Christianity - True or Not?

Abid- Sounds like a pretty immature concept, doesn't it? But millions of people buy into that idea.

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Abid wrote:

HI,

Id just like to ask a quick question,

How can a man (preist forgive your sins?)

If i was a theif, murderer, rapist etc. and I decided to do my eveil deeds Monday through until Friday, then went to confession and was forgiven, then went back and carried on doing evil, could I still go back and repent again and agin and be absolved from my crimes?

Thanks

You have to understand that if you don't offer the followers something appealing they will go elsewhere. By forgiving a followers sins the religion assures its followers will remain. The message; leave us and you will go to hell; stay with us and you sins are forgiven and you will get salvation.

It's a con game; give them a deal they can't refuse. Once you've convinced them they will be your slave. Works pretty well in the Muslim religion as well. Use fear and reward; carrot and stick.

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Well if you believe God would let his creation run a muck without guidence then you would think that way right?

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I just dont understand how people can believe that an average man (preist) has the power to absolve sins. It doesnt make sense to me.

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Now, if you're talking about the Roman Catholic sacrament of Confession, you're laboring under a couple of key misunderstandings, Abid. First, foundational to the concept of forgiveness of sin is the penitent's resolve to avoid sin and the occassion of sin. Without sincere attempt to sin no more, there is no forgiveness, so your example of one who's practice was to persist in " ... eveil deeds Monday through until Friday, then went to confession and was forgiven, then went back and carried on doing evil ... " specifically would be not only not absolved of that one's confessed sins, but also further and consequently would be in the condition of mortal sin through false confession. Absolution is conditional; it requires not only the priest's granting it but also the penitent's intent to sin no more.

Second, in the view of The Church, a priest is not, as you put it, an "average man", but rather is a man who through years of training, education, contemplation, meditation, and prayer in seminary, culminating in the sacrament of Holy Orders and the vows of Ordination, has demonstrated a sacred calling, has proved himself capable of and sworn himself dedicated to the role of intercessor between the flock and its god. Simply put, mere confession without sincere resolve and effort to sin no more is not enough for absolution, and priests are not "average men".

Of course, that amounts to nothing more than "angels dancing on the head of a pin" sophistry, but then all theology is nothing but sophistry.

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that's catholics for you. personally i don't believe that any priest has the power to forgive anybody, the only one who can forgive your sins is God and he is all knowing. he knows your heart and can tell if you genuinely want to be forgiven or if your just saying it.
another crappy catholic idea is pergatory. it is unbiblical. it's not true and it won't work.

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Does anyone know why the Bible doesn't say Jesus is the son of God?

Why don't the disciples have surnames?

Is the Bible God's word, or man's?

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rockpie wrote:

that's catholics for you. personally i don't believe that any priest has the power to forgive anybody, the only one who can forgive your sins is God and he is all knowing. he knows your heart and can tell if you genuinely want to be forgiven or if your just saying it.
another crappy catholic idea is pergatory. it is unbiblical. it's not true and it won't work.

This sounds very conclusive. How can you speak with such certainity? Could you be wrong?

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yes it is conclusive to what i believe. belief is not fact and so yes i may be wrong. i follow my life as the bible, aka the word of god, tells me. in the bible it says that only god can forgive your sins. hence thats what i believe. confession, as its known, was not invented as a form of forgiveness, but as advice on how to pray to god for forgiveness, then the catholics took it and ran with it.

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How can the bible be followed if it is known to be altered from the original?

How can we be sure its essence is intact?

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how can it be followed? well you could put it on the end of a stick and then hold it out in front of you while you walk...

however the answer i think your looking for is this: you choose to follow what it says and have faith in gods word.

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It seems strange to me that certain christians still say that the religion needs to be 'updated' to be relivant with modern times.
For example King Henry creating Church of England to get divorced.
Or people trying to have homosexual priests.

why are these deviations from the original message allowed.

The sale of indulgencies seems a little crazy aswell, who gave priest, bishops, popes authority to make these desicions that obviously contrict the original word???

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It seems strange to me that certain christians still say that the religion needs to be 'updated' to be relivant with modern times.
For example King Henry creating Church of England to get divorced.
Or people trying to have homosexual priests.

why are these deviations from the original message allowed.

