God has clearly never forgiven us. When we were his obedient little darlings, there was no pain or death. He says he’ll forgive us if we ask him to, but he’s still bearing the grudge. What ticks me off is that everything on Earth is suffereing for the sins of three people (Adam, Eve and the Serpent — a sinning animal). If it was just their descendants, it would at least be consistent with the warped logic used elsewhere. But why was everything else also ejected from the Garden? Lions forced to eat flesh, mosquitoes forced to steal blood because God so loves us SO much, it makes him act like a jealous, insecure and violent boyfriend. “I’m sorry I flooded you, baby, I promise it’ll never happen again. C’mon and snuggle.”

Of course any Christian will say this is nonsense. Well, it’s *hard* analysing God as a literary character. The characterizations in the text seem to work much better when you assume different parts of the Bible are talking about different characters. People even speak of the “Old Testament God” vs. the “New Testament God”. In a novel you could explain that with events that develop and alter the character, but that never to happens to God, and can’t happen to God.

I wonder, is there a common explanation for the timing of Jesus’s birth? God would not experience time sequentially like we do, so it’s not as though he sat and stewed for five thousand years. One could say the instant of Jesus’s birth was chosen on the instant the apple was bitten. But, there had to be earthly reasons for the timing because time only has meaning here.

It took me many years of poor choices, huge mistakes and wrong beliefs, before I learned some undeniable truths. I spent the greater part of my life searching for answers, and just could not find them in most churches.

While I am in no way pushing you to believe as I do, you may find the following link interesting.

http://www.mormon.org/mormonorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=3ff8ca451c69f010VgnVCM1000003a94610aRCRD&locale=0

Latter Day Saints (Mormons) have archaeological proof proof that the Nephites and Lamanites are descendents of Lehi (a Jew) who fled Jerusalem in 600 B.C. and landed in what is now Meso-America.

http://www.lds.org/library/display/0,4945,106-1-2-1,FF.html

The Book of Mormon is the account of those people.

I cannot see that God loved the people whom he murdered in the great flood. Or the pregnant women whose bellies he ordered to be ripped open. And Jesus didn’t seem to love the Pharisees ( sorry, Kevin!) Sadducees, or Temple money-changers, did he? He called them whited sepulchres, vipers and hypocrites. Doesn’t sound too loving to me. He was also rude and ungrateful to the mother who had brought him into the world in very ticklish circumstances.

The Westboro Baptists can produce zillions of scriptural verses which indicate that God hates certain human beings, and I’m probably included - sigh-
Are Mormons also British Israelites?

I believe in Jesus Christ, but do not judge others…because…Jesus Christ said “whatsoever you do the least of these, my little children (that’s all of us), you do it likewise unto me.”

Here is a couple of scriptures from the New Testament that describe God’s Love for us:

John 3:16 - For God so loved the world {everyone} that He gave His one and only Son {Jesus}, that whoever believes in Him {Jesus}, shall not perish but have eternal life {john 17:3 This is eternal life, to know God and the one He has sent [Jesus]}.

Romans 5:8 God demonstrated His love in this, that while we were still sinners {before you become a Christian}, Christ died for us.

Your thoughts?

http://www.lds.org/library/display/0,4945,106-1-2-1,FF.html