I've been a constant reader on this board, and, while I haven't opened lots of threads here or even replied threads, I regularly visit to read through people's opinions and world-views. One question that seems to regularly come up is: who or what decides what is good and what is bad and why do we do good or bad? As an open-minded Christian (some people don't believe there is such a thing, but to each his own), I pondered this question. And so far, I've come up with three varied, separate and yet interwoven compasses that generally direct human conscious behavior. They are Spirituality, Morality and Legality.

I'll take them one after the other. I don't want my post to be unnecessarily long, so I'll try to summarize my thoughts (not opinions but thoughts; there's a difference).

Spirituality
This is the one religious adherents hold on to as the ultimate human compass, going as far as positing it as the basis of the other two. Now, personally, I don't think Spirituality is, to any great extent, the basis for Morality or Legality. Why? Because Spirituality is not universal. Different people adhere to different religions which dictate different things. We religious adherents believe our tenets are handed to us by supreme beings. However, the truth of the matter is that, as far as I know, none of us has seen this supreme being. Different people seem to get conflicting messages from apparently the same supreme source. Is this supreme being deliberately confusing us or are we arrogating supernatural endorsements to our subconscious personal convictions? Think of it, all true religious adherents believe their religion is correct and their supreme being is the only supreme being and they hold these beliefs with equal levels of conviction. Are they all wrong? Are they possibly all right in equal measure (almost impossible, as each claims non-adherents would suffer some sort of punishment for not believing or conforming)? We really don't know. None of these supernatural beings has come out in public to be seen and scrutinized by all, believers, unbelievers and non-believers alike to settle this age old question once and for all. So we have to settle on faith. Faith that the words we read in holy books are actual instructions from the greater being that created us and not the personal convictions of a few who first imagined it/they exist or constructed the whole thing as a means to control or influence people seeking answers to the eternal question of human purpose, direction and destiny. Faith that the voice we hear in our thoughts and private moments is the higher being speaking to us and not our subconscious telling us what we want to hear at a point even if consciously we tell ourselves we want to hear something different. It's interesting how people within immediate environments are more likely to believe in a particular spiritual force propounded by the people around them. One pretty strong argument certain atheists put forward is that: how come abrahamic faiths had to be carried across oceans to other lands when the Supreme being could much easily have revealed the same thing he revealed to the originators of these faiths to everyone across the world, thereby making religion universal and United? I have no answer to this as I would be the last person to use "God works in mysterious ways as a valid answer". Even for me, a still practicing Christian, I personally believe God is methodical but that question does do some damage to that method. Perhaps I will eventually find an answer to that. One day.

Morality
Morality is especially interesting because it is one both adherents of religions, theist or otherwise and atheists both feel strongly about. Theists and religious conformists believe Morality is a products of divine direction. A lot of atheists believe Morality is a product of personal perception and is thus subjective. Outside these two broad standpoints are other views that are either combinations of or modifications of the two but the main standing argument is that either Morality is a spiritual or a human construct for the religious and atheists respectively. Like Spirituality, Morality varies, based on personal beliefs or convictions. Take for instance ; polygamy. The average Christian views it as adultery seeing as Christianity believes each person is entitled to just one partner in the eyes of God. Thus, it is immoral. To the Muslim, there is nothing wrong with it, as Allah allows marriage to a number of wives. Now the problem with seeing Morality as a spiritual construct is that with the various conflicting positions religious tenets take, Morality would also change. Even within certain sects of the same religion, there is disagreement over what is moral and immoral. Which brings us to subjective Morality; the view point of a lot of atheists and agnostics. A simple summary of subjective Morality is that nothing is innately right or wrong but anything takes on the value we attach to it. To the average mind, this is a bit of an alarming viewpoint as one would imagine, say, a serial killer could justify his actions to be right based on his personal convictions. But I do realize that subjective Morality holds water, seeing as religion isn't universal and the moral value attached to each thing or event is a product of their personal views on that thing wether they feel it is due to divine instructions or just personal taste. One value that comes up regularly in these discussions of subjective morality especially from atheists is empathy: the propensity to feel what others feel. Empathy is also kind of subjective. Think of a soldier at a firing squad. Now the soldier may feel justified that his state sanctioned killing is right due to the gravity of the accused-to-be-executed's crime. One may feel the soldier should feel bad for the person to some extent but if the soldier's personal conviction is that if it were to be him that committed the crime then he would deserve whatever punishment is meted out to him. In that case, I can't say the soldier lacks morals for failing to feel the pain of the person about to lose his life because he has placed himself mentally in those shoes and has still determined himself worthy of the same punishment. But personally, I don't entirely subscribe to total empathy in the sense that we cannot truly feel someone's feelings unless we are them and whatever we feel for other people at any time is only a product of our personal opinion and feeling of the situation at hand. Using the same analogy, imagine if the soldier feels bad that he's about to kill someone for a crime they committed BUT imagine if the person also feels he/she deserves the punishment for the crime and feels no pain or loss for himself. What bearing then would that soldier's empathy have on his Morality if the affected person doesn't feel bad for himself?
I feel as far as Morality goes, we humans are largely the deciders based on whatever is the stronger general feeling at the time. At a time in our history, it was totally normal to pick up arms and go plunder a neighboring village because we felt it serves our purposes best and the interest of God/gods. Today it's basically termed terrorism and is considered immoral by most, wether religious or otherwise. Growing up in this country, it used to be that women wearing trousers was quite immoral. Today, it is standard practice, very few churches preach against such. In-fact women wear trousers to church now. As our mentality towards certain actions and situations change, so do our moral connotations and the fact that Morality is not fixed and changes regularly is a pointer to me that it is a largely human construct.

