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=> General Discussions => Topic started by: Gina on February 21, 2012, 02:58:04 AM
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When I learned that God wasn't going to torture the wicked for ever and ever, guess what one of the very first thoughts to run through my mind was? That my favorite musicians/singers would be saved and not tortured in a literal hell. Well, that's pretty much what I was led to believe would happen to them if they didn't repent before they died.
It wasn't that I thought, "Oh great--I get to hear my favorite music for all eternity. Yay...Led Zeppelin! The Cure!, etc. It was just that their words spoke to me in a way no preacher in the pulpit at that time, or since then, really could. To me and many others, they were very likeable people (in spite of their weaknesses/indulgences). I was no better, though; that much I knew.
I became positively ecstatic over that thought.
My second thought was, Oh, great--now I have to learn to love my enemy and my neighbor as myself--what if when it's all over, I discover I don't like/love them as much as I like/love the people I do like/love? (I know. It was a childish thought, but that's the truth.)
Do any of you remember what went through your mind soon after learning that God would not torture most of humanity in a literal hell of fire and brimstone?
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Can't remember the exact first thoughts, but one of them that stood out was knowing for sure i'd get to see my grandpa again. He had committed suicide when i was younger and i never got the chance to know him.
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Relief, as if a stone had been removed from my chest.
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Relief, as if a stone had been removed from my chest.
Yes, that was my very, very first thought -- Yay! No more church, no more worrying about the "tithe," no more pretending I like Christian rock, no more pretending I know what the heck that preacher is talking about. Good-bye boring, angry god. Helloooo Papa!
Relief is right. I forgot what it was like to breathe like a normal person.
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Hello Gina
Cool question!I must say though it was not my first thought I am glad Led Zepplin,Black Sabbeth,Judas Priest,Iron Maiden,Ronnie James Dio,are Not going to a torture chamber.And as you shared I got a lot out of the lyrics of those songs like last in line...Dio...and Imagine... by....Lennon ...and still do to this day.How funny is it that if this was a church on every corner web-site and i POSTED THIS ON THERE..I would be a heathen in a half....lol...But as to your original question My first thought was My brother who commited Suicide in 93 was indeed not frying like a piece of bacon!Immeaditaly Joy rushed through my soul and so did my thoughts about God. Suddenly He was the Savior of the World really! And all the sudden... although i know ..nothing is suppose to happen all the sudden.I had a ablity to love others more because of all the other things I was beginning to learn about the Kingdom.When I think of the blessing of knowing these truths it just empowers me to proclaim them as God directs me.Which brings on So many other thoughts...lol..Again thanks Gina for this post
Its so nice to be able to post something thats of your heart that MAY not be picked apart and analized and that is refreshing to me.So please nobody jump to conclusions about this statement.I am just saying what many others wont.thetruth
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Hello Gina
Cool question!I must say though it was not my first thought I am glad Led Zepplin,Black Sabbeth,Judas Priest,Iron Maiden,Ronnie James Dio,are Not going to a torture chamber.And as you shared I got a lot out of the lyrics of those songs like last in line...Dio...and Imagine... by....Lennon ...and still do to this day.How funny is it that if this was a church on every corner web-site and i POSTED THIS ON THERE..I would be a heathen in a half....lol...But as to your original question My first thought was My brother who commited Suicide in 93 was indeed not frying like a piece of bacon!Immeaditaly Joy rushed through my soul and so did my thoughts about God. Suddenly He was the Savior of the World really! And all the sudden... although i know ..nothing is suppose to happen all the sudden.I had a ablity to love others more because of all the other things I was beginning to learn about the Kingdom.When I think of the blessing of knowing these truths it just empowers me to proclaim them as God directs me.Which brings on So many other thoughts...lol..Again thanks Gina for this post
Its so nice to be able to post something thats of your heart that MAY not be picked apart and analized and that is refreshing to me.So please nobody jump to conclusions about this statement.I am just saying what many others wont.thetruth
You're very welcome, Jerry. :)
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Can't remember the exact first thoughts, but one of them that stood out was knowing for sure i'd get to see my grandpa again. He had committed suicide when i was younger and i never got the chance to know him.
