Are righteous people not above stereotyping? What I mean is, a person is truly righteous, what effect does someone else stereotyping actually have?

It's the same reason why people are offended by other forms of bigotry. Sure, people shouldn't let it affect them, but most people don't like being insulted. It's the same reason why people who don't believe in Heaven or Hell still get offended when people tell them that they're going to Hell, even though it doesn't even exist to them.

Sure, people shouldn't let it affect them, but most people don't like being insulted

Yeah you could say that. I always get insulted or made fun of and it bothers me cuase they do it so much. you know.
Also thanks Lord Shitzu for the vocab.

~blondelife~

Personally, I have a hard time with the notion that Jesus is the only way to heaven--I've grappled with it for years, and always come back to the notion that God couldn't possibly damn to hell for all eternity people who had never ever heard his name uttered. The very notion that small villages in Africa, or remote towns in Asia would go to hell out of ignorance rather than rejecting God is extremely disturbing in my mind.

There was a guy at work that I made the mistake of getting into religious discussions with. This subject came up, and I told him that I thought that it would be ridiculous that God would do that, pseudo-randomly assigning people that he is supposed to love to be cast into hell. I wound up yelling at him, after he asked me if I would rather have a compassionate God (because it was compassionate to save at least some of us, apparently) or a just God. I said I wanted a just God, and he said that we'd all go to hell if we had a just God. I told him in a very very loud voice that I'd see him in hell.

Hi there blondlife! Welcome to the family!

For a short explanation of the "eye for eye, etc" scripture, it does not mean that if someone does something bad, you are to do the same to them. In the original Hebrew what the Lord was talking about, was if someone causes a loss of some kind to another person, then the person resposible was to find a way to provide a suitable replacement for that loss.....either by monetary or other recompense, so that the person who was hurt would not be left without in any area. It has to do with the Jewish Covenant they had with the Lord....very fascinating to learn the complete meanings of things by using info from Hebrew concordances and such. By the way, Jesus said we we're to pray for our enemies and bless those who despitefully use us. Also please don't be surprised by how Christians are being treated by "the World", since we follow Jesus, and He said that if they treated Him with disrespect, they will do the same to us. It is just that old demonic spirit that is at work in the world today to kill, steal and destroy all that follow the Most High God and His son, Jesus Christ. Here is a secret for you about Christians being persecuted by others for our beliefs......in the book of Acts Chapter 9, it talks about how the apostle Paul, who was then known as Saul was going around persecuting the early church, imprisoning and killing them, when he got knocked off his donkey to the ground by Jesus, Who asked him (Saul) "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" "Who are you Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," He replied. You see, Jesus takes attacks on Christians today personally still....so we let God be our vindicator.....He will repay to those who mock us, because they are REALLY mocking Jesus! In Paul's case, because he repented and made Jesus his Lord, he went on to be an apostle and ended up writing 2/3rds of the New Testament!
So there is forgiveness to all who care to change beliefs. We pray for others, and God does the work....and everyone has a free-will choice of believing or not.

Last of all, blondelife, I would like to invite you to stop by www.cfaith.com and visit the "Your Destiny" page for some good teaching! All the links in the gray-brown color (at the top of the page) are available to anyone to look at, I believe, the ones in blue are for members only. The teachers there are good Word teachers....come visit sometime and enjoy!

God Bless you richly blondelife.....and I will look forward to meeting you in Heaven and saying Howdy!

well i want to go to heaven but according to many christians, i am not going to heaven. of course, i believe otherwise. i don't believe the death penalty should be used because i don't believe in taking a life, especially since a good number of people who are on death row have never committed any crime. the fact is that the government makes mistakes and even one wrongful death makes the death penalty stupid and unnecessary.

God Bless you richly blondelife.....and I will look forward to meeting you in Heaven and saying Howdy!

I am looking to see you there and saying howdy too.

i don't believe the death penalty should be used because i don't believe in taking a life, especially since a good number of people who are on death row have never committed any crime. the fact is that the government makes mistakes and even one wrongful death makes the death penalty stupid and unnecessary.

I believe the same way as this. I am glad you feel the same way. I believe that to. Also you will go to heaven as long as you know he is there and you will go and ignore the rest of those people.

~blondelife~

If we're all "supposed" to go to heaven, then why the fuck was the earth made? Does it make sense for this so called "god" to put thought, love, interest and peeps into the creation of earth and then saying "oh fuck it!!! let's just have them all up here with me and let me destroy my creativity"
LIKE THAT REALLY MAKES SENCE PEOPLE

Ok, I'm not sure what's been said but doesn't God teach to turn the other cheak? If someone kills a relative of yours give them your best sheep... that kind of thing. Someone forces you to take them a mile down the road, take them the next mile after too. I honestly think that if you go around killing people for killing others than wouldn't it just be right for you to die too? And if you continue that cycle long enough Cain would have ended the world.

Capt. over and out!

Like it or not, Christianity is at its essance a form of subjigation and control. Now, that's not to say that all Christains subscribe to this mantra. The core of Christianity is to blindly not question, because God "knows what is best for us all." That's the same argument every dictator in history has used to control his people. If you don't question, you give up your very humanity. You know who else doesn't question? Extremist Muslim terroists.

Religion forces followers to give up thier ability to question thier reality. Giving up the right to question is tantamount to giving up your very humanity. Thus, religion at its route makes people give up thier very humanity.

If the bible says left is right, then no matter how much evidence to the contrary, any God fearing Christian will fight you till the end if you try to convince him that no, left is actually left. There is no logic to religion, thus there is no point in trying to argue it logically.

For those of you who are wondering about the logic behind the verse that says "God so loved.....but have everlasting life", I can tell you that no, there is no loophole. Jesus said: "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father but through me."

Anyway, the short answer:
If there is a heaven, I'm going, but it's probably not your heaven.