Welcome
Hello Faith Clubbers,
Welcome to our online community. This will be a safe and open place to share whatever is on your mind about religion, faith and God. We invite you to talk about how they affect your own life and the world at large. We’ll open up the discussion soon, so please come back and join us.
In faith,
Ranya, Suzanne and Priscilla
October 2nd, 2006 at 12:50 pm
Ranya, Suzanne and Priscilla,
Welcome to the Blogosphere!
October 3rd, 2006 at 9:03 am
Ranya, Suzanne and Priscilla, thank you for starting this website. I saw you on the Today Show this morning and was eager to meet others who have the goal of exchanging thoughts about faith. If you read my profile you will see that I was raised a Catholic and am now an atheist. I have enormous faith in the humanity of people to live in peace together. I’ve always believed that education and discussion, and living peace will lead to that goal.
I am eager to be included in a website that encourages the exchange of information in hopes of helping all of us to better understand the common values we share instead of highlighting the differences. I see this as the only way to peace in the world.
October 3rd, 2006 at 9:04 am
WOW, Wow, wow! Why does it take the genius of women to the bring together of faiths, which seem not possible by men. Even Ted Turner said that we need women to run the worlds greatest nations for a least one hundred years to balance this earth to where God meant it to be.
I wished I was a fly on the wall during your discussions. I’m a devout Christian with Muslim, and Jewish friends, all of whom I love.
That’s my God given duty, and responsibility because, I’m a mortal. Yep, you heard it from me first: a mere mortal, and I share this land, and this earth with other mortals.
And the instruction I get from my faith, and my God is to love, share, and respect other mortals that roam this earth.
My Muslim, and Jewish friends say that’s what their faith teaches too!
How do I know that? I’m just fortunate enough to be curious, and have friends who are curious about faiths other than their own.
None of us have any intent to convert to another religion, because we all learned how to worship in the faiths in which we grew up.
But we’re smart enough to know -that the most intelligent person is a person who wants to know more.
My fellowship in mankind was strengthened by asking questions about my brothers faiths, and sharing my own beliefs to which I saw their curiosity.
Neither of any of us wanted to convert each other, we just wanted to share common ground, to which I think this book will reveal.
In all cases, I think it’s easy to deduce why extrimists are formed. We have those in all faiths, and those are people who refuse to yield to their brothers, and sisters, nor try to understand, or ask questions.
This book, and your efforts are a great start, and it took 5000 years, and three women to finally start the ball rolling.
October 3rd, 2006 at 9:18 am
I saw you on TV this morning and I applaud your efforts and will definately pick up your book. As a non-denominational Christian, it seems so obvious to be that we should embrace each other as we all worship the God of Abraham and the God of Moses. The Great I Am. If we really are true believers of our faith we should embrace each other not tear each other apart. No one can expect to live a good life on earth or after by hurting someone else for any reason especially not hurting someone who believes in the same God.
October 3rd, 2006 at 9:59 am
I guess we are now open for discussion, so I’ll start. I’ve found that in many of these inter-faith discussion groups, the people involved are not that knowledgeable of their own religions and/or do not fully practice their religions. Since they don’t adhere strictly to their faiths, its easy to compromise their own religious principles in order to find “common ground” in their “humanity” or some other cliche. But to me, it seems like a successful dialogue must involve the most strict adherents of the religions - people with a deep understanding of what their own religion says and why, and how it is in fact different from the other religions. I believe a successful dialogue between these people would be closer to what we all really need in the world, and it can be achieved not by trying to meld everything together into some kind of “be good to each other” mishmash, but rather by really learning the true teachings of each religion, respecting the differences in each religion and acknowledging the fact that they will never all agree on the same truths and that’s OK. What do you think?
October 3rd, 2006 at 10:06 am
I saw you on the Today Show this morning and already ordered your book on Amazon.com. I have been searching for a way to truly love and accept all we encounter and can’t wait to read about your journey…perhaps I can join or start a Faith Club in my area too. God Bless you all.
October 3rd, 2006 at 10:10 am
If you read my profile then you know that i like contravercial talks. I was raised pentacostal but now concider myself to be agnostic. Actually I guess some would call me athiest too. I am currently working on a book about how we have been mislead and lied to by the church. I am going through the Bible from the creation to the rapture and the anti-christ showing how we have been lied to. I would appreciate anyone who is interested in sharing their views to contact me.
