The Words in Your Bible

Religion....religion.......religion.The Bible teaches Christianity not religion .It is Gods word
the only GOD. It is not about god or gods.

quote:

Originally posted by ka-0-hub: Religion....religion.......religion. The Bible teaches Christianity not religion. It is God's word, the only GOD. It is not about god or gods.

Hi Hub,

But, you must remember, Al is speaking of his religion, the New Age religion -- not Christianity. And, he is speaking of his bible, the Urantia Book -- not the Christian Bible. We must keep these things in mind when reading anything Al writes.

That aside, what he says can be applied to our Bible; for the book IS only ink and paper -- until we take what is written in our Bible and bring it to life -- by applying it to our relationship with God; by applying it to our own lives; and, by applying it to our relationship with others.

I know that there are folks who get upset if they see a Bible laying on the floor, or see things laying on top of a Bible. But, we must keep in mind that the physical book is not sacred; it is what is written in the book that is sacred. And, that is what we are to have written in our hearts.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

KO,

Christianity is a religion.


DF

quote:

Originally posted by DeepFat:
KO, Christianity is a religion. DF

Hi Deep,

Technically, you are right. Religion is a belief system; which fits both Christianity and atheism. However, what distinguishes Christianity from most forms of religion is the fact that it is based solely upon a relationship -- a relationship with Jesus Christ. If a person does not have that personal relationship with Jesus Christ; he is not a Christian.

Religion, within the churches, is defined by its rituals, costumes, and traditions; all of which Jesus spoke against with the Jewish Sanhedrin, the Pharisees and Sadducees. These fellows were all wrapped up in their temple, rituals, traditions, costumes, and other signs of their importance -- and Jesus told them this was all for naught.

All we need in Christianity is to, by the grace of God, through faith in Jesus Christ -- sincerely invite Him to come into our lives and be our Best Friend. That is our relationship with Him -- and that is what makes Christianity different from religion.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

quote:

Originally posted by DeepFat:
KO,

Christianity is a religion.


DF

Wrong again DF it's the only religion ,religion defined as the worship of a God, God is the only God,


You know bill I prepared a lecture on that very theme once never written down but running trough my head...The principle point being that you could keep magnifying the pages of the bible until all you could see would be blobs of pigment stuck to the fibers of the paper ,a meaningless morass,where as if viewed from the proper distance those ink blobs coalesce into forms which can change lives when interpreted by the spirit led reader.This was in response to studying about the fanatical reverence some sects of scribes had for the words of the scripture .Not the Ideals or ideology but the words themselves were worshiped ,if you will.

So there is no other religion?

quote:

Originally posted by ka-0-hub: This was in response to studying about the fanatical reverence some sects of scribes had for the words of the scripture. Not the Ideals or ideology but the words themselves were worshiped, if you will.

Hi Hub,

Actually, we owe a great deal of respect to those scribes in the early days. Their fanaticism about correctly copying Scripture is why we have such accurate translations of the Bible today. The Old Testament and early New Testament scribes who copied Scripture were so precise that when they wrote a scroll, it was proof read and even had the number of characters counted for accuracy. If any mistake was found, the entire scroll was destroyed and the scribe began his copying all over again. Because of the fanatic accuracy, we have a very close representation of the original manuscripts today.

The book of Isaiah found in the Qumran Caves is virtually identical to the book of Isaiah we have in our Bible -- thanks to those scribes.

I would not say that they worshiped the words; but, wanted to make sure that Scripture was passed down accurately. And, for that, we owe them a great debt of gratitude.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

quote:

Originally posted by zippadeedoodah:
So there is no other religion?

Hi Zip,

I am not sure who you are asking the question; but, I will answer. Yes, there are many world religions and many cults. Yet, there is only one Christianity. True, there are many different denominations; but, basically we all worship and follow Jesus Christ. And, that makes us Christian.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

Bill, Ka-O:
From small minds come small responses...

quote:

Originally posted by alwilliams767:
Bill, Ka-O:
From small minds come small responses...

