BRUCE ALMIGHTY: Atheism's Critique of Arminianism

[drstevej]

Bruce Nolan (Carrey), a television reporter in Buffalo, N.Y.,is discontented with almost everything in life despite his popularity and the love of his girlfriend, Grace (Aniston) . At the end of the worst day of his life, Bruce angrily ridicules and rages against God and God responds. God appears in human form (Freeman) and, endowing Bruce with divine powers, challenges Bruce to take on the big job to see if he can do it any better.

 

Bruce Nolan:       How do you make someone love you without changing free will?
God:                     Welcome to my world.

[RnMomof7]

Where is Ctd?

Is he out?

[RnMomof7]

Not sure. I will know Sunday. Babies are sprinkled but not sure about adults. One thing for sure, no font in the building. :-)

We do have a font and Christians of all ages are "sort of sprinkled" The pastor kind of rubs the water on their head.

[MarMema]

Is there something wrong with analytical thinking and logic?

No. There is only something wrong with thinking they have anything to do with Christ and Christianity.

I believe it is wrong to focus incessantly on issues like church doctrine and history as well. Yes we can read about the early church, etc. and what this or that person said or wrote. After that, did you see Christ in the beggar standing on the corner today, and if so, what was your response? Do you see your church and think about how incredible it is that God loved us so much as to send Christ here to suffer on our behalf? I think of this and I want to get down on my knees and crawl into the church, so lowly am I and so unworthy. So grateful and so joyful for the gifts I have been given.

Christianity is not a debate about who said what about this or that in the long run, but a personal encounter with God, which in most cases and especially in mine, leads to ever-increasing longings for more of those personal encounters.

All of those historical things and documents are things here on this earth and matter little when we are on our deathbed. My personal prayer is to live long enough to experience more personal encounters with God so that on my deathbed I can feel sure about the next life - sure that I will be experiencing that incredible sweetness and love that I have but glimpsed in this life. I can only imagine the joy of being close to Him in another kingdom, but the Orthodox church has allowed me to believe in it, and led me to the ability to imagine it, and especially to the desire to have it.
All the councils and proclamations in the world are about man and this life, Hermann. They are helpful in keeping us structured but for the most part ours were written to counter/halt an innovation which the church wished to not spread.

When we reach our day with Christ, I don't think He will care much how much we know about documents accepted by any church. I think He will be much more interested in that beggar we walked by on the street.

[Jean Chauvin]

It appears he has run away from the discussion again.

Typical of him.

So much hot air - so little substance.

Jean

[biblewonk]

Vey interestink.

[Hermann the Cherusker]

What's sad is the assumption that anyone who enjoys learning more about their Church and its doctrine and discussing these with others is ipso facto someone without compassion and mercy and no personal relationship/encounters with Jesus. Apparently a great love for unity and brotherhood don't count either.

Do you see your church and think about how incredible it is that God loved us so much as to send Christ here to suffer on our behalf? I think of this and I want to get down on my knees and crawl into the church, so lowly am I and so unworthy.

I don't need to think this MM. We Catholics are privileged to be able to go to Mass every day on our way to work to receive Him and visit Jesus in the Tabernacle every day on our way home. I live what you are thinking. But you knew that already, didn't you? This is one of the two main reasons I joined the Catholic Church - I can live like the Apostles here - Acts 2.42-47. I'm not a Sunday only Christian.

I think He will be much more interested in that beggar we walked by on the street.

I don't see too many beggars here (there are about half a dozen regulars downtown, but I work in a different part of the city right now). However, I think actually He will be much more interested in how I took care of my family and interacted with everyone who came along my path than my going and searching for a beggar. And better than being kind to a beggar is setting people upon the right way.

As far as you are concerned, I think you are already on the right way. But there should be love in unity between us Christians, and there is not. So that needs to change. And until it does, I'm going to keep on talking about it to anyone who will listen.

[Hermann the Cherusker]

We do have a font and Christians of all ages are "sort of sprinkled" The pastor kind of rubs the water on their head.

