Offtopic... well... not offtopic... well... whatever. Back to the main topic: What's my religion?
Jedi :p
Catholic
OK, you may continue your discussion.
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Offtopic... well... not offtopic... well... whatever. Back to the main topic: What's my religion?
Jedi :p
Catholic
OK, you may continue your discussion.
[My_Opinion] Christianity has been hijacked by the ignorance of society. They worry about traditions and human laws and not love, peace, and loving God. The ceremonial cleanliness laws have past away, Jesus summed up the old testament law in three words: "Love thy neighbor".Quote:
Originally posted by Inuchance
I don't see why it's okay for discrimination of one group to be socially acceptable just because the dominant religion in that region says it's okay.
No group of people should ever be denied access to a religion for any reason. God says he loves everyone, not just straight causasian males. [/My_Opinion]
If it's any help, I don't discriminate against homosexual or bisexual people. :)
Inuchance, I have nothing against homosexuals, as I've said before, I don't believe they're doing the right thing though (Ugh, horrible way to phrase it but you understand I hope).
I still don't think you should call it marriage though, marriage is defined and accepted by practically everyone as a man and a woman bondin in holy matrimony.
Yes, sadly divorces have and are still increasing. The reason for that, I believe, is because so many people rush into a marriage way before they ever truely know the person. Love takes time. If you're going to marry someone, make sure that you both know each others enitre list of pros and cons. You shouldn't keep secrets frome ach other, otherwise their is no trust, and without trust their is no love, and without love, their is no marriage.
:hugs: Inuchance. I hope that nothing I or anyone else said has offended you, I'm sure that no one on here has meant to, I know I haven't if I have. We all have different beliefs and views of things. It's interesting to talk about them to each other, but we must remember to not become judgemental or accusing, that goes for all of us :cheese:
*sings 'Come on people Now.." * :cheese: ;)
I dunno if it's been said but the "non-Religion/Atheist" has to go...
I don't assosciate myself with any of the listed reliegions, but I'm NOT an atheist either.
I'm more of a pagan/wiccan/new age type. I've basically made my own religion by mixing a few up, like a couple beliefs from Hindu, Buddhism, Shintoism, you know? So I'm in practically none of the categories.
On that note, I'm also hoping this thread doesn't start an all out flame war. Usually religion based threads cause stuff like that with opposing opions and stuff.
That's just my 2 cents though.
Do you have an actual religion TZ or do you just accept certain ideals and pricipals from all of those?
And what do you mean by Atheist has to go? Do you mean that you don't want Athiests here or...?
Personally I think their should be an 'Other' option up there for people that are other religions besides the major ones. And not all the major ones are up there even, like Hinduism.
Hey--
Just some questions about Christianity.
I'm confused here--how is it that Christians can follow the Bible if it's always changing? I mean, c'mon no offense, but isn't that how a lot of young Christian people get confused? My sister has a friend whose grandfather was a Christian minister, and despite that, or maybe IN SPITE of that, she's really perplexed about this religion. In fact, according to my sister, the girl doesn't even like being Christian because its so puzzling.
And another thing, if Jesus is the son of God, who is his father? Is he supposed to be like the supreme god or something? And is the Virgin Mary another god, or what? And who's the holy ghost? Is that another god???? I'd just like somone here who's Christian to answer my questions. Please do not take this as an insult because I am in no way trying to insult anybody. I'm just VERY curious. Thank you!
I'm not a Christian, but...Quote:
Originally posted by la_reina
And another thing, if Jesus is the son of God, who is his father? Is he supposed to be like the supreme god or something? And is the Virgin Mary another god, or what? And who's the holy ghost? Is that another god???? I'd just like somone here who's Christian to answer my questions. Please do not take this as an insult because I am in no way trying to insult anybody. I'm just VERY curious. Thank you!
God was Jesus' father, so to speak. The Virgin Mary was not a god of any sort, just a normal human woman. She was a "vessel" of sorts to carry Jesus.
A big part of Christianity is the Holy Trinity. This is the concept of one god being viewed in three ways:
The Father (God)
The Son (Jesus; God in human form)
The Holy Ghost/Spirit
The Holy Ghost is the spirit of God which is everywhere at any given time. It sees and knows all, it's in everyone.
