which is the correct religion to follow ???

Originally posted by FORESTNYMPH
all i believe is there is a God - Allah - Greater being or what ever some choose to call him - i have been to hell and back my friend like many others and from experience i now believe there is a God out there. I do not follow my family religion as they do - i have searched a long time and taken many paths and found what i have now - i judge no one - i ...[text shortened]... by the following " i dont look back - i dont look forward - i look within for here i find him"

I have no beef with theists like you, then.

I think that searching for alternative God implies also searching in other forms of viewing Him. Which may include not believing, as well.

If more people did the same and tried to search without being prejudiced by the society where they live, the world would be a much more tolerant place in terms of religion.

- i look within for here i find him"[/b]

I tend to disagree...you will not find God from within yourself...that alone is a false religion....

and I also disagree with this reply;



[text shortened]... free to speculate and make
decisions on your own without being coerced by outside speculators.

If searching within....how did you get "to hell and back" as you say?...If I were to follow my heart/conscience I would end up in jail.

No...God is found from a source outside of yourself, and thus the search...
I searched as well, studied many different religions, etc...none made a lot of sense. But I continued searching, unbeknowst to me at the time God knew I was searching for Him....and I found that He wasn't lost, I was...anyway He led me to the bible...and He sent the right people into my life...He even showed me by some exrtraordinary events that are personal. That is why I quoted those earlier verses to you. He rewards those who seek Him with their whole heart.
I won't say good luck, because if you are earnestly and sincerely seeking Him, that is to know Him you will not be disappointed.
Jer 9:23-24
23 Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man glory(boast) in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory(boast) in his might, nor let the rich man glory(boast) in his riches;
24 But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the LORD.
(NKJ)

Originally posted by checkbaiter
I tend to disagree...you will not find God from within yourself...that alone is a false religion...

There's no such thing as a "false" religion.

There's no such thing as a "correct" religion either.

Your previous advice was to tell a man to "seek out God with his whole heart" which is essentially an abstract and figurative statement with no real meaning. Why can't forestnymph do the same? 🙄

Originally posted by sonhouse
You already have a religion: your own. You should develop your
own thoughts on it, mull it out, then don't join ANY religion, keep it
to yourself, you don't need anyone telling you what is the true path
since only you know what is in your head. Everyone on the planet is
on exactly the same footing here, nobody is any closer to the truth
than you are, ...[text shortened]... free to speculate and make
decisions on your own without being coerced by outside speculators.

I agree with this statement greatly. However, if you are feeling a need for fellowship, there are places that you can seek it that are more accepting of variance in belief. For example, most Unitarian Universalist churches are filled with members who will accept that you may believe something entirely different than they, and yet will welcome you as one of their own.

Originally posted by darvlay
There's no such thing as a "false" religion.

There's no such thing as a "correct" religion either.

Your previous advice was to tell a man to "seek out God with his whole heart" which is essentially an abstract and figurative statement with no real meaning. Why can't forestnymph do the same? 🙄

To seek God with your whole heart means with all you have, all your energy, it does not mean looking within your own heart.🙂

Originally posted by checkbaiter
To seek God with your whole heart means with all you have, all your energy, it does not mean looking within your own heart.🙂

"With all you have" and "with all your energy" are simple hyperbolic euphemisms which mean absolutely nothing. Can you explain, in quantitative terms, how one "searches" with anything other than your human senses?

Originally posted by checkbaiter
To seek God with your whole heart means with all you have, all your energy, it does not mean looking within your own heart.🙂

***puts down his incredibly dull knife.

You stopped me just in time.

Originally posted by darvlay
With "all you have" and with "all your energy" are simple hyperbolic euphemisms which mean absolutely nothing. Can you explain, in quantitative terms, how one "searches" with anything other than your human senses?

Yes...emotion...you can search with a burning desire or with a so/so attitude.
Like a football player can run with the ball and do what he is supposed to do, or he can run with a burning desire to get to the endzone with the attitude that his life depends on it....
In the case of God...your life does depend on it.

Originally posted by checkbaiter
Yes...emotion...you can search with a burning desire or with a so/so attitude.
Like a football player can run with the ball and do what he is supposed to do, or he can run with a burning desire to get to the endzone with the attitude that his life depends on it....
In the case of God...your life does depend on it.

checkbaiter: "To seek God with your whole heart means with all you have, all your energy, it does not mean looking within your own heart."

