 masbury says: Ooh, a killer post. even i will say "amen" to that one! we spend so much time fretting over some experience we're supposed to have and skip right over loving those around us, doing good, and making wrongs right ... nice clip! Well said. Christianity is entirely about how we treat our fellow man. Excellent post! I so very much agree with the advice. And many will agree that it is great advice. But I wonder how many will recognize the advice as humanism? AcesLucky...good call. Humanism pure and simple. Jesus said that the greatest commandment was to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind, and that the second was like unto it--love your neighbor as yourself. Thus, love for God and for your fellow man are inseparable. Thanks for the thought-provoking post. The root of Christianity is the Redemption provided by Jesus Christ...thus "Christianity". That redemption provides the indwelling Holy Spirit which enables Christians to love one another as is the command. The ability to care for others, the desire to make relationships right, to pursue a "relationship" with God all springs from that. They are all by-products. Brazilnut, that's a very true point. In fact, it should be said that a person is showing their love (or indifference) toward God by the love (or lack thereof) that they show to ALL their fellow man. I think there is some good wisdom in the example. I think your "headline" suggests you may have missed it - in favor of your prejudice. Thus, love for God and for your fellow man are inseparable.How do we know that the student did not hold a definition of "relationship with God" that inherently included love for her fellow man? Why do you assume that she did not? Maybe one could equally criticize the "speaker" for thinking they were not one in the same. A pre-conceived bias, or lack thereof, seems likely to determine how we will take this clip. Should amply this to all religions Especially the ones that like to kill. see if you mention god you just set them off  Davboz, the de-relationalizing of the gospel is one of modern Christianity's rampant sins. Listen to the songs on evangelical radio stations: me, God, and ooey gooey. Listen to the songs you sing in your worship service. God is great, he loves me, I'm so glad. The crushing needs of the people around us, and our mission to bring hope to our world, are virtually absent. I know there are exceptions, but, speaking as a pastor, it is extremely difficult to find worship music that hasn't forgotten the second greatest commandment. It is characteristic of our age. "It is well with my soul". The best! With emphasis on the 1st commandment out of which follows all others. The 2nd greatest commandment? You can't expect an un-Godly people to exhibit Godly 'love for one another'. A vibrant, active, committed, *Christian* community went forth with much love for humanity in the form of the Salvation Army, the YMCA, missions of humanitarian aid to other countries (especially Africa), Samaritans Purse, Doctors Without Borders, local rescue missions, the abolitionist movement...the list is endless. Now Christian organizations are scorned and called many names...and yet they still seek to "do unto others...". The problem is that these days, most "Christian" organizations seek to "do unto others..." with high-calibre weapons and destruction of native culture. That is just dumb. So sad for you. I guess that's why you call yourself 'darkforce'....you can't see the 'goodforce'. The best! With emphasis on the 1st commandment out of which follows all others. --- "...the single largest donation (by a single citizen) to charity in U.S history. Warren Buffet (an Atheist), gave away 85% of his $40 billion dollar fortune to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Foundation, which is already worth $30 billion, was founded by Bill Gates who is an Atheist himself. This foundation is highly acclaimed, and is amongst the world’s leading charities." ---- Secular (Non-Religious) Charities and Aid groups Amnesty International Doctors withou... I'll come to ya'll (the fact-checkers) next time since mine are always wrong. No counterpoint to offer, so you just come back with insults, Jatfla? That's just pathetic. i know some "born again" people. too many have the attitude that whatever they do is OK because God has forgiven all their transgressions. But some of them have the attitude that they need to do things that put them on the side of God, rather than that they can do whatever they want because God is on their side, and you couldn't wish for nicer people than them. After all, the Bible starts out with God making ALL humanity in His image. If you have any kind of love for God, it follows then that you MUST love all humanity. ALL humanity. Absolutely, gzuckier. More Faux-Christians. The true philosophy of Christ says that we should strive to be like Jesus, and truly live the life of a Christian. Yes, we can be forgiven when we fail — after all, we are merely human. But, the bible says that when we fail, we must seek forgiveness; not just from God, but from whoever it is we have wronged. So it's not just praying to God = "Get-out-of-Jail-Free Card". You need to pay the consequences of what you do, but if you are truly repentant, God will forgive. Whether the person you wronged (if such is