Conversations and Dialogue

I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins, and that I must be buried with Him through baptism in order to have my sins washed away. I believe that the waters of baptism represent the blood that Jesus shed, and that only His blood can cleanse me and prepare me for Heaven. I believe this because it is written in the Bible, whose author is God, the Creator of the Universe and all that is in it. I believe He created me, and He has the right to make all the rules about going to Heaven.

I believe that God is a loving God and wants everyone to be saved so that they may enter Heaven. This is also written in the Bible. However, He is literally unable to be in the presence of sin and, therefore, cannot allow anyone into Heaven unless they have been cleansed from their sins. This is also in the Bible. You see, all of my beliefs about salvation are supported by scriptures in the Bible.

It doesn't matter what a preacher tells me. It doesn't matter what I think the rules should be. The only thing that matters is what God says in His Bible that He has given to us for our instruction.

Now, I would never want to offend anyone, so let me quickly say that God loves everyone and expects me to love and care about everyone. He would never authorize me to take the law into my own hands and commit crimes against anyone who believes differently than I do. It really raises my ire when I see where someone has been beaten or killed in the name of God.

I know there are so many right here on WdC who have very different beliefs. Many who are my friends and have been my friends for a long time. I think that I am richer for knowing people with other beliefs. We can learn from other cultures and other beliefs.

Wow, I just read back over this, and it just sounds so preachy. I never meant for it to sound that way. I guess when Brandy told me about this forum, and I read what she wrote, I just felt strongly that I needed to be honest about my beliefs. I truly hope no one is offended.

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