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Sheldon wrote:
Kirby in the SLTrib had this to say about the 2nd coming in is article about becoming a good.
Quote:There is also the New Testament God who promised to return “soon” but hasn’t yet, sparking a 2,000 year-old debate that so far has produced nothing but long winded church
Pretty much. It was speculated soon after his death until now by many people.It serves literally –no point. But it installs fear and fear installs the need for control in people. This is well documented on what installs fear or and the need for control serves no point since that only leaves a very negative teaching and view in ones mouth. In a way it is kind if self-for filling.
Predict second coming, fear of death and judgement ensues, people begging to find fault in themselves and others.
The need for control arises out of that fear. People see and focus more in the negative and pronounce that their bias-confirmation is legit and it is indeed really happening. Especially once they look at life through a negative lens of fear and read the bible–seeing false positives to confirm their belief.
It’s a endless cycle of negativity with no real point.
There isn’t a rush to “race” in life, neither before or at the second coming.
Imagine if the message of the impending return of Christ was all about peace and things getting better before he came. Maybe the last 2000 years would have been a little less bloody giving people something to look forward to besides cowering in their basement surrounded by bullets freeze dried meal packs. Cadence wrote:Imagine if the message of the impending return of Christ was all about peace and things getting better before he came. Maybe the last 2000 years would have been a little less bloody giving people something to look forward to besides cowering in their basement surrounded by bullets freeze dried meal packs.
Can we put it to a vote?
Just as I see baptism as a 2nd and spiritual birth, I can see Christ’s 2nd coming as a spiritual event where his teachings and values roll over the earth in power and glory – transforming the earth into a more loving and elevated sphere. There is actually some scriptural reasoning that equates God’s love with fire, and could make the earth’s baptism of fire to mean the love of God will penetrate the hearts of all mankind.
Apocalyptic prophesies seem to be very important to small bands of disenfranchized and persecuted believers. To them, seeing their enemies pay and themselves crowned with glory is what makes it all worth it. The larger and more mainstream the religious group, the more successful, dominant, and accepted – the more such prophecies tend to take a back seat.
Just human nature.
Orson wrote:Just as I see baptism as a 2nd and spiritual birth, I can see Christ’s 2nd coming as a spiritual event where his teachings and values roll over the earth in power and glory – transforming the earth into a more loving and elevated sphere.
There is actually some scriptural reasoning that equates God’s love with fire, and could make the earth’s baptism of fire to mean the love of God will penetrate the hearts of all mankind.
That makes sense Orson.
Belief in a literal baptism of the earth (great flood) is often compared to the ordinance of baptism by submersion. The second coming is often talked about in terms of the earth receiving a literal baptism by fire (burning) and it is compared to the ordinance of receiving the gift of the holy ghost (gothg). If the earth’s baptism by fire was compared to the gothg in a similar (very literal) fashion as the great flood/baptism the second coming would be more akin to what you describe. I mean… I wasn’t literally consumed by a fire when I received the gothg.
Forgive my inability to communicate. Words aren’t coming to me today…
Orson wrote:Just as I see baptism as a 2nd and spiritual birth, I can see Christ’s 2nd coming as a spiritual event where his teachings and values roll over the earth in power and glory – transforming the earth into a more loving and elevated sphere.
There is actually some scriptural reasoning that equates God’s love with fire, and could make the earth’s baptism of fire to mean the love of God will penetrate the hearts of all mankind.
I agree with what Orson and nibbler said. This makes more sense to me. I have a hard time trying to imagine wicked people literally burning to death. Besides, what does someone have to do to be considered “wicked”?DontKnow wrote:
I agree with what Orson and nibbler said. This makes more sense to me. I have a hard time trying to imagine wicked people literally burning to death. Besides, what does someone have to do to be considered “wicked”?It could also explain how Satan is bound or made to be ineffective, if mankind is filled with love Satan would have no sway.
