erickdan

-I'll start with Why Not.

What's YOUR excuse?

Is it that you think you have no need for God?
When you say this, you are thinking you are quite happy without God. What you fail to realize is that our greatest need is not "happiness" but "forgiveness". It takes a very proud, or very foolish person to say they have no need for forgiveness. Without it we are in trouble.

Do you think there must be some catch?
Sometimes, people find it hard to accept that there is anything free in this life. They think it all sounds to easy. Although it is free for us, it was not free for Jesus. He paid dearly for it with His own blood.

Do you have to much to give up?
We need to remember, God loves us. He only asks us to give up things that do us harm. What we give up is nothing compared to what we recieve. The cost of not becoming a Christian is far greater than the cost of becoming one.

Do you think that you are not good enough?
None of us is good enough for God. Nor we can we ever make ourselves good enough. But that is why Jesus came. he made it possible for god to accept us just as we are, whatever we have done, and however much of a mess we have made of our lives.

Or do you tell yourself that you'll do it later?
Sometimes people say, "I know its true, I'm just not ready yet". The longer we put it off, the harder it becomes and the more we miss out. We never know whether or not we will get another opportunity.


-Speaking for myself, my only regret is that I did not accept his gift earlier. I was one of the heaviest users of DXM among others drugs but on jan 24th in the depths of despair and on the brink of suicide I knew it was time to give it all up and give it to God. I tell you the truth, He was there waiting for my return, he took away ALL my addictions in an instant. I experienced no withdrawals or cravings any longer for dxm, weed, alcohol, speed or cigarettes. He has never let me down and he is blessing me now more than ever. I now know him, i know true happiness and forgiveness, and the high that he has given me is better than any the world ever gave me. I found out how to fill that empty spot inside me and where I fit in.

He says if we cling to our lives we will lose it. But if we give it up to serve Him we shall find it.

God keeps his promises.

"And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking and you will find. Keep on knocking and the door shall be opened. For everyone who asks, recieves. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks." -Luke 11:9-10 (NLT)

The things of this world are so temporary and mean nothing once you enter eternity.

God bless you all. Please go see The Passion of the Christ movie next wednesday also. He loves you! =)

Logos

I have been reading a plain english version of the bible lately, and what you have said here is right on my brother...

Give and ye shall recieve.

Looking forward to seeing that movie. My father sent me an e-mail about it. The night the movie opens a local tv station is airing a making of special. If I'm not mistaken, it's the 22nd.

Here is what my father sent me.

I have another one around here somewhere that disses the Mel Gibson movie, and promotes a Canadian movie along the same lines.

Expect controversy to surround this one...

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Brother Logos
The more I learn, the less I know. | Truth doesn't change, only our perception of it does.
THC Ministry | The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ | The Reluctant Messenger of Science and Religion
True religion is real living, living with all one's soul, with all ones goodness and righteousness. --Albert Einstein

Roy

"We need to remember, God loves us. He only asks us to give up things that do us harm."

I never heard God say that. I think it's harmful to worship paper gods. It's also harmful to presume you know the will of God. I suggest you put down that bible for it deceives from the beginning. For example: Day one: God creates day and night. Day four: God creates the sun.
If you don't see a problem with that then you have been blinded. Confess the truth... it will set you free.
I do agree with your opinion that God loves us.

bske420

smoking that skanky buddha once again and lovn it!!

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still in love with mary jane

WNB

ErickDan: Your entire arguement is based on a false premise; you assume that everyone shares the same core beliefs that you do, which is a stretch at best. This is what really pisses me off about alot of xtians. You think that everyone accepts your beliefs as fact, and that no alternative beliefs exist.

Here's my reasons for being agnostic.

1) Organized religion forces believers to accept a belief system and moral code not their own. They never think through alot of what their religion tells them, instead just accepting it as right.

2) Organized religion tells believers that their perspective is the only correct way to look at spirituality and morality. It tells believers that god wants them to think and act a certain way, and that anyone who does not think and act in this way is inferior.