It's important to remember that the Holy Trinity is not three seperate gods, but one God.
Mm, did that answer your question?
Quote:
Originally posted by la_reina
Hey--
Just some questions about Christianity.
I'm confused here--how is it that Christians can follow the Bible if it's always changing? I mean, c'mon no offense, but isn't that how a lot of young Christian people get confused? My sister has a friend whose grandfather was a Christian minister, and despite that, or maybe IN SPITE of that, she's really perplexed about this religion. In fact, according to my sister, the girl doesn't even like being Christian because its so puzzling.
And another thing, if Jesus is the son of God, who is his father? Is he supposed to be like the supreme god or something? And is the Virgin Mary another god, or what? And who's the holy ghost? Is that another god???? I'd just like somone here who's Christian to answer my questions. Please do not take this as an insult because I am in no way trying to insult anybody. I'm just VERY curious. Thank you!
About the Bible changing, the Bible itself does not change but how we interpret it does. A thousand years ago, women were the property of men. As time went on, there was a change in interpretation and now women are viewed as equal to men (as they rightfully should be). One hundred fifty years ago everyone thought seven twenty-four hour day creation was the only possibility that God used to create the Earth and life. Now some Christians are theological evolutionists, as is one official stance of the Roman Catholic church as issued by the Pope himself, and believe that God may have used evolution as a medium to create different forms of animals and possibly man. One hundred years ago the Bible was interpretted as saying that interracial marriage was wrong and slavery was condoned by God. Needless to say, that viewpoint has changed too. Now, homosexual, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people are seen as automatically damned to Hell, but even now that interpretation is starting to change.
Sometimes interpretation is based on science, sometimes on historical knowledge, sometimes on moral issues or culture, and sometimes just on what a person believes. Like I said before, there are many interpretations of the Bible and sadly many times it's used solely as a weapon. It isn't a matter of the little details like evolution, interracial marriage, women's rights, or person's sexuality, but that a person loves Christ and follows him to best of their ability. The main themes of the New Testament are love, purity, and following Christ. What you consider these themes to mean are between you and God, but in the end I think things will work out.
As for Jesus being the Son of God, "Son" isn't used to describe a paternal relationship between God and Jesus. Jesus and God are one, Christianity is not considered to be polytheistic. A word never used in the Bible is used now to describe God is trinity. Now, I'm not sure how to explain it, I'm only going on the best of my knowledge, but basically the trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) are three forms or faces of God. The Father is God in the creator sense, Jesus is God in the Salvation sense, and Holy Spirit is God in the guidance sense. Jesus said himself that Him and God are one, the same thing. Some people get confused when they see a few places in the Bible where Jesus prays to God or says He is a servant of God. This is generally accepted as not beng a contradiction but Jesus showing his disciples, and mankind, how to act (Hence the interpretation issue again)
*edit* Darn you Neph, you beat me to it again. :grrr: :p :D
I don't have an actual religion although I 'classify' myself as Pagan/Wiccan.
And as for the Athiesm has to go, I was meaning that the option should just be 'Other'.
I have nothing against other religions. In fact, sometimes I'll listen to what other have to say about their reliegion as long as they're not like 'join our religion now or burn in hell!' type of thing. I try to keep an open mind to others and their beliefs (that's how I adopted some of the beliefs).
Well, once gays can actually get civil unions, we can begin worrying about semantics.Quote:
Originally posted by Ravoc
I still don't think you should call it marriage though, marriage is defined and accepted by practically everyone as a man and a woman bondin in holy matrimony.
Yeah, I went with atheist (disbelieve in God), even though I'm really more agnostic (don't hold any firm beliefs in any direction).Quote:
Originally posted by Thandi Zakiya
I dunno if it's been said but the "non-Religion/Atheist" has to go...
I don't assosciate myself with any of the listed reliegions, but I'm NOT an atheist either.
