Says who?
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Do you think your religion is the only true way
- Thread starter robocop (actually)
- Start date
Says who?
osgart
Nothing my eye, Something for sure
The only way to get out of a neverending cycle of tribalism and war is to practice every good word of character and virtue. Practice til become. Love of right intention, and right action leads to peace.
So every positive meaning in language becomes a virtue. Whether it be knowledge or charity, every good word is a virtue that creates life.
What does life mean? To exist? We are here for the worth and joy of living, self and other. If not joy then in defense of virtue. To strive for the ideal. To eliminate suffering. To oppose those against virtue. To make peace within and for all.
What other way is there then that?
So every positive meaning in language becomes a virtue. Whether it be knowledge or charity, every good word is a virtue that creates life.
What does life mean? To exist? We are here for the worth and joy of living, self and other. If not joy then in defense of virtue. To strive for the ideal. To eliminate suffering. To oppose those against virtue. To make peace within and for all.
What other way is there then that?
Religion might be writable on one page and Rael once joked it would be shorter to write the things that you can do, but if government were down to a page I would think I had made it to Heaven.
Ellen Brown
Well-Known Member
I imagine most people who are convinced of their religious beliefs would say the same.
Geoff-Allen
Resident megalomaniac
In-teresting question ...
My view is eccentric but you might like to hear it
I don't bother at all asking whose beliefs are "right" and whose are "wrong" - who on Earth is capable of deciding that?
I ask a different question -
Are your beliefs healthy?
To me - a healthy belief system is one that helps you to become a kinder & more compassionate human being.
In theory you could follow ANY religion at all and be kind & compassionate or you could mis-interpret things and end up as a judgemental human being.
Thanks for listening - stay tuned for all the latest news & developments.
Jim
Nets of Wonder
I don’t know how to answer that question in those terms. I think that the more people learn to love, trust and follow Bahá’u’lláh, the better it will be for them, for all of us, for society, and for the future of the world. That doesn’t mean that I know better what is the best path for anyone else, and it doesn’t mean that I have nothing to learn from anyone else, about anything that I might need or want to know. I want to learn to encourage and support people on whatever path they’re on, however they see and understand it, and learn as much from them as I can. Trusting Bahá’u’lláh doesn’t even exclude me from following the paths that other people are following, myself, except where their path excludes me from following mine. I was following a pagan path for a while, and the only reason that lapsed was because I lost touch with my mentors.
MJFlores
Well-Known Member
Jesus Christ directed us to call the Church by His name because it is His Church, filled with His power.
If someone should ask, “Are you a Mormon?” you could reply, “If you are asking if I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, yes, I am!”
If someone asks, “Are you a Latter-day Saint?”16 you might respond, “Yes, I am. I believe in Jesus Christ and am a member of His restored Church.”
Source: https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=church+of+christ+LDS+changes+name
The LDS Church, originally called the Church of Christ, was formally organized by Joseph Smith on April 6, 1830, in western New York. Smith later changed the name to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints after he stated he had received a revelation to do so.
Other name(s): LDS Church; Mormon Church
Origin: April 6, 1830; Fayette, New York, United ...
Separations: LDS denominations
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Wikipedia
My commentary:
I agree that the Church established by Christ is named after him. Actually the Bible says this fact emphatically.
Acts 4:11-12 New International Version (NIV)
Jesus is
“‘the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the cornerstone.’
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
So if a church does not bear the name of Jesus or Christ or Jesus Christ, you can bet your bottom dollar that these people will not be saved. Actually Paul revealed the official name of the Church in Romans 16:16 and in Acts 20:28
The whole world is thinking they are saved because Christ died for their sins.
They do not need the Church, according to them.
They would preach to others - accept Jesus as your personal savior and tada - you are saved.
They would go beyond that and say "once saved, always saved"
See how one lie leads to another?
Now being a Church of Christ by name
needs reproof
if a church cannot prove it is the genuine enchilada by name and by doctrines
then it is just a fake church of Christ
Fake News instead of Good News
The Church must follow the doctrines of Christ and if not....
Matthew 15:8-14 New International Version (NIV)
“‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’”
Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”
Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”
He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”
Therefore, people should really open their eyes
Ask the question - Am I really on the true way?
Or am I being led by blind men?
