If you truely belived every word of the bible to be true, you would be out screaming the message in the streets. But not many do. Even Jeovas wittneses can be rather polite when they knock on the door.
nobody who ever lived has claimed to believe every word in the bible, they all choose what words are important, thats why theres so many religions.. disregard this passage or that, make this 1 more important then the 1 that contradicts it build your own costum religion, its cut n paste spirituality.. not only that but then they interperate the same passages differently, then they change the entire book, substituting words with different meannings, & suddenly even the commandments are tailer made to theyre particular beliefs & even the most fundamental wrongs like killing become ok because thou shalt not kill was changed to murder & dont forget how many times it says killings just fine you show me 1 person who believes EVERY word of the bible & i'll show u a person who clearly doesnt understand 1 word of it christians are funny creatures, they act quite the opposite of how theyre suposed to act, but still feel superiur in doing so.. judghe not.. but they judge constantly pride is a deadly sin, but dontthey go on & on & on about how wonderful it is to be a christian.. theyre suposed to be humble.. but how many are? arent most the opposite of humble? though shalt not kill.. well then why arent they all vegatarians? they kill by the billions daily greed, another deadly sin, but arent most christians right wing greedy republicans? i would have to say that outta the hundred thousand christians i know (meanning people who call themselves that) only 1% or less come close to being christianlike..or semi christianlike i dont think there has been a true christian on this planet ever..unless maybe the buddha could count
My mum is atheist, and she is as christianlike as Jesus. Í think hippies bring christianity, they are living it without braging it. If someone is generous to you out of their heart, thats beautifull and make hte sun shine on you both, if they do so to gain brownie points for eternity, thats suspicious and downright ugly. I understand everyword of the bible, you have to know what passage/chpter correspond to, what period and who scripts wrote it, and thats all. all what count is the symbolism, the rest i history. Some people see an ovni close range and soem transform water in wine, and nobody beleived them, that made the most magical time in their life into the most embarassing episode to tell, where they wil be talk as idiot each time they do so in front of a crowd... I say: "so what" " the wine tasted fine, and you are welcome in my space ship". Dont war one another for the water nor for the wine, they are both spirit and life. There si no religions, only different words to describe what is reachable by all, and jails of words so you dont reach higher than those who went that path before you. Dont let words but spirit lead your way. Dont let religion but cosmos be your guide. You are your own religion your own cosmos your own guide your own god, and we are all one one one to begin with and to end with and like that indefinitly. The time in between is the process toward the new beginning, and the accomplishment of the previous birth. Thats the time for you to reconnect, to feel as it was when we were all in perfect symbiose with all. We are longing and fighting to get what we are doomed to get always, and indefinitly, reunited again, being one one one. There si no exception, all is in it. All you have to do to get it now, is to listen to the sound of the univers. The sound formbefore the big bang, the first explosion, that sound is everywhere around you and inside you, and if you can cut off all white noise around you, and listen, you will hear it and feel the joy of being one one one with all the rest. This is not God, htis is the given. This is always. We are all infinitely finite and renewing.
soaringeagle You would be suprised.. You havn't seen any of the christian televisioni programs? christan fundamentalists are everywhere! Lorna I coul'dnt have put it any better, well said! =) peace
well being a christian fundamentalist fainting in the arm of a prostitute-priest while getting his bank account emptied, isnt exactly what you can call being a christian, and thats exactly waht eagle was pointing out: it got the name, but not the roots/soul. Like communism in sovjet union, they had the tag, but the contain didnt matched the tag. Peace to you too
I think soaringeagle and I go to the same "church"--the gatherings of the Rainbow Family. When I tell people that I go to the gatherings because they appeal to my spiritual beliefs, I get funny looks, because they know that I'm a Christian and they think the Rainbow spiritual beliefs are "sex, drugs,and rockn'roll". But the hippies have always also been about peace, love and understanding. I think Jesus was a Jewish liberal hippie who ministered to the dregs of his society. At the gatherings, there is (or was) a camp called Judgment-free Emotional Support and Uplifting Space (J.E.S.U.S) which, to me, sums up what true Christianity is all about. There do seem to be some encouraging signs recently that some Evangelical Christians are rediscovering messages in the Bible that they somehow glossed over about social justice and taking care of the poor. We can hope.
You guys are saying that some hippie gathering is some sort of church meeting, and you compare it to that? *starts laughing at the idea already*
Sorry for the misunderstanding. First of all, it's not "you guys". I mentioned soaringeagle because some of his posts indicated he might have some experience with the Rainbow gatherings. But I've never met him, and have no idea what his religious beliefs or church are, if any. As for the comparison of the gatherings to a "church" (notice the quotation marks), I can understand why you're laughing, especially if you've ever been to one. As others have said, the Rainbow Family is "the best non-organization I've ever been a non-member of." It, and the gatherings, are open to "anyone with a bellybutton", & if you don't have one, nobody will kick you out. The gatherings are Woodstock-like get togethers (without the big-name entertainment) of hippies & non-hippies (anybody who shows up) to hang out and do whatever they want in the National Forests. The Rainbows and other gatherers include Christians, Jews, Muslims, pagans, Buddhists, atheists, agnostics, and any belief system I might have left out. A majority may go there to party, but some like me see a more spiritual purpose in expressing some values that are in short supply in Babylon--like tolerance, non-judgmental acceptance, hospitality to strangers, compassion, peace, love, understanding, etc. I see this as modelling the ministry of Jesus, although I wouldn't say that Christians have a monopoly on them, and I agree with Lorna that some atheists and other non-Christians can be more "christlike than the non-churchgoers. That's all.
