This article started as a comment to a Trilema article, specifically an assertion made in the second footnote.
Which ties directly into the earlier discussion about souls : a narcissist can’t be forgiven (by God I mean), because he lacks the capacity of having been forgiven, which happens to be a perfectly fine functional definition of a soul in context. Ironically, the hebrew God as retold by the Christian sect can make stones so hard he himself can’t lift (to heaven). We call them narcissists. Why he would – ask Daniel, i not me.
According to The Bible, there are indeed people who “can’t be forgiven.”
Mark 3:
28 “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; 29 but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”— 30 because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
Perhaps an “unclean spirit” is like narcissism, (you call it a lack of soul) but ii how does one “blaspheme against the Holy Spirit” ?
Luke 12:
8 “Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. 9 But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.
10 “And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.
11 “Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. 12 For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
The “Son of Man” is Christ, who is God. The “Holy Spirit” is also God. God is a unity of persons. It’s possible to blaspheme one while not blaspheming the other. The Bible gives us some idea as to why it’s forgivable to specifically blaspheme Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written:
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
Christ is “a stumbling block” and “foolishness” — even those who believe in a creator may reject the specifics of the crucifixion. Eliot Rodger iii never mentioned Christ in this text, but he hated his creator. He called it “the universe,” and attributed all the inequity in his life to it, calling it “not kind.” And in this he’s not wrong! His error is (as you have already pointed out, although using different terminologies) in not repenting of his sins and begging forgiveness. He was, by his own testimony, aware of his faults; rather than break down and hate the thing that has fault, (himself) he hated everything else. He even doubles down on the fault and entrusts himself with the task of correcting it all! There’s a few videos that, combined with his biography, represent a denial of God iv made before men, which is associated with blaspheming the Holy Spirit. v He should have denied himself.
Luke 9:
23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? 26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels. 27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.”
- I’m curious why this article in particular was linked, rather than a more relevant one. ^
- I just realized, that line about the unclean spirit is the false accusation against the Holy Ghost. ^
- The kid who went on a shooting spree near Santa Barbara because girls didn't want to sleep with him. ^
- Romans 9:
19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?” 20 But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?
- I'm not sure what my point was here. ^