DEMOCRACY IS SUPPOSEDLY A SIXTH CENTURY C.E. INVENTION OF THE ATHENIANS. There Are Many Forms Of Democracy Ranging From Primitive Democracy To A Sophisticated Representative Democracy Using A Preferential Voting System. Democracy is seen as the fairest system of voting because people get to exercise their right to vote.

What does the Christian bible say about democracy?

Harry Riches · Answers request of Paul Donley

Most people when speaking of a democracy are talking about a representative democracy. A true democracy is where the people have a say in everything. But the problem with this is that the majority still rule over the minority and therefore people do not get to have their will executed if they happen to be in the 49% of the minority. A democracy on Earth rarely, if at all, returns a 100% decision in favor of some action.

The concept of liberty is not foreign to the Bible, but this does not translate into the government of the people by some people for the people within a democracy of any kind. For the concept of representative democracy is foreign to the Bible. Yet the concept of liberty enables everyone to have a say in what each one does with one's life. The concept of freewill, and everyone choosing to do what is right is the advocated decision for each to make in one's life. This advocacy for personal liberty permeates the pages of the Bible from the first book of Genesis to the last book, The Revelation of Lord Jesus Christ.

At the heart of democracy is the concept of government by the will of the people. The Bible actually advocates that the concept of government desired by the Creator is one where the people do what is right and therefore have no need of an overlord. This is what a theocracy is about, not having overlords. A government by the will of the people who choose to do what is right,precludes the need for judicial intervention and law enforcement .

The book of Esther has no mention of God in it at all. The Jewish people in captivity, mentioned in the book of Esther, do what is required to bring about the will of God, which is the counsel of the Omniscient Mind without direction or threat to bring about good. In the Book of Esther, we see an example of people exercising their democratic right to do what is right. In fact this is really what the New Testament concept of the Kingdom of God is about—doing what is good, right and true.

In line with the idea that we have the right to exercise our freewill to conform to the Omniscient Mind of our Creator and appreciate what is good, right and true, the Apostle Paul informs us:

• Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore he who resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of him who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain; he is the servant of God to execute his wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be subject, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay all of them their dues, taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due. (Romans 13:1-7)

On the face of what Paul writes, we might not think that the Feudal system of government predominant for most of history is really something that was instigated by God. Yet, the populations of the Earth, are like one organism that has cells (in this case, humans) being birthed and dying all the time. Of course, the difference between a strictly biological entity and a human entity is the freewill that the human possesses by virtue of having been created in the image of God.

The Romans and the Greeks elected their rulers. But this limited form of democracy, for that is what it was, really was no different than a King becoming ruler because those who supported him saw him as the strongest and wisest to lead, therefore they would follow. For a king only rules while the people close to him (the nobles) permit him to rule, unless he is killed in war or assassinated by a mercenary, a disgruntled servant, slave or some other subject.

The conscience vote is often touted by politicians as being democracy at work, even if the populace get no say. In this respect, the Apostle Paul says that to be subject to rulers is for the good of the society and not its detriment, which is a matter of conscience, not enforcement. Logically, wise people seek the good of society in the knowledge that rising tides raise all boats, because they understand that when goodness dissipates, anarchy usually rules. A city like Mogadishu is the result. To quote wikipedia, "Somalia, from 1991 to 2006, is cited as a real-world example of a stateless society."

Humans being humans, when left to their own devices, have to survive and Mogadishu became a society of groups that began to do what is evident in the biological world where the survival of the fittest is the rule; only humans also exercise their decisions based upon conscience and social mores that animals do not possess. Consequently, the development of the subsequent territories within Mogadishu, out of economic necessity, began to trade with each other. Over time, the city began to unite and experience economic improvements advanced by the private sector without government controls. Eventually, though, a stronger power took control of the country and now taxes and regulations are being enforced.

Using Somalia as an example, any Christian living there now, would have to either become Muslim or, if permitted to live, be subject to dhimmitude, where the dhimmi tax would be paid for protection, with all rights abrogated except economic and property obligations. A Christian living for the glory of God in Somalia would probably be executed. This is because Muslims may be tempted to be convert to Christ. Not only would this be fatal for the Christian,this would be fatal for any converts. A Christian living in accordance to the Scriptures, wishing to stay in Mogadishu, would not overtly resist the government. The Christian would pay the dhimmi tax and yet exercise his or her right to live in accordance to the Kingdom of God, irrespective of the Somali government requirements.

A democratic right is the right to vote for what form of government is being proposed between two or more parties. Or the right to elect an individual from two or more contestants to a position of authority. In this sense, if a Christian votes for the Kingdom of God and another government wins the day, the Christian does not have to comply with government policy. For a conscience vote is a democratic right even if it meets with death. To divorce the conscience from voting rights is to annul all rights, as the conscience is the means by which rights originate. Therefore, when a Christian chooses to honor Jesus as Lord, a democratic right is being exercised. If the Christian succumbs to Islamic demands, and denies Lord Jesus Christ, then the right to choose is forfeited.
While the Bible does not speak of a democratic government, it does speak of the individual possessing a conscience to exercise democratic rights, which is really at the heart of true democracy. For a democracy relies upon the conscience vote, or a person exercising freewill to exist. This applies to all forms of democracies at some level of government.

A true democracy is one that has no rulers, but in practice, democracies are really the government of the people, for the people, by some of the people—but not by all of the people. Unfortunately, this translates into modern democracies being the government of the people, by some of the people, for the good of those in government. Now that is definitely not biblical. For it is the same as a king ruling for himself rather than the good of his people.

Everybody Was Given Freewill To Have Their Own Vote To Walk In Righteousness

ORTHODOX MAN HAS NEVER READ THE BIBLE AND DESIRES TO KNOW WHERE TO START. For Some People This Might Seem A Silly Question Because Most People Know That When Reading A Book One Starts At The Beginning. The Bible is different to other books because it is a collection of books.

I have never read the Bible how and where should I start (I am Orthodox if that matters)?

Harry Riches · Edit Bio

The first and most important criterion for reading the Bible is to ask Lord Jesus Christ to guide you and show you the truth as you read the Holy Writ. Forget about what other people say and let the Holy Spirit teach you. Always prayerfully read the Scriptures and call on the Lord God, Creator of the Universe, to speak to you.

Having said that this is what Jesus said:
You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life. (John 5:39-40)

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?”
Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:31-36)

The most important thing is to seek out Lord Jesus and ask Him to reveal the truth about Himself to you. If you do this as you read the Bible, you will begin to hear His voice. For Jesus' sheep hear His voice.

As already suggested, read the Gospels. Begin at Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, asking Lord Jesus Christ to show you Himself in a very personal way.

The Only Words Written By The Finger Of God Were Written For You To Find Life

MANY PEOPLE THINK THAT CHRISTIANITY CONSISTS OF THE BEATITUDES.. If This Was ALL True Christianity Was About, Then This Would Be Like Some Philosophy And Maybe Some Man-made Religion. But true Christianity is about much more than most people think.

Matt 5:1-48, Luk. 6:27-36 and John 4:7-21. What do these texts tell us and do they give a fair picture of Christianity?

Happy Riches, Answers

Matt. 5:1-48, Luke. 6:27-36 and John. 4:7-21. What do these texts tell us and do they give a fair picture of Christianity?

The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1–12)
Salt and Light (Matthew 5:13–16)
The Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17–20)
Concerning Anger (Matthew 5:21–26)
Concerning Adultery (Matthew 5:27–30)
Concerning Divorce (Matthew 5:31–32)

 Concerning Oaths (Matthew 5:33–37)

Concerning Retaliation (Matthew 5:38–42)

Love for Enemies (Matthew 5:43–48; Luke 6:27-36)

The water of life is essential (John 4:7-21)

The texts that you mention require much more elaboration than merely annotating the main points. As for giving a fair picture of Christianity, unless people understand the need for new birth and baptism of the Holy Spirit, whatever is presented is merely a superficial offering—and unacceptable.

Christianity is unfortunately often viewed through the rituals, rites and traditions of the Roman Catholic, Coptic, Orthodox churches or the assumptions of the Calvinists, or the hypocrisy of the many others who claim to be Christians because they were born in a nation that purports to be Christian.

A true Christian walks in the light of the Law and the testimony of the prophets because the Spirit of Lord Jesus Christ abides within the individual.

• But you are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Any one who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although your bodies are dead because of sin, your spirits are alive because of righteousness. (Romans 8:9–11)

• But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)

• To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. (Isaiah 8:20)

• And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. (Revelation 12:11)

In the above Scriptures, we see nothing about rituals or rites, only the requirements for walking in the light in the power of the Holy Spirit and possessing righteous spirits.
The texts of Matthew 5:1-48, Luke 6:27-36 and John 4:7-21 indicate what one ought to find in the lives of Christians, but they do not clearly state what is required to become a Christian. This would probably require not just the above Scriptures  (along with Romans 8:9–11; 1 John 1:7; Isaiah 8:20; Revelation 12:11) but also what is written in John 3:1–16. Or what the Apostle Peter preached:

• Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:37–38).

Unless we begin at the entrance to the Kingdom of God, understanding the way (Acts 16:17) to the truth that leads to life is rather difficult (John 14:6).

The Only Written Words By The Finger Of God Exist For You To Enjoy Life

ATHEISTS AND HATERS OF LORD JESUS CHRIST MAKE UP FALSEHOODS TO SMEAR THE LORD OF LIFE. An Antichrist Claims The Baptist Church Practices Cannibalism When Criticizing Christians As Creepy. The Roman Catholic Church believes that the wafer and the wine are transformed into the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ, but not the Protestant churches.

What do you find to be the creepiest aspect of the Christian faith, as practiced by Christians whom you personally know?

For me, it was a practice at the Baptist church I used to attend. They would eat a wafer of bread and drink a shot glass of grape juice. But they insisted that in their mouths the bread and grape juice was magically transformed into the actual flesh and blood of Jesus … in other words, cannibalism.

This is false. No Baptist Church claims that the bread and the wine are magically turned into the actual flesh or blood of Jesus.

The person who is asking this question is merely venting his or her own hatred for what is the truth. God loves this person and everybody else, but has given each one freewill to see what each one is going to do with his or her life.

Many are going to be fools. The wise recognize they have not got the ability to overcome death and seek the Creator. I did. And I discovered Jesus rose from the dead.

The bread and wine are symbols. Jesus told the Apostle Paul to instruct those who accept the truth that their sins are covered and have received the Holy Spirit to partake in together when they meet together. This is to be done until He returns. Those who treat this as unworthy bring judgment upon themselves.

• For I received from the Lord that which also I delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed took bread. When he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “Take, eat. This is my body, which is broken for you. Do this in memory of me.” In the same way he also took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink, in memory of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks the Lord’s cup in a way unworthy of the Lord will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy way eats and drinks judgment to himself, if he doesn’t discern the Lord’s body. (1 Corinthians 11:23–29)

• On the first day of the week, when the disciples were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and continued his speech until midnight. (Acts 20:7)

• On the first day of the week, let each one of you save, as he may prosper, that no collections be made when I come. (1 Corinthians 16:2)

• Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good works, not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as you see the Day approaching. For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which will devour the adversaries. (Hebrews 10:24–27)

When people demonstrate their ignorance with questions like this one, we know that they are really just attempting to discredit the truth.

However, the truth about the bread and the wine is that they are symbols that are to be taken seriously, even if they are impotent of themselves. The Apostle Paul taught people to meet on the first day of the week and participate in breaking the bread and commemorate the reason of Jesus’ crucifixion—the price required to set people free from being kidnapped by the god of this world.

What God is concerned with is the attitude of people. Just as people hate those with a bad attitude, God does not tolerate hypocrites or anarchists who think they can do what they like, whenever they like, to the detriment of other people.

Those Who Desire To Know The Truth Seek To Understand Rather Than Scoff

GOD IS THE FIRST CAUSE OF ALL THINGS BECAUSE BEFORE GOD THERE WAS ONLY GOD. Yet People Cannot Understand How Evil Came About If God Is Good. For many it seems contradictory that God is good and there are no uncaused causes that exist if God did not create evil.

Philosophy of Religion: Is it illogical to believe both in no uncaused causes AND that God is good?

Monotheistic religions tend to make two claims: 1) that god is good; and 2) that he is the only example of an uncaused cause. But aren't these two assumptions logical contradictions? Either he is the Cause of all things (including Evil), or there are many examples of other uncaused causes.

Happy Riches · Answers

The way this question is posed it can easily be misinterpreted to mean that it assumes that everything is predetermined and freewill does not exist.

That God is good and evil exists is not an illogical contradiction. Especially when one understands the truth about life, existence and why humans are on this planet and held captive to the evil of suffering and death.

When speaking of monotheistic religions, the Bible speaks of the same God in both the New and Old Testaments. The Koran does not reference Yahweh, whose Son has revealed His name—Lord Jesus Christ—in the New Testament. On the other hand, the Tanakh tells us God, The Holy One, has a Son Who possesses the same name as Himself. (Proverbs 30:3-4).

The other monotheistic religions are not based upon the teachings of the Tanakh, whereas Christians are instructed within the New Testament that they are not to go beyond what is written in the Tanakh, which is the Old Testament.

The Tanakh teaches that God created everything and saw that it was Good. There is no reference to God being the source of evil. There are references to God using evil now that it exists, but He is not the source of evil. Those who claim that God is the source of evil are speaking of their god the Devil. For the Devil is the source of evil.

Language is an amazing tool for understanding our existence and our environment. Without language we would be zombies, or animals that merely exist to prey on food sources, procreate and die without reason. Since we have the capacity to reason, we have the capacity to use language as a means of understanding and formulating concepts. Moreover, people seek to make a universal language (e.g. Esperanto), when we already have one (English). The English language being spoken globally is why so much progress has been made in the world of technology. It is also the language that tells us that the originator of evil is the Devil.

The Devil is evil. The Devil is d'evil one. This is intimated in the Tanakh but revealed in the New Testament. An example of revealing what is hinted at in the Tanakh and revealed in the New Testament is evidenced by the name of God being revealed as Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Holy One. The Son of God never sinned and remained the Holy One even though He was in the form of a human. Only Jesus of Nazareth, unlike other mortals, had the power of an indestructible life.

God is good. God is love. God is righteous. God's righteous love shows His goodness. However, being righteous also means God is just. Justice requires judgments, rewards and recompense. But this does not mean God created evil.

Evil came about because of freewill being given to creatures created by the Creator. Freewill may be the cause of evil, but like a gun that kills people, an antecedent is required. For the gun does not kill people of itself and neither does the capacity for freewill. Guns kill people because somebody had determined to exercise their freewill to use a gun to do so. Likewise evil came into being because an entity that possessed freewill decided to exercise the volition given to him as a gift foolishly and took the risk of challenging the Creator.

God created freewill. God saw that freewill was good because it gave entities the ability to appreciate goodness and the ability to choose the enjoyment of wholesome pleasures. Unfortunately, freewill also posed the risk of someone doing the unthinkable and challenging the Supreme One Who is superior in all respects to the Creation and any individual entity within it.

It is illogical in some people's minds that because evil exists, its origins could not be with the First Cause or the Uncaused One. The truth is the Uncaused One need not be the progenitor of evil for it to exist.

If the argument for evil is developed from an evolutionary point of view, evil was either existing within the beginning or it came about along the way. An evolutionist could argue that evil did not come into existence until men began to exercise freewill. Such an argument would be in line with the Bible's description of evil's origin. This is because there was no cause necessary for evil to exist. Indeed, there was no valid reason for evil to exist at all.

The New Testament speaks of evil as sin. Sin is the rupturing of relationships. Jesus said that the Devil sinned from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared in the form of a human being was to destroy the works of the Devil. To attribute Evil to God is to say that the Creator is the Devil.

• He who commits sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8)

There is no need to believe in uncaused causes and God is good, only to be confused. Evil has a cause, only God did not cause evil. Neither need we assume that God desired or expected evil to come about. To some, the suggestion that God did not expect evil to occur at some time is evidence of fallibility, but they are overlooking the decisive point of reality that would have to occur before evil came into existence: Why would anybody challenge their Creator, when it is a lost cause?

Why would a person choose to be a fool? Evidently conceit arises from covetousness and selfishness. Those who think they are wiser than the Creator turn into fools.

Conceitedness is evil. Those that love evil, dive into their eternal hole of darkness and solitude because of the shame it brings once exposed. For according to the Bible, this shall be the lot of the Devil and those who follow him. Of course, when we are speaking of evil, we are speaking of the pain of not being enjoined in a loving relationship with our Heavenly Father. Satisfied individuals have no cause for evil.

Is it illogical to believe in no uncaused causes and the truth that God is Good? Yes it is illogical to believe that there are no uncaused causes and that God is Good. Because every act of evil that is committed by freewill is an uncaused cause. The first act of evil was committed by an uncaused cause because, without legitimate cause, an agent possessing freewill decided to challenge its Creator. The only reason for this challenge appears to be conceit that has arisen from narcissism, which required a choice having to be made between foolhardiness and humility before being acted upon.

The first act of evil had no legitimate cause, but was determined by an act of freewill and this resulted in a state of separation from God. This state is termed "sin". Sin is separation from God. Sin is also alienation between humans. Alienation between humans is the current state of this world.

In this respect, we see that the Son of God, in humility, did not consider equality with Lord God Almighty as something that was to be grasped; instead, he emptied Himself of His glory and took on human form, so that He could suffer for the sake of redeeming what had been unjustly rent from the Eternal One. This the Son of God did by taking on the likeness of men and becoming sin as an act of reconciliation to permit humans to be ransomed from the state of separation from God into which they are born. This act appeased the righteous requirements of a law-abiding Creator and meet the criterion for universal justice to be upheld: a righteous life sacrificed for the unrighteous act of Adam and all his seed that were in his loins as the progenitor of the human race.

While sin is the cause of evil, and we exist in sin because we are placed here by our Creator, we have to be given every option possible to resist evil and seek salvation from its tentacles of death. Moreover, we have to be given every option to recognize that to reject our Creator becomes our decision. Only when this has been provided can anyone exercise his or her freewill with uncaused cause and thus be reconciled to the Lord God, Creator of Heaven and Earth, or reject the offer of eternal salvation from the consequences of sin and death. Therefore it is not illogical for God to be wholly good and the uncaused cause who did not create evil.

The Ones Who Overcome Evil Are The Ones Who Find Life's Everlasting Secrets

GREAT COMMANDMENTS IS NOT HOW THINK ABOUT COMMANDMENTS. Mostly Commandments Are Thought Of As Prohibitions. Yet wise people see commandments coming from the Lord God as prescriptions for health and happiness.

The greatest commandment: How do you love God with all your heart, all your mind and all your soul?

Happy Riches Answers

Many people read the Bible and believe the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, your mind and all your soul. Unfortunately, they quote it, tell others to do it, but do not do it themselves.

This is a question that a person who would genuinely desire to know the truth would ask. There are many fools who reject God and scoff at the idea of loving people who are created in the image of God. Yet they might even venture to provide an answer to such a question. They do this because they are really opinionated clowns.

This is a question I myself have asked. How can I love the Lord my God with all my heart, with all my mind, with all my soul and all my strength? Some have told me to go and love my neighbor as myself. But that is easier said than done. Not everybody is so accepting of my loving. Rejection is more common than not.

To truly answer the question we would have to understand what is meant by the heart, the soul and the mind. Although, there is a reference to strength, as well as the other three constituents of heart, mind, and soul, in the Gospel of Mark.

We also need to understand what love actually happens to be, because love is many things to different people. We need to understand what Jesus meant by love when he said that we were to love God with our heart, our mind and our soul. Furthermore, we need to possess the correct understanding of God if we are to manifest the appropriate form of love. For even the Bible informs us that God is love.

Definitions are required for God, love, soul, mind and heart. For how can we love God with our heart, mind and soul, if do not understand what we are talking about. Ignorant people go on to appear foolish when they speak about what they know not. If our definitions are correct, then we can at least get something right and start making progress towards our desired aim, even if we are fallible human beings.

God is the Infinite, Almighty, Omniscient, Immortal, Transcendent, Supreme Being within Whom all things consist and exist, including the Universe in which we live.

Love is desire for someone that is accompanied with the full appreciation of the desired one's worth and feelings of euphoria.

Heart refers to the spirit of the individual, the unconscious inner core of our being that motivates and enables us to appreciate life and all it has to offer.

Mind is the intellect or conscious thinking capacity that enables us to process information and make conscious decisions in respect to our environment and the knowledge we are capable of recalling.

Soul is a subconscious natural force field that defines our emotional space as biological beings, that is conditioned by our environment to incorporate the desires of our carnal instincts to survive, covet and rule, otherwise known as the lusts of the flesh, eyes and pride of life.

If we are to love God because He is the Supreme Being, there will be a sense of awe and respect for His ability to create life and the majestic beauty that Creation possesses. However, we are distant from God. There is no relationship. This is the God of the agnostic. The God who set the Universe in motion and does not interfere with its operation. This is the God who provides us with no reason for being born into sin only to die, and then have to suffer in between. This is not the God of the Bible—even if there are those who read the Bible and say that this is their God.

The God described in the Bible is the Supreme Being within Whom we all exist and Who has a purpose for our being here. Evidently, God did not create evil, but because He gave creatures freewill, evil came into being. We are born into an evil existence, and God expresses His love for us through the death and resurrection of Himself in the form of Jesus of Nazareth, Who paid the price for our redemption and delivers us from darkness into light, providing we permit Him to act on our behalf. Therefore, the God of the Bible is the Creator Who desires to have an intimate relationship with us all. The Bible says that God desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. To this end, He desires that we pray for all people that they might be saved (1 Timothy 2:1-4)—something God would not require, if he had already decided who would be saved and who were not to be saved, regardless of what they did.

For us to love God, we first need to know Him and enter into a relationship with Him. Just as people become real to us when we begin to know them, so too, God desires to become real to us. The Lord God wants us to have a relationship with Him so that we might know Who He Is. When we know Who God is to us, then we can begin our relationship. Without having made the connection, there is no relationship. We may as well speak of the Prince of Pluto—for distance doth not a relationship make. The Bible is very clear that "in God we live and move and have our being" and He desires to live and move and have his being within us. This is an invitation only gig. We are the ones who say who plays the song of joy or the dirge of desolation in our hearts for eternity. Until we die, we are told that the Son of God is knocking on the door of our hearts, in the hope we might let Him inside.

• Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20)

How do you love God with all your heart, all your mind and all your soul?

Firstly by opening your ears and your heart so that He might come inside and reside. Until this occurs, there is no point in trying to understand the rest. For it is a matter of reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion that brings into submission all our desires for the short-lived relief that worldly pleasures provide, so that we can enter into the eternal satisfaction of knowing the pleasures of God's presence. And God's presence becomes very intoxicating, pleasurable and satisfying, indeed.

Once we have learned to experience the presence of God, we will learn to walk with God. Walking with God requires us to be absolutely given to being like Elijah in the Bible. For he was a person who possessed a nature like ours (James 5:17), but because of his commitment, he did not see death. Now this is what happens when people love the Lord God with all their hearts, and all their souls and all their minds and all their strength. This is reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion in action. For whoever keeps God's word, love is perfected in that one, and he or she will walk as Lord Jesus Christ walked when He was on Earth, in total obedience to what is right; only not from fear of punishment, rather because of the joy of life.

To love God with all one's heart, mind, soul and strength would require the understanding that God is LORD and He reigns over all things; therefore, one's complete trust in Him is justified, and will always be vindicated regardless of the situation, and there is no requirement for one to defend oneself under any circumstances, but simply rely upon Almighty God to meet every need; irrespective of how humiliating personal circumstances become or how hopeless prospects look for doing so. To love God is to be like Job

• Then his wife said to him, “Do you still cling to your integrity [and your faith and trust in God, without blaming Him]? Curse God and die!” But he said to her, “You speak as one of the [spiritually] foolish women speaks [ignorant and oblivious to God’s will]. Shall we indeed accept [only] good from God and not [also] accept adversity and disaster?” In [spite of] all this Job did not sin with [words from] his lips. (Job 2:9-10).

How many claim to love God and yet fall short when it comes to the crunch? My hand was up first! Yet I know and experience the presence of God daily. I rejoice in the joy of salvation. A joy that I did not possess before I became a Christian. Still, I fall short of Job, even though we are told that the least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he, or John the Baptist, who came in the spirit of Elijah.

Understanding Experience Is The Key To Finding And Acknowledging Love Of God 

YOU SHALL NOT KILL IS SAID TO BE ONE OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. Yet Those Who Read The Bible Are Bewildered That People Are Instructed To Kill On Behalf Of God. This happened when the Israelites went into the Promised Land and if a person was a homosexual or a witch.

One of the Ten Commandments is 'Thou shalt not kill,' is it a sin to go to war?

Are all soldiers who have killed an enemy, sinner's in the eyes of God? — requested by Michael Dwerryhouse

Happy Riches Answers

The King James Bible has "thou shalt not kill". But it should read "you shall not murder". For this is the intent of the commandment.

If the commandment states: "You shall not kill." We have to ask, Kill what? A dog? A flea? A microbe?

To command, "You shall not kill a human being," does not take into consideration the concept of having to kill somebody for justice to be upheld.

When speaking about not killing a human being, even in the King James Bible, the idea implicit in the statement is murder—not merely killing another person.

Murder implies killing with intent, without a socially verifiable just motive, and not killing somebody by accident.

Now your question as to whether it is a sin to go to war, comes across as one of those "gotcha" attempts, especially when you add: Are all soldiers who have killed an enemy, sinner's in the eyes of God?

Anybody who has read the Bible with the intent to understand it, knows that the Bible states: All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Therefore, regardless of whether soldiers go to war, they are all sinners who are condemned by their unrighteous actions while growing up and are in need of redemption.

Fortunately, Jesus has died and paid the price for redemption. Was Jesus murdered or killed? If Jesus had been killed, that is executed for wrongdoing, then His death would have been just. If not, then Jesus was murdered, and those who killed Him were unjust. Nevertheless, Jesus permitted Pilate to do what he liked. Being a politician, Pilate decided to appease the Jews that demanded Jesus death.

However, the unjust killing of Jesus has turned into the redemption of sinners. Those who accept Jesus' death as a substitute for their own are now permitted right standing before the Judge of all men. Each one who accepts Jesus' death as the price for his or her own sins, by faith, have the right to receive the inheritance that has also been willed to everyone who desires to be reconciled with the Creator of the Universe.

The distinction between a just killing and a murder is evidenced in the final judgment that each individual has to face if they reject the gospel message that is even found in the Ten Commandments.

Many don't want to avail themselves of eternal salvation because they have such a high opinion of themselves. Instead of being killed, the Bible says that their worm will never die. Unlike the first death (biological) the second death is separation from God, not annihilation. The smoke from the flames (not the stench of their conceit and self-righteousness) will be a reminder of what happens to the self-righteous forever. They will forever exist, only in a state of punishment.

• And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever....Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire; and if any one’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:10, 14-15)

Jesus said that we are not to worry about those who can kill the body, rather we ought to be afraid of what happens if our body and soul are destroyed in Hell.

• And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28)

Now that it is clear that we exist as eternal beings in temporary biological bodies, what is worth noting is the bodies and souls are destroyed but not the spirits of individuals. The spirit of the individual is what will live on. Within each one's spirit, the knowledge that one has rejected the truth because of personal arrogance, will eat away at each one's consciousness, but like a worm that will never die. This is not something people ought to scoff at.

• And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. (Mark 9:47-48)

The Bible says that when a person is killed in the flesh, that person lives on in the realm of the Spirit. At the final judgment those thrown into the Lake of Fire will have their body and soul destroyed, but not their spirit. The spirit is an eternal feature that enables us to relate to God, if we choose to reject the truth that our Creator is Lord of Life and worthy of respect, then we will get our desire and be thrown into the Lake of Fire forever.

As to the question, "Is it a sin to go to war?" There are two answers. One has to do with Israel and the other to do with Christians.

Ideally, Israel was to be a nation where righteousness dwelt.  From an Earthly perspective, Israel was to rule with God and demonstrate the benefits of being righteous. God ordained that those who sinned were to be eradicated. Under these conditions, righteous destruction of evildoers was warranted.

As for Christians, war is out of the picture (unless it is spiritual). Christians, who are truly walking with God, will be imprisoned, tortured,or burned at the stake by those who hate the truth. For the Christian, this is not a problem. Neither should death be a concern for Christians. For Christians have already entered into eternal life and they have the assurance abiding within themselves that they have received the promised Holy Spirit. Why would a Christian go to war? Christians are meant to be lights to the world.

Unfortunately, we see through history that many people claiming to be Christians have gone to war. Many evils have been done in the name of Christianity. Nevertheless, each one will be judged according to what each has done. Moreover, every careless word that a person utters, will bring a person into account.

Fortunately, the Grace of God is such that every person who accepts that Lord Jesus Christ has died for his or her sins, and genuinely trusts in Him, that person will be saved from eternal punishment. This is because God overlooks ignorance and justifies those who have faith in Jesus' sacrifice of Himself on their behalf.

All soldiers are sinners in the eyes of God; the same as the person who merely deceives someone by telling a white lie is an ungodly person. The real issue is whether those who point the finger at others are able to recognize the three fingers that point back at them. If they do, there is hope that they will recognize that only breaking one of the Ten Commandments is sufficient to fall short of the glory of God and qualify as an unrighteous sinner—someone who is ungodly.

Spiritual warfare is not sin for the saints. It is sin for those who oppose the saints. So when you speak of soldiers going to war, there is a need to differentiate between physical warfare and spiritual warfare. The former is to kill humans in the flesh. The latter is to save souls by defeating the Devil and his hordes in the spirit realm.

There is a war taking place for the souls of men and women. Christians who are soldiers in this war can thwart the Devil's plans by winning souls for Lord Jesus Christ, so they can come to an understanding of why they were born and what God has in store for them. If salvation begins with the Joy of Salvation, how much better shall it be, when an Infinite Creator, who has an infinite array of ideas to create that have not been created yet, begins to take us on an adventure for eternity.

You have to admit, having the assurance of eternal salvation, even if you are a soldier who has killed people in war, certainly beats being born to die, only to find out that the rest of eternity is to be spent within the limitations of what you experienced here, and then be forever rankling with embitterment because you thought you were clever when you rejected your salvation.

While it may not have been a sin for Israelites to go to war as a nation that was required to eradicate evildoers under the guidance of God. It is a sin for Christians to go to war and kill people. However, it is not a sin for Christians to equip themselves for spiritual warfare and go to war to save people from eternal damnation. For this is the will of God that all come to salvation and the knowledge of the truth.

Spiritual Warfare Begins With Basic Training And Those Best Equipped Survive

WICKEDNESS IS THE WAY TO PROSPERITY BECAUSE DOING WHAT IS RIGHT IS A WASTE OF TIME. This Is How The World Powers Control The Underlings That Are So Immoral And Lack Character But Want To Be A Part Of The World Even If It Means Harming The Rest Of Mankind. This is what is pointed out in the Bible when the observation is made that the wicked prosper but the righteous suffer.

Why does the Bible claim that the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper?

Harry Riches · Answers

The Bible says that the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper and this can be viewed in different lights. For the Bible also says that the righteous shall prosper and the wicked pay the price for their crimes.

In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon makes an observation between a righteous person and a wicked person. Many have been known to misinterpret this verse to mean that the wicked prosper but the righteous suffer. The following verse informs us that Solomon perceives that this is because of self-righteousness, whereupon a person becomes too righteous for his or her own good. For he goes on to suggest that a righteous man does not exist. This is what is what Solomon wrote:

In my vain life I have seen everything; there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evil-doing. Be not righteous overmuch, and do not make yourself over-wise; why should you destroy yourself?...Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.(Ecclesiastes 7:15-16,20)

The most famous example of a man suffering from the Old Testament is that of Job. He was a man that is often viewed as righteous. But his righteousness is self-righteousness. For at the end of the book of Job, we see Job having to repent. Now the righteous do not have to repent, for they have no sin to turn away from. They are righteous.

I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees thee;
therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:5-6)

Job lost all his material wealth because of his self-righteousness. In this respect, those who appear to be righteous suffer. The reason why they suffer is they are self-righteous and not righteous at all (Jesus of Nazareth is the exception). However, we are told in the Bible that:

In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation which addresses you as sons?— “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage when you are punished by him. For the Lord disciplines him whom he loves,and chastises every son whom he receives.”
It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers to discipline us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time at their pleasure, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:5-11)

Really there is no difference in the underlying reason why Christians may suffer and why Job suffered. The aim is to bring about the fruit of righteousness, so each believer can enjoy the benefits of holiness and glorify God. Job had twice as much as he possessed before his ordeal.

And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends; and the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. (Job 42:10)
Behold, we call those happy who were steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness [patience] of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. James 5:11

Apart from being disciplined by the Lord, Christians encounter persecution. Once more we learn that this is to bring glory to God. For we read:

But even if you do suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled. (1 Peter 3:14)

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you to prove you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in so far as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed If you are reproached for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or a wrongdoer, or a mischief-maker; yet if one suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but under that name let him glorify God. (1 Peter 4:12-16)

Rather interestingly, when it comes to those who claim they are persecuted for being part of a particular grouping or religious denomination, the Bible says that only if we suffer as a Christian need we not be ashamed. This is because for anyone to suffer as a Christian, that one suffers because that one bears the name of Lord Jesus Christ—our Lord and Savior. One can suffer for being a Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jehovah Witness, Mormon, Pentecostal, Charismatic, Evangelical, Orthodox or whatever; but to suffer as such is to suffer in vain.

If we suffer as Christians, we are suffering because we identify with Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore we ourselves boast of you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which you are enduring. This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be made worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering— since indeed God deems it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you. (2 Thessalonians 1:4-6)

In the book of Ezekiel, we read that each one will receive just reward or recompense according to each one's own actions.

The soul that sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.(Ezekiel 18:20)

One of the reasons those who are righteous before God do not suffer the same fate as those who are wicked has to do with wantonness.

The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, but the belly of the wicked suffers want. Proverbs 13:25

Yet we find in the Bible people complaining that God favors the wicked. David was envious of the prosperity of the wicked at one stage. Jeremiah lodged a complaint. The view of the Jews, at times, was the wicked prospered and that to serve God was a vain activity. Of course, we know that they were looking in the wrong places and they were being wanton at the time, rather than resting in the reality of salvation.

For I was envious of the arrogant, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. (Psalm 73:3)

Righteous art thou, O Lord, when I complain to thee; yet I would plead my case before thee. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive? Thou plantest them, and they take root; they grow and bring forth fruit; thou art near in their mouth and far from their heart. (Jeremiah 12:1-2)

“Your words have been stout against me, says the Lord. Yet you say, ‘How have we spoken against thee?’ You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What is the good of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts Henceforth we deem the arrogant blessed; evildoers not only prosper but when they put God to the test they escape.’” (Malachi 3:13-15)

Solomon went as far as to ask his listeners (readers) to consider that life seemed to be meaningless if the righteous are to suffer and the wicked are to prosper.

There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: the righteous who get what the wicked deserve, and the wicked who get what the righteous deserve. This too, I say, is meaningless. (Ecclesiastes 8:14)

As we have seen already, that those who call upon the name of the Lord and suffer, do so, because God is disciplining them so they might have eternal rewards. When people call upon the name of the Lord and then look elsewhere, rather than seeking God to see what they can achieve and learn from Him, it just so happens that they begin to suffer. While it may seem that the wicked are collecting all the money and can have as many sexual partners as they like, so that they make a person envious, this only applies to those who are not looking to God. Even though persons appear to be righteous, and say they look to God for their salvation, they suffer because they are not doing what they claim. This is because the things that really matter have nothing to do with this world, even though what we do in this world affects us greatly. Something King David discovered after his heart went wandering and followed his eyes to commit adultery and devise wicked plans (read 2 Samuel 11:2-4 and 2 Samuel 12:1-15). Maybe it was after declaring that He would kill a certain wicked man, but finding reprieve himself, ungodly King David eventually understood that the pleasures of satisfaction were to be found in the presence of God (Psalm 16:11).

Today, we do well if we heed what the Apostle Paul states:

For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit; he who thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men

The Bible does not claim the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper. What the Bible claims is the wicked will suffer and those who desire to be righteous but keep looking at the wicked will also suffer. Those who spend time in the presence of the Lord will know pleasures for evermore. Indeed, those who thus serve God in accordance to His omniscience, will bear the fruit of righteousness and know the joy and the peace of the Holy Spirit, having learned obedience through suffering.

There Is A Way To Success That Seems To Work But Reality It Is The Way To Death

INDISPUTABLE EVIDENCE THAT THE LUNAR MOON LANDING IS NOT FAKE IS DIFFICULT TO FIND. The Numerous Discrepancies That Challenge The Official Version Are Statistically In The Favor Of The Doubters. Yet the spinners continue to attempt to fool the masses as they always do.

Can someone give concise indisputable evidence that the lunar moon landing was fake?
I know a crazy guy who is convinced that there is biblical evidence that the moon landings were faked. Is there any evidence to support his statement?

Harry Riches · Answer requested by Hayden Stinchfield

I accept that aircraft/spacecraft/UFOs exist that are capable of travelling at speeds associated with anti-gravity. If there are manned spacecraft of this caliber, then people would have been to Mars and probably are capable of going to Jupiter and back.

I have no doubt that there is advanced weaponry beyond what the public realize and the stars wars program is very real.

From what I have seen of the evidence that questions the Moon landings and the reaction of the astronauts at their press conferences, having reviewed much of the information concerning the claims for having gone to the Moon, I doubt that man has gone to the moon.

If man has gone to the moon, there would be no need for spin doctors; instead, more regular visits would be occurring. The Moon Virgin from England would already have gone, his ego could not stand not having been the first non-astronaut to go to the moon. Flying to the Moon surpasses flying in hot air balloons for publicity.

In fact, from false claims of Moon rock, which when tested independently by those outside the USA was found to be Earth rock, to an item falling at free fall, provide evidence of men not having gone to the moon. Other evidence includes wires on the back of astronaut packs, numerous photographic anomalies, the testimony of "the astronaughts", the docking of the Moon landing module, the Van Allen belts, and much more, stack the odds against men flying to the moon and returning alive in good health.

What about the claims of Armstrong and Collins that there are no stars in space. Really? How gullible can people be?

Then there is the issue of astronauts alarmingly affected by radiation at 400 miles above the Earth. How far is the moon? How deep are the Van Allen belts? More than 400 miles.

As for biblical evidence, well, there are no prophecies of men going to the moon at all. There is no historical evidence of men having gone to the moon in the Bible. There is record of Elijah being taken up into the atmosphere and reappearing some centuries later on a mountain somewhere in the region around Israel. There is biblical evidence of people going to Heaven and others going to Hell.

The Bible does say that everything is currently subjected to futility, which explains why there is no other life in the Universe. The Bible particularly relates to what Lord God Almighty is doing with people here on Earth, and the moon does not appear to be of any major significance regarding the salvation of humankind.

There is biblical evidence that the moon did not move for a period of time (Johsua 10:13) but no evidence of a man on the moon preventing it from moving.