What is the point of Christianity?

Originally posted by windword
reply to post by NOTurTypical

 

Nope, I'm sorry, but you have insulted my inner Holy Spirit by continually referring me as a male. You cannot be forgiven for a super grievous crime! /sarcasm off

Please have faith in your own god, that I used to pray to, that he hasn't forgotten me, if he be the true god.

All I can really say anymore, ma'am (apologies for referring to you as a "brother" earlier :lol, is this.. God will never forget you, nor forsake you. I believe God is allowing you to tread down this path for a reason, more than likely so that you grow. Forget all ritualistic and legalistic actions taken by the Church, any Church. Seek the Kingdom of God - which is within you. If you believe in God, which is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, than the Kingdom will live within you. Believe and you will never die.

I am just curious - rather I'd propose this question, because I want to make no assumptions - but have you considered that you walked away from God, and have forgotten Him? Do your own learning, pray to God, who is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, for guidance - and you will find the answers.

Remember.. We don't choose Him, but He has chosen us from the very beginning. If He has chosen us, then what we do is allowed by God, to help us grow - because He knows what we will do, and what we will believe.

Ephesians 1:4-8 -

For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will--to the praise of his glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One he loves. In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.

Originally posted by windword

Originally posted by NOTurTypical

Originally posted by EfficientP
reply to post by IgnorantSpecies

 

No, it is not true that he washes you clean and that's it. If you continue to sin then you have stains on your record anew and all those stains of sins would not allow you entrance into Heaven. You have to stop sinning and prove yourself a child of God by following his ways and not partaking in what he considers evil. Many people are being misled by those religious tracts that are passed out that don't further expound that you have to live holy and not partake in sin no more to be worthy to enter Heaven. But there is more that is considered sin in the eyes of God than what people think.

"My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:" 1 John 2:1

So, Jesus is an advocate, not god. He's an ambassador, a diplomat for the people, a defense attorney, even a high priest, but not god.

Look at it this way, the Father is the judge, His Holy Son is our defense attorney. The accuser is the prosecution. Every time he accuses us of sin, God's Only beloved Son steps in the way and the Father says, "What sin devil, I only see my only begotten Son, what sin do you speak of?"

The fix is already in.

reply to post by IgnorantSpecies


GOD is our heart

Originally posted by Iason321
reply to post by novastrike81

 

Yes but this websites motto is to deny ignorance.

Agreed.

We are supposed to dig deep into things, and find out the truths of our reality.

Agreed.

Somebody who reads through the Holy Bible in 3 minutes and then decides its a load of BS and comes on here deciding to bash the most important text ever written in history - to me, that is the epitome of ignorance, and we must try and stomp it out, with knowledge, wisdom and Love.

I've read through it for a few years and decided it's a load of BS. I don't find it the most important text ever written; that's your personal opinion. But we do need to stomp it out, even if it comes from the Christian side which often doesn't happen.

I don't have all the answers, but I know enough about the Bible to correct the "non-believers" when they strawman the Bible; and the same goes for Christians who quote mine and proclaim truths from scripture that has absolutely nothing to do with what they are quoting. I'm sure you feel the same way.

We all know the Bible is a man made book inspired by God, well supposed to be anyway. Religion is a man made institution to get money from the poor and to give the church power over all. I believe in something greater than us is watching over us. I do believe in God but not the crazy power hungry jealous God of the Bible, Hell is a state of mind and does not exist. We are allowed to have our own beliefs and thoughts, thats why we have free choice, but to say if we dont follows what the bible says we go to hell has taken our free choice away. After all how can it be free if the creator condems us for eternity by us using our free will?

Originally posted by Akragon
reply to post by NOTurTypical

 

I would say 2 people superimposed if anything... where do you get three?

Well 2 isn't one friend, you've only got 1/3 more to go!

Originally posted by BazRaza7
We all know the Bible is a man made book inspired by God, well supposed to be anyway. Religion is a man made institution to get money from the poor and to give the church power over all. I believe in something greater than us is watching over us. I do believe in God but not the crazy power hungry jealous God of the Bible, Hell is a state of mind and does not exist. We are allowed to have our own beliefs and thoughts, thats why we have free choice, but to say if we dont follows what the bible says we go to hell has taken our free choice away. After all how can it be free if the creator condems us for eternity by us using our free will?

