Religion & Spirituality - 4 June 2007

noooo not for the rapture
just for some gorgeous footage of our beautiful planet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxtWp4BmiNw&mode=related&search=

why do we always see only the negative ?

2007-06-04 11:16:57 · 19 answers · asked by Anonymous

then what are still births.... is god sinning?- i thought he could only do good.....

2007-06-04 11:16:05 · 27 answers · asked by Aled H 3

2007-06-04 11:14:53 · 26 answers · asked by Anonymous

Is it just negative hyperbole,or what breed is this? I have a jewish neighbor with a golden retreiver but she says she doesn't consider her dog a jewish dog,even though she's jewish and it's her dog. So what's a jewish dog anyway? Serious replies only!

2007-06-04 11:14:39 · 9 answers · asked by Brynn 3

Does your faith ever falter? Do you ever NOT believe in your God? Why and how does this happen? And what helps you when you go through this experience?

2007-06-04 11:12:03 · 10 answers · asked by Zezo Zeze Zadfrack 1

2007-06-04 11:10:59 · 4 answers · asked by Vicky 4

Who do you think would play the following characters the best?
God
Satan
Jesus
Anti-christ
False Prophet
Moses

2007-06-04 11:09:51 · 19 answers · asked by Anonymous

divide your total answers over your total questions, what is that number?

#'s greater than 1: more answers than questions
#'s that are close to or equal to 1: same number of questions as answers
#'s less than one: you ask too may questions.

----------------------------------------------

my number: 3.2
(ratio, answers : questions, 3.2 : 1

2007-06-04 11:08:42 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous

Other than the Bible, and other major doctrinal scriputres...
What Great Spiritual Books can you recommend?

Thank You! Peace ane Love!

2007-06-04 11:08:22 · 20 answers · asked by Anonymous

Here's what I got from the biology section if you're interested.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Aql.aQ24B4R0sSph9sQlHyrty6IX?qid=20070407124359AAwfPGy

2007-06-04 11:03:18 · 24 answers · asked by Anonymous

If anyone is accused of being a pedophile by another to an elder, they must have a witness in order for the Elders to do something about it. Other than that, they might have the accuser meet with the accused person with elders there and have them tell their stories. If the state allows, the Elders don't even have to report it to the authorities but they must make one to the JW offices. How sick is that? They have a database of all these possible pedophiles and do nothing about it. These poor children have no one to turn to because JW's discourage relationships and trust in people outside of the organization.

Would you even join this organization?
http://www.jw-media.org/region/global/english/backgrounders/e_molestation.htm
http://www.silentlambs.org/press/index.cfm

2007-06-04 11:03:08 · 12 answers · asked by trinitybombshella 2

The King David Massacre:

The King David Hotel explosion of July 22, 1946 (Palestine), which resulted in the deaths of 92 Britons, Arabs and Jews, and in the wounding of 58, was not just an act of “Jewish extremists,” but a premeditated massacre conducted by the Irgun in agreement with the highest Jewish political authorities in Palestine-- the Jewish Agency and its head David-Ben-Gurion.
According to Yitshaq Ben-Ami, a Palestinian Jew who spent 30 years in exile after the establishment of Israel investigating the crimes of the “ruthless clique heading the internal Zionist movement,”
The Irgun had conceived a plan for the King David attack early in 1946, but the green light was given only on July first. According to Dr. Sneh, the operation was personally approved by Ben-Gurion, from his self-exile in Europe. Sadeh, the operations officer of the Haganah, and Giddy Paglin, the head of the Irgun operation under Menachem Begin agreed that thirty-five minutes advance notice would give the British time enough to evacuate the wing, without enabling them to disarm the explosion.
The Jewish Agency’s motive was to destroy all evidence the British had gathered proving that the terrorist crime waves in Palestine were not merely the actions of “fringe” groups such as the Irgun and Stern Gang, but were committed in collusion with the Haganah and Palmach groups and under the direction of the highest political body of the Zionist establishment itself, namely the Jewish Agency.
That so many innocent civilian lives were lost in the King David massacre is a normal part of the pattern of the history of Zionist outrages: A criminal act is committed, allegedly by an isolated group, but actually under the direct authorization of the highest Zionist authorities, whether of the Jewish Agency
during the Palestine Mandate or of the Government of Israel thereafter.

