Why would monotheism be a good thing, let alone a necessary one?

[omega2xx]

But we can delve into why something is being called a sin, though. Abortion is not a sin in the bible and is actually required or at least encouraged for nothing more than a jealous paranoid husband.

That depends on how you define murder. Where is it encouraged by God?

Homosexuality is considered an abomination, but so is going to Long John Silvers. One wonders about Hebrew priorities.

If it is an abomination, it is an abomination. The food at long John Silver's dose not change that. Faith in God requires me to accept that God's ways are higher than my ways. If I don't understand some of His ways, it is because He is smarter than I am.

I would say there is a difference between spiteful legalists and compassionate "spirit of the law" types in Christianity, not necessarily conservative and liberal.

First of all those who are spiteful legalist are either not a Christians or they are ignorant Christians. No where does the Bible teach hate for others---we are to love even our enemies. It is almost always between liberal and conservative Christians. Liberals say abortion and homosexual acts are OK, in spite of the Bible saying other wise. If either of those examples are sinful. is it spiteful or an act of love to tell others they are? True compassion requires honesty, not something to make you feel good about your conduct.

Frankly, you strike me as the type of person in the Good Samaritan parable who would run from a bleeding man because the bible clearly says you shouldn't touch someone unclean.

Frankly you are ignorant of the kind o f person I am. What give you the ability to judge me?

You don't seem to grasp when breaking a stupid rule is necessary for the greater good or that one should just admit a rule is stupid.

Are you really saying you are smarter than God. Who died and made you the final one to determine what is stupid and what is not. IMO, some of your ideas are stupid. Now my opinion doe snot make them stupid and neither does your opinion of God rules make the stupid. Take some advice form God---don't think more highly of your self than you ought to think---Rom 12:3.

Jesus did this quite often, such as when he ate without washing hands (ok, he missed the point, but I get the message anyway) or did his work on the Sabbath.

He didn't miss the point, you have. Washing hands before eating was a rule of the Pharisees, not God.

Too many Christians would join the Pharisees (at least as they are portrayed in the gospels, which is likely an unfair representation to the historical group) in condemning Jesus for breaking rather stupid taboos. Jesus didn't mind hanging out with the very same people you would chomp at the bit to condemn. [/QUOTE]

You continue to speak from ignorance. You have no idea who I hang out with. The only ones you know i hang out with are the members of my church. That take about 3 hours a week. Now tell me who I hang out with the rest of the time.

I go with Jesus on this one. Sorry. I try my best to err on the side of love as much as possible. Let God work out with those involved what should've been done instead.

Well at least you tried; to bad you failed.

I've been sick and I work nights. So sue me. I get back online when I have the damned time.

What a strange comment. Why should I sue you because you aren't on line at times. I am not either and I'm not sick


We are biologically omnivores. The only things we cannot eat are things that are inedible. Any other details are culturally derived only.

And we shouldn't be so damned haughty to believe we have dominion over anything. The world is a mess. Do you accept your part in it? If you have dominion, that means you are directly responsible for the crap that happens in the world. We are also not the top of the food chain. Without artificial weapons, we are basically just lunch meat for many animals and all lifeforms end up getting eaten by the decomposers anyway, who are the TRUE masters, if you think about it. Buying food at the grocery store doesn't make you some global dominating bada--. We are at most scavengers, not predators. Nature LOVES to show us what happens when we think too highly of our skills in dominating her, such as monoculturing that then results in rampant epidemics of food-borne diseases.[/QUOTE]

I blame the condition the world is in to a nation that forgets its God and worships the gods of this world---fortune, fame, power, etc, the list goes on and on. When the Jews abandoned God, He let them suffer the consequences, but He never left them permanently.

Although in the 50's and 60's the church had some very serious, unBiblical views about race, American was a much kinder place to live. As our nation has gradually slipped away for God our nation has gradually become a worse place to live and raise children.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge---Hosea 4:6a

That refers to spiritual knowledge, not literal knowledge.

My

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Sir, without Christ your master is sin. Test yourself if you don't think so. Can you go one day without so much as one evil thought? No, you can't. Your master is sin.

We disagree. It doesn't address most of my post, but I am not a sinner at heart. That's not me. Never was and never will be. It's very oppressive to see Christians put themselves down as sinners. Why relate to the crucifixion rather than the resurrection.

Puzzles me every time.

 

[Reggie Miller]

We disagree. It doesn't address most of my post, but I am not a sinner at heart. That's not me. Never was and never will be. It's very oppressive to see Christians put themselves down as sinners. Why relate to the crucifixion rather than the resurrection.

