Struggling with my faith

[Chimera]

2500BC was 4512 years ago. 2500 years after that date was 1AD, the time of Jesus birth.

Yes. I was kinda poking fun at your grammar. You made it sound like first Moses, then Muhammad 3000 years after Moses. Then Jesus 2500 years after Muhammad.

That would put us at the year 3000.

I know what you meant, though.

[SpeedOFLight]

I remember hearing stories of near death situations/ being revived. Some have claimed to have seen Hell while others heaven. In the bible, Jesus spoke more about hell than heaven. He may have not exactly used the word "Hell" but he did speak of a terrible place that we have become to know as " Hell". Just my two cents

[Cat]

I remember hearing stories of near death situations/ being revived. Some have claimed to have seen Hell while others heaven. In the bible, Jesus spoke more about hell than heaven. He may have not exactly used the word "Hell" but he did speak of a terrible place that we have become to know as " Hell". Just my two cents

Jesus talked about hell a lot.

[bleys]

keep in mind there were only a few books of the bible that were kept, and that dozens were burned and those people in possession were killed..

[SpeedOFLight]

Jesus talked about hell a lot.

Yeh I know. That's where I was getting to. He used " casted away where there would be weeping and gnashing of teeth" as well. I just trying to explain the whole perspective for when Jesus spoke of Hell without actually using that term. Either way, its a bad place that no man should want to see. He talked about it a lot for a reason.

[Cat]

keep in mind there were only a few books of the bible that were kept, and that dozens were burned and those people in possession were killed..

Sidenote: My husband was reading First Clement the other day (xmas present) and he read me something hilarious. Clement was trying to prove that God continually shows us in nature that there will be a resurrection. He went on to talk about the seasons, the flowers dying and coming back then he went on to describe this:

Let us consider that wonderful sign [of the resurrection] which takes place in Eastern lands, that is, in Arabia and the countries round about. There is a certain bird which is called a phœnix. This is the only one of its kind, and lives five hundred years. And when the time of its dissolution draws near that it must die, it builds itself a nest of frankincense, and myrrh, and other spices, into which, when the time is fulfilled, it enters and dies. But as the flesh decays a certain kind of worm is produced, which, being nourished by the juices of the dead bird, brings forth feathers. Then, when it has acquired strength, it takes up that nest in which are the bones of its parent, and bearing these it passes from the land of Arabia into Egypt, to the city called Heliopolis. And, in open day, flying in the sight of all men, it places them on the altar of the sun, and having done this, hastens back to its former abode. The priests then inspect the registers of the dates, and find that it has returned exactly as the five hundredth year was complete

Yes, Clement the 2nd bishop of Rome after Peter believed the Pheonix really existed.

[bleys]

I can't say I'm surprised.. there was a point in time when smoking was thought to be healthy for you.

--------------

I was reading a book called "The Power of Myths" which talks about the importance of messages that were passed on through stories and how they are becoming lost in today's society.. A very good read.. Regardless if people take the bible literally, which I don't to the fullest extent most do, there are still messages worth reading.. Even if the situations aren't accurate, or if people believe even real, there may be a message of truth behind it.

[savage]

Christianity is bs.

[bleys]

Christianity is bs.

I do find it somewhat funny that people will tell me there is a guy looking down on us all, judging us, condemning us for ignorance that he gave us, yet a life form outside of this earth isn't a possibility at all...

[Carolina Husker]

To the OP. Just realize that before you start you will need to understand that at some point in your spiritual quest you will have to abandon logic completely and just be willing to "believe." If you're okay doing that, you will have no problem finding a belief system that will gladly accept you and your money.

[Chimera]

Yes, Clement the 2nd bishop of Rome after Peter believed the Pheonix really existed.

I don't know about a "Pheonix" but someone holding a magnifying glass up to a peacock sounds totally plausible.

[Chimera]

Your rebuttal sparked my curiousity, so I decided to do some research, and this is the conclusion I came up with.

I found about 50 pages concerning the topic of "Hell" in the Bible, and most say that the meaning of the word has been lost in translation.

9 times out of 10, the word Hell is used to describe the eternal death, or the death of the soul. The other 1 out of 10 are used to describe something else, hardly ever as a place of everlasting torture.

-Romans 6:23- For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The 'death' of the soul is in complete contrast to an everlasting torment in hell. You cant burn in Hell forever if if your soul is dead.

here are a few of the sources that I looked at.

http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/hell.html

http://www.heraldmag.org/literature/doc_16.htm

You are right. Some can even argue that the soul is only dead until the Judgment, then there will be hell. There are several ways to interpret what happens to the soul.

[Cat]

You are right. Some can even argue that the soul is only dead until the Judgment, then there will be hell. There are several ways to interpret what happens to the soul.

Yes Christian god's communication skills= FAIL

[Jackofalltrades]

Read Heaven is For Real, it's a 150 page easy read that had a profound impact on my faith. You'll thank me later.