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Captain Sammitch said:
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klinton said:
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Beardguy57 said:
Uschi, I think GOD is very understanding.

The kid lost his parents and his dog in just a few weeks.

GOD does judge us all after we die.

Judgement without compassion is not true love.

I believe that GOD is compassionate and loving.


GOD takes us all on a case by case basis; I don't believe that he only offers "One size fits all " judgement.



Then you don't know your Bible that well...God has some very cut and dry standards. Deal breakers, if you will. It's really much the same as any one of us, whereby certain conduct is just not acceptable...no matter the reasoning one can give.

God, as the Bible would have us beleive, is not compassionate nor terribly loving. He refers to himself most frequently with terms such as 'jealous God' 'God of Judgement' and my personal favorite, 'wrathfull'.

Terms such as 'merciful' and 'loving' are ascribed to Him...but are not used in a first person context. They are third party descriptions.

Think of the earth as a kid with a giant ant farm, and you'll get more of a perspective on how God views your personal descisions and circumstances.



That's not very representative, honestly. Even in the Old Testament, the fire and brimstone is quite well balanced by a number of examples of God's mercy. One of the most important steps to understanding a little more of what God has to say is learning that God is both very loving and very just, and finding the balance between those. Your perception of that balance may very depending on the people you've encountered along the way.



Well said, Sammitch...that was the message I got, too, from what little I have read of the Bible. ( Gotta find it and read it more! )

God punishes the wicked, who have earned his wrath..... and is compassionate towards those whom he knows to be good and just people.

The key word is people. We are humans, and thus, flawed by our very nature. It is our ability to make choices - fast, slow, hot, cold, good, bad... and to make good choices... that is our redeeming quality. That, and our great capacity for love.

We have the ability to choose. I feel that God wanted it that way...otherwise, if he had simply compelled us to obey, we would not truly love God, we'd merely be little more than a race of drones, blindly serving him.

I believe God wants us to make choices that are good for ourselves and others, while taking into account our own flawed human nature.

He wants us to remain human, yet still strive to be more than we are. That we never reach our ultimate goal is not as important as the struggle. The effort itself yields it's own rewards.

"I offer you a Vulcan prayer, Mr Suder. May your

death bring you the peace you never found in

life." - Tuvok.