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[Grinder]

Quite a rare find, might I add.

And ribell, if we're going to discuss religion now, I'd like to add some things. The way of life religious people lead depends on how serious they are about their religion. For example, there's always some people who say "Yeah, I believe in god, but I don't go to church every sunday" - They call themselves christians. Or "Oh, I believe in Allah, but I don't fast" - they call themselves muslims. Most do, at least.
Now it's a bit difficult to define those people's point of life. Those that are very serious, probably try to do everything they can to help other people, do good deeds, the whole shebang that will hopefully get them into heaven. In other words, they try to follow the rules/guidelines(?) the bible/god gives them, in order to earn eternal life. Now those that don't take religion too seriously - most of them choose which rules they want to follow. Like the sex one.
So where's the point in that kind of life when they know in the back of their head they probably won't make it no matter what they do now?

btw grimfang, ever read 'the purpose driven life'? it's supposed to be good.

[rlbell]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Grinder @ Aug 18 2006, 11:08 PM) [snapback]249546[/snapback]</div>

Quite a rare find, might I add.

And ribell, if we're going to discuss religion now, I'd like to add some things. The way of life religious people lead depends on how serious they are about their religion. For example, there's always some people who say "Yeah, I believe in god, but I don't go to church every sunday" - They call themselves christians. Or "Oh, I believe in Allah, but I don't fast" - they call themselves muslims. Most do, at least.
Now it's a bit difficult to define those people's point of life. Those that are very serious, probably try to do everything they can to help other people, do good deeds, the whole shebang that will hopefully get them into heaven. In other words, they try to follow the rules/guidelines(?) the bible/god gives them, in order to earn eternal life. Now those that don't take religion too seriously - most of them choose which rules they want to follow. Like the sex one.
So where's the point in that kind of life when they know in the back of their head they probably won't make it no matter what they do now?

btw grimfang, ever read 'the purpose driven life'? it's supposed to be good.
[/b]

While there is life, there is hope and the possibility of divine grace. While one still lives, one can still repent. I will now illustrate with a brief summary of the hagiography of Saint Olga of Pskov:

Olga grew up as a noblewoman in the Ukraine and married the prince of Kiev. After the murder of her husband, she rounded up all of his enemies and all of their followers and made mountains of their skulls. You will note that I say 'his enemies', not 'his murderers', as that is what she did. Possibly, she decided that killing all of her dead husband's enemies would solve the problem of figuring out which of them was responsible-- kill them all and let the various gods collect their own. Later, she converted to christianity and started the process of converting the Ukraine, that and a couple of miracles after her death is what made her a saint.

If former mass murderers can become saints, we can extrapolate that repentant fornicators can also get to heaven. However, those that desire to get to heaven have to stop sinning. It does not have to mean going to a priest and confessing, but it does require one to acknowledge that sin is wrong and to resolve to stop sinning.