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 Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 5:44 pm
Kitsune, you ask really good questions that make my brain hurt and really make me think.
I don't really know what to say to your questions. I mean, if you go to hell it is because you didn't WANT to repent for your sins. God will forgive anyone for any sin that they have ever done in their entire lives if they are truly sorry. He won't care if they are finally sorry for a murder they commited 60 years ago, He just cares about that they are actually able to feel sorry for what they did. So people still have the chance to go to heaven if they want to repent for their sins. And I think that some of this does sort of come back to when Eve ate the fruit from the forbidden tree. God made the tree stand for free will, so He knew that if Eve or Adam ate from the tree, then free will would be unleashed upon the world. And I think that God knew what would happen if one of them ate from the tree, and it's sort of where this heaven/hell thing comes in, do you follow? It's the best way I can explain it right now. I think that with Satan tempting people, I think he's sort of inside all of his. You know how you have your conscience telling you not to go the party because you're grounded. That would be like God speaking to you since it's the right thing to do. But there is also the other voice in your head that says, "It's okay. You're grounded but your parents are out for the night. You can be home before they are." That is sort of like Satan talking to you, tempting you to do the wrong thing.
But I also like to think that just because someone is in hell doesn't mean that they can't redeem themselves. I like to think that hell is sort of another chance for them to be sorry for their sins back on Earth. God is giving them a second chance, but they still have the free will to not be sorry and stay in hell. So in my mind, I think that if someone in hell is truly sorry for their sins on Earth, and they repent for their wrongs, then I think that God will accept them into the Kingdom of Heaven. But since there is free will, then they also have the option to not repent and just stay in hell. So He is forgiving and loving, since He gives people in hell a second chance is what I like to think.
With heaven, I think that your past sins are cleansed. But you still have all your memories and feelings and such. Even though they may have loved ones in hell, I think that they would know that they do get a second chance to be truly sorry for their sins, and so people in heaven know that they might be able to see their loved ones again. That's the best way I can explain it.
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Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 7:21 am
I love this very much. I knew i'd get into here!!! heart heart
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Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 5:15 pm
Hello, and welcome to Ravenclaw House! *friendly smile and wave* I'm your senior, but not by too much; I'm only a second year. I'm somewhat excited about the new contest as it doesn't involve photoshop for a change. My literary skills totally school any graphic editing skills I may posess, so I'm actually thinking about entering the contest. By the way... our common room doesn't have a password. Rather, we have a question (well, two right now). You should probably answer them. They're thought provoking enough to give us more of an idea about you as a person ^_^ Stanitalene I love this very much. I knew i'd get into here!!! heart heart
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Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 10:32 pm
Interesting question Kitsune again. God is all good and all knowing and there is no doubt about that. God lets people go to hell, which is an absence of God because people choose to go there. How do you choose to go there? Well, the Catholic faith says that only those who do not believe in God and Jesus will go to hell. Jesus himself says, "no one can go to my father, except through me", meaning that we have to believe in God and Jesus to have a chance at getting into heaven.
I'm not trying to push my religion, or tell atheists that you are going to hell, because I am not God and I don't have the power to judge humanity.
Nariko, when people go to hell, they don't have redemption at all. It's final and conclusive. Like a court sentencing, without any chance at parole. Only at the end of the world when Jesus beats Satan and final judgment begins, will we truly know.
To me this does not mean that God is vengeful, he is just a doting parent that enforces his rules and gives out punishment. He loves us so much, and it pains him when we sin, it probably pains him when people do choose to go to hell and not believe in him. Hell is not fire and torture in the sense its just an absence of his presence, good, and light. Nothing of good and love can reach there.
People in heaven are still human but the love for God overpowers everything, that all souls want to do is worship and love God and to be in his presence. In a way, we aren't losing our free will but gaining peace and clarity that only God can give to us.
These are hard questions to answer...., I am just saying what I have been taught and what I truly believe. God was vengeful in the old testament but then he sent his only son, Jesus and was not vengeful anymore. God is the new testament, love, forgiveness; we have to ask and really repent to be forgiven. God is the only one who knows what is in our heart and minds.
Only he can judge, for he is our creator and he is the only one that truly knows our desires, loves, and faults. He sends his angels (our conscience) to guide us in the right path. Of course, the devil also sends his minions to stray us from the right path.
The devil is a test, just like Jesus had his trials in the dessert, we must have our personal demons on Earth. Jesus overcame them, so can I.
I can't really explain how much peace and happiness I get from my faith. It is something unexplainable, that can be experienced by well if you also had this faith.
I'm tolerant towards other religions, except satanism, wiccan, etc..., I believe that God has many houses in his heaven. We can all go to his paradise, if we believe.