Religion isn't the Living Savior, His name was Jesus not Pharisee. Why do people focus on the false teachers and the wolves posing as sheep? Christ and all the NT authors sternly warned numerous times to beware of them and everyone acts surprised when they show up.

Satan loves to corrupt and make people fall, then parades them to the world as what Christianity really is, and Jesus said "you will know them by their FRUIT!"

reply to post by NOTurTypical


I believe that this man is speaking in "angelic tongues."

reply to post by NOTurTypical

He was a Roman citizen being born is Tarsus and spoke Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and Latin. He reluctantly accepted but often bemoans that he couldn't teach the Jews whom he had a grieving heart for.

My files indicate that he was an ambitious zealot...and systematically went around finding people to preach his version of the Gospels. So much so that he had to write all those letters...to keep the men and women (who were mostly weatlhy sponsors of his, and so could provide housing and food for the new flock members)....from going off-course and taking their own poetic license. (which is all the different denominations do...use poetic license to piece together a different combination

...like at Waffle House, they have over 350,000 different possible combinations of a handful of ingredients they can put together....

Paul wanted strict control, and for his executives to follow his orders. Since he couldn't be everywhere at once, and was determined to retain CONTROL over what those franchises were teaching and saying and doing. So he sent memos out. While on his way to Rome....
and thus we have the beginnings of modern corporate hypocrisy and greed.....

True story:

My last boss: "Corporate says we have to do it this way, whether we like it or not."

Me: "But it's wrong, and if that woman suffers a miscarriage because you won't give her lighter duty, it will be on your head. I suggest you see to her well-being."

She" "It doesn't matter whether it's right or wrong. If you want to work here, you have to support management. Do you have any idea how many things I've made people do when I didn't want to? You don't have to want to, you just have to DO IT."

That was in August 2008.

I got written up for not supporting management and for "showing my feelings" while interpreting this HR decision to the woman in question (English/Spanish).

A couple of weeks later when they refused to let me -- that woman's supervisor -- have New Year's Eve off so I could go take care of my frail elderly father while my mom took a much-needed respite from being his in-home, full-time care provider....

Me: "I resign."

It's not that hard, folks. Try it!! You can always go back...oh, wait, unless your Catholic...and get excommunicated.

reply to post by lonewolf19792000

If you're going to go down that path then, who are you to say that the bible was even written by men inspired by God? Why not just written by religious people to control the masses as the secular people say?

If you throw out even one bit of it, you have to throw it all out. Paul doesn't tell you how to interpret Christ's teachings, he tells you how to act and be responsible in your new faith, Paul was the gentile's guide. If he was teaching outside of Christ's will, he would never have recieved Christ's Holy Spirit in him, never would have worked his miracles nor raised the dead, nor had the courage to get beheaded by the Romans.

Your problem is you reject authority because you think you know better than a man who was much closer to the truth back then, than we are now and you're 2000 years removed.

lonewolf,
I find it interesting that you present all of these "alternatives" and then say "you might as well chuck it all out", because that is exactly correct....yet you refuse to do so.

It was "just written by religious people to control the masses as the secular people say"

sigh. You are so close...and actually make sense in a lot of ways, because you don't refute the arguments.

I don't reject what CHRIST said, not one iota. I reject the MISTRANSLATIONS and TWISTING of his words by others, who, after he had been crucified (we'll just leave the matter at that, because that's all we really know...that he was put to the cross) and left the area, decided how best to "word" things, and how best to "mold" things into a way to control people.....
they may have had the best of intentions, but that does not erase the fact that they were human students, trying to teach what their master had taught, and were found wanting.

When, much, much later, actual Gospels of the contemporaries (Thomas ring a bell?) were found, and those writing revealed the actual closest to the words of Christ...those more genuine, first-person journals were not included into the texts being used....

no nono, they were destroyed (all, thank heaven, save a very few that were hidden away to save them from destruction), and totally ignored.....rather than
ADDED to the collection.

