It's the greatest of all human emotions..

[John317]

Every other major religion also says that evil will end...and that evil is subservient to good.Every major religion says that once evil is destroyed, the universe will be perfect. Apparently, according to every major religion, if you are not on the side of Supreme Good, you are considered evil and will be removed. There is, according to every major religion, an accounting of every action to be done....

Major world religions that don't teach that "evil" will be destroyed are Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Jainism, Shinto, and Sikhism.

The ones which do teach an end to evil are Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam.

[cardw]

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When you drive your car, and you stop at the stop light, are you stopping because it is a privileged or because you are fearful of an accident?

Well, I think at some point one is not fearful, but simply wants to avoid pain. If fear is my main motivation for driving safely then the energy I give to fear takes away from concentration and increase my chances of an accident.

So even driving safely is enhanced by other motivations than fear.

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Similarily, when sin/rebellion occured, it left it's mark upon the universe. It's no longer God's creation, but rather His creation was marred. He has promised to remove all traces of sin, 'cept for one. It is coming. Make no mistake...and if you desire to obey the rules, you'll come to the place of safety, and that is Jesus....If not, you will be removed, as anyone will be who desires not to be on the right side....

This is a highly over simplified view of how the universe works. Laws are simply names we give to apparent consistent behavior we can observe. We are now just understanding that the universe is not driven simply by laws.

And essentially you re-iterate my premise that it's fear, the threat of removal, that is the basis of Christian belief. It certainly drives evangelism.

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Every other major religion also says that evil will end...and that evil is subservient to good.Every major religion says that once evil is destroyed, the universe will be perfect. Apparently, according to every major religion, if you are not on the side of Supreme Good, you are considered evil and will be removed. There is, according to every major religion, an accounting of every action to be done....

The three Abrahamic religions do, but they all have the same ethical source. Hinduism and Buddhism do not teach this at all. In fact they seek understanding outside of the dualism of good and evil.

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If you substitute Zeus for the word God in the Bible you would never believe those things to be true.

Hmmmm....God in a box, eh? I've never known God, let alone Richard, or Neil, to be defined within the confines of a box.... So, why do you want to put God in a box...?

This is not putting God in a box. It's putting confidence in writings that are simply mistaken. All I have to do is ask your view of the Bible and we'll find out very quickly that the box exists in your view.

I have no problem in considering the possibility of God and I would certainly not consider the Bible or the writings of Ellen White even close to describing this God. I think the only box that exists in the one you have placed around God.

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And I am reasonably certain that it is the God of the Bible, Richard....Your view of God needs to be changed...the current one is outdated and never was real...

I rest my case...

[cardw]

But at the same time cardw Christianity is the only religion that has a savour.

[John317]

Originally Posted By: pkrause

But at the same time cardw Christianity is the only religion that has a savour.

I'm not sure why this is a reason to be a Christian. I would think a religion that taught us that we didn't need to be saved, but rather we have great potential for good would be far superior.

Christianity does teach that we have great potential for good. This potential is far greater than most people would ever imagine, an eternity of potential during which mankind will become morally, physically, and intellectually perfect. If that is not great potential, I don't know what is. And furthermore, the Bible teaches that this potential should be realized now as much as possible.

[Tom Wetmore]

...I'm talking about the meaning of the Greek word, agape. I'm not implying or suggesting that our love should be without emotion.

Quoting from an article in the Nelson Study Bible:

After contrasting agape with eros (physical sexual desire and not much else) and philos (esteem and affection in casual friendship), the writer says, "This word, agape, describes a love that is based on the deliberate choice of the one who loves rather than the worthiness of the one who is loved. This kind of love goes against natural human inclination. It is a giving, selfless, expect-nothing-in-return kind of love."

Another article from the same study Bible--

[Gk. agape] (1 Peter 4: 8; Romans 5: 5, 8; 1 John 3: 1; 4: 7,8, 16; Jude 21) Strong's #26: This Greek word was rarely used in Greek literature prior to the New Testament. When it was used, it denoted showing kindness to strangers, giving hospitality, and being charitable. In the New Testament, the word agape took on a special meaning. It was used by the New Testament writers to designate a volitional love as opposed to the purely emotional kind. It is self-sacrificial love, a kind naturally expressed by God but not so easily by men and women.

These are the meanings that we now ascribe to the Greek word agape. Although this is consistent with the usage in the NT, it is not how it is used throughout the OT Septuagint. It did not have that meaning in the 1st Century. This from the New World Encyclopedia:

Quote:

Agape...is one of several Greek words translated into English as love. Greek writers at the time of Plato and other ancient authors used forms of the word to denote love of a spouse or family, or affection for a particular activity, in contrast to, if not with a totally separate meaning from, philia (an affection that could denote either brotherhood or generally non-sexual affection) and eros (an affection of a sexual nature, usually between two unequal partners, although Plato's notion of eros as love for beauty is not necessarily sexual). The term agape with that meaning was rarely used in ancient manuscripts, but quite extensively used in the Septuagint, the Koine Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible.

. . .

Ancient Greek distinguishes a number of words for love, of which three are most prominent: eros, philia, and agape. As with other languages, it has been historically difficult to separate the meanings of these words totally. However, the senses in which these words were generally used are given below:

...Agape...refers to a general affection of "love" rather than the attraction suggested by eros; it is used in ancient texts to denote feelings for a good meal, one's children, and one's spouse. It can be described as the feeling of being content or holding one in high regard. This broad meaning of agape or its verb agapao can be seen extensively in the Septuagint as the Greek translation of the common Hebrew term for love..., which denotes not only God's love for humanity but also one's affection for one's spouse and children, brotherly love, and even sexual desire. It is uncertain why agape was chosen, but the similarity of consonant sounds... may have played a part. This usage provides the context for the choice of this otherwise still quite obscure word, in preference to other more common Greek words, as the most frequently used word for love in the New Testament. But, when it is used in the New Testament, its meaning becomes more focused, mainly referring to unconditional, self-sacrificing, giving love to all—both friend and enemy...