Ellen Brown
Well-Known Member
Jesus Christ directed us to call the Church by His name because it is His Church, filled with His power.
If someone should ask, “Are you a Mormon?” you could reply, “If you are asking if I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, yes, I am!”
If someone asks, “Are you a Latter-day Saint?”16 you might respond, “Yes, I am. I believe in Jesus Christ and am a member of His restored Church.”
Source: https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=church+of+christ+LDS+changes+name
The LDS Church, originally called the Church of Christ, was formally organized by Joseph Smith on April 6, 1830, in western New York. Smith later changed the name to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints after he stated he had received a revelation to do so.
Other name(s): LDS Church; Mormon Church
Origin: April 6, 1830; Fayette, New York, United ...
Separations: LDS denominations
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Wikipedia
My commentary:
I agree that the Church established by Christ is named after him. Actually the Bible says this fact emphatically.
Acts 4:11-12 New International Version (NIV)
Jesus is
“‘the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the cornerstone.’
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
So if a church does not bear the name of Jesus or Christ or Jesus Christ, you can bet your bottom dollar that these people will not be saved. Actually Paul revealed the official name of the Church in Romans 16:16 and in Acts 20:28
View attachment 29029
The whole world is thinking they are saved because Christ died for their sins.
They do not need the Church, according to them.
They would preach to others - accept Jesus as your personal savior and tada - you are saved.
They would go beyond that and say "once saved, always saved"
See how one lie leads to another?
Now being a Church of Christ by name
needs reproof
if a church cannot prove it is the genuine enchilada by name and by doctrines
then it is just a fake church of Christ
Fake News instead of Good News
The Church must follow the doctrines of Christ and if not....
Matthew 15:8-14 New International Version (NIV)
“‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’”
Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”
Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”
He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”
Therefore, people should really open their eyes
Ask the question - Am I really on the true way?
Or am I being led by blind men?
Egocentric men, I'll be nice and not say they are the minions of satan, make all these rules sort of like a Dog marking a Fire Hydrant. Don't forget the individual Priesthood of the Believer.
1 Peter 2:5-9
5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, 8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;
And, Micah 6:8
8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
Had I not been rejected and tormented by every religious system I've approached, I might not feel this way. Those who this has happened to are in the good company of Jesus the Christ. Need I remind you that he was murdered by evil men who could not stand the truth.
Shantanu
Well-Known Member
I discovered my own path from personal studies that works for me for it keeps me in check on ascertaining the right decisions as I move forward in life. No problems are such that they cannot be negotiated to steer me on the righteous actions. The path places emphasis on survival through truth accommodation (satya-advaita).
MJFlores
Well-Known Member
I would agree with you on that.
Would egocentric men equates to supernatural libido?
Name: Joseph Smith
Born: December 23, 1805
Died: June 27, 1844 (aged 38)
Positions: 1st President of the Church of Christ (later the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints)[5], April 6, 1830 – June 27, 1844
Date entered polygamy: April 5, 1841[9]
Eventual No. of wives: 33[10]
Notes: Founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. Also Mayor of Nauvoo, Illinois (1842–1844). Commonly believed to have married at least 30 wives before his death[6] and to have taught the doctrine to his close associates, although he publicly denied teaching or practicing polygamy.[7][8] Further information: Origin of Latter Day Saint polygamy, List of Joseph Smith's wives, and Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith
List of Latter Day Saint practitioners of plural marriage - Wikipedia
Rejected and tormented?
How is that?
Judging by what is written in Genesis, it seems to me that there was just one religion in the garden of Eden....and one God.
There was no long list of 'do's and don't's' just one of each.
1) Fill the earth with your children and with them, spread the paradise all over the world....and 2) don't eat from that one tree that belongs to me. That was it. No hardship...no suffering.....no sacrifice necessary.
Things would have turned out brilliantly if all had gone to plan. The earth would have been filled with sinless, free willed humans, enjoying perfect health, and using their well designed bodies to enlarge the boundaries of their paradise home until the whole world looked like the garden God gave them in the beginning. There was no mention of death except as a punishment, so living forever on earth in paradise conditions was God's original purpose for us humans.
So what went wrong? How did we go from that to what we have now?
