That is, the problem with evil.

The argument usually goes like this: If God is all good, he wouldn't want evil to exist. If God is all powerful, he would be able to eliminate evil. Since evil exists, God is either evil or not all powerful.

There is a major faulty assumtion to this argument, that is that if evil exists, God would have to want evil to exist in order to be all powerful. The reality is that evil is a byproduct of a very good thing that God did for us. That is, God gave us moral freewill. It is through our own choices that evil is done. Did God intend for evil to exist? No, but God knew that it would as a result of giving us moral freewill.

Now I'm going to give you an example. Say that I put a light into a field. You stand in the field 100 meters away with your back to the light. On a completely dark night, you would see nothing, not even your shadow. If you never faced the light, you would not know it existed, it would be too far away. Now say that you moved forward, further from the light, you wouldn't know that either. Or if you moved left or right, you wouldn't know that either, because you would be in complete darkness still without anything to guide you. Now assume that someone came up behind you and said "Hey, there is a light behind you, just turn around". Would that be a bad thing? But maybe they would say it the wrong way or you would take it the wrong way and be offended. Then they say, "Look, you are going the wrong way, if you won't turn around at least walk backwards", knowing that if you walk backwards you would eventually get close enough to the light that you would see your shadow and that would make you turn around and face the light. If the person speaking to you weren't walking backwards or further away from the light than you were, they wouldn't be able to see you in the first place. I find that saying "Hey, there is a light behind you, just turn around" offends many people. People are also offended when I say "Look, you are going the wrong way, if you won't turn around at least walk backwards". They get offended when I say those things, but they don't realize that what I'm really saying "You are closer to the light than I am, but you are facing the wrong way. Turn around and we'll walk there together." But just because I offend people, that doesn't mean I should stop telling them about the light. Believe it or not, there are things that hunt in the dark. Like the Bible says, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:". Those who are outside the light are the ones whom the devil may devour.

Jesus offended people his entire public life. Jesus was killed because he offended so many people. I encourage all Christians to pick up the cross and risk offending the masses, because saving a soul is more important than making friends. Speak the truth and speak it boldly.

God bless.

Spider wrote:
“because saving a soul is more important than making friends”

Just as a personal perspective it seems to me that there is something grossly wrong with a religion that believes that in order to “save” people it requires that you not be their friends.

All you’re asking people do to here Spider is to accept your beliefs and no other choices are acceptable.

That kind of thinking can’t be good.

Surely there must be a way for you to accept it when people say to you, “But Spider I have no need to turn around and look for a flashlight because it’s sunny outside! Why can’t YOU see the sun?”

What do you say in return Spider? Do you deny that they can see the sun?

Some people don’t need to be ‘saved’ Spider.

They already ARE saved.

Got it?

Why can't you respect other people when they tell you that they are happy with their relationship with God?

Who are YOU to call me a liar when I say that I'm happy with my relationship with god?

You are YOU to suggest to me that I can't see the light?

Who are YOU to JUDGE other people’s relationship with god Spider?

Who are YOU that you need to RAM your religion down everyone else’s throats?

Religions is a personal choice Spider.

You’ve made your choice, now let other people make theirs.

Abracadabra,

Such anger, that's not healthy. I am simply stating that I will continue talking about my God, even if it offends people. Ask around, see how many people have gotten emails from me trying to convert them. The number is 0, but don't take my word on it. Notice that I'm not trying to convert anyone, I'm talking about what I have experianced and what I believe as a Christian. You do no different, you speak about your beliefs and you make moral judgements. It seem that you are unable or unwilling to see that side of yourself.

"You’ve made your choice, now let other people make theirs. "

It's strange that you say that. When I offer my opinion, does that in some way impinge on the free will of other members? I don't see how it could, but I would like to hear you explaination for the quoted statement above.

There’s nothing wrong with offering your beliefs and views for what’s right for you.

But you keep suggesting two things,…

1.) That other people are committing sins when they behave in certain ways.
2.) That they are lost and need to be saved.

Why can’t you just accept them for who they are?

Contrary to what you might think I accept you for who you are.

I seriously don’ t care what you believe Spider. If you tell me that you’re happy with your relationship with god that’s fine with me, I accept that.