Why does religion get a free pass, when science is expected to incorporate new findings, even when they are secondary to whatever was being looked at

(for example, recently it was accidentally discovered that beta blockers, which are used to control blood pressure -- a symptom of stress -- actually rebuild traumatic memories with a protein, so that each time those memories are recalled, the beta blocker reduces the "heightened emotion" (stress) that often accompanies the memory of traumatic experiences; thereby lowering blood pressure DUE TO having reduced the stress, not the other way around.....for more info, see wired.com )

If science had refused to acknowledge that the earth actually IS round, and that it revolves around the SUN, and not the other way round....where would we be now???
Right, back in the dark ages.
sigh.
Just so, modern organized Christian religion remains in the dark ages. What honor is there in perpetuating myth?

I think perhaps I'll go back to worshiping Zeus and Diana. You can't make me not. They and their families and demi-gods were way more 'believable' and easy to explain....

especially for the not-that-sharp and illiterate, uneducated masses.

Anyway, it is "Good Friday" (horrible Friday, imo)...
so, out of respect for the man Jesus, whose words remain with us in some form or another to this day,
perhaps we should all take a moment to remember the horrors of what was done to him....

by the Romans, at the insistence of the Jews.


Barbarians.

Originally posted by windword
reply to post by NOTurTypical

 

Well, I'm an old lady, and my salvation came about when I left and denied the church.

I hear all that, Lady! I am an old man, and found the same salvation myself when I cast off the chains of religious dogma, and walked out of their temple of greed, and brainwashing.

Originally posted by NOTurTypical

Originally posted by Akragon
reply to post by NOTurTypical

 

I would say 2 people superimposed if anything... where do you get three?

Well 2 isn't one friend, you've only got 1/3 more to go!

That explains nothing...

Where are you getting three?

Body and spirit is two combined into one.... where is this third person you speak of?

It seems to me you're adding something that isn't there... so i'd say you have 1/3 more to go, not i

Originally posted by Akragon

Originally posted by NOTurTypical

Originally posted by Akragon
reply to post by NOTurTypical

 

I would say 2 people superimposed if anything... where do you get three?

Well 2 isn't one friend, you've only got 1/3 more to go!

That explains nothing...

Where are you getting three?

Body and spirit is two combined into one.... where is this third person you speak of?

It seems to me you're adding something that isn't there... so i'd say you have 1/3 more to go, not i

Sorry, I thought your comment was in response to mine about the baptism of Jesus Christ as recorded in the gospel accounts.

Body = Physical part that dies, made up of the elements of the soil, dust if you will and water.
Spirit = Looks exactly like the physical body, but is a spiritual one, your essence, the breath of life given to us when we were formed in our mother's body.
Soul = Your mind will and emotions. Your "heart" in other words and memories. People have cognitive thought and memories when they die so they do not reside in the brain that turns back to dust.

I'm not 3 people, I'm 1 person friend. You are too, we all are, we were created in the image and likeness of God.

Ravi's answer to the question of the Trinity since you hate Chuckster like he was the unholy lovechild of Hitler and Stalin. (even though his is the best I have heard to date):

Originally posted by autowrench

Originally posted by windword
reply to post by NOTurTypical

 

Well, I'm an old lady, and my salvation came about when I left and denied the church.

I hear all that, Lady! I am an old man, and found the same salvation myself when I cast off the chains of religious dogma, and walked out of their temple of greed, and brainwashing.

Good for you, I applaud that. I did the same thing about a decade ago. Amen, you're halfway there to the truth about the person and work of Jesus Christ our Living Savior.

Originally posted by wildtimes
Anyway, it is "Good Friday" (horrible Friday, imo)...
so, out of respect for the man Jesus, whose words remain with us in some form or another to this day,
perhaps we should all take a moment to remember the horrors of what was done to him....

by the Romans, at the insistence of the Jews.

Barbarians.

Don't morn, it's a celebration!!!!!!

reply to post by NOTurTypical

I'm not 3 people, I'm 1 person friend. You are too, we all are, we were created in the image and likeness of God.