Okay, thanks Neph. Your reply partly answered my questions. I mean, I just think that if there's one god in Christianity, then he shouldn't be divided into three, I mean, that must be why a lot of people are confused. In Islam, there's one God and one God only. That's it. No questions about it. He has no son, no partners. We Muslims believe He created everything Himself, with no help from ANYONE. I'm not trying to make it sound like I'm insulting everyone here who's not Muslim.
Oh, and was that you who asked, ''Doesn't God hate sins but not sinners?'' I agree. In Islam, God punishes those who sin intentionally and not repent for it. But if someone does commit a sin, and pray to God for mercy, then God will forgive that person. We Muslims also believe in Paradise, Hell, and The Last Day.
Well I guess to someone who's not Christian it could be quite confusing. And to truely explain the concept would take a lot of writing.
The Holy Tridium has gotta be one of the most confusing and abstract ideas in that sect of religions, when I have more time I'll try to explain it, but I can't think of how to put it at the moment.
I'm a Roman Catholic, but I'll leave you with this quote by Homer Simpson when he was asked about his religion.
"Religion huh? What's that one again with all the pointless rules? Oh yeah! Chrisitanity."
I think it would be a little easier to understand the Holy Trinity if you can relate it to something....like yourself. You are divided into three basic parts...mind, body, and spirit. ANd the Holy Trinity consists of three parts...The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost....but like you are one being, The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost is also one being.Quote:
Originally posted by la_reina
Okay, thanks Neph. Your reply partly answered my questions. I mean, I just think that if there's one god in Christianity, then he shouldn't be divided into three, I mean, that must be why a lot of people are confused. In Islam, there's one God and one God only. That's it. No questions about it. He has no son, no partners. We Muslims believe He created everything Himself, with no help from ANYONE. I'm not trying to make it sound like I'm insulting everyone here who's not Muslim.
I also don't agree with the concept of Christianity because the concept of hell is really flawed.
Wow, there's some really interesting conversation going on here and I'd love to read it all and comment on it but right now I really cna't be bothered :p I will be back to post something worth reading another day because I know that those of you who've actually bothered to read this would agree that it wasn't worth reading! :D :cheese:
Actually, I do have a question. What is Roman Catholic? I mean, yeah it's a religion but err... could someone explain it a bit because there seems to be quite a few Roman Catholics, well catholics anyway... is there a big difference between catholic and roman catholic?
Roman Catholic is just like regular Catholic, but with more togas. :D :cheese:Quote:
Originally posted by Azerane
Actually, I do have a question. What is Roman Catholic? I mean, yeah it's a religion but err... could someone explain it a bit because there seems to be quite a few Roman Catholics, well catholics anyway... is there a big difference between catholic and roman catholic?
Okay, maybe you're better off waiting until someone more knowledgeable on that topic wakes up. :lol:
:lol: ok, although your description was very amusing! :p :DQuote:
Originally posted by Inuchance
Roman Catholic is just like regular Catholic, but with more togas. :D :cheese:
Okay, maybe you're better off waiting until someone more knowledgeable on that topic wakes up. :lol:
I think it depends on who?s talking about what..Quote:
Originally posted by Azerane
Actually, I do have a question. What is Roman Catholic? I mean, yeah it's a religion but err... could someone explain it a bit because there seems to be quite a few Roman Catholics, well catholics anyway... is there a big difference between catholic and roman catholic?
The word "catholic" (note the use of lower-case in the spelling) means "found everywhere" and/or "universal" . In the early days, it was used as synonym for "Christian" and also used to say that the church was open to anyone anywhere who wished to join.
After the Great Schism, the term "Catholic" (written with a capitol "C"), came to usually refer to the Roman Catholic faith....many Roman Catholics will refer to themselves as just being "Catholic" in this sense.
However, other churches refer to themselves as being "catholic" in the word's original sense...among them being the Coptic, Greek, Russian, Anglican, the Episcopal church, and some others that I'm too lazy to look up.
If anyone else knows more about this, please feel free to expand upon it. My knowledge has become somewhat dulled over the years.
:ayecapn:
Hmm.. how is the concept of Hell flawed, Xinithian? Expand on that for us perhaps?
