The Official What Do YOU Believe?

Dwayne Barry · #61 12/16/10, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ladycat

^^What she said.

I agree with that statement.

I want to answer this but it will take the thread off topic.

Dwayne Barry, is it ok if I take your quote to a new topic? It will be a very Christian topic.

Sure, have at it.

beowoulf90 · #62 12/16/10, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kung

I do want to point something out, however. (And I realize this isn't a scientific poll, but it's about as close to objective as we'll get here.

)

People are always complaining about how 'right-wing' or 'Christian' or such this board is. I went through the thread and counted up the Christians, and then the nonChristians.

There's about 11 or 12 Christians participating in this thread; and about 15 or so nonChristians.

Yea I get that too.. Being a Pagan, where as a general rule most are liberals, me as a conservative stands out like a sore thumb..People just jump to conclusions that I'm a liberal or I'm a Christian.. I find their expressions funny when I tell them differently...

To me it's not who you worship, but how you live your life.

beowoulf90 · #63 12/16/10, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bigkat80

I beleive in God of AAbraham Father of Jesus and The Alpha and the Omega the one.....Now on an intersting side Note...I was raised by a Catholic Father and Latterday Saint mother both sides of My Grandparents were devout One catholic, the Other LDS...But I chose baptist as a tween and thats my foundation...I often wonder how it is that some one with my past can be so blessed as I am to be clean. I do not attend Church for the very reasons Outlined in my up bringing...in other words organized religion seems so rigid...i read the word and commune with god in nature...I feel most at Peace when I have done something good and fruitful(not necessarily good as in good for the world but Productive) good to me is success... success is winning and winning is everything....I guess my religion(not my beleif) is success or working toward it. My belief is totally different it entails humbling yourself before the lord and realizing true success comes from the lamb....Good thread and good communications...I have enough science in my brain to see the points of the atheist , and all the rest...But I think beleif is a little more heart than brain...its more faith than knowledge...sometimes you just got to push the i beleive button and take that step....in the end I think we all go to church even on a thread with so many different opinions and beleifs...
Where two or more come together in my name

Peter is the rock or the foundation we are (in discussing this) fortifying that foundation.....To be truthful I have been all over this earth in many serious situations, seen wonderous and horrible things and I have always felt the face of christ looking after me....I guess for me its as plain as the nose on your face...it is because it must be....its just that plain....

My wish for everyone this season is that they find peace within no matter your beliefs...

Ok, I'm confused!

How does the Alpha and the Omega relate to religion? I know it in the military sense or the beginning or end of the Greek alphabet.

Where I am the Omega, meaning you may start the fight, but I will finish it..
I will be here in the end.. That is how I look at it..

beccachow · #64 12/16/10, 12:13 PM

beowulf, I will field that one for you. In Christianity, God is referred to as Alpha and Omega, literally, the beginning and the end. He was here at the start, has always been here, and will be here at the end. Always, without end. Did that make sense? It's hard to wrap your head around an infinite concept; I suspect that is why some people have such a hard time accepting the idea of God.

**ladycat** · #65 12/16/10, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beowoulf90

Ok, I'm confused!

How does the Alpha and the Omega relate to religion? I know it in the military sense or the beginning or end of the Greek alphabet.

Jesus said, "I am the Alpha and the Omega". If you read that whole passage in context (I'll have to look it up to get the book/verse), He was saying He (as God) was without beginning and without end.

beowoulf90 · #66 12/16/10, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beccachow

beowulf, I will field that one for you. In Christianity, God is referred to as Alpha and Omega, literally, the beginning and the end. He was here at the start, has always been here, and will be here at the end. Always, without end. Did that make sense?

Ok, that is what I thought, but wanted to make sure..

Thanks for the answer.

beowoulf90 · #67 12/16/10, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ladycat

Jesus said, "I am the Alpha and the Omega". If you read that whole passage in context (I'll have to look it up to get the book/verse), He was saying He (as God) was without beginning and without end.

Thanks Ladycat, becca beat you to it..I understand why and how the terms were used.

Dwayne Barry · #68 12/16/10, 12:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beccachow

He was here at the start, has always been here, and will be here at the end. Always, without end. Did that make sense? It's hard to wrap your head around an infinite concept; I suspect that is why some people have such a hard time accepting the idea of God.