the case) forgives you is a completely different matter. and what have you done for man or God lately Darkforce? and yes, that is a strange user's name for a so-called Christian. I've fed a hungry man. I've taken care of someone's kids for free so they could go see a doctor. I've escorted a destitute man to the Men's Mission in town so he could get food and a place to sleep. I've smiled at people and wished them a good day. I've lived my life to the principle of treating other people in the manner that I would want to be treated by them. I've given money to the poor, even though I'm on a limited fixed income. I've volunteered to help the homeless in a coffee bar (a better-appointed version of a soup kitchen). I've worked with kids who have no father. Now, do you want to know what I did last month, too? You're reading the name wrong, It isn't Darkforce. It's Dark[b]... Those are impressive. I just give monthly to Feed the Children via automatic withdrawal. I never associated your name, though, with darkness; I was always reading it as Dark e-Force, like as part of a stealth spiritual warrior team, sort of like Delta Force. One thing we humans do have is wild imaginations! Good for you, AL. Help however and whenever you can. Even if you aren't going to be an actual Christian, there's nothing saying people can't just act like them by caring about their fellow man. It makes the world better for everyone, regardless of their religious beliefs. there's nothing saying people can't just act like them by caring about their fellow man.I don't give for the sake of brownie points from a god, real or imagined. I give to help other humans. I am not, therefore, acting like a Christian. Sorry you thought that. I give to help others because it's the right and moral thing to do. That's called Humanism. Humanism is the culmination of the selfishness, greed and other dark aspects of human nature. It's not a good thing. But the truth is, yes, acting in that way is, indeed, acting in a Christian manner. It's not for "brownie points" as you seem to think; Christians just do it because it's the right thing to do. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanism "Humanism is a perspective common to a wide range of ethical stances that affirms the dignity and worth of all people, attaching importance to human dignity, concerns, and capabilities, particularly rationality." --- http://www.secularhumanism.org/ Council for Secular Humanism "Secular Humanism is a way of thinking and living that aims to bring out the best in people so that all people can have the best in life. Secular humanists reject supernatural and authoritarian beliefs. They affirm that we must take responsibility for our own lives and the communities and world in which we live. Secular humanism emphasizes reason and scientific inquiry, individ... And the point is? It's still acting in a Christian manner. Just because the wheel had been invented before, it didn't mean that the invention of the car was somehow invalidated by the fact it was using technology that was developed before. And the point is?The point is all German Shepherds are dogs; but not all dogs are German Shepherds. Just because "some" Christians act out of kindness doesn't mean that acting out of kindness is acting like a Christian. Would it be appropriate to say that someone who terrorizes and tortures others is acting like a Christian, since Christians have a long and rich history of it? It wouldn't be an accurate or fair description, would it? Frankly, I am abhorred by the history of many religions, including that of Christianity. (That's just one reason I do not wish to be associated with it.) To act out of kindness is a Human act, unless the act is motivated by religion, then ... No, that analogy doesn't hold. You don't have to be a Christian to act in a Christian-like manner. What is it with your horrible fear of the word "Christian", anyway? Why does it scare you to be compared to a Christian? Frankly, I am abhorred by the history of many religions, including that of Christianity. (That's just one reason I do not wish to be associated with it.) I also cannot accept the intellectual dishonesty. The requirement to believe things that I deem utterly stupid. (As Doc Holiday says, "My hypocrisy only goes so far.") I also cannot accept the morality of Christianity. The requirement to believe in harming the innocent to atone for the evils of the guilty is repulsive. The requirement to believe that the crimes of one person makes everyone else guilty by birth. The requirement to believe that a god wants to utterly torture everyone unless they believe in a particular story. The requireme... You have given an excellent treatise on Religions. However, Christianity is NOT a religion. Roman Catholicism is a religion. Protestantism is a religion; but Christianity is not. Christianity is a philosophy and a lifestyle, taught by Jesus Christ (not by Moses or any of the other writers of the Old Testament). The philosophy of Christianity was usurped by the Roman General, Constantine and eventually shaped into something quite unrepresentative of actual Christianity. Christianity is about love, period. Love of your fellow man. Love of your world; everything. It stipulates that you react to all things as inspired by love. While the religions that have usurped