Simple question?

Quote: FrGamble

when giving us our freedom to choose what is right allows the tempter to offer us the chance to abuse our freedom and to be guided not by love or reason but by our base passions.

Yeah, we can't have that. To be born
a Christian is to be told happiness
can wait till you get to heaven. until
then, those base passions are on
hold. No looking with lust upon
thy neighbors wife, no matter
how much wood it gives you. God
hates wood..

Quote: FrGamble

Let me reiterate that it is entirely a free gift.

LOL! Free with just a few strings attached.
Want to tell us what they are, or shall I.

Yeah that lust and thirst for power and greed make us so happy don't they?

The strings? Just accept the love of Christ and strive to love and respect others. This is what truly leads to happiness.

Quote: FrGamble

Remember that Satan is not a human being. Also God when giving us our freedom to choose what is right allows the tempter to offer us the chance to abuse our freedom and to be guided not by love or reason but by our base passions.

I'm glad this makes sense to you, because it doesn't to me.

Humans disobey god and are banished from the GOE. Satan on the other hand is allowed to enter even though he has rejected god. And what is the comment about Satan not being human mean? Surely you don't mean God can't control Satan and keep him out of the GOE? Nor could you possibly argue Satan should be treated better than Adam and Eve and allowed into GOE? which is what happened. Satan was already fallen.

Quote: FrGamble

Can you offend someone who loves and cares for you very much?

A god? Afraid not, out of my league. Other
gods offend a god, not his puny minions.
If my god is offended that I lusted after
my neighbors wife, it's the god that has
problems, not me.

Quote:

I don't know He did say, "I am the way, the truth, and the life."

No, that's what somebody says he said. The Jesus
Seminar concluded that 82% of what is attributed
to Jesus was added much later and never said by
him. What you just wrote was added after he was
long dead. If you read what he actually said, he
was just a nice rabbi, nothing else. Turn the other
cheek, be nice to beggars, walk in another persons
shoes, love your enemies. Big stuff at the time,
very passe now.

Quote: FrGamble

The strings? Just accept the love of Christ and strive to love and respect others..

The strings are in the striving. There's
striving and then there's striving. You
have to strive correctly to get into
the Xtion heaven, And that's walking
a very narrow line.

Quote: rxwine

Satan was already fallen.

Excellent point, Satan was already kicked out of Heaven and went to mess everything up for us.

Quote: Evenbob

The strings are in the striving. There's
striving and then there's striving. You
have to strive correctly to get into
the Xtion heaven, And that's walking
a very narrow line.

Not at all. What is incorrect striving?

Quote: Evenbob

A god? Afraid not, out of my league. Other
gods offend a god, not his puny minions.
If my god is offended that I lusted after
my neighbors wife, it's the god that has
problems, not me.

Not true at all. It doesn't matter who it is that loves or cares for you that person can still be offended by your actions. You can't only offend your equals.

Quote:

No, that's what somebody says he said. The Jesus
Seminar concluded that 82% of what is attributed
to Jesus was added much later and never said by
him. What you just wrote was added after he was
long dead. If you read what he actually said, he
was just a nice rabbi, nothing else. Turn the other
cheek, be nice to beggars, walk in another persons
shoes, love your enemies. Big stuff at the time,
very passe now.

I guess you can choose to believe in the Jesus Seminar over Jesus Himself.

Quote: FrGamble

Not at all. What is incorrect striving?

Striving on Sunday, and being a whoremaster
the other 6 days. Of course whores were allowed
in Jesus time, so it's probably OK.