I think this was directed more at Wan Hui? But I'll just contribute my two cents' worth :D
I think what Wan Hui meant about the whole, Christianity annoys me because unlike other religions, it doesn't let you into heaven merely based on your good deeds, is really what you're saying about how your problem with Christianity is the fact that it doesn't matter how good you are, in the end you can only enter heaven through faith. I think both of you are referring to the same thing - that good deeds, being a good person doesn't matter, only your faith does.
I think that's the sticking point for a lot of Christians I know; Flo once told me that she wanted me to be a Christian, because if not I'll go to hell, and she really didn't want me to - and I didn't really know how to respond, because the sentiments are genuine, just misguided (to me, because I don't believe that.) However, two responses?
Gabriel told me that there is the point of Christianity. You can't just be good because the point isn't your sins; you can't atone for them, no matter how hard you try because we are by nature sinful. Jo-ann actually gave me this excellent analogy in Secondary Two that like, imagine I'm a cup of water. Sin is the handful of dirt someone accidentally dumped into me - no matter how much water (i.e. good deeds) I add, that dirt will always be there, you know? Maybe decreasing in percentage with every drop of water, but it'll still be there. God - and faith in God is the filter that gets rid of it in this extended metaphor, I suppose. For me, it makes sense like this because Gabriel explained it in the way that, it doesn't mean bad people go to heaven just because they believe - for him, belief in God and being good are synonymous and cannot be separated, because once you genuinely believe, you cannot bring yourself to betray him by um, doing bad things, I suppose?
Then again - what I said earlier about how it's really us that chooses the religion that most fits our needs? I think that applies to you too when you say, If God can do that, in my mind God can't be good. If God can't be good, why am I following him at all?. My POV is that, if you really believe God is the Ultimate Creator, then it really doesn't matter what you think, because you're supposed to obey him, regardless of what he says, right? By questioning that, you show that you have your own version of good and bad which does not come from God.
Same here ,yeah; I'm - not attacking your faith, not trying to be accusatory or anything, just pointing out my um, point.
I think what Wan Hui meant about the whole, Christianity annoys me because unlike other religions, it doesn't let you into heaven merely based on your good deeds, is really what you're saying about how your problem with Christianity is the fact that it doesn't matter how good you are, in the end you can only enter heaven through faith. I think both of you are referring to the same thing - that good deeds, being a good person doesn't matter, only your faith does.
I think that's the sticking point for a lot of Christians I know; Flo once told me that she wanted me to be a Christian, because if not I'll go to hell, and she really didn't want me to - and I didn't really know how to respond, because the sentiments are genuine, just misguided (to me, because I don't believe that.) However, two responses?
Gabriel told me that there is the point of Christianity. You can't just be good because the point isn't your sins; you can't atone for them, no matter how hard you try because we are by nature sinful. Jo-ann actually gave me this excellent analogy in Secondary Two that like, imagine I'm a cup of water. Sin is the handful of dirt someone accidentally dumped into me - no matter how much water (i.e. good deeds) I add, that dirt will always be there, you know? Maybe decreasing in percentage with every drop of water, but it'll still be there. God - and faith in God is the filter that gets rid of it in this extended metaphor, I suppose. For me, it makes sense like this because Gabriel explained it in the way that, it doesn't mean bad people go to heaven just because they believe - for him, belief in God and being good are synonymous and cannot be separated, because once you genuinely believe, you cannot bring yourself to betray him by um, doing bad things, I suppose?
Then again - what I said earlier about how it's really us that chooses the religion that most fits our needs? I think that applies to you too when you say, If God can do that, in my mind God can't be good. If God can't be good, why am I following him at all?. My POV is that, if you really believe God is the Ultimate Creator, then it really doesn't matter what you think, because you're supposed to obey him, regardless of what he says, right? By questioning that, you show that you have your own version of good and bad which does not come from God.
Same here ,yeah; I'm - not attacking your faith, not trying to be accusatory or anything, just pointing out my um, point.
:D
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