The following is a statement made in the House of Commons by then British Prime Minister Clement Attlee:
On July 22, 1946, one of the most dastardly and cowardly crimes in recorded history took place. We refer to the blowing up of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem.
Ninety-two persons lost their lives in that stealthy attack, 45 were injured, among whom there were many high officials, junior officers and office personnel, both men and women. The King David Hotel was used as an office housing the Secretariat of the Palestine Government and British Army Headquarters. The attack was made on 22 July at about 12 o’clock noon when offices are usually in full swing. The attackers, disguised as milkmen, carried the explosives in milk containers, placed them in the basement of the Hotel and ran away.

The Chief Secretary for the Government of Palestine, Sir John Shaw, declared in a broadcast: “As head of the Secretariat, the majority of the dead and wounded were my own staff, many of whom I have known personally for eleven years. They are more than official colleagues. British, Arabs, Jews, Greeks, Armenians; senior officers, police, my orderly, my chauffeur, messengers, guards, men and
women-- young and old-- they were my friends.

“No man could wish to be served by a more industrious, loyal and honest group of ordinary decent people. Their only crime was their devoted, unselfish and impartial service to Palestine and its people. For this they have been rewarded by cold-blooded mass murder.”

Although members of the Irgun Z’vai Leumi took responsibility for this crime, yet they also made it public later that they obtained the consent and approval of the Haganah Command, and it follows, that of the Jewish Agency.

The King David Hotel massacre shocked the conscience of the civilizedworld. On July 23, Anthony Eden, leader of the British opposition Conservative
Party, posed a question in the House of Commons to Prime Minister Atlee of the Labor Party, asking “the Prime Minister whether he has any statement to make on the bomb outrage at the British Headquarters in Jerusalem.” The Prime Minister responded:
“…It appears that, after exploding a small bomb in the street, presumably as a diversionary measure-- this did virtually no damage-- a lorry drove up to the tradesmen’s entrance of the King David Hotel and the occupants, after holding up the staff at pistol point, entered the kitchen premises carrying a number of milk cans. At some stage of the proceedings, they shot and seriously wounded a British soldier who attempted to interfere with them. All available information so far is to the effect that they were Jews. Somewhere in the basement of the hotel they planted bombs which went off shortly afterwards. They appear to have made good their escape.
“Every effort is being made to identify and arrest the perpetrators of this outrage. The work of rescue in the debris, which was immediately organized, still continues. The next-of-kin of casualties are being notified by telegram as soon as accurate information is available. The House will wish to express their
profound sympathy with the relatives of the killed and with those injured in this dastardly outrage.”
http://www.deathmasters.com/

2007-06-04 11:03:02 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous

http://www.islamawareness.net/Christianity/

The three monotheistic religions-- Judaism, Christianity, and Islam-- all purport to share one fundamental concept: belief in God as the Supreme Being, the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. Known as "tawhid" in Islam, this concept of the Oneness of God was stressed by Moses in a Biblical passage known as the "Shema", or the Jewish creed of faith: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord." (Deuteronomy 6:4)

It was repeated word-for-word approximately 1500 years later by Jesus when he said "...The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God is one Lord." (Mark 12:29)

Muhammad came along approximately 600 years later, bringing the same message again: "And your God is One God: there is no God but He, ..." (The Qur'an 2:163).

Christianity has digressed from the concept of the Oneness of God, however, into a vague and mysterious doctrine that was formulated during the fourth century. This doctrine, which continues to be a source of controversy both within and without the Christian religion, is known as the Doctrine of the Trinity. Simply put, the Christian doctrine of the Trinity states that God is the union of three divine persons-- the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit-- in one divine being.

If that concept, put in basic terms, sounds confusing, the flowery language in the actual text of the doctrine lends even more mystery to the matter:

"...we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity...for there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, another of the Holy Ghost is all one...they are not three gods, but one God...the whole three persons are co-eternal and co-equal...he therefore that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity..." (excerpts from the Athanasian Creed).

Let's put this together in a different form: one person, God the Father + one person, God the Son, + one person, God the Holy Ghost = one person, God the What? Is this English or is this gibberish?

It is said that Athanasius, the bishop who formulated this doctrine, confessed that the more he wrote on the matter, the less capable he was of clearly expressing his thoughts regarding it.

How did such a confusing doctrine get its start?

Trinity in the Bible

References in the Bible to a Trinity of divine beings are vague, at best.

In Matthew 28:19, we find Jesus telling his disciples to go out and preach to all nations. While this "Great Commission" does make mention of the three persons who later become components of the Trinity, the phrase "...baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" is quite clearly an addition to Biblical text--that is, not the actual words of Jesus-- as can be seen by two factors:

1) baptism in the early Church, as discussed by Paul in his letters, was done only in the name of Jesus; and

2) the "Great Commission" was found in the first gospel written, that of Mark, bears no mention of Father, Son and/or Holy Ghost--see Mark 16:15.

The only other reference in the Bible to a Trinity can be found in the Epistle of I John 5:7. Biblical scholars of today, however, have admitted that the phrase "... there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one" is definitely a "later addition" to Biblical text, and it is not found in any of today's versions of the Bible.

It can, therefore, be seen that the concept of a Trinity of divine beings was not an idea put forth by Jesus or any other prophet of God. This doctrine, now subscribed to by Christians all over the world, is entirely man-made in origin.

The Doctrine Takes Shape

While Paul of Tarsus, the man who could rightfully be considered the true founder of Christianity, did formulate many of its doctrines, that of the Trinity was not among them. He did, however, lay the groundwork for such when he put forth the idea of Jesus being a "divine Son". After all, a Son does need a Father, and what about a vehicle for God's revelations to man? In essence, Paul named the principal players, but it was the later Church people who put the matter together.

Tertullian, a lawyer and presbyter of the third-century Church in Carthage, was the first to use the word "Trinity" when he put forth the theory that the Son and the Spirit participate in the being of God, but all are of one being of substance with the Father.

A Formal Doctrine Is Drawn Up

When controversy over the matter of the Trinity blew up in 318 between two church men from Alexandria--Arius, the deacon, and Alexander, his bishop-- Emperor Constantine stepped into the fray.

Although Christian dogma was a complete mystery to him, he did realize that a unified church was necessary for a strong kingdom. When negotiation failed to settle the dispute, Constantine called for the first ecumenical council in Church history in order to settle the matter once and for all.

Six weeks after the 300 bishops first gathered at Nicea in 325, the doctrine of the Trinity was hammered out. The God of the Christians was now seen as having three essences, or natures, in the form of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The Church Puts Its Foot Down

The matter was far from settled, however, despite high hopes for such on the part of Constantine. Arius and the new bishop of Alexandria, a man named Athanasius, began arguing over the matter even as the Nicene Creed was being signed; "Arianism" became a catch-word from that time onward for anyone who didn't hold to the doctrine of the Trinity.

It wasn't until 451, at the Council of Chalcedon that, with the approval of the Pope, the Nicene/ Constantinople Creed was set as authoritative. Debate on the matter was no longer tolerated; to speak out against the Trinity was now considered blasphemy, and such earned stiff sentences that ranged from mutilation to death. Christians now turned on Christians, maiming and slaughtering thousands because of a difference of opinion.

