Well the people that have a history of terrible works, that repent are those that change into the good. The people that have the history of great works, that don’t repent are those who don’t know they dwell within their own filth and hypocrisy.
So you say. I know which I’d punish if I were on a jury, which I’d count as a friend, and which I’d rather spend eternity with. My answer’s closer to the Jewish one.
You see one who repents knows he has sin. And one who does not repent does not realize his own sins. The repentant one has forgiveness because he works on eliminating his sin. The unrepentant one does not have forgiveness because he does not work on eliminating his sin but remains in his ignorance.
Right. So two men go before the court–
The first man, being a poor planner, lived a mediocre life for 40yrs. He did little to help anyone, especially himself. One day his wife chose to leave him. Enraged, he took his 12 gauge and shot her twice. He then began crying and begged forgiveness. He read the bible through and through a few times before his execution.
The second man had a successful career and in his off-time was a foster parent, caring for children who had been abused. He watched Internet porn in the evenings after the kids were asleep. At his deathbed, he’s content he did more good than bad in the world.
Again, I know whose side I’m on! Personally, if I were God, man #2 would go straight to Heaven and man #1 would be reincarnated and have a second shot. I’m not the vengeful sort.
According to Jews? Are you going to take advice from a people that rejects their own King.
I take all sorts of advice from Jewish friends. Do you mean, am I going to convert? Nope! I’m a man of Reason, not a man of Faith. I will not believe in any deity until there’s strong evidence for its existance. And I don’t see any particular reason to believe Judaism or Christianity. But I enjoy Jewish food and Jewish friends. I would marry one. Their Faith is more compatible with atheism than the Christian belief system. I’ve dated Christians before, and in my experience it takes awhile to remove their faith, which I consider a necessary step for a relationship with long-term potential.
Jews haven’t “rejected their king” so much as disagree on which religious books to believe.
This is good philosophy–that a man place a Lord over himself, to govern himself, and direct him in his ways. It is foolishness not to have the Lord over oneself.
The only problem is, I’ve seen little evidence for your conception of a Lord. I don’t require proof, just strong evidence, the sort that civil and criminal courts do.
If you ever want to grow up from your childish ways and become a man then place the Lord over you and you will know Virtue.
Au contraire! As I grew up, I stopped believing in fairy tales. The Tooth Fairy. Dragons. Gods. Honest Politicians. I haven’t stopped believing in monsters. Those, of course, exist!
Virtue will dwell within you and you can finally say that you are a man. You will know what it means to be a man.
I have Virtues. Some the same as yours. Many are completely different.
Anyway, you wondered what Jews were thinking, and I hang out with Jews often enough to have some idea! I leave you with a “Namaste!”