Puzzles me every time.

Well, the whole of Christianity is based on the fact that all are sinners and come short of the glory of God. Christ didn't die on the cross for nothing, it was absolutely necessary for Him to be judged in our stead for our sin debt to be paid in full.

Surely you don't think you are perfect? One has to be perfect in order to stand in the presence of the Almighty Holy God. The only way that can happen is for one's sin debt to be paid in full in blood by the perfect sacrifice. That debt has been paid and that is the glorious news of the Gospel!

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Well, the whole of Christianity is based on the fact that all are sinners and come short of the glory of God. Christ didn't die on the cross for nothing, it was absolutely necessary for Him to be judged in our stead for our sin debt to be paid in full.

Surely you don't think you are perfect? One has to be perfect in order to stand in the presence of the Almighty Holy God. The only way that can happen is for one's sin debt to be paid in full in blood by the perfect sacrifice. That debt has been paid and that is the glorious news of the Gospel!

I have a perfect soul/heart. My behaviors and thoughts, if they are "sinful" do not mirror who I am as a person just what I did. If I murdered someone, murderer addresses what I did as a person. It is not who I am. No one has inner sin. We are all influenced by our outside environment, how we are raised, and so forth.

For example, sometime told me or I read of a woman who was hearing. She lived in a remote town in another state where weirdly everyone in the town was Deaf. Her parents were Deaf and so were her siblings. She only knew sign language. She did not know she was "hearing" until she came to another state and went into a period of shock that her ears are used for something. Of course, she heard sounds but they never "meant" anything until she came out of the Deaf environment.

If that deaf environment was replaced with a sinner environment, just because we are in that environment that doesn't mean that's who we are as people. When we finally get out of that environment, as The Buddha teaches how, and into one that we identity with, we find we-who we are-are not sinners. We sin, yes, but that is not who we are as people.

The biggest difference in the story I told is that the woman identified as a Deaf person even though she was hearing. However, in the case of sin, why would I identify with what people call sin when I know I am not, in heart, a sinner? What is the purpose of seeing myself in that manner?

It's depressing and very depressing to see Christians see themselves that way. I don't know if Muslims and Jews do. I assume they don't and because they don't, it makes their religion much more attractive than Christianity and, well, less power-language and less political.

I can't speak from a biblical perspective because the bible never taught me anything good. So, I can't relate. I just know I am not a sinner. That's not who I am. That's just what I do sometimes.

 

[Reggie Miller]

I have a perfect soul/heart. My behaviors and thoughts, if they are "sinful" do not mirror who I am as a person just what I did. If I murdered someone, murderer addresses what I did as a person. It is not who I am. No one has inner sin. We are all influenced by our outside environment, how we are raised, and so forth.

For example, sometime told me or I read of a woman who was hearing. She lived in a remote town in another state where weirdly everyone in the town was Deaf. Her parents were Deaf and so were her siblings. She only knew sign language. She did not know she was "hearing" until she came to another state and went into a period of shock that her ears are used for something. Of course, she heard sounds but they never "meant" anything until she came out of the Deaf environment.

If that deaf environment was replaced with a sinner environment, just because we are in that environment that doesn't mean that's who we are as people. When we finally get out of that environment, as The Buddha teaches how, and into one that we identity with, we find we-who we are-are not sinners. We sin, yes, but that is not who we are as people.

The biggest difference in the story I told is that the woman identified as a Deaf person even though she was hearing. However, in the case of sin, why would I identify with what people call sin when I know I am not, in heart, a sinner? What is the purpose of seeing myself in that manner?

It's depressing and very depressing to see Christians see themselves that way. I don't know if Muslims and Jews do. I assume they don't and because they don't, it makes their religion much more attractive than Christianity and, well, less power-language and less political.

I can't speak from a biblical perspective because the bible never taught me anything good. So, I can't relate. I just know I am not a sinner. That's not who I am. That's just what I do sometimes.

Let's just say that you and I don't see eye to eye on your first statement and leave it at that. Not trying to be mean, I just don't think anyone has a "perfect soul/heart." My travels and experiences have taught me better than to believe that.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Let's just say that you and I don't see eye to eye on your first statement and leave it at that. Not trying to be mean, I just don't think anyone has a "perfect soul/heart." My travels and experiences have taught me better than to believe that.

Understand. I had bitter experiences and when I look back and learned that I couldn't control a lot of them and those that I could control are ones I can change and/or say sorry to others for makes me feel that I do have a good nature at heart. That wanting to do good, calling, and just communing with family etc lets me know that my heart is pure and even if people don't see it that way and it's had for me to express it by action, that doesn't mean I don't love and care.

