Thank you for this. I am a single mom with two teenage boys that have struggled. God's word remains constant through all that I face with our struggles. Their is victory in Christ, and I know that one day I will be able to look back and see His work in them. - Bridgette

This devotion was really uplifting. I have a 16 year old boy, and it is very hard. You have to have faith that you are doing everything you can to steer them in the right direction. - Tracie Tittle

What does #1 mean, "unbiblical"? - Erik

Erik, Unbiblical would mean not following the ten commandments, disregarding God in His place of authority and acting totally selfishly with putting personal desires above the needs of neighbors, friends and family. You read the Bible, Erik, so what do you think it means? - Janice

The scripture in Proverbs 22:6 is a a good example of a parent raising their children in the right manner "Train us a child in the way he should go and when he is grown he will not depart from it". I have been in resturants and children would be running around screaming and knocking things over and all the parents would do is sit and smile and not make their children sit down and mind. Some even got mad because the manegement would come ask them to control their children. Part of this problems stems from being told not to correct children because it might give them a complex problem. I some times belive the parents needs to be repremanded first and then reach for the child and give them what the old folkes used to call "their comings up". I do not believe in beating a child but we do need to gain control of our younger generation a little bit better than what we have over them now. The question was asked "what is unbiblical" well the Bible teaches us to teach our children not to be obusive , disrespectful, brawlers and in general mean to others and I can see where we as a generation have fallen short in this respect. I never beat my children but even now that they are grown they still respect their elders and when I tell them something for their own good they listen and then they decide if the imformation is benifical to them or not. Neither of my children have ever told me to shutup or some of the other things I have heard other young adults tell their parents. Dicipline is a good thing and I feel we need more of it. - Jerry

I don't know what it means, janice. That's why I asked. - Erik

My comment would be, "Do not give up." My 'teenagers' are now in their 30's. If you had told me when they were teenagers they would be the wonderful people they are now, I would have questioned your sanity. - Henry

It amazes me just what a good life guidebook that the bible is. To me there just is no other book that if you live by it that your life won't be a better and more productive. Even without the spirtuality of it there is just no other book that is better written to lead your path in life and of course with the Lord's guidance it makes the passages more real and meaningful. My sons are in their twenties and I'm always getting compliments on what fine men they are. I definately agree with them and Jerry that you have to start early before their teen years. I once was in a furniture and antique type store and I noticed the owners eyes following my sons around the store. I had the feeling that he was angry that they were there, but I knew that they could be trusted to leave things alone. When we were about ready to leave the gentleman he broke out in a huge grin and said your sons are the most well behaved children that I've ever had in my store! He said he was constantly having problems with people bringing their children in and running wild and even breaking things. Proverbs is full of verses of wisdom of children should listen to the instruction of their parents, just like we should listen to the instructions of the Lord! - Becky

The Bible tells us to kill our children if they curse us (exodus 21:17). Who here thinks that is a good idea? - Erik

Fortunately Christ came and died for our sins with his blood. There are still natural consequences for our sins, but we don't have to pay for them in the same ways anymore. A lot in the old testament also tells of people making different types of sacrifices to atone for their sins, so they could be forgiven. - Becky

LOL Erik. It also says you should stone adulters. The following offences merit the death penalty, according to Leviticus 20: curisng your parents; committing adultery; making love to your stepmother or your dauther-in-law; homosexuality; marrying a woman and her daughter; bestiality (and, to add injury to insult, th ebeast is to be killed to). You also, of course, get executed for working on the Sabbath - the point is made again and again in the old testament.

I am teaching my children to be unbiblical and I'm teaching them that people should not be stoned to death for working on Sunday. - Olberman

We're not playing this game again. Christ's blood has covered our sins, so no one is getting stoned. - Christ Follower

So there was a time when it WAS a good idea to kill your kids for mouthing off? - Erik

Only when they ask repetitive questions. We've answered you. Read above comments. They were able to make sacrifices for attonement. By the way in case you can't figure it out my 1st sentence was a joke. - Christ Follower

I enjoyed your comment, Christ Follower. It had me LOL. - Janice

It's a very delightful joke. Please answer the question though. You are saying there was a time when it was a good idea to kill your own children? - Erik

Thanks Janice, I've noticed that all your comments are always very thoughtful and always biblically based. - Christ Follower

Rom 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" He died so we would not have to die for our sins so obviously God didn't "like" the idea either. My last comment on the subject. - Christ Follower

CF, answer Erik's question. Or is he painting you into a corner with facts? - Olberman

Then it sounds to me like the New Testament was a huge bibical "Undo" of the old Testament. A big theological Control-Z!

