God

[HMCS(FMF)Ret.]

Your whole response above is so valid and seeing your age in your avitar, here's why, IMO. I grew up in a Southern Baptist Church...............what were the majority of SB churches (as well as other denominations) like in the 60's, 70's, and 80's? Fire and brimstone, smoke you go to hell, dance, drink or gamble you've just fallen out of God's favor.........fix your ways or you can't belong to the church. Want to be a deacon in a SB church during that time period? You'd better be there Sunday morning, Sunday evening, Wednesday visitation, Wednesday night service...........no drinking, smoking, smoking AND you couldn't have been previously divorced, for any reason. I can remember during the 80's listening to sermon after sermon, about why passing liquor by the drink, and horse racing coming to Oklahoma, was going to "light the fires of hell under Oklahoma". WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT TO BE A PART OF THAT ORGANIZATION!

Everything I described above, is "religion". Scare tactics to "convert" you to Christ.....and to give more $$ when the offering plate was passed. "Religion" sucks......it's a farce, it's not livable or practical........it's a set of rules developed by man, that if you follow....will lead you to God's/Christ's favor.

What about living under God's grace? Now that is practical and simple. We're human....we WILL mess up, again, and again, and again until we die. Jesus didn't go around seeking other Christians, he wen't to those who weren't. As are we to do also.

Brings us to some of today's churches............. some claim that they go to the other of extreme with grace........just go do whatever sinning you want, and you're still covered under grace. If you truly understand the gift of grace, you're taking advantage of it......you're enjoying the freedom of it, because you're not tied down with "rules of religion". There's no urge to go screw up on purpose just because.

As far as the Bible full of hate? Depends on your definition of hate. Evil things, murder, stealing, suicide, betrayal, incest, you name it, it's in there..........but so are the incredible things that give Christians hope.

The wife question? I wouldn't have married a woman who wasn't a Christian.

I agree with everything you've said pretty much. All of this is why it makes absolutely no sense to me. I don't understand how people can say this is love. Isn't God all loving? I keep saying it......am I more loving than God? How could that possibly be? As you have seen by this thread...even the religious people that supposedly believe have shown and keep showing hatred. How can religion be taken seriously with such hatred. With the poor representation of religion (not talking about you of course) why would anyone want to be religious. It's seriously sad.

P.S. If your wife changed religions or no longer believed as you do, would you divorce her. Would she go to hell? Could you believe in a God that would send her to hell?

 

[HMCS(FMF)Ret.]

God teaches there are acceptable behaviors and there are unacceptable behaviors. If you want to call the unacceptable behaviors intolerance, then yes. I am intolerant to behaviors, not individuals.

Yeah, you're not intolerant of people. As long as everyone believes exactly as you do.

 

[SoonerATC]

There was no woe is me to be found in any of my posts. You said multiple times i was being hateful, and i assumed you meant that was the point i had "proven" for you.

I'll give you want you want to know. My religion is superior to all other religions on Earth because it is the one and only religion founded by Jesus Christ. Every Protestant denomination can be traced back to an individual other than Christ. Mormons (Smith), Methodists (Wesley), Lutherans, Calvinists, etc. Other Christian denominations may have parts of the truth, but only Catholicism contains all the truths revealed to man by God. Christ said to St Peter that he was to be the rock upon Christ would build his Church and even the gates of hell would not prevail against it. There can only be one truth in the world. 2 + 2 is always 4. If one religion teaches something is wrong in the eyes of God, and the other teaches something is acceptable in the eyes of God...they cant both be right. Catholicism is the one religion which can trace its origins to Christ...as His Church, it can never be wrong in matters of Faith and Morals.

 

[SoonerATC]

Yeah, you're not intolerant to people. As long as everyone believes exactly as you do.

Excuse me? I dare you to quantify that statement with an example, since you dont even know me. I havent been intolerant to you, if thats what youre inferring. I think you were not honest in your originally stated intent when opening this thread. Thats not intolerant...thats just not believing you.

 

[SoonerATC]

I agree with everything you've said pretty much. All of this is why it makes absolutely no sense to me. I don't understand how people can say this is love. Isn't God all loving? I keep saying it......am I more loving than God? How could that possibly be? As you have seen by this thread...even the religious people that supposedly believe have shown and keep showing hatred. How can religion be taken seriously with such hatred. With the poor representation of religion (not talking about you of course) why would anyone want to be religious. It's seriously sad.

P.S. If your wife changed religions or no longer believed as you do, would you divorce her. Would she go to hell? Could you believe in a God that would send her to hell?

You keep mentioning hatred...but youre using that word very loosely. It doesnt mean what you are inferring it means. You are equating intolerance of a persons behavior with hatred. Thats not what hatred means.

The question wasnt directed to me, but ill answer it anyway. No i wouldnt divorce her, since i dont believe in divorce (what God has joined together, let no man tear apart), but yes...i would absolutely still believe in a God that would send her to hell. Why should my belief in God change just because im now married?