the "Christian" l... Yes, yes, I know. "They..." aren't really Christians because they do not interpret the "actual" word of god correctly, the way you do. Might I risk the assumption that the Holy Spirit does not assist them in their interpretations, like it does for you? In any case, I find the requirements to believe certain events and ideas, as described by Christianity, to be beyond my ability to look in the mirror and claim honesty. No, they aren't Christians because they are not acting in a Christ-like manner. Christian means "Little Christ", so if a person using the label "Christian" isn't acting out of love for their fellow man and the world, then they aren't really a Christian. It doesn't take any special interpretation of the bible; it just takes attentive reading and common sense. I, too, find some of the events related in the bible, and many of the ideas presented by people other than Jesus hard to swallow. But it is possible to apply common sense to the bible, and still end up with Faith. A lot of people like you seem to assume that once you apply logic and common sense to the bible, it all falls apart. That is... "No, they aren't Christians.." Classic! Your brand of Christianity is correct and everyone else is wrong. This is why there are over a thousand different denominations of the same Christian religion. They all believe in the same book, they all believe it's the word of a god, and yet they all believe something different, and that everyone else is wrong. Classic! And like you, they KNOW they are right, because they have faith! (Applying common sense, what does this tell you about the efficacy of faith?) Except for the fact that my Christianity isn't a religion. It's based entirely on the correlated stories of Christ. There are many other people who believe the same thing. And your response is just as classic; a juvenile cheering at something you think is a "gotcha", but is actually you just failing to understand again. As I've said repeatedly; you'll know a Christian by their behaviour, not by their beliefs. Their specific beliefs are unimportant. What's important is that they live the Christian philosophy of loving everyone and the world around you, because it was all created by God. And applying common sense leads me to the same goal. Perhaps you need to apply the common sense that Chri... In other words; all humans have faith, period. It only varies as to where they apply their faith. Denying faith is a fool's errand, because it is an integral part of human nature. Except for the fact that my Christianity isn't a religion. As I've said repeatedly; you'll know a Christian by their behaviour, not by their beliefs. ...because it was all created by God. ...Christianity is not equivalent to Religion. Denying faith is a fool's errand, because it is an integral part of human nature. --- Of course. These must be true to you, as all the contradicting faiths are true to those who believe them. Are those faiths following true to the teachings of Jesus (to the exclusion of the rest of the bible)? If not, then they are not Christian, because Christian, by definition, means that you follow the philosophy of Christ, period. It means "Little Christ". It's a very easy distinction to make. If someone is quoting verses from Exodus or Corinthians, then they are not acting in a Christian manner, unless those verses are directly supported by what Jesus taught. Forget the rest of the bible. Jesus came to teach a new way of thinking of things in a world that was obsessed with blood and death and selfishness. Christ's teachings are the sum total of Christianity. While other parts of the bible mi... If someone is quoting verses from Exodus or Corinthians, then they are not acting in a Christian manner, unless those verses are directly supported by what Jesus taught.-- In the words of Jesus, just before he ascended from earth into heaven: And he said unto them, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, ... Jesus doesn't want people to be damned, so what is wrong with him telling people how to avoid damnation (and before you pull up that old chestnut of asking why God damns people, he doesn't. Mankind damned itself; God just offers a way to escape the fate of our own design.) But, you will also notice that statement is not reflected in any of the other gospels, so it is not correlated. It was most likely the old "telephone game phenomenon" of Mark not quite getting it right. That's why you need the 4 gospels; to correlate what's said in all 4 versions to know which is the actual words of Jesus. Cherrypicking never stands up to honest study of the bible. So are these statements by Jesus true? They may be; they may not be. It's second hand information, but we can have much more confidence in those words that are corroborated by two or more of the other epistles. Faith deniers seem to think that applying logic and common sense to the bible makes it fall apart, and as thus that they just can't comprehend the notion that doing so, and studying so you actually comprehend what is being said actually can make faith stronger. I don't blame you for your dysfunction; it's a depressingly common one that evangelical atheists like to indulge in. It's just proof that they've only read what's on the surface, and made no attempts whatsoever to try to actually