Someone who read the religious texts: https://youtu.be/LbsktKb1KGM

That is sound advice! No arguments here!

Atheists promoting Bible reading, this is the best idea I’ve heard in a very long time! I really hope this is a thing and not just trolling. You gotta wonder though, what is someone who calls themselves a “Christian” but has never read the Bible? And if someone would do that, what does it mean when they call themselves something else?

Knowing all possibilities and making the choice for someone are two different things. Satan made his choice, he was free to not make that choice, just as we are free to not make his choice. Is freedom of choice (free will), and the sweet love experienced by those who make good choices, important enough to deal with the ones that make bad choices? It is clear that God thinks so. The most important and best choice you can make in this life, that God allowed you to have, is to chose God. If even one person made that choice, it would all be worth it to God (that’s real love). Praise God that millions have made that choice, sadly billions more chose the evil, self serving, and loveless way as that wicked one did.

Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Being upset that God allows suffering and at the same time are upset that God doesn’t give wicked men God like power while at the same time restricting their choices to only be good choices? This doesn’t make a lick of sense. God is logical, just and loving; this combination does not allow for illogical conditions, such as preserving free will, while limiting choices to good ones.

Something to think about, if God is real and protects your free will above all else, would not His enemy want to convince you that free will is an illusion?

The last sentence of my post your message was a reply to contains the answer to these questions. In other words, He protects our free will above all else, so that we are free to chose to go to Heaven. If we could not make bad choices, there would be no real choices. If we could not chose his love, instead forcing His love on us would be no love at all.

The affliction described in the post is the very comment you made and what else worse people do to God and His people, and as you probably know, it gets MUCH, MUCH WORSE. God knew there was no way to avoid this persecution of His children while still protecting everyone’s free will. So He turned it into an ultimate good for the faithful.

Romans 5:1 THEREFORE being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Rom 5:3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

Rom 5:4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

Rom 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Hebrews 11:1 NOW faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

You’re right, Christianity is the story of God’s love, but we do know what is right and wrong because of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, that is why we are held accountable. In fact, the word conscience means “with knowledge.” Faith, on the other hand, is what allows us to be forgiven, because unlike the angels, no man has seen God. It pleases God for us to have faith, because it allows Him to be able to justly forgive our sin.

Rom 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Rom 2:15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

You’re also right that what Peterson and Musk call “cultural christian” is a total misunderstanding of what Christianity is. They want all the benefit and none responsibility.

I’m glad you’re able to see the new data scraps the Lambda-CDM. If JWST scraps it, the new dark matter study, finding none, using Jupiter as the super sensitive detector puts the final nail in the coffin.

Now it is time to think about the alternative, realistically can you deny the only alternative with predictive powers, just because it’s Biblical? Do you dogmatically hold that a new rescuing device can save your hope that there is no God?

What these better instruments have done is challenge the new dogma that the Bible and science are at odds. All the major branches of science were created by men who believed the Bible, that God created an order that could be studied, that showed his handywork. Now our instruments have caught back up with what those men knew all along, this will only increase as our instruments’ capabilities increase and so our understanding.

Psalms 19 1 THE heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. 2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.

1 Timothy 6 20 O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: 21 Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.

Thank you.

Let us think about that statement for a little bit…

Do you know what the future holds for that child with cancer?

Do you know that God is the one that gave that child cancer?

Do you know how much the cancer will matter to the child after a trillion years in Heaven?

Do you know how the child will feel about that short time with cancer on earth that generated thousands of conversations like these that lead a fraction of those souls to a saving knowledge of the Grace of God and eternal life?

Do you think that after two trillion years that the child would believe God made the right choice in taking them home early in innocence and mercy so that other souls could enjoy eternal bliss with them and communion with their Creator? Imagine that for a moment, two trillion years from now, looking at that child’s smile knowing they played a part in bringing you to that moment.

Being intellectually honest, do you think your statement could be considered a genuine critique or just an unthinking hateful jab?

God gave us our minds and reason because man was created in His image. It is the reason why we have our own will, and He is willing to allow sin and the cancer caused by a sin filled world to protect that free will, because it lets us be able to choose Him, the most important choice of our immortal souls.

It god loved me first, why is his love conditional on me seeking it out

Your creation and continued existence is evidence of His first love for you. What’s more, if you did not need to seek him out would you not quarrel with God for not letting you chose Him?

And if I don’t do as he demands, I will be punished

This one seems odd to be upset about, is it not loving for parents to punish their children for behavior they know will hurt them? How much more will God do the same?

Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. Rev 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

gods love is conditional on blind faith.

Accepting God’s love is conditional, forced love is no love, but blind faith is not the faith of the Bible or the kind that pleases God.

Hebrews 11 1 NOW faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good report. 3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

These verses were written long before anyone knew of atomic theory or had the recent James Web Telescope images, these are only a tiny sample of the multitude of physical evidences, but the greatest evidence is the Bible itself and what it teaches it goes contrary to every man’s wicked heart but yet it is the most read and loved book ever produced. The story of God’s love rings true in every heart that isn’t hardened by the blind faith common in this world.