If it weren't for the Bible...
Could we just design our own God? Could we give Him a personality of our choosing, filling in any blanks we weren't sure of?
Could we say what He does and doesn't approve of? Could we make Him sound angry when He wasn't or unaffected when He was?
Could we say, "In my opinion He..." when we wanted to drive a point home, but had nothing to back up our point?
Could we get emotional and say, "The kind of God I believe in would never..." Could we create a God that did things the way we would do things if *we were God?
And if we did this... would we actually have created an entirely different entity than God Himself? Would we have created a god that made us feel comfortable and fit our individual preferences, breaking the very first commandment?
“You shall have no other gods before me." Ex 20:3So would you say then that they were ignoring the Bible?
No. Interpreting it how ever they please.
The Bible is presented as a moral absolute and yet it is interpreted differently by every single person. How is that different than moral relativity? It's why there are so many denominations and translations of the Bible. Nobody agrees on what it means, and yet it's presented as the moral standard to live by.
The following example:
"The Bible is the moral standard," I'm told.
"Ok, I said, then I'll do this..."
"No, You're misinterpreting it"
"But this other Christian person said that it meant this..."
"No! That other Christian interpreted it wrong!"
HUH??????If someone came to me with that worry, I would give them this advice:
Pray for guidance from the Spirit when deciphering truth.
Trust that God will take you where you need to be.
Read the Bible as a whole and study it. Don't jump around aimlessly.
Read different commentaries, but see if it lines up with scripture... scripture as a whole, not one or two verses.
However, that would be called being a student of the Bible. If you were to set it aside all together, then my main point about creating your own god to suit you, is still a stumbling block for many.I see what you're saying, however, my dilemma is this:
Christians say that their Bible is absolute and God is good. So I'm told to read the Bible.
Muslims say that their Qua'ran is absolute and God is good. So I'm told to read the Qu'aran.
Both of you are telling me to do this for the EXACT same reason.
I'm not trying to make a decision between two religions, I'm just providing a specific example and pointing out how baffling it is to those of us who don't believe, why people are so insistent on us believing them and get confused when we seem unwilling based on their insistence alone. (This statement is not directed at you.)
In the above situation, would you (generally speaking) recommend that I study the Quaran and hope to find truth and be led to Allah? Or would you prefer that I read the Bible and hope to find truth and be led to God? Of course you would prefer I do the latter, but what makes that decision any different than the other one?
Do you see the problem? Everyone claims to have the answers and claims that if I do not know in my heart that it is true, well, then I'm not looking hard enough. But EVERYbody says that. So...what then? That is my point. It is impossible to really know a truth based simply on someone's insistence that I follow their way of finding it, because everybody's saying the same thing based on the same reasons to find the same God. It's confusing as hell."We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking (consciousness) we used when we created them."
~ Albert EinsteinThat's one of my favorite Einstein quotes. I have no idea how that applied to what I said, but still...
You are my new best friend.Glad to have you as a friend. But Einstein is counting on you!
Einstein is counting on me?
Geez no pressure. Only one of the greatest minds that has ever lived is counting on me.
lol But seriously, it's 2:00 a.m. here. How did your statement apply to what I said?Electricity disturbance faced. Was cut off for a while. Replying shortly!
As you were saying earlier - religions are confusing because their meanings contradict each other - at the same time they all say that they have the ultimate answers.
I mentioned that quote from Albert Einstein to bring to point the idea that we can not successfully solve this confusion if we continue to think on the same level of consciousness that the authors of those conflicting religions belonged to.
We must. so to speak, rise above that consciousness to understand the illusiveness of the entire matrix that is religion.
Precisely speaking: that confusion is not as confusing as it seems to be. But we must view it from a different standpoint to understand its true nature.
I take it then that all people who
"Pray for guidance from the Spirit when deciphering truth.
Trust that God will take you where you need to be.
Read the Bible as a whole and study it. Don't jump around aimlessly.
