Another Question for Catholics

 Do you dismiss the prophet Muhammad as a false prophet in part, or in whole, because of the fact that he was a pedophile?

If so, how many children does the Catholic Church have to sexually assault before you consider the possibility (just the possibility) that the Roman Catholic Church is not what it claims to be?

French report: 330,000 children victims of church sex abuse

If one case is enough for you to dismiss Muhammad, how many more do you need before you dismiss Catholicism?

Matthew 7:15-16 "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?"

A Question for Catholics

 How many lives have to be ruined before you consider the possibility (just the possibility) that the Roman Catholic Church is not what it claims to be?

French report: 330,000 children victims of church sex abuse

That's just over 70 years. Catholicism started roughly in 313 AD. That's 1708 years old. Dividing 330,000 by 70 equals 4,714 cases per year. Let's multiply that by 1,708, which equals: 8,051,512 possible instances over the lifetime of the church.

 How many lives have to be ruined before you consider the possibility (just the possibility) that the Roman Catholic Church is not what it claims to be?

Matthew 7:15-16 "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?"

Salvation - A Conversation

 Salvation - A Conversation

'You preach 'easy believism.' Salvation isn't that easy!'

    Jesus himself equated salvation and believing in Him as easy as eating bread:

John 6:32-35: "Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger;"

'Ha! I have celiac disease, I can't eat bread!'

    Good news, Jesus has you covered too, because He equated salvation and believing in Him as easy as drinking water:

John 4:14: "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."

John 6:35: "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."

'Well, I'm full.'

    Then I hope you become hungry, just as the prodigal son became hungry, for without Christ, you can't be saved:

Luke 15:15-16: "And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him."

Acts 4:12: "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."

'Faith without works is dead, so believing isn't enough, it has to be accompanied with works.'

    The apostle James isn't wrong, our faith is dead without works, but neither is the apostle Paul wrong who wrote extensively on the topic of faith, and how belief is the only way to be saved and that your works can't save you:

Ephesians 2:8-9: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."

Romans 3:27: "Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith."

Romans 11:6: "And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work."

Romans 4:5: "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."

There is much more to be said on this topic, and we'll dive into into it in Part 2.

'Repentance is required for forgiveness, so you need to repent of your sins in order to be saved and forgiven.'

    Repentance has another meaning, and that meaning is to turn away from something and turn towards something else - like changing your mind or physically changing your direction. Repenting of your sins is good and it can lead you to salvation, but it isn't required to be saved, for the act of repentance is a work, and we aren't saved by works. We also have examples from the Bible of people getting saved without clearly being 'repentant of their sins.'

1 Kings 10:1-9: "And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to prove him with hard questions. And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not any thing hid from the king, which he told her not. And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built, And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the Lord; there was no more spirit in her. And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard. Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom. Blessed be the Lord thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the Lord loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice."

Matthew 12:42: "The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here."

    The Queen of Sheba came to Solomon to hear his wisdom, and left believing in the Lord. At no point does the Bible describe her as being repentant of her sins.

    The Ninevites from the story of Jonah and the Whale is another example. They believed God first, then repented (as you would say) of their sins.

Jonah 3:4-10: "And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not."

    So, in verse 5, the Ninevites first believed God, then in verse 10 they turned from their evil way, and this turning away is described as a work (which we've already established works can't save us).

Luke 11:32: "The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here."

    In the book of John, we have examples of Greeks seeking Jesus, and they don't sound repentant of their sins:

John 12:20-21: "And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast: The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus."

We also have examples from Acts.

Acts 10:1-2,22,44-48: "There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band, A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway. And they said, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words of thee. While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days."

    You can read whole story, I just selected the key points. We see that Cornelius is already a God fearing man, but he hadn't yet heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The apostle Peter preached to him the Gospel, Cornelius believed, was filled with the Holy Ghost, and was then baptized. Again, Cornelius isn't described as being repentant nor having repented of  his sins prior to believing and being baptized.

Acts 8:26-40: "And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea."

    Neither is the Ethiopian Eunuch described as being repentant or having repented of his sins prior to believing in Jesus. We can conclude thus that being repentant of your sins is good, and can lead to salvation, people can and do seek Jesus for other reasons and are led to salvation through their searching.