You may want to do a word count on your response.

KO,

Every religion thinks IT has it right. By definition. If they thought otherwise, they'd have another religion.

And each has reasons as good as yours to think so. Sounds silly, doesn't it?

DF

Can any believer tell me why he or she doesn't believe in any of the "other" religions?

How do they know that all other religions(except their own) are invalid?

I love it!

You send an olive branch, and they stomp on it. No wait, first they spit on it, then, they stomp on it.

You try to be nice, to see the world from their eyes, to stand in their pews and see how it feels. Then they throw you out of the church.

This is exactly the reason why modern Christianity is experiencing the flight of the intelligent. It’s not, as some here propose, because there is no god, rather it is the slavish obedience to the mores of 2000 years (and more) past which obscure the beauty of the living teachings of Jesus, and disgust those who want more than to hide behind the robes of those who came before.

Can you not wrap your mind around the concept that Jesus taught that all men are brothers? Do you not understand that in rejecting the concept of the brotherhood of man you are rejecting the very person whom you named your religion after?

In truth you are no better than the Pharisees of old, who rejected the light of truth in favor of the established and fossilized traditions of their man-made and superstition infested religion. Like them, you would reject (preferably kill, but rejection will do) the prophets in favor of the “old ways”.

Deep, I may have lost out on the “Send me your dollar” campaign, but I’m still public enemy number one!

quote:

Originally posted by alwilliams767:
I love it!

You send an olive branch, and they stomp on it. No wait, first they spit on it, then, they stomp on it.

You try to be nice, to see the world from their eyes, to stand in their pews and see how it feels. Then they throw you out of the church.

This is exactly the reason why modern Christianity is experiencing the flight of the intelligent. It’s not, as some here propose, because there is no god, rather it is the slavish obedience to the mores of 2000 years (and more) past which obscure the beauty of the living teachings of Jesus, and disgust those who want more than to hide behind the robes of those who came before.

Can you not wrap your mind around the concept that Jesus taught that all men are brothers? Do you not understand that in rejecting the concept of the brotherhood of man you are rejecting the very person whom you named your religion after?

In truth you are no better than the Pharisees of old, who rejected the light of truth in favor of the established and fossilized traditions of their man-made and superstition infested religion. Like them, you would reject (preferably kill, but rejection will do) the prophets in favor of the “old ways”.

Deep, I may have lost out on the “Send me your dollar” campaign, but I’m still public enemy number one!

Al, your problem is that you are not held hostage by a perfect document(heavily edited ancient tribal text) written or inspired by a perfect god(s).

I do appreciate the fact that you are in a way trying to embracing or incorporating some humanism and common sense into your views.

Crossing swords with zealots living by dated fundamentalist philosophy will get you a seat on the turbo-rocket sled to hay-ull asap.

Please have a look at this when you can. I'd like to hear your opinion/thoughts.

Regards

I just want to say something to everyone who is replying to this forum, I hope that everyone understands that there is a day of judgement one day and we will all be judged. If you believe or not, you will be judged.


Matthew 7:1
1Do not judge, or you too will be judged.


Matthew 7:2
2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.


Revelation 20:12
12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.

quote:

Can you not wrap your mind around the concept that Jesus taught that all men are brothers? Do you not understand that in rejecting the concept of the brotherhood of man you are rejecting the very person whom you named your religion after?

Look Al are you sure your not in politics because you keep subtly changing the direction of the discussion by answering a question which has not been asked but which is similar to the subject at hand.NO one here ,at least the sane ones,has ever questioned the brotherhood of all men no matter what their theological bent.....As my good deed for the day I'm going to give you a pass on the "small mind thing"

Al....Al...Al..as the "Big Giant Head" here on the forums and the foremost scholar of the teachings of JESUS you seem to have missed a verse or two and if I may bring just one to your"Bigness's"attention and point out that Jesus was a Jew and said Mrk.7: 27. But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled : for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.

I humbly submit this and realize that there is no need to elaborate as to it's context In view of your vast wisdom.HAHAAA!

