What kind of believer are you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also a non-believer. I'm curious about what it means to "glorify God" -- does that simply mean living your best life and caring for others/the planet? Or is it about religious ritual -- praying and going to church and tithing?

By believing in the gift of his Son and following his Son you acknowledge his will and plan. Jesus said "you are either for me or against me". I believe your eternal condition depends on that decision.

Can you show me where this is " Jesus said "you are either for me or against me"."

Matthew 12:30
Luke 11:23

Well clearly he was a dick then.

but -- he said a lot of other good things, and he was the son of God. Surely that counts for something

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also a non-believer. I'm curious about what it means to "glorify God" -- does that simply mean living your best life and caring for others/the planet? Or is it about religious ritual -- praying and going to church and tithing?

By believing in the gift of his Son and following his Son you acknowledge his will and plan. Jesus said "you are either for me or against me". I believe your eternal condition depends on that decision.

Can you show me where this is " Jesus said "you are either for me or against me"."

Matthew 12:30
Luke 11:23

Well clearly he was a dick then.

Jesus wants no part of " he was a great teacher " . He said he was God and he was here to die for his friends and save them from hell. He said you are either with me or against me. He said he respects those who hate his message more than luke warm believers or those who pervert his message. So your saying he's a dick (lol) would make him laugh but he would still worry about your precious soul!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also a non-believer. I'm curious about what it means to "glorify God" -- does that simply mean living your best life and caring for others/the planet? Or is it about religious ritual -- praying and going to church and tithing?

By believing in the gift of his Son and following his Son you acknowledge his will and plan. Jesus said "you are either for me or against me". I believe your eternal condition depends on that decision.

Can you show me where this is " Jesus said "you are either for me or against me"."

Matthew 12:30
Luke 11:23

Well clearly he was a dick then.

Jesus wants no part of " he was a great teacher " . He said he was God and he was here to die for his friends and save them from hell. He said you are either with me or against me. He said he respects those who hate his message more than luke warm believers or those who pervert his message. So your saying he's a dick (lol) would make him laugh but he would still worry about your precious soul!

So where does that leave liberal Christians who call themselves "Jesus followers?"

[Anonymous]

^^^ it leaves them the same place it leaves everybody. Jesus asks you to have the guts to look in the mirror and admit you break just about every one if the 10 commandments and understand you need the gift of Christs blood to put yourself in position to coexist with God in heaven.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^^ it leaves them the same place it leaves everybody. Jesus asks you to have the guts to look in the mirror and admit you break just about every one if the 10 commandments and understand you need the gift of Christs blood to put yourself in position to coexist with God in heaven.

Isn't it interesting that almost half of the commandments are about God? Sounds more like something a self righteous human would write rather than a true God.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I believe there is no way for human beings to understand the answers to those questions.

This.

Which, therefore, is why I believe that religion is the opiate of the masses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I believe there is no way for human beings to understand the answers to those questions.

This.

Which, therefore, is why I believe that religion is the opiate of the masses.

That doesn't follow. But if it works for you, so be it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^^ it leaves them the same place it leaves everybody. Jesus asks you to have the guts to look in the mirror and admit you break just about every one if the 10 commandments and understand you need the gift of Christs blood to put yourself in position to coexist with God in heaven.

A lot of people have trouble understanding the part about needing the gift of Christ's blood. Sounds quite gory and primitive.

Perhaps the above is written by that wily atheist who tries to make Christians look unsavory.

[Anonymous]

So where does that leave liberal Christians who call themselves "Jesus followers?"

What is a liberal Christian? I will use wikipedia:

The word liberal in liberal Christianity originally denoted a characteristic willingness to interpret scripture according to modern philosophic perspectives (hence the parallel term modernism) and modern scientific assumptions, while attempting to achieve the Enlightenment ideal of objective point of view, without preconceived notions of the authority of scripture or the correctness of Church dogma.

Basically, a liberal Christian is one who denies the bible is true, just a bunch of stories. Science says we evolved from an ape-like ancestor, not created as-is by God. The bible is not an authority on anything, just a bunch of stories that aren't really true and are to be taken with a grain of salt, or simply ignored. "I mean, really, Jesus the real son of God? C'mon, he was just a good teacher like Buddha and stuff. Do what you want if it doesn't hurt anybody. Eat, drink, and be merry. Party!"

A liberal Christian is one who takes scientific assumptions (we evolved from primitive species, were not created man and woman/male and female by God; Gay is OK!) over the clear and direct wording of the bible: In the beginning God created humans, both male and female with the intention male and female will be joined together (marriage). Gay marriage was not part of the equation. I include gay marriage here because most liberal Christians I know embrace it, and homosexuality, as ok and normal (which it definitely is not.)