I'm so sorry, Shawn. I can't wait to see my mother. She had a major stroke when I was 8 and she went into a nursing home (state run -- the worst of the worst) an hour and half away from where we lived and pretty much stayed there for 7-1/2 years. She never came home. About every 10 years since then, I wake up from dreams of her and I'm weeping because it's like she's right there in front of me (usually in the doorway of the kitchen--for some odd reason)--and I can see her and she's healthy.
(http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc361/GinaOC1987/Mom5-57.jpg)
Do you ever dream about things like that? Well, maybe that's another post.
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Sorry to hear that, Gina. It's hard having that loss, feeling like an emptiness in your gut as we live now. But have hope, one day we'll be reunited with our loved ones and will truly be happy. I often daydream of that moment and what it will be like.
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One of the first thoughts that dawned on me was that, the Gospel was good news after all, not one bit of bad news in it.
And there's going to be a BIG Party.
And you know what?
Everybody will be there, it's like all in the family, I'm looking forward to that day.
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Indeed, Jopie. :)
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Jerry,
A tribute to your brother:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3xWT_keKR0 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3xWT_keKR0)
Do you think he'd approve?
:-)
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Sorry to hear that, Gina. It's hard having that loss, feeling like an emptiness in your gut as we live now. But have hope, one day we'll be reunited with our loved ones and will truly be happy. I often daydream of that moment and what it will be like.
Yes, I look forward to that day all the time. It's going to be great. Thanks for your kind words, Shawn. :)
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Actually, the funny thing was is there wasn't anything specific more like a "I KNEW IT I'M SO GLAD I CAN SEE THE TRUTH OF IT NOW!" Kind of thing, lol. because I always had my doubts about the existence of an eternal hell. It didn't make much sense to me.
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Hello Gina
Cool question!I must say though it was not my first thought I am glad Led Zepplin,Black Sabbeth,Judas Priest,Iron Maiden,Ronnie James Dio,are Not going to a torture chamber.And as you shared I got a lot out of the lyrics of those songs like last in line...Dio...and Imagine... by....Lennon ...and still do to this day.How funny is it that if this was a church on every corner web-site and i POSTED THIS ON THERE..I would be a heathen in a half....lol...But as to your original question My first thought was My brother who commited Suicide in 93 was indeed not frying like a piece of bacon!Immeaditaly Joy rushed through my soul and so did my thoughts about God. Suddenly He was the Savior of the World really! And all the sudden... although i know ..nothing is suppose to happen all the sudden.I had a ablity to love others more because of all the other things I was beginning to learn about the Kingdom.When I think of the blessing of knowing these truths it just empowers me to proclaim them as God directs me.Which brings on So many other thoughts...lol..Again thanks Gina for this post
Its so nice to be able to post something thats of your heart that MAY not be picked apart and analized and that is refreshing to me.So please nobody jump to conclusions about this statement.I am just saying what many others wont.thetruth
WoW Jerry...you just named almost all of my favourite bands!!!
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For me it would be Bob Marley. Don't worry about a thing cause every little thing is going to be alright. :D One love. Let's get together and we'll feel alright. No woman no cry.
There must be at least one Bob Marley fan beside me on this forum. ???
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Hey Rob,
Who did i forget?....Pink floyd,Scorpins,Rush,Nirvana,Boston,...oh i know Metal Church right?yea.... i know i forgot AC/DC DIDNT I.Cool Rob.... thats all good jam!
