pattygreen

The God of the bible doesn't threaten His children at all. He actually loves them very much. Damnation is eternal, that's true, but that means that it is a forever judgement. Not a forever torture. Once the unbeliever dies, he is dead and gone. God is compassionate and loving. Once it has been made,(the judgement) there is no turning back. You have been destroyed. You perish. Some people feel that there is nothing after this life is over. You die and that's it, it's over. Your body rots in the ground. In a sense that is true if you haven't believed in Jesus. For only those who believe in Him will live forever. The others die. So, life can be forever if we want it to be. That's why believers in Jesus do not fear death. They understand that it is really just the beginning. There will come a day, in the end, when God will judge the people. Both believers and unbelievers. They will come out of their resting places and stand before God, for all who have died before us sleep or rest until the judgement day. The believers will have Jesus to be their attorney. Jesus will tell the Judge (God) that this believers punishment for His sins has been paid for. He is justified before God. God allows Him to go free into His eternal home. The unbeliever will not have an attorney. (someone to advocate for them) They will have to stand before God and give an account for their sins. They may try to tell God how "good" they were and all of the the "good" things they have done. It will not be enough. Our deeds don't allow us entrance, only our faith in God's Son is acceptable. Nothing can 'save' us from our sins except Jesus. God will condemn the unbeliever to Hell. Which is death. The unbeliever will be placed back on this earth with all unbelievers and this earth will be destroyed with fire. Then God will create a new earth and heaven for the believers. I know that people who don't believe in God are not standing around "yearning" for a lake of fire, as you stated, but they are not "yearning" for a relationship with the one who made them either. God's goal in each persons life here is to draw them to Himself. When they ignore Him, they are choosing to. God has made Himself known to every person in some way or another. Some see the Creator in Nature. Some are reading these words I write. Some hear about his love in churches areound the world. Some See him in His Creation. God uses the believers to spread the news about him. Some realize God's handiwork when they witness the birth of their child. Others see Jesus in His children, the Christians they know personally. God prompts our hearts to think of Him. The Holy Spirit works at each heart and mind and gently shows the reality of God to His creation. It is then their decision to believe in Him or not. Why do you think you are here? To make that choice. That is your only most important decision in life. Everything else you do during your life time is irrelivent and secondary to making that choice before you die.

Among the causes of deep resentment being held against Obama by many conservative, freedom-loving Americans: *Failed fiscal policies, including multiple stimuli, bail-outs, TARPs and takeovers *High unemployment that continues unabated *Wealth redistribution and regressive tax polices *Massive government expansion *Out-of-control spending *Shadow government of unvetted czars *Subverting of our Constitution *Slavish catering to radical special interest groups *Disastrous foreign policy weakening America's worldwide position and status *Undermining core values of American culture *Destabilizing of our military *Liberalizing of our courts *Ineffective immigration policy *Condescending Leftist elitism

Against this backdrop, the president's approval ratings have been sliding dramatically all summer, with the latest Rasmussen Daily Presidential Tracking Poll of US Voters dropping to minus 22 points, the lowest point so far for Barack Obama since taking office. While just 24 percent of American voters strongly approve of the president's job performance, almost twice that number, 46 per cent, strongly disapprove. According to Rasmussen, 65 percent of voters believe the United States is going down the wrong track, including 70 percent of independents. Obviously the American people do not feel as the 3 of you do here about Obama. I have the rest of the nation in agreement with me, even if the 3 of you think differently.

