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December 6th, 2009 | #1 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: In the hills north of Hillsboro WV
Posts: 1,050
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A rose in the flames
My father was a Protestant minister, and it is from sitting in his church through my childhood that I understand Christian teachings as well as I do. During my four years in the Air Force, I attended Catholic mass at the invitation of a Catholic friend and fellow officer.
I have been, however, an atheist since the age of 16. Recently, I asked this (detailed) question on Yahoo Answers: Quote:
Well. I sat through enough of my father's sermons to answer THAT. Though, to be sure, I never thought I'd be preaching the Gospel in his place. The Biblical principles involved are these: T1. Jesus is the only way to God (John 14:6). T2. Salvation is by grace and not by works (Ephesians 2:8). T3. Christians must carry the gospel to all the world (Mark 16:15). T4. Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness for sin (Hebrews 9:22). I can see that Martyrdom in a good cause might get someone special favor in Heaven. Sainthood, perhaps. But because of T1, Christians may not consider Martyrdom a substitute for faith in Jesus. Martyrdom, in other words, won't get a soul to Heaven in the first place. A sinner's own death in Martyrdom might get him forgiveness for one sin, but only the death of a completely innocent person (the only one being Jesus) can get someone forgiveness for all of his sins. And the notion that good works can earn Salvation is refuted by T2, which was the Apostle Paul's answer to the question. Good works are good, of course. They are just not the key to the door of Heaven. Martyrdom in a good cause might be considered the BEST of works, but it still isn't the key to the door of Heaven. Only faith in Jesus and the acceptance of His sacrifice as payment for your own sin-guilt is that key. Nothing else. Every single human being will either become Christian, or will die the Second Death in the flames of Hell, no matter how many good works he might have done. That's what the Bible teaches. That's what Jesus and various persons inspired by the Holy Spirit have said. Coming down from the pulpit... Those are the actual, authentic Christian teachings, as much for Catholics as for Protestants. I've said nothing about Mary or Saints or the efficacy of charms. Both sides of the schism use the same Bible, other than the Apocrypha that the Catholics add to the rest, and the Bible has definite things to say about how Salvation is acquired. There is, evidently, a great deal of political masquerading going on among the leaders of the Churches for the sake of tolerance. They are engaging in deception and dissimulation to an extent that I would not have thought possible for them. Again, I'm not Christian myself and don't have the beliefs of their faith. I understand those beliefs, but I don't implement them in my mind. If the Christians are right, then I'm destined to be a rose in the flames. But at least I'll know why I'm there. And I'd have company in Hell. Roasting with me would be people who thought they were Christians, but weren't because they didn't use the right key for Heaven's door. And there would be people who might have been Christians if they'd had the Gospel preached to them rightly, instead of some devilish substitute that told them they didn't have to be Christian themselves in order to have Salvation. |
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