this post was submitted on 29 Jun 2023
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Explain Like I'm Five

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ELI5: If you're a Christian, why do you have to be good if Jesus will forgive you no matter what? (lemmy.world)
submitted 2 years ago by minorninth@lemmy.world to c/explainlikeimfive@lemmy.world
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I grew up going to church but I'm not religious now and I never really understood this part.

Please, no answers along the lines of "aha, that's why Christianity is a sham" or "religions aren't logical". I don't want to debate whether it's right or wrong, I just want to understand the logic and reasoning that Christians use to explain this.

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[–] Vagabond@kbin.social 0 points 2 years ago (12 children)

I had a teacher in school who believed in predestination. Basically, whether you go to heaven or hell is pre-ordained before your even born and there's nothing you can do to change it. I told him that sounded to me like I should be a Satanist because if I'm predestined for heaven I've worshipped Satan all my life for nothing and I get to chill in heaven. If I'm predestined to go to hell I've spent so much time worshipping Satan it probably won't be too bad. I'm personally not really religious myself but I really was dumbfounded at the whole predestination thing.

[–] Generic-Disposable@kbin.social 0 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Biblically the teacher is right. God does know where you are going to end up when he creates you. That's the doctorine.

[–] isdfoa@kbin.social 0 points 2 years ago (2 children)

that... does not sound right. humans have free will

[–] HelixDab@kbin.social 1 points 2 years ago

Humans believe they have free will. If you think that you have free will, in what way does that differ meaningfully to you from actually having free will?

This gets weird, because the human brain appears to make decisions unconsciously before you consciously make that choice. It appears that our "rational" , thinking brain is making up reasons why we did a thing, rather than those reasons actually driving the choice. So did you--the consciousness that you conceptualize as being yourself--really make that choice, or is there some other 'dark' you that's driving, and you only think you're in control?

[–] BaldProphet@kbin.social 0 points 2 years ago (1 children)

One view is that God knows how people will end up not because He is forcing them to act a certain way, but because He has a perfect knowledge of the outcomes of their actions. Kind of like how a parent knows what the outcome of a small child's actions will be.

[–] Maestro@kbin.social 0 points 2 years ago (1 children)

You're not a parent, are you? 😁

[–] Cinner@kbin.social 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

I'm not the commenter but it seems fairly obvious what they're saying.

The child doesn't know that touching the hot stove will burn them, but you do because you have a lifetime of experience.

To add to this: To the child, it's essentially magic that you know exactly where the heat starts, and how you have the ability to boil water.

If you're saying it in a light-hearted 'lol kids are chaos' way then yeah.

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