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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2014 12:56:47 GMT -6
I'm putting this here because I don't see a 'religion' board.
Just wondering. What do you think the major difference is between a 'Spiritual' person and a 'religious' person? Other than the obvious, a belief in 'God' 'Jesus' 'Mohammad' etc ?
And how do you reconcile all the different religions world wide each thinking they are right and they have all the answers ?
I heard an interesting thought in a video recently concerning non Christians. " Do you think all the Jews who died in the Holocaust went straight from the gas chambers to hell because they were ' not born again' in the vernacular of a Christian ? Would God deny them a reward for suffering all the torments, persecutions and physical and emotional hell on Earth, more than the average person could suffer in 10, 20 100 lifetimes ?
Every sincere believer has something that their own religion tells them is the 'right way'
Now we have people who identify themselves as 'spiritual' What does that say or mean to you ? Can you be a 'spiritual' person without the dogma of a specific religion ? What are the perks and what is the downside ?
I have a hard time ( sometimes, or most of the time ) believing that all people are doomed to hell .. or at the very least, denied the right to an 'everlasting' life because they do not subscribe to a certain religion.
Is it wrong to question these things ? If it's wrong, then why did God give us the ability of critical thinking ? I don't know about you, but I usually can't control my thoughts.. they just jump up out of nowhere. Would it be better to have had an inquisitive mind stilled when we accept Christ as our Savoir ? To put to rest the natural urge to question ? And is there any particular penance or punishment for simply questioning? And if questioning is wrong, how do we get past the questioning ? How do we turn off an inquisitive mind ? Thomas of the Bible comes to mind, often referred to as 'Doubting Thomas'.. it's not that I doubt the omnipotence of God, I guess I just sometimes question the details.
I welcome all answers, but I'm especially interested in 'rdlb's answer . He seems to have a way of explaining his views in a manner that does not exclude people who don't believe as he does.. Not that others here don't have that ability too, but he's answered some previous questions in a non biased way.
I'm pretty sure the standard answer will be based on something in the Bible, but keep in mind that all the other religions also have something in their own particular laws, scriptures etc that guides and produces their own religious edicts.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2014 18:34:17 GMT -6
Here is what I believe. I'm Christian but I believe that after you die you will be judged by the knowledge you posess. The light you have been given will condemn you are cause you to have eternal life, not matter what religion or sect you belong to.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2014 18:43:03 GMT -6
Here is what I believe. I'm Christian but I believe that after you die you will be judged by the knowledge you posess. The light you have been given will condemn you are cause you to have eternal life, not matter what religion or sect you belong to. But don't most Christians think there is only one thing required for salvation ? : John 3:16 " For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten SonThat whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life"There is no mention of knowledge there, only belief. So what do you believe about questions ? Even the most avid believer has questions. Is it wrong to question ?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2014 19:17:00 GMT -6
I guess the only question here is, " Who do you believe?" Do you believe God and His Word or do you believe them? Your choice.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2014 19:37:17 GMT -6
I guess the only question here is, " Who do you believe?" Do you believe God and His Word or do you believe them? Your choice. Who is ' them' ?That doesn't answer my question ( there I go with the questions ) If we aren't supposed to ask questions , why did God give us the ability of critical thinking ? And if by them you are referring to other religions, they probably ask the same question in reverse. There are so many differences between dogma, even in the Protestant Churches.. For example The Presbyterians are Protestant. They believe in predestination... I do not. Whos right and who's wrong and who makes up the rules ? Most Presbyterians who have a strong faith will tell you they are definitely going to heaven. Does that mean I must get on the presdestination train ? Who's right.. and who's wrong? Is there a right and wrong strictly depending on dogma ? I think it's much more than 'Who do you believe' ? Consider two religions, both believe in God, only in an entire different light and entirely different dogmas. Is it core belief, then why so many different dogmas ? The Catholics believe in God The Protestants believe in God The Jews believe in God.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2014 19:44:07 GMT -6
Them is those that tell you there is another way to God besides Christ. Dogma has nothing to do with it. Christ born, Christ crucified, Christ risen. That is all the dogma you really need. Any church can serve your needs if you keep with the basics from God's Word. Regardless of the dogma of the church. A minister of the Methodist Church once told me, " If I followed the beliefs of the Methodist Church I would surly go to hell." They fired him. LOL
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2014 19:52:33 GMT -6
No it is all about Who you believe. Do you believe God. He has given us the Old Testament the journey to the New Testament, Who do you believe. Do you believe the New Testament? Is it the gospel truth? Did God have his writers lie to us? Probably not since God does not lie. The Jews had their shot at Christ, they killed him. So God sent him to us. They didn't want him. We did. A light unto the Gentiles. A light in the darkness. Christ. Don't let anyone put out your light. Many nations are still in darkness, there are those of them who are God's children, despite the fact that they do not know the Christian words. They are His and He knows them. God is not cruel.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2014 19:53:36 GMT -6
Why the different dogmas? Because there is nothing we humans cannot screw up.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2014 20:03:10 GMT -6