Legality
Legality is the one that shows up least when these matters are argued, probably because both sides feel Legality is a product of Morality, Spirituality or some kind of combination of the two. Of course, there is no real argument for the basis of Legality ; everyone knows it's we humans that made and passed the law that we find in our national constitutions. It's a bit funny though that it is so ignored because it is the only one of the three that is totally binding on everyone, regardless of religious affiliation or a lack of thereof. Basically, Legality is about a protection of rights. While Spirituality and morality can be argued personally and changed at whim, Legality can't as it takes procedures to establish, modify and expunge laws. Legality, like the others is not fixed throughout time but changes with the advent of time and change. However, Legality is the only one of the three that doesn't change from person to person based on their personal convictions at any point in time. Even if all the citizens and the entirety of the executive, legislature and judiciary completely believe stealing should be right, so long as a law has not been passed legalizing it, it is illegal. The only points where Legality fails is on matters that laws have not provided for, like say killing someone with charms. As far as I know, the Nigerian penal code does not have any code saying you can kill someone with charms. Neither does it say you cannot kill someone with charms. So yes, Legality, like the others has it's grey areas and is definitely heavily influenced by the previous two, seeing that it is still humans that make the law. Why I felt it necessary to bring it up is because, especially on this board, enough has not been highlighted on how much legality affects human behavior. Think of something like dealing drugs. A lot of people don't deal drugs, not because they think it's essentially wrong morally (since they don't have any first hand idea of how certain drugs could affect people) or spiritually (I'm not sure there's any holy book that says "thou shalt not smuggle drugs" and the argument of what negative impacts drugs have falls flat if you are not directly selling the drugs to addicts and users. Afterall, the end buyer might be using it to conduct chemistry experiments or for art (there's an actual art exhibition of art works made from drugs). They don't smuggle drugs because they don't want to go to jail. And legality also covers a lot of things that are grey areas between Spirituality/religion and Morality. like is it right to discriminate against people of a race/homosexuals/single parents/abortion as religion condemns some of them but Morality directs fairness? The law straight up tells you what to do in these cases: have whatever personal feelings you want about them but you can't harm them or, in certain places, show any form of bias against them. In a way, the law lifts the burden of pondering the rightness of an (not all actions as, granted, you can't hurt or show bias against them but it says nothing about hating them so you're still left with the decision of wether hating them is right or not). The law tries to balance the inequalities the questions of Spirituality and Morality raise on a level field that applies to all. This is why legality is an important factor in determining human behavior especially within civilized society.

