religious paradox

[KyuubisSlave]

Ok we will start with some assumed constants

1) God is perfect in every way shape and form

2) Sinning is a flaw

ok now to start the paradox..... We all know that Pride is one of the 7 deadly sins and to commit this sin is bad. Yet God who is Perfect commits this sin every day. One of God's ten commandments is that no one should worship anyone but himself or they will go to hell. Is this not vain and isn't vanity just a form of pride, If so is god not a sinner, and therefor not perfect?

[PuppyChow]

God wants us to worship Him only because that's the only way to get in heaven. He commands it out of love for us, not pride for Himself.

[KyuubisSlave]

God wants us to worship Him only because that's the only way to get in heaven. He commands it out of love for us, not pride for Himself.

but god created heaven, therefore he decides how to get into heaven. He is choosing to eternally damn people just because they don't believe in him

[PuppyChow]

God wants us to worship Him only because that's the only way to get in heaven. He commands it out of love for us, not pride for Himself.

but god created heaven, therefore he decides how to get into heaven. He is choosing to eternally damn people just because they don't believe in him

No, you don't understand the concept of heaven.

God did create heaven. Heaven is a perfect place. Sin is NOT allowed in heaven, or else it isn't heaven. Think of it like a highly selective school. To get in this highly selective school, you need to be smart. If you get in without being smart, then it isn't highly selective.

So you can't get into heaven with sin.

Now, all of us sin. We are born sinners since we have descended from Adam (we actually didn't have sin until Satan tempted Adam and Eve). So since we all sin, we shouldn't get into heaven at all, right?

Well, God forgave us of our sins by sending Jesus to die on the cross FOR our sins. If you believe in Jesus Christ (essentially God), worship Him, and let him into your heart (sounds sappy, I know), then your sins are forgiven. Then, since your sins are forgiven, you have no sin, so can go into heaven.

It's not that God decides who gets into heaven. It's you have to be perfect to get into heaven, and the only way to be perfect is to accept Jesus as your savior and worship him.

[KyuubisSlave]

God wants us to worship Him only because that's the only way to get in heaven. He commands it out of love for us, not pride for Himself.

but god created heaven, therefore he decides how to get into heaven. He is choosing to eternally damn people just because they don't believe in him

No, you don't understand the concept of heaven.

God did create heaven. Heaven is a perfect place. Sin is NOT allowed in heaven, or else it isn't heaven. Think of it like a highly selective school. To get in this highly selective school, you need to be smart. If you get in without being smart, then it isn't highly selective.

So you can't get into heaven with sin.

Now, all of us sin. We are born sinners since we have descended from Adam (we actually didn't have sin until Satan tempted Adam and Eve). So since we all sin, we shouldn't get into heaven at all, right?

Well, God forgave us of our sins by sending Jesus to die on the cross FOR our sins. If you believe in Jesus Christ (essentially God), worship Him, and let him into your heart (sounds sappy, I know), then your sins are forgiven. Then, since your sins are forgiven, you have no sin, so can go into heaven.

It's not that God decides who gets into heaven. It's you have to be perfect to get into heaven, and the only way to be perfect is to accept Jesus as your savior and worship him.

I fail to see how someone who has done no wrong has sined.

[PuppyChow]

If you've lied, even a little white lie, you've sinned. If you've looked lustfully at someone not your wife, you've sinned.

We all do it. So it's a moot point that even someone who hasn't sinned personally goes to hell, but since you're curious, here's a nice quote I found that phrases it more eloquently than I ever could:

We are born without personal sin; but we are born bearing the effects of the sin of Adam and Eve, inherited by the entire human race, since the sin was committed by the entire human race at the time - Adam and Eve.  This innate spiritual weakness, this tendency toward evil, this absence of grace, which resulted from the original sin that the human race committed against God, is generally spoken of as being "born in original sin", though it is really more correct to say "born subject to the effects of original sin".  There is no personal guilt involved. This distinction is apparent in the Church's teaching on Baptism, which we say "removes" original sin, rather than "forgives" original sin.

That's not to say a baby that dies right when it's born goes to hell. They go to some type of holding area... I'm not sure on the specifics of that though, since I'm not actually Catholic.