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Ask a Christian Anything; We are here to clear up confussion
Topic Started: May 6 2015, 03:02 AM (3,112 Views)
KingJason001
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I have been going to seminary for a while, and Heyward is very knowledgeable as well. We want to answer any and all of your questions concerning the tenets and beliefs of Christianity: Who Christ is, why suffering exists, who God is, what is the nature of God, why Jesus had to die, is the Bible accurate, what does the Bible say, etc.

We want you to be comfortable with talking about Christianity, we will not try to argue our assert our beliefs upon you, we will just state them. Anything you want to ask, we will answer without judgement. If we don't hold up to our promises here, I am sorry.
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KingJason001
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Cirno
May 8 2015, 02:06 AM
KingJason001
May 8 2015, 01:57 AM
Cirno
May 8 2015, 01:56 AM
KingJason001
May 8 2015, 01:50 AM
Cirno
May 8 2015, 01:41 AM
Do all dogs ACTUALLY go to heaven?

even gay ones?
No dogs go to heaven. They've got no soul.
huh?
Dogs will not go to heaven.
I mean what makes you say they don't have souls
Because God created humans special. He made them with eternal life in mind. We are the only creature made in God's image, in his likeness. Because God has a spirit, we also have a spirit. It is our spirit that is eternal. Animals do not have spirits, they are not eternal. Also, animals do not have the understanding to accept the sacrifice that is Jesus Christ, therefore they cannot get into heaven. That is not to say animals will not exist in heaven, they might--the Bible doesn't specifically acknowledge this, so I don't have a definitive answer for that.

Mankind was the only created being that God called "VERY good." Everything else he just said was "good." This sets us apart from animals, and what's that major difference? It is because we were made in the likeness, or the image of God. Also something interesting to note, when sin entered into the world (original sin as I'm going to call it) everything created, not just humans felt it's effects. Death entered, and suffering entered as well. The Bible says the earth GROANS in agony under the weight of our sin. Animals are suffering because of our rebellion to God. That being said, as well, animals do not sin, because they only act on instinct, and not a logical mind. Any other questions on this topic?
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Cirno

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Are orgies a sin
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Pain
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If dogs have no souls, how do we? We have evolved from primitive apes.
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KingJason001
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Cirno
May 8 2015, 02:40 AM
Are orgies a sin
Yes.

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If dogs have no souls, how do we? We have evolved from primitive apes.

Good question, the Bible speaks against evolution, so so shall I. And heck, why not ask you this question, why haven't any other animals "evolved" to be like humans? How long did Dinosaurs live on earth? 65 Million years. How long have humans lived on earth? (If you start with the first mammal on earth, roughly) 10 Million, if you talk strictly about hominids, it would be around 4.4 Million years ago. So it only took humans around 8 million years to become as advanced as we did, then why did Dinosaurs never even come close to our state of mind in the over 6 times amount of time they existed? Why has no other animal ever reached our capabilities, or even came near? It is because we did not evolve from them. It is because we were created differently, and for a different purpose.

That being said, I do not believe in Macro evolution, being the belief that one "family" (taxonomical term), can evolve into a totally different family. That is not how things work. There has never been, and will never be any sort of proof for this belief. Micro evolution on the other hand is much more plausible and evident in our world. This is the evolution, or natural selection, that Darwin spoke of. When he observed the different types of birds, he concluded that natural selection was the cause. He misunderstood this as meaning that all animals had evolved from a common ancestor, which he in no wise ever proved. You can say that humans and chimps share a 96% DNA match, but we are 50% similar to a banana as well. The Bible has a different way of explaining this. God created everything. He used DNA as his language, which explains the commonality between all living things. They don't share an ancestor, they share a creator.

For more information, visit https://www.icr.org/article/1156/285
They speak of this topic more eloquently than I ever could.
Edited by KingJason001, May 8 2015, 03:43 AM.
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Chaser
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doesn't scripture say something about jesus coming back astride a white horse?
so
animals in heaven?
mebbe dogs?
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KingJason001
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Chaser
May 8 2015, 04:23 AM
doesn't scripture say something about jesus coming back astride a white horse?
so
animals in heaven?
mebbe dogs?
No it doesn't. The Bible does speak of animals in heaven, but it is only really in revelation that it is spoken of, and most of revelation is figurative, being that the genre of apocalyptic literature dictates that. I'm fairly certain there is a good possibility of animals inhabiting the new earth, but as for heaven, I'm not sure, because the Bible doesn't give a definitive answer. I don't know, and am fine with not knowing.
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Heyward
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I'd like to ask a question because these terms are commonly confused or used interchangeably.

New heaven and new Earth, Heaven, Paradise, the sky, outer space.

What is the distinction?

