The Big Bad Question.

Posted by Bill.L

Quote:
Once i found out that God knew from the beginning that religion would
never satisfy the soul ,and that he had planned to send Jesus to earth
to pay that price of sin for us since the beggining of time

God told you this?? or did a man tell you this??

A bit of a background to answer that question;
When I came to know Jesus and accepted him ,I got this peace and rest on the inside . God confirmed to me that it was his Holy Spirit that comes and lives in us once we believe. The Holy Spirit is basically God himself living inside a person .
The Holy Spirit is like this powerful friend who Loves like no other and brings no condemnation when we stuff up. He prompts me when i sin and says come on mate i want to make yr life Huge, you know thats wrong- its not gonna help you, let me help you change that.

So to answer yr question , Both Gods word ,and God himself confirmed it to me ,and also personal experience backed it up.
 
Good grief!!

Uncle perce I'll not bother cluttering up this thread any further other than saying that I'm the type of person who usually invites the Jehovah's Witnesses in for a chat and a cuppa until they want to make a hasty exit, and then pass by my place on their next run or two :rolleyes:

bye
 
Why, oh why was this thread re-surrected.

Surely everyone can see that not everyone is ever going to agree about Religion. Especially when you try to force it down people's throats.

There are a lot of people who do not follow any type of Religion. Does that make them bad people? No! So why try to force it on them. All it does is create division. If your "God" of choice, is so good, then it should be obvious to those who's lives you touch, making those people want to know more.

I reckon, if you don't have people asking about what is going on in your life and you are trying to force your beliefs on others, then something is amiss.
 
I only just found this and it has been a fascinating read! I am very impressed that for the most part it has been a kind and respectful discussion.

Do I believe there is a higher power? Yes.

Why do I have faith? dunno. I just do.

Why do I love my husband? dunno. I just do. (loved your "love" analogy Tracey!)

Why do I think you should help the less fortunate? Because God told me to? No. Because I have faith that it is the right thing to do.

Maybe faith is a type of moral compass?
 
Uncle Perce said:
The best thing to do mate is to ask God for faith. It will actually surprise you what doors will open up .
kind regards
Click to expand...
I was asking myself the same question yesterday,when they were lowering
on of my old working mates into the the ground,57 died on the job,HA
no one found him till a few hours later,maybe he was asking for Gods help
in the last few seconds of his life..willair..
 
i think it's moved from faith to dogma which was never my point.

a discussion about dogma i don't want. i wanted a discussion about faith - what drives that faith, what allows you to believe and why you do.

Olly - i really appreciate that in depth background of the Muslim religion. thanks.

Uncle Perce - i don't feel that Christ was the the son of God, so praying to him - for me - would he like praying to the bloke next door. not to say he wasn't a great man, but the son of god stretches it a little when we know so much about his VERY earthly traits and his merovingian blood line - which makes him human in my eyes. however, i'm certainly not going to rain on your parade and i appreciate you posting up with a lot of clear faith revelation. you skirt my purpose for ths thread a little, if you could elaborate as to what allows you to believe i think you may have contributed greatly. thanks.
 
I'm a Jedi, i believe in the ways of the Force.
Master Joda regularly appears to me in divine visions.......





.... especially when i skip to chapter 12 of Empire Strikes Back.
 
urban cowboy said:
Hey BC - really curious about this statement...

can you elaborate on that a bit - not sure what you mean by it and am interested in your thoughts.

cheers
UC
Click to expand...

while it's highlighted in the da-vinci code by dan brown for all the world to read at leisure, most don't take it seriously because it's a fictional story surrounding factual historical content - so they assume that the whole story is fiction.

Yahoshua (Jesus) wasn't born of a virgin - he was the first child born of a woman named Miriam (Miriam's sister was named "Maria" - or Mary) who was pregnant without being married to her companion, or husband Yusef (Joseph). There's serious talk among biblical scholars that for Mary to give birth without being married would have resulted in a number of punishments - one so-far as in her and her child being stoned to death. So, Joseph and Mary were wed the night of the start of their trek to Bethlehem, so that any questions raised in their home town would be left far behind them and no questions would be raised when they arrived in Bethlehem.

There's no way a woman can be married a week and give birth, (considering sex only happens on the wedding night) therefore, she must have been a virgin. backwards? well, knowing humans - sex would have happened well before the wedding night. that's conjecture though.

Anyway - Iesous (the Greek translation of the word Yahoshua - getting closer to Jesus) wasn't born the "year zero" - he was actually born around 3 BC according to our calendar and he lived until he was 34, not 33, dying in 31AD. there's no other reason for this to be changed other than 34 doesn't fit the magdalene numbers but 33 does.