Ravi's answer to the question of the Trinity since you hate Chuckster like he was the unholy lovechild of Hitler and Stalin. (even though his is the best I have heard to date):

Im of the impression that we are 2 in one... Body and spirit... the soul and the spirit are the same thing...

And i don't "hate" chucky... lol I don't hate anyone... i just don't agree with what he teaches... and unfortunatly im not a fan of math so he has me at a disadvantage...

Im really not interested in Ravi either honestly.... whoever he is

I also have issues with the idea that we were created in the image of God... God is everything... the all, not an entity man could comprehend... I believe that is a fabrication based on mans ego...

reply to post by wildtimes

My files indicate that he was an ambitious zealot..

he sure was, and you can hold any opinion of him you want to, you're entitled to that. But don't forget the Jesus he followed, loved and taught us about because you find Paul unworthy for your honor. He was beheaded for Jesus and his testimony of Him.

Originally posted by IgnorantSpecies
What is the point of Christianity if I can do anything I want, break any of gods rules, not even follow the bible and all I have to do in return is apologize for my sins.

Essentially I could kill every single person on the planet and get into heaven by just saying sorry?

I mean doesnt that defeat the purpose.

It is clear to see this is a problem by the fact that all followers of the bible don't actually follow it like the bible asks, break its rules on a daily basis and yet claim they are true followers?

Why is it that you don't have to follow the bible to follow the bible?

edit on 4-4-2012 by IgnorantSpecies because: (no reason given)

Friend, that is NOT the point of christianity. You think that getting into heaven consists of doing whatever you want? You are mistaken. A person cannot go around killing everybody for no reason and enter heaven in my opinion. One because they will have to face up to what they do, another because they DO NOT have a reason for doing it but to make other people suffer.

Originally posted by Akragon
reply to post by NOTurTypical

Im of the impression that we are 2 in one... Body and spirit... the soul and the spirit are the same thing...

No, because the separation of the spirit and soul is the "2nd death". And animals are given the "breath of life", but do not have a spirit.

And i don't "hate" chucky... lol I don't hate anyone...

That was sorta a joke, I mean you hate what he says and refuse to listen to anything that comes from his lips. I don't think you literally hate anyone.

i just don't agree with what he teaches...

You don't listen to what he teaches, I can't put 2 and 2 together on that one bro.

and unfortunatly im not a fan of math so he has me at a disadvantage...

He's a great teacher, and a great teacher will give you passion for something you never had before. Think of your favorite teacher from school. Or think of Jesus, the ultimate teacher.

Im really not interested in Ravi either honestly.... whoever he is

A world renouned Christian apologist. I think the haze is clearing, you don't like any Christian apologist and reject them outright before hearing anything they have to say. (Proverbs 18:13)

Why do you entertain what I have to say then as a Christian apologist? Just to disagree since I think it's apparent it's not to learn anything from me as an weak amateur one myself.

I also have issues with the idea that we were created in the image of God...

You don't like the idea of the God of the Bible, and won't listen to anyone tell you that you have Him all wrong. If someone only told me the times your dad punished you as a child and gave me erroneous reasons for why He did so and never told me of all the good he did as well I'd think he was a royal douche too.

You're basing your decision on cherry-picked info and straw man arguments for Him. That makes me sad, you don't know my Father in heaven, not at all. And you refuse to let people who are very astute tell you about Him better than anyone here could ever hope to.

God is everything...

Pantheism, doctrine of demons. But why do you love the Gnostic texts then? They rejected everything material as evil. And everything metaphysical as good.

not an entity man could comprehend...

You're right, if He was small enough for our 3 lb brains to fully understand He wouldn't nearly be big enough for our need. But on the other hand, don't you think if He has the technology to create us from dirt that He also has the technology to reveal Himself in a message system to us??

Seems like a simple task to me in comparison to His other works of creation.

I believe that is a fabrication based on mans ego...

Absurd. Man loves pleasure so why would he invent a thing that holds a club over our heads unless we deny things we find initially fun to do? That's silly IMO.