Ben: Diary of a heroin addict...

kelly1

Hello all, just wondering if anyone came across this video diary made by a man called Ben Rogers? It was shown on Sky3 a few days ago. The last part of it is here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpfmfPGsOJc

Despite coming from a loving family, he managed to get hooked on heroin. It's a very harrowing documentary about his descent into self destruction. He described how he hated his addiction and what it was doing to him and how he was so powerless to escape its grip. But all the time he spoke about his love for his family and his sorrow for the upset he caused them.

All along I was thinking this guy is going to meet his maker before long and how's he going to be saved?? And then after he said he knew he was dying he said "Please Lord, please forgive me for all my sins"! Within 48 hours he was dead.

I was so delighted to hear him asking for forgiveness and I'm sure he was forgiven. I think God in His mercy granted him the grace of repentance and delivered him from the hell that he was living in.

A very sad story but the ending gave me cause for hope.

God bless,
Noel.

Zombrex

kelly1 wrote: »

Hello all, just wondering if anyone came across this video diary made by a man called Ben Rogers? It was shown on Sky3 a few days ago. The last part of it is here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpfmfPGsOJc

Despite coming from a loving family, he managed to get hooked on heroin. It's a very harrowing documentary about his descent into self destruction. He described how he hated his addiction and what it was doing to him and how he was so powerless to escape its grip. But all the time he spoke about his love for his family and his sorrow for the upset he caused them.

All along I was thinking this guy is going to meet his maker before long and how's he going to be saved?? And then after he said he knew he was dying he said "Please Lord, please forgive me for all my sins"! Within 48 hours he was dead.

I was so delighted to hear him asking for forgiveness and I'm sure he was forgiven. I think God in His mercy granted him the grace of repentance and delivered him from the hell that he was living in.

A very sad story but the ending gave me cause for hope.

God bless,
Noel.

I would suggest for the sake of the discussion you want to be having on this thread, and not the discussion I imagine a lot the non-Christians would have, you make this a strictly [Christian Only] thread.

krudler

I was so delighted to hear him asking for forgiveness and I'm sure he was forgiven. I think God in His mercy granted him the grace of repentance and delivered him from the hell that he was living in

He died, surely if god wanted to deliver him from the hell he was living in he would have made him realise he was destroying his life,got clean and rebuilt everything he destroyed in his family, other heroin addicts have done it, were they not part of gods plan? I'm sure his parents will look at him being "forgiven" in a different light being that their son is dead

kelly1

Wicknight wrote: »

I would suggest for the sake of the discussion you want to be having on this thread, and not the discussion I imagine a lot the non-Christians would have, you make this a strictly [Christian Only] thread.

There shouldn't be a need to do that. This is a Christian forum and I expect non-christians to repect that and not come stomping in here attacking Christianity.

krudler wrote: »

He died, surely if god wanted to deliver him from the hell he was living in he would have made him realise he was destroying his life,got clean and rebuilt everything he destroyed in his family, other heroin addicts have done it, were they not part of gods plan? I'm sure his parents will look at him being "forgiven" in a different light being that their son is dead

I did think about that. Obviously I don't know the full story but he doesn't appear to have turned to God for help in curing his addiction. It was only when he realized that he was dying that he asked for forgiveness. At this stage he knew he wasn't going to live for much longer.

krudler

I did think about that. Obviously I don't know the full story but he doesn't appear to have turned to God for help in curing his addiction. It was only when he realized that he was dying that he asked for forgiveness. At this stage he knew he wasn't going to live for much longer.

Isnt that a massive sense of entitlement though? to go against everything thats considered good in life, ruining your own life and destroying your family, then expecting to essientially get away with it in the eyes of god because you repent on your deathbed?