Abracadabra,

"Contrary to what you might think I accept you for who you are."

"Why can’t you just accept them for who they are? "

You just contradicted yourself. If you accepted me for who I am, then you wouldn't say "Why can’t you just accept them for who they are?".

I guess your right Spider.

You are what you are.

Let's just leave it at that.

I’m not one who believes that things happen for a reason, but tonight has caused me to ponder that I might be wrong.

When I was out shopping I ran across some old movies that were on sale for a buck a piece. One of them is called Incubus and stars William Shatner. So I picked it up out of curiosity.

Shortly after reading this thread where Spider suggests that it’s more important to win souls than to spread love and friendship I watched the movie.

The movie is all about a woman who is possessed by the Lord of darkness. She preys on men’s sins and lures them with lust to the sea where she kills them to possess their souls. Her mother is proud of her evil deeds. It’s all about winning souls for the Lord of darkness.

But then William Shatner comes into the picture. He is an honorable man who was wounded in a war. The evil girl wants his soul. But her mother objects and tells her that she mustn’t go near him for he has a power so strong that it would destroy her soul.

She asks her mother what it could be that is more powerful than the Lord of darkness. Her mother says, “It’s called love”.

The girl refuses to believe that anything can be more powerful than the Lord of darkness and she insists that she will take Shatner's soul. But her mother warns her again saying, “But you don’t understand, this man is full of love for others. He went to war and did not fear death. He saved his comrades with complete disregard for his own life. He puts other people before himself."

The girl still did not believe that this thing called love could be so powerful. So she set out to lure William Shatner to his death by the sea where she can sacrifice his soul to the Lord of darkness.

This evil girl of darkness(named Kia), is very beautiful and Shatner falls in love with her immediately. She lures him toward the sea where she had murdered all her other victims. Luring him with the offer of sex, tempting him with lust.

Shatner can’t resist her and he takes her in his arms and kisser her. They're passionate for each other so Kia offers to lay with him naked in the sun. But Shatner declines her offer and suggests that they should court properly and marry, and be together as man and wife proper.

Kia acts like she had just been stabbed with a knife and runs home to her mother sobbing. Her mother asks her what’s wrong and Kia replies, “He touched my heart”. The mother backs away in horror and screams, “He raped your soul!” He touched you with love. We must go to the Lord of darkness and repent for this terrible sin.

So they go to the Lord of darkness and ask for help to destroy this man of love. The Lord of darkness gives them a demon from beneath the ground. A zombie emerges from the pits of hell crawling out of a grave.

Shatner has been staying with his sister to protect her from evil, so the zombie goes and captures his sister and brings her to the demons of the Lord of darkness. The demons rape Shatner's sister and the zombie of darkness lays atop her and kisses her with his rotting lips.

Then zombie then takes Shatner’s sister back to him and tosses her ravaged body on the ground before him. Shatner kneels and caresses his sister as she dies in his arms.

Then in a fit of rage he attacks the demon zombie. Anger fills his soul as he struggles to fight the powerful beast. Finally, he grabs a wooden stake and stabs the zombie in the heart. The zombie falls to the ground dead.

The evil mother then nudges Kia and whispers in her ear. His soul is yours it’s stained with the blood of the Lord of darkness.

Kia approaches Shatner and begins to lure him to the sea once again to finally claim his soul for the Lord of darkness. Shatner, dazed and weary, begins to follow her, but as they approach the sea he hears the bell of the chapel of love ringing. Kia yells at him not to listen to the bell, but he does not heed her. He runs back to the chapel of love to save his soul for God.

Kia follows him yelling, “I love you!”

Her mother cries out, “No Kia! Don’t follow him! Your soul will be captured by God! You’ll be filled with LOVE!”

But Kia pays her mother no mind and follows Shatner back to the chapel of love where they fight off the demons of the Lord of darkness one last time before becoming united in love.



This movie so reminded me of Spider’s constant preaching about how it’s better to have people hate you so their souls can be “saved”

Is there really such a thing as saving souls via hate?

I always thought the pathway to God was through love. Why should people hate you for showing them love? Surely if you are offering them the love of God they would see you as a friend? If they see you as an enemy isn’t that a sign that you might be working for the Lord of darkness?