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bob marley, bob marley. yes, onelovedread, i too am a fan of bob. i believe that when it is all done, when the judgements are complete, there will be a choir/band in heaven that will be so awesome nothing can match it, except the magnificence of our Creator! 8)
jam on!!!
claudia
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Yes, that was my very, very first thought -- Yay! No more church, no more worrying about the "tithe," no more pretending I like Christian rock, no more pretending I know what the heck that preacher is talking about. Good-bye boring, angry god. Helloooo Papa!
Relief is right. I forgot what it was like to breathe like a normal person.
haha,that was very funny and honest.
Responding to the question. I don't remember my first thought about it, I think it all became gradually, I came to a point when with out even consciously realizing it, I was so far away from playing any church sick games.
The same happened with the bigest idols of my young heart that I was struggling with, as I was looking for answers and studying gradually they dissapear, it feels to me as if that happened so so many years ago, it's funny how relative the time can come to be. One good thing take you to the other and hard experiences make you more resistant, I am pretty sure God is in direct control of the speed for maturity of each of us, after he call us, it's not a matter of time or reading, it's a matter of God working all in according to his perfect will, and yes He likes to use certain ammounts of time and reading to make us grow.
It feels so easy and relaxing for me to talk about this things. so far, all posts are so good.
Moises
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Gina, your mother was beautiful - you can see the fun and the sweetness in her face. :)
In reference to your question,my first thought was, " This is the first thing that has ever made complete sense".
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Octoberose, thank you for that.
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My youngest daughter loves Bob Marley.
John, Claudia, everybody, throw up some links to your favorite musicians.
Jerry mentioned Pink Floyd and this is my favorite Pink Floyd tune. I love it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sVShT6nVTA&feature=fvsr (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sVShT6nVTA&feature=fvsr)
The lyrics are hysterical and oddly familiar ;-). Written from the perspective of the band's signing agent (or whatever you call them):
Come in here, dear boy, have a cigar.
You're gonna go far, you're gonna fly high,
You're never gonna die, you're gonna make it if you try;they're gonna love you.
Well I've always had a deep respect, and I mean that most sincerely.
The band is just fantastic, that is really what I think.
Oh by the way, which one's Pink?
And did we tell you the name of the game, boy
we call it Riding the Gravy Train.
We're just knocked out.
We heard about the sell out.
You gotta get an album out,
You owe it to the people. We're so happy we can hardly count.
Everybody else is just green, have you seen the chart?
It's a helluva start, it could be made into a monster
if we all pull together as a team.
And did we tell you the name of the game, boy
we call it Riding the Gravy Train.
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My dad was a huge pink floyd fan. Mine would be a toss up between Van Halen and Kiss. If Gene Simmons can be saved, then truly we do have an amazing God ;D
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haha, Shawwwnn.
Yeah, all my Jr. High School girlie friends loved Kiss. Mmm.HM!
I was raised on Joni Mitchell, Herb Alpert, Ray Charles, Jimmy Hendrix ("Only the best guitarist ever to have lived." ~brother Scott), Zeppelin (Jimmy Page--second-best guitarist ever, same brother lol), Springsteen, Alice Cooper, Floyd, Deep Purple, Janice Joplin, Steely Dan, Lawrence Welk & Tom Jones (Thanks Mom!! lol) and Christmas Music and you name it!
Not a trace of Elvis or the Beatles--well, except for my friend, Melinda Lovejoy (isn't that a cool name?). She had every single, solitary Beatles' album (vinyl back then, lol). We were five and she played them whenever I went to visit her. We were friends for about a year. ;)
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Hello again: Jimmy Hendrix ("Only the best guitarist ever to have lived." ~brother Scott), Zeppelin (Jimmy Page--second-best guitarist ever, same brother lol
...as per your quote: Hendrix...now there is a good one.I would say Randy Rhodes has a nice shot at number 2 as second-best guitarist ever.Though i know of many who think his the best.Jimmy page is awesome though.SAW him with the Firm in Atlanta in the Omni...it was great and saw Eric Clapton the next night.One that hasnt been mentioned also The Rolloing Stones I won 2 tickets off a radio station and went to see them in Birmingham on the KDF...BUS .WHAT STORIES I COULD TELL YOU.... HAHA.