Debate Continues

Brutal punishments and even death did not stop the controversy over the doctrine of the Trinity, however, and the said controversy continues even today.

The majority of Christians, when asked to explain this fundamental doctrine of their faith, can offer nothing more than "I believe it because I was told to do so." It is explained away as "mystery" -- yet the Bible says in I Corinthians 14:33 that "... God is not the author of confusion ..."

The Unitarian denomination of Christianity has kept alive the teachings of Arius in saying that God is one; they do not believe in the Trinity. As a result, mainstream Christians abhor them, and the National Council of Churches has refused their admittance. In Unitarianism, the hope is kept alive that Christians will someday return to the preachings of Jesus: "... Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve." (Luke 4:8)

Islam and the Matter of the Trinity

While Christianity may have a problem defining the essence of God, such is not the case in Islam.

"They do blaspheme who say: Allah is one of three in a Trinity, for there is no god except One God" (Qur'an 5:73). It is worth noting that the Arabic language Bible uses the name "Allah" as the name of God.

Suzanne Haneef, in her book What Everyone Should Know About Islam and Muslims (Library of Islam, 1985), puts the matter quite succinctly when she says "But God is not like a pie or an apple which can be divided into three thirds which form one whole; if God is three persons or possesses three parts, He is assuredly not the Single, Unique, Indivisible Being which God is and which Christianity professes to believe in." (pp. 183-184)

Looking at it from another angle, the Trinity designates God as being three separate entities -- the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. If God is the Father and also the Son, He would then be the Father of Himself because He is His own Son. This is not exactly logical.

Christianity claims to be a monotheistic religion. Monotheism, however, has as its fundamental belief that God is One; the Christian doctrine of the Trinity -- God being Three-in-One-- is seen by Islam as a form of polytheism. Christians don't revere just One God, they revere three.

This is a charge not taken lightly by Christians, however. They, in turn, accuse the Muslims of not even knowing what the Trinity is, pointing out that the Qur'an sets it up as Allah the Father, Jesus the Son, and Mary his mother. While veneration of Mary has been a figment of the Catholic Church since 431 when she was given the title "Mother of God" by the Council of Ephesus, a closer examination of the verses in the Qur'an most often cited by Christians in support of their accusation, shows that the designation of Mary by the Qur'an as a "member" of the Trinity, is simply not true.

While the Qur'an does condemn both trinitarianism (the Qur'an 4:171; 5:73) and the worship of Jesus and his mother Mary (the Qur'an 5:116), nowhere does it identify the actual three components of the Christian Trinity. The position of the Qur'an is that WHO or WHAT comprises this doctrine is not important; what is important is that the very notion of a Trinity is an affront against the concept of One God.

In conclusion, we see that the doctrine of the Trinity is a concept conceived entirely by man; there is no sanction whatsoever from God to be found regarding the matter simply because the whole idea of a Trinity of divine beings has no place in monotheism. In the Qur'an, God's Final Revelation to mankind, we find His stand quite clearly stated in a number of eloquent passages,

"... your God is One God: whoever expects to meet his Lord, let him work righteousness, and, in the worship of his Lord, admit no one as partner." (the Qur'an 18:110)

"... take not, with God, another object of worship, lest you should be thrown into Hell, blameworthy and rejected." (the Qur'an 17:39)

-- because, as God tells us over and over again in a Message that is echoed throughout ALL His Revealed Scriptures,

"... I am your Lord and Cherisher: therefore, serve Me (and no other) ..." (the Qur'an 21:92)

Aisha Brown

Courtesy: iiie@cssn.net

2007-06-04 11:00:14 · 38 answers · asked by Anonymous

2007-06-04 11:00:05 · 18 answers · asked by Melissa Y 1

Not martin luther king jr. just martin luther im trying to do bible lit hw and i kind of suck at religion and i need to know what his views on catholosism were against his own ideas of lutherism?

