Religion

Originally posted by josephw
No. It really isn't. And it's so simple.

Maybe that's why it goes over everyone's head.

Marketing.

Originally posted by josephw
No. It really isn't. And it's so simple.

Maybe that's why it goes over everyone's head.

It is, It doesn't go over everyone's head (at least on some degree), and it isn't supposed to be marketing, and lot of the time it isn't.

Originally posted by daniel58
No because God says it is.

And you speak for god?

Originally posted by TerrierJack
And you speak for god?

I already replied to that.

Originally posted by daniel58
No because God says it is.

What ? You specifically hear god say "christianity is a religon"?
Thats great , what else has god said and why cant I hear 'him'?

Originally posted by karoly aczel
What ? You specifically hear god say "christianity is a religon"?
Thats great , what else has god said and why cant I hear 'him'?

"Upon this Rock I shall build My Church", I don't know why you can't hear Him, maybe you should try to talk to Him sometime.

Originally posted by daniel58
"Upon this Rock I shall build My Church", I don't know why you can't hear Him, maybe you should try to talk to Him sometime.

I think you and I have different interpretations of what 'God' means.
To me God is the all,the everything. It has passive , femenine ,nurturing qualities that make the 'ground fertile' for growing beings that have the 'force of life'(hence God) within them. These other 'beings' are the ones that talk , not God.

(this is just a simplistic interpretation for the sake of answering a question. please dont jump down my throaght)

Originally posted by Conrau K
I am not sure you have answered my query. John 3 seems to suggest that rebirth by water is necessary for salvation. Many Christians would interpret this as a statement of the necessity of baptism - which is a ritual. Of course, no Christian denies the necessity of grace, nor does any Jew or Muslim probably.

Rebirth, or salvation, is a free gift given in response to faith.

Before the cross, faith was in the keeping of the law of which baptism is a part.

Today, faith is in what Christ did at the cross on our behalf and not in the keeping of the law.

Colossians 2:6
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:

We recieved Christ by faith. Ours is a walk of faith.

The whole of chapter 2 of Colossians will explain it in more detail.

Originally posted by josephw
Rebirth, or salvation, is a free gift given in response to faith.

Before the cross, faith was in the keeping of the law of which baptism is a part.

Today, faith is in what Christ did at the cross on our behalf and not in the keeping of the law.

Colossians 2:6
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:

We recieved C ...[text shortened]... urs is a walk of faith.

The whole of chapter 2 of Colossians will explain it in more detail.

I still do not think you have answered properly. John 3 seems to require a ritual, involving water, which is essential to salvation. Can you offer an alternative interpretation to this passage?

Originally posted by Conrau K
I still do not think you have answered properly. John 3 seems to require a ritual, involving water, which is essential to salvation. Can you offer an alternative interpretation to this passage?

It means what is says.

But it is in the context of the law.

Perhaps you didn't read Colossians 2.

Originally posted by josephw
It means what is says.

But it is in the context of the law.

Perhaps you didn't read Colossians 2.

Right, it means what it says. How erudite you are. I suppose other things also mean what they say. Perhaps everything means what it says. That hardly resolves the question pertaining to John 3. Could you possibly give a thoughtful exposition of John 3?

Originally posted by josephw
Alright then, here it is.

I guess it all depends on how one defines religion. But instead of getting bogged down in that, let's just let it speak for itself.

Take an honest look at the worlds religions. Without exception they all teach that in order to achieve the goal established by its' precepts, one must perform rites and rituals and ceremonies. The ...[text shortened]... e must rely on God for every breath, and any good that we do is accredited to Christ.

When I went to a church that preached that there was nothing we could do to aid our entry into heaven, I stopped going. Why not sleep late, read the paper, and eat donuts instead of going to church, sitting on the most uncomfortable furniture imaginable, sing songs that wouldn't even keep Jesus awake, and listen to someone drone on and on? It was many years before I bothered to find a different congregation with a different set of values -- a Christian denomination that believes that faith without works is dead. Or something like that.

Originally posted by josephw
Rebirth, or salvation, is a free gift given in response to faith.

Before the cross, faith was in the keeping of the law of which baptism is a part.

Today, faith is in what Christ did at the cross on our behalf and not in the keeping of the law.

Colossians 2:6
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:

We recieved C ...[text shortened]... urs is a walk of faith.

The whole of chapter 2 of Colossians will explain it in more detail.

But you still have to keep the law.