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Originally posted by Rajk999Let me spell it out for you, perhaps you have missed me saying this( half a dozen times already).
That passage I quoted from Jude, is about judgment day. Sodom and Gomorrah had their judgment day. They were two evil cities becuase of their fornication and homosexuality and other sins which you claim does not hurt anyone else. So thats the link between S&G and the return of Christ.
It is clear that what God calls a sin is different from what you call a ...[text shortened]... do? You have your concept of God and Christians have theirs. Maybe the two are not compatible.
I dont want anyone to follow my religion. I would just like to put forward my views in a hope that it may spur some into thinking differently about some things.
"You have your concept of God and Christians have theirs."
You (and others) probably think this is some sort grand statement and that this statement shows that I am out of sync with christianity and religion in general. Maybe not, but either way I really dont think this statement means very much at all.
My will will be done as long as I'm alive. I will influence the world more than an imaginary "God" . Yes "He" is imaginary. There is no God that is separate form creation. There is no entity called "God" .
I believe we are introduced to "God" through simple , anthropomorphised depictions of a grey bearded man on a cloud who dishes out judgement and sees all, etc.
This is the simple ,childish version of God that is for children.
But ultimately this concept is incorrect. There is absolutely no way to conceptualize God except to say things like "He is infinite" , or "He created everything".
You want to stay with your childish version of God? That's fine with me. But you are wrong. Firstly,as statistics have pointed out (in another thread), the majority of the world does NOT agree with the christian concept of God. There is no being called "God" who presides over the world.
God is everything, in everything, permeating through everything . But more precisely God is the "force of animation" which breathes life into all living creatures and plants.
My beliefs are not in line with the teachings of the Christian God because no such being exists. There is truth to christianity (otherwise it would not have survived for so long), but it has been watered down and twisted into something else altogether so that it may serve the powers that be to keep controlling the world.
Some people fear an alien invasion. I suggest that people act/think as if the aliens have already invaded.
They HAVE invaded, ("invaded" being the right word here), and have proceeded to skip back and forth in time to alter our world to serve their purposes. Christianity is one of their greatest triumphs . They have successfully lied to the masses and tricked them into giving away their (God given) power. We have been left confused and bewildered. Only a few have retained their inherent integrity and until quite recently , those have had to stay in hiding for fear of persecution.
What do you think so far? Any of that strike a chord with you or are you still going to keep your head in the sand and keep repeating that awful mantra (Jesus is Lord, or whatever you guys say these days)? Cant you see how corrupt and morally bankrupt christianity is?
Many posters have pointed out many of the many flaws in christianity but you and your ilk seem to ignore these in favour of your scriptures, taking them as truth, keeping yourselves shakelled to this "world of becoming" via your own devices.
If you cant see that homosexuality doesn't hurt anyone the same as theft,murder,rape,etc. then you really do need some serious self inquiry,possibly even a shrink ,maybe.
BTW,I stopped my rave half way through, guessing that you've prolly had enough. If you do want me to extrapolate any of the points here a bit a further, feel free to ask, I would be only to happy to try to educate you to come into sync with the rest of the universe and the other intelligent, sane inhabitants that live their lives wholistically, without any separation between them and their so-called creator.
Originally posted by karoly aczelActually ,I may be wrong . A fictitious (imaginary) god may have more influence on the world than me. If this is the case then it is worse than I thought.
Let me spell it out for you, perhaps you have missed me saying this( half a dozen times already).
I dont want anyone to follow my religion. I would just like to put forward my views in a hope that it may spur some into thinking differently about some things.
"You have your concept of God and Christians have theirs."
You (and others) probably thin ...[text shortened]... ally, without any separation between them and their so-called creator.
Fancy , favoring the words of an imaginary god over the words of a truthful, thoughtful, insightful LIVING person such as myself ,(or many of the posters here).
The mind boggles 🙄
Originally posted by karoly aczelYou are a funny guy.
Actually ,I may be wrong . A fictitious (imaginary) god may have more influence on the world than me. If this is the case then it is worse than I thought.
Fancy , favoring the words of an imaginary god over the words of a truthful, thoughtful, insightful LIVING person such as myself ,(or many of the posters here).
The mind boggles 🙄
Our religious beliefs are poles part. Lets leave it that way.
Thanks for the advice .. but no thanks.
Originally posted by karoly aczelI agree that Christian message has often been watered down by the powerful to keep everyone in line.
