steveorino

At age 81, after decades of insisting belief is a mistake, Antony Flew has concluded that some sort of intelligence or first cause must have created the universe. "A super-intelligence is the only good explanation for the origin of life and the complexity of nature." Flew said in a telephone interview from England. Albeit far from biblical Christianity or any other religion, what do you think of Flew's change of thinking? steveOrino

Who do you think? Job 2:7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head might want to look at a few more translations prior to answering.... I guess you better enlighten me. I read 11 different translations including the Septuigent, and they all pointed to Satan (adversary) steveOrino

Who do you think? Job 2:7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head steveOrino

Actually, I think you have a pretty good insight to Job. I guess the word heresy was throwing me. However, I do believe we can know God better now, than then. Here is what Jesus said, "If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." John 14:7" I wrote a blog about this on my "MYSPACE" website See in my link below. steveOrino

I don't think Lloyd is saying it matters. Have you not ever been curious about a subgroup? I work for Lloyd and he treats ALL skydivers and customers the same. No prejudice. Would he be a sexist if he asked how many women jump at your DZ. Geesh! steveOrino

According to the Book of Job, it is heresy to attempt to explain God's motives. And the Bible itself attempts to explain why God did the things that He did. I'm not sure that is what I got out of Job. Besides being a book that speaks of patience and long suffering, it does address the issue that we will not always understand God, but I don't believe it called attepting to explain God's motives a heresy. Think of it this way. IF there was a creator of everything, would we be able to understand everything about him? My thought is an emphatic NO. In fact we'd probably only be able to understand the things he desired for us to understand and nothing more. steveOrino

Death is penalty for sin. To say it biblically, without blood, there is no remission of sin. Actually I was referring to spiritual death (separation from God) Yes, everyone experiences physical death. I believe Christ atonement on the cross paid our "spiritual" debt. Not being a creationist, I don't see physical death as being the result of sin. I think physical death is part of the plan (I realize it doesn't make sense to those who interpret Genesis literally. I just hope they don't think of me as a heretic because of my beliefs. But if they do, eh. Pharisees though Christ was a heretic.) The natural world made by God needs physical death. I lived in Alaska for 7 years. The polar bears that lived there were not berry eaters. They ate meat. Then you have scavengers like jackals & hyenas. Anyway, I think physical death is natural, but man's rebellion to do things his own way created a spiritual gulf between God and man. I believe JC's death on the cross closed that gap, because any other sacrifice would be imperfect and lacking. In other words, they didn't have the value to pay so great a debt. Jesus, being God, did. steveOrino

Apart from the horror of the crucifiction and scourging, it is also considered a great sacrifice for a blameless man to bear the sins of the world. Personally, I hate taking the rap for anybody else. Death is penalty for sin. To say it biblically, without blood, there is no remission of sin. Actually the punishment is separation from God. Some believe a passage in 1 Peter says that Christ decended to hell. There are "inclusionist who think that very thing. They have to wrestle with verses that indicate it is a decision. It is a gift that is presented to you, not forced upon you. From a theological standpoint we are all in need of a savior ... someone to pay the price ... a perfect, without spot or blemish substitute. There is a difference between punishment for sin that takes place in the here and now and hell (separation from God) which is for our spirit. steveOrino

One thing I'm pretty sure of. Once you start it -- it is not going away. Entitlements are seldom revoked. steveOrino

See and I found that stuff interesting. Especially the movie about Vernon Johns. I never heard of him before. steveOrino

Woo, dejavu. Am I back in the 60s again? I knew that stuff I experiemented with would come back to haunt me. Yeah, my home town in the 50s 60s when I was a kid. Colored drinking fountain at Court house Colored city park Colored school Colored rest rooms & balconey at the theatre Colored restroom at the Court house Ball park Whites only City Pool Whites only SW part of town = nigger town Yep, the good old days. Guess what. Some of my peers who are African American remember those days too. Hardly skin off my white nose if we celebrate the African Americans who helped shaped our world and changed some of that crap. Hate and bitterness are not good for you, man. Let go of it and you'll live longer. /rant & sarcasm steveOrino