One the buses broke down and they had to put us all on the same bus.We all sang Rolling Stones songs all the way there.When my sister married her name changed to Stone.When she had a son and i begged her to name him Rolling...but she would not...lol..AHH...MEMORIES,,,THAT REMIND YOU HOW FAR THE FATHER has brought you!
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One the buses broke down and they had to put us all on the same bus.We all sang Rolling Stones songs all the way there.When my sister married her name changed to Stone.When she had a son and i begged her to name him Rolling...but she would not...lol..AHH...MEMORIES,,,THAT REMIND YOU HOW FAR THE FATHER has brought you!
I knew I forgot one-- the Rolling Stones. I wouldn't have named him Rolling either. haha -- Imagine how old it would get to constantly hear "Moss don't grow on a..." Ya know?
hehe
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Gina,
AHH...Motherly love...lol
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"If Gene Simmons can be saved, then truly we do have an amazing God "
Hudson, that's funny as hell:)
Hey Gina, turns out that my mom raised me on almost the exact same music as that on which you were raised. Just throw in some Coltrane, Ellington, Basie, Nat Cole and Frank Sinatra. I agree with octoberose's comment on your Mom. She's truly beautiful.
One of the first things I rejoiced about when I learned that there's no hell is that so many of my deceased relatives will be eventually saved and we will see each other in the future. I lost my cousin, Garth last year and it was most comforting to know that it's not the end of him.
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How did I feel when I realized that hell was a myth?
I hit (predicted) it EXACTLY right! A-L-O-N-E!
My JOY of FINALLY knowing the TRUTH-made me want to SHARE it "from the roof tops" so I did!
The "joyous news of JESUS the SAVIOR" quickly turned smiles to frowns/ruffled feathers/ to hostility!
then C-R-I-T-C-I-Z-E-D (You ALWAYS were different!! A MILLIONS of PEOPLE believe--then there's
Duane, who always thinks and does things HIS WAY! Shouldn't be surprised!)
then S-C-R-U-T-I-N-I-Z-E-D (HOW could you EVER---? You mean ALL the "great men of faith" were
WRONG--but now you have this NEW DOCTRINE that's RIGHT!!)
then T-H-R-E-A-T-E-N-E-D (IF you CONTINUE in this heretical way---!)
then O-S-T-R-I-C-I-Z-E-D (we can no longer have fellowship with you ---if--)
then P-L-E-A-D-E-D W-I-T-H (PLEASE don't spread this (heresy) around to people and be LEADING
THEM straight to hell! You WILL ANSWER TO GOD!! Don't tell!!!)
and PLEASE DON'T use FACEBOOK as a "bully pulpit" for your "stuff"!)
A-L-O-N-E --with a CROWD of my FAVORITE PEOPLE--B-T'ERS!!
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"If Gene Simmons can be saved, then truly we do have an amazing God "
Hudson, that's funny as hell:)
Hey Gina, turns out that my mom raised me on almost the exact same music as that on which you were raised. Just throw in some Coltrane, Ellington, Basie, Nat Cole and Frank Sinatra. I agree with octoberose's comment on your Mom. She's truly beautiful.
One of the first things I rejoiced about when I learned that there's no hell is that so many of my deceased relatives will be eventually saved and we will see each other in the future. I lost my cousin, Garth last year and it was most comforting to know that it's not the end of him.
Frankie baby--old blue eyes. I've started liking him more now that I'm more "mature." hehe. And I love big band music/swing.. Eeee -- gives me a thrill.
My mom--yeah, she was very beautiful inside and out. She had this little girl's voice contrasted with this intelligent, dry sense of humor. haha. She was very, very cool. Loving and generous towards us. Sweet and fun -- like Octoberose said. That's her in a nutshell. Thank you. :)
It's very comforting to know that we'll see our loved ones again. We are very blessed. (I'll be looking forward to meeting my future brother -- Garth. Now, that's a great name.)
