God. Also: Religion (Page 2): However, THAT is a moderated section and, as such, members can be blocked from posting there, and posts can be edited or deleted. And, that section is...

tNotMyPrez Loc: So. CA, USA

Canuckus Deploracus wrote:

There is actually a section for religious talk... It's called "Faith, Religion, and Spirituality"...

However, THAT is a moderated section and, as such, members can be blocked from posting there, and posts can be edited or deleted. And, that section is moderated by die-hard religiousists...

...so, GCC is the perfect location for this discussion, which doesn't have to be about mainstream religion per se - - it can also be about "IF god" & "IF religion", if the poster so chooses, WITHOUT some arbitrary religioso authority deciding on the worth of someone's thinking.

tNotMyPrez Loc: So. CA, USA

If you're alive, you've only got two things to worry about: whether you're well or whether you're sick...

If you're well, you've got nothing to worry about. If you're sick, you've only got two things to worry about: whether you live or whether you die...

If you live, you've got nothing to worry about. But if you die, you've got two things to worry about: whether you go to heaven or whether you go to hell...

If you go to heaven, you've got nothing to worry about. However, if you go to hell, you still have nothing to worry about because you'll be so busy shaking hands with your friends, you won't have time to think about it.

Canuckus Deploracus Loc: North of the wall

tNotMyPrez wrote:

However, THAT is a moderated section and, as such, members can be blocked from posting there, and posts can be edited or deleted. And, that section is moderated by die-hard religiousists...

...so, GCC is the perfect location for this discussion, which doesn't have to be about mainstream religion per se - - it can also be about "IF god" & "IF religion", if the poster so chooses, WITHOUT some arbitrary religioso authority deciding on the worth of someone's thinking.

Rose is the only moderator in that section and she doesn't edit or delete posts unless the forum rules are broken...

I have no doubt that you've had posts deleted back when Pennylynn was monitoring it... She often refused to allow squabbling or childishness to derail threads...

tNotMyPrez Loc: So. CA, USA

Canuckus Deploracus wrote:

Rose is the only moderator in that section and she doesn't edit or delete posts unless the forum rules are broken...

I have no doubt that you've had posts deleted back when Pennylynn was monitoring it... She often refused to allow squabbling or childishness to derail threads...

Nope - - to the best of my knowledge, I've never had anything deleted from there. I've never intentionally posted there...

I may have inadvertently posted to that section when I first joined this site, but now I wouldn't choose to leave my posts to be moderated by anyone other than the website owner or her/his authorized representative.

BTW - - pennylynn is still listed as moderator. If that's no longer the case, that should be revised, yes ???

Canuckus Deploracus Loc: North of the wall

tNotMyPrez wrote:

Nope - - to the best of my knowledge, I've never had anything deleted from there. I've never intentionally posted there...

I may have inadvertently posted to that section when I first joined this site, but now I wouldn't choose to leave my posts to be moderated by anyone other than the website owner or her/his authorized representative.

BTW - - pennylynn is still listed as moderator. If that's no longer the case, that should be revised, yes ???

Seeing as how she died quite some time ago I doubt she is taking advantage of the position....

But as she was responsible for the creation of that section I can understand why admin has chosen to leave her name there as a symbol of respect...

BTW: All moderators are authorized representatives of the admin... And seeing as how you post in Leaning Left, which is also moderated by members, I don't think your claim makes much sense....

TexaCan Loc: Homeward Bound!

Canuckus Deploracus wrote:

Rose is the only moderator in that section and she doesn't edit or delete posts unless the forum rules are broken...

I have no doubt that you've had posts deleted back when Pennylynn was monitoring it... She often refused to allow squabbling or childishness to derail threads...

IMO, You’re mistaken on how often Pennylynn interfered between members discussing their beliefs. She was a firm believer in freedom of expression except when a member resorted to vulgarity or bullying. I personally see little difference between the rules enforced in this section than any other section of OPP in the six years that I have been a member.

She shutdown the discussions between Catholics and Evangelicals when they became more personal instead of a debate on the differences between the two. Other than that, she was always fair and let others passionately present their side, in my opinion. I remember only one other time, but I have no doubt that I could have missed others in the six years that I have been posting.....other than that, she didn’t interfere.

I have seen no difference in this section since Pennylynn’s death, nor do I expect Rose to be any different in the future. She is also a very fair and impartial moderator IMO! 👍🙏🏻

Wonttakeitanymore

JohnCo wrote:

I was in the Main (mostly political) section and someone started asking me questions about God or religion. So I decided to start a thread over here in "General Chit-Chat (non-political talk)" in case anybody wants to talk about God or religion.

