Brainwashing? Christianity seems to be taking weird steps, here at least.

[Rhyfelwyr]

What about Lost souls (necessarily claimed by Satan?).

Then God punishes the children ad extramis (I think that's the Latin) for the sins of the father? If Adam sinned why are we punished.

Set my give you a slightly different interpretation of Original Sin. God made Adam with Free Will, but not with judgement. Adam did not know right from wrong, only once he had tasted the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge did he know, then he tried to hide his Sin from God.

What Adam gave his children was understanding, and with that understanding came the weight of Sin because without it true disobedience to God is not possible.

Even if you believe God gave Adam free will, He must have known that Adam would eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

It might be because failure to elect to salvation is election to damnation.

The nature of people might mean it has that effect, however people are not damned in the same manner in that they are saved.

Fair enough, but I recognise the tone none the less. You're not a university student belonging to a CU, are you?

I'm at Uni, though not in a CU (if that's Christian Union?), or any similar group.

Pride comes because you believe God has given you understanding above others. You have been elected to this understanding over and above the mass of hummanity.

You still think you are chosen, that can be pride (I'm really not saying it is but it important to always remember.)

And yet I do not deserve it, so I have no reason to be proud of myself. Was Moses proud or vain when He listened to God? Should he have thought Satan might be tricking him? If God wanted Moses to know who he was talking to, He would let him.

God can shield you from Stan, but Satan cannot protect you from God, unless God allows it.

True.

Saint Augustine said, "To say that God is ineffable should not be said, because then something is said (about that which is ineffable), this contradiction should be passed over in silence."

I think it's in either "City of God" or "On the Christian Doctrine"

He does go on to say you should try to talk about God, but your words will always be insufficient.

True. Perhaps all our discussions are irrelevant because of this. No doctrine we can come up with can truly help us to understand God. However it comes about, at least we both agree you need to have faith, and I suppose that's what matters in the end.