Read different commentaries, but see if it lines up with scripture... scripture as a whole, not one or two verses."
get the very same answers, but yet we still have thousands of very different interpretations.Indeed we do. I wonder how many kids who take the SAT's answer every question right. I wonder if their advisers would counsel them to just skip the test since most wont ace it.
The pursuit is a worthy one.So then you must admit that the Holy Spirit is not involved at all or he would be giving you all the same answers.
I think the Spirit goes where he chooses.
Ppl have different motives. Some want God to prove something to them, some just want personal knowledge, some want to feel superior. Motive is everything. God judges the heart.
"The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."
Jms 5:16bWhat was said, though, is not that the spirit goes where it chooses, but that it says whatever it chooses, true or not (multiple conflicting versions of the same answer cannot all be true).
I don't believe you understood my response. The spirit "going" to a person was simply meant to imply that he would reveal God to that person... that he would reveal the word to that person who was seeking. Where as Radman made the assumption that out of 100 ppl, all 100 were seeking God for pure motives and/or were not just paying lip service, the spirit would judge the heart of the man making the request for God to reveal Himself to them.
The word has made it clear that those who seek Him shall find Him, so if there are those who do not find Him, I can only assume they weren't actually seeking Him. Motive is everything... God sees the heart.Then one of us misunderstood the context of Rad's post. I took him to be saying that the message delivered by the spirit, whether god speaking, the spirit speaking or Jesus himself somehow, differs with different people. The same answer is never delivered twice, even when to the same question/problem.
What you may be forgetting is that there are two other major religions which follow a 1 God. Then, you have quite a few other religions which recognize one or more. So, if we didn't have the Bible I think we could say that it would be possible to turn to some religion or another to define the concept.
So which religion did you assume I was claiming? Why would you assume I had forgotten any religion's claim on the Bible?
I felt I'd made my focus very clear. It was not, "Why isn't every religion who puts stock in the Bible of the same mind?" It was: "Would we create our own god, left to our own devices?"
Though there are always different perceptions, there can only be one truth. For most, it is a life long journey to come to that knowledge and only when we are "face to face" will all things be clear. But if we discount the truth we are given, our hands are empty. We are then left to create an entity based on hearsay and what sits right with us.
Is God, really God, if we have simply created our version of him? Is any god, God, that we have created?Hello? You do realize other religions don't necessarily use the Bible?
My point was that you have a plethora of religions willing to share a vision of God. You say different perceptions but only one truth. I say we can't know truth of that kind. If there is a God, only direct contact with all of the world in the same manner could verify that truth. So, no individual perception gets to claim truth.
Read the Hub "Have you Been Called" to consider an answer to your question.
It's certainly easy to invent a better version of God. Perhaps one that's not jealous and vindictive. The writers of the bible (who millions feel is subjective morality) were a bunch of slave owners who had no respect for women. And it shows in the writing. Do you really think it's morally sound to kill a child for poor behaviour and or choices?
But inventing a better version of God isn't necessary. Morals, what is good and bad can be deduced by a just society.To all your questions, I think yes, we COULD do any of those things. We might not have much of a reason for doing so however. If there was no bible, we would have the other things only, that we have at our disposal to learn more about a possible cause/god. Things like our consciences, nature, the cause and effect we see in history and our universe, and any possible personal interaction and cause and effect we have with such a being. We couldn't know too much about that being other than what we have could describe of it.
So in this sense, the bible can be helpful to those that consider it something worthy to be considered, which I do. Especially because of the New Testament and what is tells us about Jesus and the following books that elaborate on what Jesus said, etc. Also, future prophecy, and as things have unfolded throughout history. We can check these things. Not all are convinced, but it is put out there all the same.
Creating a god other than he is would seem to be a futile thing to me, but it may serve some purpose for some.Sorry, but our consciences, nature, cause and effect, history and our universe offer no leads and no understanding of any gods, quite the contrary.
Without the Bible, we might have turned to a more scientific view of our world centuries ago and would be far more advanced, civilized, educated, moral and ethical and have far less problems than we do today.
