What if Christ had not died?

[vaultzero]

My spiritual position on the question postulated is this:

Our ability to ask these questions is what makes us human and sinful. Within the context of faith, this question is sinful because it attempts to exam the "mind" of God which we are not capable of knowing, and reduces our ability to live for today. If it could have been any other way, then that is the way it would be.

The past is God's word, and is never changing. We can effect past events in the same capacity we can effect the will of God. We can't. Even current scientific thought realizes that it is impossible to change past events, and what was is what was.

So I agree that the question does not produce any fruit because Christ did die on the cross and it could be no other way. Examining the what ifs on any past event is always fruitless and reduces the amount of time you spend on the now.

What if I never moved to Texas for a short time, and never left the job I had already at that time? Doesn't matter because that is what happened and I can only live in the present, so just knowing that I did quit that job 3 years ago and moved is all that is necessary. Realizing that the events since then have brought me to where I am today, gives me great peace.

Just knowing that Christ did die and rose on the third day is all we know and can know. And that brings peace today because it is the path of Christian salvation. Having faith in that plan brings peace.

Adam and Eve lost faith in God's plan and decided to attempt to learn on their own the difference between good and evil. It brought anguish to them and led to their expulsion. I know that to be truth because I have an insatiable desire to learn everything, and not tempering that desire has always brought pain in my life. My salvation has been in edging away from my own understanding and leaning more and more on faith.

Just my thoughts.

 

[vaultzero]

No, this in no way "clearly shows she knew just what she was doing and that she had a fallen nature already." Eve gave into temptation, nothing more. And, yes, it is quite fair for Adam and Eve to be accountable for disobeying a direct command from God. It was that very act of rebellion that gave them knowledge of evil. That they didn't know what it was before is irrelevant.


I don't think you understood my post. Geocentricity was the reigning understanding of the solar system, both inside and outside the church. My only point was that science also taught geocentricity. When Galileo proved otherwise, it was not just the church which didn't at first accept it, it was the greater scientific community as well.

So, in this example, the church was very much in agreement with science and remained in agreement as science changed it's views.

This has become my understanding of late as well, and quite frankly fits the historical evidence better than the image of an evil pope tortuing anyone and everyone who disagreed.

It was a combination of events and attempts at unwinding the "exact" cause only brings more questions and fewer answers.

It was complicated.