Who do people say I am?

@kellyjay said
I'm not putting you down in any place I don't think I'm also in. This isn't a problem with you that I also don't also share in! The only thing I'm talking about is the reality of what the mankind is going through while living life. Without a common standard then there is nothing by which to say this path is better than that one. Without knowing rules of a game, how do you kn ...[text shortened]... d if life is without such rules, how do you know your ways are better than the next guy or s/he you?

If your version of God is sovereign and all powerful, then why has he created a world where billions and billions of the people whom he loves so much, will need to be held eternally in a place purposely created by him in order to keep them alive and burning in agony?

@kellyjay said
I do believe there are objective rules to it, the top two being love God and each other. The rest works its way out as we do these, and both are required to get it right. Centering on Christ He being in total harmony with the Father, being one with Him to the point that He could say if you have seen me you have seen the Father, as a man He was perfection in human life, as th ...[text shortened]... mage, when He sees Himself in us, that would be the highest possible goal imaginable, in my opinion.

If I may expand upon your metaphor, I see multiple metals that can be made beautiful in their own way. Turquoise, diamonds, gold, and yes, silver, of course.

It would be a mistake, however, to expect to be able to modify turquoise into gold. It simply isn't that substance, and can never be, no matter how much you play with it.

@bigdoggproblem said
If I may expand upon your metaphor, I see multiple metals that can be made beautiful in their own way. Turquoise, diamonds, gold, and yes, silver, of course.

It would be a mistake, however, to expect to be able to modify turquoise into gold. It simply isn't that substance, and can never be, no matter how much you play with it.

Why would you attempt to modify turquoise into gold? Wouldn't it as everything else best be handled to bring out the best turquoise possible? If we settle for lives that only love what we crave or concern ourselves with just the common, are we not doing that to ourselves? Setting for less than God is all we do if we gain the whole world and lose our souls.

@kellyjay said
Why would you attempt to modify turquoise into gold?

BigDoggProblem: It would be a mistake to expect to be able to modify turquoise into gold.

KellyJay: Why would you attempt to modify turquoise into gold?

Why would you want to "modify" all the Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, animists, atheists, agnostics and whoever else into people that trot out the SAME religious ideology as you - at the supposed pain of being tortured - when they all already have the common standards and systems of values and norms that you are rather ignorantly bemoaning the absence of ~ and dismissing as "nothing" and "meaningless"?

I think the answer is: it's your narcissism in combination with your apparent inability or unwillingness to comprehend beliefs and cultures that are alien to you.

@kellyjay said
If we settle for lives that only love what we crave or concern ourselves with just the common, are we not doing that to ourselves? Setting for less than God is all we do if we gain the whole world and lose our souls.

This is more of your trademark misanthropy wrapped in sanctimoniousness.

@kellyjay said
Setting for less than God is all we do if we gain the whole world and lose our souls.

For example, there are 1,900,000,000 Muslims in the world and a very high proportion of them [compared to Christians, I reckon, you may disagree] are devout and govern their own lives ~ in terms of morals and good works etc. ~ by applying their religious beliefs. How are they "settling for less than God"?

@kellyjay said
Why would you attempt to modify turquoise into gold? Wouldn't it as everything else best be handled to bring out the best turquoise possible?

Why, indeed?

It would be like forcing a devout Hindu to become a Muslim. 🙂

@bigdoggproblem said
Why, indeed?

It would be like forcing a devout Hindu to become a Muslim. 🙂

Ask yourself a couple of questions concerning truth. Jesus claimed to the Way, Truth, and the life. If Jesus is who He claimed to be, the only way to God, then doesn't that make Him the only true way to God? If being a Hindu was the only truth, that would mean the Muslims and Christians are wrong if being a Muslim is the real truth than being a Hindu and Christian is wrong. Jesus makes it even more exclusive, If Jesus is who He said than many who claim they are Christians, plus the Muslims and Hindus are wrong. The reason being what we call ourselves wouldn't be significant compared to having Jesus Christ in our lives being right with God through Him because you can call yourself Christian and not have Jesus in your life. You know it doesn't have to be explained to you that truth is exclusive, what isn't true, isn't, what is, is.

@kellyjay saidYou know it doesn't have to be explained to you that truth is exclusive, what isn't true, isn't, what is, is.

Actually, you should explain it to me. This is the core issue of our discussion. I do not agree with you that there is one right Spiritual path for everyone.

@kellyjay said
You know it doesn't have to be explained to you that truth is exclusive, what isn't true, isn't, what is, is.

If your version of God is sovereign and all powerful, then why has he created a world where billions and billions of the people whom he loves so much, will need to be held eternally in a place purposely created by him in order to keep them alive and burning in agony?

@kellyjay said
If Jesus is who He claimed to be, the only way to God, then doesn't that make Him the only true way to God? If being a Hindu was the only truth, that would mean the Muslims and Christians are wrong if being a Muslim is the real truth than being a Hindu and Christian is wrong.

You're entitled to your personal opinion that the religions of Jews, Muslims and Hindus are wrong but this personal preference of yours doesn't render true anything you've been asserting regarding morality and common standards and values and norms and other people's spiritual paths.

@bigdoggproblem said
Actually, you should explain it to me. This is the core issue of our discussion. I do not agree with you that there is one right Spiritual path for everyone.

How can there be more than one all being true at the same time? Looking at the three largest monotheistic religions, one holds Jesus died and stayed dead, one holds Jesus didn't die only looked like He did, and one holds He died and rose from the dead. These can not all be true at the same time! If you add beliefs about multiple gods, all of them can not be right at the same time!

Add in the mix all other views. The only thing we do know is people have a variety of different beliefs or opinions. Since truth isn’t a popularity contest, we have to look at what fits the universe as is.

We all have opinions, but what fits reality?

@kellyjay said
We all have opinions, but what fits reality?

What fits "reality" is the observation that there is a range of religions around the world, across cultures and traditions, and down through history.

@kellyjay said
Since truth isn’t a popularity contest, we have to look at what fits the universe as is.

You saying that "truth isn’t a popularity contest" is not evidence for the veracity of whatever it is you believe.

@kellyjay said
Looking at the three largest monotheistic religions, one holds Jesus died and stayed dead, one holds Jesus didn't die only looked like He did, and one holds He died and rose from the dead. These can not all be true at the same time! If you add beliefs about multiple gods, all of them can not be right at the same time!

Thinking that you are right and others or wrong still doesn't make what you claimed earlier on this thread ~ about a lack of common moral standards and other's values and norms being "nothing" ~ true.