October 3rd, 2006 at 10:24 am
I watched you this morning on the Today Show and I thought this was great..I congratulate you. I live in a community where there many people with many different faiths….I was raised a Catholic, but always found religion to be very interesting, regardless what you believe in. I think we all have something in common, GOD! We all believe in him. Because of the times, some religions have been able to move forward but some are still very traditional and with no changes, still, they have many followers. I believe we have to move with the times but the main thing to me is that we must love one another, regardless of our faith. I too have friends who are Jews, Muslim, and Buddist…..and we have been friends for years. In fact, when 9/11, two of my neighbors were Muslim and we became closer than ever during this time. We both prayed for the same thing during this time and supported each other. I have always been very open minded about other faiths and what brings us together. This sounds like a great book and I am going to go buy it ASAP! Thank you.
October 3rd, 2006 at 10:34 am
I watched you this morning on the Today Show and I’m looking forward to reading your book. I am Catholic, and I am very interested in understanding other religions. I think you have done a great thing, something that could start a new understanding. Thank you
October 3rd, 2006 at 10:58 am
I agree with Rubes.. If you were true in your faith, you wouldn’t settle for compromise..
October 3rd, 2006 at 11:03 am
2 Timothy 4:3-4 “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”
October 3rd, 2006 at 11:09 am
A panic leaps within me as I’m asked questions about the Bible by my Buddhist sister-in-law. I’ve been challenged for months to KNOW what I know!
A healthy challenge!
A walk with God is my only place of peace and serenity.
Especially in these days of the school shootings!
Where can I trust a place for my grandson?!?
Trust God to protect him?
Other faiths do too.
Where do you go to seek peace today?
October 3rd, 2006 at 11:33 am
I am totally in agreement with NoDom. I too saw you all on the today show and I applaud your efforts and will definately pick up your book. I am a Christian woman, born & raised Catholic, married to a Jewish man & have a 24 year old daughter that married a Muslim man, she has now converted to there beliefs & I have two Muslim grand children and one on the way, the Lord has truly blessed me with so much love, my cup runneth over! & it seems that my family is going to be just like it will be in Heaven, all faiths!!! I know that as a Christian, I am taught that we are to love one another as Christ loves us! That we are all one! That GOD sees us all the same! & YES!!! we all worship the God of Abraham and the God of Moses. The Great I Am!!
In 1 Thesalonains 1:3 - Remembering without ceasing your work of “faith” and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father.
My prayer in hope for this new ‘Faith Club” is this:
Our hope is in You oh Lord, You are our God and our resource. It is in You that we have trust and have victory! LORD God! I ask that You bless these three women with Your knowledge so that may reach many bleivers & unbelievers and bring us all to one understanding of PEACE, HOPE & LOVE & the greatest of these is LOVE! Our hope is in You Lord! Amen, Lahiam & Enshalla! (Spelling)
May the Lord continue to bless you all!!!
October 3rd, 2006 at 11:41 am
Hmmm…well, I think that somebody who is so entrenched in their own religion, who profess to be so true in their “religion,” is there based on some sort of fear. If someobdy is true in their “Faith,” (a very different thing from religion, btw), they would remember that we are all Children of God, and God does instruct us to love our neighbor no matter what! Religion, I think, is an awful word. Why does it even have to come down to so many rules and regulations?! Jesus himself rebelled against those notions. Jesus saw the Divine…God…in everyone and challenges us to do the same! I’m not sure that these 3 ladies know what they were getting into here! so many extremist views abound. Kudos to everyone brave enough to start on this road. So much better to question and gain knowledge than to be spoonfed information. i agree with Rubes; acknowledging that we all don’t agree is ok. Along with that needs to come a healthy respect for each other! it’s not about compromising, it’s about connecting, and helping each other out on this journey.
Let everything be done in Love…that’s something that all religions, at their core truths, agree on.
October 3rd, 2006 at 11:57 am
I also agree with Rubes. Like many others, I saw you on the Today Show this morning and admire what you are trying to do. To create any sort of peace in this world we need to learn about ourselves and others and respect the differences. That said, compromising my beliefs to accomodate the opinions of others is not true faith to me. It was said that we all have one thing in common, the same God. But the fact is we do not share the same God. We may all believe in a God of the same name, but it is what we believe about who He is that makes a difference. I believe that God revealed Himself to us through His Son, Jesus Christ. If my God did that and yours did not, we do not share the same God. This is just one fundamental difference between these religions, but there are so many others. Truth is truth, it is not a relative matter.
October 3rd, 2006 at 12:01 pm
2 Timothy 4:3-4
” For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”
Its Compromise.
