Page 5 of 10 FirstFirst ... 34567 ... LastLast
Results 41 to 50 of 93

Thread: Do all religions lead to God?

  1. #41
    AO Curmudgeon rcgreen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2001
    Posts
    2,716

    Thumbs up

    You definitely don't want to antagonize him...
    I came in to the world with nothing. I still have most of it.

  2. #42
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
    Posts
    855
    Originally posted here by chsh


    Ah, so this is why god destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah(sp?)? Because he knew best? Well that's the line an AWFUL lot of humans have used in the past to achieve their goals, many of which have taken a large toll on countless others.

    Exactly what motivation did 'God' have for destroying those two cities?
    Well, they didn't worship him for one.
    Two, it proved his power.
    Three, it made people fearful of him.

    Sounds like your standard egomaniacal leader to me...



    What makes the bible right? Sure, it's great and fine to say that the bible teaches something, but what makes it right? What makes the teachings of that book correct?
    It really depends on what you define as a religion, and this is where the argument begins to fall apart. Personally, I would
    say no, but then, I think the question is worded entirely inappropriately.
    Hi Chsh,
    Ok, let me ask you a question. Is judgment ever appropriate? Were the Allies justified for putting the Nazis on trial for war crimes after WWII? Is it wrong to put criminals in jail? Many people see the innocent suffer and the guilty prosper and they say, "Where is God? Why is there no justice in the world?" But when God does work justice we wonder why he does it. God is good and just. It is God's nature to punish evil. If God did not punish evil, would that not make him evil? Would that not make him unjust? Many times we complain when someone hurts us, "That was unfair." But God is fair. The wonderful that is that God is also merciful. That's why Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins-- to take the punishment that we deserve.

    Hi Korp Death,
    I don't presume to know God's motives except as he has already revealed them in the Bible. But yes, God does punish evil for the reasons I have noted above in my reply to Chsh. Also, the Bible teaches that we need God's forgiveness. Ultimately all sin is sin against God. And on what basis do we forgive ourselves? I think deep down inside we know that there is a penalty for sin, and that we are incapable of paying it. True self-forgiveness can only be based upon what Jesus accomplished on the cross.
    For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
    (Romans 6:23, WEB)

  3. #43
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2001
    Posts
    276
    Isn´t the point of religion believing in something bigger than yourself? Does it realy matter what you believe, isn´t the point that you just believe?
    Would not a point of view like that save alot of time, agony and horror?

    Hi Preacherman481 (nice topic btw)
    Am I wrong in asuming that you base alot of your belives in the bible? You say that al religions can not be right, why? It seems to me that you base this upon the notion that the bible itself was written indirectly(or directly?) by God himself. Why would the Christian bible be more right or true than any other ancient bible?
    If there was to be a God, would he not be interested in the whole population of the world? If we are his children after al.. Then why the different religions?
    My thought is that we are unable to precieve the truth at this time. Petty brawling over pages written in books by humans can not be the way to revere the power that we claim is God.
    Dear Santa, I liked the mp3 player I got but next christmas I want a SA-7 surface to air missile

  4. #44
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2001
    Posts
    1,255
    Originally posted here by preacherman481
    Hi Chsh,
    Ok, let me ask you a question. Is judgment ever appropriate? Were the Allies justified for putting the Nazis on trial for war crimes after WWII? Is it wrong to put criminals in jail?
    Please get to your point. You and I both know neither of us is here to debate the morality of our justice system.

    Many people see the innocent suffer and the guilty prosper and they say, "Where is God? Why is there no justice in the world?" But when God does work justice we wonder why he does it.
    People who say "why is there no justice in the world" usually mean "why is there no justice (as I consider it) in this world (for me)". Life in and of itself is unjust, that is part of what makes life what it is.

    God is good and just. It is God's nature to punish evil. If God did not punish evil, would that not make him evil? Would that not make him unjust?
    Okay, this is a very sad argument coming from you. First you argue that God is good and just, but that he only punishes evil. Good and evil should be simply thrown out of this conversation, because they are relatives, and can't be pinned down. Is killing a man an evil act? You will have to consider all the circumstances to answer that question. So don't go to the 'god is good' place yet.

    God is Just. Not good, not evil, but Just. After all, if god only punished people for bad acts, would that really be just?

    I still have yet to see where your reply falls to my question regarding Soddom and Gomorrah.

    Many times we complain when someone hurts us, "That was unfair." But God is fair. The wonderful that is that God is also merciful. That's why Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins-- to take the punishment that we deserve.
    That's just plain BS, in my opinion. People have for far too long used Jesus as a scapegoat to make themselves feel better about what they've done, knowing that 'God will forgive me'. It is not god's place to forgive anyone. This is contradictory even in Christian terms, because God did after all give us free will. There cannot be 'forgiveness' for doing what you're told, and deciding what you decide. That's the fundamental flaw in your argument.
    Chris Shepherd
    The Nelson-Shepherd cutoff: The point at which you realise someone is an idiot while trying to help them.
    \"Well as far as the spelling, I speak fluently both your native languages. Do you even can try spell mine ?\" -- Failed Insult
    Is your whole family retarded, or did they just catch it from you?

  5. #45
    AntiOnline Newbie
    Join Date
    Apr 2002
    Posts
    178
    I still have a hard time with all of this...

    In my view, Christianity was a sub-cult of Judaism until after the death of Jesus, when a pagan Roman Emporer (Constantine - whose empire was beginning to crumble) decided to hold council to decide whether or not Jesus was a god. After the council said Jesus was in fact a god (A god, not THE God or The Son of God), Christian beliefs became more popular.