In a way, its like getting VIP tickets to a show, we have to prove our worthiness, otherwise it would not mean anything.
I pray for people's souls. I pray for guidance and protection. When my friend died, it made me realize how short life can be, and I can't wait until I'm old to believe, because I'm not sure when I will pass on. All I can be sure is that I do what I need and want to do because it has to be done.
I guess I've grown up some. I was like you and many others, an atheist, didn't believe due to the idiodicies of teenage catholics. I realize they were young, and if my tormentor (now becoming a priest), can be forgiven by God, then I also can be forgiven by God and can live my life as a true Roman Catholic.
It comes with age and maturity to realize that we can't know everything, just being sure about God and his love and goodness, is enough to live a happy life.
I may not become rich, or famous, but at least I will be blessed with family, my faith and love. It was good enough for my grandpa and grandma, good enough for my friend and all my relatives who have passed then it is WONDERFUL and AMAZING for me.
I only hope, all of you can find peace and happiness in something....anything.
P.S. No Jim Jones cults please.... whee
God bless you all heart
Welcome stanitalene to Ravenclaw!
Btw, I love Coraline!
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 1:41 pm
Welcome to Ravenclaw Stanitalene.
My, my I've been gone for only a few days and so many posts! I don't really know how to answer your questions Kitsune. They are marvelous questions indeed. I'm not a religious person in any way whatsoever, so I don't believe I could really answer your questions properly. I used to be very religious and very proud of my Catholic faith, but for the past two years I have been happier without it. I'm not an Atheist though, I am Agnostic.
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 3:41 pm
1st Year Question-
Where are your greatest strengths?
I think my greatest strengths would have to be my ability to maintain calm under pressure, being able to make due with what I have, and my intelligenece.
Current Question: "What makes you happy in your life and why?"
My friend and family make me happy in life. I don't know what i'd do without them, really. They always push my to do better choice wise, school wise, life wise. It always seemed to help in the end. Music makes me extremely happy. To be able to feel better through an art form is truly magical. One day I hope to persue a singing career. If not I'll just be a lawyer. I also draw anime, but i'm an ametur. But a good ametur!!! My cats also make me happy too. They always comfort me when i'm sad. Last thing: I like takin gphotos on my camera phone. I like the idea of catching a nice moment i time. 3nodding
Thank you my fellow Ravenclaws for welcoming me. I really appreciate it!!!! 3nodding My goal for this week is to try and get moved up to Second Year by the end of this week, so i'll be posting a lot!
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 5:05 pm
Ther should be cheerleaders for Quidditch, right? At lest i think so. Doesn't anyone else?
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 5:23 pm
Hello, everyone :] I'm DarknessApproaches39- nice to meet you! You may call me Dark, considering the obnoxious length of my username XD
Where are your greatest strengths?I think I'd have to say my strengths lie in my intelligence (when I want to be smart, that is- hey, I was sorted into Ravenclaw!) and my ability to look past stereotypes. I may judge people, but I usually don't let that get in the way of how I treat them. And I'm a self-proclaimed dork!  What makes you happy in your life and why?
Currently, a lot of things... upcoming freedom, and at this very moment my photography. I love capturing the beauty in things that people normally wouldn't consider beautiful :] (Or at least, I hope I'm capturing beauty... maybe it's just beautiful according to me!) Music also makes me incredibly happy, just because it's awesome... and science, particularly biology, because I love studying life. And, umm... nice people always make me happy, but that's kinda self-explanatory! razz
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Minerva the Bookwyrm Crew
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 6:37 pm
Welcome, new Ravenclaws! whee
New and old Ravens, remember to post your short letter to a first year in the Great Hall, and to enter the James Potter fan fic contest. They both earn House Points! cool I can't win the fic contest because I'm HoH, but I posted a fic that I wrote from James' PoV in the contest's thread for everyone's enjoyment in case anyone wanted to read it. smile It doesn't have to be a fic you wrote; it can be one that you found.
I hope that all of you are enjoying the last month of your summer. I'm rather busy, but I'm still having fun because I'm finally getting my sister to watch InuYasha and DN Angel. biggrin
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Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 12:47 pm
Welcome to the new Ravenclaws! I hope you guys enjoy it here.
Just as an FYI, I don't know how often I'll be able to get on for the next couple of months because tennis practice starts tomorrow for my high school, and then when school starts I'll be slammed with homework (don't you just love being in all honors classes?), matches and practice every night, plus dance classes three days a week, and church stuff on Sundays and sometimes Mondays. Wow, I'll be busy.