So you are saying God created an imperfect system the first time around (which would have lasted a few million years), and then sent his "son" down 2,000 years ago to fix his little mess?

Yeah that's sensible. - Olberman

Olberman, change your tone or you'll be blocked from this site. CF isn't obligated to anwer anyone's questions. - RFTH

L e t m e s p e l l i t o u t G O D d e c i d e d t h e r e w a s a b e t t e r w a y. Thereby Christ came into the picture. That is my answer. - Christ Follower

No one asked you to like it-sorry. - Becky

CF- but God invented the system to begin with. Let's be clear- we aren't talking about sin against God causing death to enter the world or sin against God being punished with death Surely not ALL sins in the OT were punished with death (as Becky pointed out there were some sins that you could make sacrifices for and get a pass) - we are talking about God telling parents to kill their children. Why would God do such a thing? What kind of monstrous parent would carry out this command? - Erik

He would fix your "mess" if you would let Him. It's obvious to us you have issues to keep posting your angry comments. - Becky

"What kind of monstrous parent would carry out this command? - Erik"

Abraham.
- Olberman

Sorry about my tone. I'm just trying to understand the "logic" here.

So, CF God created a system that after, upon reflection, thought that it wasn't such a good system after all (that's your paraphrased answer). Does this not suggest that God can err, in fact, God can make colossal mistakes, and is not perfect?
- Olberman

Apology accepted! Thank you. - RFTH

Glad to see you admitted God invented the system. If neither of you really believed that there wasn't a God none of this would be an issue for you would it? Why should it be if He doesn't exist? I'am not God and neither are you so I don't pretend to understand all things. All sins are against God since they are diobedience to Him. There are a lot of things in this world that I may not particularly like, but that doesn't make it not true, just like it doesn't make God unreal just because you wish He wasn't. None of us have to get what we deserve for our sins as Rom 6:23 stated. We can be forgiven. There is nothing we can do if you don't accept that gift. You don't want to know the truth so there is no need to keep repeating these issues. You only ask questions to annoy, not to learn. We answer you as best we can because we care, but not to be mocked. Just because you don't like something or don't fully understand something does not make it not so. It is now your choice to make to accept Christ or not. We have answered your questions to the best of our ability the rest is up to you so quit repeating the same issues. - Christ Follower

Actually "in my opinion" these laws were from Moses and not God anyway. I feel this because of Mark 10: 2-9 Where Jesus is answering the Pharisees about divorce and it says Moses permitted them to write a certificate of divorce because of the hardness of their hearts. If you read 5-9 God's orginal position was verse 9- basically who He put together should not be separated. So none of these things were orignally God's intention in my opinion. God gave the ten commandments that says honor your mother and father so your days will be long. There is nothing mentioned about stoning. - Christ Follower

So Christ Follower- I'm not sure exactly what you are saying- can you just say whether you do or do not specifically support God's law that those children who backtalk their parents should have been killed. - Erik

woah, woah, woah...wait a second...late breaking news here...Christ Follower- I just saw your last post- so you are saying that Moses just invented those punishments? That they did not come from God? Wow! OK, I'm inclined to agree with you there, but that has to be a pretty radical view. So what other stuff do you think Moses invented? - Erik

Just told you "in my opinion" it was the laws Moses gave to the people. The only laws for sure credited from God Himself to me are the Ten Commandments. He has allowed things but not condoned everything. He allows people to do as they wish, but if they don't accept Christ there will be a Judgement Day. We don't need to get confused with what God supports and what He allows to happen. So in my opinion God did not support the stoning of children but that they honor their mother and father as He commanded in the Ten Commandments. - Christ Follower

