CabinetMaker said:
{quote=Unknown}
The Hornets
To the tune of This Is Like Heaven To Me
If a nest of live hornets were brought to this room
And the creatures allowed to go free,
You would not need urgings to make yourself scarce
You'd want to get out, don't you see.
They would not lay hold and by force of their strength
Throw you out of the window, oh no,
They would not compel you to go 'gainst your will
But they would just make you willing to go.
Chorus
He does not compel us to go, no, no
He does not compel us to go.
He does not compel us to go 'gainst our will
But he just makes us willing to go.
This was offered to counter the psycho chef analogy of PK. Something bothered me about it and I finally realized what.
It is question of motivation. Who released the hornets and why? They were released by somebody to manipulate a situation based on their knowledge of human nature. If you manipulate somebody into an action, did the person act on their own free will or did they act against their will but in accordance with human nature of not getting stung.
Picture some people in a room full of all kinds of earthly delights. Food and games and entertainment abound and it is FUN. Now the builder of this room says that he has another room in the house that is even better and he invites you to come see. He only says that the room is better, nothing else. He invites you to come and see it repeatedly but he never compels you to go. He wants you to come when you are ready. In short, the owner of the house wants you to come of your own free will. If the owner suddenly releases a bunch of hornets into the fun room, are the people leaving the room because they want to see the other room, or because they don't want to get stung?
What do you believe about God? Does God want us to believe in Jesus and accept His offer of salvation of our own free will or does He manipulate the situation to force you into a course of action He wants?
This is the crux of the whole debate between universal salvation and eternal torment: what is the nature of God? Ultimately, universal salvation is a settled view theology as man has no choice in the matter - everybody will ultimately go to heaven no matter what. Like all settled view theology, it makes the crucifixion meaningless because it the long run, it doesn’t matter.
The Open view makes man responsible for responding to God and hence, for his own fate. God initiates the relationship by knocking at the door of your heart. Each of us must determine if and how we respond to that entreaty, will we open and hearts and listen or will we reject God. God gave us the gift (curse?) of free will. He allows us to freely choose between the options open to us.
So is God a settled view God who has predetermined absolutely everything that has ever been, is and ever will be? Or is God an open view God who has given us a free will and a choice?[/QUOTE]
Actually, the funny thing is, we aren't all that dissimilar.
You believe that God motivates people by holding hell over their heads (if they're lucky enough to know about it). And if they say no, He puts them there.
We believe that God motivates people by letting them see hell for themselves.
We are the ones that took your theology and simply brought it to a conclusion....