Well said, that is exactly what Christians have done.
Christians have created a god that makes them feel comfortable and fit their individual preferences, that's why they always argue with each other.
If you were to read one of those right now, is there one you feel led to read?
That's not meant to be a leading question. The only right answer is the truth. Seeking God is incredibly important. The Bible says that those who seek, shall find. So, could you read both? Sure. But the Bible claims that it is the word of God, so I would be curious, when you read it, do you feel there is power in the words... in the parables and teachings?
It is God that calls us to Him, so if you hear a call to seek Him, don't sit idle... begin the journey. Ask God to lead you by His spirit when you read.That's just it. Is there a God? So should I be asking Him anything?
Interesting. Nobody has asked that before (about which one to read.) I've read both, and they both have the same spirit to them. They both emit the same type of aura and energy. I used to be engaged to a Muslim guy (hence the reference to Islam), and to be honest with you, his arguments and the arguments of Christians both have the same level of legitimacy to me. So...let's assume that the God of the Bible is real, and after alot of effort and study, I choose wrong. Do I pay for that through whatever judgement God gives people who don't believe in Christ? (I don't know if you believe in hell, so I didn't want to automatically throw that word in there.)
Thank you for your kind words. My questions and comments are not meant to be critical; I was genuinely curious on how people of your faith see things.This is a perfect example of what my point was. I could give you an answer that seemed right to me... tell you what I thought God would do with your situation, but what good would that do you if I was wrong? Therefore, I would take you to the word. These two verses come to mind and I would hope they would be useful in your quest for truth. How could a quest for truth ever be wrong?
Mt 7:7-8
"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.…"
Jn 1:12-13
"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God."
Don't give up your quest. You are doing right to seek out your Maker. God bless you!
Seeking God is incredibly important. The Bible says so…
The bible says all kinds of immoral and simply bad things.
That's a great idea. My God would be wearing a Ramones t-shirt and a Devo "energy dome" hat and He would have a pitcher of beer in each hand that never runs dry. Hallelujah!
I have heard he can turn water into wine, but this might be a stretch.
Turning water into funk is more impressive.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TeUvQdfHfkGod knows your deep love of Sci-Fi my friend. He knows everything about you... he created you and he loves you. Here is a song you will probably hate. It is one of my favorites though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCunuL5 … feature=kp
He loves you Z-man.
The problem with that is that it effectively gives people a free pass to act as morally or immorally as they want. Every criminal would be able to say "i did it because my god says its ok".
Whilst the concept is rather appealing, having your own personal god of your own choosing is pretty cool ill admit, that's not the intended purpose of a god figure. In our world God is used as a platform for teaching morals that benefit everyone and individuals at the same time.
Im not a strong believer myself, im not exactly a devout believer lets just say, but i do think that if religion was taken merely as a platform for teaching us how to be nice to the people around us, all of the people around us i should say, then the world would be a better place. As AshtonFirefly pointed out, interpretation is everything in religion. It is also the major cause of conflict between people, countries and different religions.
All in all, whilst it would be awesome to have a personal god, it defeats the purpose of the system currently in place, however misunderstood and misused it is at present day."In our world God is used as a platform for teaching morals that benefit everyone and individuals at the same time."
No it's not - the purpose of a god in our world and time is to fill the coffers of the Shaman, the priesthood. Were it to teach morals and benefit everyone we wouldn't see such things as the fight over gay marriage, blue laws and the huge numbers of other "victimless" crimes in this country. Instead, we would see the followers of God acting under the Golden Rule, including allowing others to live the life they wish to instead of demanding that they follow the orders of their god.Demand? Is this not a free country? Are we not both required to follow the laws of the land? I have no power over you. Do you feel threatened by ppl with different beliefs than you?
Explain that to the gays being discriminated against; that the religious are not using their god's orders to persecute them by demanding they live differently that others.
