Rich and Successful --> SINS?

neologist wrote:

J_B wrote:
You can if you're in a liberal Christian faith, neo.

werthn, the more I read your questions the more I think you might be more comfortable with the Methodists or other liberal Christian denomination. No one group has absolute TRUTH, you should feel good about the faith tenets of the group you affiliate with. It sounds like you're getting hooked into a group you don't really relate to very well.
One should not judge truth by comfort level.

But the point I was trying to make was not really a point at all. It really isn't an either/or proposition where you have to give up all your possessions in order to have faith. But you do have to put your wealth into proper perspective. I mean, doesn't your family come before money?

Did I say truth should be judged by comfort level? I don't think so...

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J_B wrote:

neologist wrote:
J_B wrote:
You can if you're in a liberal Christian faith, neo.

werthn, the more I read your questions the more I think you might be more comfortable with the Methodists or other liberal Christian denomination. No one group has absolute TRUTH, you should feel good about the faith tenets of the group you affiliate with. It sounds like you're getting hooked into a group you don't really relate to very well.
One should not judge truth by comfort level.

But the point I was trying to make was not really a point at all. It really isn't an either/or proposition where you have to give up all your possessions in order to have faith. But you do have to put your wealth into proper perspective. I mean, doesn't your family come before money?
Did I say truth should be judged by comfort level? I don't think so...

Allow me to highlight the word which caused me to think that.

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SUCCESS IS GOOD!!!!
the bible preaches against holding riches and success before God ... I think. I'm not an expert but Im in the same boat as you...wanting the same things grew up the same way...

Being rich and successfull is good, give credit back to God tho b/c remember He gave you everything you have...

You also need to ask yourself why do u want riches? ...
get yourself right in the eyes of God,,,then everything else will follow.

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neologist wrote:

J_B wrote:
neologist wrote:
J_B wrote:
You can if you're in a liberal Christian faith, neo.

werthn, the more I read your questions the more I think you might be more comfortable with the Methodists or other liberal Christian denomination. No one group has absolute TRUTH, you should feel good about the faith tenets of the group you affiliate with. It sounds like you're getting hooked into a group you don't really relate to very well.
One should not judge truth by comfort level.

But the point I was trying to make was not really a point at all. It really isn't an either/or proposition where you have to give up all your possessions in order to have faith. But you do have to put your wealth into proper perspective. I mean, doesn't your family come before money?
Did I say truth should be judged by comfort level? I don't think so...
Allow me to highlight the word which caused me to think that.

I'm not seeing the connection between comfort and truth in what I said, but nevermind 'cuz I've got a ton of work to do and I need to leave this happy place for today. Werthn, go with your heart and you'll be fine.

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Doh; I didn't notice you had two responses in one post. I gotta go too. Have a nice day!

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J_B wrote:

Spoken like a true liberal Christian, werthn

Groups tend to be self-righteous and think they are following the true path. You can only follow the path that makes sense to you. Are you with this group because you have friends that go there or is it because you couldn't find a Methodist group near your school? There are plenty of liberal religious denomination out there. If the Methodists aren't nearby you could check out some of the others I listed in your other thread.

I got involved in this church group almost accidentally...kinda because i know some really really nice people in there, most of my friends go. Some go because they are really baptist, but most aren't. But a lot of people converted, i guess. one of my friends is catholic but then she recently got re-baptized and to become a Baptist? i'm confused about that, lol.

anyways, yea, that's why i'm in it, no reason, well, maybe some friends. So it's just that i've reached a point where i'm not really getting anywhere except to get reprimanded every so often by the church leaders for holding radical and "sinful" thoughts. This is why i just kept thinking what i should be doing/thinking.

jb, thanks for your encouragement and kind words.
thanks to everyone as well. Very Happy

Hopefully, I can find a group who think like me. =)

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Quote:

Hopefully, I can find a group who think like me. =)

Maybe you could find an Anglican church somewhere close. The church I attend is great, our priest is very open-minded and scholarly. He doesn't tell us what to do or what not to do (i.e you must give money). We discuss things in the bible and different points, and he leaves the decisions up to the individuals.

Don't let yourself fall into a trap where the only way to God is through your church leaders. The bible says to try your best in everything, then it is very possible that success is the fruit of your labor.

If all depends on your motive....