The sale of indulgencies seems a little crazy aswell, who gave priest, bishops, popes authority to make these desicions that obviously contradict the original word???

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i don't agree with any of these changes. i live my life as the bible tells me to. people that change what it says and claim to be christians are nothing but hypocrites. don't judge christianity on them, judge it on its founder, jesus. nobody else.

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rockpie wrote:

i don't agree with any of these changes. i live my life as the bible tells me to. people that change what it says and claim to be christians are nothing but hypocrites. don't judge christianity on them, judge it on its founder, jesus. nobody else.

It's the people that DO follow the Bible as it is written that concern me. The closer you get to fundamentalism and literal interpretations the worse it becomes as with the biblically inspired folks at Westboro Baptist Church.

One thing you can say for those folks, they backup all of their despicable hatred with biblical references.

Here are just a couple of entries from the FAQ on their website.

Quote:

Why do you preach hate?

Because the Bible preaches hate. For every one verse about God's mercy, love, compassion, etc., there are two verses about His vengeance, hatred, wrath, etc. The maudlin, kissy-pooh, feel-good, touchy-feely preachers of today's society are damning this nation and this world to hell. They are telling you what you want to hear rather than what you need to hear, just like what happened in the days of Isaiah and Jeremiah: "That this [is] a rebellious people, lying children, children [that] will not hear the law of the LORD: Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us." Isaiah 30:9-11; "Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart." Jeremiah 14:14; "They have healed also the hurt [of the daughter] of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when [there is] no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time [that] I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD." Jeremiah 6:14-15. And also in the New Testament we are warned: "For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake. One of themselves, [even] a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians [are] alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith." Titus 1:11-13; "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of." II Peter 2:1,2. What you need to hear is that God hates people, and that your chances of going to heaven are nonexistent, unless you repent. What you need to hear is a little fire and brimstone preaching, like Jesus preached. What you don't need to hear is that you're okay just the way you are, and God accepts everyone without exception. Don't listen to the money-grubbing heretic who stands at the front of your church. Listen to God. If you are one of His elect, you'll hear.

Why do you preach hate

Quote:

Doesn't the Bible say that God loves everyone?

No. You are probably thinking of John 3:16, which says no such thing. The word translated "world" in that verse (kosmos) NEVER means every individual of mankind who has ever lived (see, e.g., John 17:9). Romans 9:13 says that God hated Esau, and Psalm 5:5 says that God hates all WORKERS of iniquity (e.g., fags). Other examples are Proverbs 6:16-19, Psalm 11:5, and Malachi 1:3. Given these verses, how can you say God loves everyone? Can you really say "God loves everyone" when God says "I hated Esau?" Does God love the people in hell?

Or, you are thinking of "God is love." God certainly is love, toward His elect (His children). But He certainly is not love toward the reprobate (children of the devil). That's why His elect go to heaven, and the reprobate go to hell. In Romans 9:13, which says "As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated", Jacob is a representative of God's elect, while Esau is a representative of the reprobate. In Romans 1, the word "reprobate" is used to describe fags. Fags are reprobate. God hates reprobates. Therefore, God hates fags.

Furthermore, God specifically says that He ABHORS people who engage in sodomy (as well as other forms of sexual perversion): "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood [shall be] upon them...And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them." Leviticus 20:13,23. Understand? GOD ABHORS FAGS.

God's hatred is one of His holy attributes, whereby He reveals Himself as having a fixed and immutable determination to punish the finally impenitent with eternal perdition. God's hatred is not like man's hatred. His hatred is holy, pure, unchanging, while man's hatred is a sinful, fickle emotion.

Doesn't the Bible say that God loves everyone?

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Is Jesus the son of God?

The bible seems to suggest otherwise.....

I Corinthians 8:4: "... we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one"; (I Timothy 2:5): "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."

