Festering inside me

[Perdition]

yeah I dont get that.  if jesus is god in flesh form then why would jesus pray to god or whatever jesus is god.  or maybe they mean like jesus is the god of the humans and god is the god of the gods.  like if there were to be a most godly human that would be that jesus guy.  so he is still lower than god god but above average humans or whatever.  bleh its all nonsense anyways

[underruler]

I should read the Bible more but I'm lazy/procrastinative/busy.  I mean they should really but some of that stuff in American.

[matt_the_shark]

1. I am Jehovah your God, and you must not have any other gods before me.
The whole concept of "trinity" goes against this principle.  There can't be two other entities being of the same God status.

Ok but if you believe in the Holy Trinity you're not going to hold on part of the trinity up higher than the other parts.  Besides, I learned that Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and God are all God.  They aren't separate...they are all contained in one.  Aren't they?

they are three different parts of the same god, yes

[GandalfTheOld]

I should also note that there are many so-called "Roman Catholics" that deify and worship "Our Lady" with as much or even greater vigor than God himself.

The main point of it all is this: Roman Catholicism is an extreme deviation from the original intentions and teachings of the Bible which Catholics themselves profess to base their beliefs on.
There are religions out there that are based solely on the Bible and not on pagan rites, those that are truly pacificistic and non-participant in wars, those that follow Jesus' teachings and be a Good Samaritan...  Just that the "general public" has such a negative view of them... oh, wait, I should change that: Just that the "generally accepted religions" have such a negative view of them.

What is God if "God" condones and supports death through war? When it all boils down, such a  "God" is just a God of death.  A God of death, in return, means a world of death, where life is non-existant.  What good is a God if there's no life?

[Perdition]

mm you think to much.

i dont think "god" supports death through war.  i think people just claim that to make it seem like what they're doing has a good purpose.

[GandalfTheOld]

The questions at the end of the last post was meant as a rhetoric, but oh well....
In other words, the so-called "jihad/Holy War" is a wrong application of religious fervor.  Those that truly believe in the Scriptures (whether only a part of it, as the Muslims do, doens't matter) and actually read it would know better than to join in wars, get guns, etc.  This, unfortunately, isn't the case with pretty much 99% of the population.
"Those that wield the sword die by the sword."

On to another topic:
I'm turning 21 in August.  I haven't drunk any alcoholic beverages in my life, and only consumed foods that contained negligible amounts of alcohol, so I'll say I've never taken in alcohol.
Why?
1. Bad example set by my father.
2. I already know how I could become with regular caffeine and sugar.  What I don't want to know is what alcohol might do to my head.

And I don't have much of any good reason to drink beer/wine either... although every time exam periods like times like these come around, I sometimes wonder...

Anywho, if you ever see me in parties, bars, etc. (if ever), you'll be sure to find me avoiding the vodka jellos, shots, and instead be drinking Pepsi and be the designated driver.

[Perdition]

ooo happy early early birthday

[underruler]

What is God if "God" condones and supports death through war? When it all boils down, such a  "God" is just a God of death.  A God of death, in return, means a world of death, where life is non-existant.  What good is a God if there's no life?

So you're saying that if war happens God should not let it happen?  Wars are man made...it's our personal shit/issues.  Everytime we screw up God's supposed to come down here and say "Play nice children"?  That's what Jesus was for.  So God could forgive us.

[GandalfTheOld]

No, I meant religion should not take part in wars at all.  Priests/Ministers/Religious leaders should not be inviting people to join wars, they shouldn't be preaching that God is supporting one side or another.  Whether God actually steps in and intervene, that's a whole different matter.

And as far as those that are involved in wars... about soldiers, I've already said "Those that wield the swords die by the sword"... about politicians, all I'll say is I hope justice will be served for their corruption and problems imposed on their so-called constituents... if not, I'll take comfort in the fact that when you die, you die.  You can't take your wealth and position in any kind of afterlife, because you're returning to the dust from which you're made from.

[underruler]

Gand you don't believe in a real afterlife w/ like heaven and stuff?  I thought somewhere back there you said you read the Bible or something.