2007-06-04 10:59:45 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous

An Oxford Professor said that to say the universe happened by chance (with all its complexities) is like saying that a tornado went through a scrap yard and put together a boeing 747, and on every seat of the plane is a dictionary in a different language.

My question is, do you think this could happen? (since you believe the universe could happen by chance which is calculated as less probable)

2007-06-04 10:59:27 · 21 answers · asked by Anonymous

after reading or answering the questions i posted earlier?? i am simply curious LOL. i know we are not in the same terms but that doesnt mean i hate anyone who is Christian. We simply disagree htats it! but i am very curious LOL....do you guys hate me now (or feel "sorry" for me because you think im going to "hell")???

2007-06-04 10:59:24 · 28 answers · asked by ILoveGreen ZipZapZop 4

so does this mean this month is special or magical to certain people?

2007-06-04 10:58:27 · 10 answers · asked by lala 2

I've heard several people speak about this, and even seen movies like "Conviction" and others where its made mention of.

2007-06-04 10:58:25 · 16 answers · asked by Brand new 2

I know more Muslims that read the bible and the Torah and the Vegas.. etc than I know Christians willing to learn about other religions.

I believe its better to know about all through learning and self discovery as opposed to just knowing what your told.

2007-06-04 10:57:51 · 20 answers · asked by Satan 2

"With darwinism our lives are nothing more than a meaningless chance of mutation with no reason and purpose whatsoever."

"With Darwinism, our lives our reduced to nothing more than a wild animal, with no soul, no spirituality, and no purpose."

Their minds have been SO set that without souls and spirituality we're just nothing - just filthy animals. Why can't they see beyond that? If they could just understand that evolution is a NON-RANDOM process (yes, with random mutations as part of it, but also with four other driving forces) that is not intended to give us purpose, but only explain how animals change and adapt, they wouldn't be so against it and say that God is the only answer.

2007-06-04 10:56:49 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous

Mat 28:19

Further, Christians are told to encourage one another and to move to love and fine works. Also, love among Christians was to be an identifying mark, so why don't they even want to talk to each other?

2007-06-04 10:53:57 · 32 answers · asked by Mitch R 1

And what gender are you really?

There are a few people I've seen on here regularly, and thought they were male, only to hear them referred to as female. Others I thougth were female, and found out they were male.

Would anyone like to clear up my confusion? I don't want to offend anyone by calling you the wrong gender! LOL.

2007-06-04 10:52:43 · 46 answers · asked by MumOf5 6

It's been said here that life, aka human beings, sprang from the dust of rocks formed from the Big Bang. The rock must still be on earth somewhere. Has it been found?

btw: Doesn't the Bible also say we came from dust?

2007-06-04 10:50:15 · 12 answers · asked by Prof Fruitcake 6

i do it all the time.......i laugh at the preacher and the chair

2007-06-04 10:49:49 · 19 answers · asked by Anonymous

2007-06-04 10:49:38 · 36 answers · asked by Midge 7

I am praying for something and I'm not sure whether it's wrong to pray about. I'm not going to get into it, but maybe if someone lists some things, I'll see it. Just need opinions on what you would consider bad things to mention, or ask for in prayer.

2007-06-04 10:49:21 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous

The chicken or the egg?

2007-06-04 10:48:14 · 28 answers · asked by Anonymous

Or feel? Or think? Would you be ashamed to consider me an Atheist, Agnostic, Freethinker, Or Humanist if I disagreed with some of the things that I have seen some of you guys say about all Christians being closed minded and ignorant or as some might like to say unintelligent? What if I agreed with what this user has to say? Am I a disgrace? Are you embarassed to know me an either an Atheist, or Agnostic, or Freethinker, or Humanist?

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070604141223AAM78Co&r=w#JpB9OHjtU0lD_UUt3q7_

2007-06-04 10:48:06 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous

they shot and kill and most are christians

2007-06-04 10:47:52 · 2 answers · asked by Anonymous