Matthew 7:7-8: "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."

    But, if you're absolutely adamant about repenting of sins, there is one sin you must turn away from, and that is the sin of unbelief in Jesus Christ.

Revelation 21:8: "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."

Psalms 14:1: "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good."

Proverbs 24:9: "The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men."

John 3:15-18: "That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God"

'I don't need a middle man to get saved.'

    That is the exact opposite of what the Bible teaches. You in fact need three 'middle men:' a saved person to preach to you the Gospel, Jesus Christ who died on the cross for your sins, and the Holy Spirit who bares witness. The Bible teaches us that we need someone to preach the gospel to us in order to be saved, and that faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. 

Romans 10:14-17: "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?  So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

John 14:6: "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

Acts 15:8: "And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;"

1 John 5:7: "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."

    While Jesus walked the earth He preached the Gospel, and people believed on Him. Before His ascension, He charged the apostles and all Christians to preach the Gospel to every creature throughout the world. 

Matthew 4:23: "And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people."

Mark 16:15-16: "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."

    Now that Jesus has ascended, it's the job every saved person to preach the Gospel so that people may hear the Word of God and believe.

    It has also always been through hearing the Word of God that people believed and are saved - we see that with the Queen of Sheba and the Ninevites above. Even the apostle Paul, then Saul, had to be given the Gospel in order to be saved.

Acts 9:10-11, 17-18: "And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus."

'In your examples above, they were all baptized, thus you need to be baptized to be saved.'

    No. Water baptism doesn't save you, nor is it required to be saved. Jesus Himself said as much.

Mark 16:15-16: "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."

    Jesus is clearly stating in Mark that believing on Him is what saves us, not water baptism, and not believing in Him damns us to hell. Neither was the thief on the cross baptized, yet he is saved.

Luke 23:39-43: "And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise."

    There is one baptism that saves, and that is to be baptized in the Holy Ghost, but that first requires faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Mark 1:8: "I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost."

'Someone can believe in, or follow, another god, and if they really seek and follow God, they're saved.'

    No. The apostles teach us that there is no other name, but the name of Jesus Christ, that can save, and Jesus tells us that there is no other way but through Him.

Acts 4:12: "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."

 John 14:6: "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

'I believe the Nicene Creed/Book of Mormon/Catholicism/Mariology/etc.'

    The Nicene Creed, Book of Mormon, Catholicism, and Mariology are not the Gospel, and if you believe anything else, but the Gospel of Jesus Christ, at worst you're not saved, and at best you're carried about by diverse and strange doctrine. Neither can anyone add to, nor take away from, the Bible, and if anyone should, they aren't saved and are deceivers.

Galatians 1:6-9: "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."

2 Corinthians 11:13-15: "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works."

Hebrew 13:9: "Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein." 

Revelation 22:18-19: "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."

'You can lose your salvation, especially if you commit such an egregious sin as murder or suicide.'

    I haven't finished reading my Bible from cover to cover, but I have not yet encountered a story in the Old Testament or New Testament of anyone who was clearly saved, sinned, and then lost their salvation. Nor have I ever been taught such a story in all my years going to church. The Bible has plenty of stories about wolves in sheep's clothing, false prophets, unbelievers, and people who follow false gods (all of which it warns us against, all which aren't saved), but not one story of anyone losing their salvation. In fact, Jesus himself tells us that no man can pluck the saved out of His hand - and we are all men, and none of us, including ourselves, are greater than He.

John 10:28-30: "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one."

'Well, then God can let go of us, and thus we can lose our salvation.'

     The Bible teaches us that God will never leave us, nor forsake us.

Hebrews 13:5: "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

Hebrews 13:8: "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever."

    Make no mistake, God will punish us if and when we do sin, but is not unto hellfire and damnation.

Galatians 6:7: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."

Hebrews 12:5-9: "And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?"

John 15:2: "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit."

    However, we do have many stories of saved men, sons of God, men of faith, who all believed, sinned, and are yet still saved and in Heaven now. I won't quote it here, in its entirety, but Hebrews 11 gives us a list of men of faith who were all saved by grace through faith. Yet all these men also sinned, some egregiously, and yet none of them lost their salvation. I will list these men here, and you can read their stories later.