Such a fitting movie for this thread. Was it a sign from God? A message of love?

~~~

William Shatner and Allyson Ames (as Kia) in Incubus. A Movie Ventures Presentation.

Interesting Incubus Trivia,…

I was just checking out the web for more information about the movie Incubus.

It was produced in 1965 by the way, (pre Star-Trek).

The woman who played Shatner’s sister committed suicide in real life just weeks after they finished the movie!

The actor who played Incubus (the zombie), murdered Mickey Rooney’s ex wife and then he committed suicide too.

The daughter of the actress who played Kia’s mother was also raped and murdered in real life.

There are legends about how the movie was cursed because of all these terrible things that happened to the people who played in it.

Even the director of the movie went bankrupt and his wife divorced him shortly after the movie was produced.

I guess Shatner and Kia somehow escaped the curse.

Maybe there’s something to this thing called love!

'spider',

Christians, are essentially people whom chose to endorse the religious and life principles as taught by Jesus Christ.

Christians are not the issue. People affected with delusion, whom parade as Christians are the issue.
Self-serving Fundamentalists and Fanatics distort and mischarcterize every otherwise well meaning religious principles around the world.
Extreme anything is a distortion of the mind. It systematically 'excludes' large portions of life and people in its wake.

You need not be a practicing Christian, or some 'phariseean' Bible quoter, to be absolutely clear that Jesus had but one single message which he spread through numerous speaking tribunes.
A single message that drew people to him.
A single message that brougt hope and goodwill to an otherwise culture of judgment, hate and suspision. (the old testament dealt in dark concepts, and needed a Jesus's valium, as I wrote someone writing on these posts).
A single message so simple, it spread like dust of gold in the win.
Love one another. Love your neighbor (all others) as you love yourself.

Jesus didn't battle with people. Jesus didn't argue with people. Jesus didn't behave as a soul rapist! Jesus didn't offend people his entire life!!! As you wrote 'spider'. How twisted!!! What a dark and misguided mischaracterization.

Jesus drew free loving crowds, luminous crowds which grew to such a large number (psalm Sunday?!!?) that the controlling few, the 'phariseean' litteral followers and administrators of 'disciples', started seeing Jesus as a problem. An unfair competition. That he should so easily draw such followings without armies, without force, without fear or threats of any kind, was most disturbing for the few controlling religious bigots of the time.

To suggest that Jesus offended people his entire life as 'spider' suggests, must be corrected on the spot,

...with love!!!

Jesus offensive?!?!? That is heresy!!! That is everything Jesus was not.

THE CORRECTIION 'SPIDER' GOES AS FOLLOWS:

"... Jesus loved people and offered a message of universal love is entire life!!!" (by the way, I am but a cultural Christian, not into the practice, but I know what's above to be true for myself.)

All of this isn't done in spite 'spider'. I think allof us need to show 'spider' our ability to forgive, and love him, such that Jesus's true message of love fills him, and in doing so, allows 'spider' to finally LOVE HIMSELF.

How can he love his neighbor, if he doesn't love himself.
How can he understand a pure message of love such as Jesus delivered to man, if he doesn't accept and love himself.

This is what explains IMO the dark filter through which 'spider' seems to perceive everything and everyone around him. Abscence of love is not necessarily hatred. I don't beive 'spider' acts out of hatred. Just abscence of love. Abscence of its poetry, it's light colour, it's warmth and compassion, it's singing and humorous lyricism. Jesus's poetry went straight to people's heart and soul. He did't have to fight for them.

'spider' is not suffering alone. We all know brothers and sisters, 'neighbors', whom have been hurt, and suffer from this condition of abscence of love.

And I'll draw on Jesus's generous and forgiving message, to offer true compassion to my brother 'spider', such that he can find peace against his own demons of delusion, and find freeing and pure love, which Jesus brought to us 2000 years ago.

All my love 'spider'.

Suite...

When we come right down to it,

'spider' has no battle with 'Abra', 'invisible', 'myself', or anyone else.

That is the illusion!

The battle, when there is one, the offence when we speak one, and judgment and condemnation when we cast them, are ultimately with and towards our selves.

The only battle is within our 'selves', and against our 'selves'.

When life is generous enough to have given us the gift of having been loved, we become somewhat conscious, or clear about the fact that our sole job in life is to love the crippled child in us. In no other way can we offer love to others. And if life has been generous to us with the gift of love, it is not because WE are special. The only purpose of this generosity, is to cause those touched by it to turn and touch those with whom life has been less generous.

That's all Jesus spoke. Too powerful for 'pharisees' (one who follows the letter and not the spirit of 'the law', religion) of the times, but hopefully, our collective, forgiving and loving group hug will touch 'spider'.

