I'm going to address some of your statements one at a time - sm Posted: Mar 29th, 2018 - 2:25 am In Reply to: Why is it so difficult for you...SM - Old Anon
1. Your initial post was about some of the things you believe. Following up, I asked upon what basis you believe in universal salvation. You didn’t answer, but instead posted a link to a U/U website. The website didn’t answer my question either.
2. You said U/U members accept everyone’s faith, but that is not true. You reject the deity of Jesus, so you do not accept everyone’s faith.
3. You asked that we accept your faith as valid and not mock or judge you for not accepting Jesus. As I said, I do not accept your faith as valid because you reject the doctrine that the only means of salvation is via the belief in Jesus Christ and His substitutionary death and subsequent resurrection. Your belief in universal salvation and my belief in salvation solely through belief in Jesus cannot both be true, so of course I reject your faith. On the other hand, I do not judge you, think less of you, hate you, dislike you, wish to marginalize you, etc. because you reject Christ.
4. In another post, you said, “I cannot point you to any particular biblical text or tenets of other religions as the basis for my belief, nor do I have to. It's just WHAT I BELIEVE, and I do not have to justify it to you or anyone else.” This post seemed a little defensive, especially since you opened the door by starting the conversation about your faith. I merely asked a simple question about your belief in universal salvation. The post also seemed inconsistent with another of your statements that you believe the Faith Board exists “to gain understanding and acceptance of each other's faith.” How can anyone understand your faith when, by your own admission, you cannot even articulate why you believe what you believe? How would someone get the idea that you’re interested in furthering understanding of your faith when you’re basically telling them to mind their own business?
5. In your latest post, you asked, “Why is it so difficult for you to accept the fact that everyone does not have the same religious beliefs and that my beliefs are just as valid to me as yours are to you?” What part of “I accept and love all people, whatever their beliefs” suggests to you that I don’t accept the fact that not everyone has the same religious beliefs? How did you infer from anything I posted that I do not consider your beliefs to be valid to you? Again, my acceptance of a person does not necessarily mean I accept what they believe.
6. You said, “Not everyone believes in salvation through Jesus and are still good, kind, and productive people …” By human standards, I agree with you about many nonbelievers being good, kind, and productive people. However, God, who is Holy, has very different standards, so what He says is much more important than what you or I think. He says we’re sinners, but in His infinite love, He has provided a way out of death into life.
7. Your last remarks were, “I say I'm very happy for you to be totally devoted to your Christian faith. Now do the same for me regarding my faith and stop trying to convert me to yours. It's disrespectful.” Firstly, I am not devoted to the Christian faith. I am devoted to Jesus Christ. Secondly, I cannot be happy for anyone who is rejecting Jesus’ gift of salvation. That is the ultimate eternal tragedy. As for trying to convert you, I’m not trying to do that, nor could I if I tried. Only the Holy Spirit can do that. I am called by the Lord to proclaim the Gospel of Christ or, in other words, share my faith. That’s what I have done on this Faith Board and will continue to do, much the same way you have. For you to characterize that as disrespectful seems to be in direct opposition to your claim that as a U/U member you accept all faiths.
Post A Reply Reply By Email Options
Complete Discussion Below: (  marks the location of current message within thread)
|
