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Let's take His Message, God's Message, and embrace it, cherishing the comfort and grace the Lord desires to share with us as we uplift other's with His teachings.
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"Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come." -- (Matt. 12:31-32) -=IMHO=- I don't believe Divine providence will ever reward willful ignorance of the truth. However, everyone has their own capacities, their own upbringing, their own experiences that will color their methods and strength of belief. I don't think it's for anyone to judge someone as an "unbeliever", or to assume they never will believe. Change is highly possible (take Paul as an example, or on the other hand Judas). Another consideration: of what use is it to give lip service to belief without the deeds to back it up? just some thoughts.
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Unbelief is not a sin, it is living in sin, though, because baptism wipes away our sin. It is then our responsibility to spread the Truth.
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It depends on how you define the purpose of belief. An atheist will, probably, say that unbelief is not a sin since belief is in itself pointless (as there is no God). A religious person will of course say that it is a sin. Now there is the typical emotionalistic explanation of why unbelief is a sin but that one is a bit unsatisfying for most. Now if we, for the sake of argument, define God as the central purpose of existence we will quickly find that anything that hinders a person from 'approaching' and gaining knowledge of God is opposite to fulfilling one's purpose. As such anything that does this can be defined as sin. If this is true, unbelief in itself is not really a sin since in itself it is only an expression and result of of other actions that would be considered sins. For the sake of argument we will say that the essence of God is unknowable but that knowledge of Him is possible through His virtues (in a analogues way to how the sun is unapproachable but we can sense it through it's rays) - these could be said to be expressed through His manifestations (messengers) but is not essential to the current argument. Thus if one of the virtues of God is 'truth' - leading to, among others, such principles as truthfulness and the importance of independent search for truth - then we could say that unbelief is in one part due to a lack of truth - the sin thus being not searching for truth. Now if we truly are able to become closer to God by practicing the virtues and are willing to explore whether or not God exists then we don't have unbelief as much as a suspension of judgment. One reason many people do not believe in God is because they have seen hypocrisy carried out in Gods name and this has lead some to stop their search. What I'm trying to point out is that if God exists then He is the central purpose of our existence and not investigating His existence is really the biggest 'sin' of all since there is really nothing other than our selves which can hinder our knowledge of God. For most people investigating God is a lifelong exercise. Besides practicing the virtues praying and reading religious scripture is sure to deepen one's connection. However it may be wise for a person to go slowly in order to not be overwhelmed by new experiences. I'm not going to plug my own religion but I recommend finding a grounded group where you can experience prayer and to start praying, sincerely, in the privacy of your room or home. Sooner or later you will feel the effects.
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What is this thing called, "sin"? Some have described it as the persistent self.The failure to look outward, to try to see and understand others, to try to understand complex and mysterious ideas, might be the state of the persistent self. But if one is trying all this and still cannot believe, then, God's favour might find a well-tilled soil for the growth of a wonderful garden.
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Maybe there's no such thing as unbelief because you'd have to believe in not believing :D
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He who does not believe in is a hopeless journey through an uneventful life and a doomful afterlife. Only in belief which comes through faith, which creates hope can one find true joy and happiness.
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Well crap I hate to sound like a bigot and one of "those people" but unfortunately there is no greater sin than unbelief. Everyone believes in something. It is a huge misconception that we either believe or dont believe. If you dont believe you still believe in science, chance, yourself, fate etc .. which in turn denies the creator. I believe it to be a big misconception that there is neutrality.
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Whether the creature believes or disbelieves in its Creator is irrelevant.....the creature is limited and can not go beyond its limits even if he is an Einstein...Our Creator is timeless, without limits and all omniscient.
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No, unbelief is not a sin. But you're narrowing your mind and therefore are missing an important message that God wants you to hear. That being the acceptance of His Son Christ Jesus and the ONLY way home to eternal life.
