Bad Evil and Hell are As Real as Good Righteousness and Heaven


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The Silence of the Lambs has telling scene—one that lays out the two main worldviews of our day.  Clarice Starling, the young FBI agent from the Behavioral Sciences division, attempts to assess Dr. Hannibal Lecter, experienced psychiatrist—and serial killer. He looks at her questionnaire and scoffs.  Their conversation goes something like this:

“Clarice, I kill people and eat them, because I like to, and you can’t call this evil.”

She responds that she thinks he may have made some questionable choices, and she would like to if they might work together towards healthier future decisions.

Again Lecter laughs and says, “You have traded good and evil for behaviorism.”

Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus Christ to his enemies for 30 silver coins.  Jesus welcomed him, gave him a position of leadership, and entrusted him with the group’s finance.  He had community, authority, and purpose.  Maslow would have said that Judas achieved self-actualization—all thanks to the Savior.

The betrayer rewards Jesus by stealing from the accounts, turning him over to corrupt religious leaders, and then, even after realizing the error of his ways, by refusing to reconcile—choosing instead to take his own life.

Jesus says Judas is in hell.  He declares, “Woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man!  It would be better for him if he had not been born.”  The only result worse than non-existence is hell. 

A philosophy professor once suggested to me that since God knew Judas would betray Jesus, the traitor cannot be blamed.  It is true that, “the LORD searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought.”  However, the Bible continues, “If you seek him, he will be found by you.” 

No one has to sin.  The book of James tells us, “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’  For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.”

God is good, righteous, and has prepared Heaven for us.  Satan is bad, evil, and will be bound in hell for eternity.  Will we turn to God or continue in the ways that seem right to us, but which end in death?

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/bad-evil-hell-real-good-righteousness-heaven-tommy-ellis?published=t

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On 8/15/2016 at 11:44 PM, prisonchaplain said:

The Silence of the Lambs has telling scene—one that lays out the two main worldviews of our day.  Clarice Starling, the young FBI agent from the Behavioral Sciences division, attempts to assess Dr. Hannibal Lecter, experienced psychiatrist—and serial killer. He looks at her questionnaire and scoffs.  Their conversation goes something like this:

 

“Clarice, I kill people and eat them, because I like to, and you can’t call this evil.”

 

She responds that she thinks he may have made some questionable choices, and she would like to if they might work together towards healthier future decisions.

 

Again Lecter laughs and says, “You have traded good and evil for behaviorism.”

 

Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus Christ to his enemies for 30 silver coins.  Jesus welcomed him, gave him a position of leadership, and entrusted him with the group’s finance.  He had community, authority, and purpose.  Maslow would have said that Judas achieved self-actualization—all thanks to the Savior.

 

The betrayer rewards Jesus by stealing from the accounts, turning him over to corrupt religious leaders, and then, even after realizing the error of his ways, by refusing to reconcile—choosing instead to take his own life.

 

Jesus says Judas is in hell.  He declares, “Woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man!  It would be better for him if he had not been born.”  The only result worse than non-existence is hell. 

 

A philosophy professor once suggested to me that since God knew Judas would betray Jesus, the traitor cannot be blamed.  It is true that, “the LORD searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought.”  However, the Bible continues, “If you seek him, he will be found by you.” 

 

No one has to sin.  The book of James tells us, “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’  For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.”

 

God is good, righteous, and has prepared Heaven for us.  Satan is bad, evil, and will be bound in hell for eternity.  Will we turn to God or continue in the ways that seem right to us, but which end in death?

 

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/bad-evil-hell-real-good-righteousness-heaven-tommy-ellis?published=t

 

And why procrastination is a subtle death. When we are all are resurrected those who are wicked will be wicked still, and those who are good will be good still.


On a seperate note i've always wondered why the thought of foreknowledge lets the doer off the hook for their actions.

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9 minutes ago, Blackmarch said:

On a seperate note i've always wondered why the thought of foreknowledge lets the doer off the hook for their actions.

The assumption seems to be that foreknowledge cannot exist without absolute control - i.e. God forcing you to do something (even if you don't know he's forcing you).  If God is making you do a thing, then you cannot be held responsible because it wasn't within your control - you didn't choose to do it.

These people reject the notion that God simply knows everyone extremely well and is thus able to "predict" our behavior with complete accuracy.  That He had this knowledge from the beginning (of something) and used that knowledge to plan the best possible outcome for each of us seems to take these people back to the "God made me do it" assumption.

I also don't understand why people have such a hard time with this.  I've never been good at reading (real) people, but I've known people who were, and who could predict their spouse's, child's, or friend's behavior perfectly (given sufficient detail).  And yet if God has this knowledge perfectly, many immediately insist it must equate to forcing our behavior.  They cannot seem to scale the reality.

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Foreknowledge does go beyond prediction--no matter how perfect.  It suggests that God knows--with absolute certainty--what each of us will do.  Since God is perfect, and he has in his mind what we will do, and he created us, the thinking goes that we do not truly have a choice.  After all, whatever is in God's mind MUST happen.  We simply do not agree.  God granted us free will.  We are responsible for our every choice.

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On 8/16/2016 at 0:44 AM, prisonchaplain said:

“Clarice, I kill people and eat them, because I like to, and you can’t call this evil.”

Again Lecter laughs and says, “You have traded good and evil for behaviorism.”

This encapsulates the problem with today's morality in just two sentences.

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10 hours ago, prisonchaplain said:

Foreknowledge does go beyond prediction--no matter how perfect.  It suggests that God knows--with absolute certainty--what each of us will do.  Since God is perfect, and he has in his mind what we will do, and he created us, the thinking goes that we do not truly have a choice.  After all, whatever is in God's mind MUST happen.  We simply do not agree.  God granted us free will.  We are responsible for our every choice.

So, when did you get baptized?

Lehi

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My baptism came 6 years after conversion.  I knew, as a recent convert, that I should be baptized. I also knew that my mom/dad had be baptized as an infant, and if I just asked to be immersed in water baptism, it could be dishonoring to them. At 16 my father told me he would be proud to see me get baptized, so I did so with his approval.  I believe that my being mindful of their position and feelings paved the way to both of their conversions nearly 30 years later.

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  • 1 year later...

I think CS Lewis said it best in his book The Great Divorce, "There are only two kinds of people in the end:  those who say to God, "thy will be done," and those to whom God says in the end, "thy will be done'.  All that are in Hell choose it."  

And again, "I willingly believe that the damned are, in one sense, successful, rebels to the end: that the gates of hell are locked on the inside."

Unfortunate and sad....  For Christ has done everything in His power to prevent this.  And still people, knowing of this reject it.

 

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