Al, it's never too late!

Redemption is at hand! You don't have to be a loser! You can be a winner!

Be the hammer, not the nail!

Send A Dollar To DeepFat!


DF

Deep, I promise to send you your dollar, tomorrow.

Ka-O:

Try this one on for size:

"Now that you are ambassadors of my Father's kingdom, you have thereby become a class of men separate and distinct from all other men on earth. You are not now as men among men but as the enlightened citizens of another and heavenly country among the ignorant creatures of this dark world. It is not enough that you live as you were before this hour, but henceforth must you live as those who have tasted the glories of a better life and have been sent back to earth as ambassadors of the Sovereign of that new and better world. Of the teacher more is expected than of the pupil; of the master more is exacted than of the servant. Of the citizens of the heavenly kingdom more is required than of the citizens of the earthly rule. Some of the things which I am about to say to you may seem hard, but you have elected to represent me in the world even as I now represent the Father; and as my agents on earth you will be obligated to abide by those teachings and practices which are reflective of my ideals of mortal living on the worlds of space, and which I exemplify in my earth life of revealing the Father who is in heaven.
"I send you forth to proclaim liberty to the spiritual captives, joy to those in the bondage of fear, and to heal the sick in accordance with the will of my Father in heaven. When you find my children in distress, speak encouragingly to them, saying:
"Happy are the poor in spirit, the humble, for theirs are the treasures of the kingdom of heaven.
"Happy are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
"Happy are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
"Happy are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
"And even so speak to my children these further words of spiritual comfort and promise:
"Happy are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Happy are they who weep, for they shall receive the spirit of rejoicing.
"Happy are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
"Happy are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.
"Happy are they who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Happy are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.
"My brethren, as I send you forth, you are the salt of the earth, salt with a saving savor. But if this salt has lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is henceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men.
"You are the light of the world. A city set upon a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and be led to glorify your Father who is in heaven.
"I am sending you out into the world to represent me and to act as ambassadors of my Father's kingdom, and as you go forth to proclaim the glad tidings, put your trust in the Father whose messengers you are. Do not forcibly resist injustice; put not your trust in the arm of the flesh. If your neighbor smites you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. Be willing to suffer injustice rather than to go to law among yourselves. In kindness and with mercy minister to all who are in distress and in need.
"I say to you: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who despitefully use you. And whatsoever you believe that I would do to men, do you also to them.
"Your Father in heaven makes the sun to shine on the evil as well as upon the good; likewise he sends rain on the just and the unjust. You are the sons of God; even more, you are now the ambassadors of my Father's kingdom. Be merciful, even as God is merciful, and in the eternal future of the kingdom you shall be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect.
"You are commissioned to save men, not to judge them. At the end of your earth life you will all expect mercy; therefore do I require of you during your mortal life that you show mercy to all of your brethren in the flesh. Make not the mistake of trying to pluck a mote out of your brother's eye when there is a beam in your own eye. Having first cast the beam out of your own eye, you can the better see to cast the mote out of your brother's eye.
"Discern the truth clearly; live the righteous life fearlessly; and so shall you be my apostles and my Father's ambassadors. You have heard it said: `If the blind lead the blind, they both shall fall into the pit.' If you would guide others into the kingdom, you must yourselves walk in the clear light of living truth. In all the business of the kingdom I exhort you to show just judgment and keen wisdom. Present not that which is holy to dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample your gems under foot and turn to rend you.
"I warn you against false prophets who will come to you in sheep's clothing, while on the inside they are as ravening wolves. By their fruits you shall know them. Do men gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree brings forth good fruit, but the corrupt tree bears evil fruit. A good tree cannot yield evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bring forth good fruit is presently hewn down and cast into the fire. In gaining an entrance into the kingdom of heaven, it is the motive that counts. My Father looks into the hearts of men and judges by their inner longings and their sincere intentions.
"In the great day of the kingdom judgment, many will say to me, `Did we not prophesy in your name and by your name do many wonderful works?' But I will be compelled to say to them, `I never knew you; depart from me you who are false teachers.' But every one who hears this charge and sincerely executes his commission to represent me before men even as I have represented my Father to you, shall find an abundant entrance into my service and into the kingdom of the heavenly Father."