3) Xtians really do not follow the teachings of Jesus. Jesus taught acceptance of others and questioning authority. He believed in showing your piety with actions, not words. I don't see any of this in modern xtianity. It supports forcing others to accept certain beliefs, blind acceptance of church doctrine, and preaching instead of leading by example.

Here's my opinion on spirituality.

If there is a God, he judges us by our actions, not by our beliefs. As long as we do what's right, why would he care what we call ourselves? Also, I've got to believe that god would rather we use our own minds to come up with our own beliefs, rather than blindly accepting someone else's.

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War is Peace
Freedom is Slavery
Ignorance is Strength

S2

My decision for my agnosticism is based on over 30 years of actively seeking and reading and learning and meditation/prayer.

I have researched the writing of the bible in the various currently accepted forms and have concluded that if indeed some of those books were the word of God they were highly modified by the hand of man.

I have researched many of the worlds religions and both major and monor and those that predate chritianity and those that came after and I find far too many similarieties to conclude that christianity has nailed down the one true word-

I am a fan of the mystic tradition for they seem to try to attain that which all the worlds religions seem to be pointing to rather than focusing on the pointing instrument itself.

firsttimer

I believe in my god. Not your god. And there are so many I would hope god could FORGIVE US for not having any sense of direction. Hmmmmm

Its nice to people who have an education come to that conclusion. Now if only the rest of America can see that S2. I can't wait to see this movie...

HappyMan

I am confident is the nonexistance of any diety and also happy. My study of Aikido, yoga and meditation provides enough spirituality to keep me content.

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Bla.

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Logos

I tend to agree with the agreeable...

As I mentioned to a christian I was talking to recently, I'm a spiritual independent. I see simmilarities between the message that most of the 4000 religions of the world preach. I find that when I'm reading the bible, I can differentiate between the truths of the messages that Jesus was attempting to convey, but here and there you find passages ment to control. I agree the hand of man has played too much in the role of the translating of the bible, but even the bible states in the end that if any of it is modified the modifier will have a special place where they can think about their actions.

Maybe God makes them sit in the corner for awhile.

I don't take the bible in it's entirety as a true work of God, but I also don't discount it out of hand.

I'm also a HUGE fan of the Dalai Lama. He takes a very complex argument and boils it down to something easily understandable that would fit nicely on a bumper sticker. IE, Peace is not just teh absence of violence, but the manifestation of human compassion.

Or...

When the Dalai Lama was asked what his religion was, he replied "Kindness".

Jesus had a job to do, I'm learning that his words make just as much sense, and they resonate within my soul. I consider him a spiritual teacher, nothing more nothing less. Learning his lessons is all we need concern ourselves with.

I will never completely subscribe to a belief system that claims to be the only path to righteousness. I consider that spiritual branding along the lines of Burger King stating that they have the best burgers in the world...

I view the various bibles ad guidelines, no more no less. I take the things that feel right and that are simmilar, and disregard those things that feel wrong, and are different between the various religions.

Not trying to preach, that is just simply my speech... --KMK

TomBombadil

To quote Voltaire, "Crush the damned thing!" Organized religion just isn't the point. I also agree with S2 here, in saying that the mystics are probably closest to the right idea...But really, is there something wrong with just living without believing (in anything)? Why can't your life, the people you love, and everything that goes with it be your "religon"?

And also for my personal opinion; Along with Roy, I don't like parts of the Bible from the start..some of His actions just don't make any sense. About this, one christian once preached to me that there are some things that God just does not intend us to understand. Well excuse me, but that seems like a pretty cruel thing for a benevolent deity to do: make us people smart enough to know there is a question, but not clever enoguh to find the answer? Not the kind of god I want to be worshipping and begging for forgiveness from.

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"So..So you think you can tell heaven from hell, blue skies from pain..Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail? A smile from a veil..Do you think you can tell?"
-Pink Floyd--Wish You Were Here