I hope that answers your question from my viewpoint anyway because I have to leave my computer for now. God bless - Christ Follower

Christ Follower- thanks for your candor. Very interesting. Of course my next question would be- if you think Moses invented the punishments is it such a leap to think he invented a few of the commandments as well? - Erik

I have to say, that wasn't interesting at all after I read the devotion! I have two teenage girls and I appreciate todays devotion, keep up the good work here. Unbiblical is anything that goes against what God has written in His word.IN the old testament we were living under the law, but in the new testament we are now living under the grace of God. Christ died for us, so all our sins were washed away, but we still have to repent and forgive. Nobody understands everything, that is up to God. But what we don't understand, leave with God and he will fix in His time. I am a lover not a fighter, as the saying goes. So please don't carry on the way you do, it isn't Christian like! - Julie

The Ten Commandments never made sense to me. It's entirely possible to be the most vile creature on the face of the earth and still obey the Ten Commandments (There is nothing about rape in here, for example). How about the people who don't work on the Sabbath, but pay someone else to do it? Is that ok? The Ten Commandments are impossible to follow, and don't even come close to anything that should guide us morally. That's why Canada and the U.S. have criminal codes that are several 1,000s of pages each.

Given the moral depravity of the Old Testament, comes the New - Do Onto Others...we all know it. The so-called "Golden Rule" simply enjoins us to treat others as one would wish to be treated by them. This sober and rational precept, which one can teach to any child with its innate sense of fairness (and which predates ALL of Jesus's "beatitudes" and parables), is well within the compass of any atheist. Ordinary conscience will do, without any heavenly "wrath" behind it.

This is just one reason why I raise my children, unbiblically. - Olberman

No Moses did not invent any of the commandments, these were given by God for directions for the children of Israel to live their lives by. Erik the Bible was not written to you and I, it was written to the Jews, it was their laws because they were Gods chosen people.If you and I had been around back then, you and I were just considered dogs so we wouldn't have cared what happened to their children. This was between God and the Jews. He is a hard God to please but now we please him thru his son. These laws were given because everything humans do has consequences. Think of the things you are planning to do today and consider what are their long range results. It is vital to think before acting, to consider the effects of our choices. It was not talking about backtalking their parents, you are not even considering the customs of those days. People respected each other and the ones who didn't were usually reprobates, theives and murderes. When someone was cursed this usually included a death sentence. This is not talking about just language it goes even deeper that. This is not the forum or the time to get into a deep discussion but I feel like again you have your teeth around a bone and you are wanting to gnaw for a while. What I would recomend to you is to read how Paul said in Romans 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh. Christ said "Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. Today we obey the law and we live according to the law but we do it thru Jesus Christ. We live by his love today, if you knew and understood the love of Christ you would understand the reason this was put in the bible in the first place. RFTH if this is too blunt and disrespectful please forgive me. - Jerry

Not disrespectful at all. Just factual. Thank you. - RFTH

I agree with Julie. Please stop this bantering back and forth. If you are not a follower of Jesus Christ and a true atheist,please stop commenting here unless you SINCERELY want to learn more about the Christian life.
I have a friend who has always started arguments about my faith but now he knows not to even start.
We cannot defend our faith to someone who has no intentions of knowing the Truth. Just pray for his salvation.
Wipe your feet at the door and move on. - Judy

So Jerry, are you saying Christ Follower is wrong? You are saying you think there was a time and a place where killing your own children for back-talking was ok? Do I understand you correctly? - Erik

All this arguing makes me reflect on another point - religion is man-made. Even the men who made it cannot agree (as we can't here) on what their prophets or redeemers actually said or did. Yet believers still claim to know! Not just to know that god exists, and that he created and supervise the whole enterprise, but also to know what "he" demands of us - from our diet to our obervances to our sexual morality.

Question - what would you all do if an alien species showed up on Earth, 1000s of times more intelligent about the universe than us and told us how the universe was really formed and where we all came from. I think it would be the end of organized religion, creationism, Unintelligent design, etc.