Jesus is a direct descendant from Moses through the line of Aaron (yay for me!). His brothers are Yudas, Yakobos (rendered James), Yoseph and Symeon (Simon). Funny that Yudas - or Judas, is VERY LITERALLY Jesus' brother.

the line of Aaron holds men called Clopas and Yusef (Clopas and Joseph). the funny thing is - Clopas marries Maria and Yusef marries Miriam - 2 brothers marrying 2 sisters. see John 19:25.

Moses - in ancient hebrew - means "Son" - also translated meses, mases, masas. We know this because the Egytian Pharoah "Ramases" means "Son of Ra" or "son of god". Moses' name is touched upon in the book "Seven Ancient Wonders" by Matthew reilly, but there is thought (not proven) that Moses is held in reverance amongst the Ancient Hebrews as being the Son of Thoth, or Thuthmoses, being "the mediator", Thoth being the god of the heart and the messenger of the sun god, ra.

sounds an awful lot like moses recieving word form god on the mount of olives and delivering us the ten commandments....

Anyhow - i digress.

the 80s book "Holy Blood and the Holy Grail" as an epic read (epic? pantheotic? collosal? massive read anyway...) and a fantastic insight into the blood lines of jesus. it's long been held in the Gospel of Thomas that Christ's wife was Mary of Magdalene, and they had a daughter Sara'i (Sarah) and the two of them fled across the mediterranean after the crucifixion with her brother Lazarus and the mother of John and James (from the biblical gospels). They started a new life in the south of France and supposedly started the Merovingian bloodline -but i have no reasonable proof - in my mind - of the bloodline and don't want to elaborate any further until i do.

it's long held that Christ's line started the Merovingian bloodline - google it - but i see holes in this theory too big to fill with historical text. there are striking similarities between a lot of accounts - like moses and thoth - but it's hard to track after the 80s when Plantard came out of hiding with his 40 year hoax-in-the-making. i do not believe he is MVG bloodline but i do believe someone got spooked and started quietening everyone afterwards.
 
pieman said:
In answer to the original question, my kids beleive in Father Christmas, does that count??
same sort of thing
Click to expand...

Not really.

No-one blows people up or assassinates doctors in the name of Father Christmas.

Oh, and he rarely indulges in smoting, the slaughtering of populations and the taking of slaves post-military victories.

Though if he did, it would explain all the elves ;)
 
didnt you know - elves are actaully enslaved naughty children, cursed to live out eternity making toys for the children of the world.
 
I've just come home from tutoring my grandsons. My daughter tells me that next year ethics is being introduced into the curriculum. It's for those kids who aren't really religious or don't attend the religious classes.

Does that mean the kids attending the religious classes won't be exposed to ethical questions - things to make them think, consider, problem solve, form opinions. Silly me, what am I saying.............:rolleyes:
 
Olly said:
I've just come home from tutoring my grandsons. My daughter tells me that next year ethics is being introduced into the curriculum. It's for those kids who aren't really religious or don't attend the religious classes.

Does that mean the kids attending the religious classes won't be exposed to ethical questions - things to make them think, consider, problem solve, form opinions. Silly me, what am I saying.............:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

From what I gather, from my son's Catholic school (and IB school) anyway, is that critical and independent thinking is strongly encouraged and taught regardless of whether they do specific subjects like ethics or critical thinking/analysis.

They are allowed to question religion providing the argument is presented in a way that opens constructive discussion.

My feeling is this may be the reason why so many Catholic children are non believers nowadays yet respect those that choose to follow it's principles and teachings.

Interestingly on the subject of RE, I know a teacher that taught it in a Catholic school and told me that if you don't mention the J or G word too much and concentrate on ethics you get a higher rate of student participation.

That was her method which my son has backed up as being his observation when the emphasis is on ethics.
 
Faith

Can I ask what prompted this question Bluecard, apart from wanting a bit of "faith" and why do you want a bit? Does it look attractive and what parts look attractive?

Faith for me is having many incidences happen before my very eyes that are more than coincidence. My faith is in a greater power called the universe. A great book to read to answer your question of faith is "Play of Consciousness" by Muktanunda (Buddhist Guru - Sidha Yoga.) Google that and I am sure you will find it.

I believe in reincarnation and believe you choose each life to become a higher being free of ego. My faith comes from the life lessons given to me to reach that place. How come my thoughts and dreams as a young person have all come to fruition? My faith that my life was predetermined and I chose it to achieve attainment to live free of the ego and have ultimate peace and happiness.

