Som wroteWho knows some explanation may come in near/distant future - and that may not be God !!

I totaly agree with you on that an explaination will come in the near/distant future - and that is that there is a GOD.

let us wait for that day and see who wins. cheers.

Believer

truth - what truth ? you know what, christians are not alone in making such claims - 100s of other religions make such claims . . .

there's plenty of chances that Christians are completely wrong and their god is not a God at all.

What you basically say is - it is your belief that you know the right way - fair enough, i appreciate your liberties, and the right of making choices and the belief that you have made the right choice.

it would have made me very happy, if you are able to reciprocate that. Whenever you or anyone else post that it is "the only way" . . . it makes me very angry.

and you may know absolutely nothing on my religion.

[quote]Originally posted by somsuj: [b] truth - what truth ? you know what, christians are not alone in making such claims - 100s of other religions make such claims . . . there's plenty of chances that Christians are completely wrong and their god is not a God at all.[/b][/quote]Oh I know that. I know that we’re not the only ones who claim we’re right. I also know that there is a chance that we’re wrong. But to be honest I also know, that I’m not. It’s not one of those crazy epiphanies where Jesus showed up in my French toast and showed me the light. It’s more like the kind of knowledge and trust that you have in your dad and mom, that feeling of “I know they’ll never let me down”. [quote]Originally posted by somsuj: [b]it would have made me very happy, if you are able to reciprocate that. Whenever you or anyone else post that it is "the only way" . . . it makes me very angry. and you may know absolutely nothing on my religion. [/b][/quote]If I’ve offended you I apologize, but again this is my belief, and it is the belief of my faith. It is not something that Christians have made up to claim exclusivity, or rule the condemned, but it is something that is written down in our scriptures. Again if it offends you to hear this I’m sorry, but I cannot stop saying it because to me it is truth. If you are that sure in your faith that following Hinduism will lead you to Krishna or the Hindu version of heaven then fine, I will respect your beliefs. But from my understanding you are an agnostic, and do not have a set faith. You have professed several times to have been an agnostic, and not subscribe any one faith. And honestly to me that’s a cop out. I have more respect for the atheist that can turn a blind eye to God’s creation and set their mind to believe that He doesn’t exist, than I do to the person who says I know that there’s something out there but I’d rather not give it a name just yet. If someone is searching then they are searching, and will earnestly seek to find whatever faith they feel to be truth, but to those who sit around debunking all faiths and haven’t made up their mind then they might as well throw their lot in with the atheist in my book because ignoring or not acknowledging God is just as bad as not believing. So in short if I offend you I’m sorry, I won’t stop speaking the gospel even if it does offend, because I know that it will offend some. That too was covered by Jesus. Once again if there are 100 religions in the world and I come across number 23 and find truth, I need not worry about the other 77. I’ve found my truth and have made a decision. I love discussing with everyone about their beliefs but I will not compromise mine for anyone.

i can't remember where i heard this quote:

a man sat at his desk one night, studying his manuscripts, looking for the truth. the truth came knocking on his door, but he said 'go away, i'm looking for the truth'

if you've only got to 23 you cannot know it's the truth. except, no 23 was the christian faith, which is the only one that says 'believe in me or be dammned.

believer, you are so wrapped up in your conviction that you are right that you don't seem to realise how dismissive your attitude is. i think that might be why you rub some people up the wrong way. i go through life believing everybody is right in their view of god, the universe, blablah. if it works for you, then thats all it needs to do. so there is no point in ranting on about why you are so right.

What is the real evil that seems to plague mankind? Who are the real demons that walk this earth? Is it those whose minds have become devious because of a lifetime spent inside of a caged hell, or is it those who invented this caged hell years ago and done nothing to help destroy it yet? Who's guilty, Frankenstein or the doctor that created him? The sword, or the man who has slain with it? Which is the real evil, the man who kills another for food or the man who does not share his food to avoid the killing? While you sit in judgement of a criminal, you may very well be the one who's guilty. Guilty of greed, deception and hate.

Time flows like a dark horde, consuming all in its path. Man lives his life in the blink of an eye. Just as day becomes night, all life fades into death. In death each person will be judged for his deeds performed while alive. There are the few who walk a life of purpose, and there are those who trod the path of greed, their souls host to demons. Time slows near each person's end. Those whose deeds were evil grasp onto life as long as they can because, though they don't know what awaits them in the afterlife, they feel for them it is a horror beyond words. Time stops in this world, as the heart becomes still and the soul leaves the body. In the afterlife time is eternal, and even death is but a new beginning.