comprehend what the meaning is behin... I asked: Q: So are these statements by Jesus true? You answered: A: They may be; they may not be. Fact: You don't know. (Even though you claim the Holy Spirit tells you what's true in the bible and what's not.) Fact: Over a thousand denominations, each claiming they know -- just like you -- and yet each different while none -- including you -- are able to demonstrate even the slightest truth whatsoever about what you supposedly know. And you called this obvious fact, when atheists point it out, dysfunctional? (I'm seeing irony.) If this book is supposed to be the word of a god, the god in question doesn't appear to be very successful at communication by writing! (So much for the omni... An example: The 12 Steps Millions of people have experienced freedom from alcohol (or narcotics, or a host of things) as a result of the use of a 12-step program. 1. Is every 12-stepper in agreement about what each step means? Nah. Are even those who have benefited from them in agreement about what they mean? Are those who have found a "higher power" in agreement about what that power is? 'Course not. Thus, the 12-steps must be pretty ineffective communication, right? 'Course not. 2. Are the 12 steps, then, true? There is no quantifiable means for proving anything about a higher power. Is truth even the right question, in the sense that we moderns use it? 3. Have many people abused 12-s... I have said time and again; the bible is not the Word of God. It is the Word of Man. However, it does contain the Word of God within it. Jesus may not have said the exact quotes in the bible, but the basic message behind those words is very real, and very true. If you read the Gospels, you will see that God does not want anyone to go to hell — that is specifically why he sent His son to show mankind that they don't have to accept the fate that Lucifer is dragging them into. God doesn't send anyone to hell; quite the opposite. If He wasn't the loving God He is, then he would leave mankind to its eventual fate, rather than committing the actual sacrifice of sending His son to die, allowing Him... I have close friends that believe in different endings — reincarnation, sacred land, new Earth, complete rebirth, and even some that believe in oblivion. Such beliefs are not antithetic to my beliefs. I fully accept the idea that there may be many paths to the same ultimate destination. I don't know what truths and epiphanies other people have experienced, but I know that it is hubris to declare that the path I found is the only way. I believe that it is, but after all, I am merely human, and I make errors. But who does it harm when I live a life of accepting all, treating all people as someone special, and endeavouring to base my decisions and judgments on Love? And who does it harm to sugg... Very true, Masbury. The fact is, AL, the people who abuse the Word of God are the type of people who would ultimately find something similar to abuse, if Christianity didn't exist. That does not make the Message and the Movement bad, or non-existent. It just makes them a tool; to be used properly, or improperly. Thus, the 12-steps must be pretty ineffective communication, right? 'Course not.Whoops. That analogy doesn't apply for a clear logical reason. But forget the logic, let's look at the efficacy. (Just for a moment.) [http://defeataddictions.org/AA-Unmasked.html] Under 10 Facts (header): 1. No Scientific study has found AA/12-step treatment to be better than no treatment. 4. 75%-90% of addicts who complete 12-step treatment will return to an addictive lifestyle within a year. I take this route (instead of the logic) because the real question is how many failures! But again, never mind, the 12-steps doesn't GUARANTEE success. It's not like the promise is being made by a god!... If the 12-Step program doesn't work, then why are there so many success stories, AL? A 10-25% success rate is vastly superior to the approximately 2% success rate of no support program whatsoever. You seem to want to focus solely on the negative aspects of faith only, while ignoring the many positive aspects. As I said; the people who abuse "Christianity" are the type of people who would abuse anything of a similar type in their lives. It's not the fault of Christianity or its message; it's the fault of the people. It's like the people who want you to believe that guns don't kill; but rather people do. It's not Christianity or the Word of God that's the problem; it's the arsewipes misusing it that are the problems. If the 12-Step program doesn't work, then why are there so many success stories, AL? A 10-25% success rate is vastly superior to the approximately 2% success rate of no support program whatsoever.I believe you missed the point completely. The far greater picture is the trustworthiness, the veracity, of something that is supposed to be god's word! I am asserting outright that the word of a god should, at a minimum, be true. But for someone like you, the words have to be re-translated into something meaning "other than" what they actually say. Therein lies the delusion, the choice to self-deceive! The word of a god should be true at face value. To do otherwise implies e... What I think you're not facing, AL, is that truth is a moving target. Since the Enlightenment, we westerns