One rebel caused all this. He wanted the worship that was to be given exclusively to the Creator, and he saw an opportunity to hijack the only free willed beings who could make him a god and give him what he desired. He could not present himself for what he really was, so he had to design many different approaches to lure humans away from true worship....he did this by inventing false worship, in much the same way as a fisherman might use different lures to catch different kinds of fish. The devil had a string of religious lures to attract his victims.
The one thing that stayed the same in all of this, is that God did not change, and neither did his original purpose for the earth and humans as its assigned caretakers (Isaiah 55:11)......with disobedience now manifest in his free willed creation however, both humans and angels were changed by the fact that now God had to test their love and loyalty to him as their rightful Sovereign. They had to choose to serve his purpose of their own free will.
At the end, when all the testing is complete, only those who demonstrated their love and loyalty to the true God by rendering acceptable worship, (according to his written word) will receive a place in his kingdom as their reward. All will return to God's original purpose and he can get on with whatever he has planned for the rest of his vast universe. I think we are just the beginning of a much bigger picture.
There are only two roads, and we are all on either one or the other. (Matthew 7:13-14) There is a cramped and narrow road to life....and a multi-lane super highway leading to death. We choose which road to travel, and thereby choose our destination.
That is what I believe the Bible says about the worship that is acceptable to God.
There was no long list of 'do's and don't's' just one of each.
1) Fill the earth with your children and with them, spread the paradise all over the world....and 2) don't eat from that one tree that belongs to me. That was it. No hardship...no suffering.....no sacrifice necessary.
Things would have turned out brilliantly if all had gone to plan. The earth would have been filled with sinless, free willed humans, enjoying perfect health, and using their well designed bodies to enlarge the boundaries of their paradise home until the whole world looked like the garden God gave them in the beginning. There was no mention of death except as a punishment, so living forever on earth in paradise conditions was God's original purpose for us humans.
So what went wrong? How did we go from that to what we have now?
One rebel caused all this. He wanted the worship that was to be given exclusively to the Creator, and he saw an opportunity to hijack the only free willed beings who could make him a god and give him what he desired. He could not present himself for what he really was, so he had to design many different approaches to lure humans away from true worship....he did this by inventing false worship, in much the same way as a fisherman might use different lures to catch different kinds of fish. The devil had a string of religious lures to attract his victims.
The one thing that stayed the same in all of this, is that God did not change, and neither did his original purpose for the earth and humans as its assigned caretakers (Isaiah 55:11)......with disobedience now manifest in his free willed creation however, both humans and angels were changed by the fact that now God had to test their love and loyalty to him as their rightful Sovereign. They had to choose to serve his purpose of their own free will.
At the end, when all the testing is complete, only those who demonstrated their love and loyalty to the true God by rendering acceptable worship, (according to his written word) will receive a place in his kingdom as their reward. All will return to God's original purpose and he can get on with whatever he has planned for the rest of his vast universe. I think we are just the beginning of a much bigger picture.
There are only two roads, and we are all on either one or the other. (Matthew 7:13-14) There is a cramped and narrow road to life....and a multi-lane super highway leading to death. We choose which road to travel, and thereby choose our destination.
That is what I believe the Bible says about the worship that is acceptable to God.
Firemorphic
Activist Membrane
I think it's more that there's a difference between simply reading something and living something, they are two different things, much like from mere belief to experience (may it be realization or enlightenment etc).
In my third book, it says if you have the probability of successfully making two paths, the greater probability is your chance, but if its harder to find a path, you have to tack on the finding probability.
Jim
Nets of Wonder
Oh, you write books! That puts things in a different light for me.
Audie
Veteran Member
Drop the "all knowledge of" and you will have something.
I'd say in only two sentences. "Love God. Love your neighbor as yourself". There you go.
Anything more is just our human projects to spend our lives trying to find what we already have.
Jesus. "Love God with all your heart.... Love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and prophets". "Love is the fulfillment of the law".
So, not one page, but one word: Love.
I don't see any religion mentioned in Genesis story of the Garden of Eden before the fall. I can't imagine why there would have needed to be one, since they were already in God's Presence without sin and shame and guilt.
Religion is about all of that stuff, sin, and shame, and guilt and whatnot, and trying to find one's way back to God. Once you are with God, religion is unnecessary. "God. It's what's beyond religion."