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Should I kill my child?
"I'm not a Christian in that I don't worship God. I don't love God. However, I do believe he exists. I love my child more than anything and I want what's best for him above all else. I'm worried that as he grows up there is a chance that he will be like me and not accept Christ and that he will go the hell. If I kill him now I will guarantee him an eternity of bliss. Should I kill him? I don't care if I go to hell, I only care about him. Is there really a downside to killing him in terms of his existence?" - quote from someone who is not me ;)
We created heaven and hell here on earth, they do not exist anywhere else.
So
No = your child will not live in eternal bliss or heaven or anywhere else for that matter if you kill them because they will be dead
Yes = you will go to your own personal hell because at the very least it will be your self inflicted punishment for doing something so utterly wrong and at the worst you will go to prison, another form of hell, for a very long time
"What if my son doesn't believe and goes to hell?"
Well as long as we're playing what-ifs...
"What if one of the factions of Christianity that believe original sin is inherited 'got it right?' Then you'd just be sending your kid straight to hell without giving him a chance at Heaven."
Is this a common belief in Christianity? I honestly don't know. I generally thought religions became popular because they help deal with life's issues. Teaching that still born babies etc go to hell seems counterproductive.
In any case, I suppose the woman should only kill her child if she is sure that children are innocent in the eyes of God.
Is this a common belief in Christianity? I honestly don't know.
Most forms of Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity believe that original sin is inherited. More or less any denomination that practices infant baptism is doing so specifically because of this. Some denominations even believe that nobody is actually responsible specifically for the sins they personally commit, but rather all sins are shared as a whole by humanity, except the believers who are excused from the collective punishment.
I generally thought religions became popular because they help deal with life's issues. Teaching that still born babies etc go to hell seems counterproductive.
There is a lot of stuff in religions that seem pretty counterproductive to the stated goals in religions. How much modern anti-christianity is predominately based on their stances re: gays? How much larger could christianity grow if it dropped the anti-gay bit?
Is it a boy or a girl? Either way I'll take them off your hands. You see I own a very prestigious child mine where we mine for gold, coal, and uranium. I'm looking for some kids to "hire." You will receive 15% of the profit he makes. He will be fed at least 2 pieces of infested bread a week. We currently have 27 and a 1/2 kids working here at Pillsburry Mines.
Some say the following verses are descriptive rather than proscriptive; decide for yourselves:
Exodus 25:5 (Deuteronomy 5:9 and Numbers 14:18 are similar):
"Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;"
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Exodus 34:6-7:
The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation."
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Then there are the verses regarding original sin:
1 Corinthians 15:22:
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
Sorry, I didn't read your response properly. I was only talking about the parent. I didn't see the latter of your argument. I'm not truly sure if the child will be punished. That will be up to God, but most likely the child would be born into sin which is naturally a bad start.
I didn't say the child would be punished. I'm only talking about the parent that kills the child. I never said the child would hold the weight of the sin either.
The parent is saying they are willing to accept whatever punishment. Is it better for the child? If it best for the child, should a moral parent do it, even if there are negative consequences for themselves?
Satan doesn't have the power to create the universe. God is the creator and is almighty in nature. God cannot be dethroned. Satan was a glorious creation that is now bound eternally to damnation. This is how I know that Satan is not the one I worship. Satan's characteristics also do not match the characteristics of the god I worship.
Does being able to create universes or not being able to be dethroned indicate whether a god is good or bad? Is it possible for a god to lie and say they did things that they actually did not do?
No, it does not. These are just the powers of an almighty creator. It is possible for a god to lie, but it's not possible for God to lie. This goes against his nature. God is a pure and sinless being.
Says the logic behind God's nature. If God is absolutely pure then he cannot sin. Lying is a sin. God cannot lie. Anything God says is truth and shall become truth. This is what my religion believes and what we believe. I know you are probably going to say "How do you know what God says it true" or "Can't he just say anything and still lie"? Probably, but we firmly believe that our God, The Lord and Savior of man, will not lie to his beloved ones.
Which, if any, of the other gods that humans have believed in do you also believe in? If they said they were great and honest, etc. would you believe in them and trust them?
Which, if any, of the other gods that humans have believed in do you also believe in? If they said they were great and honest, etc. would you believe in them and trust them?
I only believe in one god. It would go against my religion if I worshiped any other Gods.
If another person came to me claiming their god was great and honest then sure, but it won't deter me from my own faith.
I haven't thought deeply into that. This is the religion I was raised with. I don't know if I can think of a few factor off the top of my head. I'm sorry.
Additionally, how did we come to believe any of this is the first place - one person had this idea, convinced others, the tradition was passed on orally for many generations, then written in the contemporaneous languages, translated and re-interpreted over time to the present day.
Even if there was a God, couldn't what he said (if anything), have been brought to us in the current day imprecisely? Might he not have even claimed perfection, or love for us, etc.?
God created Adam and Eve. It was their job to pass down the knowledge of God. Then we go writers who recorded what God said to them ad they recorded their lives as well.
Even if there was a God, couldn't what he said (if anything), have been brought to us in the current day imprecisely? Might he not have even claimed perfection, or love for us, etc.?
It was basically a set of experiments which showed that given random stimuli some animals are prone to superstitious behavior. Do you think this might be relevant to religious behaviour in historic humans?
Possibly. I have heard this before that some people are possibly more prone to superstitious behavior than others which could be relevant to religious behavior in humans. Yes, I think it's possible. In fact, I don't think I doubt it.
No, because the problem with the view of saving your child is dependent on the belief that he or she will go to heaven. There lies the problem, as the interpretation is broad when it comes to heaven or hell. The final destination is may or may not exist and could solely serve as a metaphoric term for the ultimate self realization of yourself, which you would be taking away from your child.
A lot of the arguments supporting the "No" side stems from the doubt that the child will actually go to heaven(not christian or not the correct type of christian). It is important to note that even if the child goes to heaven, even though eternal bliss is granted to the child, this may not be the same for the parent. Also, by killing the child, you are also taking possible eternal bliss for future generations of that child.