I feel if someone has a sinful heart, as some say, then their actions would be sinful and if I were to ask them how can they love people or want to love people without a sinful heart, they depend on christ (or who/whatever) for it. It makes me think people aren't human unless they have someone to define who they are. My family defines who I am but then who I am defines my family.

So, I can never see myself as a sinner. That's like someone defining me by the murder I hypothetically committed. Then I tell people, hey! I am not a murderer, that's just what I did and how the law defines me. Can't you see past the bad acts to the actual person behind it!

I guess some can't. It reminds me when I suffered depression and I defined myself by the sadness and illnesses that engulf in me. Now I know that's a mental illnesses and not something of who I am, I learn about me. The real me.

I don't see original sin as a part of that. But that's just me.

 

[1robin]

I've been sick and I work nights. So sue me. I get back online when I have the damned time.

What the heck? Why are you so miserable than you would use profanity which is against forum rules, uncalled for, and unflattering, in response to me? You ought to take a nap and then decide if you want to debate without the appeals to victim hood in the future. I merely said it is hard to debate you, maybe you need a safe space or trigger warnings.

 

[arthra]

I know.

For about 20 years now I am sorry for that. You could be so magnificient had you learned better. And you are so darned close to doing just that...


I just fail to see why anyone would say such a thing.

Sure, it looks good on paper, but then we stumble upon the monotheism part.

Thanks for responding to my post Luis!

Luis it's always a pleasure to have a RF staff member asking questions!

The oneness of humanity not only looks good on paper it feels good in fellowship with others and helps us work together on various projects to help our community ... Our interfaith community has been involved in projects to help homeless people... reduce antagonism toward immigrants from the middle east and support voluntary services in our community hospital... not to mention an interfaith choir. When our community was shocked by the September 3rd shootings in San Bernardino Ca. last year we were able to respond by supporting Muslims in two nearby Islamic centers. I could go on but just to let you know the concept of the oneness of humanity is indeed alive and well where I live!

 

[interminable]

Some people want their gods to be in favor of them or to be like what they imagine but does this make sense???

Shouldn't we search for reality?
Is it good to stay at home and create our own gods regardless of the reality???

Unfortunately proving the unity of god for those who don't accept causality is useless

 

[LuisDantas]

Thanks for responding to my post Luis!

Luis it's always a pleasure to have a RF staff member asking questions!

The oneness of humanity not only looks good on paper it feels good in fellowship with others and helps us work together on various projects to help our community ... Our interfaith community has been involved in projects to help homeless people... reduce antagonism toward immigrants from the middle east and support voluntary services in our community hospital... not to mention an interfaith choir. When our community was shocked by the September 3rd shootings in San Bernardino Ca. last year we were able to respond by supporting Muslims in two nearby Islamic centers. I could go on but just to let you know the concept of the oneness of humanity is indeed alive and well where I live!

Oh, I am all for oneness of humanity (which, btw, is at least implied by the core concepts of Buddhism). It is monotheism that I find unhelpful there.

 

[arthra]

Oh, I am all for oneness of humanity (which, btw, is at least implied by the core concepts of Buddhism). It is monotheism that I find unhelpful there.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts Luis!
I believe the concept of one God binds us together spiritually and facilitates the oneness of mankind..
"There can be no doubt whatever that the peoples of the world, of whatever race or religion, derive their inspiration from one heavenly Source, and are the subjects of one God. The difference between the ordinances under which they abide should be attributed to the varying requirements and exigencies of the age in which they were revealed."

Bahá'u'lláh

Gleanings from the writings of Bahá'u'lláh (p.217)

.I agree the oneness of mankind especially the Elimination of castes stressed by Gautama the Buddha was needed at the time He taught... also I believe He had a "not this" approach to the definitions of Deity that were common in His day.. a "via negative" approach.

 

[The Emperor of Mankind]

However, Roman persecution of Christians was partly caused by Christian intolerance towards the Roman gods, particularly in the sense of the Imperial Cult. As they refused to accept the legitimacy of the Roman gods they refused to accept the legitimacy of the Roman polity.

This. Respect & tolerance is a two-way street which is something I've noticed a lot of Pagans whom I've met seem to forget. This generally leads to them defending religious belief systems that would, given the opportunity, deny them the right to worship as they see fit. It baffles me.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not advocating persecution of non-Pagans who follow belief systems that would repress devotion to the OId Gods. Not at all. I'm merely expressing confusion that we tend to actively respect belief systems which don't respect us - and that this sort of unconditional respect seems to run counter to the importance we tend to place upon reciprocity in our practises.