Since I have been censored and blocked from responding to Stephen's threads by Stephen I will establish my own thread in response to his allegations since he responds to my posts on these threads, then does not give me the courtesy to respond to his.
He mocks Christianity with thread after thread through a variety of methods such as collapsing passages of Scripture to one or two verses, taking out of context, not understanding the root Greek words, not relating to passages that share the same teaching and through a number of other exegetical fallacies of reading into Scripture what it does not teach. In other words, he does not seek the author's meaning but supplies his own.
He mocks Christianity with thread after thread through a variety of methods such as collapsing passages of Scripture to one or two verses, taking out of context, not understanding the root Greek words, not relating to passages that share the same teaching and through a number of other exegetical fallacies of reading into Scripture what it does not teach. In other words, he does not seek the author's meaning but supplies his own.
Having said all that, I do not doubt that God still performs miracles. His providence allows things to happen both good and bad to believers in this world.You say this as if only those who believe in god and Jesus and miracles can do benevolent acts.
Not at all. I believe Stephen as well as I am created in the image and likeness of God. Thus, he retains a marred picture at times of right and wrong because of the Fall. What is more, his system of morality becomes suspect and relative if he cannot establish an absolute, objective, universal, unchanging source for benevolence/morality. So why should I believe his actions are beneficial unless they can be established as such? And he borrows from a worldview that can make sense of morality because it contains such a source when he refers to the Christian Scriptures.
Although Stephen understands the biblical requirements he fails to live up to them at all times as does every other human being of accountable/reasoning age.
This is what I just cannot stand about you lot. You believe that you have the monopoly on morals and ethics, believing only the " devout religious" can perform good deeds. I am not religious in the slightest. But I do and my family does perform "good deeds" on a daily basis, without having to be prompted to do so by Jesus or a god or a hypocrite preacher.
I do not believe what Stephen claims and credits to me at all. He misrepresents my position once again. I see my faults. I realize that I cannot stand before God on my own merit or good works. My good deeds are just as flawed as every other person who tries to do this. I recognize this. I see that some see their own flaws in their good deeds too. I will also give credit where credit is due. It is good to do what is good! But, God judges the motive of the heart - why it is done. Some want to boast of what they have done. It seems to me to be human nature to prop oneself up by righteous actions. I also acknowledge and understand that there is One who has done what I could not do and He has done it on my behalf if I believe. My sinful and wrongful actions have been paid for by the life of another.
Romans 3:9-11 (NASB)
9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; 10 as it is written,
9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; 10 as it is written,
“There is none righteous, not even one;
11 There is none who understands,
There is none who seeks for God;
11 There is none who understands,
There is none who seeks for God;
Supposing for Stephen's sake (since I have no doubt) that God exists and He is the biblical God, why would Stephen's "good deeds" outweigh his bad deeds or why would he not be guilty of punishment for his wrongs? Why would he get away without being judged for all the wrongful actions he has done in his life?