I looked at the most recent topics here, and found three about "Rapture", but nothing else really recent about God or religion.

So, if anybody wants to say or ask anything about God or religion, go ahead.

Religion is man reaching out to God! Christianity is God reaching out to man!

Wonttakeitanymore

Wonttakeitanymore wrote:

Religion is man reaching out to God! Christianity is God reaching out to man!

John 3:16

Wonttakeitanymore

iFrank wrote:

After researching the rapture, it’s not in Gods Word. Others mis-read words and are led astray . What says you?

Yes it is! But not called rapture!

Wonttakeitanymore

JohnCo wrote:

About "the rapture"? I think it could make a really good adventure story. I did read one rapture novel; it had "the antichrist" in it and part of that was interesting.

So, let me try to break down what the rapture is, or is supposed to be: It would be an event, in which some people vanish from Earth, all together in the same instant, and suddenly they're somewhere else, either in Heaven or on their way there; and all the other people are just left on Earth.

You mentioned "God's Word". It doesn't concern me much, whether something is said to be "in God's Word" or not.

I haven't spent very much time thinking about the rapture. I doubt there will actually be such an event. But supposing there were a rapture, what would be the meaning, or meanings, of it? What would it say about what kind of God God is? What would it say about the meaning of our lives? What would it say about how we know things or whether we can know things? What would happen to the people who are still on Earth after the rapture -- would they end up all going to "Hell"? Would they have some chance of eventually getting to "Heaven"?

After thinking about that for a few minutes, I think the rapture is part of the idea that there is a Heaven and a Hell, such that each human being on Earth cannot really be sure of which place he or she is going after death. I think it is unrealistic that God would operate that way. In particular, the idea I got about Hell, when I was a child attending a Protestant Christian church, was that once you're in Hell you're suffering horribly there forever with no hope of ever getting out; _and_, while you're on Earth, you cannot know just how good you have to be to avoid that fate. You could try to be perfect all the time. That would be a rather dreary life on Earth, always straight as an arrow, always doing your best. If I really believed that was how God works, I wouldn't have any time to relax on Earth, and _still_ couldn't be sure of avoiding Hell. I don't think God is like that. I think God is more reasonable than that. If my father can forgive me for something I did wrong, then surely God could do as well as my father does. I don't imagine that a good God would have a cutoff time, death, after which I would have no hope of ever being forgiven. I can imagine there might be a Heaven, but I find it harder to believe that there's a Hell where people can never be forgiven.

There's also the possibility that there's no God, or that what God there is (or what gods there are) are entirely different from how we currently imagine God to be. I think there is at least one God, and that God is something we cannot fully understand. But I don't think about it much. I think that God is like a friend, and God is polite and elegant, such that God does not interfere with the normal workings of nature. I think the universe came into being and is how it is exactly the same whether there is a God or not. And as for God, God is part of the universe. (Or, God is part of the multiverse.). God is probably an abstraction which is the most polite, elegant thing there could be in the universe. But I also think that there is some kind of God which can be a friend to any of us. I don't know whether the friend and the abstraction are the same God; they're probably two different kinds of god. That's what I think: there are at least two different kinds of god: there's an abstraction and there's a friend. I don't spend much time thinking about either one. Both of them are reasonable and forgiving. And if there were no god, we wouldn't have _that_ friend, but we could still learn to love each other and we could learn to love ourselves. And maybe that's the same as the friend god.

About "the rapture"? I think it could m... (show quote)

Why are u speaking of what you know not! Seek God and u will find him!

Wonttakeitanymore

iFrank wrote:

Well in that ‘day’ is the 1000 years when Christ w... (show quote)

Yes there is ur understanding is askew! Reread and repeat until u get it! Go to church!!

Wonttakeitanymore

So sad for u guys! U have no understanding! Will pray for u!

TexaCan Loc: Homeward Bound!

JohnCo wrote:

About "the rapture"? I think it could make a really good adventure story. I did read one rapture novel; it had "the antichrist" in it and part of that was interesting.

So, let me try to break down what the rapture is, or is supposed to be: It would be an event, in which some people vanish from Earth, all together in the same instant, and suddenly they're somewhere else, either in Heaven or on their way there; and all the other people are just left on Earth.

You mentioned "God's Word". It doesn't concern me much, whether something is said to be "in God's Word" or not.

I haven't spent very much time thinking about the rapture. I doubt there will actually be such an event. But supposing there were a rapture, what would be the meaning, or meanings, of it? What would it say about what kind of God God is? What would it say about the meaning of our lives? What would it say about how we know things or whether we can know things? What would happen to the people who are still on Earth after the rapture -- would they end up all going to "Hell"? Would they have some chance of eventually getting to "Heaven"?