1. Abel
2. Enoch
3. Noah
4. Abraham
5. Sara
6. Isaac
7. Jacob
8. Joseph
9. Moses
10. Rahab
11. Gedeon [Gideon]
12. Barak
13. Samson
14. Jephthae
15. David
16. Samuel
17. The prophets

'Judas was saved, and he's described as the son of perdition (hell), so he must have lost his salvation.'

    Judas was not saved, as he did not believe. Many others will feign belief in Jesus, but they are liars.

John 6:64: "But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him."

John 6:70-71: "Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve."

Mark 7:6: "He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me."

'You can't know who's saved and who's not saved.'

    The Bible teaches that we can know who is saved who is not saved. Jesus says we can know where someone's heart is based where their treasure is. 

Matthew 6:19-21: "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." 

    The Bible also tells us that whoever doesn't believe that Jesus gave us eternal life is calling Him a liar.

John 5:10-13: "He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."

'All of these are just straw man arguments.'

    I wish that they were. These are all arguments that I have either heard while out soul winning (evangelizing/preaching the Gospel), online, or they're cribbed from John 6. While I tried to be as complete as possible, this isn't an exhaustive list.

'I don't believe you.'

    I'm not asking you to believe me, but to believe the Bible, and most importantly to believe in Jesus Christ who died on the cross for your sins.

 'You're taking the Bible out of context/tearing the Bible apart and forcing it say what you want it to say/That's your opinion.'

    You are free to read all of these scriptures that I provided in their context and to draw your own conclusion.

John 5:39: "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." 

2 Timothy 3:15-17: "And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."

'I don't understand the Bible.'

    How can you without the Holy Spirit?

John 16:13: "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come." 

1 Corinthians 2:10: "But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God."

    How can you unless someone were to guide you and preach to you the gospel?

Acts 8:31: "And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him."

Romans 10:14-17: "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?  So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

'I don't believe the Bible.'

    Then you do not believe in Jesus Christ and you are not saved.

John 7:38: "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." 

    Nothing I've written here hasn't been written before or spoken before. I'm not making any new arguments. Many Christians and all of the apostles have made the same arguments - indeed I quoted them. My pastor, and many other pastors before him and today with him, are even making the same arguments. My brothers and sisters in Christ are making the same arguments as well.

    If you're saved and you read this, thank you. May this edify you. If you're not saved and you read this, thank you, you now have a decision to make: to believe and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ who died for your sins and rose again on the third day, or not to believe and trust in Him.

TL;DR:

The Bible Way to Heaven

Salvation

Salvation

Do you know for certain whether or not you're going to Heaven?

If someone were to ask you, 'what must I do to be saved,' what would you say?

Do you believe that someone who believes in Jesus can ever lose their salvation?

Do you want to know how to go to Heaven according to the Bible?

If you want to know, the Bible is very clear about what it takes to be saved and to go to Heaven. Before we discuss what it takes to be saved, it's important to understand why you need to be saved.

The Bible says that we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God: Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" and that the wages of our sins is death: Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin is death."

What is sin? Sin is breaking any of God's commandments, such as stealing or murdering. Revelation gives us some examples of sin: 

Revelation 21:8: "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."

Just as murdering one person makes you a murderer, so to does telling one lie make you a liar, and that one lie is enough to damn you to Hell. We have all sinned, and the wages for our sin is death and damnation in Hell - and it is an eternal damnation: 

Revelation 20:10: "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."

Even worse, there is no amount of work that we can do to save ourselves:

Ephesians 2:9: "Not of works, lest any man should boast."

This is the bad news. We are sinners, the wages of our sins is death and damnation in Hell, and we can't save our selves.

The good news, God is merciful. God loved the world so much, that He gave us an opportunity to be saved from the wages of our sin. Do you know who and how that opportunity came about? It came from His Son, Jesus Christ and the sacrifice He made in our stead:

Romans 5:8 "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, died the death we deserve to die for our sins - for the wages of sin is death. A death sacrifice had to be made, and instead of us paying that price, and burning in Hell forever, Jesus made that sacrifice instead.

