How important is religion to you?

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The fact is that no one can ever know who's going to get into heaven and who isn't....because no one's ever come back to tell us about it.

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Afterlife... ;)</p>

<p><em>Ahem</em></p>

<p>Cessation of cognitive function due to termination of electrical activity and necrosis of neurons in cerebral cortex... ;)</p>

<p>...Candy, anyone?</p>

<p>heres another and equally interesting question. Why do pretty much all atheists come off as arrogant D bags</p>

<p>Religion is no longer important to me, not after I read the bible (all the way to II Kings, anyway, and couldn't take it anymore) and realized what a crock of #%@$ I'd been believing in all along.</p>

<p>I'm now an Agnostic looking for a new home!</p>

<p>To everyone who said "well.. I believe in God.":</p>

<p>Even Satan believes in God. He just rejects Him.</p>

<p>ASC...you really should have read the New Testament. OT is a little harder to stomach sometimes.</p>

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ASC...you really should have read the New Testament. OT is a little harder to stomach sometimes.

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Not just a "little harder to stomach", it's downright flagrant. As a fellow (admittedly not as devout/orthodox) Christian (who hasn't really got the "feel" yet and not too concerned yet...maybe it'll hit later on), some of the things in OT is plain ridiculous...have you read some of the things on there?</p>

<p>I read most of the NT already in school, as the OT wasn't taught. </p>

<p>Besides, Jesus was too accepting to have existed anyway.</p>

<p>And just because the new testament was written doesn't take away what the old testament said or what God the Father really believed in/created and had planned.</p>

<p>not religion but faith.</p>

<p>Invoyable...yes, actually, I have.</p>

<p>It seems to me that most everyone who thinks the OT is "ridiculous" is reading it only on a surface level, and not giving it the in-depth study that it deserves. The Bible is one of the most complex books ever written, and you can't just read it once and expect to understand it.</p>

<p>For instance. Many people think that God throwing Adam and Eve out of Eden was harsh and unforgiving. However, if you think about it...they had already eaten from the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil. They had sinned, and there was no atonement for said sin, so they were basically spiritually dead. Should they have eaten from the Tree of Life, they would have been spiritually dead forever. For this reason, he removed them from temptation so that they will not have to deal with the choice of whether or not to eat from the tree of Life.</p>

<p>Takes more than just a surface read to get there, doesn't it?</p>

<p>ACS-Jesus didn't just accept people the way they were. He told people constantly, "Go and sin no more." He forgives, but he also requires change. Yes, he spent most all his time with "the least of those"...but he also helped them (or at least tried to help them) change their lifestyles.</p>

<p>The Old Testament was setting the stage. Showing that it was impossible to abide by all the rules and that if we don't the punishment is severe. Then you need to see that we can not abide all the rules so thus we must be resigned to eternity in hell. And then we see in the NT that Jesus dies for our sins so we can be rescued if we believe in Him and make a conscious effort to improve ourselves. Spot on HisGraceFillsMe!</p>