have conflated truth with factuality; in ancient literature, these concepts are not the same, nor does the absence of one imply the absence of the other. Our view is no more sophisticated than any of the value judgments of how truth works that have dominated various moments in culture and history. And post-modernism is rapidly bringing the Enlightenment's temporary authority to a close. To many ancients, whether, say, the Genesis story is factually correct (ie, "true" in our modern sense) might be a very silly question. For it is true in a deeper sense; it is representative of real... What I think you're not facing, AL, is that truth is a moving target.Whoa! My friend, if that's the case then the words you promise today mean nothing tomorrow. And if you truly believe what you just said, then nothing a God says has any value either, for the same reason you just stated. --- Since the Enlightenment, we westerns have conflated truth with factuality;??? You're saying something can be true... while being false? Our view is no more sophisticated than any of the value judgments of how truth works...How truth works? Is by not being false! To many ancients, whether, say, the Genesis story is factually correct (ie, "true"... No, AL. The Word-giver is not a liar. The Word-transcribers were. But that doesn't mean that the Truth isn't in there. You just have to filter out all the callous humanism that is involved in chronicling the Jewish people's long and painful transition from worshipping demonic gods, to trying to apply the exact same practices and reasonings to the worship of a God of Love and the eventual attempt to help the Israelites achieve an epiphany that would completely turn around how they lived and interacted with the world with the presentation of the Good News from an unbiased source (the son of God). The bible is like a book on the history man's understanding of the sun. It would include a lot of ... AL, I think I hear you saying that truth can't be anything other than what your particularly quantitative western heritage says it is; I wonder if that isn't a bit ethnocentric. If what each of you are saying is true, then the Koran is true, and every word ever written by a man claiming divine inspiration, is true, regardless of what they actually say. Because in your world, the truth need not agree with the facts. Plus, you can interpret however you want without respect to what is actually written. And if such inspiration says "red" you may interpret as "blue" or "green" or as you see fit, because in your world Truth has nothing to do with the facts. So what's written can be factually false but can be taken as true because it was inspired by a god. (Though never does it cross your mind that if it's factually false it cannot have been written or inspired by a go... AL, I think I hear you saying that truth can't be anything other than what your particularly quantitative western heritage says it is; I wonder if that isn't a bit ethnocentric.Masbury, I think I hear you saying that "truth" is whatever obscures the facts enough to allow B.S. to fly. And that's a perversion any honest person should not allow. Ergo I will not allow it. And neither should you. We may debate the various "usages" of the word "truth" (from quants to fidelity) but in essence "truth" is the opposite of that which is false. "False" is that which is contrary to fact. "Fact" is the actual state of affairs. Simply put: if something is false, it is NOT true. (Are we truly back in grade school?) Now, let's untwist your spin on things, AL. As it was already said; something can contain the truth, without being 100% proof. Let's keep that in mind before you start launching off with strawmen and scarecrows. Yes, the Koran contains the truth. It contains the gospels of Jesus; something that most Westerners don't realize. You are obsessed with finding something that is 100% truth; that you don't have to think about, or apply common sense or reason to to divine the truth within it. Such a thing does not exist. God gave us clever brains for a reason — He expects us to use them. Man and Satan have twisted the word or God, but they haven't managed to obliterate it. Don't forget that God isn'... darkeforce Then once again I ask: Can you (and your assistant The Holy Spirit) highlight the parts of the bible that are from god? If you can do that just once, and have it copied, the whole world will be indebted to your gift. Thank you in advance. I've already said so. You're pre-conceived notions have filtered them out. Start with the parts of the Gospels that agree with each other, and then accept God and the Holy Spirit. Then you will be lead through the minefield of the bible as is needed by you. Or you could just cut out the middleman and find out for yourself. But that would take honest and earnest effort on your part, now wouldn't it? Or you could just cut out the middleman and find out for yourself. But that would take honest and earnest effort on your part, now wouldn't it?It would take honest and earnest effort to filter out the bad parts? Yeah. Good point. No, just invoking the many hypocritical atheists who condemn Christianity without actually giving it an honest and earnest effort. They take the lazy "Sour Grapes" approach and just condemn it without truly trying to achieve it first. If a person