As spoken by Jesus during the ordination of the twelve>

Al

Philippians 2 (New International Version)


1If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

quote:

Originally posted by Do you know me...really?:
I just want to say something to everyone who is replying to this forum, I hope that everyone understands that there is a day of judgement one day and we will all be judged. If you believe or not, you will be judged.

You really don't know me, cause if you did, you'd know that supernatural judgmental forces are useless against me.

Except when I'm not wearing my magnetar medallion, which by the way generates a geomagnetic field quadrillions of times more powerful than anything here on earth.

Does ten gigateslas mean anything to you?

Let me tell you what it means:

It means that I do the judging in this quadrant of the universe.

So watch your step around here, or you could find yourself in a mining camp in the Hausdorffian dimension.

Got that?

Uuuuhhhhh? OK...LM you get the Haldol I'm going for the tranquilizer gun we'll see if we can bring these guys back to earth.LOL

"Scooby dooby doo, la da di da da." -- Frank Sinatra.

quote:

Originally posted by ka-0-hub:
Religion....religion.......religion.The Bible teaches Christianity not religion .It is Gods word
the only GOD. It is not about god or gods.

Yes ka-O-hub, the Bible does teach Christianity. And that is why Christianity is such a horrible religion.

A small sampling of what the Bible teaches:

Murder: The Bible irrationally and cruelly demands the following shall be put to death, usually by stoning: Homosexuals, Leviticus 20:13 and Romans 1:27-32; He that curseth his father and mother, Exodus 21:17 and Matthew 15:4; Witches, Exodus 22:18; Those who lie with beasts, Exodus 22:19; Worshipers of other gods, Exodus 22:20; People who work on the Sabbath, Exodus 31:15; Adulterers, Leviticus 20:10; Wizards, Leviticus 20:27; *****s, Leviticus 21:9; Blasphemers, Leviticus 24:16; Stubborn and rebellious sons, Deuteronomy 21:18-21; Thieves, Deuteronomy 24:7.

In addition the Bible authorizes and/or condones: lying; theft; wars of conquest; slavery; ignorance; human sacrifice; polygamy; animal cruelty; intolerance; persecution; vulgarity; and even cannibalism.

Sexism: The Bible’s unfortunate attitude toward women is made clear in I Corinthians 14:34, “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.”

Women have long suffered from Biblical intolerance. The Catholic Church's policy on women in the priesthood and the Baptist's stance on female subservience to males are examples of Biblical justification for an ignoble attitude.

Christian fundamentalists bemoan the current divorce rate; and yet the Bible says it is permissible to give a wife away, Judges 14:20. Of course, a man cannot always dispense with his wife, because his wife may actually be the property of the man's master, Exodus 21:4. After giving his wife away, the man can then buy another man's wife as in Ruth 4:10.

Few statements in human history have caused as much agony as, "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live," Exodus 22:18. A woman's security is not enforced by, "*****s shall be burnt," Leviticus 21:9.

Fundamentalists tell us that reading Genesis will reveal why we should treat women as second-class citizens. A female’s failure to obey an order not to eat fruit from a certain tree is the basis for this rational. In addition, as if her disobedience was not enough of a crime, she seduced a hapless and helpless man into committing the same misdeed.

However, shouldn't common sense and fairness take precedence over the story of an ancient god's punishment stemming from his capricious, irrational order? How could Adam and Eve be morally responsible for committing a sin before they knew right from wrong? They did not have knowledge of good and evil until they had eaten the knowledge-giving apple. Until after they had consumed the apple, they could only be innocent of any wrongdoing.

God enticed his creations to eat the fruit, which was “pleasing to the eye.” Of course, being all-knowing he knew they would eat the fruit before he ever created them. This act that has adversely affected all humankind is the most diabolical entrapment ever committed. God is a fiend.

