Why dost thou spread His word with dishonest intent?

[Forge]

And open mind is like an open house... you'll get friends and robbers.

So... stay by the locked door and let friends in, and friends only.

[RoyLennigan]

Locked doors are the cause of robbers, not the other way around. If it were not for the deceitful nature of satan, we would not have to lock our doors. And perhaps, as I am saying, if we open our doors and persuade others to do the same, all of our possessions will be shared and there will be no desire to take advantage of others, because everything belongs to everyone. Those that withhold from others are sinful; those that steal from others are sinful; if we opened our doors to each other, there would be neither.

[Forge]

That sounds like Marx's attitude.

So if I open my doors and my possessions to all, no one would be greedy anymore?

I think not.

"An open mind is like an open mouth... it needs something solid to chomp down on." (Or something to that effect.)

[Jbuza]

Locked doors are the cause of robbers, not the other way around. If it were not for the deceitful nature of satan, we would not have to lock our doors. And perhaps, as I am saying, if we open our doors and persuade others to do the same, all of our possessions will be shared and there will be no desire to take advantage of others, because everything belongs to everyone. Those that withhold from others are sinful; those that steal from others are sinful; if we opened our doors to each other, there would be neither.

I'm not sure where you get this doctrine, but it would be nice if you can show a Biblical basis for it.

Again you seem to be talking in half truths. I guess it is your belief that I am responsible for making someone a robber by locking my door.

[RoyLennigan]

I know that if you left your door unlocked you might get robbed, but that is because we have all closed ourselves off from each other for so long. I am saying that if everyone respected and lived communally with everyone else, then there would be no robbers and there would be no killers and there would be no terror (from other humans). I don't view these in the same way as Marx's communism. Communism would never work as it intends, as has been shown several times.

It is the work of the devil that has caused us to shun others (especially because of differences). It is the reason why animals are lesser than we are (the strong dominate over the weak). It is the work of God, through Jesus, to counter this evil and to show us how to live more peacefully and more productively. Everything in the bible points to this being true. Jesus was the epitome of his teachings by the time of his death. He did not hate becase he knew that those who did harm to him did so out of ignorance. He understood them, and he loved them as he loves all people. He is the ultimate teacher and what he teaches us is to open the doors that we have closed off from other people. To be understood and to understand. This is the only road to truth.

The stone that the builders rejected has become the corner stone...

Many people fall into the trap that because we are here and there is no one else around us, then we can do as we please without consequence. But that is wrong. Scientists presume that the universe is deterministic because they feel there is no proof of God's existence, but I feel that it is because they are clouded by their own lust for order and knowledge. They refute God because they don't want to submit to a purpose other than their own. It is the same basic reasoning used by those who crucified Jesus.

[Jbuza]

I agree with part of what you say. The early Christians in Acts sold much of what they had and kept a community purse and it was given to every man based on his needs.

Jesus is the only way to truth. I'm not sure one has to be particularly wise in understanding others, or be paticularly well spoked to inherit the kingdom of Heaven.

The Bible says that the foolish and the lowly are chosen to confound the wise and mighty of this world. He who considers himself wise shall be made foolish, and he who coniders himself mighty shall be made lowly.

[RoyLennigan]

I agree with part of what you say. The early Christians in Acts sold much of what they had and kept a community purse and it was given to every man based on his needs.

Jesus is the only way to truth. I'm not sure one has to be particularly wise in understanding others, or be paticularly well spoked to inherit the kingdom of Heaven.

The Bible says that the foolish and the lowly are chosen to confound the wise and mighty of this world. He who considers himself wise shall be made foolish, and he who coniders himself mighty shall be made lowly.

Yes, so the right path is to not consider yourself, but to consider others. But I see less and less of this in our society as the days go on. Those who still believe in this with all their heart are working more and more to support that belief because there is a growing number of people who don't believe in it.

[Judah]

Yesterday I was home on my own when the handle of my locked front door was tried. Whoever was turning it back and forth repeatedly had to be trying to get in.

What if my door had been unlocked? I might not have lost just some of my material possessions, but a great deal more besides. And what I would have been left with in exchange is highly unlikely to have been the kind of sharing in which the early Christians engaged among themselves.

On the other hand, my locked door prevented a crime from taking place, not caused it.

Until such time that all of us are truly regenerate beings, have had our basic natures thoroughly cleaned up (in which case we are more likely talking about Heaven rather than life on Earth) there is still a strong case in favour of locked doors staying locked and the key being used with discretion.

[RoyLennigan]

I was seeing the locked door as a symbol of how we have closed our selves off from each other. We as a people, as human beings, don't live as communally as we should. We keep very privately to ourselves and are therefore decieving everyone else because we don't know each other. The reason people steal is because they don't have any association to us and they will never see us again. They steal from a person who means nothing to them. Hiding from each other lets compassion run low. There is little empathy among people in a society like this. The teachings of Christ just seem to kindle that feeling of empathy and the greater good. If we open our souls to each other then we will mean something to each other. If we mean something to each other then we will have no jealousy and no stealing.

[Forge]

I know that if you left your door unlocked you might get robbed, but that is because we have all closed ourselves off from each other for so long. I am saying that if everyone respected and lived communally with everyone else, then there would be no robbers and there would be no killers and there would be no terror (from other humans). I don't view these in the same way as Marx's communism. Communism would never work as it intends, as has been shown several times.

Except Marx's doctrine says that monet/economics determines peoples' natures, not vice versa.

[Judah]

Roy does have a good point as it is well known in psychological circles that a degree of dehumanization assists those who would harm others, and those who lack empathy are better equipped to act with criminal intent.

Baring one's soul to the Islamic kidnapper has done very little to save the captured infidel his head. No amount of human fear and anguish on the part of the victim will interfere where the intent is driven by the perpetrator's choice to cause grief in the name of a cause. This also demonstrates the effect of dehumanization, but compassion does not always result from the sharing of self with others.

Yes to more openess with others, more honest connection, but yes also to the discretion of wisdom.