Similarly:

Death, hell, hades, the lake of fire.
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Cirno

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KingJason001
May 8 2015, 03:38 AM
Cirno
May 8 2015, 02:40 AM
Are orgies a sin
Yes.
Explain?
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LadySylvanas
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Okay so, I'm transgender. What does the bible say about that?
I also don't believe a "God" can be entirely benevolent, and if it was, why haven't we received any sort of confirmation of it's existence, as it would end wars over religion?
If all humans are created as supposed equals, why is the bible so sexist?
What about Lilith?
I find Tarot Cards interesting.
If God cannot reproduce, why is it referred as a male entity?
If Heaven exists, where is it?
Similarly, hell?
If God created everything, explain the fact there are animals with absolutely zero purpose in the food chain.
If the concept of the Christian God is an entirely benevolent entity, why are certain lives doomed to suffering? Again, I don't see how it's totally benevolent to burn anyone for eternity because they don't agree with you, omnipotent or not. Attaching a morality to a God(dess) would be pointless, a God to me is more akin to a force, something that is eternally constant. If God created everything, why did it have a book written about a sequence of somewhat irrelevant events and not important things we should know about the universe it created?
Why are a large percentage of the "Evil" entities portrayed in the bible merely shown as having an opinion that goes against God's? Is that not the very definition of a dictatorship?
If Incest is seen as a sin, how did Adam + (Lilith) + Eve create humanity without involving incest? We very clearly do not come from the same single ancestor, so either incest was involved, in which case, are we willing to overlook the fact humanity's mere existence is a "sin", creating a huge paradox in everything.
To my understanding, before Lucifer was booted out of heaven, he challenged God for control. If God is omnipotent, why would Lucifer challenge him knowing this?
Edited by LadySylvanas, May 8 2015, 01:27 PM.
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KingJason001
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Heyward
May 8 2015, 12:28 PM
I'd like to ask a question because these terms are commonly confused or used interchangeably.

New heaven and new Earth, Heaven, Paradise, the sky, outer space.

What is the distinction?

Similarly:

Death, hell, hades, the lake of fire.
New heaven and new Earth, Heaven, Paradise (I would never call it paradise), the sky, outer space.

What is the distinction?

Heaven: The immediate dwelling place of the righteous, where they are with God, for this current heaven is the dwelling place of the Lord.. Not much is known about heaven, but in this place believers will constantly be worshiping God, and sin will exist no more. This is the heaven most people think of, but have many misconceptions about. The streets are made of Gold, etc. This current heaven, the location of which is not revealed, is the dwelling place of God. Jesus promised to prepare a place for true Christians in heaven (John 14:2). Heaven is also the destination of Old Testament saints who died trusting God's promise of the Redeemer (Ephesians 4:8).

The sky/outer space: The Bible calls these the 1st and 2nd "heavens" respectively. The third heaven being the dwelling place of the Lord.

New Heaven/New Earth: This is getting into Eschatology, of which I'm not very good at explaining, and there are a lot of different view points so I'll post from Gotquestions again:

Quote:
 
The event usually referred to as “the end of the world” is described in 2 Peter 3:10: “The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.” This is the culmination of a series of events called “the day of the Lord,” the time when God will intervene in human history for the purpose of judgment. At that time, all that God has created, “the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1), He will destroy.

The timing of this event, according to most Bible scholars, is at the end of the 1000-year period called the millennium. During these 1000 years, Christ will reign on earth as King in Jerusalem, sitting on the throne of David (Luke 1:32-33) and ruling in peace but with a “rod of iron” (Revelation 19:15). At the end of the 1000 years, Satan will be released, defeated again, and then cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:7-10). Then, after a final judgment by God, the end of the world described in 2 Peter 3:10 occurs. The Bible tells us several things about this event.

First, it will be cataclysmic in scope. The “heavens” refers to the physical universe – the stars, planets, and galaxies—which will be consumed by some kind of tremendous explosion, possibly a nuclear or atomic reaction that will consume and obliterate all matter as we know it. All the elements that make up the universe will be melted in the “fervent heat” (2 Peter 3:12). This will also be a noisy event, described in different Bible versions as a “roar” (NIV), a “great noise” (KJV), a “loud noise” (CEV), and a “thunderous crash” (AMP). There will be no doubt as to what is happening. Everyone will see and hear it because we are also told that “the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.”

Then God will create a “new heaven and a new earth” (Revelation 21:1), which will include the “New Jerusalem” (v. 2), the capital city of heaven, a place of perfect holiness, which will come down from heaven to the new earth. This is the city where the saints—those whose names were written in the “Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 13:8)—will live forever. Peter refers to this new creation as “the home of righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13).

Perhaps the most important part of Peter’s description of that day is his question in verses 11-12: “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.” Christians know what is going to happen, and we should live in a way that reflects that understanding. This life is passing away, and our focus should be on the new heavens and earth to come. Our “holy and godly” lives should be a testimony to those who do not know the Savior, and we should tell others about Him so they can escape the terrible fate that awaits those who reject Him. We wait in eager anticipation for God’s “Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10).

Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/end-of-the-world.html#ixzz3ZYLmZJD4


Quote:
 
Similarly:

Death, hell, hades, the lake of fire.


Death: Literally when you die. Back in the Old Testament times, Hebrews used the term Sheol, or pit to explain death. As in you get buried in the ground.

Hell/Hades: The place where unrepentant sinners go immediately at the time of death. When the new heavens and the new earth is created, God will cast this Hades into the Lake of Fire, along with Satan and all his demons to be tortured forever.

Lake of Fire: Also called the Second Death. It is the absolute worst place you could ever imagine. There will be anguish and whatnot forever. Also, the devil is not the one who punishes in hell/the lake of fire. Hell was made to punish the devil--and wickedness.
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