So what about the liberal Christian Jesus-followers?

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven Matthew 7:21

It is not enough to say "Yeah, I follow Jesus. He's cool" then go about living without doing what Jesus said which includes obeying the commandmants: not stealing, committing adultery, and so forth, commandments which are found and explicitly declared in the bible.

Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15

Liberal Christians should seriously examine themselves. Treating God and Jesus as some kind of good time, rock&roll, "sin ain't nothing" kind of guys is not in accordance with God saying "Be holy, as I am holy."

[Anonymous]

I believe that there are rules upon which all things function that were not created by God. I believe that there is universal good (love, order and spirit of generosity) and universal evil (hatred, chaos and will to dominate/destroy). I believe that God is God because He is perfectly alligned with universal good. I believe that our consciousness existed before the Earth was formed, and that god saw in our consciousness the ability to judge and choose good or evil, rather than an instinctive obedience to the dominant trend surrounding us. I believe that He was proud of us and loved us and wished to help us to acheive perfect allignment with good like Himself. I believe that He created the universe to function on natural principles as a place where we could have a physical existence and could exercise free agency and thus could ultimately choose good or evil and that practicing those choices is the meaning of life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I believe that there are rules upon which all things function that were not created by God. I believe that there is universal good (love, order and spirit of generosity) and universal evil (hatred, chaos and will to dominate/destroy). I believe that God is God because He is perfectly alligned with universal good. I believe that our consciousness existed before the Earth was formed, and that god saw in our consciousness the ability to judge and choose good or evil, rather than an instinctive obedience to the dominant trend surrounding us. I believe that He was proud of us and loved us and wished to help us to acheive perfect allignment with good like Himself. I believe that He created the universe to function on natural principles as a place where we could have a physical existence and could exercise free agency and thus could ultimately choose good or evil and that practicing those choices is the meaning of life.

what's god's role when bad things happen to good people?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

So where does that leave liberal Christians who call themselves "Jesus followers?"

What is a liberal Christian? I will use wikipedia:

The word liberal in liberal Christianity originally denoted a characteristic willingness to interpret scripture according to modern philosophic perspectives (hence the parallel term modernism) and modern scientific assumptions, while attempting to achieve the Enlightenment ideal of objective point of view, without preconceived notions of the authority of scripture or the correctness of Church dogma.

Basically, a liberal Christian is one who denies the bible is true, just a bunch of stories. Science says we evolved from an ape-like ancestor, not created as-is by God. The bible is not an authority on anything, just a bunch of stories that aren't really true and are to be taken with a grain of salt, or simply ignored. "I mean, really, Jesus the real son of God? C'mon, he was just a good teacher like Buddha and stuff. Do what you want if it doesn't hurt anybody. Eat, drink, and be merry. Party!"

A liberal Christian is one who takes scientific assumptions (we evolved from primitive species, were not created man and woman/male and female by God; Gay is OK!) over the clear and direct wording of the bible: In the beginning God created humans, both male and female with the intention male and female will be joined together (marriage). Gay marriage was not part of the equation. I include gay marriage here because most liberal Christians I know embrace it, and homosexuality, as ok and normal (which it definitely is not.)

So what about the liberal Christian Jesus-followers?

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven Matthew 7:21

It is not enough to say "Yeah, I follow Jesus. He's cool" then go about living without doing what Jesus said which includes obeying the commandmants: not stealing, committing adultery, and so forth, commandments which are found and explicitly declared in the bible.

Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15

Liberal Christians should seriously examine themselves. Treating God and Jesus as some kind of good time, rock&roll, "sin ain't nothing" kind of guys is not in accordance with God saying "Be holy, as I am holy."

So liberal Christians are going to hell? with the atheists and the unrepentant criminals?

[Anonymous]

So liberal Christians are going to hell? with the atheists and the unrepentant criminals?

From http://www.graceonlinelibrary.org/controversial-issues/liberalism/christianity-and-liberalism-salvation-by-j-gresham-machen/

Jesus is our Saviour, not by virtue of what He said, not even by virtue of what He was, but by what He did. He is our Saviour, not because He has inspired us to live the same kind of life that He lived, but because He took upon Himself the dreadful guilt of our sins and bore it instead of us on the cross. Such is the Christian conception of the Cross of Christ.

If a person believes there are other ways to get to heaven that person is in effect saying "Yeah, so what Jesus. I can get to heaven by being a good and tolerant person. God will see my good intentions and count that in my favor."

Sorry, but that will not get a person into heaven.

John 10:1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

Jesus is that door. A person, liberal or whatever, can hold any opinion they please concerning politics and such, but concerning salvation Jesus is the only way. Period. If that person does not accept what Jesus did as the only way to heaven, as stated in the bible, then that person, liberal or otherwise, is not going to heaven but instead shall be cast into hell which is the 2nd death.