Its a questionf of free will, if god has a plan for us all, then he was destined to become a heroin addict no matter what, if not, and we all choose our own paths in life, then we can essentially do what we like and as long as we are repentant at the end its ok, this was questioned brilliantly in the movie Dogma, quoted here:

"The humans have besmirched everything bestowed on them. They were given Paradise, they threw it away. They were given this planet, they destroyed it. They were favored best among all His endeavors, and some of them don't even believe He exists. And in spite of it all, He's shown them infinite ****ing patience at every turn."

kelly1

krudler wrote: »

Isnt that a massive sense of entitlement though? to go against everything thats considered good in life, ruining your own life and destroying your family, then expecting to essientially get away with it in the eyes of god because you repent on your deathbed?

He messed with drugs, he got hooked, he made a big mistake. He never intended to hurt his family. He apologised again and again for the pain he caused them. He hated what drugs were doing to him and he felt powerless to stop what he was doing. He came across as a good guy in dire need of help. Several times he told his family very tenderly how much he loved them. So I don't think much of what he did was intentional.

Rev Hellfire

Well he accomplished one thing which was to provide a fine cautionary tale against the use of drugs.

So I guess that counts for something regardless.

Soul Winner

krudler wrote: »

"The humans have besmirched everything bestowed on them. They were given Paradise, they threw it away. They were given this planet, they destroyed it. They were favored best among all His endeavors, and some of them don't even believe He exists. And in spite of it all, He's shown them infinite ****ing patience at every turn."

I would question the emboldened bit above. Although His mercy endures forever, His hanging around waiting on folk to avail of it wares thin after a while. This is embodied in the text of Psalm 95 where it states:

"...Today if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work. Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest." Psalm 95:7-11

and is repeated in Hebrews 3:15


"While it is said, Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief."

In short, there is a point of no return with God, there's only so much holding out of the olive branch to sinners that He will do, there must come at time in everyone's life to grab it and keep hold of it till the end. To presume it will always be there to be availed of is very a dangerous road to travel. If God exists then He is not on trial, we are. Salvation is not based on wheather God passes muster with us, rather its the other way around.

Graces7

Read Jesus on Dives and Lazarus; but let us never presume to judge either.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+16%3A19-31&version=NIV

Judging is God's job

Soul Winner wrote: »

I would question the emboldened bit above. Although His mercy endures forever, His hanging around waiting on folk to avail of it wares thin after a while. This is embodied in the text of Psalm 95 where it states:

"...Today if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work. Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest." Psalm 95:7-11

and is repeated in Hebrews 3:15


"While it is said, Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief."

In short, there is a point of no return with God, there's only so much holding out of the olive branch to sinners that He will do, there must come at time in everyone's life to grab it and keep hold of it till the end. To presume it will always be there to be availed of is very a dangerous road to travel. If God exists then He is not on trial, we are. Salvation is not based on wheather God passes muster with us, rather its the other way around.

rohatch

kelly1 wrote: »

He messed with drugs, he got hooked, he made a big mistake. He never intended to hurt his family. He apologised again and again for the pain he caused them. He hated what drugs were doing to him and he felt powerless to stop what he was doing. He came across as a good guy in dire need of help. Several times he told his family very tenderly how much he loved them. So I don't think much of what he did was intentional.

Its sad for him, (I had 2 heroin junkies in my family and they would have robbed you blind) . At 8 years of age or younger we learned about the prodigal son. I remember saying to my teacher that I could do anything I wanted in my life ... ANYTHING... and on my deathbed repent and be welcomed in to heaven with those that had led the most pious lives. Teacher freaked out a bit, and that is one of the main reasons I never believed.

liamw

I just hope he prayed to the right God

Graces7

That is such a loss for you; but you are no longer 8 years old?

You can read for yourself all that Jesus says on this? Not the bits that some select.

rohatch wrote: »

Its sad for him, (I had 2 heroin junkies in my family and they would have robbed you blind) . At 8 years of age or younger we learned about the prodigal son. I remember saying to my teacher that I could do anything I wanted in my life ... ANYTHING... and on my deathbed repent and be welcomed in to heaven with those that had led the most pious lives. Teacher freaked out a bit, and that is one of the main reasons I never believed.