The Neverending Story (The Christian Chronicles)

Associated Press ^ | 3/24/01

[Wordsmith]

The OT specifically denounces and forbids every form of communication with the dead

One more time, Havoc - they're not dead! Here's my post on the topic from this weekend:

To: PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain; OLD REGGIE; american_colleen; RobbyS

"You can't ask dead people to pray for you, saints or not."

The Scriptures clearly state that God’s servants DON’T DIE. They are dead in the flesh, but still alive. Fleshly death is nothing. Those who are Christ’s DO NOT die. They are NOT DEAD, they are ALIVE. Everlasting life DOESN’T END. That’s why it’s called EVERLASTING.

Joh 3:36 - He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: [PRESENT TENSE]

Joh 6:47 - Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. [PRESENT TENSE]

Joh 6:54 - Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; [PRESENT TENSE] and I will raise him up at the last day

Joh 10:28 - And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

1Jo 3:14 - We know that we have passed [HAVE ALREADY PASSED, PAST TENSE] from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

1Jo 5:13 - These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

This transfiguration of ourselves from death to EVERLASTING LIFE (life that DOESN'T END) is the whole point of Christian life. Through the indwelling of the Spirit of God, through our being joined to Christ, we DON'T DIE. This is the wonderful, glorious Truth - it's the GOOD NEWS!

1784 posted on 4/7/02 1:24 PM Pacific by Wordsmith

[Havoc]

Over a year of talks and this line is still being thrown out? C'mon, Reg.

If the shoe fits...

[malakhi]

Do you not think that God can protect Nate's wife better than that pill?

You shall not put the LORD your God to the test (Deuteronomy 6:16)

When your daughter had her chronic ear infections, did you wait for God to heal her, or did you take her to the doctor?

[Wordsmith]

But but but isn't it selfish? Isn't it a form of ingratitude to on one day say "OK, God please come into my marriage and bless us with children" and on the next to say "No thanks, God, we don't need you today"?

No, I really don't think that it is. No more than going out and going shopping is an affront to asking God for "daily bread." God has blessed our marriage bed, he's blessed us with children. Now we are, I pray, using our God-given reason and discernment to work with God on deciding how best to work out the details. Including deciding what kind of spacing to have between children. We practice a combination of barrier contraception and NFP. The first, I don't believe, is any more of a selfish thwarting of God's will than the latter.

[SoothingDave]

When your daughter had her chronic ear infections, did you wait for God to heal her, or did you take her to the doctor?

I was wondering when the "Christian Scientist" thing would come up. The difference here, of course, is that an ear infection is a disease. Preventing and curing it is a proper role for science.

Pregnancy is not a disease which one needs to be prevented from getting. Or else, abortion is the "cure."

SD

[al_c]

If the shoe fits...

Really, Havoc ...was that necessary?

[Wordsmith]

My wish is that, despite our stark differences, we can all treat each other with respect.

Amen!

[malakhi]

Of course, if no sarcasm was intended, pardon me,

No sarcasm was intended, I assure you. Let me paraphrase what I was trying to say:

For a Catholic, "'pray to' Mary" = "asking for Mary's prayers".

[ksen]

Iowegian, angelo, ksen, JHavard, Havoc, Steven... if I get banned for calling this guy on this crap, you guys raise HELL!

Ok. What name are you going to come back under? ;^)

-Kevin

[SoothingDave]

We practice a combination of barrier contraception and NFP. The first, I don't believe, is any more of a selfish thwarting of God's will than the latter.

I certainly respect your decision and am not about to call in the Inquisition. But I do see a difference between abstaining during certain periods and barrier methods. In one case you have your cake and eat it too.

In the other you have no cake.

SD

[malakhi]

Gould Strikes Back At Creationists

Thanks for the working link, Wordsmith.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Are you suggesting that despite not training I ate you for lunch and still finished the Marathon?

I'm suggesting the consumption of alcohol may lead you to think people are laughing WITH you.

BigMack

[Wordsmith]

In one case you have your cake and eat it too.

Thanks for not calling the Inquisition, and I'm biting my tongue REAL HARD to keep from making a comparison between my wife and cake while there are ladies present!!! 8^P

God Bless!

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Ok. What name are you going to come back under? ;^)

"MackDaddy" :)

BigMack

[al_c]

You shall not put the LORD your God to the test (Deuteronomy 6:16)

It's not about testing, angelo ... it's about faith.

When your daughter had her chronic ear infections, did you wait for God to heal her, or did you take her to the doctor?

We started by praying that He would lead us. Once we were convinced that this was the thing to do, we prayed for her, the doctor and for God's blessing on the procedure and the recovery.

Got another story for you (one that I think has been posted here at least once during the past year):

Before being really committed to Christ, my wife was taking a contraceptive pill. She stopped taking it when we decided it was time to have children. Two years later, and still with no children, she sought help from doctors. They tried everything they could think of short of in vitro. We didn't want anything to do with that. Anyway ... apparently the pill had screwed up her reproductive system and kept her from having anything close to a normal cycle.

After renewing our faith and taking our Christian life to the next level, we stopped relying solely on doctors to fix the problem and sought God's help. After much soul searching and praying and basically changing our lives to where He was in control, a regular cycle suddenly kicked in. 5 months later, she was pregnant with our first child. 16 months after that, number two was in the womb.

In no way did we "test God" by doing this. No, we asked for His help ... for His healing touch on Mrs. al_c. IMO, testing would be more like, "God, you'd better give us some kids or we're leaving."

[al_c]

Ok. What name are you going to come back under? ;^)

"Mackdaddy" ;o)

[malakhi]

But but but isn't it selfish? Isn't it a form of ingratitude to on one day say "OK, God please come into my marriage and bless us with children" and on the next to say "No thanks, God, we don't need you today"?

The Orthodox Christian belief on this is apparently similar to the orthodox Jewish teaching. We look at the openness to children overall, rather than considering every single sexual act.

[al_c]

I see you beat me to the punch, Mackdaddy! ;o)

[ksen]

2 Thes 3:15. Stand firm then, in the traditions you have been taught, whether by word or by my epistle.

2 Thes 3:15. Stand firm then, in the traditions you have been taught, whether by word or by my epistle.

Would those past tense traditions include such things as Papal infallibility, Immaculate Conception, Perpetual Virginity, etc.? Traditions not stated until hundreds of years after the Scriptures were written?

-Kevin

[malakhi]

I was wondering when the "Christian Scientist" thing would come up. The difference here, of course, is that an ear infection is a disease. Preventing and curing it is a proper role for science. Pregnancy is not a disease which one needs to be prevented from getting.

It was an analogy, Dave. None of us here sees pregnancy as a "disease". If you don't like my example, then consider the one Wordsmith offers in his #3004. Do we wait for God to literally "give us this day our daily bread", or do we work for the money to earn it, and then go to the store and buy it?