'Although the congregation was made up of well-meaning, kindly people with no obvious signs of elitism, or even of being judgmental, there is the dualism, the division of the world into those for Good, versus those for Evil,'

Well Bucko you surprised me and I actually felt your assessment was quite reasonable. The above reasoning however is flawed. The bible declares all as sinful hence the division of a world for those that are good versus those who are evil a little misleading. More like those who are forgiven and made righteous through Christ in contrast to those who reject Christ and remain unrighteous is more accurate.

Any church worth its salt will recognise the depravity of man and the mercy of God through Christ.

The devil is very powerful and uses the addictive tools of brainwashing, cultism, power, greed, jealousy hate anger and avarice to obtain outcomes/devotees.

It's easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the gates of heaven.

What gaineth a man if he gains the entire world, but loses his immortal soul.

Hillsong seems hell-bent of making Mannon what it is that they pursue/worship/adore? And camouflaged with holier than thou, joy to the world, come by yar, selected biblical quotations taken out of context and charged with new meaning/translation? Pastors with business cards?

What's next? Rolls/Bentleys and Chauffeurs? Board meetings, Shareholder annuals?

Speaking as a returning eye witness I can attest to a life beyond this one and some of it, none too pleasant, but, far more terrifying than being kicked to near-death or being buried alive!

And heaven is what you believe it will be and a place of never-ending euphoria/peace beyond understanding. In my Father's house, there are many mansions.

Surrounded by loved ones and animals you've bonded with. Those we have lost ae not really lost o us, but have stepped into another room as it were, and are waiting there for us to join them! And soon given the passage of time, becomes as a few minutes, once you are reunited.

And love is exampled by the simplicity of treating others as you would have them treat you!

Nothing more than brotherhood/sisterhood/family love and unconditionally so! Not to be confused with the fire and passion of lovers etc.

If the devil is represented by Mannon and the acquisition of money and power?

Then God is represented by the most powerful of all forces,
LOVE. There isn't enough darkness in the entire world, to extinguish the light of a single candle!

And opposed on all sides as much as possible by all-consuming, irrational hate, anger and fear and the fear of fear!
Alan B.

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I understand the biblical quotation is, "it is easier for a camel to pass through THE EYE of the needle". The eye of the needle was a man gate in the Jerusalem wall. You can get a camel through but it would not be easy. Gives a different meaning then, difficult but possible.
This bloke is hopeless he uses this forum just has to have a hack at people he does not agree but this should not be an avenue of abuse here surely?

Dear individual,

Missed the mark there old boy. Even runner thought the assessment was fine. You claim the title individual yet all you did was fall in line to condemn the piece. How about living up to your namesake a little more.

I have had a bit to do with Pentecostal churches and the devil does feature very prominently. At one sermon I attended pegged the references to the inquisitor at three times those of the father, son, or the holy ghost.

This depiction of Satan is certainly at odds to how the vast majority of those practicing Judaism see him. The incarnation of the purveyor of evil is certainly a Christian fixation and far more acute within the Pentecostal movement than of the more mainstream versions.

I think this is in part a product of the black and white take on the world, literally and figuratively given the roots of the movement, that pervades this fundamentalist sect.

They can be very nice people to engage with but there is some real nastiness when you scratch the surface, much of it driven from the leadership but certainly amply supported by a literal reading of the scriptures.

Dear JBowyer,

It seems you are quoting the Quran which does indeed say 'the'. The Christian version is most avowedly 'a'. if you would like to thumb through the various translations you can do so here;
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+19%3A24&version=KJV

So your interpretation is poppycock.

“The "Eye of the Needle" has been claimed to be a gate in Jerusalem, which opened after the main gate was closed at night. A camel could only pass through this smaller gate if it was stooped and had its baggage removed. This story has been put forth since at least the 15th century, and possibly as far back as the 9th century. However, there is no widely accepted evidence for the existence of such a gate.”
Wikipedia

This is a quote from the Babylonian Talmud; “They do not show a man a palm tree of gold, nor an elephant going through the eye of a needle.” so it was obviously in wider use as an aphorism than just a single quote from Jesus.

It is rightly used to condemn the prosperity gospel which has nothing to do with the teachings of Jesus not matter how much the likes of Hillsong would have it otherwise.

Strange how the subject of God and money turns even the unbelievers into experts on the issue. People here claiming that the God they don't believe in is being misrepresented.

I have found over the years that god haters like the many on the abc will criticise the church if wealthy and mock the church when it is poor.

Personally I cringe and despise preachers who appeal to people's greeds while living lavish lifestyles. This is deceitful and unbiblical. The apostle Paul warned of the love of money rather than money itself. Some of the greediest people in the world have little money and despise some who have worked hard for it. At the end of the day money given to the poor and to support the proclamation of the gospel is never wasted. God is no man's debtor.