has made an honest effort and still finds that they can't put their faith in God, then so be it. That's honest atheism. Unfortunately, that is a very small minority of atheists. Perhaps one day you'll find it odd that god's message must be filtered through a book when his technology should be far superior to ink on paper. Perhaps you'll find it odd that such an omnipotent being couldn't find a better way to communicate to the world than through a book riddled with falsehood. Perhaps just one day you'll question if a god could be that lackadaisical with such an important communication KNOWING the outcome of confusion. You say others aren't interpreting it properly and others say others aren't. Yep. Sounds like the word of a god to me. Not. I know you'll say its not god's fault. But since he knew the outcome in advance... how could it be anyone elses? In truth... Or maybe you're just standing on the outside of a closed box, coming up with wild and fanciful assumptions about what's inside, without actually bothering to walk inside and learn for yourself? You've given me a good idea of what's inside that box of yours... I'll stick to the world out here. But thanks for the offer. Perhaps just one day you'll question if a god could be thatYou are so right! If God's goal is to make information clear so anyone can understand it, he's botched it badly! But is it? I see no reason to think so. Jesus taught in parables, in part, to obscure his points, not to make them clear. And Socrates taught in questions. And countless gurus have taught in riddles. Why? Because imparting information is not the goal! The goal of teaching - whether in spiritual disciplines or in graduate study - is not to spell out clear information, but to tantalize those who will foll... And the lessons from this method of teaching has taught us exactly what? Look at the last thousand years of religion. Look at the last 100. Look at the last 10. Exactly what have we learned from religion in that time? What knowledge can be attributed to religion? Aces, Christianity has absolutely nothing to do with religion. Christianity has to do with philosophy and lifestyle, not rituals and dogma. Comparing it to what religion has done is completely and utterly pointless — it's comparing apples to strawberry shortcake. Many religions have usurped the name and principles of Christianity, but that doesn't make Christianity a religion. As for preferring to live in the void of ignorance, rather than within the world of understanding and comprehension; well that's your choice. @darkeforce Christianity has absolutely nothing to do with religion. Christianity has to do with philosophy and lifestyle, not rituals and dogma.Apparently you've never been to church, but that wasn't the question. I'll pose another question specifically for your world. Here: --- Look at the last thousand years of Christianity. Look at the last 100. Look at the last 10. Exactly what have we learned from Christianity in that time? What knowledge can be attributed to Christianity? --- And then after that you can substitute "Christianity" with "Islam" "Judaism" "Buddhism" "Hinduism" "etc..;" you know, what the rest of the world calls "Religion". Yes, I have been to church, and I know that you don't find Christianity in a church. You find it in people going out of their way to help other people. You find it people who give without any intention of receiving anything for their efforts. You find it in the person who faces down hatred and intolerance with love and understanding. It's obvious that you've never encountered real Christianity, because what you are talking about is religions that have borrowed and/or usurped the title of "Christianity" as a way of drawing more members. Look at the past 1000/100/10 years of Christianity? I see love and acceptance; I see non-judgement; I see a movement that has been suppressed under the horri... darkeforce Yes, I get it. All good is Christianity and anything not good is not Christianity. I get it. In your world, good started on the day Christianity started, or, when people did good BEFORE Christianity, they were actually Christians but didn't know it. See? I do understand your world view. It has nothing to do with reality, but I understand it. Unfortunately it has nothing to do with the question. (The tiresome change the subject blind spot, again.) The question is: Exactly what have we learned from Christianity in that time? What knowledge can be attributed to Christianity? Understand? What knowledge can be attributed to Christianity over the last 1000, 100, or 10 years? What knowledge? No, you don't get it, and this post is proof of that. Christianity is a tool. Used properly, it is force of great good in this world. Not the only one, but the only one that is divine. Used improperly, it can be a force of great evil. That evil is called Religion. It has taken the tool of Christianity; something made solely for the good of this world, and twisted it into something dark, sterile and meaningless. This is the mistake you have made. You have been fooled by the false labels. You have seen people claiming to be Christian doing very unchristian-like things, and assumed that is Christianity. That is a false assumption, and you're better than that. What knowledge can be attributed t... Your entire first paragraph