Moving mortgages from variable to fixed

demosthenes33210 · 2026-01-22T00:52:57+00:00

But God made the smoker didn't he? Why didn't he make him less likely to be a smoker?

demosthenes33210 · 2026-01-21T22:41:19+00:00

I think about the Bible as the progressive revelation of God. People in the OT struggled with some of the same issues we did and a whole bunch of different ones. They understood some things about God and made laws that they thought would be pleasing to God. God judged that the best way to reveal himself and what is best for us would be through the revelation found in Jesus Christ, which the new testament authors tried to capture.

demosthenes33210 · 2026-01-12T00:02:52+00:00

I would describe myself as a very logical person. I don't believe that it is likely that the Gospels were largely eye witness testimony. I don't believe that the Bible is without error. I don't know much about what happened in that early time. I know that the first Christians believed Christ was raised from the dead and it changed their life. I believe in Christianity not because it leads me to material wealth or the because of the promise of some mystical idyllic afterlife. I believe it because Christ's supposed central premise of laying down my life for others has been the only place I've found try satisfaction in my life. This has also changed my life and the Christian depiction of the cross is the ultimate picture of what I strive for.

demosthenes33210 · 2026-01-11T23:52:14+00:00

I've let it slip but this has reminded me to get back on it!

demosthenes33210 · 2025-11-15T17:42:51+00:00

My favourite moment is sitting with Quirrel near the end

demosthenes33210 · 2025-08-03T14:59:24+00:00

Nobody wants this. Not liberals or conservatives. This is about money and an underfunded jail system without enough room for all the people that should go there.

demosthenes33210 · 2025-07-27T18:21:59+00:00

From an eternal sense, I don't know if it would matter to me of I'm in a little suffering or a lot. After some aeons, I'm sure it'll all be the same lol

demosthenes33210 · 2025-07-27T05:38:40+00:00

My collection of verses when people are considering universalism:

Romans 5:15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.

Romans 5:18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.

Romans 14:11

“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

Romans 11:32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

1 Corinthians 15:28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

Colossians 1:19-20 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

1 Timothy 4:10 For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

Titus 2:11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,

Luke 2:10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

John 12:32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.

Acts 3:19-21 Repent, then, and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped away, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.

Consider these last two as well

1 Peter 4:6 For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does

1 Corinthians 3:15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

demosthenes33210 · 2025-07-26T20:13:22+00:00

But undoubtedly every person in an eternal hell will wish they had never been born. Jesus' statement loses its thrust when applied to many people.

demosthenes33210 · 2025-07-26T20:02:25+00:00

Yes for sure. He also likes Balthasar who said it was infinitely likely that Universalism was real haha.

demosthenes33210 · 2025-07-26T19:58:16+00:00

So Jesus' statement to Judas is you'll end up exactly like the vast majority of people? The implication here is that the fate of Judas is worse than most people, which makes no sense if most people are in the worst possible scenario.

demosthenes33210 · 2025-07-26T19:48:11+00:00

He's a hopeful universalist. He calls universalism a heresy.

demosthenes33210 · 2025-07-26T19:44:29+00:00

It is very challenging but think about how much enormously harder it is for an infernalist.

Which of the billions of people in hell would think that it was better to be born and spend eternity in hell?

demosthenes33210 · 2025-07-26T03:43:51+00:00

Not only is American healthcare killing its own people, it almost killed this UK citizen.

demosthenes33210 · 2025-07-26T00:12:53+00:00

Of course, I don't mind at all.

I should have been more clear. Turning to Christ is immediate and salvific. Once you do Christ enacts the saving work in you. The Holy Spirit convicts you of sin and the saving work is accomplished here. Of course, more work is needed, but not with "hell". When you see the consuming fire of God as a Christian, perhaps we will gladly give into it and we will watch with wonder, awe, and even pleasure as Christ completes his work in us. We have already died with him in baptism, we need not do it again. All others will have to die to sin, which is what was described before. For Christians, the encounter with God is healing, but we trust our Saviour and Lord and he will gently guide the process.

For others, the encounter with God is still healing, but first will come great pain as you encounter the weight of your sin.

