Please Explain

But they put the nice little loophole in. If you do something wrong, ask for forgiveness. BAAM, you're forgiven. The people who put together this religion weren't idiots. They knew how to get what they want while making people feel regretful for doing the same things. It's all a big mind game concocted from a few zealots who died many years ago, and unfortunately they were very effective at spreading their agenda. And prophecies in the bible have no relevance to me. It's not hard to figure out that messages are going to become distorted over the years, and that conflicts will arise from them.

Yes, god's love may be what you hear the most of. But there's still the underlying message that if you don't accept god's love, you will go to hell. They can preach love all they want. They can say it's the reason for becoming a Christian. However, it's just the chrome-plating on the main message of eternal damnation.

 

I try to look at it this way

What does God want for me? does he want me to have pleasant memories and a fuller life. Yes he does. He want's only what's best for me. No kidding.
What does the opposition want? Why to destroy all positive vibes within my soul, that's what the opposition wants. He want's only to decieve and destroy my soul.
It is like you have a choice to play on a baseball team, you know your team will go on to the world series, and you know who will win. Before the game begins you know which team is going to win. And you get to pick which team you play on.
Are you really going to pick the losing team? Not me I live for christ.
Don't think You can't be cool and live for christ. I make tiedye t-shirts and grow my own medical marijuana. I don't push my religion on people- but if your searching for christ im willing to help anyway i can. Look first within your own heart. To thine own self be true. Focus within and tune into the inner being of your soul. Then read the new testament- or even start with psalms and read the Bible with an open mind towards what God actually wants for you. He want's what's best and good for you.He is on your side, belive it and all shall be revealed.

 

Religion (Christian or not) cannot be proved beyond a shadow of a doubt, because religious convictions are based of faith. And what is faith, folks? Faith is a belief in something that you hold to be true even though you cannot prove it. The Bible is divinely inspired, penned by the hands of men... Most Christians believe it to be completely accurate, because the Hand of God controlled the penning hands of men. I personally wonder about this, because the Muslims call the Koran the "Infallible Word of Allah" and they are supposed to worship the same G-d as the Christians and Jews (Ishmael, son of Abraham, the alleged first Muslim). Goodness knows I don't agree with a lot of their precepts. I guess what I am trying to say is, either you know what the Bible says and you believe it, or you know what the Bible says, and you don't believe it. Although I think most people have a skewed vision of what the word conveys, I think everyone grasps the basic principle that G-d sent his son to die to atone for our sins, as we used our free will to choose not to follow His Way (hence, what happened in the Garden of Eden). The Commandments we are supposed to follow as Christians can be a heavy burden, but for the most part, they are designed so that we may live together in peace. Only the Psycho-Christians use the Word improperly, so please understand that not all people who are Christians are stupid, brainwashed, weak-minded people. Oh yeah, it's nice to see that SOME people can have conversations about religion without resorting to insults and what-not... It makes me wonder why those who don't choose to interact peacefully act the way they do. Is it perhaps because their own ways aren't perfect, and they have problems accepting that some people have a belief system they appreciate and adhere to? Something to think about, that's all.

 

If you really study the bible with an open mind, you will find that it is way too complete a model of humanity and human behavior, for it not to have been inspired by a divine nature. Every time i Read the bible it gets a little deeper, and is getting to the level where i read a story and something happens totally relating to what i just read. I can open it random and read something that will relate to my current situation. It is very uncanny at times, a very powerful thing .

There is too much recorded history that has turned out to be proven with archeological discoveries. Discovery chqannel has some good documentories from time to time on who christ was . Watch them with an open mind.
The reason christianity has gone wrong, is because man's part in it. The bible also tells you that "before the wedding of the lamb the bride will be cleansed"

this means that before the church (christs bride) and jesus become one, the church must be chastened and cleansed by christ. No man has it right- No man will ever be able to refrain from sin. Only christ can remove the sin, you have to recognise and turn away. Like realise this direction is not good for you and ask for help. Christ works the changes in you from there.
There is a common misconception that repentance means abstinance, it actually means "to turn away"
Im not perfect just forgiven

A few hundred years after christ left us, man got together and had a meeting to decide which books should go into the bible. I really want to study greek and hebrew language- so i can read versions of the bible from before the council took place. Then i'll be able to learn and know so much more about this stuff.
But this is whrere man came in and tried to control through religion, the catholics said there books were cool and the other christians said no there not, and there was division and it's all wrong ever since. Christ will cleanse his bride though and then the church will be made perfect even as he is.