Inuchance, i do not have anything against homo., or bisexuals, I do not
agree with what they do, but neither am I judging anyone! My
point was I believe in the Bible 100%, but there is more to the Bible then
you have said!
Quote:
Originally posted by Inuchance
Remember that God himself did not come down from Heaven and write the Bible. The Book is still human-interpretation of His word, and it shows. [/B]
No, God did not come down to write the Bible, but he is the authorQuote:
Originally posted by Inuchance
Anyway, the Bible is not exactly the word of God...
of it.In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 it says,"ALL scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect,throughly furnished unto all good works."
The word "inspiration" in this verse is translated from a compound Greek word
which means "God-breathed." God breathed out His words over a period of of about
1,500 years to approximately forty specially chosen and prepared men of God who
wrote them down to give us our Scriptures, THE WORD OF GOD!!!!
The Bible was God-breathed, meaning it was His exact words!
No, I do not believe in the actions of homo., or bisexuals, because there
is no where in scripture that you see anything that condones that! The Bible
specifically states that God made woman for man, no where does it say he made
man for man or woman for woman,and it actually says something completely opposite
of that! Once again, so you don't get upset, I am not forcing you to believe
in my religion or anything, just telling you what the Bible says about it!
It says in Lev. 18:22 "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind:
it is abomination! If you do not know the definition of abomination...here it is!
Abomination 1)a disgusting thing, abomination, abominable
1a)in ritual sense (of unclean food, idols, mixed marriages)
1b) in ethical sense (of wickedness etc.)
Then, in Lev. 20:13 it says, "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with
a woman, both of them have commited an abomination: they shall surely be put
to death; there blood shall be upon them." In Romans 1:18 it says, "For the wrath
of God is revealed form heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men...
for even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature."
(This refers to lesbianism)
Rom.1:26,27,32 "Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burning in
their lust for one another, men with men commiting what is shameful
(refering to homosexuality)that those who practice these things are worthy of
death(Hell), and not only those who do the same but also (those) who approve of those
who practice them!"
In answer to what Nephilim has been saying,
First of all, a sin is a sin, there is no difference between a sin, and a real sin, they are all the same...James 2:10 says..."For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in ONE point, he is guilty of ALL!!!!" This mean that all sin is equally wrong, a little sin is just as bad as a big one in God's eyes, because God hates sin!Quote:
Originally posted by Nephilim
Romans 1:19-32 equally refers to homosexuality as 'unclean' *not* as a sin. Paul's gist in this passage is that Gentile Idolatry lead to ritual uncleanness *and* it lead to real sin (such as envy, murder, strife, deceit etc). Paul then goes on to attack the notion that anything is unclean, and to maintain that it is only real sin which matters. In saying this, he actually places homosexuality in the category of 'things which are OK for Christians
Anyway, back on the subject, Paul never said it was OK, for christians to
be homosexual or bi, that was not at all the interpretation of his writings!
The Bible is not ambigious in its message concerning homosexuality.
Homosexuality isQuote:
Originally posted by lion_roog
It's been proven that most people are gay for a reason that has to do with their genetics.
not new. God never calls for captal punishment, or calls anything "profane" or an
"abomination" if it is simply "genetic."(In answer to what roog said!)
When we study the passages concerning Sodom and Gomorrah, it appears homosexuality,
or sodomy, is symptomatic of a people who have willfully rejected and defiantly mock
God's laws in order to do "that which is right in their own eyes." Sodom and Gomorrah
were given as warnings...
The issue on the government, and the freedom of choice(or separation of church and state)... God created the earth so He isQuote:
Originally posted by Inuchance
(whatever happened to separation of church and state, by the way?)
in control of the government, because he was the one who put it there!!! So, God's Law
is going to be over the government's law which is a given. So if it is, then what God has to
say in His scriptures is more important than anything the government can say about anything!
So logically thinking that means, the Bible is the Law because God is law, and the Bible is
His exact words! So, think about it, what man put into the constitution was what man wanted
in there to fit his life, but God's word is more important and it goes against homosexuality
or bisexuality in a sense that it is a sin, or an "abomination."