But, Jesus did not stay in Hell:

Acts 2:31: "He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that His soul was not left in hell, neither His flesh did see corruption."

Jesus died and went to Hell for us, but he didn't stay there; He rose again from the dead on the third day, not just spiritually, but also bodily:

1 Corinthians 15:4: "And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures:"

Through Jesus's death, burial, and resurrection, He paid the price for your sins, so you don't have to go to Hell and burn forever. Now salvation through Jesus is available as a free gift to you:

Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

How then do you receive this free gift? There is a person in the Bible who asked this very same question, and the answer is to believe and trust in Jesus Christ and the work He did to save you:

Acts 16:30-31: "And brought them out, and said, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' And they said, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.'"

The Bible is telling you that you have believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and trust Him; for it is only through God's grace (mercy), and your faith in Jesus and His sacrifice that you are saved, not of yourself:

Ephesians 2:8-9: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."

Even better, once you believe in Jesus Christ, not only are you saved from eternal damnation, you are given eternal life:

John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

The good news doesn't end there. By receiving Jesus, God in turn adopts you as His child:

John 1:12: "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name."

And every child of God is saved and has been given the gift of eternal life:

1 John 5:13: "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may Know that ye have eternal life."

So: We have all sinned. Our sin damns us to Hell forever. We can't save ourselves. We need Jesus to save us. God is merciful and loved the world. He sent His Son, Jesus, to die and suffer in Hell in our place. Jesus did so, thus paying the price for our sins through His death, burial, and resurrection. Now He is offering salvation and eternal life as a free gift to you, and all you need to do is accept the gift by believing in Jesus.

These are the things which you must believe in to be saved and to go to Heaven:

1 John 5:10-11: "He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made Him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son."

How long is everlasting? It's forever. How long is eternal? It's forever. If God takes away this gift, was eternal? No. Even if God takes it away 1000 years from now, that still isn't eternal, it was just a very long time - and that's not what God promised you. 

Everlasting is without end, just as God is without end.

If God made you work or pay for your salvation, is it a gift? No, it's not a gift no matter how cheaply it may cost you or how little you worked to earn it.

Gifts are not earned, nor purchased, they are given freely. 

Is there anything then that you can do to lose your salvation and this gift? No. You may reject the gift, and elect to not to receive it, but in that case, you never accepted it, and thus are not saved. But, once you accept the gift, salvation and eternal life are yours.

What then if you commit an egregious sin - such as murder, theft, or suicide? Won't then God revoke your salvation? No. If He revokes your salvation, then that would make Him, and Jesus, a liar, and Jesus is The Way, The Truth, and The Life, and Jesus is without Sin:

John 14:6: "Jesus saith unto him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.'"

Hebrews 4:15: "...but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."

Jesus cannot be The Truth and a liar simultaneously, since that would be a contradiction. 

Jesus cannot be a liar because lying is a sin and He is without sin. 

Further more, Jesus Himself said no man can pluck you out of His hand, nor God's hand:

John 10:28-30: "'And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one.'"

You are a man, and you are not greater, nor stronger than Jesus or God the Father. You can't pluck yourself out of God's hand. Even if you let go, He still has you:

Hebrews 13:5: "...for He hath said, 'I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.'"

So: The gift of God is salvation through Jesus Christ, by His grace, through faith, not of works, not of yourself, and if you believe on Jesus you can never lose your salvation - no matter what.

Is this then an invitation to sin? NO!

While we are saved, we are His children, and just like a good Father, if we sin now, He will punish us, here on this earth, but not with hellfire and damnation:

Galatians 6:7: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."

Hebrews 12:6: "For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth."

If, after reading this, you believe in your heart that Jesus is the Son of God, that He was sent here to die on the cross, that He was buried, and that He rose again, thus paying the price for your sins. If you believe that through Jesus you have eternal life and shall never perish and you trust Jesus 100%, just as He died for you 100%:

Romans 10:9-10: "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

Then there is but one thing you need to do, say the following:

Dear Jesus, 

I know that I am a sinner, and I deserve to go to hell, but I believe that you died for me, you were buried, and rose again. Please, save me and give me eternal life. I'm only trusting in you, and not in my works. In Jesus's name I pray. 

Amen.