What i do know is i can feel Christs hand on me at times, i can hear his voice he holds my hand everwhere I go. I don't always listen to him, and this is where i go wrong, but he is always there to listen to me, and he gaurds me and has saved my life numerous times. I KNOW im blessed. there is no doubt.

 

Yeah you can study Christ- forget about religions. Just study the man Jesus Christ. Look at how he acted to others, how he reacted in situations, how and what he was. Then look around the people you know, visit a few churches even, get to know some people and see how they act. If they are real christians they will be generous and kind, honest and caring, down to earth good people who will not judge you.

Because it is actually a sin to count another man's sins, Christianity should be devoid of all judgement. But it's not. You can usually spot the real ones this way though.

It is narrow mindedness that has started so many wars, narrow views can be wicked no matter what they are based on.

 

A TRUE Christian does live their life modeled after His. But then you have to take into account EVERYTHING He believed... He was also a Jewish man who believed in and preached the teachings of the Old Testament, but He taught that it is not the Word of the Law that matters, it is the principle (evident through Him healing on the Sabbath). The Principle of the Law is to bring us into a closer relationship with G-d, as we may understand Him. Christ didn't judge, He taught us not to judge (evident though saving the adulterous woman from being stoned by the mob). Anyone who does not follow these precepts, in my opinion, is not a true Christian anyways... Don't be fooled by people who use my L-rd to perpetuate hatered, because that's totally against everything we stand for...

 

I totally admire the peaceful attitude you have towards religion. But, I have one little problem...The Bible does say "Thou Shalt Not Kill" but it also says "An Eye For An Eye And A Tooth For A Tooth." How do you explain that? And, don't ask me why I capitalized the verses, I don't know. lol

 

Alright, I understand that, but what if the information you got about the winning baseball team was 2000+ years old, and also described the teams using witchcraft and, hmm, let's say the umpire was the Devil? It's a lot different than how you describe it. But, I also agree with your point on focusing on your inner being and soul...which is what I have done. But, I believe that Christianity isn't correct, and it doesn't work for me. I've tried living by these rules and laws, and it doesn't feel correct in my heart.

[edit] I wanted to tell you tiedye that I totally respect you and your lifestyle you described. You sound like a very righteous man(womyn).

 

Thank you

It does say that, but Jesus went into further explanation
Matthew 5:38: "You have heard it said an eye for an eye, and tooth for tooth. But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also."

 

Does that mean that if the person that hits you (for example) is wicked, hit him back?
Please explain what you think he meant there.

 

No no, it means if someone does something to you, do not repay evil with evil.

Romans 12:19 says, "Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay", says the Lord."

 

Hey nathan!

Don't give up so easily. You are just beginning to understand and open your mind towards God. It could take years, decades, or even a lifetime to actually get to feeling His hand on you and knowing he is there for you.
Life is a journey, and he led the way, Myself i will follow.

Life is a journey of discovery- dont close your eyes as you are just about to awaken to the real life.

Did you read any psalms? really this is important. Try this. read one psalm a day just one at first, and try it for a week. every day read one psalm.

then the second week try reading a couple, or even five psalms a day. It is really best to pick a time that you can use as a sort of study time. So you read about the same time every day, and get into a habit of studying at this time. If you open your heart , and free your mind you will begin to see how god really is, he wants to bless your life and make it fuller spiritually.