The Wild Card: Instinct
Like legality, instinct is largely downplayed in the question of the rightness of human behavior, usually being subset under morality. However, the question of instinct is extremely important because of the three, it is probably the most unpredictable and one that's difficult to judge. Instinct is reflexive. You act or feel at a moment without conscious consideration. That is instinct. And it is extremely unpredictable, regardless of what we consciously think we would do or think in a specific situation. Consciously, we might feel no pity for a murderer who is convicted and sentenced to jail for life without possibility of parole. But as at the moment the judgement is delivered, a lot of people, even some of those affected negatively by the condemned's actions feel this momentary sadness or pity for someone who would never be free again. That is instinct. Even when people do things in self defense and eventually feel remorseful about it, as at the moment the action is carried out, there is no pity. Just action. It's conscious consideration that brings remorse later. Why I had to include instinct is because, for one, almost all the times, we act or think instinctively then consciously consider our actions later (even if it's a second after), then attach moral values to them. And as I said, it's difficult to judge instinct by Morality, Spirituality or even legality. Take for instance, a man who sees a well endowed woman and feels aroused. In some spiritual circles, he has committed lust because his mind (and nanoseconds later, body) reacted to what he saw. Some would also consider it morally wrong. But instinct is almost wholly subconscious. There are occasions people feel arousal by sights that are not normally sexual because while their conscious mind is not seing something sexual, the subconscious (which can't be controlled) is and may either relay it straight to the brain to get the body to react immediately and instinctively or filters it to the conscious to ponder then react. In the second, there is consciousness and, as such a value can be attached by the spiritual or moral connotation as may apply. In the first however, there is no real conscious commitment. Of the four, instinct is the only one noone can control.

These are my thoughts in these issues. Thoughts?

senbonzakurakageyoshi:
who or what decides what is good and what is bad and why do we do good or bad?

SHALOM!

This question annoys me.

What is wrong with you, that by your age, you do not know the answer to such a simple question yourself?

Can't you read The Bible? Are you mentally-impaired?

Of course you are. How did you get that way?

By Hypocrisy.

. JOHN 8:30-32.

30. As he spake these words,
many believed on him.
31. Then said Jesus to those Jews
which believed on him,
"If ye continue in my Word,
(then) are ye my Disciples indeed;
32. "And ye shall know The Truth,
and The Truth shall make you free."

IF YOU DO NOT KNOW THE TRUTH, IT CAN ONLY BE BECAUSE YOU HAVE NOT CONTINUED IN THE WORD OF YAHSHUA.

Dispute that! I dare you!

. DEUTERONOMY 30:19-20.

19. I call Heaven and Earth
to record this Day against you,
that I have set before you Life and Death,
Blessing and Cursing: therefore choose Life,
That both thou and thy seed may live:
20. That thou mayest love The LORD thy God,
and that thou mayest obey His Voice,
and that thou mayest cleave unto Him:
for He is thy life, and the length of thy days:
that thou mayest dwell in the Land
which the LORD sware unto thy fathers,
to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

. AMOS 3:3.

3. "Can two walk together,
except they be agreed?"

SIMILARITIES ATTRACT.

Beliefs, Thoughts, Words, Physical Actions, and Postulates attract LIFE ENTITIES or DEATH ENTITIES, depending what they were.

Are you a retard, that you don't know that?

. LUKE 6:39-49.

39. And he spake a Parable unto them,
"Can the blind lead the blind?
shall they not both fall into the ditch?
40. "The disciple is not above his master:
but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.
41. "And why beholdest thou the mote
that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not
the beam that is in thine own eye?
42. "Either how canst thou say to thy brother,
'Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye,'
when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye,
and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote
that is in thy brother's eye.
43. “For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit;
neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
44. “For every tree is known by his own fruit.
For of thorns men do not gather figs,
nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.
45. “A good man out of the Good Treasure of his heart
bringeth forth that which is Good;
and an evil man out of the Evil Treasure of his heart
bringeth forth that which is Evil:
for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
46. "And why call ye me, 'Lord, Lord,'
and do not the things which I say?
47. "Whosoever cometh to me,
and heareth my Sayings, and doeth them,
I will shew you to whom he is like:
48. "He is like a man which built an house,
and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock:
and when the flood arose,
the stream beat vehemently upon that house,
and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
49. "But he that heareth, and doeth not,
is like a man that without a foundation
built an house upon the earth;
against which the stream did beat vehemently,
and immediately it fell;
and the ruin of that house was great."

IF THE TREASURE OF YOUR HEART WERE GOOD, YOU WOULD BRING GOOD THINGS OUT OF IT.

The Treasure of your heart is EVIL, therefore Evil suicidal ignorance and silliness come out of it.

As an open-minded Christian (some people don't believe there is such a thing, but to each his own), I pondered this question.

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN OPEN-MINDED CHRISTIAN.

If you are not NARROW-MINDED, as YAHSHUA Commanded us to be, you have built your house upon the sand, and are NOT a Christian: period.

