I'm out of my box!

[Steve]

There is ONE path. ONE river...with many tributaries that flow into it...each taking it's own curves, bends, and flows...yet all culmanate at the same delta and release to the same body of water.

No i dont think you get my point,

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." John 14:6-7 emp added





​

No one knows the TRUTH. We can only guess and hope we guess right. NO ONE has all the answers...we are but mere humans...how can we dare to ASSUME we KNOW what a deity wants??? With so many different religions, faiths, beliefs, and differing holy scriptures in the world how can ANYONE say what is RIGHT and TRUE?

If we accept everything we accept nothing. A statement like the one Jesus made above demands a response, you either investigate his claims or you hide behind "so many different religions, faiths, beliefs, and differing holy scriptures in the world how can ANYONE say what is RIGHT and TRUE?"
I belive their is sufficent evidence that Jesus was who he said he was, He backed it up with miracles, and the circumstances around his ressurection are best explained by a ressurection. The apostles for eg going to their death for what they belived was true, and part of what they proclaimed as true is that they had seen the risen Christ, this is different from other martyrs because they were in a position where they knew if he had risen as claimed they had seen him - to say they went to their horrible deaths for somthing they knew was a lie is absurd. The Crucifixtion best explains our sin/guilt being dealt with if we are to stand befor a Holy God and again his ressurection gives us hope of an after life.

We are left with the choice and as to if we really want to make one.

 

[turk179]

I belive their is sufficent evidence that Jesus was who he said he was, He backed it up with miracles, and the circumstances around his ressurection are best explained by a ressurection. The apostles for eg going to their death for what they belived was true, and part of what they proclaimed as true is that they had seen the risen Christ, this is different from other martyrs because they were in a position where they if he had risen as claimed they had seen him - to say they went to their horrible deaths for somthing they knew was a lie is absurd. The Crucifixtion best explains our sin/guilt being dealt with if we are to stand befor a Holy God and again his ressurection gives us hope of an after life.
We are left with the choice and as to if we really want to make one.

So, in other words, you found your truth. You chose to believe that Jesus was who he said he was.

 

[Scott1]

His own path? There is only ONE. The idea that we can as fallen sinful people can meet find our own way to a God is the very problem.

It's a shame you find God to be so lacking in mercy as to let billions burn in hell.

Those that never hear of Christ are damned?

Billions of moral, God-loving Jews, Muslims etc. go to hell because they missed your God's "one path"?

Does not sound like a "god" worthy of respect... let alone my love or my life.

 

[Draka]

No i dont think you get my point,

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." John 14:6-7 emp added

​

I get your point Steve, I don't think you get mine at all...see below.

​

If we accept everything we accept nothing. A statement like the one Jesus made above demands a response, you either investigate his claims or you hide behind "so many different religions, faiths, beliefs, and differing holy scriptures in the world how can ANYONE say what is RIGHT and TRUE?"
I belive their is sufficent evidence that Jesus was who he said he was, He backed it up with miracles, and the circumstances around his ressurection are best explained by a ressurection. The apostles for eg going to their death for what they belived was true, and part of what they proclaimed as true is that they had seen the risen Christ, this is different from being martyed for what you belive as they knew he had risen as they had seen him - to say they went to their horrible deaths for somthing they knew was a lie is absurd. The Crucifixtion best explains our sin/guilt being dealt with if we are to stand befor a Holy God and again his ressurection gives us hope of an after life.

We are left with the choice and as to if we really want to make one.

Again, as I said, there are many differing holy scriptures...you are just quoting from one and who's to say that that one holds any more truth to it than the others? What about Muhammad? What about what He said? What about Allah? What about the Dead Sea Scrolls? What about Hindus, Jews, Muslims, and more that all have their own holy scriptures and they don't all say that the only way to god is through Jesus. If there is only one god and it is the Christian one and He loved all his creation, as a good, kind, and loving god should do, then why would all these other religions even exist...in fact older than Christianity? Why would there not be a revelation to the world with the same scriptures...why would there be differing ones?

Just let outofthebox find what he needs to with no judgement.

 

[Mister Emu]

Those that never hear of Christ are damned?

No one has said this.

Billions of moral, God-loving Jews, Muslims etc. go to hell because they missed your God's "one path"?

There is no scripture to support a view of cross-religious salvation, and even Catholic tradition states that non-Christians(and for a while even more strict, non-Catholics) will not reach heaven.[I am sorry if I am incorrect, but to my knowledge the statement on Catholic tradtition is correct.]

Does not sound like a "god" worthy of respect... let alone my love or my life.

Hmm, sad.

 

[Scott1]

No one has said this.

Hmmmm... if some non-Christians may go to heaven, why are you and Steve so "sad" for outofthebox.... what's the point of Steve's post about the "one path"??

There is no scripture to support a view of cross-religious salvation,

Don't care.

and even Catholic tradition states that non-Christians(and for a while even more strict, non-Catholics) will not reach heaven.