Explain it to those living under Sunday Blue Laws; they they can't buy on Sunday for some hidden reason, not because their god says so.
Nearly every one of the "victimless crime" laws on our books come straight out of someone's idea of what their god wants others to do. Yet the religious do not demand that others follow the edicts of their particular god? I would disagree.And yes, I absolutely feel threatened by people with different beliefs than mine. Those are the people that took down the twin towers, after all, because their god told them to kill an infidel.
The Taliban has different views than I do as well. You also have different views than I do. We all have different views... you must fear a lot of ppl.
I don't have many demands that I can think of... and I doubt anyone would take them very seriously. I don't know what to tell you about the beer situation other than to buy it on Saturday night.Interesting that under Taliban rule only a small percentage of girls can read and the one's who try to learn can be shot in the head and the average life expectancy is around 44. Clearly they are not creating a society of happy people. But they think the rules their God gave them are real and moral.
Beer? Who said anything about beer? The "Blue Laws" I assume you are looking deny anyone the ability to buy anything, with perhaps a very few exceptions such as medical care or police protection (apparently the things the law makers want, god also wants them to have).
I've always found these Sunday rules odd. A while back where I am all stores were closed on Sundays. They can now open at noon on Sundays, but close at 5. Those laws were written because of what the bible says to do on Sundays, but these same people who insist on no shopping for everyone on Sunday if hurt would want a police officer, an ambulance, a nurse and doctor to be working.
So, you don't think anyone should think emergency personnel should be available?
Ha ha ha ha… What? How did you ever get that? I think and hope you were kidding.
My point is that religious people forced laws preventing malls from being open on Sunday and yet those same people expect police officers, and health care practitioners to be working and available on Sundays.You guys may be different up there. We consider police officers essential personnel and we expect emergency rooms to be open. Of course, we have no blue laws but back when they were in effect essential personnel did work. Because, unless you think tragedy simply won't happen if you make a blue law, you can understand the dangers of not having them on duty.
Being without a doctor or a police officer in an emergency is not the same as finding out you can't get a sandwich from Chik-fil-A.Wow, you are really not understanding. Did I say emergency personal shouldn't be working and paid on Sunday? No, twice now I've said (and I'll do it one more time) that it's hypocritical to ban stores from opening because the bible says to not work on Sundays while wanting others to work on Sundays for your benefit.
Not really as the context is basically old style labor laws--that people and beasts of burden should not be overworked, not that God will smite anyone who puts out a house fire on the sabbath. Only a real fundamentalist would apply to that literally to situation where people would die.
I don't see the hypocrisy. So, it makes sense to you to say if a restaurant can't open we should let a house burn down? A heart attack victim die?
This is a prime example of someone not understanding the reason for the law. The law, they say,.was to benefit humans. Not enslave them. Or endanger their lives. Jesus was accused of blasphemy, or some such, for doing good on the Sabbath.I'm just saying it was silly to ask people to close shop when others had to work. Not the other way around.
Making a law that people can't work on Sunday because of something written in the OT.Well, I'm a fan of blue laws. I also think we should shut down for holidays. I don't care what your religious affiliation is. Time together is more important than running a register, or serving food so owners of businesses can grub for a few more dollars.
The problem I see is that the lowest paid and least educated are expected to be available 24-7. The rest of us wouldn't deign to work for someone else on a weekend or holiday. You do, as an atheist, recognize the weekend? Or is that fundamentalist bs we should ignore?I think forcing a Jewish person to close his store or a Christian holiday when cops and hospital are in full swing is BS. I often work on weekends. Forcing people to work over 40 hours a week is not cool. Beth works on weekends, why not talk to her about that.
Beth who? The one that got run off of the site? It would be kind of hard to ask a question of someone not participating.
I don't think anyone should force anyone to not work. I just think we shouldn't be able to force them to, either. I work every day of the week, but I don't ask my employees to come in on weekends.http://hubpages.com/forum/post/2598321
Beth is Sed-Me
Welcome back Beth!Hi Emile,
I posted my identity on another thread, you must have missed it.