. MATTHEW 7:12-29.

12. "Therefore all things whatsoever ye
would that men should do to you, do ye even so to
them: for this is The Law and The Prophets."
13. "Enter ye in at the Strait Gate:
for Wide is the Gate, and Broad is the Way,
that leadeth to Destruction,
and many there be which go in thereat:
14. "Because Strait is the Gate,
and Narrow is The Way,
which leadeth unto Life,
and few there be that find It.
15. "Beware of False Prophets,
which come to you in sheep's clothing,
but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16. "Ye shall know them by their Fruits.
Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17. "Even so every good tree bringeth forth Good Fruit;
but a corrupt tree bringeth forth Evil Fruit.
18. "A Good Tree cannot bring forth Evil Fruit,
neither can a Corrupt Tree bring forth Good Fruit.
19. "Every Tree that bringeth not forth Good Fruit
is hewn down, and cast into The Fire.
20. "Wherefore by their Fruits ye shall know them.
21. "Not every one that saith unto me,
'Lord, Lord,'
shall enter into The Kingdom of Heaven;
but he that doeth The Will of my Father Which is in Heaven.
22. "Many will say to me in That Day,

'LORD, LORD,HAVE WE NOT
PROPHESIED IN THY NAME?
AND IN THY NAME
HAVE CAST OUT DEVILS?
AND IN THY NAME
DONE MANY WONDERFUL WORKS?'

23. "And then will I profess unto them,

'I NEVER KNEW YOU:
DEPART FROM ME,
YE THAT WORK INIQUITY.'

24. "Therefore whosoever heareth
these Sayings of mine, and doeth them,
I will liken him unto a Wise Man,
which built his House upon a Rock:
25. "And the rain descended,
and the floods came,
and the winds blew, and beat upon that House;
and it Fell not: for it was founded upon a Rock.
26. "And every one that heareth
these Sayings of mine, and doeth them not,
shall be likened unto a Foolish Man,
which built his house upon the Sand:
27. "And the rain descended,
and the floods came,
and the winds blew, and beat upon that House;
and it Fell: and Great was The Fall of it.
28. And it came to pass,
when Jesus had ended these Sayings,
the People were astonished at his Doctrine:
29. For he Taught them as One having Authority,
and not as the scribes.

And so far, I've come up with three varied, separate and yet interwoven compasses that generally direct human conscious behavior. They are Spirituality, Morality and Legality.

Why do YOU have to "COME UP WITH" something?

Don't you know that YAHSHUA is the LORD?

We follow HIM and HIS TEACHINGS- not something some foolish man "CAME UP WITH."

. JOHN 12:44-50.

44. Jesus cried and said,
"He that believeth on me, believeth not on me,
but on Him that sent me.
45. "And he that seeth me
seeth Him that sent me.
46. "I am come a Light into the World,
that whosoever believeth on me
should not abide in Darkness.
47. "And if any man hear my Words, and believe not,
I judge him not: for I came not to judge the World,
but to save the World.
48. "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my Words,
hath One that judgeth him:
The Word that I have spoken,
the Same shall judge him in The Last Day.
49. "For I have not spoken of myself;
but the Father which sent me,
He gave me a Commandment,
what I should say, and what I should speak.
50. "And I know that His Commandment is Life Everlasting:
whatsoever I speak therefore,
even as the Father said unto me, so I speak."

I'll take them one after the other. I don't want my post to be unnecessarily long, so I'll try to summarize my thoughts (not opinions but thoughts; there's a difference).

THAT Titanic has already sailed.....

We religious adherents believe our tenets are handed to us by supreme beings. However, the truth of the matter is that, as far as I know, none of us has seen this supreme being. Different people seem to get conflicting messages from apparently the same supreme source. Is this supreme being deliberately confusing us or are we arrogating supernatural endorsements to our subconscious personal convictions? Think of it, all true religious adherents believe their religion is correct and their supreme being is the only supreme being and they hold these beliefs with equal levels of conviction. Are they all wrong?

Really? Which Religions are you talking about?

You are not only not a member of any Religion, you did not even bother to do a little research, first.

ISLAM believes that its tenets were given by Angel Jubril to Muhammad.
HINDUISM believes that KRISHNA dictated the BHAGHAVAD GITA Scripture.
BUDDHISM does not believe in a Supreme Deity.

Where do you get all this garbage you spout- Masonry Lodge?

