To Christians

[Genna]

There can be a multitude of religions that all contain degrees of truth, but I think that you're right that it is mathematically impossible for two contradictory teachings to both be correct. If, by the words "true religion" you are referring to a religion that teaches only true doctrines and no false doctrines, there are only two possibilities:

1. There is no true religion.
2. There is one true religion.

"There are many true religions" is not an option.

There are many true religions" is not an option? well you sure won't be able to tell that to some of the non-christians here on this thread! I am not a christian, but it seems logical that if there was a God and he revealed himself, there would be only one true religion.

 

[Katzpur]

Why can't there be many true religions? How do they conflict? Did Jesus only come for a part of the world? Did Muhammad say "only arabs"?

People think they conflict because there are so many different names for the Creator but even though some call water "agua" it is still the same thing.

Don't go by what the priests and mullah's say. Where do the books actually conflict?

On second thought, don't answer that, I'll start a new thread with that question.

Okay, I won't. I was just about to, but I'll wait for your new thread.

 

[Genna]

In Islam people do receive punishment, but everyone receives paradise eventually and that will last forever, and this is according to the same God of the Bible.... now you might be thinking "how can a God change his mind like that?, Since in the Bible it talks about being in hell forever if you don't accept Christ as your savior"... well the only reason for the difference is because man altered God's word and his teachings after Christ died, so by the time they wrote the New Testament 65-100 years after Christ the word had been altered and changed.

So yes, God will send people to hell fire. Yes, it sounds cruel, but God gave a clear warning to everyone and he also gave everyone a guidline to follow which would keep you away from this. What more could you want? He's given you the answers to the test, who fails a test when they have all the answers? Would you rather God not warn you about hell? If God didn't warn the people of such a thing, come the day of Judgment when God sends people to hell, their reaction would be "Well if I knew there was a hell and you made it clear to me, I wouldn't have done all this sinning" but clearly that's not the case because now people hold a grudge against God for stating that if you do wrong, and you sin, and you do evil, you will receive hell fire. It's a lose/lose situation.

God will bestow his mercy upon whoever he pleases. The only person God says he wont bestow his mercy on is a liar, a person who lives a life of lies and lies to everyone around them, other than that you have a chance at Gods mercy. A non-believer can receive Gods mercy and I'll bet the bank that many of them will. For those who don't receive God's mercy from hell, they will eventually receive His mercy anyway... becasue like I stated above God will grant them paradise after their punishment is done. Again, I am repeating myself but it is almost as if hell is a cleansing of the soul or spirit, and a replenishment. Maybe a spirit or soul who has sinned and gone so far off the path needs to receive the fire to be able to enter paradise. Maybe the hellfire God speaks of isn't actually a firey pit, but the body feels an unbelievable amount of grief/regret/lonliness when God is no longer with them and it feels like a burning in the body. Who knows what hell is, but I know it's somewhere that I don't want to go. I believe in being good, and if you follow God and His way, then you are being good. I believe in staying healthy, and if you believe in God and his way, you will be healthy.Now some people don't need God to be good to others, and to keep their body healthy, but I think the ones who do it so naturally are being guided by God without even knowing it.

I've stated this a thousand times before on these threads, but the fact that we all come to this site everyday or every other day to gain knowledge and speak about life, and try to find out the answers to what is going on in the world today is a good deed. God loves that we do this, God loves those who gain knowledge and seek to find the truth. Although you may not be a believer in God, you are still learning, and reading and educating yourself, and as long as you dont stop learning and searching for the answers I believe God will bestow his Mercy upon you. I believe this because if there is a God, then He is the answer. If you were searching and gaining knowledge and learning about all different kinds of faiths, and learning about science and the history of the world, and trying to find out why we're here, then you were searching for God your whole life without even knowing it, and he will reward you for that.