This is why in 2nd Corinthians 13:5 it says Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

People who call themselves Christians need to examine themselves and test to see if what they believe lines up with what Jesus said concerning who he is (the son of God) and what he did on the cross so that we may avoid being cast into hell.

I personally cannot point a finger at a liberal Christian, or even the most fire & brimstone Christian, and say whether that person is going to heaven or not because I cannot know how that person truly believes. However, I can get a good idea by their actions, their fruits if you will. If a person says "I am a Christian" yet, that person is smoking marijuana, covered in tattoos, and soliciting sex in a bar I am quite justified in raising doubts about that person's salvation. A Christian does not do such things. It would be abhorrent and certainly contrary to how the bible says we ought to live.

Matthew 7
15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

So what are the fruits of a Liberal Christian? Is it proclaiming the gospel that Jesus died for our sins for salvation, or is it "Oh, just be good and tolerant and God will let you right in to heaven because he's really a nice, cool guy who doesn't care if you are queer or an adulterer or liar or anything dirty or bad. Just say Jesus is cool and you got it made!"

Again, all who call themselves Christian, examine yourselves to see if you are in the faith. It is impossible for me or anyone else to do that, nor do I care to make blanket statements concerning who is going to hell and who isn't. That is not my purview nor do I want it to be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I believe that there are rules upon which all things function that were not created by God. I believe that there is universal good (love, order and spirit of generosity) and universal evil (hatred, chaos and will to dominate/destroy). I believe that God is God because He is perfectly alligned with universal good. I believe that our consciousness existed before the Earth was formed, and that god saw in our consciousness the ability to judge and choose good or evil, rather than an instinctive obedience to the dominant trend surrounding us. I believe that He was proud of us and loved us and wished to help us to acheive perfect allignment with good like Himself. I believe that He created the universe to function on natural principles as a place where we could have a physical existence and could exercise free agency and thus could ultimately choose good or evil and that practicing those choices is the meaning of life.

what's god's role when bad things happen to good people?

Good and bad are part of the nature of this universe. It is a mortal universe, which means that pain, death, and disease are a part of it. We will all experience them to different degrees, and of course will all suffer physical death. The role of Christ is to atone for both our mistakes (because we cannot always choose good in a fallen world) and for the evil that is present int he world. In this life we all suffer, but in the next we can be purged of mortality and can move past suffering, bu if we let it our sufferig will draw us closer to God--making us humble, compassionate, and appreciative of peace and joy when we find them. God does not send suffering, but it is part of a mortal life, amd He permits us to suffer a mortal life as He knows that it will ultimately purify us. He can tell us of good and evil, but only by experiencing them both can we truly understand them.

[Muslima]

As a Muslim, I believe in the 6 articles of faith in Islam:

1. Belief in Only One God
I believe that there is only one God, Allah (S.W.T) The Supreme and Eternal, The Merciful and Compassionate, The Creator and Provider. He is the God of all beings and there is none like Him.

2. Belief in the Books of God
Muslims must believe in all Revelations sent by God to His Prophets that is the Torah to Moses (A.S), the Scrolls of Abraham (A.S), the Gospel to Jesus (A.S), the Psalms of David (A.S) and the Qur'an to Muhammad (S.A.W).

3. Belief in God's Angels
Angels are pure and spiritually obedient beings, created by God to fulfill His commands and worship Him tirelessly. Muslims believe in all the angels for instance the Angel Gabriel who brought the Qur'an to Muhammad saw, the Angel of death who takes away life out of a person and also the Angels of battle.

4. Belief in The Prophets of God
Muslims must believe in all the Messengers and Prophets of God such as Adam, Noah, Moses, Solomon, Jesus and Muhammad saw who were human beings endowed with His Revelations and appointed by God to teach mankind how to worship and obey Allah.

5. Belief in Judgement Day
The Day of Judgement and the Hereafter are essential beliefs in Islam. Life on earth is just temporary while life in the Hereafter is forever and will never end. Those who have done good deeds and obeyed Allah (S.W.T) while living on Earth will be rewarded Paradise but those who did otherwise will be punished in Hell accordingly.

6. Belief in God’s Will
This is derived from the Arabic phrase "Al-Qada' Wa Al-Qadar" which means "Divine Decree and Predestination". God has measured and planned out everything that happened, is happening, and will happen. In Islam, Muslims must understand that if we have a will to do something, it does not always happen, but if Allah wills, it will definitely happen. A simple example of this belief is the frequent phrase used by Muslims: "Insha Allah" which means "if God wills" with regards to every planned action.