Except many have said that god doesn’t change, well the difference between the Old and New Testament is a big change.
Have you read any Old Testament commentary by Rabbis and Jewish scholars?
And was pretty damn stupid. Alienating the other brother, if I remember correctly, who did everything right.
Undeserving love is just that - undeserving.
But that’s what cause people to stay with spouses who abuse them, and Christians to think their abusive God is actually a loving God because after all their suffering, they’ll get to go to heaven if they manage to still believe…
Guvnah
25
Well you’ll need to take that up with Jesus. He made up the story. And just as I said in post to which you replied, by human sensibilities of the audience at the time (and even today) what the son did was unforgivable. Therefore the father’s forgiveness was also senseless to the audience. Yet Jesus told the parable to give an example of God’s unending love.
I contend that many atheists really envy the Christian’s claim to God’s undeserved love. Maybe you see yourself as that other brother. That’s up to you to process. Maybe you could consider accepting that undeserved love. That undeserved grace and love and forgiveness is available to everyone. Some people don’t absorb it because they refuse to accept it. Again, that’s up to the individual to determine.
Very simple. No sin is so great that it cannot be forgiven in the eyes of the lord. The answer lies in the heart of the person. Ephesians 2:8. If you have faith, you are saved, even if you commit a sin. I don’t think there’s any question that suicide is a sin but I also don’t think God, that knows your heart, will turn his back on you because you were confused. Mentally well people don’t commit suicide.
By Grace Through Faith
1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the [a]course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Romans 8 is also a good resource.
If you really want to know how little the change is between Old and New Testaments, I recommend spending some time studying with Rabbis and Jewish scholars.
Atheists have no interest in learning about the Bible, they just come to poke holes to try to reassure themselves that they’re right. I feel sorry for them. To have nothing larger than yourself to have faith in is a sad state of being. Maybe I’m wrong about Christianity. If that’s the case, the worse case scenario is that I try to live my life as a better person. Of course, I’ve found in my life that the more I try to adhere to God’s word, (we all fail), the better life gets. Now, some may pass that off as karma but too many times I’ve asked the lord for help and the path became clear. Not necessarily easy but clear.
Nope, I’m not an atheist and the bible is crap.
The Bible, when properly studied and explained by knowledgeable people, is not only fascinating but presents undying wisdom. It truly helps guide the individual into being the best possible version of him/herself.
I hate watching Biblical insights fly high over the heads of those who have convinced themselves (without proper study) of something that simply isn’t so. If they are going to reject the Bible, they should at least know what they are rejecting.
What they are really rejecting are the wrong conclusions to which they have jumped and appear to be completely unaware that people of faith have already rejected those wrong conclusions.
Only when not studied properly. The conclusions people reach when foregoing that study are what is properly termed ‘crap’.
studied properly=interpret it as you do.
Not at all. However, that conclusion is interesting. If you are so ready to so easily dismiss another “interpretation” shouldn’t you be equally as ready to dismiss your own?
We began the discussion with your conclusion that God changed from the Old Testament to the New Testament. You mentioned you did not study the Bible.
I said that studying the Bible (including readying centuries old Jewish commentary and what modern Jewish scholars who know the original language (Hebrew) one can reach the conclusion that God did not change from the Old Testament to the New Testament. So what changed? Culture, for one. Modern culture is entirely different from Biblical culture. Language for two. Modern English has over 200,000 words, where as Hebrew less than nine thousand. History is the third. We learn an entirely different history today than what was learned in ancient times.
I’ll grant you that you can call my years of pursuing the study of Biblical language, history, and culture a complete waste of time, but that cannot be called an interpretation. Where we differ is in perspective. I formed my conclusion of God being much the same in both Old and New Testaments based on the perspectives of an ancient language and cultures. To me it appears your perspective was formed by using modern English and modern culture?
Guvnah
34
He already said his interpretation is crap.
Jihadists and Kamikaze pilots didn’t see it as sin…
You’re certainly welcome to your opinion. What religion are you?
Here’s one point of view from someone with a Christian perspective.
Another, shared with me on FB, is that Jesus would be very disappointed and sad that the individual made that choice. But, as no stranger to pain Himself, would not be unforgiving.
I hope O P isn’t considering suicide 
Actually my parents told me there was a conference once with all types of religious figures that studied and came to the conclusion that god in the Old Testament is child throwing temper tantrums.
And no I don’t consider a waste of time since it’s obviously important to you, but it is a different interpretation. And yes it was.