October 3rd, 2006 at 12:48 pm
I agree with live4truth, and NoCompromise. We do not share a common God. Muslims and Jews alike deny Jesus Christ as the Messiah. My God is Jesus Christ. Other religions believe he is nothing more than a profit. My Bible (the Word) says:
John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:14
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
gracefilled.. where in the Word did find that Jesus saw the divine…God… in all of us.
susie soroka.. you contradicted your statement with the verse you quoted. We do not all worship the same God. The Bible says Jesus Christ is God. your verse says the Lord Jesus Christ, the Qur’an explicitly denies Jesus Christ’s crucifixion (Sura 4:157-158)
October 3rd, 2006 at 1:19 pm
In reply to “the truth says” By no means do I think I contradicted what was said. You say that I contradicted the verse because I said the Lord Jesus Christ & you say that the Bible says Jesus Christ is God. Isnt that one in the same???????
I do know for a fact that we do not ALL worship the same GOD. I know that the Muslims do not beleive that Jesus is the son of God, they were taught that He was a prophet, but we only know what we are taught right? Then what we believe in our hearts comes afterwards. I was not born knowing that Jesus was the son of GOD, I was taught that as a grown woman and now He lives in me. As a child, I went to Church just on the Holidays & for a wedding or two, but NEVER was taught who Christ was and what He did for me. I WAS TAUGHT THAT!!! Just as the Muslims were taught that the crucifixion never happened. We all have different views, different opinions & different beliefs. That is what makes us all unique.
If God is the God of the whole world, then wouldn’t God have the same relationship with everybody?
The Torah presents that paradox to us–God is the God of the Jewish People, and also the God of ALL humanity. That dual set of concerns are mediated through the Laws of the B’nai Noah, the Children of Noah, a way that Judaism and halakhah (Jewish law) incorporate God’s sovereignty and love for ALL people with God’s unique mission for the Jews.
With all that said, my heart goes out to everyone that fights for what they believe in. There is truth in all beliefs. Religion is just what seperates us all & truly religion can be ugly. It has caused wars, it has caused hate & in my family, it has caused seperation. GOD be with us ALL!!!
One nation under GOD,with liberty and justice for ALL!!!!
October 3rd, 2006 at 2:02 pm
I applaud your efforts and look forward to reading your book. Blessed are the peace makers!!! Wouldn’t you just know they would be women.
October 3rd, 2006 at 2:30 pm
1 Timothy 2:12-14
I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.
Peace is one thing.. But it also says the anti-chirst will bring about a sense of peace..
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. In a world of chaos we want nothing more than peace.
1 John 2:3-6
We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, “I know him,” But does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truley made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him; whoever claims to live in him must walk as JESUS did.
October 4th, 2006 at 1:27 am
I also saw you on the Today show and was totally impressed with your endeavor to start bringing people to the table of Peace.
October 4th, 2006 at 5:54 am
I finished an art piece the day before the Today Show interview aired. On the art piece, there is an excerpt from the Torah, the Qur’an and the Bible stating each religions relationship to the God of Abraham. I’m going to add a red thread connecting these three excerpts to create a triangle; a depiction of Abrahams blood.
If you’d like to see it, I’m going to post it on my website; www.eadafashions.com. I’ll add a button on the right hand side called Artwork.
October 4th, 2006 at 9:00 am
Isn’t it a shame that within one day, some people are already showing their intolerance and disrespect for people of other religions. That’s the problem, in a nutshell,IMHO, and it took less than 24 hours to surface here. Shame on us.
October 4th, 2006 at 11:36 am
Hi Everyone,
I just watched the video over the Internet (I am from Brazil), but I stop by at MSNBC.COM almost every day and when I saw the headlines, I was intrigued by the title.
I just love the the group and I will buy the book at Amazon. It will take a few days the book to get here, but….
Fabiola
October 4th, 2006 at 12:27 pm
In reply to no compromise 316, I could only think of the gospel at church this past week that taught about inclusion and not exclusion:
Mark 9:38-43
38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.” 39 Jesus replied, “Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. 40 For whoever is not against us is for us. 41 Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward. 42 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe (in me) to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. 43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire.
October 4th, 2006 at 12:33 pm
Why is it a compromise to try and find common ground? I am trying to figure out, what is the point of religion anyway. Is the point to worship some entity? Why is that good? These are just some of the questions I ponder on a regular basis. Anyone wanna tackle any of these?
October 4th, 2006 at 12:39 pm
NoDom, is it ok to hurt someone who doesn’t worship the same god or who doesn’t worship at all? Just curious about the last sentence of your post, which said…
“No one can expect to live a good life on earth or after by hurting someone else for any reason especially not hurting someone who believes in the same God.”
I think this is a very important point to clear up here.