1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never falls. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; wherethere is knowledge, it will pass away.
9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.
11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.
12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Quoted from the NIV study bible, new international version.

voileazur,

Anyone who has read the Gospels can quote you many examples of Jesus offending the crowds. When Jesus said "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you" the masses who were following him were so offended that all of them but the 12 disciples left. Jesus preached of the hypocracy of the Pharisees, don't you think that offended the pharisees? Jesus was executed while a huge crowd of Jews cheered the Romans on...perhaps he had offended them? In another thread, I quoted a verse in which Jesus offended a crowd and they tried to kill him on the spot. You simply don't understand who Jesus was or what He thought. Saving a soul is more important bruised feelings. Jesus offended many, but they were seeking to be offended, just as you and Abra and Invisable.

Invisible,

I love you. You have declared that you feel nothing for me, but I still love you. May I send you an email? I would like to discuss some things with you.

Abra,

"This movie so reminded me of Spider’s constant preaching about how it’s better to have people hate you so their souls can be “saved”"

I have never said that. I would absolutely love it to be loved, but that's not in the cards. Do you think that anyone seeks to be hated? Don't you think that I struggle with my flesh and soul, both of which simply desire acceptance? Do you honestly believe that I have no feelings or that whatever feelings I have can't be hurt? I value your soul more than I value my feelings or my own desire for friendship. I knew before I posted that I would be attacked by you and others. I realized that my feelings would probably get hurt and I would definately be insulted, but I posted anyways. Sometimes, you have to try to see the other side of the fence, instead of assuming you already know what is there. Ask yourself this, if you were a Christian and you believe that everyone who wasn't saved was in danger of eternal punishment, would you do any different than I?

I didn't try to offend anyone with this thread. I hoped that it wouldn't offend, but I couldn't assume that it wouldn't. I had a message to deliver and I have done that.

spider:
when i was reading ur original post I was so happy because i saw that u finally were changing ur speech.
But when i got to the last paragraph I was like OMG.
Spider, my brother, Jesus was the one who ate with publican, tax collectors, and prostitutes (the worst class in those days).
I bet that when they were having supper the last thing they were talking is about their sins, and that they are going to go to hell.
Our Lord converted them with His huge Love. Why don't you approach others in the same manner.
I admire you for the zeal with which you defend the faith to Our Lord JesusChrist, but my brother please I'm begging you control your temper. Don't bring enemies to heaven, bring friends to heaven.

May the peace of Our Lord JesusChrist be with you, and all of the people in this forum

TLW

TheLonelyWalker,

Is this not true? "Jesus offended people his entire public life. Jesus was killed because he offended so many people."

Is this not true? "saving a soul is more important than making friends."

I'm sorry, but you are taking the same stance that Abra and Voil took and I simply can't imagine why. I never said I want to offend people, I said that Christians must risk offending others. Jesus spoke the truth and if infuriated thousands of people. Surely you know that. The truth is often offensive to those who don't want to hear it. Read my response to Voil and tell me that I have my facts wrong. We should NEVER set out to offend someone and we should take pains to not offend anyone, but we shouldn't stop spreading the gospel because we are afraid of offending. You think I'm wrong, show me why I'm wrong. I have used scripture and reasoning, unless you can refute what I have said with the same, then your arguments have no weight.

"Spider, my brother, Jesus was the one who ate with publican, tax collectors, and prostitutes (the worst class in those days). "

What that has to do with what I wrote, I have no idea. If you look at Jesus' life as a whole, you will see that he offended poeople. The people you mentioned OBVIOUSLY knew that they were sinners, why else would they have been seeking salvation? Why was Jesus killed, if he didn't offend people. The fact that Jesus dined with tax collectors and prostitutes was offensive to many. I can't understand why you would deny a part of Jesus' ministry. Without acknowledging their sins, a sinner will NEVER know God's greatest expression of love: Grace.

u r truthful in any and each one of ur words.
where u and me disagree is in ur approach.
the max u and me can do is say: "hey, this is a sin."
no more no less
It's up to the rest of the people to believe it or not.
or better yet, it's up to God to bless them with the understanding to see what u and me are seeing now.
i told u too many times that I admire your skills to use scripture to back up ur argument, I wish I could have that skill.
but that's all, we can't, we aren't the one who is going to judge.

Religion is simple. You believe or you don't.
Which god is right?
Thats the easiest question to answer yet is argued so often.