[GandalfTheOld]

Not the kind of "eternal soul"/"heavenly bliss"/etc kinda stuff that most people think of.
Neither "hell"/"purgatory"/etc.

The Bible talks of a selected 144,000 that will rule with Jesus in the spiritual world, and of a "great mass" with an earthly hope.  Read the Revelations, it's not just about destruction of the world, removal of the evil, etc. that you might think.  It promises of a new heaven and a new earth, a world of paradise where the dead will be resurrected and given eternal life without influence of sin, disease, and death.

[SS]

Is the new earth going to be Mars?


under, I read the Bible too, but that doesn't mean I agree with the regular interpretations of it.

[RipperRoo]

Ewww bible talk!

[GandalfTheOld]

a new earth, not a new planet

God intended on spreading paradise all over the earth, according to Genesis, and still is the purpose.
Just that the serpent, being manipulated by Satan the Devil, challenged God's authority in being the ruler of all.

The dead is dead.  There's no such thing as soul, because the Hebrew word for it basically refers to the entire living organism, the life of it, not some vague concept of an invisible force.  "...and the man came to be a living soul." (Genesis 2:7) The Bible talks of animals as having soul, the life in other words. (Genesis 1:20, 21, 24, 25)

There's no "hell".  There's a word that's frequently translated into that, and the word is Gehenna.  And that word is used to refer to a valley where the Jewish in Jerusalem used to throw out their wastes and burn them.  But never was it used to throw live people in, only the dead if at all.  It was the easiest way for Jesus to refer to and talk about complete destruction, about futility of life once you enter it. (Matthews 9:47,48; 10:28)

The only punishment for sin is death. (Romans 6:23)
The only hope for salvation is by voluntary, repentant faith in God's Kingdom through Jesus' self-sacrifice, and by appropriate action upon that faith.  He doesn't force anyone to accept his rulership, he is merely waiting so that as many people as possible could be saved.  The Jews were given a chance, just that they as a whole have rejected Jehovah, and that now he is giving chance to the whole world. (2 Peter 3:9; Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Hebrews 10:26,27)

Ok.
Enough rants for now.  
Oh, and if you're wondering, I read the Bible itself, and drew my own conclusions from it.
If you don't accept the Bible as an acceptable authority, I can't help you, because it probably did save my life multiple times.  It has applicable teachings, ones that would do good for people to apply to their lives even if they don't even have faith in any particular organized religion.

[SS]

God intended on spreading paradise all over the earth, according to Genesis, and still is the purpose.

Well when's he going to hurry up and do it? I'm fed up with having a motorway outside my window.

Just that the serpent, being manipulated by Satan the Devil, challenged God's authority in being the ruler of all.

Yes. And of course, God decided to punish the serpent, eve and adam for this. Why? Well because how dare they challenge him? Pfft. Hows about he punished them because he's insecure and unable to prove his right to rule.

There's no such thing as soul, because the Hebrew word for it basically refers to the entire living organism, the life of it, not some vague concept of an invisible force.  "...and the man came to be a living soul." (Genesis 2:7) The Bible talks of animals as having soul, the life in other words. (Genesis 1:20, 21, 24, 25)

The soul of an entity being the life of that entity does not disprove that a soul can be an 'invisible force' (I'd prefer better words, but can't think of any right now.) Talking of animals having soul doesn't disprove it either.

There's no "hell".

There are plenty of hells: Sitting in an exam room, for example.
But, yes, there is no big fiery furnace belonging to a red guy with horns and a pointy stick.

The only punishment for sin is death. (Romans 6:23)

And yet I often wonder why so many blatant sinners thrive, whilst innocents are destroyed?

He doesn't force anyone to accept his rulership, he is merely waiting so that as many people as possible could be saved.

No, he doesn't force anyone to accept it, yet he kills people who disagree with his rules?

It has applicable teachings, ones that would do good for people to apply to their lives

Definitely. "Do unto others as you would have done unto you." being a good one.
Most faiths have similar teachings, if only people would look at the central core and not the peculiar fringes.