Eternal damnation (M.Bell-R.Gaudreau)

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R.GAUDREAU

> Multiple divisions concerning the return of Christ and what the kingdom

of God is

M.BELL
A matter of no consequence.

PETER

Huh?  No consequence?  What's it all about?  Attaining the Kingdom of
Heaven, isn't it?  If we don't know what it is, why strive to attain it?
Would anyone really sacrifice here to be able to sit i the presence of
god for eternity singing hosanah, hosanah, hosanah...forever?  I sure
wouldn't.  Even the JW notion of paradise on earth would get to be a bit
much on the ten trillionth morning you wake up and pluck an apple and
not have sex with your wife and pet the lion and pet the lamb and rake
the lawn and go to bed just to do it all again tomorrow.

R.GAUDREAU

> Eternal damantion in hell vs. no eternal damnation in hell


M.BELL
Again a matter of no consequence.

PETER

Eternal nothingness vs. eternally suffering insufferable punishment.  I
might welcome the former, but the latter, if I believed it, would make
acceptance of the alternative a no brainer.

R.GAUDREAU

> Inerrancy vs. errancy (among Christians)


M.BELL
How a Christian cannot hold to inerrancy is a curiosity to me. When one
believes the Bible contains errors then the whole lot becomes
potentially
erroneous, with the individual having no real certainity that verses
upon
which their salvation is based are also not inerrant.

PETER

Exactly.  Even inerrancy isn't enough if interpretation can be errant.

R.GAUDREAU

> Faith alone for salvation vs. faith & works


M.BELL
The Faith + position is again more characteristic of heresies than it is
of
Protestant Christianity.

PETER

Right.  If they prayed sincerely, they would believe like Matt does,
right?

M.BELL
Of all quoted above none are primary doctrine where Orthodox Protestant
church are divided to the point of exclusion of the other to the
entitlement of the designation Chrisitan. As I pointed out before
Atheists
exaggerate divisions through ignorance of both Christianity and the
Bible.


PETER

Which Protestant churches are Orthodox?  Who's imprimature makes it so?


M.BELL
As long as Christians are fallible human beings their will always be
divisions and differences. This is a healthy sign in the Christian
church,
indicating that people are free to express their understanding of God's
word within the congregation. It is only when these differences affect
primary doctrine that their is a real danger to the church and
correction
is required, as can be seen in the same epistles you refer to above.

PETER

What are (is?) the primary doctrines?  That if you believe in Christ you
will have everlasting life?  Without knowing what everlasting life might
be, you have no way of determining if this is a good thing.  After all,
a belief in eternal damnation and punushment also represents everlasting
life, doesn't it?

M.BELL
The above is a 'faith statement', not a factual assertion.

Thanks
M.Bell

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