My religion is right for me.
Yours is right for you.
Why is that so hard?

'spider',

You are so wrong. So wrong in defending the undefendable.

Jesus only spoke from and of love. Those whom didn't have love in their hearts were offended. When you speak from love, hypocrisy along with those who practice it, are offended.

Pharisees, chief hypocrites amongst all, chose to be vehemently offended by Jesus's message of love. To suggest that Jesus was offensive is heresy. And to quote words of Jesus which pointed out his disdain for hypocrisy, is downright dishonest. As I said before, how far will one go in one's delusional self-justification???

Much more important than the mischaracterization you chose to make of Jesus's words, is Jesus's spirit. Being so stuck on the 'litteral' 'spider' you keep missing the spirit.
Jesus's whole being was SPIRIT!!! Regardless of your twisting his words, Jesus's spirit, words and whole being were about loving one another. Pointing clearly to that which stands in the way of love, such as hypocrisy, is not being offensive in any shape or form. The fact that people will chose to be offended does not equate to being offensive. Get real. All parents would offending their Children by guiding them from dong wrong. All husbands and wives would be offensive with each other every time they were truthful and loving in a truthfull manner.

Pharisees were litteral with the law, and spiritless. The message of love form Jesus offended them. And Jesus forgave and loved them nonetheless.

So it is with you right here on these forums 'spider'. You are litteral with the law and the word, and most unfortunately, spriritless. And just like the Pharissees, our love offends you 'spider'.

I don't question your intentions. They are noble, that I trust. But the way of the Pharisees, you chosing to constantly be offended by messages of love, is not to be honored, regardless of its different disguises.

No one is forcing you 'spider', but Abra, Invisible, myself, and I trust everyone else whom have been following these posts of late, are genuinely offering, I'm sure, a group hug of pure love. It is entirely up to you to chose it for what it is, or be offended by it.

Voil,

You are a man of very wise words. I learn a lot from reading your posts. You help me to see the inconsistency in myself. You are very effective in hold up a mirror for people to see themselves without offending them in the process.

I am guilty of many of the things that you point out. And just as you acknowledge with Spider, my failings are not intentional or evil, but merely created from good-intentioned blindness.

I response to my first post in this thread Spider came back with the statement, “Such anger”, but there was no anger in my post. However, I confess that there was frustration. My post was merely a bunch of questions asked in a mood of frustration. It’s true that I should have calmed down and let the frustration dissipate before replying. I’m sure I could have worded the very same questions in a much more tactful manner.

It does appear to me that Spider is pushing a very unloving picture of God. He seems to be suggesting that we should totally disrespect the views of others in an effort to “save” their souls. And as you say he actually believes this, so from that point of view he is “well-intentioned”. He even asks,…

Spider wrote:
“Ask yourself this, if you were a Christian and you believe that everyone who wasn't saved was in danger of eternal punishment, would you do any different than I?”

This is an extremely deep question, because it has in fact been answered in the course of my life. I was actually faced with this very question. There was a time in my life when I was seriously drawn to teaching Christianity. My main hope was to teach the love that Jesus taught.

Unfortunately, as I began to pursue that endeavor it became apparent to me that I could not just teach the love of Jesus without also offering justifications for the behavior of the God of Abraham. For me, these totally dissimilar deities could never coexist peacefully. In order to teach the gospel required that I first make sense of it myself. The more I studied it the worse the contradictions became until they reach a point where they were so overwhelming that I had no choice to chuck the whole religion.

It saddened me to do so, because I so wanted to teach the love of Jesus. But the historical account of Jesus has become so completely entangled with the God of Abraham that it’s impossible to separate them. The only reason that people pay Jesus any mind at all is because they believe that he was the God of Abraham, take that away and they reject Jesus instantly.

Here’s a quote from another thread:
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic -- on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg -- or else he would be the Devil of Hell. – C. S. Lewis”

In short, you can’t separate Jesus from the God of Abraham. If you do so people are too ready to crucify him all over again.

Well, there’s absolutely no way that I could possibly buy into the God of the old testament. A jealous grumpy old man that goes around the universe drowning entire civilizations who merely displease him. That picture of a God is a picture of a Devil to me. I would be the compassionate superior to such a deity. But I can’t be compassionately superior to my own creator, therefore it can’t be true. It necessarily must be made-made mythology no differnet from the mythology of ancient Greece.