They would probably laugh at Muslims, Christians, Jews and the like, and they may even laugh at us ATHEISTS and scientists who try to explain the origins of the cosmos. They may tell us the Big Bang never really happened and give us the real details on how we all got here. They may tell us about life on thousands of other planets like ours.

What would you all think then? - Olberman

Erik, I could not understand Jerry at all. - Olberman

Evidently you did not read my comment at all. I said it was not for backtalking but it was for the curse they placed on their parents. Erik read what I wrote, people were vile and mean when God gave this to Moses. It was to protect the parents. These people had just went thru living in a very dangerous place and God was beginning to get the Egyptian way of life out of them. I agree with the others, it doesn't seem like you are wanting to understand the truth you just want to argue and to see your namw on the web. If that is what you want don't waste the time of the ones who want to learn and be blessed. - Jerry

Jerry - "No Moses did not invent any of the commandments, these were given by God..."

How do you know this? How do you know Moses didn't write them? Or how do you know that Moses never really existed at all, and the whole story was all just a fabrication by the Jews who wrote the Bible? - Olberman

Jerry- I'm trying to understand what you are saying. I really am. So you are saying that I misunderstand the word "curse" then. That they were putting some kind of magic spell on their parents? And the parents had to kill the child to prevent him or her from casting spells? Is that closer to what you are saying?
- Erik

Curses, casting spells, ....this is starting to sound like The Lord of the Rings. - Olberman

Wow! It is utterly amazing how the discussions go so far from anything that remotely resembles the devotion for the day.

But let's back up. GOD never, I repeat, never made a mistake or a mess (Old Testament) and had to come up with a way to fix the mess. It was man/woman - Adam and Eve who "messed up". They were perfect and lived in a perfect garden, they had no worries, no heartache, pain did not exist - why, even God walked with them in the cool of the day! Can you imagine? The world in which they lived was perfect. Then the serpent (a/k/a satan) entered the picture and Eve/Adam - whom God created with their own "free will" chose to believe the "LIE" the serpent told them and chose to eat of the fruit from the only forbidden tree in the Garden. When that happened, man fell into sin -- the sacrifices of the animals was the law given to Abraham/Moses by God were done because there was "no remission of sin without the shedding of blood"....God had a redeptive plan all along. In HIS capacity ALONE of being the ONE GOD who is omniscient (having complete knowledge, all knowing), omnipresent (present in all places at all times) and omnipotent (having all power and authority), His redemptive plan was to send His one and only son, Jesus, to earth, to live, to die and shed HIS INNOCENT blood once and for all for the remission of EVERY SIN EVERY MAN WOULD EVER COMMIT! And then, on the 3rd day be raised back to life and reign for eternity sitting at the right hand of God the Father.

Everything in the Old Testatment (OT) points to Christ (the High Priest of the new covenant - Heb. chap 8) in the New Testament (NT) - there is much symbolism throughout the bible. One need to have some Jewish and Greek teaching on this - it makes many things make more sense when you understand the meaning of much symbolisn in those days. The fact that Adam, one man,brought sin on all mankind - all mankind has been granted a redemption plan, if one chooses (WE EACH AND EVERY ONE HAVE TO CHOOSE TO ASK FORGIVENESS FOR OURSELVES)by the sacrific of one man JESUS for the sins of all.Romans 5:12-21.
Heb. 10:1-18 (Christ's sacrifie once for all). This explains it pretty clearly.

For a few days the yang/yang back and forth ceased and that was great! The comments after that for a few days were for building up and explaning - not for arguing's sake and "beating one's head against a wall" as they seem to have reverted back to. Today they have tended to slump down the back side again...

Ladies and gents, the Bible is the spoken word of God as given to the many prophets of old through the Holy Spirit and tells us the answer to all of our questions...we must take the time and effort to seek the answers and TRUTH for ourselves. If you still don't understand, ask God to help you have wisdom and understand (Jam 1:5-7); we must also not merely lisen to the word, but do what it says (Jam 1:22-27).

I urge you who question this to look up the scriptures for yourselves.