We really don't know. None of these supernatural beings has come out in public to be seen and scrutinized by all, believers, unbelievers and non-believers alike to settle this age old question once and for all. So we have to settle on faith.

YAHWEH GOD manifested on Earth multiple times.

Most notably, when He dictated THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.

. [U]EXODUS 20:1-21.[/u]

AND God spake all these words, saying,
2. "I am the LORD thy God,
Which have brought thee out of The Land of Egypt,
out of The House of Bondage.
3. "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.
4. "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image,
or any likeness of any thing that is in Heaven above,
or that is in the Earth beneath,
or that is in the Water under the Earth.
5. "Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them:
for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God,
visiting the iniquity of the Fathers
upon the Children unto the Third and Fourth Generation
of them that hate Me;
6. "And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me,
and keep My Commandments.
7. "Thou shalt not take The Name of the LORD thy God in vain;
for the LORD will not hold him guiltless
that taketh His Name in vain."
8. "Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy.
9. "Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10. "But the Seventh Day is The Sabbath of The LORD thy God:
in It thou shalt not do any work,
thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant,
nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11. "For in six days the LORD made Heaven and Earth, the Sea,
and all that in them is, and rested the Seventh Day:
wherefore The LORD blessed The Sabbath Day,
and hallowed it.
12. "Honour thy father and thy mother:
that thy days may be long upon the Land
which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
13. "Thou shalt not kill.
14. "Thou shalt not commit adultery.
15. "Thou shalt not steal.
16. "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
17. "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house,
thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife,
nor his manservant, nor his maidservant,
nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's."
18. And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings,
and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking:
and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.
19. And they said unto Moses,
"Speak thou with us, and we will hear:
but let not God speak with us, lest we die."
20. And Moses said unto the people,
"Fear not: for God is come to prove you,
and that His fear may be before your faces,
that ye sin not."
21. And the people stood afar off,
and Moses drew near unto the thick Darkness
where God was.

A LAZY FAKE CHRISTIAN, WHO DOES NOT DO HIS RESEARCH, WOULD NOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS.

This was how GOD AGREED to only speak to His People through PROPHET intermediaries.

. DEUTERONOMY 18:15-22.

15. The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee
a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren,
like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;
16. According to all that thou desiredst of The LORD thy God
in Horeb in the Day of the Assembly, saying,
"Let me not hear again The Voice of The LORD my God,
neither let me see this Great Fire any more, that I die not."
17. And the LORD said unto me,
"They have well spoken that which they have spoken.
18. "I will raise them up a Prophet from among their Brethren,
like unto thee, and will put My Words in his mouth;
and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
19. "And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken
unto My Words which he shall speak in My Name,
I will require it of him.
20. "But the prophet, which shall presume
to speak a word in My Name,
which I have not commanded him to speak,
or that shall speak in the name of other gods,
even that prophet shall die.
21. "And if thou say in thine heart,
'How shall we know the word
which the LORD hath not spoken?'

22. "WHEN A PROPHET SPEAKETH
IN THE NAME OF THE LORD,
IF THE THING FOLLOW NOT,
NOR COME TO PASS,
THAT IS THE THING
WHICH THE LORD HATH NOT SPOKEN,
BUT THE PROPHET HATH
SPOKEN IT PRESUMPTUOUSLY:
THOU SHALT NOT BE AFRAID OF HIM.' "

To the poster above me (no need quoting your long reply to make a long thread even unnecessarily longer), I'm sure there are better methods to stating your views and pointing out what you think is wrong with my personal thoughts that I put down here. I know rationality and calm are not exactly common elements on this board but I created a thread for discourse not trading of insults, calling of names or attacks on personality. Look through your reply and judge for yourself if you have been calm and rational. You probably think I'm attacking spirituality, considering you have no replies on the other three. Well, I'm not, just stating what I believe are the abstract entities that direct human behavior. Should you decide to reply again, I would implore you to be civil. We can't see each other physically so no need to act like we've had an old rift we're here to settle.

One pretty strong argument certain atheists put forward

This is NOT "CERTAIN ATHEISTS:" this is YOURSELF.

Stop lying!

is that: how come abrahamic faiths had to be carried across oceans to other lands when the Supreme being could much easily have revealed the same thing he revealed to the originators of these faiths to everyone across the world, thereby making religion universal and United? I have no answer to this as I would be the last person to use "God works in mysterious ways as a valid answer".