Like One tiny example- I got in an accident and totaled my truck on the LA freeway. My radiator was full of holes. We drove off the freeway to a gas station. They let us park overnight. I walked down the street to a chief auto parts- bought a come along pulled out the front end. In the morning i returned the comealong, went to the radiator shop- found a radiator i could afford and put it in. She stayed at the 7-11 /chief auto parkinglot and sold tiedyes while i fixed the truck. She made 45 dollars while i fixed the truck and spent our last 70 on the radiator.

500 miles of freeway i drove that day What are the chances that i would lose my radiator, one mile from a radiator shop, everything that could have spelled disaster came out just perfect. we were back on the road by 10:30 in the morning , after totalling my truck.

I know for a fact that there is no way i would have gotten wrecked so close to the shop- and all the other little things, without someone watching over me. There were too many coincidences that all turned out perfect. He Blesses me greatly.

Good is all good- give him a chance and he will be good to you.Religion is not the answer > But the spirit of truth is- "seek and ye shall find".

 

That is a hard concept to understand. If more christians lived this precept there would be ne more wars over christianity.
But what it means is if someone hits you on one cheek- turn the other one towards him and let him hit you there too.
Don't fight violence with violence, be meek and take whatever evil has to offer- you are stronger and can resist violence.

I believe it is classified as "passive resistence"

And no im not perfect- if someone hits me and i deserve it i'll turn the other cheek. If i did nothing wrong i'll generally start swinging if you hit me. I try to turn the other cheek whenever possible. But it is hard if you have done nothing to deserve being struck. Like i said before "im not perfect just forgiven"

 

So, what you're saying, is that verse "An eye for an eye" means, if someone hits you, resist the violence, but voice the situation to the level of 'hitting someone'?

I will start reading thoes verses for you, my friend.

If there is any information you can give me on the 'contraditions' of The Bible, I would love it.

Please do.

 

"An eye for an eye" is old testament.

christs instructions were to take it to another level where you turn your other check to resist the violence, let them hit you twice basically.
What i was saying is i try hard, if someone hits me and i have done them wrong ,I know i have it coming and "will take my lumps".

But i am not perfect as christ was (and is) and if someone hits me for no reason they will get a asswhipping from me in a heartbeat.

that is just how I am- Not neccesarily how christ would want me to be.

I know i am a work in progress.

 

I agree, no one could come up to me and smack me across my face without me opening a can of whoop-ass, but that's not what He would have me do.

Darn this old weak flesh!!!

We are all works in progress until we pass on from this world.

Psalms are awesome to read, they show David's faith, even in times of struggle. They are honest, David doesn't pretend he's not feeling the "bad" emotions, he admits to them and asks G-d for help in dealing with them properly. G-d showed favor upon David because of his unwavering faith.

You know, if you're lacking in the faith department, you can always pray about it. He will show you the way. As a suggestion when you're done with Psalms, I don't know if you've read John yet, but it portrays Christ as L-rd and Lover of our souls. You'll get a really good understanding of who He is.

 

Can you please explain why you spell God, 'G-d'? And, also 'L-rd'?

 

She used the 'o' in other words.
lol
But seriously, can someone explain to me when 'an eye for an eye' would be an exceptable rule?

 

To put it in a modern context - The Tribe of Judah would be something like today's Hells Angels Club.

(Forget the crime aspects for the sake of this argument)

They were a closed society, A gang, a band of Brothers.
They could not screw around either. Their very survival depended on extremely strict enforcements and rules.

An 'Eye for an Eye' was a nice effective way of ensuring they maintained their solidarity and socialist system.

It also reflects the Covenant they were under - LAW.
You were under judgement to pay for everything you did against the Law.
Take someones Mule?
That exact amount of Sin gets put against you on the 'Scales'.

Jesus fulfilled that Covenant on behalf of his Church (which is NOT THE SAME as the Jews Tribe)
Now, there is no more judgement.
The new agreement of forgiveness is in effect and the new rules reflect the end of 'Eye for and Eye'.

I know there is more to this but hopefully this helps get you somewhere further on that topic.