Having faith allows me to accept what is dealt me in life, grow from it and turn it to a positive and to my advantage.

Drilling down, Faith is a mindset. A framework of chosen thoughts and positive approach to life to allow me to cope with, deal with, take opportunity from and respond to events in life that give me choice and really celebrate the joy of events when they are those sweet moments in life.
 
I think all students should be following the same curriculum which means there's no room for religious classes as not ALL kids will do the religious classes, but ALL should do the ethics classes. Churches/Sunday school, bible studies groups etc. are where religious teachings should be taught IMO.

Our school system is still based on the archaic notion that the church has influence in all areas of our lives, but it's left over from a time when most countries had basically 1 religion which was usually decided by the ruling monarch/power, and whatever that religion was it enveigled it's way into our schools, politics and anything else it could exert power. In this day and age and with a multicultural/ multireligion society like Australia I think it's ludicrous that scripture classes are still included in the curriculum.

It's probably fairly obvious from some of my comments that I'm an athiest, (started off very religious as a youngster though), but I am very tolerant of peoples beliefs and actually have a great interest in religion/faith and have studied it deeply. Regardless of whether I 'believe' or not though, I've never believed that religious instruction should be taught at schools. Only some religions are offered, the kids who don't attend these classes do sport or homework or whatever (soon to be ethics): basically they're a disruption to normal studies.





weg said:
From what I gather, from my son's Catholic school (and IB school) anyway, is that critical and independent thinking is strongly encouraged and taught regardless of whether they do specific subjects like ethics or critical thinking/analysis.

They are allowed to question religion providing the argument is presented in a way that opens constructive discussion.

My feeling is this may be the reason why so many Catholic children are non believers nowadays yet respect those that choose to follow it's principles and teachings.

Interestingly on the subject of RE, I know a teacher that taught it in a Catholic school and told me that if you don't mention the J or G word too much and concentrate on ethics you get a higher rate of student participation.

That was her method which my son has backed up as being his observation when the emphasis is on ethics.
Click to expand...
 
just to clarify, i never said i wanted faith, i'm just a little jealous of those who have faith because life seems a little more "peaceful" internally than those who grapple with it - like me. my mind works overtime al day, every day - right up to the time i collapse exhausted into bed. i can't "rest" knowing that what will be, will be, because my experience tells me that time squandered is knowledge burned.

Having faith allows me to accept what is dealt me in life, grow from it and turn it to a positive and to my advantage.
Click to expand...

see i can't accept that, what is dealt is dealt. i'll fold and wait for a good hand to play.

i grow from the bad experiences i have as well. but i don't believe that "was my fate" because i believe that fate is made, not dealt. i don't think that's ego talking, i think that gives me more peace knowing i can make life any way i want to just by choosing a direction and pursuing it. that's not god, or the universe laying it at my feet - that's me making a decision and living with the consequences - good OR bad.

if i choose to take up heroin and leave my family to travel the opium houses of afghanistan - then that is my fate. if i choose to stay loyal to my family and friends and be their rock and build an empire for my children to inherit, then that is my fate. if i choose to wander through life aimlessly in a basic govt job earning enough to pay the bill and go to bali once a year to retire on the old age pension and complain about everything - then that is my fate.

and hence we come full circle to post 1, page 1.

faith is something that has always interested me though - again regardless of denomination. the ability to put faith in something and/or a system that may or may not be there completely baffles me. really, i can't understand it.
Click to expand...

WHY do you have faith? maybe that's my question.
 
Blue Card! said:
WHY do you have faith? maybe that's my question.
Click to expand...

because at the end of the day - there has to be more to this life than living and dying. Without "God", what is the point?? there has to be a higher power for it all to make sense. I agree with your comments about choosing fate and deciding the path your life takes, but I CHOOSE my faith because I simply cannot believe I am here by accident, I am a chance mix of chemicals, I come from apes, once I die that's it...

by accepting I am created, loved and cherished by a loving God means I can believe that I have a purpose and my faith means I can get up every morning and face the world knowing there is a reason to live.

...and in my very present circumstances I believe and know this more than ever - I would not have survived this far without my faith.


thanks for your answer to my question - I hadn't heard of that story. I am afraid I have to completely disagree with it as it is in direct contrast to the Bible, but I thankyou for posting it all the same
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Peter_Tersteeg
100 one liners
Replies
7
Views
2K
D.T.
D.T.
P
China
2
Replies
25
Views
4K
Nemo30
N
S
Why is skepticism getting such bad press?
Replies
18
Views
1K
Sunfish
S
Back
Top