black dog
Free America
The Universal Life Church will provide a certificate for $ 13.99 plus s&h
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End times - how close might we be?
- Thread starter NextJen
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The Universal Life Church will provide a certificate for $ 13.99 plus s&h
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Larry Gude
Strung Out
I'll take your word for taking his word.
Damn. One more thing I don't like about Trump.
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Toxick
Splat
As one of the people who believes this crap, I have to disagree. I do not think it's a good thing regardless of who I'm in good with.
As a matter of fact, I honest-to-God believe that if there is a Rapture (and as I've stated, I don't think it's the event most believers are anticipating), I will not be among the crew checking out in the A-train. I.e. I don't believe I'm a good enough person to make the cut. I've done some things, and some stuff. And I'll have to answer for it.
And according to the Book, those last several years will be quite unpleasant for people like me.
So no. I don't think it's a good thing by a damn sight. It's not something that I look forward to, and although there are zealots who want it start yesterday, most people I know do not relish the concept of The End of the World.
Are you sure about that?
I seem to remember Trump asserting that he was not an atheist.
Larry Gude
Strung Out
Not at all. I have no problem with faith arrived at in good conscious. Just please be willing to tolerate my objection to the end of the world stuff. That threat is REAL and deeply concerns me now that Iran has a weapon. They hit Israel, Israel kills them, the Russians kill them, we kill them. We all end of dead because of a bunch of people who think the after math will be heavenly as opposed to a global Hiroshima and all because of a bunch of old stories that sought to explain everything when we didn't know very much. Now, we know a LOT more and are dealing with that knowledge revealing there is vastly more yet we don't know than we could conceive of before and none of it excludes a God or Gods but the reasoning for God is an ever smaller space as we DO learn more.
One of my favorites to ponder is that the real miracle is that there is no god. I mean, 1,000 years ago, sure, here's all your answers. Then, we learn astronomy, we learn about earth quakes, tidal waves, we learn where plagues actually come from. The Big Bang. We learn what a stunning miracle it is that we're even hear in the first place and that countless other 'us' didn't make it because things didn't go so well.
In any event, the apocalyptic stuff is all of our business.
Larry Gude
Strung Out
Well who else's word would you take?
Well, for damn sure not the greatest salesman in the history of the planet.
Larry Gude
Strung Out
Vrai gave it to me straight; Trump is a real believer.
As for you, if there is a God, it's people like you who should be the ones who get paradise; those humble enough to not be so sanctimonious and self righteous. about something they can not possibly know but are free to believe. As long as they stay away from the bombs.
You'd have to agree there are plenty who DO see the end as desirable, yes, as per scripture, a good, THE good thing?
Toxick
Splat
Yeah - there are (or have been) zealots in every religion who just want to watch the world burn.
Most of us, however, Do Not Want.
Most people think the world and humanity (for all of their flaws) are still beautiful, fun, healthy, vibrant, charming and worthy of hope. Regardless of the paradise that is supposed to be on the other side, we're going to have to go through hell to get there, and we don't want to face that. Not when we like it here already.
ProximaCentauri
Member
Here's one...You aren't special, contrary to your bronze age belief system. You're an 'intelligent' animal susceptible to mind rot by that menace to mankind called religion. The universe does not revolve around you, or the earth, or this solar system, or the milky way galaxy...one of hundreds of billions of galaxies in the universe. Furthermore, your country is not privileged in any way by any 'god'.
Get over yourself.
Toxick
Splat
Larry Gude
Strung Out
The problem is if it's YOUR faith and the books say what they say and it's claiming itself as THE truth, how do you make the argument for 'this one is for real', 'this pones a metaphor', 'this one, they're just kidding', 'this one is a mistranslation'. ?
To it's credit, Christianity has had reformation and continues on that self critical path. That's great.
Islam makes no such effort.
black dog
Free America
Toxick
Splat
I don't make the argument any more. I've tried. It's pointless. After a while I just gave up because people are going to believe what they're going to believe, and there's nothing that you or I can ever do to change that. Several years ago in these very forums I outlined why I accepted Christianity after being an atheist for years. As I recall the people I was talking to didn't accept my evidence as evidence, didn't accept my logic as valid, or just plain didn't get it.
And that's fine. But I'm not wasting my breath any more.
Larry Gude
Strung Out
You knew it was only a matter of time.
b23hqb
Well-Known Member
Close, could be any time, or after our generation. Don't know, but one had better be ready when it comes.
As far as America, there is no mention in the Revelation of north or South America in any reference to the gathering of the armies/nations against Israel. I can only believe that our continents will be pretty much totaled to the point of irrelevance during the first tribulation.
Me and mine are ready whenever it happens.
Put me in this category.
I can't think of anything, outside of tangible substantive right there in front of me proof, that would make me believe in God. And even then, if God Himself visited me and said, "Girl..." I'd be like, "Don't you have better places to be? If not, please let me redirect your attention...."
Straight up, I've had my share of problems but I have also been blessed beyond belief. If heathen me is receiving all these gifts while faithful Christians are getting shat upon despite their prayers, that doesn't seem fair to me. My friend losing his little granddaughter while I'm sitting here listening to Christmas carols and blathering on the internet - that's not fair.
Do you mind my asking, what made you believe? (Please say so plainly if you don't care to share something that personal.)
b23hqb
Well-Known Member
Simply put, it's your choice. You'll either believe in God on your own volition, or you will be dragged kicking and screaming to face His wrath face to face, and that won't be good for you.
Everyone is born, and everyone dies. No discrimination. Everyone has blessings, and everyone has trials and pain. No discrimination.
Eternity will be very discriminating, and that choice is all up to every individual. Simply put, as Billy Preston sang about in an album from the late 60's "that's the way God planned it, that's the way God wants it to be."
The Bible gives you the answers. The rest is up to you.
Everyone is born, and everyone dies. No discrimination. Everyone has blessings, and everyone has trials and pain. No discrimination.
Eternity will be very discriminating, and that choice is all up to every individual. Simply put, as Billy Preston sang about in an album from the late 60's "that's the way God planned it, that's the way God wants it to be."
The Bible gives you the answers. The rest is up to you.
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3CATSAILOR
Well-Known Member
All of us should lead a life that helps each other. We should be humble and not greedy. We should hold each of the 10 Commandments true and dear to our heart. When the time comes each of us will be judged. What is the most interesting is you aren't only judged by God if you are fortunate enough to reach Heaven but you are judged on Earth by your peers for what you do or you haven't done. Whether the assessment is fair or not is irrelevant. It is the legacy that you leave in the opinion of others. Most people that you meet will have the same opinion. Whether it is good or bad is dependent upon you. Your legacy on Earth speaks of who you were as a person. The time we spend on earth is a very, very small amount of time, even if you are healthy enough to live to be 100. Many of us have lives that are cut short due to disease, accidents and so on. If you do the best you can in the short life that we have on Earth, you should be at peace with yourself. I can only speak for myself - I have already met the possibility of death. So far, God has not called upon me. But any of us, myself included can be here and gone tomorrow. If you are at peace, when death comes, perhaps it won't be as bad.
The opposite can be said of those that lead a life of crime. I have heard of people that have had many kids by countless women and could care less about the children they make. The lead a life of horrible crime and on drugs. For one particular person, I heard that not God, but the devil came for him. For some reason, some animals such as dogs cats can recognize the devil. It is said when they see the devil they can't stop shaking. I don't want to think of what it would be like for a person.
The end will not come by another flood, although our government would like for us to think so due to their thoughts about global warming. It could be by fire. Our boarders are wide open. If people are coming in by the thousands unchecked, a reasonable person should wonder what else is not checked coming in to our Country. I think of a ICBM being launched from another Country. What is there to stop it from being already here? We all pray that terrible events will never occur. There are diseases out there that could give you a real bad day. We tend to forget the flu of the early 1900s. What would happen to mankind of something like that struck now, but was far worse? But, horrific events do not have to be man made. They can come from space as well. All it takes is one huge solar flare or a hit from a very large rock. Or a large earthquake just off of Africa that causes a tidal wave that crosses the ocean. There is already a fault line in Africa that you could drive a Mac truck through. So you see, there is a long list of danger. Just be at peace with yourself. And you should be fine. If you worry too much, you might die ahead of time from a heart attack.
The opposite can be said of those that lead a life of crime. I have heard of people that have had many kids by countless women and could care less about the children they make. The lead a life of horrible crime and on drugs. For one particular person, I heard that not God, but the devil came for him. For some reason, some animals such as dogs cats can recognize the devil. It is said when they see the devil they can't stop shaking. I don't want to think of what it would be like for a person.
The end will not come by another flood, although our government would like for us to think so due to their thoughts about global warming. It could be by fire. Our boarders are wide open. If people are coming in by the thousands unchecked, a reasonable person should wonder what else is not checked coming in to our Country. I think of a ICBM being launched from another Country. What is there to stop it from being already here? We all pray that terrible events will never occur. There are diseases out there that could give you a real bad day. We tend to forget the flu of the early 1900s. What would happen to mankind of something like that struck now, but was far worse? But, horrific events do not have to be man made. They can come from space as well. All it takes is one huge solar flare or a hit from a very large rock. Or a large earthquake just off of Africa that causes a tidal wave that crosses the ocean. There is already a fault line in Africa that you could drive a Mac truck through. So you see, there is a long list of danger. Just be at peace with yourself. And you should be fine. If you worry too much, you might die ahead of time from a heart attack.
Toxick
Splat
I heard He's pretty good at multitasking.
I don't mind, at all. However, it's a long, quite boring story (the very definition of tl;dr) and, it's late in the day I just got out of traffic, and tomorrow isn't looking better. I'll try to revisit this thread some time soon, and see if I can retrace my train of thought, research and logical leaps. (I was in my early 20's, and I've since seen more winters than I'd expected to) It's not very straightforward - which, I presume, is why people aren't interested in the intellectual branches involved, and why I ultimately don't bother any more.