Are you really such an IDIOT?

You do not know what a COVENANT RELATIONSHIP is?

All Gentiles are the Descendants of people who REJECTED GOD at some point in their History, and decided they didn't want to follow HIM.

How can you pretend not to know that?

These peoples are FILTHY GARBAGE before God, and NOT WORTHY of an AUDIENCE with God.

But He has deigned to be merciful, and give them a Way back to Him.

. MATTHEW 22:2-14.

2. "The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a certain king,
which made a marriage for his son,
3. "And sent forth his servants to call them
that were bidden to the wedding:
and they would not come.
4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying,

'TELL THEM WHICH ARE BIDDEN,
"BEHOLD, I HAVE PREPARED MY DINNER:
MY OXEN AND MY FATLINGS ARE KILLED,
AND ALL THINGS ARE READY:
COME UNTO THE MARRIAGE." '

5. "But they made light of it, and went their ways,
one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
6. "And the remnant took his servants,
and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.
7. "But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth:
and he sent forth his armies,
and destroyed those murderers,
and burned up their city.

8. "THEN SAITH HE TO HIS SERVANTS,
'THE WEDDING IS READY,
BUT THEY WHICH WERE BIDDEN WERE NOT WORTHY.
9. 'GO YE THEREFORE INTO THE HIGHWAYS,
AND AS MANY AS YE SHALL FIND, BID TO THE MARRIAGE.'

10. "So those servants went out into the highways,
and gathered together all as many as they found,
both Bad and Good:
and the wedding was furnished with guests.
11. "And when the king came in to see the guests,
he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
12. "And he saith unto him,

'FRIEND, HOW CAMEST THOU IN HITHER
NOT HAVING A WEDDING GARMENT?'

And he was speechless.
13. "Then said the king to the servants,

'BIND HIM HAND AND FOOT,
AND TAKE HIM AWAY,
AND CAST HIM
INTO OUTER DARKNESS,
THERE SHALL BE
WEEPING AND GNASHING OF TEETH.
14. 'FOR MANY ARE CALLED,
BUT FEW ARE CHOSEN.' "

NO ONE SAYS YOU HAVE TO OBEY YAHSHUA, WHEN YOU DON'T WANT TO.

You can just continue to DIE like FOOLS, as usual!

. JOHN 14:1-14.

"LET not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God,
believe also in me.
2. "In my Father's House are many Mansions:
if it were not so, I would have told you.
I go to prepare a place for you.
3. "And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come again, and receive you unto myself;
that where I am, there ye may be also.
4. "And whither I go ye know,
and The Way ye know."
5. Thomas saith unto him,
"Lord, we know not whither thou goest;
and how can we know The Way?"
6. Jesus saith unto him,
"I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life:
no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
7. "If ye had known me,
ye should have Known my Father also:
and from henceforth ye Know Him,
and have seen Him."
8. Philip saith unto him,
"Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us."
9. Jesus saith unto him,
"Have I been so long time with you,
and yet hast thou not known me, Philip?
he that hath seen me hath seen the Father;
and how sayest thou then,

'SHEW US THE FATHER?'

10. "Believest thou not that I am in the Father,
and the Father in me?
the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself:
but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth The Works.
11. "Believe me that I am in The Father, and The Father in me:
or else believe me for the very Works' sake.
12. "Verily, verily, I say unto you,

'HE THAT BELIEVETH ON ME,
THE WORKS THAT I DO
SHALL HE DO ALSO;'

and greater (Works) than these shall he do;
because I go unto my Father.
13. "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my Name,
that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14. "If ye shall ask any thing in my Name,
I will do it.”

. JOHN 3:14-21.

14. "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15. "That whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have Eternal Life.
16. "For God so loved the World,
that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have Everlasting Life.
17. "For God sent not His Son into the World
to condemn the World; but that the World
through him might be saved.
18. "He that believeth on him is not condemned:
but he that believeth not is condemned already,
because he hath not believed
in the Name of the only begotten Son of God.
19. "And this is The Condemnation,

'THAT LIGHT IS COME INTO THE WORLD,
AND MEN LOVED DARKNESS RATHER THAN LIGHT,
BECAUSE THEIR DEEDS WERE EVIL.'

20. "For every one that doeth Evil hateth the Light,
neither cometh to The Light,
lest his deeds should be reproved.
21. "But he that doeth Truth cometh to The Light,
that his deeds may be made manifest,
that they are wrought in God."

