Shell72

Infant baptism is a catholic practice.

We should be focusing on doing what WE believe is right in my opinion, and not on what we believe that others are doing is wrong. Let God take care of that - He is much more fair, just and wise than we could ever be. I think we all need to just focus on ourselves - we need enough work as it si

It is not our place to be judgemental. We are put on this earth to Love and to share God's Love with others. If we sit in judgement we send a message to others that God is selective in his Love and that is not the case. God IS Love. I think people would be better to focus on the good people do, and encourage them, than to focus and banter over something is only going to encourage negativity.

After looking at the flow chart ( thank you for posting that) I have some questions.. First of all - I have heard of being "sealed" in marriage that carries over to Heaven. Now according to what I have read here - there are different levels of heaven, based on how "good" (for lack of a better word) you are on earth. Now, if someone were sealed in marriage - is that all thrown out the window if someone is "better" ( again, can't think of a better word) than the other? what happens in that case?

I would just like to comment on the above .. There is no condition in Christianity. Salvation is free for the "taking" - taking being an action. Going back to the car dealership example that was used. If I say you can have a free car - do you not have to accept it to make it yours? If I hand you a towel - do you not have to physically reach out and take that towel before it becomes a gift? No one can be given a gift if they do not accept it.. Just my take on it :)

personally am trying not to focus on the human souls that I will be around, and trying to focus on the wonderful time I am going to have with our Heavenly Father. I don't need to collect multiple souls to make my time there any better - IT'S ALREADY HEAVEN :)

I don't understand the baptising of the dead for a few reasons. Firstly - It is not a "requirement" or a "necessity" - as Jesus told the thief on the Cross with him that he would join him in paradise - the thief was not baptized. Secondly - It is a sign of obediance. I don't think we can show others obediance - that sort of defeats the purpose? Thirdly - it is a symbol of your commitment. How can we commit for others? We can not make those decisions for other people, which is the whole point of why God gave us Free Will. I just dont' understand it at all...

I agree with Prison C. on the interpretation of Thess. The NIV version reads: "Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more. " If you read several different translations, you will see that the meaning is the same, the only translation that, if you were looking, could be interpreted to mean to something else is the KJV. I highly doubt that anywhere in the Bible does it say that God's people should not look to His word in the Bible for direction. To step away from the Bible is very dangerous ground I believe......

I honestly believe that we are unable to understand some things and I am ok with that. I can not expect my human mind to wrap itself around God's will and God's reasons for things, and if He wanted us to understand why He created us, and why He does what He does then He would have explained it to us. He hasn't and that is ok. He does not answer to us - we answer to Him and He does not owe us a justification for anything. I am unable to understand God , and to try would be futile. I find that some religions try to give people answers, to over explain the unexplainable. That takes away from Faith. God has put me on this earth - I have a purpose, and I have His word to guide me through it. That's all I have to go with. I try to keep my head clear of what man tells me, and try to keep my focus on what God has told us. If someone says that God told them something, I refer to the Bible and what God has told us about someone speaking for Him, if it doesn't add up I make my choice. I really believe we don't have all of the answers, because we are incapable of understanding them. We just have to hold on to God's word and not over analyze everything and have faith. It's a daily commitment, and easier some times than others.

I absolutely respectully disagree. Where in the Bible does it say that there are seperate kinds of Grace? And where does it say we have an allotted time to repent before it impacts our lives? If I were to go into a store and steal a chocolate bar for instance. I get caught. While I confess my sins to God, HE forgives me and that is what is important, I still must deal with the consequences of my actions here on earth. Throughout the Bible Men and women sinned - God Forgave them, but still there were reprocussions. Look at the very first book. Cain and Able. He was forgiven by God, and given a mark of protection - but he still was exiled. To me that tells me that I can have forgiveness of God, but I will still face consequences on earth, but God will stand by me throughout.

Jesus gave his life that we should not have to lose ours. Jesus forgave us of all of our sins and said all we need to do is believe in Him, ask for His forgiveness and the Kingdom of God is ours. It's simple. All this earthly stuff is not important, and takes away from the true meaning of a relationship with our Heavenly Father. HE is what is important. Not following a man made lifestyle. - not any of this. This all just clouds and blurrs the true purpose and takes away from something very special that has graciously been given to us. We are so loved, and so treasured, and so forgiven by God - we are His children - and none of this is important. Clouding this beautiful gift we have been given with analytical gibberish only tarnishes our ability to accept the purity of gift IMO.

I don't understand - is there a point here? What does it matter who killed who and how many? I'm getting the sense that there is some sort of underlying purpose to the original post and I'm kind of confused as to what it is.

Where in the Bible does it talk about 3 Heavens?

The Bible makes no mention of turning Cain to a negro or darkening his skin.. "[a] ; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over." Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him." This mark was a symbol of protection and grace from God. I don't know understand how the darkening of the skin even got into play as there is no mention of it in the Bible. The other mentionings of "marks" in the Bible refer to tatoos, markings,markings on foreheads, the mark of the Beast, so why would anyone associate that with God punishing people by turning the black?

And we can all agree that God's word would supercede that of Joseph Smith and President Snow? This is honestly what makes me question some of the LDS teachings. I feel like they are in direct contradiciton with what the Bible tells us, and when questioning this it is always met with "Well the Bible actually meant such and such" or the like. Basically saying the Bible is wrong, or misunderstood, and that the words of Man are right. That someone 3000 years later can better explain to us what was happening, than the men in the Bibles first hand accounts of it. Some things in the Bible are blatantly clear - and changing something as simple as "I am not Man" to fit man's ideas just does not seem right. Just my take on things..