Well, I tried to check it out but my school/work blocks that site as "hate & discriminatory" steveOrino

I recently wrote a Master's level thesis proposal about skydiving and personality groups. Some of what I learned is the main reason anyone skydives initially is group polarity. A group of people/friends say let's do this! The willing and at times the very hesitant will make that jump. Call it peer pressure. Once that initial jump is completed the influence of the group is greatly reduced. The main reason people return is they desire to identify with a sub culture. So, keep doing what you are doing! You are making it easier for the few that will return to stick by including them. steveOrino

Why is that interesting? You set the rules that I could not have the wisdom and insight of God. You said I was to make my decision instinctively. I seriously doubt without His infinite wisdom that I would make the same decisions God would make on a lot of things. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9 steveOrino

Here is one of Big Rick, the body builder. Talk about a fall rate!! steveOrino

My money is that is was because 200 jumps was a "D" or "expert" license. steveOrino

If "I" was God? I'd say you get in heaven by being good, and I (God) would determine that. Of course you wouldn't know if you measured up until you got before my throne. That'd be your tough luck because "I" would not sacrifice my children for you, even if I knew they'd rise again. Not if you were God, if you were as you are now, but you had the power to decide who gets in. Would you be more inclined to admit Dahmer, a serial killer turned devout christian or Gandhi, all round good guy who just happens to be a heathen and false Idolator? Just go with your instinct. Instinctively? If I am NOT God? I guess I'd make fewer mistakes if I let the ghandi types go in over the "repentant Dahmers" of this world. I'm glad I'm NOT God. steveOrino

If "I" was God? I'd say you get in heaven by being good, and I (God) would determine that. Of course you wouldn't know if you measured up until you got before my throne. That'd be your tough luck because "I" would not sacrifice my children for you, even if I knew they'd rise again. One of many good reasons I'm not God. steveOrino

Truthfully, I don't know anything about Dahmer's confessions of Christ. His eternity is not in my hands. Mine is. As I have said here many times, I'm not good despite any good things I have done. Why? Because my measure of "goodness" is not Dahmer, Hitler, you, or even Ghandi. It is Christ. I don't measure up. I'm not depending on my goodness to save me, but rather I lean on the grace of God. I like Kittens. They're small and fluffy. Yeah, but they turn into cats!!! steveOrino

Truthfully, I don't know anything about Dahmer's confessions of Christ. His eternity is not in my hands. Mine is. As I have said here many times, I'm not good despite any good things I have done. Why? Because my measure of "goodness" is not Dahmer, Hitler, you, or even Ghandi. It is Christ. I don't measure up. I'm not depending on my goodness to save me, but rather I lean on the grace of God. steveOrino

I see your point, but I've been around a lot of self-righteous people who think their poo doesn't stink. I'd rather be around the guy who knows he is not righteous (regardless of what he has done) and is humble before God, than somebody who thinks God owes them a favor because they were so good. steveOrino

Nice spin. Let me spin it another way. God favors any man who ask forgiveness, no matter if they are serial killers, but rejects any man who thinks his own righteousness is a ticket to heaven. And that 'spin' is the reason that so many find your concept of god to be so completely odious. You would like it better if "good" people like Ghandi went to heaven and "bad" people like Dahmer went to hell? Right? steveOrino

Nice spin. Let me spin it another way. God favors any man who ask forgiveness, no matter if they are serial killers, but rejects any man who thinks his own righteousness is a ticket to heaven. steveOrino

I don't know any of these men's fate or their hearts. But if Ghandi and Cric rejected God and Dahlmer asked God's forgiveness then "c" is correct. Again, read what JC said in his parable. The Pharisee was a "good" man, the tax collector was not. The tax collector walked away justified, the Pahrisee did not. steveOrino

No, I think it reveals your works won't get you there, but accepting God's grace will. In other words ... No matter how good you are, you can't earn heaven. No matter how bad you are God will forgive you IF you ask. steveOrino