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Thunder_runner, are you in Canada? werthn, the Anglican churches in the US are knows as Episcopalian and yes, they are known as a liberal Christian denomination.

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Nah, Ohio. We call ourselves Anglicans, and sometimes Episcopalians, I think they are interchangable.

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Ah, cool. I didn't know that, thanks.

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Oh cool, thanks for the info. I always thought the Episcopalians are conservative? hehe, oops. so what other christian denominations are considered liberal? conservative?

also, what do you think of non-denomination christian churches?

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Here's a source with lots of info on the different denominations:

Quote:

The Time Almanac 2002 quotes the Hartford Institute for Religious Research, who divide Protestant Christian denominations into three groups: Liberal, Moderate and Evangelical.

Liberal Protestant: Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church (USA), Unitarian-Universalist, and the United Church of Christ. Some would disagree with this list, because recent polls indicate that only about 10% of the members of congregations affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association consider themselves to be Christians.

Moderate Protestant: American Baptist, Disciples of Christ, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Mennonite, Reformed Church in America, and the United Methodist Church. Some individual congregations of these denominations range over the full range from liberal to evangelical. Individual members within congregations do as well.

Evangelical Protestant: Assemblies of God, Christian Reformed Church, Church of the Nazarene, Churches of Christ, Independent Christian Churches (Instrumenal), Seventh Day Adventist and the Southern Baptist Convention. Added to this group are many mega-churches -- non-denominational conservative churches.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_divi2.htm

non-denomination churches can be liberal, moderate, or conservative, depending on the church. Most of the ones I am familiar with are fairly conservative.

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Quote:

Oh cool, thanks for the info. I always thought the Episcopalians are conservative? hehe, oops. so what other christian denominations are considered liberal? conservative?

Politically, and personally I think the bible supports conservative stances.

Maybe a little more accurate statement would be that we are liberal religionists. We despise legalism.

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Really? A camel through the eye of a needle? Thats it, im throwing my money in the bin...
You cant be sure that heaven is real, i couldnt imagine dedicating my life to something i cant be sure is real. A wise man once said that religon is based only on the fact that it cant be disproved.
"where science ends religon begins"

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Werthn....Quote (well, i also want to be rich and successful because it's well...part of the whole status thing...so yea, for personal reasons as well.

this is briefly why i want to be rich and successful...but for some reason, it seems to me that the Bible preaches against wanting to be rich and successful. i just don't know what to think. )

Well werthn, I worked for wages for a long time.... then one day I thought to myself " I will never be rich by working for someone else " that was the day I started my first business. Many years later I retired, I now live in a home on a acre of land with a river, in a large 4 bedroom with puter room, a conservatory, a tennis court, big pool, in a beautiful sub tropical climate. My 3 sons run our business, I think I can claim to be in a position of some wealth and literally worked my arse off to obtain it. I have no God-Gods Iv'e never been to a church under my own violation , I've never prayed, never, really, even thought about a God-Gods, accept when the deluded one's come a knocking on my door. I don't believe in charity, I give to things like medical research and to children's hospitals have helped many people who I thought deserved it.
All in all, I believe.. everything in life has to be earned... so my advice to you is forget all this business about bibles and Gods.... do what you are capable of doing, accept nothing accept what you earn.
But if you want a Goddy thingo, go start your own religion or sect study the bible translate it the way that suits your ego, get enough people to belive in you... build a church, then you'll become a rich man with little effort cause what your doing is for your God.... simple.

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hey lightfoot, thanks for the advice!

You know, it's weird how many Christians (hard core ones) are poor and most of non-Christians I know are richer. Hmm, does this have to do with what they believe in?

I started another thread in here about liberal/conservative Christians and I think that the more hardcore Christian you are (more conservative), the more you are likely to be poor. *sigh* does that mean we can't have two? heavenly riches and earthly riches?

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werthn wrote:

You know, it's weird how many Christians (hard core ones) are poor and most of non-Christians I know are richer.

No, if you really think about it, it is not weird at all. Those who have next to nothing right here on earth can derive some comfort that they will prevail in the so-called "afterlife". IMO, happy people who have made a comfortable life for themselves do not have to cling so tenaciously to hard core religious beliefs.

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Comfort is given, but that doesn't indicate anything about whether there is a God or not...