I think people are certainly moving further and further away from love. It’s partly due to the greatly reduced social contact of modern life. SamBee wrote:I think people are certainly moving further and further away from love. It’s partly due to the greatly reduced social contact of modern life.
In a way I think your right. But on the other hand – the increase of distance and internet communications reduces tribalism and nationalism and increases understanding and acceptance of groups different than our own. That is a form of love.
Roy wrote:SamBee wrote:I think people are certainly moving further and further away from love. It’s partly due to the greatly reduced social contact of modern life.
In a way I think your right. But on the other hand – the increase of distance and internet communications reduces tribalism and nationalism and increases understanding and acceptance of groups different than our own. That is a form of love.
This is true. We have a better understanding and acceptance of each other then at any time we know of in history generally speaking in a global level.
That in no small part is because of global interaction where we can’t just talk about “the outsider” or “other tribe” in a closed vacuum anymore.
Studies has shown that people have a built in “not my tribe” DNA detector.
It’s a biological response we genetically developed for protection and safety.
The brain sees a face it diesnt recognize and automatically produces a kind of fear on a subconscious and even conscious level at times.
The more we encounter different faces the more out brain gets used to them, doesn’t sense them as in “outsider” and stops manufacturing the chemical slowly.
It is partly why the works is a better place then it was pre- globalize world.
What we know so far is, people would rather seine time with people that are accepting of them and treat them right and share their interest. To the point they prefer it virtual of real people that they don’t share those things with.
It’s still about connection with people and love, just given the choice people prefer to hangout with people in different locations or not at all then to be around people locally or people at all and fake it.
People are less willing to live that kind if life now, generally speaking.
We may get to the stage where internet interaction becomes more social (Skype is a start), but from bitter experience it is no substitute. I virtually never speak to my neighbors, don’t know their names (with one or two exceptions), find myself shopping at an unmanned till or even online (no interaction). When I phone up a company I rarely get a human. The only community I’m truly part of, is the church oddly enough. But it’s easy for me to spend a day with virtually no human interaction at all, even if I go out of the door.
There are instances of people being dead for six months around here, and no one noticing.
ps I think nationalism gets a bad rap because it covers so many disparate doctrines. The nationalism of Gandhi or the Tibetans is entirely justified IMHO.
Forgotten_Charity wrote:Studies have shown that people have a built in “not my tribe” DNA detector.
Speaking of tribes in recent years I have made a conscious effort to think of the entire human race as “my tribe.” We are all children of God after all, sure our backgrounds give us superficial divisions but it has given me a new perspective in many ways. It has been an enlightening exercise, I find it more difficult to be persuaded by the local rhetoric and “us vs. them” mentality when I try to hold this perspective. It can drive my local tribe nutty.
Orson wrote:Forgotten_Charity wrote:Studies have shown that people have a built in “not my tribe” DNA detector.
Speaking of tribes in recent years I have made a conscious effort to think of the entire human race as “my tribe.” We are all children of God after all, sure our backgrounds give us superficial divisions but it has given me a new perspective in many ways. It has been an enlightening exercise, I find it more difficult to be persuaded by the local rhetoric and “us vs. them” mentality when I try to hold this perspective. It can drive my local tribe nutty.
Love, love love this quote.
🙂 And yes it drives people in the tribe nuts when you do that doesn’t it? Not just in the LDS community, but as I travel and relate to many tribes and they “take me into their fold”. Then it “appears” to them that I had “turned” against them when I take express that perspective or do something outwardly that communicates that idea.
I love the universalism. Everyone is in my “tribe”. It’s not an exclusive tribe of any kind.
I have long suspected that some degree of human psychological issues probably arise from the fact that we meet, greet, lose, and meet again, so many new people. It often seems like a flurry of faces, a lot of whom just look similar. I wonder if human evolution has caught up with this. It would account for certain social problems. I think an individual can’t really maintain anymore than 200 close friendships, and even that’s on the over generous side.
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