After thinking about that for a few minutes, I think the rapture is part of the idea that there is a Heaven and a Hell, such that each human being on Earth cannot really be sure of which place he or she is going after death. I think it is unrealistic that God would operate that way. In particular, the idea I got about Hell, when I was a child attending a Protestant Christian church, was that once you're in Hell you're suffering horribly there forever with no hope of ever getting out; _and_, while you're on Earth, you cannot know just how good you have to be to avoid that fate. You could try to be perfect all the time. That would be a rather dreary life on Earth, always straight as an arrow, always doing your best. If I really believed that was how God works, I wouldn't have any time to relax on Earth, and _still_ couldn't be sure of avoiding Hell. I don't think God is like that. I think God is more reasonable than that. If my father can forgive me for something I did wrong, then surely God could do as well as my father does. I don't imagine that a good God would have a cutoff time, death, after which I would have no hope of ever being forgiven. I can imagine there might be a Heaven, but I find it harder to believe that there's a Hell where people can never be forgiven.

There's also the possibility that there's no God, or that what God there is (or what gods there are) are entirely different from how we currently imagine God to be. I think there is at least one God, and that God is something we cannot fully understand. But I don't think about it much. I think that God is like a friend, and God is polite and elegant, such that God does not interfere with the normal workings of nature. I think the universe came into being and is how it is exactly the same whether there is a God or not. And as for God, God is part of the universe. (Or, God is part of the multiverse.). God is probably an abstraction which is the most polite, elegant thing there could be in the universe. But I also think that there is some kind of God which can be a friend to any of us. I don't know whether the friend and the abstraction are the same God; they're probably two different kinds of god. That's what I think: there are at least two different kinds of god: there's an abstraction and there's a friend. I don't spend much time thinking about either one. Both of them are reasonable and forgiving. And if there were no god, we wouldn't have _that_ friend, but we could still learn to love each other and we could learn to love ourselves. And maybe that's the same as the friend god.

About "the rapture"? I think it could m... (show quote)

This is a simple explanation of the Rapture and the verses in the Bible where it is taught. This is a start! 👍
To really understand, it is best to read all the verses supplied! I’ll address more of your post in another reply!

https://www.gotquestions.org/rapture-of-the-church.html

Question: "What is the rapture of the church?"

Answer: The word rapture does not occur in the Bible. The term comes from a Latin word meaning “a carrying off, a t***sport, or a snatching away.” The concept of the “carrying off” or the rapture of the church is clearly taught in Scripture.

The rapture of the church is the event in which God “snatches away” all believers from the earth in order to make way for His righteous judgment to be poured out on the earth during the tribulation period. The rapture is described primarily in 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 and 1 Corinthians 15:50–54. God will resurrect all believers who have died, give them glorified bodies, and take them from the earth, along with all living believers, who will also be given glorified bodies at that time. “For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17).

The rapture will involve an instantaneous t***sformation of our bodies to fit us for eternity. “We know that when he [Christ] appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). The rapture is to be distinguished from the second coming. At the rapture, the Lord comes “in the clouds” to meet us “in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). At the second coming, the Lord descends all the way to the earth to stand on the Mount of Olives, resulting in a great earthquake followed by a defeat of God’s enemies (Zechariah 14:3–4).

The doctrine of the rapture was not taught in the Old Testament, which is why Paul calls it a “mystery” now revealed: “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51–52).

The rapture of the church is a glorious event we should all be longing for. We will finally be free from sin. We will be in God’s presence forever. There is far too much debate over the meaning and scope of the rapture. This is not God’s intent. Rather, the rapture should be a comforting doctrine full of hope; God wants us to “encourage each other with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18).

TexaCan Loc: Homeward Bound!

tNotMyPrez wrote:

If you're alive, you've only got two things to wor... (show quote)

I doubt you’ll be enjoying your friends if y’all are in Hell! Meeting your friends will be the least of your worries! 🥴🥶

TexaCan Loc: Homeward Bound!

iFrank wrote:

Well in that ‘day’ is the 1000 years when Christ w... (show quote)

Please provide the verses that states that we will have the ability to go into hell to “remind those that didn’t make it” .........what would the reason be to go to hell if you are saved?

I agree that our names are either written in the book of life or not. After we die, it’s too late to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior.

Believing in the Rapture or not believing in the Rapture is not a Salvation issue. It was never meant to divide Christians or to be fought over. I watched a program with three different preachers that had three different views of the timing of the Rapture......very informative and enjoyable watching 3 men of God discussing the Rapture but preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ!