10th April 2003, 12:45 PM
I'll echo what Geno said, because it's probably true. And I'll agree with you, it doesn't seem right. But faith isn't only taking the parts you like, it's swallowing the whole pill.
But God gave people free choice. That's a limitation he set. Lucifer resulted, Lucifer wants mankind to suffer. For whatever Godly reason, God saved his people through the sacrifice of his son. Believing and accepting that is one of the cornerstones of the basic Christian faith. It's not, "if I'm good, I can get to heaven, so I'd better tell all my friends to be nice!" It's, "you're friends and everyone around you is going to die if you don't start spreading the word and letting God work on them." That's not a crutch, that's a command.
But God gave people free choice. That's a limitation he set. Lucifer resulted, Lucifer wants mankind to suffer. For whatever Godly reason, God saved his people through the sacrifice of his son. Believing and accepting that is one of the cornerstones of the basic Christian faith. It's not, "if I'm good, I can get to heaven, so I'd better tell all my friends to be nice!" It's, "you're friends and everyone around you is going to die if you don't start spreading the word and letting God work on them." That's not a crutch, that's a command.