Why not just let others believe?

[Ovedya]

Fine.

You're in a burning building but you refuse to see and smell the smoke. The evidence is clear and overwhelming to those on the outside: If you remain in the building you will die, but if you would listen to the cries coming from outside the building, believe them, and move toward the exit, you will be saved.

[EricH]

Well, others can believe what ever they desire to believe, I still will try to witness, and try to lead the person to Jesus.

Why?

Lets say your about to board a plane, and someone warns you theres a bomb on the plane, you might listen, you might not, but it's still better if someone warns you. Or lets say that someone has a gun, and robbing a store, he is ready to shoot anyone who walks through the front door. If you where ready to walk through the door, would you rather walk through unknowing, or would you rather someone warn you of the robbery in progress? Or, lets say your about ready to go for a drive and someone cut the breaks to your car, would you rather someone warn you that they saw someone cut your break lines? Or would you rather just drive down a steep cliff?

Jesus is the only way, all other ways will lead to death. Anyone is free to do what ever they wish, or believe what they wish, but what ever they believe I still will try to warn them, and hope they come to know the Love of Christ in their lives.

Your analogies won't work. If you tell people who are about to board a plane that there is a bomb on board, you will be detained, questioned, and if you are just speculating, you would be arrested. If you warn someone that they shouldn't go into a store because there is a a robber inside with a gun, you better know what you're talking about. If you're just "warning" people about a possible incident because you read it in a book, or you've been taught it all your life that one day a robber would be in a store with a gun and you might get killed if you go in, you'd be perceived as insane.

Sure, I'd like to know if someone cut my brake line in my car but that analogy doesn't relate to belief in Jesus either. If you SAW someone cut a brake line, of course you could warn me about it. But I want to know how many times you SAW someone go to heaven or hell because of their choices.

The analogies you propose require evidence, of which faith has none.

The evidence we have is in the warnings God has provided through the prophets in scripture. It is up to you whether or not to heed those warnings. As with all other areas of life every decision has consequences

[EricH]

I have a question. If you believe all of this is nonsense, why are you here? There are many things I don't believe. I don't frequent discussion boards that believe them.

[Ovedya]

Fine.

You're in a burning building but you refuse to see and smell the smoke. The evidence is clear and overwhelming to those on the outside: If you remain in the building you will die, but if you would listen to the cries coming from outside the building, believe them, and move toward the exit, you will be saved.

Sorry, that won't work either. Smoke and flames are physical evidence of a building being on fire. What is the PHYSICAL evidence that there is a heaven or hell? Your analogy works better this way:

You're in an office building doing your job. People outside the building are crying that you should move toward the exit because they read in a book that this building may one day have a fire. There is no evidence whatsoever for this fire but the people outside believe it anyway and want you to agree with them that the building is going down in flames and furthermore, they want you to join them in wasting time crying out to others to come out of the building for no apparent reason.

Obviously a physical analogy could never compare to a spiritual reality. I think that you are just as well aware of that as any of the rest of us here, dis.

Sorry, but I can't help you if only allow your physical senses to govern your world.

[Ovedya]

Fine.

You're in a burning building but you refuse to see and smell the smoke. The evidence is clear and overwhelming to those on the outside: If you remain in the building you will die, but if you would listen to the cries coming from outside the building, believe them, and move toward the exit, you will be saved.

Sorry, that won't work either. Smoke and flames are physical evidence of a building being on fire. What is the PHYSICAL evidence that there is a heaven or hell? Your analogy works better this way:

You're in an office building doing your job. People outside the building are crying that you should move toward the exit because they read in a book that this building may one day have a fire. There is no evidence whatsoever for this fire but the people outside believe it anyway and want you to agree with them that the building is going down in flames and furthermore, they want you to join them in wasting time crying out to others to come out of the building for no apparent reason.

Obviously a physical analogy could never compare to a spiritual reality. I think that you are just as well aware of that as any of the rest of us here, dis.

Sorry, but I can't help you if only allow your physical senses to govern your world.

Then why do so many people here use physical analogies to try to get unbelievers to believe in their faith? Why NOT just let others believe as they wish?

Well firstly we have many examples from the Bible of Jesus and the apostles using physical analogy. Second, we are commanded to preach the gospel of God's salvation to mankind. We simply do the best we can with what we have been given, it's the listener's responsibility to respond or not. Third, whoever argued that we are forcing anyone to believe anything?