Them is those that tell you there is another way to God besides Christ. Dogma has nothing to do with it. Christ born, Christ crucified, Christ risen. That is all the dogma you really need. Any church can serve your needs if you keep with the basics from God's Word. Regardless of the dogma of the church. A minister of the Methodist Church once told me, " If I followed the beliefs of the Methodist Church I would surly go to hell." They fired him. LOL'If I followed the beliefs of the Methodist Church I would surly go to hell." They fired him. LOL Then in that context it mattered a great deal. I'm just not sure that a loving God would deny 'everlasting life' to good people like the Orthodox Jews who do not believe in the Messianic theology. In the grand scheme of things, you will not find a group, as a whole, who have suffered in this world as they did during the Holocaust.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2014 20:03:48 GMT -6
Why the different dogmas? Because there is nothing we humans cannot screw up.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2014 20:06:06 GMT -6
Them is those that tell you there is another way to God besides Christ. Dogma has nothing to do with it. Christ born, Christ crucified, Christ risen. That is all the dogma you really need. Any church can serve your needs if you keep with the basics from God's Word. Regardless of the dogma of the church. A minister of the Methodist Church once told me, " If I followed the beliefs of the Methodist Church I would surly go to hell." They fired him. LOL'If I followed the beliefs of the Methodist Church I would surly go to hell." They fired him. LOL Then in that context it mattered a great deal. I'm just not sure that a loving God would deny 'everlasting life' to good people like the Orthodox Jews who do not believe in the Messianic theology. In the grand scheme of things, you will not find a group, as a whole, who have suffered in this world as they did during the Holocaust. The Catholics put a great deal of emphasis on dogma. By it's very literal definition, dogma is not to be questioned nor strayed from. I think a lot of people are turned off by organized religion due to all the red tape of dogma.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2014 21:16:12 GMT -6
'If I followed the beliefs of the Methodist Church I would surly go to hell." They fired him. LOL Then in that context it mattered a great deal. I'm just not sure that a loving God would deny 'everlasting life' to good people like the Orthodox Jews who do not believe in the Messianic theology. In the grand scheme of things, you will not find a group, as a whole, who have suffered in this world as they did during the Holocaust. The Catholics put a great deal of emphasis on dogma. By it's very literal definition, dogma is not to be questioned nor strayed from. I think a lot of people are turned off by organized religion due to all the red tape of dogma. The Jews will have their say. His relationship with them is different than His relationship with us. They have carried the Word for centuries. We did not. It is up to God who is saved, who does not end up in hell and who is not saved who lands themselves in hell. God does not send any of us to hell, we send ourselves by not accepting His help. He simply tells us what is going to happen to us if we choose to not accept His help. Oh there is not a more dogmatic church than the snake handlers. They accept no free thought whatsoever. The Catholics are liberal next to them.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2014 22:42:43 GMT -6
I let nothing come between my relationship with God. That includes atheists, agnostics, betty crocker Christians, politically correct Christians, or Christians who are humanist. Yes, they are wrong. Yes, we are right. Christ is the answer. Would I let them take my rock of salvation away with their tricky talk? NO. They are liars, the truth is not in them. There is no compromise. It is either Christ all the way or no Christ at all. There is no other answer. Christ is the answer. Nothing comes between me and my belief and relationship with Christ. I didn't say religion. I said Christ. Honestly it sounds to me like you have been listening to a lot of atheists. They love undermining Christ.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2014 23:05:09 GMT -6
I let nothing come between my relationship with God. That includes atheists, agnostics, betty crocker Christians, politically correct Christians, or Christians who are humanist. Yes, they are wrong. Yes, we are right. Christ is the answer. Would I let them take my rock of salvation away with their tricky talk? NO. They are liars, the truth is not in them. There is no compromise. It is either Christ all the way or no Christ at all. There is no other answer. Christ is the answer. Nothing comes between me and my belief and relationship with Christ. I didn't say religion. I said Christ. Honestly it sounds to me like you have been listening to a lot of atheists. They love undermining Christ. What is a 'humanist Christian'? Aren't we all 'humanists '? Wasn't Jesus the ultimate 'humanist' ? No, I haven't been listening to Atheists.. You would have to know me to know that I rarely am influenced by the opinions of others.Where did you get that idea? That's not to say that I don't listen to things different from my beliefs .I've been around a long time and I've had friends in every walk of life, every socioeconomic , every religion, every sort of human being you can imagine.. I have an inquisitive mind and I have questions. Can you answer my question about critical thinking and religion ? That's the question that is most prominent in my mind lately. I have never thought of other religions as 'liars' They have their basis for their religion same as we do ours. I would never disrespect another's religion. My original question was ' What is the difference between a 'spiritual' person and a 'religious' person. Sometimes, I think I'm more 'spiritual' than 'religious' . Religion, in specific cases ,has caused a lot of pain to innocent people. I don't know that God prefers one over another..because if He does, then he has a lot to choose from.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2014 23:11:32 GMT -6
No we are not all humanist. I believe God will fix what is broken, humanists believe people will. Now that is a joke. Where do I get that idea, you have quoted several times things I have heard atheists quote. Well that is interesting, Christ said they were liars. So is Christ a liar? Religion has not caused any pain to anyone. People have. And yes God does prefer one over the other. He prefers Christians.
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