God isn't vengeful. He's just. He is loving and caring and merciful and gracious. But he is also just and fair. He gives all those who choose to be seperated from Him exactly what they want. How is that vengeful or nasty? If you choose all your life to ignore your Cretaor and decide for yourself that you will live as you please and answer to no one, and if you hear about the Savior he has sent for you and dismiss it as a fairytale, (and it was a very great sacrifice of God to send His one and only Son to rescue us, btw), Then how is it unjust for Him to give you what you've always wanted in the end? Seperation from Him. As for the visual of all the Christians rubbing their hands together in glee, I can assure you that it is your personal visual and not true of Christians. EVERY Christian that I know personally is in constant prayer for the unsaved. They know what it is to be an unbeliever, for they were one at one time, and they understand their fate. They want everyone to know Christ as they do. Not one is thinking "they're gonna get theirs now". This is very untrue. Christians understand that everyone is just as sinful as everyone else in the world. There is none that is good and just. If it weren't for Jesus, we'd all perish. I know that I personally pray for the souls of unbelievers on a daily basis. God releases Satan after the 1000 year reign of Christ because there will still be some who even though Jesus has ruled the earth for that long and they have seen the peace and love that they could have, who will still choose not to belong to His family. Hard to believe, but it's true. The bible teaches that God will seperate the believers from the unbelievers. The believers will live with Him and the unbelievers will perish. Thus eternity begins, with only those who truly love God and want to be with Him forever.

I like Glen Beck, but I'm being very honest when I say that I don't watch Tv much. I probably watched bits and pieces of his show once a month. Never the whole show because I don't sit down and watch Tv for more than a half hour at a time or so. I don't like it.

We all seem to wander from a threads original topic. I'm most guilty of that. I believe in God and what He tells us in His word. He says that Jesus will return to this Earth in the same way that He left it. A Spirit being who was able to be seen and touched and heard. First, there will be what the Christians refer to as a rapture of believers. This means that at any given point in time,when God chooses to, He will remove all the believers in Christ that are still alive from this Earth. He takes them up to Heaven instantly, the same way Jesus was brought to Heaven during His ressurection. Then a period of 7 years will go by. Those who didn't get raptured from the earth are still living here for those 7 years. They are the unbelievers. They will be wondering where the Christians all went. They will figure it out, I'm sure. They have only those 7 years time left to turn from their unbelief and accept Jesus as their Savior. It will be difficult for them to do this because first, God removes His Holy Spirit from the earth, and His Holy Spirit is the one who draws people to God, and secondly, because those in charge on the earth will be forcing them not to turn to God by making it impossible for them to buy or sell anything unless they put a mark of some kind on their hand or forehead. This mark will be a sign of their allegiance to whatever government or peron that is in charge at the time. (It is really the devil himself) Those who refuse to take the mark will be killed. (It's okay though if they are killed, because their reward will be eternal life for believeing in Jesus.) When Jesus returns, He will bring all of the believers who were raptured and all the believers in God throughout history who died and went to heaven, back to the earth with Him. He will bring this Earth under His control and headship. The bible teaches that Satan will be removed from here, and there will be a time (1000 years) of Jesus' ruling over the people here. AFTER that, Satan will be released, for a short time, and once again he deceives people to go his way and turn from God. Then the earth as we know it will be destroyed and God will make a new heaven and a new earth for the believers to dwell in forever. Believeres will live eternally. The Earth will be destroyed with fire. All the unbelievers will perish in it. This is known as going to Hell. Hell is really this Earth that we live on. The believers will receive a new Heaven and Earth that God will create just for them to dwell in forever. Unbelievers will die and be no more. They are destroyed and perish. This is how the end plays out. God gave us all this information in the bible. He wants us to be prepared and to know what is going to happen. He has never been wrong before in his fortelling of future events. In the Old Testament, He fortold of the Birth, death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus, and it came to pass exactly as He said it would. Because of this, I can believe what He tells me will happen in the future.

It means to help carry their burdens, not do it for them. I have consistantly said that I am not against the government giving a hand up to people to help those who trulty need it because of disabilities or mental imparities or other reasons. It is when they give a hand out to those who don't need it or can pay for it themselves that I have a problem with. People will take what is there for free. I know I would. If they're going to give it away, then why not take it? If your elligible. And they make it so that most people are. Also, what I can't stand is that the government gives to every state all these giant grants and monies for anything and everything they desire to have in their state. It's ridiculus. You saw my extra long list of wasteful spending. This administration could care less about what they spend. Look at the Mrs. She spent $75,000. per DAY of the taxpayers money on one vacay to Spain. That could help one family for 2 years who are unemployed. And how long was she there? Think of where that money could have gone. Very insensitive to do that at this time for the American people. The Obama's are in their own little world nad have NO clue what the people they govern are going through. They act like a King and Queen instead of Leaders who are volunteerily governing the people. This is a paid, but SERVICE to the people job. ALL of them act this way. We're sick of it! Just wait till Nov. when we knock everyone whose been there for more than one term OUT!

