: Gotch, I must insist on a serious response to this:: http://www.mcspotlight.org/debate/anything/messages/5058.html
:: On what basis are you condemming people for having a non-literal interpretation of revelations?
what basis do you claim Revelation to be an allegory? I believe it is a literal prophecy of future events yet to occur in the near future. If I'm right, you lose everything for eternity. If you're right, I lose nothing.
:DDN: You lost me here. How does he "lose everything for eternity" just for thinking that the book of Revelations is an allegory? The Bible is a huge mishmash of allegory and literal events. Do you profess to know exactly which are which in every single case? And if so, who deemed you with such incredible psychic, spiritual, and intellectual powers to know what nobody else on the entire planets knows? i.e. which 10,000 stories and accounts are allegory and which are literal. If you are wrong in your GUESS about ANY of them do YOU also "lose everything for eternity"?
Matthew 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Mark 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
Luke 9:25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?
:What does that MEAN anyway? That he'll go to hell just for making a perfectly logical guess about how to interpret one of the 50 books of the bible? I thought our destiny, according to christianity, was determined by whether or not we "accepted Jesus christ as our savior". Are you saying that I can be "born again" but if I ever suspect the book of Revelations to be an allegory I'll lose my eternal soul to the fires of hell eternal? Sounds like you are making up your own rules for how the universe works because this belief is not held by any branch of christianity or any christian I have ever encountered nor do I see this "rule" in the Holy Bible.
Sound like I came on too strong there, doesn't it? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply that if one doesn't necessarily believe that the Book of Revelation is literal that he cannot be born again. I personally believe that it is very literal with very little allegory mixed in, though there is obviously some mixed in. For example, the "dragon" referred to is probably speaking figuratively of a common human institution (whether of an organization or country, etc.) rather than a physical dragon, but I believe that most of the events described will happen in a very real, very literal way.
As far as losing for eternity, I'm referring to the soul of those who have not accepted Christ as their personal Savior, not those who have but who may interpret Revelation differently than I. In Christianity, we have fundamental doctrines -- those which make a difference between heaven or hell, and it's not just a matter of how we live -- and other doctrines on which there is disagreement but which will not result in the loss of one's sould.
Sorry for the confusion and snobby attitude displayed.