The story itself is nonsensical; but to use it today to justify debasing women is male chauvinism at its worst.

Slavery: The most absolute form of involuntary human servitude has the following characteristics: labor or services are obtained through force; physical being is regarded as the property of another; absolute subjugation to the owner's will. The Old Testament spells out guidelines for practicing this servitude and The New Testament fails to condemn it.

From Exodus 21:2, "If you buy a Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing." Is it an act of righteousness to buy and use a servant for six years and then free him/her?

Exodus 21:4 states that the wife and children of a servant belong to the owner. From Exodus 21:6 we find, "and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him forever."

The good Lord himself sold people into servitude. "And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines," Judges 10:7. Ironically, Christians deem Philistines to be the scum of the earth. However, God had no problem selling his "chosen people" to them. It is not surprising that Southern Baptists believed that God sanctioned slavery.

While slavery and oppression defy any rational moral and ethical code, Joel proclaims. "I will sell your sons and daughters into the hands of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to the people far off: for the Lord hath spoken it," Joel 3:8. Yes, that's right the Lord hath spoken it.

The Biblical origin of slavery is an absurdity. Ham, the father of Canaan, sees his father, Noah, passed out drunk and naked. For this accidental viewing, Noah condemns Canaan and his descendents to servitude. "And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem [Ham's brother]; and Canaan shall be his servant," Genesis 9:22-26.

Did Jesus ever even once speak out against the deplorable and prevalent institution of slavery? No. He was far more interested in people slavishly bowing and scraping to an imagined "lord and savior."

Hi 8I:

I am going to PM you my take on that very interesting article you reccomended.

Thanks!

Al

quote:

Originally posted by Do you know me...really?:
I just want to say something to everyone who is replying to this forum, I hope that everyone understands that there is a day of judgement one day and we will all be judged. If you believe or not, you will be judged.


Matthew 7:1
1Do not judge, or you too will be judged.


Matthew 7:2
2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.


Revelation 20:12
12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.

Thank you "Do you know" for reinforcing my knowledge that God and his Son are both the most irrational, cruel, vindictive and capricious beings in all of mythology.

Imagine, these two fiends will condemn me on judgement day to the most fiedish punishment for all of eternity for nothing more serious than questioning their existence. If they really cared, they could merely appear before me. Not only are they horribly cruel, but like most fiendish beings, they are cowards.

As for you, "Do you know," Belief in a cruel God makes a cruel man."

Hi David:

I like that! "Belief in a cruel God makes a cruel man".

But belief in a god of love makes a man greater than he is... it makes him want to perform intelligent acts of loving service to his brothers and sisters.

I fully understand your frustration with those here who prefer outworn modes of worship. Who would trade an opportunity for real spiritual growth for slavish dogmatism. But understand that there is another side of religion, a real side of religion. The side of religion which Jesus actually taught his followers.

Do not blame Jesus for the acts and words of his followers. Two thousand years ago the idea of the brotherhood of man under the fatherhood of god was too advanced for mankind to comprehend. Heck, if you look at my success ratio at this forum, you will see that even today it is a rare individual who can get past his or her preconceived notions to understand what I am talking about!
The followers of Jesus who wrote the bible did not know they were writing a "sacred book". Paul did not know when he wrote well-intentioned letters to his followers that his words would someday be held to be the "inerrant word of god". The bible is no more and no less than an amazing historical treasure of the evolution of religion of the Hebrew peoples up to and thru the life of Jesus. The various scriptures have been changed and rewritten innumerable times, at least up until the time of their being assembled into a "sacred book".

David:
Religion is under siege. Adherents of the formal religions are “circling the wagons” in a futile effort to preserve their outworn forms of worship. From fundamentalist Christians to fanatical Muslims, the situation is the same, worldwide. And people like you will ensure that every last bit of superstition is rooted out from the wreckage. But from the ashes will rise a new and better spirituality.