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Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 11:52 pm
Hello again. I noticed that have set your goal of moving up to Second Year rather quickly. It is terrific to set goals for yourself, but make sure you are actually following all the requirements. If I do recall, somewhere in the fine print it states that one-line posts don't count towards your post numbers. Around this guild, quality of posts definately superscedes quantity. So, if you hit the number on the dot, yet most of your posts consist of one-liners, they may delay your moving up in years. Further, it is possible to lose house points for grammar and spelling mistakes. It would help if you rememberd to capitalize your "I"s in conjuctions (I'd, I'll) and perhaps run a spell check over your post. I highlighted in red grammatical/spelling errors in your post, most of which are a super quick fix. Literacy is extremely valued around here, and as Ravenclaws, we are proverbially leading the parade and holding the banner. Stanitalene 1st Year Question- Where are your greatest strengths? I think my greatest strengths would have to be my ability to maintain calm under pressure, being able to make due with what I have, and my intelligenece. Current Question: "What makes you happy in your life and why?" My friend (s) and family make me happy in life. I don't know what i'd do without them, really. They always push my to do better choice wise, school wise, (and) life wise. It always seemed to help in the end. Music makes me extremely happy. To be able to feel better through an art form is truly magical. One day I hope to persue a singing career. If not I'll just be a lawyer. I also draw anime, but i'm an ametur. But a good ametur!!! My cats also make me happy (,) too. They always comfort me when i'm sad. Last thing: I like takin gphotos on my camera phone. I like the idea of catching a nice moment i time. 3nodding Thank you my fellow Ravenclaws for welcoming me. I really appreciate it!!!! 3nodding My goal for this week is to try and get moved up to Second Year by the end of this week, so i'll be posting a lot!
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Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 9:31 am
narikoxneji26 Welcome to the new Ravenclaws! I hope you guys enjoy it here. Just as an FYI, I don't know how often I'll be able to get on for the next couple of months because tennis practice starts tomorrow for my high school, and then when school starts I'll be slammed with homework (don't you just love being in all honors classes?), matches and practice every night, plus dance classes three days a week, and church stuff on Sundays and sometimes Mondays. Wow, I'll be busy. The picyure link in your signature is broken. You forgot to add the ] after the last . That is why the link part of it isn't working. If you already know that your link picture isn't working then I'm just wasting time. Anyways I decided I would tell you just in case.
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Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 12:11 pm
I know the URL thing is broken, but without deleting the last bar thingy, then more than one won't fit. I'm still trying to figure it out.
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Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 1:56 pm
Wow...I'm so sorry I've been inactive lately, guys! My brother's getting married this Saturday, and we've been preparing. Plus my mom has been off of work and taking me out to Target and stuff smile .
So many posts, so little time...I'll read the majority of them later, but I do want to say welcome to the new Ravenclaws!
I won't contribute to this whole religion discussion...Kitsune can tell you that talking about religion upsets me because not so many people believe what I do and tend to insult what I believe. So, I'll just save you all the trouble and just not comment.
Well, I hope I'll be able to get on a little more often! But we just did school shopping -cringe- but I also got a new Harry Potter bag! biggrin Ha, just thought I'd bring up that random thought smile .
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Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 7:57 pm
I'm sorry that I've been gone for a while and answered any of your posts! And I who still had some questions left! sweatdrop If there is one thing I like discussing, it's philosophy, religion an science.. Of course, philosophy an religion is really two sides of one coin..
And I'm really glad you guys find my questions interesting. biggrin
I've been sick. Still am... Starte to get better, only to get worse. I can hardly stay awake for more than two hours at a time, my nose - ear - throat passage hurts..
My mum woke me up when she was leaving to take our dog for a walk. Asked me why I hadn't come up for dinner. Apparently she'd woken me up. I'd sat up in my bed and answered and everything.
I just have no recollection of it whatsoever.
School starts in a week. *dread*
Also my bloodsugar levels has been sky high recently... just measured it, and it was at 24! Not good. Not good at all. >< It's either too high or too low. Guess it's because I'm sick and sleeping so much.. And I don't take my slow-working insulin that I'm supposed to take before going to sleep.. Since I sleep a lot, and only sleep for a few hours at a time. Should've asked my doctor how that would work.
Guess I'll just have to ask her when I'm at the hospital next Tuesday. Also need to find a way to talk myself out of checking how my bloodsugar has been these last three weeks. I really don't wanna know.. Sky high is my guess.
That's a hard blow for your self-conscience, I'll tell you that. Can't even get my own disease under control!
Anyways, I'd like to welcome our new members! biggrin I love new members. More members = More discussion.
Harry Potter BAG? I want a Harry Potter bag... There's WAY too few Harry Potter Merchenise here.... Only merchendise I've seen (Apart from the movies and books) are the scarfs.. I bought the only two they still had in stock, which was Slytherin and Hufflepuff.. No Ravenclaw...
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