Justhuman wrote:It's not that I mean 'a little bad' is't wrong, but there are a lot of things ranging from naughty to BAD. There might be people that never have told a lie, or never even done a naughty thing, but most of us are just human. My wrong was like stealing a bread, and swapping the pricetag on a product (for a cheaper price). But afterwards I was ashamed of that and never did that again. I try to be honest, but do not always succeed in that. But I avoid doing another one harm.
David Wood did a BAD thing, but now he lives the 'righteous' way. Should he be judged about what he once did? Or what he has become? And forget all he did?
Now I will not be judged, unlike you (theists), but that doesn't mean I can do anything I like, without consequences.
I don't really understand that last sentence. Why won't you be judged? It doesn't even make sense to me that you'd say such a thing -- considering you don't believe God exists, of course you won't think you'll be judged. Or, are you saying if God exists, then God won't judge you? Why not?
As for Christians, do we do anything we like? Perhaps, but what we'd ultimately like to do is be pleasing to God. Yet, true, we fail, and fail, and wrestling with sinful and fleshly desires, and will do so until the day we die. Because guess what? Christians are human too, and humans desire many things that aren't healthy, aren't loving and really wouldn't be very pleasing to God at all. So we're kind of at war with two different people, one that gets tired, strained, emotional, is affect physically, and the other that strives to be better, feels bad over moral failings, seeks after God and the like.
Let me put a question to you though. Do you only want to do good because of consequences? Is that true goodness? I think your pride in your own self-good or self-righteousness is perhaps clouding your thinking here. Further, I think it's more a case that Christians embrace a fact of reality that no one is truly good, yet it seems to me you're trying to play down your wrong and draw comparisons to what you see as really
BAD. Yet,
- "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)
In this life, based upon what you have said, I'm thinking you would certainly feel more comfortable with a "religion" which creates rules and laws people must keep and be "rewarded" for. So long as one "behaves" and keeps the rules, then it doesn't matter whether or not they care or love. Such is precisely what Christ taught God didn't want. He doesn't want people just being good, following rituals and laws if their hearts and minds aren't really there. Such are white-washed tombs (appearing white on the outside, but full of decay on the inside).
It seems clear to me that what Christ offers doesn't fit well with you, the love, attonement and forgiveness on offer through Christ. You'd much prefer to be judged according to laws, and your goodness, so guess what? That is what will happen. We choose. But, the bad news is that no one will be declared righteous before God according to their own goodness. It'll be your very own conscience that condemns you when face-to-face with the absolute purity that is God, especially one you denied in this life.
Consider further that if God exists, then based upon what I previously presented a few posts back let us accept God is maximially good and righteous (since God would be the source of such). This means God must also punish evil wherever it occurs by whoever. You can't have complete righteousness, without complete justice, and what justice demands for wrongdoing is punishment. So then, it won't do to say you're not David Wood. At least Dave recognises that he is a most grievous sinner and throws Himself on God's mercy seat. You on the other hand, are still trying to justify yourself, and comparing yourself to others. Yet, if God is entirely righteous, then He must deal with your wrong, He must also deal with my wrong and Dave's wrong.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8l1Sa0jVns