 

[Okie4570]

I agree with everything you've said pretty much. All of this is why it makes absolutely no sense to me. I don't understand how people can say this is love. Isn't God all loving? I keep saying it......am I more loving than God? How could that possibly be? As you have seen by this thread...even the religious people that supposedly believe have shown and keep showing hatred. How can religion be taken seriously with such hatred. With the poor representation of religion (not talking about you of course) why would anyone want to be religious. It's seriously sad.

Ok let's take it a step further.

Religion definition= : the belief in a god or in a group of gods (awesome )

: an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods

^^^^^^^^^^ the part in bold.... that's were man has failed as a church over the years, that's where Christians have failed you and others for condemning, and not reaching out.

If I were to say God is a sovereign God, instead of a loving God would that make things more understandable as why bad things happen to good people? Maybe, maybe not, it would depend on your faith in him. Through his sovereignty, he's capable of all of those "human" characteristics we've placed on him..........but at the same time, He's above all that.......which is the part that throws us, and what we struggle with understanding.

What's your take on the Bible? Truth or fiction, or a mixture of both?

 

[HMCS(FMF)Ret.]

There was no woe is me to be found in any of my posts. You said multiple times i was being hateful, and i assumed you meant that was the point i had "proven" for you.

I'll give you want you want to know. My religion is superior to all other religions on Earth because it is the one and only religion founded by Jesus Christ. Every Protestant denomination can be traced back to an individual other than Christ. Mormons (Smith), Methodists (Wesley), Lutherans, Calvinists, etc. Other Christian denominations may have parts of the truth, but only Catholicism contains all the truths revealed to man by God. Christ said to St Peter that he was to be the rock upon Christ would build his Church and even the gates of hell would not prevail against it. There can only be one truth in the world. 2 + 2 is always 4. If one religion teaches something is wrong in the eyes of God, and the other teaches something is acceptable in the eyes of God...they cant both be right. Catholicism is the one religion which can trace its origins to Christ...as His Church, it can never be wrong in matters of Faith and Morals.

The woe is me was because you somehow keep acting like I have some motive to asking questions. I have done nothing but ask honest questions throughout this thread, yet you keep on acting like you're a victim of some horrible act.

So you are Catholic, but don't believe the Pope?

 

[HMCS(FMF)Ret.]

Ok let's take it a step further.

Religion definition= : the belief in a god or in a group of gods (awesome )

: an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods

^^^^^^^^^^ the part in bold.... that's were man has failed as a church over the years, that's where Christians have failed you and others for condemning, and not reaching out.

If I were to say God is a sovereign God, instead of a loving God would that make things more understandable as why bad things happen to good people? Maybe, maybe not, it would depend on your faith in him. Through his sovereignty, he's capable of all of those "human" characteristics we've placed on him..........but at the same time, He's above all that.......which is the part that throws us, and what we struggle with understanding.

What's your take on the Bible? Truth or fiction, or a mixture of both?

I see the Bible that has some truth, but is very misrepresented. People use it to say whatever they want it to say. I think the Bible is scary, not so much because it's the Bible, but because of the people that interpret it. Religious people are scary to me. So many are so brainwashed that they could do anything, even kill and somehow justify themselves and their hatred.

 

[farmerbyron]

I agree with everything you've said pretty much. All of this is why it makes absolutely no sense to me. I don't understand how people can say this is love. Isn't God all loving? I keep saying it......am I more loving than God? How could that possibly be? As you have seen by this thread...even the religious people that supposedly believe have shown and keep showing hatred. How can religion be taken seriously with such hatred. With the poor representation of religion (not talking about you of course) why would anyone want to be religious. It's seriously sad.

P.S. If your wife changed religions or no longer believed as you do, would you divorce her. Would she go to hell? Could you believe in a God that would send her to hell?

I get what you are saying about what we are taught is an infallible God. What is most troublesome to the idea is that it looks like there are mistakes all over the place.

Another note, I don't judge Christianity by those whom you speak of. There are too many good people of faith out there to condemn Christianity because of a few people not taking the whole message to heart.

 

[SoonerATC]

The woe is me was because you somehow keep acting like I have some motive to asking questions. I have done nothing but ask honest questions throughout this thread, yet you keep on acting like you're a victim of some horrible act.

So you are Catholic, but don't believe the Pope?

I believe in Popes, but am a traditionalist. Long story short....i believe Vatican 2 was a point where what people call the Catholic Church nowadays, was no longer the Catholic Church. It took the name, but the organization was basically a milked down protestantized version. A protestant religion which just happens to appear to be Catholic. What Francis, Benedict, JP2 etc teach does not mesh with what Popes taught for nearly 2000 years before. As i said, the truth doesnt change...if what they teach now is different from what was taught then, they cant both be correct. You can research the traditional catcolic movement if you are really interested in more information.