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“If Satan cannot convince you that God does not exist, he will gladly convince you that God does not care how you live. A Christianity with no repentance, no holiness, no obedience, and no fear of God is exactly the kind of Christianity Satan is happy for you to have.” - Scott Roberts...

“[W]e make mistakes because the easiest and most comfortable course for us is to seek insight where it accords with our emotions - especially selfish ones.” - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

I think he’ll eventually see that and change his mind, but he needs time and good guidance. You can give him that. You have the heart of a pastor. I also think he should talk about it in the “Christians Only“ forums. He’s not far removed from agnosticism and those old arguments. My sense is...

The good man has no necessity to turn bad. The good man has the necessity of following the teaching and practice of Jesus and the apostles. That is true if the good man is dealing with good men. That is true if the good man is dealing with evil men.

There was no gasoline in the days when Christians were burning Christians at the stake. Other fuel served that purpose. My Anabaptist ancestors did not kill their Christian persecutors. There was no gasoline in the days when Nero was burning Christians as human torches in his garden. My...

That’s an assumption. The only way to God is through Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, Son of the living God. That’s a fact. What is keeping you from following him?

Followers of Jesus can do a lot of things, and are expected to. What we cannot ever do, under any circumstances, is to go against Jesus and the apostles. That’s what I was invited to do in post #620.

“Pick up your cross and follow me.” - Jesus @Riven what does that sound and look like to you? If we do that, could we wind up like Jesus? The apostles did. The martyrs did. Are you willing for that to happen? I am.

Yes. That’s right.

Neither do I recognize it as Canon. What the Jewish woman and her seven sons did when being tortured and killed was commendable in the eyes of God.

@Riven my family members are Christians. They would not want me to go against Jesus and the apostles to try to save them. (2 Maccabees 7.) Going against Jesus and the apostles would end in my destruction in the lake of fire. If I’m the one that the gasoline killer has soaked with gasoline, I...

The NonChristian forums are a dangerous place for new Christians to be hanging out in.

Notice that the scenario eliminates all possibilities of me stopping it except for the one - the ONLY one - desired by the unbeliever -> God doesn’t exist; it’s all up to me. This scenario was a temptation of the devil. That wasn’t an option in the unbeliever’s scenario. @Riven has said that...

“To overcome evil with good is to trust that love is stronger than any force of darkness.” - Henri Nouwen

@Riven this is now the second time that @Debp has spoken about our conversation. The first time, she spoke to you about it. This time she has spoken to me about it. I believe it should continue. The decision to continue or not is in your hands. If you want to continue, we will. If you don’t...

@Riven is an adult. He’s said that he is enjoying our conversation. If at any point he wants to end the conversation all he needs to do is say so. I’m a pastor. If /when a new Christian says that there are times when a Christian must go against Jesus and the apostles, I have a responsibility to...

Grok did well with this.

Where is God in your scenario? Is he not able to stop it?

The atheist has done you a favor. He has shown you again that you aren’t willing to follow Jesus and the apostles in all scenarios. I’ve asked several times: what would it take to get you not to follow Jesus and the apostles? A threat to someone you love is enough to do it. You’ve placed that...

Killers burst into your home, intent on murdering you and your family. What do you do? You must kill the killers. Right? Wrong. “To confuse Hamas on October 7th, this elderly Jewish man, Shlmo Ron (85) took a seat in his living room. He didn’t play dead. He played the lonely old man card. It...