From Genesis to Revelations, God had a plan - it has not one fault or blemish - it was all in HIS plan - it took years to fulfill to the point of Christ's birth, and we are 2,000+ years beyond that but, if you study out the prophecy in Daniel, we are living in those last years, even days. Much of the prophecy in Revelation, Isaiah, Daniel, Joel, etc. (the entire Bible) is being fulfilled and it will continue on until word is fulfilled as God said and we the "bride of Christ" are joined with the "bridegroom - Jesus" to live in eternity together forever.

And yes, these 60, 70, 80 some odd years we may live on this earth are put just a blink in time compared to eternity. We are only "pilgrims passing thru a foreign land" - we who are followers of Christ are on a pilgrimage to our eternal home in heaven! I can't wait...I Corn 2:9, 10 - "No eye has seen, no ear has heard nor mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"-- but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit!

GOD never has and never will force HIS way upon us - it is our choice - He has the perfect plan, we can choose it or not. The choice is ours. READ THE WORD for yourself. For you scientologists - GOD is simply unexplainable! At times we all miss so much when we try to figure everything out...some things remain only known to God...take a leap of FAITH and just take a chance on believing the WORD GOD gave us, our instructions, our roadmap, to walk the narrow road on this pilgrimage journey...and enjoy the love, peace, joy, GRACE and mercy we have thru Christ Jesus! Our risen Lord and Savior! Blessings to all! - Deanna

Folks, I apoligize for the ones who are just trying to hinder those of us who love the Lord and want to learn and discuss the scriptures and to be blessed by conversing with one another. I feel that I did as good a job explaining what a curse was in those days. It seems that people can't get above the "Bewitched" show of the sixties and understand that no spell was cast but when someone was cursed by their children it was a serious thing, and that is why God said what he did. Excuse me for a moment but I feel I need to say something to our two resident non-believers, Erik and which ever name the other one wants to go by. You will never understand the Bible until you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour. You get your kicks by trying to cause discourse and discord with all that you are writing in. You want to be considered intellegent but as I far as I can see you both are acting like a couple of six year olds. You don't care that you have caused several people to quit coming on this site because of the things you have written but it bothers me for their sake. Myself I understand the ignorance that flows from your key board. Satan really does seem to have a good hold on each of you and if you ever want to get serious about the Bible I would be glad to converse with you but until you can come on this site and act like everyone else and discuss the Bible and try to learn, nothing would make me any more happy than for you to just read and just wait till that time. We as Gods children have only select times we can get the word out today and we do not have to put up with the people who have already said they are not interested in what God said in the Bible. And by the way both of these characters have lied thru their teeth or they would not still be on here. God Bless both of you and I will be praying for you but you have got to accept him for yourselves. Brothers and Sisters again I apologize for that and I hope we can have many more great devotions to share with each other. - Jerry

OK- so you'll notice that I've never attacked anyone here personally, yet Jerry calls me "ignorant," "immature," an agent of Satan, and a "liar."
Notice I have NOT called Jerry names, although I can think of a long list. Notice that if somebody wants to come on here and say, "Praise the Lord" or "Amen, Hallelujah" or whatever, I have never ridiculed or hindered them. I ask honest questions. Nobody is forced to answer them. I'm not sure exactly why anyone would stop coming here because of my questions. In fact, I'll bet this site gets a lot more traffic since I started posting here.

Notice also that all I ASKED was for Jerry to explain what he means by "cursed," which he has yet to do, other than say, "it was a serious thing."

Lastly, you'll notice that when the Christians call atheists ignorant, immature liars, as Jerry just did, that they aren't banned or cautioned or moderated. - Erik

I for one have decided not to answer any questions or comments posed on the devotions for a while. It is obvious that certain people have a sad agenda on this forum and are satan influenced. We have answered the questions that they would "need" answered if they were in the least bit seekers of the truth and that is not at all their agenda. We've done our best for them and I will continue to pray for them, but it is in the best interest of everyone else concerned to ignore them. It is sad that they obviously have nothing better to do with their time that to mock other people's beliefs. It too is obvious that our beliefs get under their skin not because they don't believe, but either because they are afraid that it is true or they are so satan influenced that they are trying to hurt others in some way. If it were only that they don't believe they would be also be seeking out muslim sights, hindu, etc. but they zero in on ours because they feel more threatened by our beliefs than the others for some reason. They can respond to this if they wish, but I will not respond back because unlike them I keep my word and for a while will probably not even read the comment section because of the content of their comments they no longer interest me. They have been given the truth and they will be without excuse. My last comment for awhile anyway. God bless. - Christ Follower

