If I were a Christian, I’d believe in a God capable of forgiving those sins.
If you were a Christian, you’d believe in a God capable of condemning anyone to eternal suffering for the most trivial of sins.
As for my opinion, I’m not a 100% believer in reincarnation, but lately I’ve been vigilant about killing every cockroach, gnat, earwig and slug that I encounter, just in case it’s him. :mad:
If I were a Christian, I wouldn’t. But I’m not, so I don’t anyway.
Phelps believes he is in heaven.
Becoming a Christian requires belief in Eternal Hell. Otherwise, what’s the point of being Christian?
Repented for what sins, precisely? What commandments did he violate?
I dunno, maybe to study and act upon the words of Christ?
He didn’t call the soldiers gay (though he and his followers did picket gay peoples’ funerals, such as that of Matthew Shepard), he picketed soldiers’ funerals because they were representatives of a nation gone soft on gays.
It’s also not true that “no one cared” when it was just gay people - as the article also says, the protest at Shepard’s funeral “attracted global attention and condemnation.” Though it does say that the hottest protest was at their activities at military funerals.
[QUOTE=New York Times Obituary]
The Rev. Fred Phelps, the virulently antigay preacher who drew wide, scornful attention for staging demonstrations at military funerals as a way to proclaim his belief that God is punishing America for its tolerance of homosexuality, died here on Wednesday. He was 84.
[/QUOTE]
Cite?
Twenty three years ago I had a Religion professor in college who said something that perplexed me then, but I generally agree with now: “My reading of the Bible leads me to believe that there probably is a Hell. And if there is, it’s assuredly empty.”
Becoming a Christian required that? There is a test somewhere that is question is asked and if they select that they don’t believe hell is eternal they are not allowed into the Christian club, and the bread and wine for them won’t magically become flesh and blood to eat but just stay bread and wine ? 
Note that it does not say you won’t spend some time in Hell in the process Reference Jesus, Jonah, Lazarus (all spending time in hell).
With the raising from the dead gift Jesus gave all best are off and hell can be exited or not.
I could be wrong but isn’t the crime of not believing an action that will get you sent to hell? I mean in most of christian thought?
[QUOTE=Mark 16:16]
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
[/QUOTE]
Note it does not say what will happen to those who believe but are not baptized.
I don’t really think nevadaexile speaks for all mankind.
Actually the only person in the Gospels who is absolutely guaranteed to go to heaven is someone who was never baptized - the thief on the cross next to Jesus.
Regards,
Shodan
Heh, was about to use that one. (Luke 23:43)
Paul also seems to indicate that it’s a direct shot from death to eternity. 2 Corinthians 5:8. We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
And Jesus who was
I have seen that group protesting decades before Matthew Shepard’s funeral. I even attempted to debate them before I knew better. Essentially, very few non-gay people gave a shit.
Since Matthew Shepard was a watershed moment and a game-changer for LGBT civil rights, I wouldn’t hold it against the world for not paying attention to anti-gay hate groups before then. It happened more than 15 years ago, after all.
Sure, so long as no one in America is having gay sex.