Wrong.

Hmm, sad.

Don't be sad... God loves me.

 

[Draka]

Don't be sad... God loves me.

With good reason too.

 

[Mister Emu]

Hmmmm... if some non-Christians may go to heaven, why are you and Steve so "sad" for outofthebox.... what's the point of Steve's post about the "one path"??

I see a difference between those who reject Jesus, and those who never had the earthly chance to know Him.

Don't care.

Ok...

Wrong.

Sorry, I remember reading about a catholic group who split off, because one of the popes had said that salvation can occur outside Roman Catholicism, which led me to believe that at one point it was said that only Roman Catholics got into heaven... sorry for this assumtpion.

 

[Draka]

I see a difference between those who reject Jesus, and those who never had the earthly chance to know Him.

But outofthebox never said he "rejected" Jesus. Now did he? He said that he found that "God" was so much more than what he found in the bible. He even said you can find Him there, but he finds him elsewhere as well. He never said anything about not believing in Jesus at all.

 

[Scott1]

I see a difference between those who reject Jesus, and those who never had the earthly chance to know Him.

As my pal Draka points out... you are making distinctions that were not involved in the argument beforehand.

Sorry, I remember reading about a catholic group who split off

Oh.. I get ya now... no need to be sorry... you are actually quite right... but we are having a discussion about theology, not history... so I'll stick to current RCC teachings.

 

[Mister Emu]

As my pal Draka points out... you are making distinctions that were not involved in the argument beforehand

God is a concept altogether different than the one portrayed in the bible

Sorry again, maybe my mind is on slow, but I cannot grasp accepting Jesus as one's savior and God being a concept altogether different from the Biblical portrayal.

 

[Melody]

Billions of moral, God-loving Jews, Muslims etc. go to hell because they missed your God's "one path"?

Scott,
Does the catholic faith not believe that you must believe in Christ to gain salvation?

 

[kreeden]

Out-of-the-box eh ? Do I dare make a comment ? :biglaugh:


People ! Lets allow God to decide just how wide His Truth is .

But I will tell you one thing , I will be damned before I allow another to tell me how much God Loves me !


But then , I may already be ? So I may as well have a nice day ....

 

[Scott1]

Does the catholic faith not believe that you must believe in Christ to gain salvation?

I believe faith in Christ is the "best" way... but not the only way.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

I've been stuck in a very fundamental, biblical inerrancy, right wing religious box (and it wasn't a bad thing to me at the time, still believe that it was good for me much of the time) and now I'm suddenly seeing things differently. All of the sudden. Now, God is a concept altogether different than the one portrayed in the bible. Not that you can't find him there, but he is so much bigger than that to me now, so much more. If I don't take the bible literally, it opens up a whole new realm of possibilities about God. Life is fascinating!

Anyone else ever experienced this?

Good for you.
Now is the time to grow in Christ and the Love of God.
God Gave us Brains to learn with and you have found that using it can be uplifting.
Christianity is not a straitjacket it is Freedom.

Terry
___________________________________-----
Blessed are the pure of heart, they shall behold their God.

 

[Peace]

I've been stuck in a very fundamental, biblical inerrancy, right wing religious box (and it wasn't a bad thing to me at the time, still believe that it was good for me much of the time) and now I'm suddenly seeing things differently. All of the sudden. Now, God is a concept altogether different than the one portrayed in the bible. Not that you can't find him there, but he is so much bigger than that to me now, so much more. If I don't take the bible literally, it opens up a whole new realm of possibilities about God. Life is fascinating!

Anyone else ever experienced this?

May our beloved God guide your way to what pleases Him, amen!!!

Peace be with you
Peace

 

[Green Gaia]

Anyone else ever experienced this?

Absolutely. Put all of the world's religious teachings and insights together and I think we still only have a small fraction of an explanation of what "God" is.

 

[Watcher]

:biglaugh:Frubals to Scott.

Anyone else ever experienced this?

Wouldn't be where I was today if I hadn't
"god" cannot be described by the words of a book alone. Explore this new realization, look at the world in a new light. Look within yourself as well.

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." John 14:6-7 emp added

Jesus also said..."I am not your master. Because you have drunk,you have become intoxicated by the bubbling spring which I havemeasured out." and "Rather, the Kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you.When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living Father."

Good luck outofthebox:jiggy:

 

[outofthebox]

I wish I had the time to respond with all the thoughts I'd like to share. I'd like to let everyone know first, though, that I'm a "she"! I'm so new in this that I'm still sorting through what I'm taking in and what I'm owning for myself. As far as what I believe about the bible now, I've believed it word for word for over 30 years and devoted my being to the God I found there, and now I've got to go back and read it with fresh eyes. Until I do that while asking for guidance, I cannot say what I believe about any of it. I'm glad to have found this board, and I'll post as I'm able. I am reading everyone's posts, though, and I'm grateful for your responses.

 

[jewscout]

His own path? There is only ONE

i wonder where that leaves folks like me?