Ditto on the no more comments. By the way on April 5th you did say Christians should be ashamed for lying and we have been called ignorant and our beliefs nonsence etc. So no more whining. Last comment as well for now. - Becky

Well...here we go again ! The temtation to run down those rabbit holes is certainly present today.
Having navigated the teen years with incredible ease,I for one must say that I thank God every day for giving me the priviledge of helping to raise two wonderful young adults and send them off into the world to be a witness for Him whenever the opportunity presents itself.I would never presume myself to be capable of doing this without His grace.I have many (Christian and unbelieving )friends who have endured some real trials with their teens (drug and alcohol abuse,re-hab programs,tough love programs,STD's to name a few.The ones who relied on God as a guide when they were faced with these tough times,seemed better equipped to help their kids make it through.I wish all of you parents success in raising your teens and releasing them into the world knowing that with God's help they will be productive, caring adults.There is great PEACE in that ! - Susan

Becky- I never said anyone HERE was lying, now did I? I also never called anyone ignorant. I've been pretty patient, I think, despite being regularly insulted by you people. - Erik

The words of Jesus from John15:18-22, "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin." Jesus knew Christians would be treated poorly by those who are not open to belief. He warned us of persecution which can come in various forms. When we as Christians are at different levels of understanding of the word and the Eriks and Olbermans of the world take the opportunity to pit one Christian against another then they will relish their achievement. This is a little game they are playing and it is mean spirited. I pray all who participate in this folly will come to their senses about how it casts a cloud over how atheists will be perceived as a whole because these are the representatives we have of atheism. Are they all so mean-spirited and trying to be so domineering? Do they go to other religious websites such as Muslim sites and treat them equally as bad? I have not seen any people of other faiths on this site treating Christians so disrespectfully. Again, I will keep praying that Erik and Olberman will receive Jesus in their hearts. We will know when it happens by the love they show to their brothers and sisters in Christ. - Janice

Erik, I apologize for getting personal but you have not tried to understand anything anyone says. The curse was not a spell, when a person cursed someone else it was sometimes thru vile language but it was also thru the hatred in their hearts and the wishes that they wanted to happen to their parents. Erik you use your knowledge when you want to make your point but then you become unable to understand when someone or something make sense that you just can't refute. This is not speaking of toddlers or seven or eight year olds, it is speaking of grown children going against the teachings of the parents. You certainly are not no idiot so stop acting like you suddenly can't comprehend the simple things people are saying. You might not want to know the truth of the Bible but again you never will know the scriptures untill you know the Lord. We have been very paitient with you but there are times that you need to to just stop, be quite and listen to what someone is really saying, then maybe you can learn something and who knows you might have a light to come on in your heart. Again I apologize for being short. - Jerry

To Christ Follower and Becky, You do not need to bend to Satan by not participating in the comment section, this is what he would want you to do. We as Christians have sat back and kept quite for too long. It is time for us to stand up and let our voice be heard. John the Baptist called people like the these "generations of vipers" and he was right. We are too politically correct today and I am tired of it. Jesus was angered and he was not repremanded. Well I might be gotten onto to later by RFTH but that is their choice and I will abide by what they might ask of me but I will not bow down to someone who just wants to push our buttons because they think we should. I do not believe God would want us too. And just for anyones imformation God hates sin and when the children cursed their parents (which wasn't even part of the devotion) they sinned. Yes when God sent people to war He did tell them to utterly destroy everything that way they didn't have to listen to the people ask why did he do that. They did things God did not like and it was his choice so it is alright with me. Erik and Jonathon Christopher Olberman I know you do not believe this but I am telling you this anyways, if you are not saved according to the Bible when you die you will go to Hell. Now it is up to you what you decide to do about your eternal life. - Jerry

Jerry, not in the slightest bit concerned about Hell. There is no scientific evidence for the existence of Hell. ;)

I once saw a Far Side where these people were in Hell getting coffee, and the caption read "Man, even the coffee's cold - they thought of everything." Funny. - Olberman

Just another thought - "saved according to the Bible when you die you will go to Hell". Does this mean you think that everyone who's not a Christian, Jews, Muslims, atheists, agnostics, Bah'ai, Hindus, etc. are all going to hell? So the best family man of all time, who's done little wrong in his life, and is a rational atheist sciencist who discovers how to cure cancer is going to hell? This means that the billions of Hindus that have died throughout the ages are all in hell?

