Posted on 01/03/2002 11:19:13 AM PST by ArGee
A very rich man decided that he wanted to show kindness to the people of the fair city where he lived. Since he was very rich indeed, he decided to throw a banquet for the entire city. He rented the largest sports arena in the city and began his plans. He planned for huge amounts of the best food possible, making allowances for every religious and medical diet. He advertised the banquet in every possible manner - television, radio, billboard, door-to-door canvassing. Considering that there might be some who could not travel, he arranged for free bus transportation to and from the event, and some special-needs vehicles for all who could not ride busses. He even scheduled the banquet to run for 24 hours a day for several days so that everyone could be sure of being served.
He planned long and hard and finally the big day came. The rich man ate quickly and then went about wishing all his guests well and personally making sure that all had every need met. After a while he went outside to tour the grounds and talk with those who had not yet gone in, and those who had already left. Everyone was happy. Many were profusely thankful. It was a glorious occasion.
At one point the rich man noticed a group of people sitting outside a locked door with most unpleasant looks on their faces. Sensing they were not happy, he went over to them. He did not introduce himself but simply asked them if he could be of service.
"We want to go in through this door," one of them replied.
The rich man explained to them that the hall was arranged to feed a large number of people as quickly and effortlessly as possible. This required order inside, and the entrances and exits had been carefully planned to be as efficient as possible. He then offered to go call one of the golf carts that were avaialbe to help people who could not walk far to take them to the entrance. But the man replied, "We do not want to go in the entrance. We want to go in this door. We don't understand why we can't go in any door we wish. We think the man who set this banquet up is mean and hateful for insisting we go in through the entrance. He has tried to bill himself as a very kind man by offering this banquet, but he is not kind at all if he will not indulge us and let us go through this door.
The rich man was distressed at these words, but still attempted to please these people. He tried once more to explain to them what was behind this particular door, and how if they went in this door they would disrupt the meal service being offered inside. He offered to drive them himself, not only to the door, but inside the hall to their tables if they would only go through the entrance to enjoy the meal. Again the man said, "No, but only a hateful man would keep us from going through the door of our choosing. And we will sit here and tell anyone who will listen to us what an awful man he is until he lets us in."
At that the rich man was enraged and he shouted, "Enough." Then he called a police officer to have them thrown off of the property and ordered that they not be allowed to return until the banquet was over and all the scraps had been hauled away. Then, mourning for their loss, he turned to visit with other guests.
What I said was that Christians don't understand non-Christians.
Where do you want to go and how are you planning to get there?
Shalom.
It was precisely this that I intended to stress. Thanks for pointing it out.
Shalom.
Theology expects nothing. G-d has His own expectations. And, no matter what you say, I don't think it's going to cut it if you challenge Him and say, 'There was no evidence.'
What you mean to say is that you have defined precisely what evidence is admissable and will insist that G-d provide the evidence you asked for and you will reject anything else. Just like the people who insisted that the man let them in the door they asked for and rejected anything else.
And this is what I don't understand.
Shalom.
The Christians here will claim that I REFUSE to believe for perverse reasons, but this is only to make themselves feel better about their own belief by "explaining away" the skepticism of others. Such arguments (or, more correctly, accusations) will only tend raise more red flags for a principled skeptic. Men of intellectual character are justifiably suspicious of those who make matters of fact (e.g. whether Jesus was God) matters of morality.
I have an answer on my profile page. I put it there because I was typing it so often.
Shalom.
We are BRAAD
WE'RE HERE. WE'RE INTOLERANT. GET USED TO IT!
Bob
I will not argue with that part. But remember, it is only a story. I won't even call it a parable.
Shalom.
Friend, I asked that question of believers, not you.
I am sorry that you are so confused by people who don't get the Father's message right. But His message is still clear and open to you if you want to hear it. If necessary, He will bring it to you Himself as He has done before.
Don't blame anyone else if you do not know Him. You can know Him right now. He isn't far away. He's standing outside your heart knocking to be let in.
Open your heart.
Shalom.
Your description of a confusing, scam of a circus may be how religion is viewed by the atheist but I can assure you that to a Christian there is only one gate; Jesus Christ.
That gate is not hard to find.
The people sitting outside simply refuse to believe that there is a stadium, or a banquet, or a rich man even when they see him with their own eyes.
It ends happily when those outside pass out from hunger and the rich man brings them inside and tends them.
The only ones banned forever from the banquet are the servers caught urinating in the lobster bisque.
what if that's the case for christianity? What if we die and we find out the guys who worship rocks were right?
Why do you care why the rule is made, as long as it is a rule that is easy to follow.
G-d Himself will carry you to the door. Why do you care that He insists upon that door as long as He makes it easy for you to go through?
Shalom.
Christianity requires that you accept the reign of Jesus in your life. If you reject that reign, you will go to the place where He does not reign. It will be your choice.
I'm just curious why you would make that choice? What has that place got that Heaven hasn't got?
Shalom.
You're absolutely wrong here. You make an assertion that a god exists, not the god you assert. If your god made the assertion, that would be the evidence, but all I have is the words of men and men, as everyone knows, are fallible.
What you mean to say is that you have defined precisely what evidence is admissable and will insist that G-d provide the evidence you asked for and you will reject anything else. Just like the people who insisted that the man let them in the door they asked for and rejected anything else.
Trot him out, that's all the evidence I need.
And this is what I don't understand.
And what I cannot understand is blind faith with no evidence.
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