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So there are never any Hell fire sermons at your church??? Hmmm?? I guess that's possible. One should never fear the drama that comes with expressing your views. That is where most of the learning lives.Clearly, some people are religious out of fear, and some religions promote fear in their congregations. That is not the case with my Church. In my entire life, I can't ever recall having been threatened with some kind of horrible punishment if I didn't believe or behave in a particular way.
I generally fear more for the person who is mean to me because of my views.
And what are they really teaching by doing this??? Nothing good!!
A lot of twisting can happen in 2000 years. Should one really be relying on books or others to discover God??
OK! Knowledge it is!! We will no longer rely upon beliefs. Knowledge and truth march forward!! It's all a test of intelligence.And what you are ignoring is that one of the central teachings of the Baha'i Faith is the harmony of science and religion, EACH of which is important and EACH of which compliments the other!
I quote just one of many passages from the Baha'i scriptures:
"[E]ven in Europe it is admitted that religion is the opponent of science, and that science is the destroyer of the foundations of religion. While the religion of God is the promoter of truth, the founder of science and knowledge, it is full of goodwill for learned men; it is the civilizer of mankind, the discoverer of the secrets of nature, and the enlightener of the horizons of the world. Consequently, how can it be said to oppose knowledge? God forbid! Nay, for God, knowledge is the most glorious gift of man and the most noble of human perfections. To oppose knowledge is ignorant, and he who detests knowledge and science is not a man, but rather an animal without intelligence. For knowledge is light, life, felicity, perfection, beauty and the means of approaching the Threshold of Unity. It is the honor and glory of the world of humanity, and the greatest bounty of God. Knowledge is identical with guidance, and ignorance is real error.
"Happy are those who spend their days in gaining knowledge, in discovering the secrets of nature, and in penetrating the subtleties of pure truth! Woe to those who are contented with ignorance, whose hearts are gladdened by thoughtless imitation, who have fallen into the lowest depths of ignorance and foolishness, and who have wasted their lives!"
­Some Answered Questions, p. 137
Peace,
Bruce
It's almost enough to make a guy to turn atheist!! Simply because you can not possibly believe in religion, does not mean that God does not exist. If you really look at this world, all knowledge must be discovered. Wisdom is gained on the struggle to attain knowledge. God is not hiding. You just have not discovered God yet. In this time based causal universe even God's actions are not hidden. When you start to understand, you will see how God thinks. Just like in science, this opens doors to new discoveries. All the secrets of the universe stare us in the face. If God exists the God can be found. Understanding is important or you just come back confused. God is nothing like what religion teaches. In any event, Believing has never been important to God. Never let any believer or religion make you think you are less than them. It simply isn't true.
Like other homophobic religions, bahai claims homosexuality to be a sickness and can be cured through prayer.......
Just that I almost came outta my hole in January 'cause I knew my Gwynnies wasn't taking care of herself. Tell me you love, without fear. Or if fear is too strong a word, apprehension. Besides, I'm on the road to Judaism now, so the official ellen position is that the Bible was inspired by the Holy Spirit. But unlike some official church, the church of gwyneth paltrow and all mankind is based upon science and observational data; and endeavors to make Holy Spirit available to all. One time deal. No charge, no commitment, no updates.
Trust me, it's entirely possible. When your church doesn't even believe in the traditional "Hell," it's kind of hard for anyone to preach Hellfire. For us, it's not a matter of going to Hell. It's a matter of wanting what I might refer to as "sanctification" as opposed to "justification." (We don't actually use those exact words all that often. I just used them because I thought that people reading this might be able to relate to them. If necessary, I can elaborate.)
I'm not sure if you read my last post correctly. I don't fear having my beliefs questioned, nor am I afraid of being presented with a perspective I've never considered before. I grew up being encouraged to question and never being discouraged from doubting someone's words if they didn't ring true to me. What my was trying to say in my prior answer is that I have a pretty much zero-tolerance policy towards rude people, people who can't discuss theological differences without getting nasty. I'm a whole lot more patient than I used to be, but my patience only extends so far. I'm not afraid of jerks. I'm afraid for jerks. I wouldn't want to find myself in their shoes when their rude behavior finally presses one too many of my buttons.
There is only one reason beliefs exist. Beliefs are the patch that fills the gap when all the facts are not known. Without beliefs, we would lock up just like my old computer. Beliefs can never be as important as facts. If one was really smart, all the feelings, beliefs, and facts could be converted into a set of numbers. True intelligence isn't about materialism and bigger nukes. Past consequences should have taught you this. Of course, we all have many many more lessons before we reach true wisdom.On the contrary, BOTH knowledge and belief (aka faith) have legitimate roles to play!
Science answers the "How?" of existence, whereas religion addresses the "Who?" and "Why?"
And science presents objective facts, while religion's answers are necessarily subjective and dependant on individual acceptance via belief.
BOTH are important, and NEITHER can serve in the role of the other!
(Indeed, one of the quickest ways to get into trouble is to try to use either in the place of the other.
Science without religion is gross materialism <bigger and better nukes>; religion without science is superstition and witch-burning.)
So they comprise a unified whole.
Simple as that.
Peace,
Bruce
Is love really about getting??? Why should there be apprehension?? Perhaps you do not understand love. Think Unconditional Love. It is the only real true love.