This is I believe something important that Jesus taught:
But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you...Matt. 6:33.
Meaning By confronting the lies and the untruth and the victimized attitudes that make up this world..If we do this then , these other wonderful things will follow straightaway. If we never root them out, and cover them over with a facade of spirituality, then science and religions can unite till the cows come home and it will not make one bit of difference...
I know a lot of people, freinds and some family members, who pray to God, and pray to Jesus all the time....especially during Holiday dinners, and during times of crisis.
However, these same people do not beleive in the validity of the Bible....they are appalled by the allowance of violence and oppression in the old Testament, as well as hypocrisy and the absurd details:
Details such as the fact that Homosexual men were put to death, the fact that daughters could be sold into slavery, the fact that people could be put to death for wearing polyester, or eating red meat, or shellfish, etc.
Some of these people also do not attend Mass, and still explore other cultural existances such as Buddhism, and have a great respect for and dependency on science.
And the most common thing.....
A DISBELEIF in HELL
Now, these people share a lot of my perceptions, except for the fact that they still beleive Christ is God, or Christ is the son of God, and beleive he is the key to spiritual salvation and moral progression.
So.......
My question is....
Is FAITH in CHRIST valid if you disregard the Bible and certain aspects of the Christian mythology ?
Feceman, Nellinator, Jesusisalive, Marcello, Regret, and some other people will insist that beleif in Christ must accompany a change in lifestyle, a conformity to what they call "Christ's life" and a beleif ONLY in Christ, and everything that accompanies it....that means you must beleive in Hell as well.
"To deny Hell, is to deny what Christ taught"
You must also acknowledge yourself as a sinner, as imperfect, as unclean, and as unworthy.
Most people, even Christians, do not see themselves that way.
They tend to be more Liberal in thier ideals, and they have a zero tolerance policy for violence. That includes God's wrath mentioned in the Bible. They, like myself, cannot fathom the embodyment of Love doing those things.
They believe Christ is Love, and ONLY Love. Not wrath or envy.
James 2:14-19(New International Version)
14What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
19You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
By definition, a Christian is one who believes in the divinity of Jesus Christ. If you don't "believe" in the Bible and all the other mumbo jumbo, then you make another Christian sect. Christians have picked and chose what they wanted to follow before and thus the Protestant movement.
__________________ Thanks to Pittman for the sig
"I don't care if I fall, as long as someone picks up my gun and keeps on shooting." -Ernesto Guevara.
I didn't understand what you were saying when you responded
The bible is a valid source of evidence for what makes someone a Christian (just as the Torah is for Judiasm, the Vedas are for Hinduism, and the Koran is for Islam)
__________________
Graffiti outside Latin class.
Sed quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
A juvenal prank.
Romans 9:6b-8(New International Version)
For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children. On the contrary, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned."[b] 8In other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring.
The Christian Church, as a whole, is the replacement of Israel. We(Gentiles: Any-non Israeli Christian) have been grafted in to Israel, and thus receive everything that entails.
KMC Community Forums
Dec 22nd, 2006 02:55 AM
Can you still beleive in Jesus ?
Thanks to Pittman for the sig
