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How much do we know/understand or just believe?

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
As believers in God, how much of the teaching do we actually know and understand, or how much is just a belief?

Added info. Do spiritual wisdom arise from our practice of our belief?
 
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Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
Maybe as believers in God, we believe in a Creator who wants mankind to be happy and at peace.:)
Peace is very important yes :)
Can we use our understanding of our belief to unite to a common goal even we belong to different religious teachings?
As a Muslim i have nothing against Jews or Christians:)
 

exchemist

Veteran Member
As believers in God, how much of the teaching do we actually know and understand, or how much is just a belief?
I don't see these as alternatives. The teaching of religions is all about belief. So if one knows and understands the teaching well, one has a good grasp of the beliefs taught by that religion.
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
I don't see these as alternatives. The teaching of religions is all about belief. So if one knows and understands the teaching well, one has a good grasp of the beliefs taught by that religion.
How about faith and wisdom obtained through practice of the teaching?
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
That was not the subject of your opening post.

What question are you now posing about the practice of religious teaching?
The extra question come from your answer.
If religion is only belief, but no wisdom can be obtained from the belief and practice of the teachings, how are we supposed to become pure, and gain access to Paradise when we die from our physical existence?
 

exchemist

Veteran Member
The extra question come from your answer.
If religion is only belief, but no wisdom can be obtained from the belief and practice of the teachings, how are we supposed to become pure, and gain access to Paradise when we die from our physical existence?
Religion can only be belief, since nothing about it is sure, but I don't see that as by any means excluding wisdom. One can have either a wise or a foolish belief, after all.

The issue of purity at death seems to me a different subject. Realistically, most of us die impure anyway. So it must be that either God overlooks that, or we undergo some purification process after death. Both ideas are present in Christianity, at least.
 

halbhh

The wonder and awe of "all things".
If religion is only belief, but no wisdom can be obtained from the belief and practice of the teachings, how are we supposed to become pure, and gain access to Paradise when we die from our physical existence?

Very good. As we have:

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
James 1 NIV

And the great teaching:

12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. 13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

Matthew 7 NIV
 
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