Tough Questions

[locostyle]

Alright people!

Anyone can spew forth anecdotes and modern day parables. How about some serious discussion on matters not touched by most religious conversations. Some tough questions that make you think. If at all possible, try to use quotes from whatever source in question to reinforce your answers.

Riddle Me This: Being boricuas, we've each got a fraction (the numerators and denominators different for each of us) of indian ancestry. What happens, or should I say happened, to the heathen souls of our taino ancestry who died way before the white man came along with the words of God?

[IDeJesus]

Good one Loco:

I hope they are in Taino heaven waiting for the day of "Final Judgement". At which time, the pearly gates of heaven will be opened to all of the Imperialistic Colonizers, who pillaged, ransacked, raped, murdered and destroyed them. This is of course assuming that those conquistadores have repented and sought God's forgiveness
somewhere along the line.

You see loco - just like in Hollywood - there's always a happy ending.

[Nicoletta]

loco,
my bible says that Christ died for all. for those that came before His mission was fulfilled here on earth and for those whe came after. this included our ancestors...all the way back to adam and eve.

and since GOD is the final Judge, i just trust in Him to be fair and loving...and i leave the decision up to Him.

------------------
Nicoletta
;oD

[locostyle]

I remember sitting in church and hearing the pastor say that our God can be an angry god as well as a jealous god (hence the first commandment.) What it all boils down to is: what is the criteria for salvation? According to the New Testament, it's repenting of your sins and giving your heart to Jesus, right? How can you repent of sins you don't know are sins and accept Jesus as your saviour when you don't even know who Jesus was or what you need to be saved from? Our ancestors worshipped nature, as most native american cultures did. The word hurricane comes from the ancient Puerto Rican god of the winds (or was it storms?), Juracán. That was a clear violation of the first commandment.

Is that your brain cells I hear sizzling?

Also, what was the criteria for salvation before the New Testament? Following the Ten Commandments?

[This message has been edited by locostyle (edited 02 April 2000).]

[El_Jibaro]

You just stated the judgement yourself: Worship of Nature is IDOLATRY. Why worship what was created when we can worship Him Who Created nature?

Anyway, maybe you have never read the Bible, so I will help you a little.

Paul's Letter to the Romans, Chapter 1, verses 18 to 32:
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

-------------------------------


About the Native Americans not knowing the Truth, God is not unjust: He will Judge human beings based on what they know, not what they don't know: <<Indeed, when Non-Jews, who do not have the Law (Bible), do by nature things required by the Law, they are a Law for themselves, even though they do not have the Law, since they show that the requirements of the Law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them. Romans 2.14,15>>

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

About Old Testament Israelites, all of whom died before Jesus was born, they all died IN HOPE OF THE COMING MESSIAH [JESUS] <<1 Peter 1.10-12>>. It is a logical conclusion from reading the New Testament that they all entered Heaven only after Jesus died on the Cross. That is why when Jesus said the story about Lazarus and the Rich Man, who died before Jesus' own Death, when both died they were within sight of each other (and within shouting distance), but there was a Deep Chasm splitting the two places up so that no one could travel from one side to the other. However, After Jesus Died and Ressurrected, we find Paul stating that He would rather die to be with Jesus, therefore, after the Cross all believers in Jesus do go to Heaven to be with Jesus.

What happens then to a Native American in the Amazon Jungles of today? I don't know, nor the Bible says anything clear. I personally believe that if he sought the Truth with all his heart and still did not find Jesus on this side of Eternity, he will find Jesus on the other side to apply the Salvation [for no one can enter Heaven by good deeds alone, Romans 3.23].

The BIG PROBLEM is not the guy who never heard the Good News, but the guy and gal who after hearing the Good News still REJECT IT. There is no Second Chance for Rejecting Salvation: <<How shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? - Hebrews 2.3>>. You will do well to read the entire Letter to the Hebrews, there you will see clearly that no one who rejects on purpose Jesus and his death will be saved. <<If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. - Hebrews 10.26,27>> Things to ponder...

------------------
Manuel Alonso

[locostyle]

Diaaaantre chacho!

Were your fingers hurting after all of that typing? I already knew that nature worship is considered idolatry, but I was keeping it simple for the layperson. As for Romans 2:14&15, that talks about the gentile who does as the bible says. My question refers to those who didn't naturally do as the bible says and could not possibly have crossed paths with anyone to inform him of his misdeeds.

[El_Criollo]

Man, read it, it is answered there too.

------------------
desde_el_Jurutungo_de_Bairoa