is no different than what I already said is your world view. If good, you call it Christianity If bad, you call it something else. "What knowledge can be attributed to actual Christianity over the past 1000, 100 and 10 years?" God is love.Is that it? Is this the knowledge that religion has given us after centuries, even unto today (by way of factually false teachings, parables, and obscure points to make them unclear...), after all the violence, hatred and injustice... THIS ... that "GOD IS LOVE"... is the sum of our knowledge from that method of teaching? If that's the message and clearly is still not working, you are forced to admit that ... Boy, that misconception is stuck fast in your brain, and you don't seem to want to be enlightened. That's too bad. It remains, though, that Christianity and Religion are NOT the same thing. Once you understand that, the rest becomes easy. The so-called "Christian" religions are a perversion of the philosophy of Christ — one of Satan's greatest coups against mankind; convincing people that Christianity is the hatred and intolerance that these people who use the label "Christian" falsely, rather than the truth and love that it is really about. And you've fallen for that scam hook, line and sinker. It is true that true Christianity is only good — that is the nature of the impuls... It's not what Christianity is meant to be. Christianity is personal; it's not about being God's Warrior, it's about having God living within you, and letting his love shine out to those around you. God wants you to love everyone around you, and treat them all as if they were the most important person in your life. That is the message; anything beyond that is religious propaganda. Mankind is responsible for its own education. God has a hands-off approach because mankind made the decision long ago to have to learn things the hard way, so He allows this. It isn't the way it has to be, but it's the way it is. Man has to learn about the world and the people within it all by themselves — this is... "...convincing people that Christianity is the hatred and intolerance that these people who use the label "Christian" falsely, rather than the truth and love that it is really about..."First paragraph talk again. If it ain't good, it ain't Christian. Got it. "Christianity and Religion are NOT the same thing."Riiiiiight. Got it. "Priests and Pastors and Reverends are all a part of Religion (not Christianity)."Umm Humm. "...it's about having God living within you, and letting his love shine out to those around you. God wants you to love everyone around you,..."That would make the holy books false. And clearly this method of tea... If I may butt in for a minute... I understand what you mean darkeforce, and to a certain degree I agree with you, but one need not be a Christian at all, or call oneself as such, to do and act in a *Christian* way. Christianity does not hold a patent on "the Golden Rule". It's a universal "truth" that anyone can and should abide by and Christianity cannot claim that, as it's own. There is no need for Christianity, as a religion, to teach or learn, that simple rule. No need whatsoever. No, a person doesn't need to be a Christian to act that way, but acting that way is still acting in a Christ-like manner. AL, I can see that you're being purposely obtuse, so there's no more to be said. You don't want to get it, and that's your choice. Good luck with eternity. p.s.; yes, in all of its revisions throughout history, the bible has had the ideas of Satan (or at least Mankind) incorporated into it, as people with intentions both pure and malicious have "edited" what certain parts of the bible says to better suit the beliefs of their religions (whether that edit was true to Christianity or not). That is why you need the Holy Spirit within you to lead you through the traps and misqueues intermixed with the true message. That is why you need the Holy Spirit within you to lead you through the traps and misqueues intermixed with the true message.You need a supernatural force to interpret a book that you admit is full of error injected by Satan but is really god's word. And the meaning you get from your interpretation differs from the thousand other interpretations by Christians but YOU have it right and THEY have it all wrong. Obtuse, you say. It's sad really. You can't separate your own fantasy world from reality. But neither could those parents who prayed as they watched their child die a slow agonizing death. No god heard them. No Holy Spirit came to their aid. They had faith in their del... Sorry, but I don't feel sad. God is a great comfort to many people in the world, and he does intercede; just not always in the way we might expect. People like you expect God to be a genie, granting their wishes in the manner that they want them. It doesn't work that way, and it's naïve to believe that it does. Do you know what happens to said child after he dies? How do you know that there isn't a great reward for him in the afterlife? You're rooted in the strictly short-term temporal world, when there's an eternity before us. Certainly, people can misinterpret God's word. We're human, and we make mistakes. Plus, there is no end of people who want to twist the scriptures to suit their own ... |
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