If Christianity could only grasp more of Jesus' actual teachings, it could do so much more in helping modern man to solve his new and increasingly complex problems.

Christianity suffers under a great handicap because it has become identified in the minds of all the world as a part of the social system, the industrial life, and the moral standards of Western civilization; and thus has Christianity unwittingly seemed to sponsor a society which staggers under the guilt of tolerating science without idealism, politics without principles, wealth without work, pleasure without restraint, knowledge without character, power without conscience, and industry without morality.

The hope of modern Christianity is that it should cease to sponsor the social systems and industrial policies of Western civilization while it humbly bows itself before the cross it so valiantly extols, there to learn anew from Jesus of Nazareth the greatest truths mortal man can ever hear--the living gospel of the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man.

quote:

there to learn anew from Jesus of Nazareth the greatest truths mortal man can ever hear--the living gospel of the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man.

Hi Al,
I am not aware of any great truths coming from Jesus of Nazareth. Are you refering to the Golden Rule that was around long before Jesus?

quote:

Originally posted by alwilliams767:
I love it!

You send an olive branch, and they stomp on it. No wait, first they spit on it, then, they stomp on it.

You try to be nice, to see the world from their eyes, to stand in their pews and see how it feels. Then they throw you out of the church.

This is exactly the reason why modern Christianity is experiencing the flight of the intelligent. It’s not, as some here propose, because there is no god, rather it is the slavish obedience to the mores of 2000 years (and more) past which obscure the beauty of the living teachings of Jesus, and disgust those who want more than to hide behind the robes of those who came before.

Can you not wrap your mind around the concept that Jesus taught that all men are brothers? Do you not understand that in rejecting the concept of the brotherhood of man you are rejecting the very person whom you named your religion after?

In truth you are no better than the Pharisees of old, who rejected the light of truth in favor of the established and fossilized traditions of their man-made and superstition infested religion. Like them, you would reject (preferably kill, but rejection will do) the prophets in favor of the “old ways”.

Deep, I may have lost out on the “Send me your dollar” campaign, but I’m still public enemy number one!

And yet, Bill denies that his religion is the religion of Jesus Loves Me, But He Hates Your Guts.

Hi David:

The greatest contribution which Jesus gave to religion (and mankind) was that god is a loving father, rather than a wrathful and vengeful deity.

Sadly, his followers, due to their mores and cultural expectations never could divorce themselves from:

1. The expectation that a "son of David" would establish a material kingdom in which they, the "chosen people" would rule.

2. The belief in a physical "day of judgment", a Zoroastrian belief which the Jews picked up during their long period of captivity in Babylon.

Both these erroneous beliefs, and many others, continue to obscure the actual teachings of Jesus in modern Christianity.

But the greatest tragedy was the persistent belief of the Jews in the power of blood sacrifice. So fixated were they upon this mistaken form of worship that the followers of Jesus fell into the great error of believing that god required a sacrifice of his son to wash away the racial sins of mankind.

David:
You rail against the horrors of the bible. And there are, within it’s pages some very primitive concepts of deity.

But allow me this statement:
The bible is an amazing anthropological document. It contains within its pages the evolving cultural mores of many thousands of years. If you want to know a culture, look no further than its religion. mankind naturally attributes to god it’s highest concept of conduct, it’s highest ideals.

These so called horrors are no more than the reflection of the cultural norms of the peoples of the day and age in which these passages were written.

Al

quote:

These so called horrors are no more than the reflection of the cultural norms of the peoples of the day and age in which these passages were written.

Are we to live by or be influenced by the often barbaric curtural norms and the irrational religious beliefs of the peoples of the day and age in which these passages were written?

Happily, that remains an individual decision.

quote:

Originally posted by 8I:
So watch your step around here, or you could find yourself in a mining camp in the Hausdorffian dimension.

Got that?

Do you think that you scare me? NO! You will learn quick that threats of any sorts, joking or not, will not scare me. I am an independent woman and I would love for you come up against me again...you have another thing coming. All that scares me is the way that you think that you are the one judging everyone on this side of the universe.
May God have mercy on your soul. And even if you dont believe, the truth of the fact is that you will still be judged by God the Father.