~~~

The very idea that there are two gods. A good god, and a bad god, who are fighting for possession of our souls is utterly ridiculous to me. It’s the most absurd thing that I can possibly imagine. In this context Christianity really doesn’t have just one jealous God. It has two jealous Gods, one evil, and one good, fighting over possessions of souls with the poor humans stuck in the middle of the gawd-awful game.

There’s no way that I can accept that this is the true nature of creation. There must be something better.

I found that something better in Pantheism. The single god of pantheism has no evil counterpart. God is all there is, there is nothing other than god. There is no devil. The devil is the illusion of the ego. It’s a fleeting wisp of imagination, it has no substance.

The god of Pantheism is truly all-loving. There is no way to become separate from a god that is this universe. There is simply nothing else to be. It’s the ultimate unconditional love. Even god herself cannot reject your ‘soul’. She created you in this way ON PURPOSE. She makes no blundering mistakes.

So you see Spider, I was in your shoes at one time. I did, for a while, begin to believe that people’s souls needed to be saved from an evil demon. But I no longer believe that way.

Moreover, now that my eyes have been opened to the true nature of god I can see clearly what Jesus was saying. Jesus was indeed an incarnation of god. Not the God of Abraham (which he never claimed to be by the way), but rather he was an incarnation of the universe. And he knew it. If you read his words viewing him from that perspective everything falls into place. All inconsistencies disappear. It all makes perfect sense.

However, when I say that, you need to also understand that not one word in the Bible was written by Jesus!

All accounts of Jesus were written by men who even state that Jesus had told them that they did not understand him. Their misunderstood interpretations are what have survived in the book we call the Bible.

So to ask me what I would do if I believed as you is a moot question. I reject the idea that there are two Gods, a good God, and a bad God who are fighting four possession of our souls.

I simply don’t buy into that picture. So it’s a moot question.

I understand that your intentions are good Spider, but that doesn’t make them RIGHT. You need to realize that other people are entitled to their own belief systems. And they deserve to be respected for it.

I respect your right to believe that two different Gods are fighting for possession of your soul. May the better God win!

All I ask is that you respect my right to believe that only ONE god exists.

Matthew 23 1 Then said Jesus to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; 3 so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not practice. 4 They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by men; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, 6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues, 7 and salutations in the market places, and being called rabbi by men. 8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brethren. 9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called masters, for you have one master, the Christ. 11 He who is greatest among you shall be your servant; 12 whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. 13 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither enter yourselves, nor allow those who would enter to go in. 14 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you traverse sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves. 16 "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'If any one swears by the temple, it is nothing; but if any one swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.' 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? 18 And you say, 'If any one swears by the altar, it is nothing; but if any one swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.' 19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 So he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it; 21 and he who swears by the temple, swears by it and by him who dwells in it; 22 and he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it. 23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! 25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of extortion and rapacity. 26 You blind Pharisee! first cleanse the inside of the cup and of the plate, that the outside also may be clean. 27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 29 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 saying, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' 31 Thus you witness against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. 33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? 34 Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, 35 that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of innocent Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly, I say to you, all this will come upon this generation. 37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! 38 Behold, your house is forsaken and desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"

one thing God gave us is free will


He also gave us incentive to live a good clean life


If you don't want to take advanatage of what is offered that is your choice.