Let me spell it out for you, perhaps you have missed me saying this( half a dozen times already).
I dont want anyone to follow my religion. I would just like to put forward my views in a hope that it may spur some into thinking differently about some things.
"You have your concept of God and Christians have theirs."
You (and others) probably thin ...[text shortened]... ally, without any separation between them and their so-called creator.
But the essence of declaring that "Jesus is Lord" is that it means that Caesar (or any other earthly power) is NOT Lord. Rather - there is always a "higher authority" -This was a major reason why the early Christians faced persecutions - unlike the other religions of the day, they would not bow down to Caesar and his claims of divinity.
And what does it mean for Jesus to be Lord? -- essentially, it means that things like peace, justice, and above all compassion are to be your highest values. If Caesar's rule is centered upon these things, then the Christian is to submit to Caesar. BUT if any "Caesar" is NOT making these his priority, it provides a basis for the Christian to challenge Caesar's rule.
This is very subversive stuff. And Caesar knew it.
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Originally posted by Conrau KWhy does the Bishop of Rome have a special hat and a special chair and a special city all to himself and a special title and all that?
*Actually I'm not too familiar with how the Roman Catholic Church became Roman. Constantine didn't officially make the Empire Roman until like 300 AD and he left Rome when he did. But the Bishop of Rome (St Peter himself was one of the first martyrs) wasn't the one throwing Christians to the lions, it was the Emporers who worshipped Jupiter and Mars an in their own right in communion with Rome. RJ does respect this point of ecclesiology.
The RCC is a heirarchical structure with the Pope on top. Isn't it?
Originally posted by AThousandYoungThe Jews are the chosen for sure. It is all the others that can only
Thermonuclear world war to wipe out those who are not chosen i.e. Jews and/or Protestants.
That's the scenario that gives me nightmares.
be chosen for salvation through their belief and trust in the Christ.
Originally posted by Rajk999What advice did I give you in that post? I missed it myself
You are a funny guy.
Our religious beliefs are poles part. Lets leave it that way.
Thanks for the advice .. but no thanks.
Our religoious beliefs may be poles apart but whether you want to admit it or not we ARE climbing the same "Mountain".
(After all, there is only one God)
Originally posted by RJHindsJust stop it will you. I dont think I have superior intelligence so stop putting words into my mouth. I may come off as sounding arrogant but that is the nature of the stuff that I post.
I agree, with his superior intelligence, he will be able to figure it out in about
one billion years.
Maybe you could see beyond that one of these times and get into the actual substance of my post(s). And that's a big "maybe"!
Originally posted by MelanerpesBut even "bowing down" suggests that there is a "higher" power (be it jesus or whoever) who we must look up to.
I agree that Christian message has often been watered down by the powerful to keep everyone in line.
But the essence of declaring that "Jesus is Lord" is that it means that Caesar (or any other earthly power) is NOT Lord. Rather - there is always a "higher authority" -This was a major reason why the early Christians faced persecutions - unlike the oth ...[text shortened]... stian to challenge Caesar's rule.
This is very subversive stuff. And Caesar knew it.
My contention is that no one is higher or lower than anyone else. Everyone is equal imo.
We should respect others, especially our family, good teachers and others who have shown us compassion and wisdom ,etc.
But we are not inferior to anything. We have the capacity ,as humans living on this planet at this time, to realize the true purpose we were put on this planet for.
The short answer to this is that we are on assignment to bring more light into this part of the universe.
We all have our part to play to unify this planet and to eradicate dualistic thinking form the human ken forever.
Originally posted by AThousandYoungI reckon the Vatican is a country all unto itself so that it can make up whatever laws necessary to keep foreigners out (to keep them on the tourist tracks)
Why does the Bishop of Rome have a special hat and a special chair and a special city all to himself and a special title and all that?
The RCC is a heirarchical structure with the Pope on top. Isn't it?
I think they've got something to hide and becoming it's own country gives them the best security
Originally posted by RJHindsBabylon is the whole world system that is against God. For the early Christians it was the code name for Rome no doubt.
In the thread on the Vatican, I was asked why is the Woman called Babylon.
I gave him a modern interpretation of what Babylon is believed to refer to.
That is, "Babylon in the Book of Revelation refers to the institution of
multinational corporations that are more powerful than any individual
secular government. The whore rides the beast and controls it ...[text shortened]... t will shed more
light on the identity of the woman and the Beast of Revelation 17 and 18.
Manny