Let's continue: how do you define "looking within your own heart", in literal terms using human senses/emotions?

Originally posted by darvlay
checkbaiter: "To seek God with your whole heart means with all you have, all your energy, it does not mean looking within your own heart."

Let's continue: how do you define "looking within your own heart", in literal terms using human senses/emotions?

Back to semantics, I see. "Within your heart" would mean that the outside influences are negative/useless/marginal. He means to say that without the Bible she wouldn't find God, so looking within one's heart isn't sufficient.

Is this semantics argument necessary, darvlay?

Originally posted by Palynka
Back to semantics, I see. "Within your heart" would mean that the outside influences are negative/useless/marginal. He means to say that without the Bible she wouldn't find God, so looking within one's heart isn't sufficient.

Is this semantics argument necessary, darvlay?

Thank you .🙂

Originally posted by Palynka
Back to semantics, I see. "Within your heart" would mean that the outside influences are negative/useless/marginal. He means to say that without the Bible she wouldn't find God, so looking within one's heart isn't sufficient.

Is this semantics argument necessary, darvlay?

Not necessary, I guess. I was just interested in hearing his/her interpretation which you've just provided, I suppose...

Originally posted by FORESTNYMPH
i would like to hear a debate on which religion is the correct one to follow. i myself am non-denomination and i believe in God.

The following document, the Encyclical "Veritatis Splendor", the "Splendour of Truth" by John Paul II, will surely help you in finding what you need:

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_06081993_veritatis-splendor_en.html

Originally posted by FORESTNYMPH
thank you - so far the best answer i have heard yet

Is that really 'the best answer FN?

I suppose it is if you are really only seeking to honor yourself, but a few posts back, you said you were seeking God. Doesn't that mean that you are trying to find that which is ultimately true? Or He who IS the epitomy of truth?

Well if you are seeking God, you must already know that you are not Him. I know I'm not, nor is anyone I ever met. All are flawed and contradict themselves sooner or later.

Sonhouse said this:
You already have a religion: your own. You should develop your
own thoughts on it, mull it out, then don't join ANY religion, keep it
to yourself, you don't need anyone telling you what is the true path
since only you know what is in your head. Everyone on the planet is
on exactly the same footing here, nobody is any closer to the truth
than you are, so follow your own ideas and stay away from any
organized religion, that way you will be free to speculate and make
decisions on your own without being coerced by outside speculators.


Is he saying here that you know the truth (that's why you don't need anyone telling you the true path)? Or that you have the power to make things true? Or that whatever you settle on after 'mulling it out' is then true? That's very childish thinking. Adults know they can't simply make something true, or that if they want something to be true, then it is. If scientists could do that they could stop mucking about in laboratories searching for the physical truths, and just make peanut butter the cure for all cancer by declaring it true!

I agree with checkbaitor that religion is a manmade organization whereby we try to work our way toward God. In that sense, we don't really need one, because God, without any religion, has reached out to man. Though the simple truth of Jesus coming to redeem us has been been forced into the form of a religion (christianity, small c), it is not the churchy aspects of the faith that really make the difference. It is the personal relationship you can have with the personal God who loves you that is life changing!

I attend chuch (a Christian church) for the same reason you might go to a parade; to join with others who also want to celebrate or commemorate something special. And I listen to a sermon for the same reason I listen to the speech given at a Memorial day service. I trust the preacher, based on past experience, to reliably interpret and expose the deeper meanings of the scripture that his study has allowed him to find.

Don't allow yourself to be 'coerced' by any outside 'speculators' as Sonhouse says, but neither fall for the idea that you can't find any trustworthy footsteps from all of history to follow and that you must make your own, brand new way.

Originally posted by sonhouse
You already have a religion: your own. You should develop your
own thoughts on it, mull it out, then don't join ANY religion, keep it
to yourself, you don't need anyone telling you what is the true path
since only you know what is in your head. Everyone on the planet is
on exactly the same footing here, nobody is any closer to the truth
than you are, ...[text shortened]... free to speculate and make
decisions on your own without being coerced by outside speculators.

If you break this down, sonhouse, you are implying that 'man' is essentially his own god. If we all had an innate ability to determine our own faith and religion, Christianity is definitely completely wrong, because Christians require Christ.