HOW CAN YOU MASQUERADE AS A "PRACTICING CHRISTIAN," WHEN YOU DO NOT KNOW THE FUNDAMENTAL TENETS OF THE GOSPEL?

Only a fool would ask why The Gospel had to be preached around the World.

Since you are a FAKE CHRISTIAN, The Spirit of God could not speak through you.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS WHERE THE WORD OF GOD IS ENFORCED.

That is where God can manifest.

If God manifests in a Sinful Environment, He has to first execute Judgment- which would lead to the summary Deaths of those whom He wanted to repent and be Saved.

If He does not take action against Sinners when He sees them, He is condoning their Sin. Which cannot happen.

. 2^nd CHRONICLES 16:9.

9 "For The Eyes of The LORD
run to and fro throughout the whole Earth,
to shew Himself strong in the behalf of them
whose heart is perfect toward Him.
Herein thou hast done foolishly:
therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars."

GOD ONLY VIEWS THOSE WHO ARE USING, AND OPERATING ON THE LEVEL OF, HIS LAW.

Therefore, for the Pagan Gentile Idolatrous races to be Saved, The Gospel has to be preached to them.

. MARK 16:15-20.

15. And he said unto them,
"Go ye into all the World,
and preach The Gospel to every creature.
16. "He that believeth and is baptized shall be Saved;
but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17. "And these Signs shall follow them that Believe;

'IN MY NAME SHALL THEY CAST OUT DEVILS;
THEY SHALL SPEAK WITH NEW TONGUES;
18. "THEY SHALL TAKE UP SERPENTS;
AND IF THEY DRINK ANY DEADLY THING, IT SHALL NOT HURT THEM;
THEY SHALL LAY HANDS ON THE SICK, AND THEY SHALL RECOVER.' "

19. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them,
he was received up into Heaven,
and sat on the Right Hand of God.
20. And they went forth, and preached every where,
The Lord working with them,
and confirming The Word with signs following.
Amen.

THOSE WHO ARE WORTHY TO BE SAVED WILL BE SAVED, WHILE THOSE WHO ARE UNWORTHY SHALL BE DISCARDED AS GARBAGE.

You would know that- if you were not yourself one of such garbages.

Even for me, a still practicing Christian, I personally believe God is methodical but that question does do some damage to that method.

You are not a "Practicing Christian,"

Stop lying.

Perhaps I will eventually find an answer to that. One day.

When you have rejected The Truth, and looked elsewhere, how can you possibly find The Truth again?

You are bent on being confrontational. Have fun with yourself.

senbonzakurakageyoshi:
They are Spirituality, Morality and Legality.

I'll take them one after the other. I don't want my post to be unnecessarily long, so I'll try to summarize my thoughts (not opinions but thoughts; there's a difference).

Spirituality
This is the one religious adherents hold on to as the ultimate human compass, going as far as positing it as the basis of the other two. Now, personally, I don't think Spirituality is, to any great extent, the basis for Morality or Legality. Why? Because Spirituality is not universal. Different people adhere to different religions which dictate different things.

Hello sir, I see that you've attracted interest from the loony fringe. Pele!!

On your topic, when you talk about spirituality are you perhaps conflating it with piety.

I always thought spirituality was just an aspect of human anatomy, just like we have a physicality too. Whether or not humans recognise it we are all spiritual beings.
Religiousity or piety on the other hand is a cultural artefact that varies from one culture to another. Some religious cults (most religious cults) do very little to help the spirituality of their adherents. However the cult can still have an effect on the morality of the subject by influencing how he makes his decisions.

PastorAIO:


Hello sir, I see that you've attracted interest from the loony fringe. Pele!!

On your topic, when you talk about spirituality are you perhaps conflating it with piety.

I always thought spirituality was just an aspect of human anatomy, just like we have a physicality too. Whether or not humans recognise it we are all spiritual beings.
Religiousity or piety on the other hand is a cultural artefact that varies from one culture to another. Some religious cults (most religious cults) do very little to help the spirituality of their adherents. However the cult can still have an effect on the morality of the subject by influencing how he makes his decisions.

First off, that cracked me up!

On topic, well, I guess you have a point. When using the word spirituality, I was more focusing on religion and religiousity and that's what does affect certain human behaviors. However, religion is usually attributed to the spiritual which is why I went with spirituality.