We already have that provision. No one is allowed to overcharge for a service or to charge more than once for the same service. If they do it is fraudulent. Report them.

[quote}But when the evil has taken hold of our leaders, we must protest and we must not follow them into the abyss. You have a "leader" at this very moment who is alowing war that you feel is unnecessary. I hear no griping about him.

Where, in this president's plan, does he change all that from happening? No where!

Christians have struggled with the issue of war for centuries. Before Jesus arrived on the scene, all good people wrestled with war and the existence of evil. Thankfully, the bible is not silent on the subject. One of God's primary attributes is peace. Isaiah said the Messiah would bear these names: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). God longs for all people to live in peace. That is how He created the universe – in total peace and harmony. Christians are to be people of peace. One of the most notable biblical commands to live in peace is in Romans 12:18: "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." With the Bible clear on our responsibility to live peaceably, it seems that there would be no reason to ever go to war. However, if one depends on the Bible as a guidepost for living, it is readily apparent that war is sometimes a necessary option. In fact, just as there are numerous references to peace in the Bible, there are frequent references to God-ordained war. Many present-day pacifists hold Jesus as their example for unvarying peace. But they ignore the full revelation concerning Jesus pictured in the book of Revelation 19, where He is depicted bearing a "sharp sword" and smiting nations, ruling them with "a rod of Iron." Moreover, the Song of Victory in Exodus 15 hails God as a God of war: "… The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name." And, there is indeed a time for war. God actually strengthened individuals for war, including Moses, Joshua and many of the Old Testament judges who demonstrated great faith in battle. And God destroyed many armies challenging the Israelites. I Chronicles 14:15 describes God striking down the Philistines. God even gives counsel to be wise in war. Proverbs 20:18: "Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war." Today, America continues to face the horrible realities of our fallen world. Suicide bombings and terrorist actions are shown on Tv daily. It is apparent that our God-authored freedoms must be defended. Throughout the book of Judges, God calls the Israelites to go to war against the Midianites and Philistines. Why? Because these nations were trying to conquer Israel, and God's people were called to defend themselves. President Bush declared war in Iraq to defend innocent people. This is a worthy pursuit. In fact, Proverbs 21:15 tells us: "It is joy to the just to do judgement: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity." One of the primary purposes of the church is to stop the spread of evil, even at the cost of human lives. If we do not stop the spread of evil, many innocent lives will be lost and the kingdom of God suffers. You might ask "Doesn't the sixth commandment say, 'Thou shalt not kill?'" Actually, no; it says: "Thou shalt not commit murder." There is a difference between killing and murdering. In fact, many times God commanded capital punishment for those who break the law. We continue to live in violent times. The Bible tells us war will be a reality until Christ returns. And when the time is right, Jesus will indeed come again, ending all wars. Until that time, however, Christians must live as Galatians 6:2 instructs: "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."

It is always okay to defend oneself. If someone threatens to kill you or others, it is your duty to defend yourself and protect others from death as well.

This is sooooo true. Christians are sooo unlike Christ. They are sinners. But thanks be to God, He sent us a Savior who takes our sins away and sets us free from the condemnation of them! Humans can't help doing wrong. They can NOT live one day without sinning. Why do you think God sent us a Savior to take the punishment for our sins for us? Because we need Him. If Jesus didn't die on the cross, there would be no entrance into the Father's presence because He can NOT be in the presence of sin.

Isaiah 49:15 Can a womanforget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. If a baby in the womb were just a blob of tissue, then why would a blob of tissue need compassion? Only human beings need compassion. Isaiah 49:1 Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the LORD called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name. The baby in this womb was called to be a part of God's family before he was even born. In other words, he was in the womb of his mother and God had a plan for him. Does God name blobs of tissue? Isaiah 49:5 And now the LORD says— he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD and my God has been my strength- It is God who forms babies in a mothers womb. I wouldn't mess with God's forming if I was you.

The bible teaches that the wisdom of man is folly in God's eyes. They think they know what is right, but they are foolish. God has the answers for He created the Earth and the Heavens and everything in them, including you.

