lurking 3: how to get to heaven
The third post in my lurking series isn’t from the comments section of a post. It’s a lovely extract from a post that I read a couple of months ago that was so special it stayed in my memory. This charming lady wants all her Christian readers to question their heaven/hell afterlife status by letting them know about some key issues their god God will be basing decisions on. It’s great that the god God gives some of his followers the actual truth so that they can kindly, and always with love, pass it on to the rest of them. My favourite line is where she encourages her readers to be “VERY afraid” – ah, the love of the god God is shining through! Enjoy!
Christian beliefs, which line up with what the Bible clearly says, are opposed by our President. Why is that important? Because our President believes he is a Christian. And so do a lot of other people who share his beliefs on things like homosexuality and abortion. If that describes you, before you get mad and stop reading, in fairness, hear me say something:
Sanctification (progressively becoming more and more Christlike) is a process. People who get saved, especially as an adult, bring a lot of entrenched opinions and thought processes with them to the cross.
Am I saying you have to become pro-life and anti-homosexuality (notice, I did not say anti-homosexual) before, or in order to, get saved?
No.
Am I saying that five minutes or a week after you get saved, you’ll be pasting “Choose Life” and “One Man, One Woman” bumper stickers on your car?
No.
What I am saying is that a person who has genuinely been born again has a God-created desire to know, trust, and obey God’s word. Even if it’s hard. Even if you don’t like it, initially. Even if you don’t completely understand it. The desire, inextricably interwoven with your love and affection for Christ, born in your heart when you were born again, exists.
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. II Corinthians 5:17
Do you have that desire? Do you wrestle with the things in God’s word that are difficult for you –perhaps things like homosexuality- in order to understand, embrace, and obey them? Or, do you war against the things you find in the Bible that you don’t like- rebelling against their inherent truth, rejecting them, twisting their meanings to suit your own opinions, and refusing to accept them?
If it’s the latter, you need to be afraid.
Be VERY afraid.
Because the Bible makes it clear that you aren’t saved.
By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” anddoes not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. I John 2:3-6
But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God,for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ. I Corinthians 2:14-16
You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. James 4:4
Christians desire to keep God’s word, just like Jesus did. Christians lovingly call sinners to repentance from their sin and to faith in Christ, just like Jesus did. Christians think like Jesus did. Christians reject the world’s values rather than promoting them, just like Jesus did.
My dear friend, if you find yourself constantly battling against God’s word, I urge you, please examine your affections and the fruit of your life, thoughts, and behavior in the mirror of God’s word. It doesn’t matter if you’ve repeated a prayer, filled out a card, been baptized, taken communion, faithfully attended church, served as a teacher, deacon, elder, or pastor, had someone assure you of your salvation, or even if you just “feel saved”. If your life and heart don’t match up with what Scripture says is true of a Christian, you are not genuinely born again.
Does that settle the question of ‘what is a true Christian’?
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Do you know, I never realised that? Maybe we should forward this to the Pope, so he has it for reference. 🙂
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Well, it certainly ties up any of those silly loose ends on what it means to be a christian
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One day, I’m gonna start a heaven & all will be invited. Granted, I WILL control all personalities to make them tolerable, but NO ONE will be excluded.
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Excellent idea! I might do that too. You can come if you make your memes less twitchy.
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Twitchy memes speak to me.
What would be entertaining to me is if I could find a more straight laced thinker to do commentary/criticisms of my memes. Making far out inferences & whatnot.
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I don’t understand ‘we should all share a cross to bear’ but I don’t want to mess up your page again with a query.
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It’s like a mildly absurd motivational meme. “We all have a cross to bear” … that’s what Christians say …
I made it rhyme which obscures the message at the same time making it sound more catchy.
The Christian cross is for all of humanity to bear was the original thought.
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I like it! I’m going to try and put more thought into understanding the next one before I ask you. Do you do this deliberately knowing it’s so random that most or all people will be confused?
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Yes, I like things that are vague and obscure. I like to speculate as to what someone else is thinking. I like the short winds — just treating others like I like to be treated.
Unfortunately, no one wants to take the time to wonder what I’m thinking, because I’m a nobody 😉
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I like that too. I love having a wee chuckle to myself at things that no-one else can possibly get … kind of sad, hehe.
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I see it more as self-sacrifice than self-indulgence. In many ways focusing on intelligible communication would be much easier.
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Your martyrdom is laudable.
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I actually find this very shocking to read. I really can’t imagine doing things that clearly go against my (present) beliefs. To me it’s Orwellian doublethink.
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There’s something really cruel and creepy about making insecure and vulnerable people question the validity of their faith, based on things that a lot of reasonable Christian realise aren’t straightforward issues.
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I don’t think you should find it any more cruel & creepy than you would telling someone to stop beating their dog.
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Easy fix. Just take up sociopathy. Makes it easier to disassociate.
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Violet, you’re a much better blogger than the Ark. He’s ranty and kind of sensitive. {THIS COMMENT HAS BEEN EDITED}
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Done! And I took the opportunity to edit to your edit request before I delete it, just to see how much damage can be done. You like my work???
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I like it. Approved!
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Really? Can I leave it??
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Of course.
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I can read the big words too you know….
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This entire post is gnarly, but for some reason the part that sticks out to me is the very beggining (it most likely comes from the fact that I studied politics in college!):
“Christian beliefs, which line up with what the Bible clearly says, are opposed by our President. Why is that important? Because our President believes he is a Christian. And so do a lot of other people who share his beliefs on things like homosexuality and abortion.”
I think it is very strange how this woman is only focusing on one half of the political spectrum- the social half. What about the fiscal half? Socially, sure. Conservative views are much more in line with Christian beliefs (only to a certain extent). But fiscally? Take Leviticus 25:35-37:
“If one of your brethren becomes poor, and falls into poverty among you, then you shall help him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you. Take no usury or interest from him; but fear your God, that your brother may live with you. You shall not lend him your money for usury, nor lend him your food at a profit.”