It's good to "see" you.Ahh. That makes sense. I knew you couldn't stay away forever. Welcome back.
You could however ask your employees (when hiring) to work on the weekend and take two days during the week off.
I have two teenage boys who both work part time on the weekends.Doesn't it just follow that government/society allows all ppl the opportunity to break from work and worship their god, should they choose? I don't know of any religions that have a weekday set aside as a holy day, but I am guessing it would be a minute amount of the worshiping public. Societies norms cannot be made chosen by the minority, no matter how awesome their cultural/spiritual celebrations may or may not be simply b/c it is not practical. Special considerations should be made for anyone with needs outside of the norms, but to say we shouldn't have Sat. and Sun. offered off by schools and many businesses seems like an argument not worth having.
I'm not saying anyone should be forced to work, but if you don't want to work on Sunday morning then some kid gets some part time employment. I have two kids doing just that today.
Muslims are supposed to go and pray five time a day and Fridays are Christians Sundays. It's mandatory for men to attend the mosque on Fridays but no for women.
When I was looking for jobs, I requested Sundays off. I couldn't find a job in my field... or any job for two years. Then someone told me to put "available anytime" on the app. The minute I did that, I was hired. I saw my mng. interview a kid and the boy said he would need Sundays off... they smiled and had a pleasant conversation and when the kid left, we never saw him again. I am a Christian and I am required to work on Sundays. I accept that. (I have already discussed with you the verses that explain why some of the old laws became unnecessary when Jesus came and fulfilled the law.) I follow the same guidelines as my peers. I don't ask for special treatment.
And I'm applauding you for it. In Muslim countries they have public announcement that tell them when to pray. Cool eh? You and I live in secular societies. Jewish holidays are unpaid. They can take them, but they don't get paid.
Which system works best?I don't get paid for the days I don't work either. Not that I wouldn't be supportive of Jews getting paid for religious holidays. We don't all work for the government. Some of us are just happy to have a job and keep the electricity on... there are ppl who have far more to complain about than we do.
So does everyone in Can. get paid for Christmas and Easter off?Of course. They are paid holidays.
New Year's Day,
Family Day,
Good Friday,
Victoria Day,
Canada Day,
Civic Holiday,
Labour Day,
Thanksgiving,
Remembrance Day,
Christmas Day,
Boxing Day.
Those are the Mandatory ones for my province. Most employers add a few more days to Christmas.
I'm selve employed so it's meaningless to me. Not the no Jewish or Muslims paid holiday's. They can take the days off, but don't get paid, they do get paid for the Christian holidays though.
Are you saying that if you are booked to work on Christmas you don't get paid for it?We are given one day a year off for holiday... Christmas. I am not paid for it. Furthermore, I will be moving to Canada. Eh?
Just a point of clarification-the only religious holiday the average American worker has off is Christmas. Our list normally looks like this:
New Year's Day
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Thanksgiving
Christmas
Companies may add a day here and there by choice, but that's it in terms of national holidays. Easter falls on Sunday, and requires arranged time off if one works Sunday, or wishes to take the Monday after off. Good Friday is never an option, again unless it's arranged with the company.These holidays are not observed in the service industry... when's the last time you went to the mall during regular business hours and it was closed? By the year 2000 there were 107 million + ppl in the service industry. That's a lot of ppl selling ketchup on Thanksgiving.
I'm speaking specifically to the average 8-5 worker's schedule. I spent all of my working life in the service industry. I got a total of two Christmases off. But there are restaurants and grocery stores that close on Christmas. The decision not to do so, IMO, is made to not affect their financial bottom line, like Emile has pointed out.
That's fine for single people. Families with children can't shuffle school around so that the family has time together if parents are forced to work weekends. Husbands and wives on opposing schedules could count on time for each other. I'm not advocating blue laws. I simply think we put too much emphasis on constant availability of avenues to exchange money. I participate. Freely. But, I wouldn't have any problem with a down day for all. Once a week. It wouldn't benefit me; but it would be for the benefit of others not so fortunate. I can live with that.