I pray that one day you will wake up and one day realize all of the non-sense that you talk.

When I say, "I am a Christian"

I'm not shouting, "I’ve been saved!"

I'm whispering, "I get lost!

That's why I chose this way"



When I say, "I am a Christian"

I don't speak with human pride

I'm confessing that I stumble—

Needing God to be my guide



When I say, "I am a Christian"

I'm not trying to be strong

I'm professing that I'm weak

And pray for strength to carry on



When I say, "I am a Christian"

I'm not bragging of success

I'm admitting that I've failed

And cannot ever pay the debt



When I say, "I am a Christian"

I don't think I know it all

I submit to my confusion

Asking humbly to be taught



When I say, "I am a Christian"

I'm not claiming to be perfect

My flaws are all too visible

But God believes I'm worth it



When I say, "I am a Christian"

I still feel the sting of pain

I have my share of heartache,

Which is why I seek His name



When I say, "I am a Christian"

I do not wish to judge

I have no authority...

I only know I'm loved

quote:

2. The belief in a physical "day of judgment", a Zoroastrian belief which the Jews picked up during their long period of captivity in Babylon.

Al,
I believe that Isaiah was written long before the Babylonian captivity.
But irregardless of that, Jesus's words to Mary at the tomb of Lazurus confirm he believed in a day of judgement. All of Jesus's parables on the Kingdom of Heaven were consumated in the final day of judgement, i.e. the Parable of the wheat and tares. And not only so, Jesus himself gave us insight to the day of judgement in Mattew Chapter 25:31

Just thought you sgould know what you are talking about.

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Originally posted by Do you know me...really?:

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Originally posted by 8I:
So watch your step around here, or you could find yourself in a mining camp in the Hausdorffian dimension.

Got that?

Do you think that you scare me? NO! You will learn quick that threats of any sorts, joking or not, will not scare me. I am an independent woman and I would love for you come up against me again...you have another thing coming. All that scares me is the way that you think that you are the one judging everyone on this side of the universe.
May God have mercy on your soul. And even if you dont believe, the truth of the fact is that you will still be judged by God the Father.

I pray that one day you will wake up and one day realize all of the non-sense that you talk.

lol, it was a intended as a joke. i appreciate your concern for my soul, however, i don't require any gods or devils in my life.

i'm assuming you're a christian, right?

regards

QUOTE]
i'm assuming you're a christian, right?
/QUOTE]

Did you really have to ask? YES! And so proud of it.

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Originally posted by Do you know me...really?:
QUOTE]
i'm assuming you're a christian, right?
/QUOTE]

Did you really have to ask? YES! And so proud of it.

Do, I'm curious as to why you chose Christianity over many other religions?

Regards

quote:

Originally posted by 8I:

quote:

Originally posted by Do you know me...really?:
QUOTE]
i'm assuming you're a christian, right?
/QUOTE]

Did you really have to ask? YES! And so proud of it.

Do, I'm curious as to why you chose Christianity over many other religions?

You ask me:
Why should anyone trust in Christianity over anything else? It is because there are absolute truths, because only in Christianity are there accurately fulfilled prophecies of a coming Messiah. Only in Christianity do we have the extremely accurate transmission of the eyewitness documents (gospels), so we can trust what was originally written. Only in Christianity do we have the person of Christ who claimed to be God, performed many miracles to prove His claim of divinity, who died and rose from the dead, and who said that He alone was the way the truth and the life (John 14:6). All this adds to the legitimacy and credibility of Christianity above all other religions -- all based on the person of Jesus. It follows that if it is all true about what Jesus said and did, then all other religions are false because Jesus said that He alone was the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). It could not be that Jesus is the only way and truth, and other religions also be the truth.

Either Jesus is true and all other religions are false, or other religions are true and Jesus is false. There are no other options. I choose to follow the risen Lord Jesus.