October 4th, 2006 at 3:30 pm
from the passage that faithmatters posted, we must remember that Jesus was speaking to His disciples. they (the disciples) were getting upset because people were doing miracles in the name of Jesus even though they weren’t disciples of Jesus, even though they weren’t apart of the twelve. so the disciples were basically being immature and were saying, “but Jesus! they can’t do miracles in Your name, only we should be able to!”
but Jesus rebuked them and says basically, “Hey, if they are doing miracles in My name, then clearly, they are for Me [aka they aren’t trying to do miracles in the name of Satan or some other god] because they wouldn’t be able to do these miracles unless they believed in My name and My name alone. So get over it.”
even though these people in this passage were not apart of the 12 disciples, and they were different from the 12, they were not against Jesus Christ. that is a key disctinction.
people who believe what the Bible teaches about Jesus Christ - that He is the Son of God, that He was sent to earth because He LOVES us, to die for us, to forgive us of our sin (everything that we have done and will do/think/say that is against God’s perfect standard), that He died and rose again - people who believe those fundamental things and who have accepted them as true and who believe the Bible to be God’s inspired, perfect word, then they are for Christ.
you can’t be for Christ if you don’t believe the Bible, the whole Bible, to be true. and you can’t believe the gospel if you don’t believe the whole Bible to be true (well, i mean, you can say you believe those things, but why would you only believe the gospel and not the rest of the Bible? you can’t pick and choose which parts you want to believe and which parts you don’t).
so if you are for Christ and you believe those things mentioned above, amen. praise the Lord! if not, please consider what the Bible says regarding salvation.
October 4th, 2006 at 3:36 pm
Jesus did not shy away from sinners, and in fact did not spend his life admonishing them! In this I believe that Jesus DID see the divine in all…God is in all of us; we are his beloved, an extension of him. We should all, regardless of whatever “religion” we are, take this lesson from Jesus. Yes, “No Compromise,” I think we can all agree that to know “Him” we must walk as Jesus did…in love and acceptance. His greatest commandment is for us to Love one another! In that there is no compromise. Apparantly the commandment “Love thy Neighbor” is the bit of the Bible you take with a grain of salt. You cannot love someone, and also condemn them. You can be sure that the bible is but one small bit of the story, by the way, and can be interpreted in so many ways! i should say that it seems you’ve been surrounded by a great many teachers giving your “itching ears” what you want to know! The Adam and Eve story exists in every culture’s history, mythology if you want to call it. (first woman, first man) But not all of them pin something on the woman! Until Christianity got hold, Women were the revered because they gave life, and they were priestesses, and often held higher importance than the men, especially in Spiritual Matters. Please, I am a Christian, but this is historical fact! Times have changed, and Jesus did have female followers. And Rubes, I agree with you…how shameful that it is that these condemning attitudes exist still today!
“Sus says” you go girl! you really say it best.
October 4th, 2006 at 3:39 pm
here’s a question….
how confident are you in what you believe? do you know for a fact that you will go to heaven when you die? why or why not?
October 5th, 2006 at 10:30 am
Rubes — I understand your general point that individuals who are well-versed in their own religion are able to search most effectively for common ground with the beliefs of others. Nonetheless, don’t you think that even with modest religious training, people who possess a combination of intellectual curiousity, an open mind, and a desire for greater understanding of the world’s great religions can make an equally productive contribution to this conversation? Seminary students and the clergy may be best qualified to carry out this mission, but given such widespread conflict, misunderstanding, and intolerance, both on the world stage and at home, don’t we need to broaden the discussion and encourage as many people as possible to participate in this dialogue? It may be our only means of achieving greater understanding and finding “common ground”…..a cliche, perhaps, but an admirable goal nonetheless.
October 5th, 2006 at 10:58 am
gracefilled, please check your facts and do not falsely quote the Bible.
Matthew 22:37 Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”
October 5th, 2006 at 12:11 pm
Hey Everyone! This is so awesome to me to hear all the different views and points that I have read on Christianity, although I would love to hear some points and views from those that are of the Muslim faith and of the Jewish faith, whom I love and admire them both. I am very open minded when it comes to “Religions” now I am not saying that I agree with all the “rules” that some religions have, but I love the differnt ways that we celebrate GOD!!! The Jewish just celebrated there most Holy Holiday, the Muslims are celebrating there Holiday right now and to see this to me is just how our God works. As a matter of fact I think our GOD is doing a mighty work right now with the horrible tragedies of the School shootings that have happened so recent and so close together. (My prayers & thoughts are with all the families involved in this, May the love of our Lord Jesus Christ be with them all, Amen & Amen)
And again last night out here in Colorado another 19 year old student was taken into custody at a School in Englewood. So much stories of “Forgiveness” have evolved out of these situations & so many people coming together to support each other. With the shooting at the Amish School, these people that isolate themselves from the world are suffering with the loss of their loved ones and in the midst of it, went to the home of the woman that was married to the 32 year old man that took his life and so many innocent lives with him, went to offer “forgiveness” to her……..THAT IS GOD AT WORK!!!!! God says to forgive those that have hurt us, just as I have forgiven you.