I happen to sell a great type of footwear - a kind of footwear that reduces shock and pressure to the lower extremity by 50%. This footwear can significantly reduce or eliminate pain in the knees, hips, and lower back caused by fatigue, the stress of working on hard surfaces such as concrete and asphalt, and even arthritis. In addition, I can custom form the footwear to achieve the best fit possible.

Now I know that at least 99% of all people - that's all people - will experience some form of foot pain, knee pain, hip pain or low back pain in their lives, and especially if they work on hard surfaces. I have personally experienced significant improvement in my own health as the result of wearing these shoes. So my experience, combined with what I know, motivates me to talk to as many people as possible about these shoes. I run a successful business selling these shoes and achieve 90% of my customers through word of mouth; people, like me, who have experienced significant relief of pain by wearing these shoes.

So then, what's the point? Am I forcing anyone to believe what I tell them about the shoes? Am I changing anyone's belief systems? No, in fact in many cases I challenge their belief systems - those belief systems that keep them from in ignorance and experiencing relief of their pain. It would be silly for me, a person who cares about others' health, to not tell them about the experience I have had with this footwear. In fact I would consider it negligent to know someone like myself who is in the same condition that I was in, to not tell them about this particular footwear.

Are you making any connections here? As a believer I have personally experienced that God is real. So many other millions of people all over the world have experienced the very same saving power of Jesus Christ. Through faith we have overcome enormous obstacles and have found "relief from pain" in ways that are simply incredible. So why no go out and tell the world what we've experienced and show others who are going through the very same things about this Jesus? We would be negligent to not do so.

[OneLight]

Then why do so many people here use physical analogies to try to get unbelievers to believe in their faith? Why NOT just let others believe as they wish?

This may be hard for you to accept, but it is because we do care about them and where they will be spending eternity. While not forcing anyone to believe as we do, not telling them is not loving them. Jesus told us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. I, for one, would really appreciate it if someone would tell me that I was headed for the edge of a cliff before I went over the side ... the decision to stop would be mine to make, and so is salvation to all. You are suggesting that we just stand there and watch someone go over the edge ... not gonna happen.

[The Lorax]

It's a grisly aspect of our nature that we humans will sooner villify than seek to understand people with whom we disagree. There are a lot of negative stereotypes on both sides. For instance, worshipers are often written off as non-thinkers. I have even heard Christians dismissed as mentally diseased. Atheists, on the other hand, are often written off as morally irresponsible, closet theists who don't openly acknowledge God only because they don't want to live by rules. Both stereotypes are totally wrong from what I have seen. We believers are very much thinking people, and if you don't agree then you should attend a Bible study. Theism is a valid intellectual position with much evidence; it is not an escape from intellect. As for atheists, I believe them when they say they don't believe in God. Before I was saved, I didn't believe God, I didn't know Him. Atheists just haven't found him, and rather than being chastised for "denying" Him, they should be encouraged to find Him.

The atheist-theist debate is hard enough without stereotypes, so it's in everyone's interest to drop the negative assumptions and open their eyes, their ears, and their hearts.

[Guest]

Then why do so many people here use physical analogies to try to get unbelievers to believe in their faith? Why NOT just let others believe as they wish?

What

We Should Lie By Omission

We Should Let You Slide Down Into Eternity Without A Fight

We Are God's Kids And Our Daddy's Book Tells Us To Wrestle For You And To Share His Words Of Life With You

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Ephesians 6:12

I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

2 Timothy 4:1-2

You Can't Come To God Unless He Draws You And You Are At Worthy So We Know He Still Does

The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

Jeremiah 31:3

If The Bible Is Sealed To You, You Are In Deadly Peril And We At Worthy Know It

And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed:

Isaiah 29:11

If You Do Not See The Absolute Truth Of The Bible, You Are Mind Blind

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

John 3:17-18

God Alone Can Open Spiritual Eyes, See No Shame In Love

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Romans 1:16-17

For On Calvary Hill God Showed His Love For All

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

Just Say Yes LORD Save Now

I Do

Love, Joe

[eric]

We are warned in the bible what would happen if we don't live by the standards set out for us, by God. We are expected by God to pass the message on to the world. No one forces anyone to believe us, or even to listen if they don't wish. It's a love gesture that is only found in the bible.

[Guest]

"If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. If they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees. Let no one GO there UNWARNED and UNPRAYED for."

- Charles Spurgeon