A good deed is a good deed whether you believe in God or not. No good deed will go un-noticed, but the same goes for the bad. The state of the human beings heart will have a huge bearing on Gods mercy. How the human being reacts to finding out that there is a God after not believing there whole life will mean a lot. God knows what is in the heart of the human being, and God knows what we really believe and think. If the person who didnt believe their whole life finds out the truth and is still against it, and still speaks against God, that person will probobly receive hellfire. Now I can't say that they will, because I don't know how God will do his judging, but I believe that person will deserve it, due to such ignorance and lack of respect. Now I was speaking as if there was gonna be a Judgment Day for sure, but I want everyone to know that this is through my eyes and my perspective... and for those who don't believe in a day of Judgment just take it for what it's worth... I dont want to offend anyone, and if I did , I apologize.

Peace and Blessings

Ezzedean Fadel

Peace

Um, ok! You know that I doubt the existence of God, I have read the quran, the bible and other religious books to a certain extent. What I do not understand is how muslims can quote Jesus's words taken straight out of the bible and say how great his teachings are. But when it comes to Jesus's own word claiming that he is the Son of God and that he is the only way to salvation, muslims say that man altered his words. It is almost as if they are nitpicking which words are true and which words are not. And BTW, like with Christians and their denominations, they have beliefs that clash at times likwise with Islam. I know Muslims who believe in eternal damnation and that everyone will not eventually make it to paradise. I doubt the existence of God, but some of you sound pretty convincing, perhaps I am just gullible or maybe I am searching for meaning in my life. Some Christians believe in eternal damnation, some don't! Some muslims believe in eternal damnation, some don't! Some of you guys believe in reincarnation, some of you believe that all religions are true, do you see the mass confusion among religions? Hinduism believe in multiple Gods, while you and Christians believe in one true God. Whats going on? I do however believe in a devil, since I use to be a satanist but turned away from it. Maybe he is the cause of all this confusion?

 

[Booko]

I have co-workers who are Christians and they tell me that other self-professed Christians who do not believe in the eternality of hell are in fact doctrinally mislead and are not Christians at all.

One wonders who died and made them God. :sarcastic

I mean, what does the bible really say? The bible to me is somewhat cryptic, but there are some verses which are clear in their meaning such as this from Jesus Himself:

Mark 3:29 - But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation.

Blaspheming against the Holy Ghost, as I understand it, is completely shutting yourself off from the Spirit, which is the link between you and God. If you refuse any connection to God, then how can you improve yourself? How can you address spiritual shortcomings, which we all have some of?

At first I did not believe in a God, but I dunno, some of you guys here can be really quite convincing.

Sometimes it's not God that we don't believe in, but certain people's ideas of God. They aren't the same thing.

Think for yourself, read for yourself, but always be brutally honest with yourself and fearless to look at anything. The ego only puts veils between us and God. If you're more comfortable calling it Ultimate Reality or Truth right now, work with that.

I can learn a lot from people here, and I do, but they are only signposts to God. I have to do the walking myself.

The fact that you're still here and posting in this thread with us, shows you're willing to do the walking, and if I may say, that you haven't blasphemed the Holy Spirit yet. You're open to what's around you, and that's what's important.

 

[Genna]

So how is your religion Bahai different from Christianity? I mean, they seem closely related, what the difference?

 

[Booko]

What I do not understand is how muslims can quote Jesus's words taken straight out of the bible and say how great his teachings are. But when it comes to Jesus's own word claiming that he is the Son of God and that he is the only way to salvation, muslims say that man altered his words.

I cannot answer for Muslims, as I'm not one, but I would point out that the common Christian understanding of the meaning of "Son of God" is that Jesus actually is God.

This is known as shirk in Islam, and is as huge a no-no as it is in Judaism (Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one!).

