MESSAGE # 0006
BY: Kevin (reply to post on other site)
POSTED: 09/27/00
SUBJECT: Salvation/Repentance/Grace/Faith/Free-Will/Nature of God
REF CODE: msg0006
The original text was reprinted with permission from the owner of the website on which the entry was posted.
Record 194
Name: [Withheld]
Website: Whatever...
Referred by: Just Surfed On In
From: U.S.A.
Time: 2000-06-09 06:08:18
Comments: I'm not one do bash someone because of their belief system, but I believe this Christian-Metal thing to be another fabrication by the church to recruit new members, the same with the Christian-punk movement. Personally, I'm not a fan at all of Xtian music in general (although as a guitarist myself, I respect the ability apparent in some of these bands), and I listen to alot of metal that I guess have been classified as "Satanic" metal groups. I am not a Christian myself, and I personally have no belief system whatsoever, but I still try to keep and open mind of music, and I just believe that Christian-Metal, for lack of better words, is fake. Feel free to e-mail me about the subject, and I really hope no one decides to spam me...
To: [Address withheld]
Subject: Signed_Guestbook
From: Kevin L Lauer <kevinlauer@minister.com> Add to Contacts
Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2000 03:55:34 -0400
Hi, [Name withheld]. I saw your post on the [Site name withheld] guestbook. You said that you have no belief system. I don't understand what you mean. If you have any opinion at all about anything, that's a belief. As a Christian, I think it's important to explain to you that you DO have a belief system. Sooner or later, all humans who live past the age of accountability (whatever that happens to be) have to choose Christ or Satan. If you choose NOT to choose, still you choose. And by not choosing, you have chosen Satan. And by choosing Satan, you have chosen death. I know you could care less about what I'm saying, but I sincerely pray that you will come to understand the love and grace of Jesus Christ. He IS alive. He DOES love you. He DOES want you to live forever. But you have to choose.
Jesus loves you.
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To: kru2@yep.com
Subject:
From: [Address withheld]
Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2000 14:12:23 -0700 (PDT)
I found that since you've gone so far out of you way to send me an email for something I wrote a couple of month's ago, I would be obliged to reply...
First things first... I do NOT believe in god. I do NOT believe in the Christian Jesus Christ. And most importantly, I do NOT believe in the devil, Satan, whatever you want to call him...
I do NOT believe in ANY religious deity whatsoever... But I KNOW that there is something that created us that we as humans cannot comprehend. Call it what you will: the Big Bang, The Creation... Whatever it is, it was not done by some Big Brother who just decided one day to create a "universe" and fill it full of "people".
On a second note, why is it that so many "Christians", believe in such a benign, loving God... when you also believe that if you are very bad in this lifetime, you are sentenced to a lifetime in Hell... In my opinion, that is completely ludicrous... Wouldn't it be depressing, if you threw away your life trying to adhere to everything the Bible tells you to do, then die finding out there IS NO such thing as Hell? I would find it a dire waste of such a wonderful thing as human life.
Say what you will, to try and make me redeem my unholy life. Say your prayers and etc... But in the long run, stop worrying about other people's beliefs, and go on to enjoy your life... because it's short, and you might as well not waste it worrying about silly things like Hell and Satan... :)
To: [Address withheld]
Subject: Re: Your reply
From: "KRUSADE Ministries" <kru2@yep.com> Add to Contacts
Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2000 12:54:19 -0400
Hi, thanks for responding to my e-mail. I appreciate your honesty and candor. I respect your right to choose whatever you wish to believe and will not try to force my beliefs on you. In fact, that is the example that I believe God gave. The thing about the judgment of God is this: you don't deserve to go to Heaven. Neither do I. Nobody does. We're ALL sinners unworthy of the Holiness that is God's nature. But God loves us so much that He offers us a chance at eternal life. God doesn't FORCE us to accept Him; that would make Him a tyrant. He has the POWER to do
so, but He chooses not to, because it would not be Holy. And that would be against His nature. Instead, He allowed His Son (the only sinless creature that could atone for the sin of all creation) to pay the penalty for our sins (crimes against Heaven). He tells us that "the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal
life through Christ Jesus." He offers us all the FREE GIFT of eternal life, that we could NEVER earn by "being good", but we have to accept it. What good would the GIFT be if He FORCED us to accept it? And it doesn't matter how "bad" you were in your lifetime, God will forgive all who come to Him in sincere repentance. Maybe it would be depressing, as you said, to find that Hell was just a myth after "suffering" through a pure life, but wouldn't it be much more depressing to find that it WAS REAL after it's too late to accept Christ? I'd think people would much rather play it safe, even if they may be wrong. After all, "what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but forfeits his soul? And what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" As I said, I respect your choice, regardless of what it is. I simply
believe it's important... no, IMPERATIVE that I share the Truth that I know by faith. "God is not willing that ANY should perish, but that all should come to repentance." But the choice is yours and yours alone. Whether or not you believe in God and Satan, they are still there. Your disbelief won't make them cease to exist, and sooner or later, we all have to choose God or Satan. Thank you for your time, and "choose you this day who you will serve," because if you choose NOT to choose, you have chosen... death. I continue to pray for you, because as you so correctly
said, life is short; but eternity is so much longer.
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