Bob LeChevalier <lojbab at lojban.org> wrote:
>JDay123 at BellSouth.net (Jd) wrote:
>>>Well, it seems that we have a difference in Christian theology between
>>>us, since I do not believe in there being an "Elect" or "Chosen" of
>>>God. God will accept any of us, his children, who turn to him. God
>>>gave us free choice, since only if we choose God freely is our worship
>>>at all meaningful.
>>>>No problem. I respect anyones right to express their views,
>>especially on religion. But how can anyone freely choose God unless
>>God first reveal Himelf to them as being available for the choosing?
>>The Bible is there for anyone to read. So are the televangelists on
>the TV. If one chooses to, one can open oneself to the Lord.
>>>Now I'll offer support for my view that God does the choosing by
>>showing that Jesus chose his disciples instead of the disciples
>>choosing him...
>>There is no question that He chose his disciples; that was reported
>explicitly in the Bible.
>>>And my view is that since God Himelf did the choosing before the
>>formation of the earth, our salvation in Jesus Christ is composed of
>>the element of eternal security.
>>But His "choosing" before the formation of the earth was a choosing of
>ALL of mankind, IMO. He CHOSE to give us free will that we may in
>turn CHOOSE to worship him.
Then why on God's green earth if all humans have the capacity to
understand that a Creator did indeed create everything and chose
everyone before this creation, have 80% (your stats) of all
Europeans chosen to believe the ToE which is absoultly silent
concerning God Himself?
>>>Why would anyone want to speak or teach of God unless he had eternal
>>assurance that God approved of him doing so? One would be just as
>>well off speaking or teaching of his next door neighbor if he
>>didn't.
>>If one truly believed in God, then one would not normally choose to
>speak or teach of God unless one felt that God approved, but one would
>normally be able to find many places in the Bible to support one's
>election. Whether this is God's choice or one's own is mere
>semantics.
>>Of course there have been plenty of evangelists who seem to have been
>speaking of God in order to access the till of donations.
>>lojbab
Well, you could say the same for "scientists" i.e. they are only
spreading rumors so they can get more and bigger research dollars
from Uncle Sam via the tax payers.
Jd