I would like to say also that my hat goes off to all of you “gracefilled” “pattip” “Nodom” ‘becca4″ “live4truth” and all of you that have joined in on this awesome website that these three beautiful women have so humbly have created. My prayers go out to all of you in these trying times!
May the Lord continue to bless you all today!
October 5th, 2006 at 4:12 pm
i think, too, that all these different viewpoints are great! in the end, i respect the right for everyone to have their opinions…and i would NEVER EVER judge someone for having their own opinions, even though i may not agree with them. Ok, so it’s the SECOND greatest commandment…whatever! I wasn’t intentionally misquoting! Once again, you cannot Love someone and condemn them. God is the final judge, if you do believe the Bible. Perfect, inspired word? How can it be when so many different viewpoints and interpretations can be taken from it?
October 5th, 2006 at 6:47 pm
Yes, God is the final judge. We don’t condemn, He does. And yes, the bible is His perfect inspired word. It has already been said, but there is one true interpretation. You may have to work to find it since it seems that everyone wants to interpret it the way that best fits their life, but in reality there is one truth. God’s intentions are quite clear when you examine His word in the context it was written. He is to be our most valued treasure…a priceless gift!
October 6th, 2006 at 9:14 am
Curious asked me why I was saying people who know their religion well are the best for dialogue, and I guess I have 2 answers. First, of course, its great if everyone talks to each other. But second, my point is that people who are not strict followers of their religious laws can find it easy to compromise and that doesn’t get us anywhere. Its the “true believers” that have to talk to each other because that’s where the pronounced differences are. We saw it here - people who believe they know the “truth” have said so. The problem is that some of those people showed no ability to acknowledge that other people also think they know the “truth” and the two “truths” are not the same, and that if we are going to live together, each “truth” must be given the same level of respect. Make sense?
October 6th, 2006 at 9:14 am
to put an end to this. It is possible to love someone and also condemn them. God is the true definition of Love.. God created a hell. in the end people will still be comdemned.. None of us have the power to condemn anyone They condemn themselves by not believing. but point being. God doesn’t want anyone to be condemned. that is the reason he sent his Son into the world. To save the world! It is not God’s will that any should perish. My goal is to spread the “Truth” to everyone.
John 3:16-18
16For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
gracefilled… calling the bible teachings “mythology”?????? christianity got hold? The entire bible is true and anyone who believes otherwise is by definition not a true christian. You need to really look at what you believe and why.
October 6th, 2006 at 1:27 pm
Just what if…..god wanted everyone to come to the same conclusion of how to live their lives in love for each other. And suppose god did that in more than one way…..ie gave some people the bible and so forth.
Maybe this is all a “test” to see who truly knows the truth of living a loving and peaceful life. And maybe ther is no god and we can all figure this out on our own without worshipping anything, the religion is simply a vehicle to teach your children to be kind and decent human beings. I can’t understand the point of religion if it has as it’s only purpose to revere a certain entity……and that’s the only way to everlasting life? Maybe it’s not how or who you worship but how you live your life that truly matters.
October 6th, 2006 at 1:57 pm
I pasted this in to make it easier.
——-
pattip Says:
October 4th, 2006 at 12:33 pm
Why is it a compromise to try and find common ground? I am trying to figure out, what is the point of religion anyway. Is the point to worship some entity? Why is that good? These are just some of the questions I ponder on a regular basis. Anyone wanna tackle any of these?
————-
Pattip, I don’t think it is a compromise to try and find common ground. Actually, I think it is needed. At least some of the religions have come from the same original source and they need to varify that and then quit using their differences in what name they have for “their” god or what prophet they want to idolize as an excuse for murdering each other.
Christianity, Jewdaism and Islam have that common original source for there beginnings including Moses, who lived among the Arabs much of his life in what is now Saudi Arabia, and they have a great deal of common beliefs, history and teachings. The biggest differences seem to center around differences in how they look at Jesus and Mohomad and their later history, and for some, in how they see their roll in making history.
As far as religion goes, to worship God, the creator of all things, is to recognize God’s teachings as the correct teachings to live by, then acknowledging Him, the author of the teachings as the true source of rightmindedness in accordance with those teachings and then patterning your life according to His teachings. That is worshiping God. For someone to claim they believe in God and that they worship Him but then do not pattern their life according to those teachings, is not really believing in or worshiping Him. And, society cannot be reformed through the teachings of God without the God of the teachings.
Without a higher authority to answer to and be punished by, mankind will always give into their desires to do whatever they can get away with and justify the same with whatever excuse is handy. Mankind can not attain righteousness (right mindedness) without the God of righteousness being there with them in their lives to help them through the trials they encounter. This is where the Holy Spirit, which is the comforter and guide sent to us by Jesus, comes to live withing our hearts once we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. That is when we are changed into a new being.