TL;DR:

The Bible Way to Heaven

Netherflix: Cuties is Soft Pedophilia Porn

 I watched the trailer. I won't link it here. Don't watch it. It may seem innocent enough, but it isn't

The movie is clearly softcore porn for pedophiles, and the trailer makes that clear.

Roughly from the 23 second mark to the 25 second, the girls (all underage) are seen practicing their dance moves. Two of the four girls are very clearly performing sexually suggestive moves - finger in mouth with eyes rolled up and back, submissive doll like, and the other groping her breasts, both sticking their butts out. Immediately after this, the 26 second mark, a fire is shown being lit under a cook pot.

If you can't figure out what this means: the makers of this film and trailer are telling you that these sexualized girls are hot. You should be attracted and aroused by their behavior.

The rest of the trailer is clearly about sexual liberation and feminism (ie satanic) ideologies being better, more free, than conservative, traditional ideologies. The protagonist is seen in several shots wearing clothing a hussy would wear: button up t-shirt tied up under her breasts, stuffed with TP most likely, and wearing tight, faux-leather pants - the traditional image of the powerful, black woman from the 1970s (see Sexy Cleopatra from Austin Powers as an example). This dress is an outward manifestation of sexual liberation (meaning the 11 year old girl is now having sex) and how feminists believe strong women should dress - as sluts.

If Big Mouth didn't convince you to cancel your subscription, then hopefully this will.

UPDATE: Vox Day's comments on this are quite good.

[NSFW] UPDATE 2: Do you need more proof? [NSFW]

UPDATE 3: Does it, or does it not, pass the Dost Test?

UPDATE 4: From the perspective a survivor.

Anime and the Socio Sexual Hierarchy

First, lets discuss what is the Socio Sexual Hierarchy (SSH). The SSH is the natural hierarchy of males, as it pertains to their social status and their sexual appeal to women. At the top of the pyramid is the Alpha: he is the typical handsome, confident, sexually successful, socially gregarious, and natural leader. Then is the Bravo: these guys are usually as handsome, confident, sexually successful, and socially gregarious, but they aren't leaders; they are the Alpha's right hand man and enforcers of order. Below the Bravo, and the largest number of males, is the Delta: Deltas are your hard workers, steady and reliable, they are usually pretty average looking, and not overly sexually successful, but if want something done, done right, done well, you call in the Deltas. Below this are Gammas: these men think more closely to women than to men: they're more emotional thinking, they tend to lie about themselves (viewing themselves as Secret Kings), but they do tend to be above average in intelligence and can be useful as subject matter experts, but never relied upon for anything key to ongoing operations; they must be watched carefully, and if they act up (which they always do), either purge them or deal with them harshly and swiftly. Last, are the Omegas: these men are socially awkward, not sexually successful, and are the outsiders; they may actually be quite competent in their fields, but no one is inviting them to the party.

With the information above, and if you know anything about Japanese animation (aka Anime), then you've probably noticed that most Anime is Gamma wish fulfillment fantasy, or power fantasy. This doesn't automatically make the show or movie bad, but then you begin to wonder if there is something different. Well, yes, there is. Usually the better forms of fiction are Delta fiction. Delta fiction usually portrays a hero who perseveres through hardship via hard work and training.

 Which finally brings me to what I want to talk about: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, and Dr. Stone. These are two animes that feature non-gamma protagonists.

DS:KnY is a story about a boy, Tanjiro Kamado, who's whole family is murdered by Oni (Japanese demons), except his sister who was transformed into a demon. When we are first introduced to Tanjiro, who is heading into town to sell charcoal and provide for his family. Once in town, he not only sells all of his charcoal, but also helps out in other ways. This competency is core of a delta, and Tanjiro is clearly a high level delta. After his family is murdered, he trains for 2 years to become a swordsman capable of slaying demons and passes the entrance test. He goes through serious hardships that take months to recover from. Nothing is instantly handed to him, simply because of who is, he has to work for everything. This is a well done Delta.