Sounds like there's a big party going on down there. I want to go to hell too. - Olberman

thank you Judy for you support. I don't understand all the bantering either, it isn't getting anyone anywhere and it is turning me off right fast. I will head to my own Bible study, this isn't fair to the people who are really , sincerely interested in this devotion site. - julie

Olberman - to answer your question about the great father who cures cancer, etc - yes, if he knows about Jesus and doesn't accept the salvation that Jesus offers, he is going to hell. He is choosing hell. The mistake is comparing that man to other men. Compare him to God and he falls far short from being good. - Austin

Proverbs 20:25 "It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider his vows." Olberman, you do not know what you are talking about when you say you want to go to hell. It feels like you want to lead the way there for all the people on this site. Well, we choose to follow Jesus. That is what this site is all about. It is not about you, Olberman, and your atheist faith. Perhaps one day you will earn a new name through Christ as Saul did. For now you are one of the lost for whom Christ died but you do not recognize it. May you be given eyes to see and ears to hear. - Janice

Olberman, you said in a previous post: The Ten Commandments never made sense to me. It's entirely possible to be the most vile creature on the face of the earth and still obey the Ten Commandments (There is nothing about rape in here, for example).

I beg to differ. Exodus Ch 20:14 "Don't commit adultery" or verse 17 "Don't covet something that belongs to someone else"

Adultery is when you have sex with someone to whom you are not married.

Coveting is wanting something or someone that does not belong to you.

- Gracie Benz

You see, I don't care about Heaven/Hell, or anything religious for that matter, for I am firmly convinced religions are as harmful, as they are untrue. All you need is a solid understanding of science and history, with a bit of logic thrown in, and anyone can arrive at this position.

I have eyes and ears (and a brain). Using them all, I have concluded that religions are nothing more than man-made cults. (all religions). Atheism is not a "faith". We base our beliefs on concrete evidence. Not "faith".

Thus, I'm not worried. The fact that I'm not worried in the slightest, again, should suggest how inadequate I believe your rationale behind being a Christian is. - Olberman

Gracie, then you don't know the meaning of the world adultery. How can you claim to understand God's word, if you don't know the definition of this word?

Adultery is: voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and someone other than his or her lawful spouse.

It's not having sex when you aren't married.

Rape has nothing to do with "coveting". It has to do with power, and a complete disregard for other people. The rapist is 100% absorbed in himself without care for anyone else. Such a person is mentally ill.

Thus is it possible to rape without coveting or committing adultery.

And there is nothing about slavery in here, beastiality, torture, extortion, blackmail, or anything else. All the 10 Commandments gives us is "Don't swear" and honour your mother and father, even if they are serial killers.

Next. - Olberman

Olberman, let me explain.

First, adultery according to the Lord is as simple as one human looking upon another with lust in his/her heart...whether that lust be sexual or predatory in nature is irrelevant. Its still adultery. I'm pretty sure rape is covered.

Coveting is wanting something that doesn't belong to you. Rapists want to overpower and take what does not belong to them. Just because one might say they are "mentally ill" does not make it less of a sin. I think rape is covered here, as well. - Gracie Benz

God's Ten Commandments (in simple English)

1. Worship me alone.

2. Don't worship idols and images.

3. Don't use any of God's names as a swear word.

4. Take time in the form of a day of rest to focus on me and to renew yourself.

5. Respect your parents and those in authority over you.

6. Do not kill anyone.

7. Do not commit adultery.

8. Do not steal.

9. Do not lie.

10. Do not covet or want after things that do not belong to you. - Gracie Benz