Or Matthew 19:24 (just to name a few):
“And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
So, it could be argued that fiscally, liberals are more Christian. Not that their aren’t any rich liberals, because there certainly are, but liberals are much more in favor of a government that spreads the wealth a bit and helps those in need. Conservatives, on the other hand, are against most taxation and feel that people should’nt need help- they should just be able to find a way themselves.
So, is the President not a true Christian as this lady is claiming he is not? Would any other conservative have beed necessarily better? I think not.
Christians are Socialist but our “Christian” nation is Capitalist. According to this fine lady’s post, dare I say our entire country (to include herself) is going to hell then??
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Really interesting point. I think the lure of the right to Christians in the USA is a mystery to most of us in the rest of the world. It’s a cultural oddity. This blogger also did a hilarious post on should Christians choose Obama (not a Christian) or the Mormon (not a Christian) which was utterly hilarious. But this post had more funny Bible bits in it and showed a more shocking point of view towards other Christians.
Thanks for calling the post ‘gnarly’! That’s the best adjective ever displayed on my blog!!
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well, i think that leaves out the OT in the retinue of the christian. Why they don’t just burn the parts they don’t like and keep only the NT where Jesus curses fig trees [granting him existence for the time being], or that is not part of being christian? Keep them coming
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Hurting trees is inexcusable. If I was still a Christian and stumbled upon that passage it would be the clincher for me!
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There is no justification especially since they appear to me to have erased the OT out of their psyche and the few pastors that use it, it is for imploring the congregants to tithe more, what an interesting lot.
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I note she thinks she thinks like Jesus. I think I think like Jesus, and I don’t think at all like her. Oh bugger- I couldn’t be wrong, could I?
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Well, she does sound awful Jesus-like, so ‘right’ may well be in her corner. Do you remember her? I think I found her through you. You commented on the post too.
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Of course, when she says, “Do you war against the things you find in the Bible?” she really means, “Do you question, even for a moment, the things your pastor tells you come from the Bible?”
Much simpler that way. No thinking required.
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She’s the one who doesn’t take speaking engagements if she thinks there’s a chance men might be present. I wonder what kind of filter she puts her on blog to stop men reading it.
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I don’t know, but evidently it’s a good one. I tried to look for myself, and suddenly I heard a clap of thunder and my computer crashed.
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🙂
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Still planning on writing that post I mentioned a few days ago, but thought of something in the interim.
Fundamentalists aren’t merely interpreting the Bible. They get to be fundamentalists by quote-mining the Bible.
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Because I am sensitive and a ranter and you are much better blogger than me, I shall refrain from commenting on this woman’s post – not you, dear heart -the post you nicked – as just a single read saw the onset of migraine and jaw dropping incredulity.
Thank god —any god, I am an atheist.
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I’m so sorry Chris said those horrible things about you! I’ll spam him if you like. Completely out of order. *shakes head* Yeah, that woman’s a bit of a worry.
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Spam? Rather chipped liver.
I understand that because you were crying with laughter your hand kept slipping of the Delete Chris’ Comment button. Perfectly understandable.
All I have to do is tell him the bloody theme on his blog makes my computer slow and he’ll sulk for a week.
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Damn. I am easy. Can’t deny it.
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BTW, how’s it going with the ice cream house licking chick thing?
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“chipped liver” and “slipping of” – read before posting, read before posting. Where did those damn specs go? 🙂
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You’ve never heard of chipped liver? Really?
What do you eat over there in Argentina?
Unfortunately, I only have one ‘F’ on my keyboard and it won’t allow me to press it twice in one word.
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Ah, you’re spelling phonetically … those weird Sith Ifricinz. It’s ‘chopped’ in common English speak.
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I KNOW what chopped liver is. I am talking about chipped liver. Sheesh.
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Did you see the photo? No insects of birds, but really rather stunning I thought.
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You looking for more kudos? Isn’t being the best blogger enough?
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Yeah, but I wrote that so it doesn’t count.
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Fine..stunning…I’m truly stunned.
Write another post…
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Oh, I don’t know, that didn’t sound very sincere. I’ll have to find a better photo admirer …
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Oh, maybe I should edit your comments too. 🙂
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Yes…make me confess I am a really a Vicar from a small Parish in the South of England doing my Masters on people’s aversion to religion.
That should get some laughs. Really piss off the blog god, P & W.
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Seriously? Are you coming out? I knew there was something fishy when South Africa didn’t show up on my stats! And none your anti-religious arguments felt like they came from the heart. Wow, it all seems so obvious now!
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Ahem……No insects ‘of’ birds,
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Do you not have those in “South Africa”? They’re all over the place here in “Argentina”. 😉
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Dripping with silliness. I really can’t say anything else.
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You didn’t link to the circus???
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My thinking behind the lurking series is that it puts a whole host of silliness on display and illustrates some of the nutty range of Christian interpretation of their inerrant, divinely inspired book. Some of the posts are old and I don’t think any of the people are looking for a logic-based chat: they’re “helping” fellow Christians. I figure if anyone is desperate enough to get involved with any of the Silly People they can google phrases to find the relevant blog. My, what a long explanation!
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But that sort of takes away the fun of it. You’re like the forward observer (on the Falklands) looking for targets of opportunity and calling in the strategic strike force 😉
Hey, is Caribou Christina going to Thatchers funeral?
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This woman should take herself seriously and read the “period” passage from the other day. Unclean, unclean, unclean. And if she thinks that’s going too far, she should go straight to hell.
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She’s certainly not promoting one of the nicer versions of Christianity …
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I like this, David.
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