Alternatively it is also why many people think there must be God(s). They can not get their head around the idea that maybe the Universe simply is and has always been (maybe with giant reset button, i.e. a "Big Bang" happening every once in a while). So they say, "well there must be God to start it all!"

This is of course a logical fallacy since it simply begs the question of who/what created God?

If you're willing to concede that such a thing as "God" can simply be then surely such a thing as the Universe can simply be?

Haggis · #69 12/16/10, 12:31 PM

I hold that all gods and religions are little more than myths created to ease the minds of frightened folk, and as such, I don't really hold any religion in higher esteem than any other (though I was for many years a Pentecostal Holiness Evangelist). I believe that organized religions throughout history have served no purpose other than controlling a given populous. Taken as a whole, any "god" will, for me, do in a crisis, so I do suppose there is a learned spiritualism mingling amidst my thoughts.

When folk ask me what religion I cling to, I usually say, "I, as with the folk at Antioch, have been called a "Christian", but I rather fancy myself a Frisbitarian. We don't go to a heaven or h**l, we just get thrown up on the roof and can't get down."

manfred · #70 12/16/10, 12:31 PM

I am a atheist and have been since my earliest childhood memories, it hasnt always been easy and I usually kept/keep it to myself.

glazed · #71 12/16/10, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beowoulf90

Ok, I'm confused!

How does the Alpha and the Omega relate to religion? I know it in the military sense or the beginning or end of the Greek alphabet.

Where I am the Omega, meaning you may start the fight, but I will finish it..
I will be here in the end.. That is how I look at it..

It has military connotations, too ... He (Jesus Christ) will return to fight, and win.

Jena · #72 12/16/10, 12:35 PM

There is a lot about the universe that we simply cannot perceive and that is why it is a big unknown to us. That is what I think anyways. There could a definite boundary to the universe, but we just can't perceive it.

Think of a fish living in a lake. That fish has no idea that there is land or a sky or other creatures living in both. It simply cannot perceive these things because they are outside of it's realm of existence.

I also think that the things we cannot perceive are not magical, like ghosts or gods or whatever, but just things we can't "see", much as land and sky are very real things, governed by the same rules as a lake, but that fish just can't see it.

According to quantum theory...all time exists right now. We only experience this second because we can't perceive the rest. We just can't see it.

We may figure it all out someday, or it may simply be beyond the capabilities of our little minds. Either way, that reality is still there...or so I think. There are some who would argue that a reality without recognition does not exist. It's all really mind boggling and utterly fascinating to me.

TC · #73 12/16/10, 12:58 PM

I believe in Jesus the Son of God who was also God Himself born as a man and who died for my sins and the sins of the world. I also believe that because I believe this fact that when I leave this world I will not perish because He promised that I would have eternal life in paradise. I also believe that those who do not believe that Jesus is their Saviour and who never ask HIm to live in their heart will indeed not just die but will be punished eternally for rejecting Him. I do not believe one must attend church to be saved, but do believe that when once one is truly saved, you crave the fellowship and companionship of other believers and thus church usually, not always but usually, is a natural occurance due to that desire in a Christian's life. I go as often as possible and do as much as I can to help my church in any way they need help especially in helping the community around us, Christians and non Christans alike. I also believe, that I am commanded to live each and every day as a Christian and as close to Christ like as I can possibly get. I will falter, I am human, but as a born again Christian I should strive with each breath to do as He wants me to do and to ask Him to direct my life to His will. I believe that once you are saved you are always saved but feel that if you are truly saved you will have a hard time only thinking about Jesus once in a blue moon or not living as your faith will dictate. Once I was truly saved hardly a day goes by that I do not pray or think of Him or am touched by Him or made aware in some way that I am a Christian, living a Christian life.

bee · #74 12/16/10, 12:58 PM

Ok, I was raised Methodist(and I have 12 years of Sunday School pins to prove it!), but never joined the church because I had too many questions without answers.

Then I came to understand that there were "editors" for the Bible. Books in exsistance that were excluded and what about the writings that were never found? What about the years of Christ's life that were not included? Going further with this line of reasoning will only draw fire from the "devinely inspired" folks. At which point I could begin a list of nuts who thought they were doing God's work too.

Religion is personal. I frankly ENVY persons with sincere faith, they have a strengh that is awsome. I have prayed in times of need, but don't attend any organized religon..to do so with all the doubts in my heart makes me feel a hypocrite( as did those prayers). I also have trouble with the consept of "free will" from an all knowing God..if He knows our choice before we make it how do we have free will?? When I choose what He knows I will "choose", did I have the freedom to choose otherwise?