It is almost as if they are nitpicking which words are true and which words are not. And BTW, like with Christians and their denominations, they have beliefs that clash at times likwise with Islam. I know Muslims who believe in eternal damnation and that everyone will not eventually make it to paradise. I doubt the existence of God, but some of you sound pretty convincing, perhaps I am just gullible or maybe I am searching for meaning in my life. Some Christians believe in eternal damnation, some don't! Some muslims believe in eternal damnation, some don't! Some of you guys believe in reincarnation, some of you believe that all religions are true, do you see the mass confusion among religions? Hinduism believe in multiple Gods, while you and Christians believe in one true God. Whats going on? I do however believe in a devil, since I use to be a satanist but turned away from it. Maybe he is the cause of all this confusion?

Hinduism may believe in multiple Gods, but there is this:

"There is an Unborn, Unoriginated, Uncreated, Unformed. If there were not this Unborn, this Unoriginated, this Uncreated, this Unformed, escape from the world of the born, the originated, the created, the formed, would not be possible.

But since there is an Unborn, Unoriginated, Uncreated, Unformed, therefore is escape possible from the world of the born, the originated, the created, the formed."

It's quoted again in the Buddhist Dhammapada, fwiw.

Now, what can you think of that is "Uncreated" "Unformed" "Unoriginated" and "Unborn"?

And what does "escape from this world" sound like? If you were expressing this thought to a Christian, what word(s) would you use?

Comparative religion is a blast.

 

[Booko]

So how is your religion Bahai different from Christianity? I mean, they seem closely related, what the difference?

The relationship is not unlike Christianity's relationship to Judaism.

Both religions recognize Moses as someone God spoke to (i.e. a prophet), but Christians are not Jews, because they recognize a later Messenger in Christ.

Muslims recognize Moses and Jesus, but they are neither Jews nor Christians, because they recognize a later Messenger in Muhammad.

Baha'is recognize Moses and Jesus and Muhammad, but we are not Jews, Christians or Muslims, because we recognize a later Messenger in Baha'u'llah.

And just to make things really fun, we also recognize Krishna (Hinduism), the Buddha, and Zoroaster as Messengers too. And there are religions lost to history who also had Messengers that we don't know of.

But we believe that God has never left anyone without guidance.

Some things in religions change, because the needs of humanity have changed.

Some change because humans changed them or misunderstood something.

And there's more the same across religions than maybe you'd think.

But I suspect SuperUniverse is about to start a thread on that...

 

[Super Universe]

Um, ok! You know that I doubt the existence of God, I have read the quran, the bible and other religious books to a certain extent. What I do not understand is how muslims can quote Jesus's words taken straight out of the bible and say how great his teachings are. But when it comes to Jesus's own word claiming that he is the Son of God and that he is the only way to salvation, muslims say that man altered his words. It is almost as if they are nitpicking which words are true and which words are not. And BTW, like with Christians and their denominations, they have beliefs that clash at times likwise with Islam. I know Muslims who believe in eternal damnation and that everyone will not eventually make it to paradise. I doubt the existence of God, but some of you sound pretty convincing, perhaps I am just gullible or maybe I am searching for meaning in my life. Some Christians believe in eternal damnation, some don't! Some muslims believe in eternal damnation, some don't! Some of you guys believe in reincarnation, some of you believe that all religions are true, do you see the mass confusion among religions? Hinduism believe in multiple Gods, while you and Christians believe in one true God. Whats going on? I do however believe in a devil, since I use to be a satanist but turned away from it. Maybe he is the cause of all this confusion?

Christ assumed leadership over this area of God's universe. Before doing so He, Christ, had to bestow Himself upon the earth in human form in order to understand the beings that He would one day guide onward to heaven and sit in judgement over.

Only through Christ can we attain salvation means that He controls who He sends onward to heaven and to His Father.

Christ was not God, He preached about His Father many times. He never once claimed to be God but people will believe what they wish to believe.

One more point, Hinduism believes in multiple gods? Uh, you mean the three, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva? Doesn't Christianity teach three as well? God, The Son, and the Holy Spirit? I know they are not exactly the same but what do you expect from cultures separated by thousands of miles?