I thought we already went through that. Emergency rooms and police are essential personnel.
Right, so you want to dictate who can and can't work.
You might change your mind if you had to live under blue laws. I did, for several years.
No gas on Sunday - if you have forgotten to fill the tank no kids to the park or the family to church.
No milk - if you run out, too bad. No baby food, either - baby can go hungry.
Forget catsup for the burgers on the grill? Do without.
Your dog got hit by a car? It can wait until Monday.
Passing through and car broke down? Motels are available (where I lived) but no mechanic no matter how urgently needed.
Funny how it all changed when a major amusement park went in just across the county line into the next county. Where they could open on Sunday for patrons and their families and where the millions in property taxes went to a different county.I did not set those laws into effect. As far as what you can and can't do without... I don't know what to tell you. My state doesn't sell alcohol before noon. If that bothered me greatly I would move or try to change the law. As for you doing without ketchup for your burgers, believe me... don't get me started. I have often wondered why I had to work on Thanksgiving b/c someone forgot to buy ice and butter the day before. I worked on Mother's Day, my birthday, my anniversary... I'm pretty sure not one customer knew or cared... that's life and I'm subject to the same laws as everyone else in my state. We are spoiled Americans. I listen to ppl complain all day every day and when you compare our plights to those of ppl in other countries, it's vomit inducing.
There are, as far as I know, only a few small areas of the country left with actual blue laws. Sunday alcohol sales were never considered to make such a law - they are very common even now.
You had to work on Turkey day because you agreed to and because the owner of the store felt it would either make money for him or increase customer satisfaction. Your choice and that of your boss - blue laws removed that choice from both of you in the name of god (even though other excuses are often used) and are thus unethical and immoral.I agree... I work on Thanksgiving so I can afford the turkey. That wasn't my point... to complain. It was my response to your urgent need for ketchup whenever you need it.
Whoever thought blue laws were necessary had their own agenda. I am a Christian... I didn't vote for the law, I have never bombed an abortion clinic, been unkind to a gay person or thrown paint on a fur coat wearing actress (in case I could some how be blamed for that too.)
Believe in God or don't. Lump all Christians together or get to know a few more.
Life is too short to blame all your problems on one group.
My point still stands. If your not happy with the laws of your state, change them or move. I have nothing to do with your issues, but I hope you will be able to come to peace with them.The sad thing is, reading through the arguments you see that people care more about personal convenience than they do about others. Heaven help we find ourselves sans condiments.
We've allowed society to devolve into employers caring only about a dollar and caring nothing for their workers. And this attitude is supported by a me, me mentality of the consumer.But, blaming all of your problems on someone else ensures that other people's short lives are that much more miserable.
Why do my plights make you vomit? We don't actually complain much up here (with the exception of the weather), it's not really our way.
No, not your personal complaints. Working in customer service, I listen to the complaints of the customer all day. It is sickening what ppl find to complain about. The sheer amount of food that is returned only to be thrown away b/c someone didn't know they weren't gonna like soy milk. Or b/c their chicken was too dry. Our third world problems are insane. We stomp our feet and make demands, we want what we want and we want it now or we're gonna go balistic. If I told you the complaints you hear from the general public, you would be shocked. I never knew ppl were so crazy until I started working retail. It's shameful.
Recently one of the counties in my state had an attempt to remove it's blue laws. WV's largest resort (yes we have them) was losing something in the neighborhood of 15 million dollars a year in revenue because of them.
But that's OK. WV is such a wealthy state that we can afford to give up the taxes on that revenue. It's not like we need schools or roads or anything.
Here's my take on it, which is at least as valid as anyone else's right?
First, the bible never said not to do anything on Sunday. It said not to work on the Sabbath, and the Jewish Sabbath is Saturday, not Sunday. Gentile Christians have never kept a sabbath, but have observed "The Lord's Day," which is the commemoration of his resurrection. Aside from Seventh Day Adventists, we observe The Lord's Day on Sunday.
