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Pastimes : Ask God -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: IN_GOD_I_TRUST who wrote (27227)	9/26/1999 12:37:00 PM
From: Brumar89	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 39621

When I read that passage, I see the speck of sawdust and the plank as being metaphors for sin. And the use of two very different objects, implies a difference in magnitude between two sins. Its talking about the character within a person. Someone could (be) better then the next, can't they? Yes, we're getting closer here. One can indeed be better and have a better character - and that is demonstrated by the amount and degree of sins in their lives. But wait, that's me talking. What in your view of every sin being precisely equal would make one person better or worse than another? Now for the questions you asked me: What is the purpose of the conscience? Wow, that's a big question. Here is my puny answer - to perceive good and evil - as eyesight allows us to perceive tangible objects. There are other purposes I could propose - to give us an ability to determine the right path, to steer us in the right direction, and to produce guilt when we realize we've chosen a wrong path. Genesis, which has the story of the human race acquiring conscience (which I see as a symbolic but meaningful illustration) doesn't tell the purpose of conscience. Why do we have one if sins don't matter? You have misunderstood me if you think I said sins don't matter. What I have said is - some matter more. Have you ever felt guilty after you have done something wrong that you think is no big deal? Of course. Perhaps the earliest example, I can think of: I can remember far back in my childhood, being at my maternal grandparents house and saying out loud that I hoped my mother who was coming to get me and take me "home" would have a flat tire. My grandmother, who never in my lifetime ventured inside a church yet who was the saintliest person I've ever known, chided me immediately and said I should get down on my knees and ask God for forgiveness for wishing something so cruel. It pierced me to the heart and I went into another room and prayed that my mother be safe, that my wish should be blotted out, and to be forgiven. Why does the conscience alert us at all? I think this is the same question as the purpose question I already addressed. What have you done to make up for the wrongs you have committed? Are you asking what I do about the guilt my conscience produces? I resolve to do my best to avoid doing whatever it was again, pray for forgiveness (usually briefly and mentally), and try to do good things when an opportunity to do so literally falls in my path. I don't go out of my way, though, and don't consider myself a particularly good person. There are many people far better than me - Jimmy Carter, whom I read about in yesterday's paper, for one. I have a great admiration for those who devote time, energy, and labor to good deeds and good causes. I hope someday I will be more like them. You may be getting at the salvation question - accepting Christ as my personal saviour. This I did in my youth and was baptized the next Sunday. Not sure if this counts for anything though as I've long had and still have a lot of doubts about the whole business.