Mankind can not expect God to help them when they, at the same time, in their hearts and with their mouths and their actions, deny His existence. When people have taken that stance, God will leave them to suffer the results of their own wisdom. He gave man the freedom to choose and he must leave them to their choice, if it was to deny Him. He doesn’t want them to suffer, but He will not force His ways upon man during this period of grace. After all is fullfilled, however, there will be a judgement day where those who chose to live wickedly and rebeliously will be cleansed from among the righteous because they are like an infectious disease and cannot be allowed to be a part of the next life or heaven, or all would be reduced to chaos and lost. The only way to have an orderly existance in a complicated creation and avoid self distruction is for God’s rules for that orderly existance to be respected and followed.
If you were a mechanic and had to work on a truck engine and needed information you didn’t have, in order to finish the work, the best book to read would be the maintenance manual written by the manufacturer of that engine as the manufacturer of that engine is the only one who would have the most correct information. Our Creator God is the manufacturer of all things, thus, he is referred to as the Creator of all things, so it stands to reason that His book, His maintenance manual, will have the correct information as to how His creation works and how we should live our lives in order to get the most miles out of this life with the least amount of wear and tear and such that we will be a blessing to the rest of His creation and for the life to come.
God is a real entity and so is Jesus. My example of feeling the presence of God was intended to varify their existence and that they are here with us and in some cases, waiting for us to let them in to our lives so that we, the lost children of God, can be brought back into the family of God. My attempt involved nothing more than that.
For the Humanist — if someone has not already answered your question on pinging, pinging was originally a network administrative utility program that is used to diagnose network problems.
Also, pinging is a functions that is being used to notify weblog tracking websites that a weblog has been updated.
God bless.
October 6th, 2006 at 2:34 pm
Rubes, i realize that other people think they know the truth.. I am not put here to make friends.. I am put here to spreak God’s word, and to love my brother, now if believe my brother believes he is saved and yet by the Word of God he is not, i would not be showing love by letting my brother wander in his “relative truth” path to hell. That would not be love at all. I can not sit by with a clear conscience letting these people pick what they want their god to be and what they think their god is without reading his Word. That is idolatry which is the breaking of the First Commandment. If your loving this “realtive god” than you are not keeping Jesus’ first commandment, love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. If you don’t love the Lord you cannot be saved. I am not trying to put anyone down. But it is the ultimate form of hatred for your fellow man to have the truth and, in the presence of those who need it most, not proclaim it. It is hatred and wrong of me to not voice the absolute truth. I’m truly sorry if this offends anyone, but a true christian would understand where i’m coming from.
October 6th, 2006 at 3:51 pm
I think it is compromise to find common ground. The definition of compromise is: something midway. midway by definition is halfway which could be defined as common ground.. So if we are finding common ground we are compromising. We are giving up on the uncommon ground (which seperates us) to stand on common ground (unite) with everyone else’s beliefs. That is compromising.
Pattip what if your right? what difference will it make. but are you willing to bet your eternity, in either heaven or hell, on it. Maybe it is all a test, but, and equally as compelling, maybe its not. If you live your life like that when you die, you would go to hell for not believing in God’s one and only Son. We can say “what if” all day long, that is a lazy way to monopolize a conversation. Speak only the truth.
Proverbs 28:26 He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.
Wisdom by definition is: knowledge of what is true. Find the Truth, don’t trust yourself. It says in the Bible you are saved by grace, not works. ie not “how you live your life”. But in trusting the Lord and Following him you will also live a life that is morally commendable(kindness and love for your fellow man).
October 6th, 2006 at 6:36 pm
Pattip…
see the movies “The Secret,”
and “What the Bleep do we know?”
and read the book, “Conversations with God,” by Neale Walsch.
Also “The 7 spiritual Laws of Success,” by Deepok Chopra
These all sound like things that might interest you, and they certainly have given me so much insight into Spirituality, not Religion! God, I believe, is a total vessel of Love, and I believe that we are all part of him, and he of us.
Did you know that Christianity accounts for less than 33% of the world’s religions? Also, that number includes Catholics, which have historically been at odds with the “True Christian” Fundamentalism we are seeing here. Take out the Catholics alone, and that 33% drops considerably! Like to 11%! Islam is 21%, and Hinduisim is 14%. See Wikipedia.
So…I just find it interesting that one of the smallest groups represented on the entire earth believe they have thee one and only truth! Yes…The numbers in the US do not follow the world trend, but they’re growing that way. Unfortunately, that really does make some think they have the end all, be all truth. But…the world is a big place, and there is so much to discover!
Look to your heart for the answers…don’t worry about finding an organized church!
God is within you and will let you know…
I send Blessings of Peace, Abundance, and Love to all of you!
October 6th, 2006 at 9:06 pm
in response to gracefilled..
Mathew 7:13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many eter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few will find it.”
Your statement of Christians being the minority is nothing but reassuring to True Christians.
1 Corinthians 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
The World is a big place.. but be careful who you befriend.
James 4:4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
October 6th, 2006 at 9:12 pm
Truth…………. Are we related? you seriously say whatever is on my mind. I can’t agree with you more. I especially like how you quote scripture to back up your statements. I’m glad some people here don’t mind being the voice of “truth”
October 6th, 2006 at 9:14 pm
well Jesus is the true voice of truth, but you know what i mean.
October 7th, 2006 at 9:17 am
Truth, if you quote “anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes and enemy of God” you must realize that taken literally no one should ever trust anyone. Taken as meaning not befriending those of any other beliefs, anyone from any other belief could claim this as their own and believe theirs is the one “true” way and to befriend others would make them enemies of god. Seems god doesn’t want peace. Now that’s weird, unless it’s not a benevolent god, but a tyrannical dictator. Sounds evil to me, seriously.
October 7th, 2006 at 10:37 am
you look at those bible scriptures one way, and i, another!
Yes…having been raised in strict traditional Catholicism, I was told the same thing…
(”Narrow the gate,” etc…)and then when I went onto the Fundamentalism Route, I was told the same thing! And I have friends who are Mormons who say the same thing, and on and on…”we’re small, so we’re the correct way!”
once again…if the bible is the perfect truth, why can it be interpreted in so many different ways…and who is right if there can be so many different interpretations? I’ve asked this several times of the bible-versed writers and haven’t received an answer.
Be careful who you befriend? I am so thankful that I don’t have to live in fear!
Every person placed in my path has been placed there by God for a reason. And every life challenge only aids in my spiritual growth!
I think God is so0 much bigger than the tiny box the bible and organized religion put him in to.
October 7th, 2006 at 2:02 pm
taken literally it means don’t follow the trends of the hethan. If you fit in with the world, if your popular, or well liked, respected even, by non-Jesus followers (schools, classmates, co-workers, people at the mall, anyone that does not follow Jesus in their daily walk, whether they belong to a religion or not). You are befriending the world. The “normal” people should look at you with hate, or think your crazy.
gracefilled.. do you notice your last statement? “I think” God is soo much bigger than the tiny box the Bible and organized religion put him in to. The Bible explains God from every aspect. It doesn’t leave room for thoughts. So by you saying what “you think” you are choosing what “you think” your “god” is like. That by definition is idolatry. Which is a sin against God. The Bible doesn’t really have that many interpretations, i don’t know why you keep saying that. you are being vague. Like its been said in one of the threads, they are meant only one way.
Yes, if you only read part of it, you could interprit it however you want. If you read “We are in the middle of a race.” That could be interprited a million different ways if you try to figure out what it means to you(foot race, car race, bike race, boat race, etc.) but read in its context and you find the true meaning. If that statement was written in Bill Clinton’s biography about the presidential race it means only one thing. If it was written In Jeff Gordan’s story about the Daytona 500, it only means one thing. You have to read the context. you can’t assume you are the know all spiritual buddha(enlightned one). Read the context. What does your soul tell you is not an acceptable substitute for reading the context. And becca4 has addressed the comment in faith question 1. I am borrowing her basic idea, (because its true)
when Jesus said, ” I am the way the Truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Can only be interpreted one way. I(Jesus) am the way(the only way) the truth(the absolute truth) and the life(eternal life). No one(nobody!) comes to(enters in to) the Father’s house(heaven) except through me(Jesus). We all speak English. It is in plain English. There is no part of the Bible more true than another. You can’t know the Father, without knowing the Son. I don’t see the tiny box the Bible put God into, and if you believe it did, God breathed the Bible into existance. So therefore he wanted to be in a tiny box. I agree that organized religion isn’t the way to go. Its a relationship. The Bible allows you to know God(The Father, The Son(Jesus), and the Holy Spirit). If you don’t believe the Bible is the whole story. Then you don’t believe the Bible.
Revelation 22:18-19 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. 19And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
You have to follow the Bible exactly. you can’t add what you want to think God is. The Bible cleary explains, This book is it. There is no more. If you add more to it God will add to you the plagues described in this book. If you take away any God will take away your share in the tree of life, and the holy city. Sprirtual is one thing, but you can grow spiritually the wrong way. If your not reading and believing the Bible, the whole Bible, then you have created your own god, and are worshipping an idol. There is no more to it.