WE the people get our conscience from God and the bible he wrote for us. That's why WE the people know what is right and what is wrong and therefore attempt to pass laws to uphold morality in this country. Christians ARE our society.

Keep telling yourself that. Maybe it will become true. :cursing:

TEN POOREST CITIES City, State, % of People Below the Poverty Level 1. Detroit , MI 32.5% 2. Buffalo , NY 29..9% 3. Cincinnati , OH 27.8% 4. Cleveland , OH 27.0% 5. Miami , FL 26.9% 6. St. Louis , MO 26.8% 7. El Paso , TX 26.4% 8. Milwaukee , WI 26.2% 9. Philadelphia , PA 25.1% 10. Newark , NJ 24.2% U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey, August 2007 What do the Top Ten Poorest cities (over 250,000) with the highest poverty rate all have in common? Detroit, MI (1st on the poverty rate list) has not elected a Republican mayor since 1961. Buffalo, NY (2nd) has not elected a Republican mayor since 1954. Cincinnati, OH (3rd) has not elected a Republican mayor since 1984. Cleveland, OH (4th) has not elected a Republican mayor since 1989. Miami, FL (5th) has never had a Republican mayor. St. Louis, MO (6th) has not elected a Republican mayor since 1949. El Paso, TX (7th) has never had a Republican mayor. Milwaukee, WI (8th) hasn't elected a Republican mayor since 1908. Philadelphia, PA (9th) has not elected a Republican mayor since 1952. Newark, NJ (10th) has not elected a Republican mayor since 1907. It is the poor who habitually elect Democrats Yet they are still POOR! Einstein once said, 'The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.' "You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence. You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves." - Abraham Lincoln And...Mr. Obama, you are no Abe Lincoln!

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What we need is a Christian nation - compared to the pagan nation we're becoming. By "Christian nation," I don't mean that everyone is forced to be a Christian or forced to go to church or to believe in God. People are free to be Buddhists, atheists, or whatever. The job of government is not to convert or force conversion to any kind of faith. The job of the government is to do for the people what they can't do for themselves. And the job of bringing people to faith belongs to the private citizens, the churches, the synagogues and the religious leaders of our nation. That separation should always be kept. What I mean by a Christian nation is a nation whose laws are self-consciously built on the laws and principles of the Bible. We have allowed organizations like the ACLU to strip away every vestige of our Christian heritage for long enough. We are tired of them destroying our country by declaring God unconstitutional. Our nation was founded on the principles laid out by the God of the Bible and we're saying ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! Where there is no foundation, there are no laws and what results is anarchy brought forth by moral relativism. Their way has failed. The time has come for us to take back that which once was and let the healing begin. "Let us look forward to the time when we can take the flag of our country and nail it below the Cross, and there let it wave as it waved in the olden times, and let us gather around it an inscribed for our motto: "Liberty and Union, one and inseparable, now and forever," and exclaim, Christ first, our country next!" -- Andrew Johnson

While many may squabble over who among the founding fathers was a Christian, no knowledgeable historian of early American history can deny the fact that the concept of a Creator God who endowed His creation with "unalienable rights" was an essential underpinning of the American experiment. Indeed, the Declaration of Independence states, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." These rights were derived not from a government that was transitory, but from a Governor who was eternal. It was the role of government to defend these rights and not dilute or remove them.

The last three generations of Americans simply have not been told the truth about American history as its Christian heritage has been disparaged. For example, ask most Americans if the "separation of church and state" is in our Constitution, and they will answer yes. You can scour the Constitution of the United States, and you will NOT find the phrase, "separation of church and state" or anything close to it. In the Constitution of the Soviet Union, however, the doctrine of the separation of Church and State is found: "In order to ensure to citizens freedom of conscience, the church in the U.S.S.R. is separated from the State, and the school from the church. Freedom of religious worship and freedom of antireligious propaganda is recognized for all citizens" (Article 124). Article Twelve of the 1918 Soviet Constitution decrees that no church or religious organization "shall enjoy the rights of judicial person." Instruction of children under age 18 in religious matters, whether in public or private, is against the law.