But what are these evil deeds?

Different people might have different definitions.

For Christians, it seems that it is simply not being sure that Jesus is son of God.

It doesn't really seem evil to me.

what I mean by evil, is what is outlined in Dante's "The Inferno", I believe that they give a very avid list of what evil in the human condition is. Evil is an odd thing. Without evil there can be no good so in retrospect it must be good to be evil sometime. Also someones evil is anothers good, someones right is another persons wrong...so by logical standards can there truly be a definition of evil if the true concept of evil is difficult to define?

In the Inferno there is a reoccuring theme. Three Beasts of Worldliness: The Leopard of Malice and Fraud, The Lion of Violence and Ambition, and The She-Wolf of Incontinence.

The List of The Punishable Sin are as follows:
The Carnal
The Gluttons
The Wrathful and the Sullen
The Violent Against Neighbors
The Violent Agaisnt Themselves
The Fraudulent and Malicious
The Thieves
The Sowers of Discord
The Trecherous to Kin
The Trecherous to Country

These are only some of what Dante defines as "evil". If you want I'll elaborate on some.

[quote]Originally posted by Believer: [b]' ... You [Somsuj] have professed several times to have been an agnostic, and not subscribe any one faith. And honestly to me that’s a cop out. I have more respect for the atheist that can turn a blind eye to God’s creation and set their mind to believe that He doesn’t exist, than I do to the person who says I know that there’s something out there but I’d rather not give it a name just yet.' 'If someone is searching then they are searching, and will earnestly seek to find whatever faith they feel to be truth, but to those who sit around debunking all faiths and haven’t made up their mind then they might as well throw their lot in with the atheist in my book because ignoring or not acknowledging God is just as bad as not believing.' ...[/b] Being an agnostic, I want to respond to this, but I'm not sure how to do so. It could be termed insulting. I do find it annoying. We are not supposed to get into personal matters, but rather, we should discuss issues, but here, there is an overlap. [b]' .. agnostic, and not subscribe any one faith. And honestly to me that’s a cop out. I have more respect for the atheist ..'[/b] Well, being an agnostic is not a cop out. If you choose not to have much respect for my thoughts, then that is up to you, but consider how you would feel, if I said that I had more respect for atheists than for, say, Christians. You could probably accuse me of being biased or insulting, I should imagine. I think that all decent people deserve respect. [b]'.. the person who says I know that there’s something out there but I’d rather not give it a name just yet..'[/b] I'm not sure that you understand agnosticism. It means that we don't know. Rather, I think that it means that we [i]acknowledge[/i] that we don't know. At present, I can't see how anyone can know for sure. Yes, there may be something out there, but there might not be, and, even if there is, I doubt that it would be a God who appoints one tribe of people only as his chosen few and who kills Amalekite babies and considers Lot to be the only good man in Sodom. [b]'.. those who sit around debunking all faiths and haven’t made up their mind then they might as well throw their lot in with the atheist in my book because ignoring or not acknowledging God is just as bad as not believing ..'[/b] If I read up on faiths and consider that some aspects do not make sense, then I will question them & question them. I see no reason why I should accept anything that seems unreasonable just because Christians say that it is so. This is a debate forum - maybe some people would consider some arguments as 'debunking'. Why should I make up my mind before I am ready? Why should I say that I am an atheist when I am an agnostic? [i]'.. ignoring or not acknowledging God is just as [b]bad[/b] as not believing' ..[/i] Who decides who or what is bad? I don't know whether or not God exists, but I do know that I have experienced some stranmge events, which I cannot explain. I do not have all the answers,so I don't know about God / God's existence / whether Jesus is anything to do with God / etc. If I have not yet been convinced of what is right or wrong, then that's just the way it is - it does not make me, or my opinions, [i]bad[/i]. [b]I love discussing with everyone about their beliefs but I will not compromise mine for anyone. [/b] No-one is asking you to compromise - just to understand that your truth is not everyone's truth. Other's shouldn't be expected to compromise their beliefs / ideas either. [/quote]