Tanjiro isn't alone, and 3 of his friends represent other SSH ranks: Zenitsu Agatsuma is a gamma, Inosuke Hashibira is an omega, and Giyu Tomioka is a sigma. When we are first introduced to Zenitsu, he is repulsing a woman whom he is trying to marry simply because she was nice to him. This is typical gamma. He is also a coward (conflict avoidant), but can fall asleep and transforms into a secret master of the first lightning breathe technique (literally, a secret king). However, Zenitsu isn't hopeless. Tanjiro pulls him along through training that makes them both better swordsmen. Perhaps in future episodes we will get to see Zenitsu evolve from gamma to delta.

Tanjiro's next friend is Inosuke Hashibira, who was raised by wild boars, and has taught himself breathing techniques. He has no social skills, and isn't successful with women, thus he is an omega. Now, Inosuke is more an uncouth barbarian than social train wreck, but that still makes him omega. Inosuke is quite the capable fighter, and overly confident in his abilities, and we get to see him be defeated and that confidence take a blow. We also get to see him grow through the same training above with Zenitsu and Tanjiro. Perhaps, we'll get to see him evolve into a delta as well as he learns social manners.

Lastly, there is Giyu Tomioka, who is a Sigmas. Now, sigmas exist outside the hierarchy, but they aren't interested in fitting in with the crowd. Sigmas can be confused with alphas, but the key difference is that sigmas have zero interest in leading. This fits Giyu perfectly. He is an incredible swordsman and master of the water breathing techniques, and is ranked as one of the top 10 demon slayers. Yet, he shown standing separately from the other top tier guys. Women do not find him unattractive, nor are they repulsed by him, he simply has own interests (killing demons) and is only concerned with others so long as those others further his interests.

The show is none the less still full of anime tropes. It is quite enjoyable, and I do recommend it.

Next is Dr. Stone, which I'll only be focusing on the first 4 episodes as it's sufficient to make my point. The main character in Dr. Stone is Senku, who is another sigma. He is focused on science and rebuilding civilization, and doesn't have interests in the hierarchy or others, unless that suites his interests, and we see that even his childhood flashbacks. Since doesn't repulse women, and doesn't appear to be generally disliked, he can't be an omega or gamma. He doesn't lead anyone, nor want to be led by anyone, so he can't be a bravo or delta. This leaves him as a Sigma.

Senku's best friend Taiju, on the other hand, is a delta. Taiju isn't the smartest, he is described as an oaf, but he is a strong, competent provider, and willing defender with a compassionate heart - all qualities of a highly valued delta. Taiju is literally the brawn to Senku's brain.

Lastly, the antagonist in Dr. Stone, Tsukasa, is an alpha. He is strong, a fighter, handsome, and has hoards of admirers. He seeks to rebuild the world as a paradise and to lead it. These are all the traits of an alpha. Unfortunately, Tsukasa is the villain. He murders adults and only wants to save the children whom he considers to be pure of heart. '

These two shows are but a tiny sampling of anime that isn't entirely gamma. Both are recommended.

It's also important to remember that the SSH is fractal. This is best demonstrated in DS:KnY. Tanjiro is the alpha of his 2 friends, as they follow him faithfully, and he leads them rather well.

Other recommendations: Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade, Ghost in the Shell (1995 edition), and Grave of the Fireflies.

Why SJWs Can't Create

First, I am not breaking any new ground here. Secondly, this post is probably not necessary. I'm just putting my thoughts together into a post to record them.

We all know SJWs can't create. I've been thinking about why. We know they don't embrace or promote the good, the beautiful, and the true. I also think they can't create because they ultimately seek the approval of man and because they're cargo cultists

They push the narrative in order to get the approval of man. This is what we call virtue signaling. They are the outsider kids who want to be accepted by the cool kids, and they'll do whatever the cool kids are doing to get accepted.

Which brings me to my second point: they're cargo cultists . SJWS understand the exterior trappings of the genre or franchise they're working on, but they don't actually understand the why and the how it works. Perfect examples: Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi and Alex Kurtzman's Star Trek. Sure, the movie and TV shows have all of the outer trappings of their respective franchises, but nothing else. Hell, they don't even maintain continuity.

Unfortunately for the consumers, this leaves us with media that misses the point and ruins our favorite franchises. On the bright side, we're seeing that the approval of man is fleeting, SJWs being cancelled, and the ruination of the companies that own these franchises.