Lets look at it from the Qur'anic point of view, which corresponds with what Jesus himself said in the Bible. Jesus is mentioned several times in the Qur'an as a "Word from Allah." In Surah 3:39: Then the angels called to him [Zechariah] while he was standing in prayer in the chamber (saying): "Allah gives you glad tidings of John [the Baptist] believing in a Word from Allah [Jesus, son of Mary], noble, keeping away from sexual relations with women, a prophet, and one of the righteous."
In Surah 3:45: [Remember] when the angels said: "O Mary! Verily Allah gives you the glad tidings of a Word from Him, his name will be Messiah Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honor in this world and the Hereafter, and of those who are near to Allah." In both verses, Jesus is called a "Word from Allah," by which is meant a Word coming from Allah or belonging to Allah, in correspondence with I Corinthians 3:23: "And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's." John 1:1 should also have been written: "... and the Word was God's."

The mistake could have been in the translation from Aramaic to Greek, deliberately or not.
In the Greek language, Theos is God, while Theou means God's (see any Greek dictionary or Bible, or Muhammad in the Bible by Prof. Abdul Ahad Dawud, former Bishop of Uramiah, page 16). This difference of only one letter has major consequences.

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can the Word 'Son' of God be taken literally?

Matthew 3:17, when Jesus was baptized by John: "And lo a voice from
heaven, saying" 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."'

The Bible also refers prophets and other people as sons and children of God. Read Exodus 4:22. "And thou [Moses] shalt say unto Pharaoh: 'Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn."

Here is Jacob (Israel) His firstborn son. Read II Samuel 7:13-14 or I Chronicles 22:10. C. "He [Solomon] shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father and he shall be My son."

"I am a father to Israel and Ephraim is my firstborn." In Exodus 4:22 just now, Israel was called also called the firstborn. Who is the real firstborn: Israel or Ephraim? Even common people can be children of God. Read Deuteronomy 14:1.

Only Begotten Son?

Long before Jesus was born, God said to David (Psalms 2:7): "I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me [David]: 'Thou art my son; this day have I begotten thee."' So David is also God's begotten son. The meaning of "Son of God" is not literal but metaphorical. It can be anyone who is beloved by God. Jesus also said that God is not only his Father but also your Father (Matthew 5:45, 48)

You can see in many biblical passages that the phrase "Son of God" signifies love and affection and neamess to God, and that it is not to be applied to Jesus alone. You will see sons and daughters of God: II Connthians 6:18: "And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." In view of these and other passages in the Bible, there is no reason why Jesus should be regarded as the son of God in a literal or unique sense.

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A prophecy from Jesus Christ (Peace be upon him)

Matthew 15:9: "But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

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rockpie wrote:

i don't agree with any of these changes. i live my life as the bible tells me to. people that change what it says and claim to be christians are nothing but hypocrites. don't judge christianity on them, judge it on its founder, jesus. nobody else.

If you follow Issa (Jesus - pbuh), Why do you not pray as he did?

Muslims worship with bowing, kneeling, prostration, and without shoes, as was done by previous prophets: Psalms 95:6: "O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker"; Joshua 5: 14: "And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship''; I Kings 18:42: "And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees"; Numbers 20:6: "... and they [Moses and Aaron] fell upon their faces: and the glory of the Lord appeared upon them"; Genesis 17:3: "And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying ...", and Exodus 3:5 and Acts 7:33: "And he [God] said [to Moses], 'Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is
holy ground."'

washing the face, arms, feet, and moistening of the hair) prior to worship is not done by modern Christians, but it is required of Muslims and was done by previous prophets, as seen in the following biblical passages: Exodus 40:31-32: "And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat; When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the Lord commanded Moses." Although Paul made many changes in Jesus' teaching, he was faithful in respect to ablution, as seen in Acts 21:26: "Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple'..."

Muslim women perform their prayer with their head covered, as in I Corinthians 11:5-6, 13: "But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonourerh her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.... Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered"

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rockpie wrote:

i don't agree with any of these changes. i live my life as the bible tells me to. people that change what it says and claim to be christians are nothing but hypocrites. don't judge christianity on them, judge it on its founder, jesus. nobody else.

Good point, rockpie. Christianity is based on Jesus.

It's always amusing that some folks want to argue against a Christianity that states 'all have sinned' --------- by talking about how bad Christians are.

Hello?

Didn't we just tell you we were sinners?

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