I've no doubt that daniel1212 had nothing but the best of intentions in posting his quite lengthy and thorough reply.
I think you hit the nail firmly on the head that these types of discussions are really intended to be more lengthy and detailed, thereby requiring exponentially more time to read, comprehend and process in order to thoughtfully reply in kind.
Let's face it: we live in a world that's driven by sound bites and misleading headlines which we attempt to consume as quickly as possible in order to move onto other things. I'm probably as guilty of having A.D.D. as the next guy too.
I did bookmark daniel1212's post and I do intend to come back and read it as time permits over the next few days. When someone spends that amount of time directly responding in good faith (no pun intended...ha!) to a direct question I do want to take the time to read their response and understand their point of view. My time being what it is I have limited availability to do that on a sustained basis so I can't read 'em all. daniel1212's is one I do want to read however.
It is said that those who seek will find. It would be awesome to seek together.
Agree with that statement.
Matthew 7:13-14 states:
Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14"For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it."
At the end of the day, I wish we could all just agree on a few basic points and move together in community with the Holy Spirit. For me, those points would be:
1. Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior.
2. Anyone who accepts Him into their hearts shall be saved.
3. Because we are saved, and because we love Jesus, we willingly and joyfully work together in community to carry out his command in Matthew 28:16-20, "The Great Commission" to the best of our ability. If that means standing outside the gates of hell to save others, then so be it.
I often read these types of threads however I refrain from commenting much. What I've noticed is that so many get caught up in whatever their religious doctrine and dogma is and spend so much time and effort defending it, I think they lose sight of why we're all here in the first place and what Jesus commands us to do. Then again, when I do engage in these conversations I often find I'm as guilty as the rest. ;-)