible says no one can believe, unless God wants them to believe: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them". Its a gift.
You can quit cherry-picking and read the post preceding mine at #52. Nor do you. I haven't any idea if it's true or not. It is not my responsibility to convince you there is a god. You clearly reject the notion of it but it doesn't matter to me. You can believe in lizard people if you want. I guess then that god doesn't want you to believe ... so you're off the hook.
Of course it is. Can you choose to believe 2+2=5? I don't recall asking you to convince me of anything.
Me, no .... but you already have. I don't recall saying that you did. I think you are rather confused by what's been said and what hasn't been said.
Is he unable to defend his convictions? Let him try on his own, OK? You've got a choice, provided by me, to see some clarity. You avoid meeting it head-on. That's because either you don't understand it, or it frightens you, or you are able to debate against it but can't find the words. I'm not forcing you into taking a test or an examination. I am not grading you on the results. The fact is that you do not believe in god. That's OK. I'm not trying to convert you. The only thing I am asking you to do is clarify yourself. That's a good thing. It's something good for you. If you are able to see more clearly and if you still don't believe in god then your resolve will be stronger. You must agree that's a good thing, right?
Really? I had no idea, but thanks for trying to tell me what I believe, or don't believe. Have a nice day kiddo & get your head straight, because you are not making any sense whatsoever.
You have an overinflated ego. Before he can see clearly, you'd have to make your points clear. There's no rule, that I'm aware of, where bystanders (myself) are not allowed to comment on statements, even when not directed towards them.
Neither God nor Jesus wrote the bible. It was written by superstitious men. These are the facts (and you are aware of them) but you cannot come to terms with it. THAT is the greatest evidence that you do not believe in god. I don't think you have much to contribute to this subject. Yes, that's what I'm talking about. It is obvious that you are more interested in talking about me than in discussing god.
I am talking about god. You are talking about Jesus, John, and me. The subject here is whether or not Jesus' antagonists were forgiven. Forgiven by whom? God. So no, you are not discussing god at all. Admit it.
Jesus said many times that god is within us, heaven is within us, etc. All the nonsense with the church hierarchy and priests being required to forgive sins is because religion is a very powerful tool to secure power, wealth, and to keep the peasants in line. Hell, the pope told all the crusaders that their sins would be forgiven if they went on crusade to Jerusalem and slaughtered muslims. I'm sure that is just what Jesus wanted people to do. "sin" if that is what you want to call it, is simply the negative energy that we generate with thoughts and actions that give contrast to love and light. Without sin, love would be meaningless. On the other hand, accumulation of that negative energy in large amounts can overwhelm us, keeping us miserable. Forgiveness is for one's self, as it allows us to let go of that negative energy. The negativity did its job, and taught us the meaning and gave value to love. But it needs to be released through forgiveness. If we do not forgive, that negativity becomes fear and hate, and leads us to commit further sin, and this snowballs until we can no longer see the light. In reality, we are all one being. All of creation is god. By forgiving others, we are also forgiving ourselves, though it may not seem that way. Jesus saying "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do," was Jesus acting as an example and teaching us, even as he was crucified. Of course, the apostles and the church that that they created misinterpreted Jesus' words and actions pretty much from the start, resulting in hate and judgement of others that lasts to this very day. Religions with hierarchies and middle men between yourself and god are a scam. You need no priests. All the answers to the universe are within you.
Quite the bold statement. When will the Universe cease to exist? I can't find the answer within myself.
Perhaps your egoic mind is shouting a lot louder than your higher self/god/source. Have you taken the time to differentiate between the two? Your egoic mind will do its damnedest to convince you that all that exists is what you can perceive. It doesn't want to be sidelined.
Yea, well men of faith can disagree over what God is telling us/them. Does God forget what He tells both?
