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You seem to have failed to grasp the core ideal of Biblical Christianity; that the rules and regulations aren't...rules and regulations. >< They're more like guidelines. Hints and tips to point one to a fulfilling and enriching life. I dunno. But not following them isn't going to damn one to hell, because of that nifty forgivenss thing. >< I dunno. To each thier own, I suppose.

hey i din't name it. take that up with Anton. and if i am not mistaken he took the name in referance to the concept and ideal of Satan. besides, it works as a definitoin satanism is the Anti-Chrisitanity

Lazarus, what you have seen in Christianity is the religion side, and the human side. It is true many bad things have resulted from this, but this is not the intent of the writers of the bible. In those times there were not organized religion, just a bunch of people gathering around to talk about this influential person Jesus Christ, and what He was talking about. Jesus was a living example of how we who follow Him should act and believe if we want to be right with God.

Organized religion was formed to make things simpler on those of the faith to better grow in Christ. The risk associated with doing this, as we have found out, is that we have a tendency to get wrapped up in the rituals, the actions, the material side, the religion of things. The Jews were the best example of this, they had periods where they were right with God and followed God's wishes as best as they could, then they had periods where they forgot why they did the things they did. Was it to please God, or was it tradition? That is how rules were made up that did not really help facilitate a relationship with God, and people like the Pharisees could take over since no one was concerned about doing things for God anymore.

As for the rules that God placed over us, there is a reason behind all of them, and our well being is at the core of each one. These natural impulses can often lead to painful experiences. If we had no sexual morals, how do you think we can cut down on sexual diseases? Not to mention the psychological effects it has on us when we don't keep one partner, or are unfaithful to that one partner. As for greed, if that was not something to worry about there will be a few people with everything, and many people with nothing. Would you want to live in a world like that? So, these rules are for our protection, and God would know more about the world and its consequences then any of us would, so why not trust in that He is looking out for us?

When it comes to the fact that Jesus is the only way to God, I think that if there were any other ways, He would have told us. There is more to be said on this issue, but I must break for class. Until later.

ok as much as i appreciate the insight i must mention two things. our existance, as you pointed out was never supposed to be this way. this says two things about God. first it says that he actually made humanity to be the way we are, meaning thate we realy were to be closer to animals. and two that God dosen't know all, or he simply would have stopped it.

CP i'm going to need a deffinition of the term "troll" the only two i know are to drag a fishing hook through the water behind the boat. and large scary monster.

if your God created us knowling we'd fall then i must point out he truly is a s**t disturber. creates man knowing that a fall will take place when it does he punishes andam and eve anyway. not the mark of justice. as for the point on animals i could argue but i'd make no headway, i concede

The way I look at the fall is this. God wanted to create someone who could be pleasant company. He had already created the angels for probably for that purpose, and gave them a lot of power. The problem was that power corrupted many of those angels. So, my guess is that he wanted more company that was less likely to fall due to the corruption of having power.

So He created us in His image which is basically a likeness in our emotions, our ability to think on a higher level then that of animals, and it is debatable if we were physically made in His image. Creating us this way allows us to easier be able to converse and enter a relationship with God.

Now on to the topic of the 2 trees, the tree of life, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The tree of life shows that God wanted to live an eternity in a relationship with us. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is a difficult symbol for us to determine. Was it meant for us when we were ready for it and we could enter a whole new relationship with God? Was it meant to give us the choice to decide if we felt we were ready to know more? Or was it there to allow us to make a mistake and learn from it in order to grow that way?

God has often allowed satan to tempt us, Job being the best example, even in the beginning it was this way with the serpent. If we were not put in to these situations of temptation and hardship would we ever grow? Perhaps God realized that we have to fall before we can grow, maybe we were made that way. If that is the case the fall was necessary in order to bring us closer to God, in knowing good and evil. Knowing good from evil allows us to choose which path we take. What more powerful of a relationship can you have with a person that chooses to hang out with you as opposed to someone that is forced to or can't actually choose to.

This is how I think about the story of Adam and Eve. Love was the intent form the very beginning. Everything was done in the way that best suited us for the time. To understand this, you have to know about God's nature throughout the bible.