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I remember one of my first thoughts of my most wonderful day "Hey! We've been lied to for so long".
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Right. I remember finding the site while I was at work one day. I was upset because I was trying to figure out how I was going to be saved seeing how I wasn't able and willing for that matter to tithe 10 percent of my income. I was working two jobs in addition to my full-time job (not every day) to support myself and my daughter and pay the tuition for my daughter's school. The pastor at my church had just given the congregation the "tithe" speech. He could tell by the looks on some of our faces that some of us weren't pleased with what he was saying, so to sum up his message he laughed and made a snide remark, "When you throw a shoe into a pack of dogs, the one that yipes is the one that got hit. hahahahaa"
>:(
So, about a week went by and I got up the nerve to google "is tithing scriptural." I was literally terrified of questioning "god's" word. I remember thinking to myself, You're so going to hell, Gina, you greedy, ungrateful, money-hungry, you-know-what.
But thank God !! Bible-truth.com was about the second link from the top. I think Dr. Martin's was the first link.
I remember reading the tithing article when I got home and was elated. But when I read the letters to Kennedy and Hagee I remember just being absolutely g-l-u-e-d. I felt like I was walking on air for about the first year or two afterward. Suddenly I loved everybody. I felt more compassion for everybody. It's like my insides were changed. My whole outlook changed. I could feel my body and mind just relax but I was supercharged with excitement and joy at the same time. I'd never felt that way before.
Well, except for the morphine shots they gave me in the hospital when I was giving birth. That is about as close as I can describe the way I felt.
It was like I'd been in some dark, dank prison for many years and someone came along and unlocked a huge wrought iron gate and said, You are free to roam about the country.
Thank you!! Gee, lemme see, who can I take with me? So, like Duane and many of us here, I went around telling everyone I could think of the good news. I was amazed that not very many were as thrilled about it as I was. But then the real work started. The more articles and papers Ray put out, the more I had to search inside myself and really examine myself and it has not been that easy to say the least, but it never gets old. His papers aren't like a pair of Nike's. They never wear out.
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Hello,
Duane...very good post!enjoyed it.
Gina...Great testimoney!...testi....money!
Love all you BT...ERS!
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Once I realized that hell was a lie, I wondered how much other information all in my life was complete bull as well. And from my constant studies I see there is no end of it. Ignorant is what we are.
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River, it's funny how the tearing down of one lie can lead to a domino effect on the others. That's one of the reasons i still post various bt articles and videos, etc on fb from time to time.
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River,
I'm sort of what you might call a linquistic artist. ;D Really, I am. It's such a blessing and a gift.
I respectfully submit that we were ignorant. :) We're not anymore,entirely. Not entirely. Well, maybe not all of us, entirely. But you never know, we could all be of like-mind; we know we will all be like-minded one day. But today probably isn't that day? Or it could be, I don't know. It's still a mystery.
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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If you want to think you were ignorant so be it. My posts are just me talking, they are not anything so great that anyone should be concerned about what I am saying. For me I know I am ignorant. I would be dishonest if I said anything to the contrary. I have things I think are true and of course I must stand on them at the time. When I say "we are all ignorant" it is just my thoughts and my belief, it doesn't mean that you really are ignorant. Just how I see it.
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The is many diferent levels and degrees of Ignorance. Just as there is many levels and different degrees of mistakes we make; everyone individually have his own take and we will be judged in according to our actions.
There is no need to put in defensive regarding if 'we are' or 'we were' ignorant, both sides can be true. There is so many things in life we are still ignorant. Regarding the plan of salvation of all and the main basics of it, we are not any longer ignorant. And when we know something is wrong and still make those mistakes wilfully, ignorace will no longer justify us, because now we know better.
One day we will ALL be of like mind!