You see differences because you choose to see it that way.

 

[Snowbear]

It seems that the worlds judicial system has more mercy than God!

Not really. God will forgive a whole lot more than any of the world's judicial systems.

How many sins do I have to commit to go to hell forever?

Well, since God's standard is perfection, it would seem only one.
But you can be forgiven of ALL of them just by asking

...I mean How can God have a son...

God can do anything.

Are you telling me that he won't forgive me even if I get down on my hands and knees and beg with all my heart?

Nope. If you believe, all you have to do is ask and you will be forgiven.... you will even be forgiven for once believing there is no God.

I do however believe in a devil, since I use to be a satanist but turned away from it. Maybe he is the cause of all this confusion?

I'm sure he would be glad to keep you from seeking salvation

Your astute observation of the conflicting beliefs among Christian denominations IS confusing. It's one of the main reasons I don't associate with *any* of the denominations. I start with Faith in a God who doesn't lie. On that basis, as Paul wrote in 2nd Timothy...

2Timothy 3:10 But you have fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, long-suffering, love, patience,
11 persecutions, afflictions, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra. What persecutions I endured! But the Lord delivered me out of all.
12 Yea, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
13 But evil men and seducers will go forward to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
14 But continue in the things that you have learned and have been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them,
15 and that from a babe you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
16 All Scripture is God-breathed, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be perfected, thoroughly furnished to every good work.
​

...I believe the Word of God (the Bible) is the Truth and is sufficient for instruction in what God wants from me. I don't need the additions or misleadings of people who would pick and choose what parts to believe....

 

[Snowbear]

The bible to me is somewhat cryptic, but there are some verses which are clear in their meaning such as this from Jesus Himself:

Mark 3:29 - But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation.

Your a Christian, and I am sure you believe that Jesus never lied, so how do you explain this? At first I did not believe in a God, but I dunno, some of you guys here can be really quite convincing.

Keep in mind that pretty much any verse can be taken out of context and be used to say just about anything that someone wants it to. Take the one you quoted above. Read in context and compare it with the same counsel which seems to be explained in more detail in Matthew chapter 12....

Matthew 12:24 But when the Pharisees heard, they said, This one does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub the ruler of the demons.
25 And Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. And every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.
26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand?
27 But if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges.
28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.
29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house and spoil his goods, unless first he binds the strong one, and then he will plunder his house.
30 The one who is not with Me is against Me, and the one who does not gather with Me scatters.
31 Therefore I say to you, All kinds of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven to men, but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven to men.
32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this world or in the world to come.
33 Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt and its fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by its fruit.
34 Offspring of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart brings out good things; and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings out evil things.
36 But I say to you that every idle word, whatever men may speak, they shall give account of it in the day of judgment.
37 For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned.

​

In context, the hypocritical Pharisees were accusing Jesus of working miracles with an 'unclean spirit,' in other words, Satan's spirit. This is in essence accusing the Holy Spirit which was in Jesus of being a spirit of Satan. Jesus is saying that by speaking against the Holy Spirit, they themselves are in league with the devil, proving their hearts are untrue.

 

[Genna]

God will forgive a whole lot more than any of the world's judicial systems.

You said God will forgive a whole lot more than any of the world's judicial systems. When a person commits murder they are either given a life sentence, parole perhaps or the death sentence. In Christianity what happens if you die a murderer? I suppose your going to hell correct? and wouldn't it be hell without parole, and the life sentence is literally a eternal life sentence. So how does God forgive a whole lot more than any of the world's judicial systems, hmmm....I am going to have to think long and hard about this. Can't seem to connect the dots of Gods mercy!

 

[Snowbear]

You said God will forgive a whole lot more than any of the world's judicial systems. When a person commits murder they are either given a life sentence, parole perhaps or the death sentence. In Christianity what happens if you die a murderer? I suppose your going to hell correct? and wouldn't it be hell without parole, and the life sentence is literally a eternal life sentence. So how does God forgive a whole lot more than any of the world's judicial systems, hmmm....

If ANY murderer who is condemned to death by a worldly judicial system becomes a believer and asks God for forgiveness, God will forgive him. That doesn't mean the world will forgive him... he'll likely still be put to death.... though because of his repentance, he will ultimately have eternal pardon... not just parole

....I am going to have to think long and hard about this. Can't seem to connect the dots of Gods mercy!

God's mercy is endless :yes:

 

[Genna]

God's mercy is endless?

So If I reject God in this life by and die, I can ask him for forgiveness right in the after life, right?

 

[Katzpur]

God's mercy is endless?

So If I reject God in this life by and die, I can ask him for forgiveness right in the after life, right?

Let me ask you a question, Genna. Without an answer to this question, I can't answer yours.

If God were to prove His existence to you in this life, would you still reject Him? Or do you simply reject Him now because you don't see any evidence that He exists?

 

[dawny0826]

See, thats the problem that I have with Christianity's concept of hell, you believe that if you go to hell that you deserve it? One can only commit a certain amount of sins in their life, so why are they punished forever? the punishment does not seem to fit the crime. It seems that the worlds judicial system has more mercy than God! How many sins do I have to commit to go to hell forever? because I know that I have sinned many times (fornication that is).

Well, not all Christians have the same concept of hell. I'm only speaking from personal belief.

And I'm sorry, but it's my belief that if one is sent to hell, whatever hell is...they would deserve it.

It doesn't matter how many or how little sins one commits in their life time. Any sin makes us unclean. And we cannot go before the Father unclean. BUT...He worked out all the kinks for us. He made a plan so that we could be saved from our uncleanliness. Christ shed His blood, which covers sin.

He's already paid the price...I don't remember if I posted this in my last post or not, if I did, please forgive me. But...I liken it to someone purchasing you a ticket. The price has already been paid but you have to actually reach out and accept the ticket.

God full of mercy for each and every one of us. He loves us all. And He wants for us to be reconciled with Him...which is why He made a way for us to come to Him. But we must come to Him on our own free will. We were given free will...the ability to choose.

Eternity is the real deal. This life is over in the blink of an eye. What we do know...determines where we spend eternity.

God is willing to forgive us for ANY sin...but I believe that we are required to repent NOW.

How do you define ignorance here? I wouldn't consider a person ignorant of God if they're aware that God or at least the concept of God exists. If one has heard the gospel and rejects it...they're certainly not ignorant of God...they've simply chosen to reject God.

I'm a Christian and I sin. I'm not perfect at all...that's why I need Christ in my life.

Warm wishes to you. I'm not in any way, shape or form in the position to judge another's heart.

God knows us better than we know ourself and He loves us regardless.

 

[Ezzedean]

Um, ok! You know that I doubt the existence of God, I have read the quran, the bible and other religious books to a certain extent. What I do not understand is how muslims can quote Jesus's words taken straight out of the bible and say how great his teachings are. But when it comes to Jesus's own word claiming that he is the Son of God and that he is the only way to salvation, muslims say that man altered his words. It is almost as if they are nitpicking which words are true and which words are not. And BTW, like with Christians and their denominations, they have beliefs that clash at times likwise with Islam. I know Muslims who believe in eternal damnation and that everyone will not eventually make it to paradise. I doubt the existence of God, but some of you sound pretty convincing, perhaps I am just gullible or maybe I am searching for meaning in my life. Some Christians believe in eternal damnation, some don't! Some muslims believe in eternal damnation, some don't! Some of you guys believe in reincarnation, some of you believe that all religions are true, do you see the mass confusion among religions? Hinduism believe in multiple Gods, while you and Christians believe in one true God. Whats going on? I do however believe in a devil, since I use to be a satanist but turned away from it. Maybe he is the cause of all this confusion?

Sorry for the late response Genna.. went out and watched the Liddell v.s Babalu fight. I understand where you're coming from, and I see what you're saying. I'll try and say a few things that deal with post I've quoted above. First and foremost the different denominations within Islam and muslims is all mostly political.. I'm asuming you mean the Shiats and the Sunnis. The whole seperation between the two doesn't even have to do with the religion itself, it has to do with who one side felt should be a leader in Islam and another side didn't, this caused a seperation. We both see the Quran as the word of God. We both fast during Ramadan, believe in one God and believe in Muhammed as his final messanger, perform the five daily prayers, and believe in the Day of Judgment. As for the Muslims you say that believe there will be some who never receive paradise, I don't doubt it. There are some extreme muslims out there who refuse to believe that an "infidel" will receive paradise. There may be some people who receive a punishment which felt like forever, but eventually their time will come.

Now, you make mention to the love and respect we have for Jesus. This is true, and yes we do quote Jesus at times and marvel at his words. God made it clear within the text of the Quran the Injeel (Bible) was inspired by Him, but isn't His exact word. We are told to take from the Bible what doesn't contradict with the Quran. Now that's probobly an obvious tactic to you... of course we can believe in what goes hand in hand with the Quran, and of course we're gonna say what doesn't go with the Quran is wrong, but let me try and explain the situation.

You had Moses, who received word from God. He taught that word. He led his people and did amazing things, and freed them from the pharoah. He prophecised about things to come and tried to make clear to everyone what the path should be, and he also set out a law. Now, the people at the time of Moses didn't choose to gather all that information and compile it until long after Moses. Not only did they wait too long, the leaders at the time came together and decided amongst themselves what to keep and what not to keep in this book (Old Testament). This book was put together through stories past on from generation to generation. They wrote the Old testament to fit the needs of society, then comes along Jesus. Jesus claims to teach the exact same word of God in which Moses was teaching, but the teachings of Jesus were going against the Old Testament. How could the same teachings of God contradict one another? It seemed as if Jesus was teaching something different than Moses only becuase the information they had of the teachings of Moses at the time were twisted, hence why it didn't go hand in hand with what Jesus was saying, but Jesus was from God and so was Moses... and they definately taught the same thing. What happened after Jesus? Well they decide to write the New Testament 65-100 years after the death of Christ, the same mistake they made with the Old Testament. So try to imagine the fact that there were Christians for almost a hundred years who lived as Christians WITHOUT the New Testament, and now today in this day and age Christians live by the New Testament. When they came together to make the New Testament they kept things out to fit their desires. So in comes Muhammed. Who claims the EXACT same thing in which Moses and Jesus claimed, which was to be speaking the word of God. Only this time his purpose was to conceal that word and spread it throughout the world. God made a promise to the Muslims and to the world, which was to preserve that book (The Quran) forever. No man will take from it, and no man will add to it.

God taught that you cannot be a muslim without believing in Jesus, but not to believe in Jesus as the Son of God or as God, because considering to the Old Testament and the Quran that can't be. There are also many statements made by Jesus himself within the text of the New Testament which contradict the theory of Jesus being God or even the 'actual' Son of God. This can be discussed in another thread at another time but maybe you can see why the Muslims follow the Quran completely and aat the same time quote bits and pieces from the Bible, because bits and pieces of the Bible are true ( Probobly over 70 percent, which is more than bits and pieces).

Now it can be asked by many, "How do you know the Quran is the perfect word of God?"... Well, I believe it is. I see no error in it. I see no contradiction (even in answeringislam.com). Now this is MY belief. I understand that many wont have this belief, and that many dislike my beliefs, but that's fine with me. It just seems to me that The Quran fills in all the holes and question marks I encountered when reading the Bible.

You mention reincarantion. No Abrahamic faith believes in reincarnation, but it is an interesting theory and I can definately see how people believe in it. I personally don't believe in it.... for obvious reasons.