List me as Agnostic/undecided. The irony of this position is that if I am right I will never know it; but if I'm wrong I'll have an eternity to regret it!

Shygal · #75 12/16/10, 01:04 PM

I was raised Catholic and was a very rabid one in my early 40s. It never felt right to me, but I stayed. Going through the motions, I guess.

I consider myself a pagan now.....so what I believe.....

I believe in the Divine, I believe the Divine is in everything and as such, we should respect everything, animals, people, plants, soil, trees, etc. There is a little bit of the Divine in everything.

I believe in one God, with many aspects. God, Allah, Vishnu, Zeus, Odin, Jesus, Pan, Apollo, etc....all aspects of the one.

I believe we are all put on our own path to the Divine. Some people will follow the Christian path, some the Jewish path, some the pagan path, even an atheist or agnostic path etc What is right for one may not be for another, you will know when you find yours.

I believe that animals go to the next life and we will see them when we get there.

I dont believe in "satan", I believe there is evil and there are things not of the light, whether they are tortured souls, or things that have "had their chance" so to speak, and still turned from the light. I also believe that we are able to help them come back to the light.

Harm none. Enjoy life, it is meant for us to enjoy. Its not a big cookie jar high on the shelf that is put there for us to wish we could have one but are told not to. We are made to enjoy being human, not to apologize for being human or unworthy, or put ourselves down. God made us human and God doesn't make junk.

I know the Divine has a wonderful sense of humor!

Don't get caught up in the world, enjoy it as it is meant to be enjoyed, but know there is much more after this world. Create, enjoy, live.....

My signature boils it down to the basics pretty much.

gideonprime · #76 12/16/10, 01:05 PM

I believe in trying to always be better than I was the day before.

More honest (if just with myself).
More willing to listen to others.
More willing to give of myself.
Etc Etc Etc.

No religion for me. Athiest I suppose, though I'd probablly say agnostic.

Bigkat80 · #77 12/16/10, 01:17 PM

I have really enjoyed the maturity of this thread...no finger pointing/no name calling no bashing...good Job Folks in this one thread we are all blessed....because of our behavior....

dahliaqueen · #78 12/16/10, 01:31 PM

put my beliefs into words.

When people ask me what my religion is, i tell them that i am an organic farmer.

When you live your life as a steward of the land, you come to understand that there is a profound life force in every thing-rock, tree, flower or blade of grass.

I have no fear of death because i see that living a life connected to the earth and the wild places is heaven for me. I have what i need.

Happy holidays- all of them- from this pagan/druid/Buddhist

pancho · #79 12/16/10, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beowoulf90

Question for you and Pancho, or anyone else who wants to chime in.
How is it control to have a belief in something? What I mean is those that don't attend an organized religion (such as a church, not trying to out Christians, just using it as an example), how are they being controlled?

Just curious, because from where I stand, every person has to have a belief/commitment. It is what makes us who we are.

Does that make sense, because I at a loss for the proper words to get my point across.

This is just an idea I have. I am not saying it is right.

People are a lot easier to control if they are in a group. They have to have something to keep them in that group. You can't physically keep them in a group as it would be natural to try to escape.
Years ago some people found it was a lot easier to take control of a group if you could get them all to believe in the same thing. Nothing fills the bill as well as religion.
You have the people in a group. You give them a set of rules. You give them someone to blame when things go bad. You give them someone to thank when things are good. You give them someone to call out for help when they need it. You give them something to look forward to no matter what happens to them.

beowoulf90 · #80 12/16/10, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pancho

This is just an idea I have. I am not saying it is right.

People are a lot easier to control if they are in a group. They have to have something to keep them in that group. You can't physically keep them in a group as it would be natural to try to escape.
Years ago some people found it was a lot easier to take control of a group if you could get them all to believe in the same thing. Nothing fills the bill as well as religion.
You have the people in a group. You give them a set of rules. You give them someone to blame when things go bad. You give them someone to thank when things are good. You give them someone to call out for help when they need it. You give them something to look forward to no matter what happens to them.

Ok I think I understand what you are saying.. Something along the Jim Jones line, if I take you meaning correctly.

If I have it right then I understand your stance..