Second, police, firefighters, etc. are public servants, as ministers are servants to their congregations. What they do is NOT a job. It is a calling to protect and serve the people.
Blue Laws vary from state to state - hell, from county to county. Where I come from you can open whatever you want to on Sunday, but if you want to sell alcohol, you can't do it till after noon. During the rest of the week, you can't do it after 2am. Same rules for stores as for bars.
That's my take. Enjoy the rest of the conversation.This conversation brings up an interesting question. In my mind, at least. Most outspoken opposition to Christianity is steeped in complaints that the majority doesn't adher to fundamentalist ideals.
Christendom consists of a tiny percentage of fundamentalists. The large majority, if not reasoning for themselves, at least understand the reasoning behind accepting that fundamentalist interpretations are flawed.
I wonder why the argument of 'all or nothing' exists, simply because it was the 'all or nothing' lack of reasoning which appears to be the impetus which compelled the need for the gospels in the first placeEmile, I'll be honest. I've never really understood a lot of fundamentalist reasoning, especially the all or nothing mindset to which you refer. Religion had never seemed to me as something that was meant to address every single question that might arise among humanity. In some cases, it just is what it is. That trees grow to provide shelter and oxygen and all that isn't something I wonder about. That humanity has evolved along similar lines as other species isn't something that makes me scratch my head. That nature follows its particular course is just something I see and accept.
That human beings seem to be able to manipulate our environment to meet our needs isn't all that strange to me. Our need to manipulate each other to meet our desires, however is a bit of a puzzle. I don't think science adequately addresses that question, so I don't look to them to provide that answer. I think that maybe religion evolved to provide, or at least to search, for that answer.
The way I look at it, we turn to science to observe and understand the natural world. We turn to religion to observe and understand how humanity fits into it. It's not an all or nothing question, as far as I can see. It's what works to answer a particular question at a particular time.True. That's basically my point. Most of those who caucus with the Christian faith would, most likely, agree with you. It makes sense, considering the world we live in. Fundamentalism is unreasonable on most issues.
The question I have is what makes the person who steps in to adamantly question Christianity reason in the same manner as a fundamentalist? Coming, of course, to an opposite conclusion....but, using the same train of reasoning to arrive at that point?
Main stream Christianity appears to stand gently at odds with agnosticism. Using similar reasoning to arrive at different conclusions. I suppose, maybe it's the level of emotion garnered by the conclusions arrived upon? I don't know.
The point is forcing a law in place for all because of one particular religion isn't fair to the rest of the people. It's an example of the strong hold Christians have on the government. Or had. Those doctor, nurses and police officers are working as they are getting paid to do so. Our laws on the sale of alcohol are a lot different up here. Can't buy any in any corner or grocery stores, unless the grocery store has a corner section LCBO.
Either God says not to work or He doesn't. The bible most definitely does NOT say not to work...EXCEPT for medical personnel, police, phramacists, veterinaries, etc.
Yes. And it is an interesting point you bring up. God's teachings of morality are of great benefit to the world as a whole, but when offered the opportunity to have a relationship with the Creator of the universe, why would we sacrifice that for a system of laws?
Laws are good, right? They keep us safe, help us to do the right thing. But that's why God sent His son. He gave us laws first, but our human bent leads us into religiosity. We became fervent about following the letter of each law to the point of choking out the actual relationship with God, then Jesus comes and says... 'I'm here to fulfill the law.' The law is all about relationship. Take the 10 commandments. It's about loving God, loving your neighbor, treating ppl kindly... Jesus is the bridge to God and he himself said that he was the only bridge to God.
Jn 14:6-7
"Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.""Everyone is God, poof!!!!
Gee, I feel much better now, no more fighting.
It helps to be an artist
Sed-Me, I love how you are asking the questions that cause folks to think about who God is to them. God bless, you!
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