October 7th, 2006 at 9:49 pm
I don’t think the bible was orginally written in English.
October 8th, 2006 at 1:25 am
*Laughs* I think pattip just summed it up. You have to follow the Bible exactly but which one: KJV, NKJV, NIV, JPS…? Our only hope is to pray for G-d’s guidance and try to study them in their original form…Hebrew and Greek for the Bible and Arabic if you wish to study the Quran.
October 9th, 2006 at 4:57 am
I am a Child of God.
I am a catholic (Although some here would tell me I’m not)
I have been given a Brain by God with permission to use it.
I believe that the Bible is a gift which I can use to guide me to lead a good Christian-life.
I use my Brain, my conscience, my heart and my soul to try to live a Christ like life (And I often fail)
I believe that I can believe in the Bible without accepting it all as fact.
I believe in God and evolution
I believe that the kingdom of heaven is open to all who love their fellow man and follow their conscience.
I believe to be a good Christian means to be kind, tolerant and giving and to appreciate and be thankful
for this wonderful World with all its contrasts and different peoples, cultures and religions.
I would love to hear from non-Christians who live Christ-like lives (or even Budha like)
October 9th, 2006 at 12:45 pm
i’ ve taken a class in biblical greek. i’ve studied it. i can assure you that it makes just as much sense in English as it does in greek. studying the greek also makes sense, but since this ancient, dead language isn’t my first language, english makes much more sense and says the same thing. : )
October 10th, 2006 at 8:19 am
Someone said that Judaism began among Arabs in what is now Saudi Arabia. FYI - Abraham - the first Jew - came from UR which is claimed to be in Iraq, but really is probably in Turkey. And there were no Arabs at that time. The surrounding peoples were in small pagan tribes, some of which believed in human sacrifice. Just a point of clarification.
The other thing I’ve noticed is that some of the people on this blog really don’t get it. You can quote scripture all you want, but if you are talking to someone who doesn’t believe in the scripture, then the scripture is not persuasive.
Last thing - I think that if the blog turns into a few Christians quoting scripture to each other, instead of people of many beliefs talking to each other, the blog won’t last long. People will simply lose interest. I didn’t create the blog, but I’m pretty sure that it wasn’t created so that a few people could tell everyone else they are going to Hell. I think it was created so that people of different beliefs could talk to each other and listen to each other, to learn about each other’s beliefs, and maybe find common ground when possible. A word to the wise.
October 10th, 2006 at 10:35 am
Rubes,
Thanks for bringing us back to the topic here, to share how religion etc. affects our lives and to share different beliefs in a amicable (sp?) atmosphere.
What do we have in common…Jews, Christians, Muslims, Atheists, Buddhists and so on. Maybe we can get more representation here so that we can expand our knowledge of each others’ beliefs. Differences are usually less threatening when there is the knowledge and understanding.
For my part, an atheist, I still have all the wishes of a safe, harmonious, kind, world that some others do. Perhaps this isn’t the same view of others and if not, I’d like to hear from them as well so as to understand them. Of course, no one’s life is always safe, harmonious, kind…there is lots of sadness, strife, and stress to go around. But people deal with these in different ways, and some of that has to do with religious belief….or not.
Thanks again, Rubes. You are a sensible person.
October 10th, 2006 at 1:39 pm
I guess I was that one person that lost interest the way “Rubes” explains in his/her blog. I was so interested in reading everyones views until it seemed to have taken a turn to casting stones. This will probably be the last time that I enter a reply only because I am now more saddened then interested.
God is God all by himself and needs no defending & that is what this seems to have turned into. Rather then it being people of all faiths just talking, it turned into different people just blabbering comments and put downs and talking about people going to hell… None of you are the fianl judge, there is only one final judge and only HE knows what is going to happen to all of us in the end!
God please have mercy on us all!
Blessings to everyone!
October 30th, 2006 at 10:42 pm
This question is for The Faith Club authors: Are you going to have more questions for the month of November and following months? All of the comments on October’s questions seemed have been made at the beginning of the month and I seem to be the only one who has found the blog sight and taken an interest in commenting at the end of October. Thanx-
October 31st, 2006 at 10:56 am
What a great movement. As I stated in my profile I am a Christian missionary. I have enjoyed the friendship of all faiths and find that we all have something in common that connects us. If we would embrace our differences and not let them be a dividing force we could all get along. I also teach a course called, “Working with Total Diversity” for the American Red Cross which encourages inclusive relationships. When Jesus died on the cross He was not selective about who He died for…He died for all of us..Christians, Jews, Muslims, Atheists, etc. This is a great step to understanding for all people. Great job!!!!
Blessings on all of us…