Does it touch the skin, or just the hair?

[MarMema]

I would love to know what made you decide to make the switch, if you are comfortable sharing it.

[MarMema]

...would miss the greater significance of the truths this teaches us in connection with Christ's true human nature, the Incarnation and the Trinity. Understanding of those truths in this passage are given by the Holy Spirit, not by simple mental awareness.

Applause for your post.

[MarMema]

And better than being kind to a beggar is setting people upon the right way.

I'd probably have to disagree with this one. The rest of your post is very well-said! Moladyetz.

[MarMema]

Btw, have you seen the movie this post is about?

[MarMema]

hermann,
I wanted to tell you that if you really want to understand Orthodox thinking, a very good place to begin is this book.

[FormerLib]

The $64,000 question - WHAT?

That any manner of physical change is involved would be at the core of it all, I believe.

[conservonator]

I think the threads are deleted because of the implication that this is an act of cannibalism, which it is not. Do you think threads that promote a materially false impression of an aspect of a particular religion should be allowed to stand?

If I posted a thread that "detailed" John Calvin’s life as a satanic pedophile it should stand simply because I believe it to be true?

[conservonator]

You can't make stuff like this up. Sounds like a transcript that would be worth obtaining.

Here is the original transcript.

John 6:53 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.

[FormerLib]

The Antiochians have a branch that uses the Western Liturgy but those will be identified as a Western Rite Church.

The differences you will see vary only in what we refer to as small 't' traditions. One such example would be the way the Greeks often scent their Holy Water with basil leaves. It means nothing in liturgical or theological terms so it makes no difference to anyone.

With the Antiochians, you will have a greater likelyhood of an English service.

[drstevej]

***If I posted a thread that "detailed" John Calvin’s life as a satanic pedophile it should stand simply because I believe it to be true?***

Try it. You'll find you'll be challenged to defend your claims. Your inability to substantiate your claims will be obvious to all who read the thread. Yanking a thread removes rebuttal as well as charge.

Any charge of cannibalism gives you an opportunity to explain how it is not. You have the opportunity to present the RC doctrine of the Real Presence.

[conservonator]

Any charge of cannibalism gives you an opportunity to explain how it is not. You have the opportunity to present the RC doctrine of the Real Presence.

Where I differ on this point has more to do with a waste of perfectly good bandwidth on threads that contain mostly hyperbole and invectives. They can be highly entertaining in a twisted sort of way, but threads such as the on we are currently posting to is far more instructive. Wouldn’t you agree?

[Jean Chauvin]

"John 6:53 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves."

You forgot a key teaching of Jesus that makes all the difference in the world:

Matthew 13
10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

Mark 4
10 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.
11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

When Jesus told the disciples at the Last Supper, "Take, eat; this is my body", the disciples knew that it was just a piece of bread. They knew Jesus didn't just hack off a chunk of his flesh and serve it to them. They knew he was speaking symbolically.

That obviously wasn't out of character for Jesus to do:

• "I am that bread of life." (John 6:48)

  Would you argue on the basis of this verse that Jesus body was "really" a loaf of bread? Then why would you argue that a wafer is "really" Jesus body?

• "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." (John 6:51)

  Ditto

• "I am the light of the world." (John 8:12)

  Are you going to argue that Jesus' body was just a bunch of light waves?

• "I am the door." (John 10:9)

  Are you going to argue that Jesus was actually a wooden or steel door with hinges and a door knob?

• "I am the good shepherd." (John 10:11)

  Is Jesus actually telling us his vocation? I thought he was a carpenter?

• "I am the vine" (John 15:5)

  Is Jesus telling us that his body is actually a plant?

Jean

[drstevej]

Sure some threads are more instructive than others.

But the LDS (for example) have had many threads yanked which had thousands of well written posts. I'm for removing posts which violate rules and locking threads when they get too heated (The Smokey Back Room is a farce).

Leaving threads up allows you to reference repeat thread topics to the thread where the baloney was debunked.