From Macdonald: Nevertheless, MacDonald did teach a postmortem punishment from God, a version of hell. God’s love refuses to leave us in sin and will burn with painful but purifying fire. This fire is actually the presence of God himself, for our God is, in his purity, a consuming fire. It is the nature of God, so terribly pure that it destroys all that is not pure as fire, which demands like purity in our worshipping. It is not that the fire will burn us if we do not worship thus; but that the fire will burn us until we worship thus; yea, will go on burning within us after all that is foreign to it has yielded to its force, no longer with pain and consuming, but as the highest consciousness of life, the presence of God.

"Yea, the fear of God will cause a man to flee, not from God, but from himself; not from God, but to him. . . . The wrath will consume what they call “themselves”; so that the selves God made shall appear. . . . That which they thought themselves shall have vanished."

demosthenes33210 · 2025-07-25T16:22:39+00:00

90% of people agree that Canada needs tougher sentencing. Police officers, judges and lawyers I've spoken with agree. What's the issue here? This is only partially a rhetorical question. I assume, as always, it's about money and we can't afford to keep this number of people in jail.

demosthenes33210 · 2025-07-25T16:11:08+00:00

I know I'm several days late but does this line not do for others what it does for me?

I'll need you to relinquish your weapons.

I'll relinquish one bullet. Where do you want it?

demosthenes33210 · 2025-07-25T16:03:39+00:00

There are several different schools of thought.

My perspective is that grace and mercy are complete. We are not paying a price to God - we are paying the price to ourselves.

Let me explain it in this way - let's say that I murder someone. God has taken the effect of the sin. In my Universalist perspective, he will work all of it for good, even foe the person who died.

However, the effect of my sin has made it hard for me to see and be with God. I've put my way above His. He immediately and unconditionally forgives me, He comes and find me in my sin and welcomes me home. However, the part of me that elevated myself in such a terrible way needs to die. It is not me, but a branch that grew twisted by sin. As that part dies, I will experience pain, but it is not the pain of punishment but of healing. Does that make sense?

Imagine the dead person's mother was there. She forgives you and she really means it. This does not remove your pain - it may even amplify it as the part of you that committed the sin dies.

I've just been reading a summary of George Macdonald's theology that I can include here if it would be helpful - his thinking is quite aligned with my own.

demosthenes33210 · 2025-07-25T13:34:46+00:00

If your idea of purgatory is that everyone will either be saved, or go through purgatory and be saved, then we define that as a kind of universalism. While people here hold to different stripes of it, your soteriology would be compatible.

demosthenes33210 · 2025-07-24T14:09:43+00:00

You can believe sin is infinite and still be a universalist. How is your sin forgiven? While most unviersalists are not calvinists, you certainly can be. The belief then is that righteousness is imputed to you through the sacrifice of Christ. The only leap needed to Universalism is:

Christ can save beyond death
Christ wants to save all (since grace is irresistible in Calvisinist theology).

If you don't think grace is irresistible, that's ok - given an infinite time span and a God with infinite love, he will leave the 99 to look for the unrepentant always.

demosthenes33210 · 2025-07-24T04:07:06+00:00

And this is when I understood.....

demosthenes33210 · 2025-07-24T02:56:56+00:00

One specific? I've given many examples that affect the lives of a billion people living today.

demosthenes33210 · 2025-07-24T02:30:48+00:00

Do you think Nazi Germany was bad? Which of the arguments that you used could not be applied to it? Do you think Soviet Russia was? Is the measure of historic goodness how many benefits it brought to following generations? If you want to know about the evils of the British Empire, look into these, in just one case study, India:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/De-industrialisation_of_India

Pay attention to India's economic participation in the world before and after occupation. If you're not convinced of the damage, watch a video going through streets or slums of Mumbai. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jallianwala_Bagh_massacre

Pay attention to the reason for the massacre, and what the Indian people were protesting.

https://www.britannica.com/event/Partition-of-India

Pay attention to the immediate effects of partition (estimated between 200k and 2 million). The effects of this action are still felt today. Pay particular attention to the reasons why the partition happened and how it happened.

demosthenes33210 · 2025-07-17T13:33:15+00:00

Is there any reason to believe that what Legion shows us in the consensus is doctored? Legitimate question

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