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My previous quote listed below states my elders' opinion & thus my own...personally I am tired of Christian proselytizing. Mind you I prefer their ignorant earnestness over their "with us or against us" mentality... The church has "forced" Christianity on people by sword /torture / Papal Decrees /politics/slavery & land theft. "European governments and missions in Africa loosed a torrent of propaganda against matrilineal customs among the natives. In most African nations, European land reforms consisted of taking land away from the women and allocating it to their husbands. This tended to make the women paupers and destroy their self-respect, as the tribes looked down on a woman who couldn't support her children. As a result up to today tens of thousands of people, especially children, starve in the so called 3rd World Countries every year. Patriarchal religious authorities everywhere changed ancient systems of matrilineal inheritance to put property in the hands of men. Medieval Christian kings commonly endowed their barons with the phrase, "Take that woman and her fief." The early centuries of the Christian conquest of Europe were largely occupied with acquisition lands from the pagan women.The aim of European Christianity was acquisition of property, which meant overturning pagan systems of matrilineal inheritance. By forcible seizure and warfare, the church managed to acquire fully a third of all the landed property on the continent by the early Middle Ages. Until the 10th century, priests married to gain property, claiming that without their wives they succumb to "hunger and nakedness." Church laws revised the system; then a series of papal decretals between 1031 and 1051 ordered priests to abandon their wives and sell their children into slavery. Naturally, the property and monies thus acquired by a priest revert to the church upon his death, since he no longer had legal heirs. Up to the present time, lack of control over money and property is still the greatest obstacle for women who wish to bring up their children respectably or take them and leave abusive or violent husbands. In this respect the centuries of patriarchal effort achieved their goal. Lastly,Europeans and then Americans dominated the New World's indigenous people only by a policy of ruthless extermination. This policy involved killing, enslavement, forced relocation and assimiliation, and sterilization, among other things. The correct word for this policy is "genocide." It's always best to know the history behind your beliefs & institutions..dogma & blind faith will always be used to manipulate... "Stark points out that the easygoing attitude of the ancient polytheists toward religious diversity was replaced in ancient Rome by what he bluntly calls "Christian terrorism" and, later, the "official religious coercion" of the Roman state authorities. Significantly, the punishment of "heretics" included not only pagans but fellow Christians who strayed from the articles of faith as they were defined by the dominant religious leadership, including "anyone who celebrated Easter on the wrong day of the year." Jonathan Kirsch, review of One True God: Historical Consequences of Monotheism by Rodney Stark, LA Times, 11/3/01 lastly another quote from the Seneca Chief -Red Jacket... Brother, you say there is but one way to worship and serve the Great Spirit. If there is but one religion, why do you white people differ so much about it? Why not all agree, as you can all read the book? more info? http://www.bluecorncomics.com/2008/10/spiritual-terrorism-against-indians.html" target="_blank">http://www.bluecorncomics.com/2008/10/spiritual-terrorism-against-indians.html Webster's Dictionary :"to encourage or induce people to join a religious movement, political party or other cause or organization; To convert (someone) to one’s own faith or beliefs"
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Brother, we do not wish to destroy your religion or take it from you. We only want to enjoy our own. Chief Red Jacket (Seneca), 1805 ********************** How can we have confidence in the white people? When Jesus Christ came upon the earth, you killed him, the son of your own God, you nailed him up! You thought he was dead, but you were mistaken. And only after you thought you killed him did you worship him, and start killing those who would not worship him. What kind of a people is this for us to trust? Tecumseh (Shawnee), speech to William Harrison, Governor of the Indiana Territory, August 11, 1810 ********************************** Your religion was written on tables of stone by the iron finger of an angry God, lest you might forget it. The red-man could never remember nor comprehend it. Our religion is the traditions of our ancestors, the dreams of our old men, given them by the great Spirit, and the visions of our sachems, and is written in the hearts of our people. Your dead cease to love you and the homes of their nativity as soon as they pass the portals of the tomb. They wander far off beyond the stars, are soon forgotten, and never return. Our dead never forget the beautiful world that gave them being. They still love its winding rivers, its great mountains and its sequestered vales, and they ever yearn in tenderest affection over the lonely hearted living and often return to visit and comfort them. Chief Seattle (Suquamish), from a speech, 1855 ********************************** The Indian loved to worship. From birth to death, he revered his surroundings. He considered himself born in the luxurious lap of Mother Earth, and no place was to him humble. There was nothing between him and the Big Holy (Wakan Tanka). The contact was immediate and personal, and the blessings of Wakan Tanka flowed over the Indian like rain showered from the sky. Wakan Tanka was not aloof, apart, and ever seeking to quell evil forces. He did not punish the animals and the birds, and likewise, he did not punish man. He was not a punishing god. For there was never a question as to the supremacy of an evil power over and above the power of Good. There was but one ruling power, and that was Good. Luther Standing Bear (Oglala Sioux), 1868-1937 *************************** [Churches] will teach us to quarrel about God, as the Catholics and Protestants do on the Nez Perce reservation and other places. We do not want to learn that. We may quarrel with men sometimes, but we never quarrel about God. We do not want to learn that. Chief Joseph (Nez Perce), "A Meeting of Former Foes," 1904 ********************************** The culture and civilization of the Whiteman are essentially material; his measure of success is "How much property have I acquired for myself?" The culture of the Redman is fundamentally spiritual; his measure of success is, "How much service have I rendered to my people?" His mode of life, his thought, his every act are given spiritual significance, approached and coloured with complete realization of the spirit world. Ernest Thompson Seton and Julia Seton, "The Soul of the Red Man: His Spirituality," The Gospel of the Redman, 1936 *************************************** Thomas King comments in "All My Relations" on the inherent difference between white man's religion and the spirituality of Native Indians: "Native writers [are concerned with creating] a particular kind of world in which the Judeo-Christian concern with good and evil and order and disorder is replaced with the more Native concern for balance and harmony". King would include within this difference, the Native concern for community and equality over white man's concern for autonomy and superiority. http://www.bluecorncomics.com/navalues.htm" target="_blank">http://www.bluecorncomics.com/navalues.htm ( above quotes)
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No. Belief and unbelief are both phases of human mental/spiritual development. Always err on the side of love and you can't go wrong. Not for long anyway.
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unbelief in what? We are free thinking intelligent beings, we can believe or not believe in anything we want. What we do with those thoughts are of consideration.
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If you're referring to God, no..it isn't a sin.. The notion that it's a sin is passed on through religion, as a tool to keep people living in fear of exploring their own truths.
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Aren't you just believing that you don't believe? If you're sharing with us, you believe in us don't you?
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The word 'sin' in the Aramaic language spoken by Yeshua (Jesus) meant "to miss the mark' and so . . . perhaps someone who has no belief [presuming the querent means unbelief in God] is making a mistake. Nothing to get all riled up about, though. Mistakes like this are personal and quite fixable if an unbeliever chooses.
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