Sorry for such a long reply, but you make some interesting points and seem to be curious... so I think you deserve nothing less than what I just posted above. BTW, I noticed that you believed in the Devil, may I ask how you believe in the Devil but not in God? It's getting late though and I'm pretty tired, so I'm gonna head to bed. If you respond to this post I will see it eventually, but I don't know when.

Peace and Blessings
Ezzedean

 

[Super Universe]

God's mercy is endless?

So If I reject God in this life by and die, I can ask him for forgiveness right in the after life, right?

We are now veiled, we cannot feel God. It is understood that we are confused about God and the universe. This is intentional so we can develop an understanding of ourselves, the kind of being we are, and what we are truly capable of when put in situations where we feel our backs are up against a wall.

God is not worried in the least. The moment your spirit leaves the earth it will remember who it really is and feel God's presence once again. You will be astonished that you spent so much of your time here worrying about material things that matter not to the universe.

 

[Ody]

You mention reincarantion. No Abrahamic faith believes in reincarnation, but it is an interesting theory and I can definately see how people believe in it. I personally don't believe in it.... for obvious reasons.

Belief in the eventual resurrection of the dead is a fundamental belief of traditional Judaism. It was a belief that distinguished the Pharisees (intellectual ancestors of Rabbinical Judaism) from the Sadducees. The Sadducees rejected the concept, because it is not explicitly mentioned in the Torah. The Pharisees found the concept implied in certain verses.
Belief in resurrection of the dead is one of Rambam's 13 Principles of Faith. The second blessing of the Shemoneh Esrei prayer, which is recited three times daily, contains several references to resurrection. (Note: the Reform movement, which apparently rejects this belief, has rewritten the second blessing accordingly).
The resurrection of the dead will occur in the messianic age, a time referred to in Hebrew as the Olam Ha-Ba, the World to Come, but that term is also used to refer to the spiritual afterlife. When the messiah comes to initiate the perfect world of peace and prosperity, the righteous dead will be brought back to life and given the opportunity to experience the perfected world that their righteousness helped to create. The wicked dead will not be resurrected. There are some mystical schools of thought that believe resurrection is not a one-time event, but is an ongoing process. The souls of the righteous are reborn in to continue the ongoing process of tikkun olam, mending of the world. Some sources indicate that reincarnation is a routine process, while others indicate that it only occurs in unusual circumstances, where the soul left unfinished business behind. Belief in reincarnation is also one way to explain the traditional Jewish belief that every Jewish soul in history was present at Sinai and agreed to the covenant with G-d. (Another explanation: that the soul exists before the body, and these unborn souls were present in some form at Sinai). Belief in reincarnation is commonly held by many Chasidic sects, as well as some other mystically-inclined Jews. See, for example Reincarnation Stories from Chasidic Tradition.

http://www.jewfaq.org/olamhaba.htm

 

[Ezzedean]

Well I also believe in a ressurection. We are all gonna be raised after being dead to be judged, but I dont think it's a common belief that we will come back as an animal, a tree or a plant is it? Ressurection is gonna happen on the day with every human being. Which is why God says "How can you not believe? I gave you life, then I will cause you to die, only to bring you back to life." This isn't exactly how the verse goes, but it's the jist of it. So as a follower of judaism do you believe in reincarnation? Do you believe you will die and come back as another being? An ape? A tree? A flower? Is this really in the Judaism faith. Like that quote mentioned... it's no where in the Torah.

 

[Ody]

Is this really in the Judaism faith. Like that quote mentioned... it's no where in the Torah.

The Zohar is part of the Oral Torah... from my perspective, most likely not for a Reform Jew or Conservative Jew, it's more of a Chassidic standpoint I'm taking here.
In the 'bible' itself Re-incarnation is intimated
Deut25:5-10 Deut 33:6 Isaiah 22:44 65:6

I suggest you look up a work called Arizal's "Shaar HaGilgulim"