    We must remember that historically Jesus was not a popular man in the "mainstream" community. He was a radical who claimed to be the son of God and yet broke bread with prostitues, lepers, Roman tax collectors, etc. who were all considered to be "unclean" by the Jewish community. (And yes, Jesus was Jewish - he did not just live in a Jewish area...) These "unclean" people were not allowed into the temples to worship and were kept at bay by the rabbis in front of the temples, yet Jesus allowed them to worship with him and even baptised many of them (which really did not make him too popular with the rabbis of the time).

    All of this may have endeared Jesus to his followers who were tired of being judged by the rabbis who were living in large houses connected to the temples (which allowed them access to the temple without having to interact with common folk), but it made him an outcast in the society as a whole.

    It wasn't until long after Jesus' death (40 years) that the Apostles began to document their Gospels, but it was actually the decision made by Constantine's council that made Christianity more widely accepted.

    So it seems to me that at least Christianity should lead back to Constantine or the Apostles, as without their efforts, most if not all interest in Jesus' activities may have been lost.

    Just for fun check out:

    http://www.landoverbaptist.org/sermons/catholics.html

    A lot of their stuff is written tongue-in-cheek, but this one will make you think...

    And naturally, most hard-line Catholics will disagree with what I have stated above, but it is historical fact. I know the Church doesn't like to deal with facts, but there they are. - Hey, the Church's problem with historical fact could maybe be the reason that a mob of Christians burned the library at Alexandria to the ground destroying a vast collection of ancient knowledge... Was Christianity the machination of a Roman Emporer struggling to keep his empire in one piece?

    Food for thought...

  6. #46
    AntiOnline Newbie
    Join Date
    Apr 2002
    Posts
    178
    Oops - sorry - forgot to post my answer to your question -

    Religion does lead to God... In a manner of speaking.

    It leads to an opinion or idea (faith) that some Supreme Being or entity has some kind of influence over our lives.

    Whether that God be created in the image of man, or a concept so expansive it is incomprhensible to the human mind, it is subjective to each individuals interpretation and beliefs. God means different things to different people.

    And Preacher - I still don't see any "right" or "wrong" to religious beliefs as long as they do not endanger the health or well-being of others. If you want to worship a charismatic long haired man who consorted with unsavory types of people and spoke out against the current state of society, thats fine. A couple thousand years ago His name was Jesus - in 1996 his name was David Koresh. Just depends on what your beliefs are and where you place your faith, man.

  7. #47
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Posts
    458
    well, i've got one thing to say ... we should differentiate between a religions and beliefs ...
    in all cases both leads to god , but religions leads to the god we know ... and not all beliefs lead to the god we know, as for example , some people believes in fire or cow .... and they consider it as god ....
    as for us muslims we believe in god the only god , who vreated us and carry the skys without pillars, who created earth in 7 days , and he who created the fire and the cow , he should be something much bigger than we can even imagen .... and he who made jesus without a man to touch his mother .... so i don't think our god is the same as their god.
    that why we respect religions such as christianity and jews but not hendus and others...
    When the power of Love overcomes the Love of power, the world will know peace... Jimi Hendrix
    -------------------------------------------------------------
    I dream of giving birth to a child who will ask...... what was war?

  8. #48
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2001
    Posts
    276
    Gotta agree.. in what way are we talking about religion? do we include faith?
    Dear Santa, I liked the mp3 player I got but next christmas I want a SA-7 surface to air missile

  9. #49
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2001
    Posts
    1,255
    Bimmer> Then I'm sorry, but I think you're all a bunch of mindless, arrogant, petty, and above all else self-serving jerks. Don't you dare complain about others saying your religion is a bunch of hooey and hearsay if you are not willing to give others a good listen.

    The most dangerous kind of mind is a closed one. You'd do well to remember that.
    Chris Shepherd
    The Nelson-Shepherd cutoff: The point at which you realise someone is an idiot while trying to help them.
    \"Well as far as the spelling, I speak fluently both your native languages. Do you even can try spell mine ?\" -- Failed Insult
    Is your whole family retarded, or did they just catch it from you?

  10. #50
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
    Posts
    855
    Originally posted here by Specter6
    Oops - sorry - forgot to post my answer to your question -

    Religion does lead to God... In a manner of speaking.

    It leads to an opinion or idea (faith) that some Supreme Being or entity has some kind of influence over our lives.

    Whether that God be created in the image of man, or a concept so expansive it is incomprhensible to the human mind, it is subjective to each individuals interpretation and beliefs. God means different things to different people.

    And Preacher - I still don't see any "right" or "wrong" to religious beliefs as long as they do not endanger the health or well-being of others. If you want to worship a charismatic long haired man who consorted with unsavory types of people and spoke out against the current state of society, thats fine. A couple thousand years ago His name was Jesus - in 1996 his name was David Koresh. Just depends on what your beliefs are and where you place your faith, man.
    Hi,
    David Koresh and Jesus Christ are worlds apart (literally). This is a perfect of illustration of what I'm getting at. Some people think it's ok to believe whatever you want as long as you are sincere about it. But the Bible says "There is a way that seems right to a man, but it ends in death." Today it seems increasingly unfashionable to talk about matters of right and wrong when it comes to religious beliefs. The prevailing viewpoint seems to be that all religions are equally valid. Yet when you look at the character and outcome of the lives of Jesus Christ and David Koresh, I don't see how anyone could say that it doesn't matter what a person believes. One gave His live for others, another led others astray and caused them to lose their lives. Who and what we follow determines where we will arrive.
    For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
    (Romans 6:23, WEB)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •