Religion & Spirituality - 15 October 2007

Intelligent Design / Creationism is based on faith.

Evolution is based on science.

Why isn't learning about faith in church enough to satisfy some Christians?

2007-10-15 18:36:16 · 15 answers · asked by downdrain 4

The "love chapter" as 1 Corinthians 13 has been coined--includes a verse that some believe is about voluntary poverty.

1 Corinthians 13:3, "And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing."

Do you see this verse as indicating Christians should have "voluntary poverty"?

Or is poverty a curse--when we do not have enough to supply our own needs and give to the poor, is this a curse?

What are your BIBLICAL beliefs about poverty--are we to embrace the 'name it and claim it'/'blab it and grab it' doctrine of prosperity or are we supposed to walk in some kind of voluntary poverty?

Were is the balance?
What bible verses do you base your beliefs on?

2007-10-15 18:36:06 · 9 answers · asked by steinbeck11 6

First of all, if you've come here to flame, I would appreciate it if you would take your "insight" elsewhere. Every day I see Christians posting hundreds of questions, and I need not the discrimination of your ignorance.

Okay... so I have been following Satanism for going on 4 years now...

I fear I may be losing a rather large portion of my Faith in Satanism. I have followed the IX Commandments to the best of my abilities and constantly see myself becoming a better person because of it. But as I begin to, for lack of a better term, "grow up" and realize the world around me, things just seem helpless at times, and I am left almost hopeless in my pursuits. Please, indulge me in some sort of advice to renew and rebirth my beliefs.

...Okay, now time for the first part of my question to be ignored. Let the reporting begin! ;-)

2007-10-15 18:32:12 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous

Envy is apparently a bad sin and envy is also a very human emotion, not really the emotion one would expect in a being with the power to supposedly create or destroy the universe and if he is the only god in existence, then what reason has he to be jealous? Despite all this and of course the blatant motive behind the jealous god nonsense, Christians still happily babble away about their god being a jealous god and then go back to stuffing their faces with fast food and shaking their heads and clicking their tongues at the moral decline in society….I digress. Why can’t they also accept that god doesn’t care? He could not give a rats rear end about what happens here on earth. Praying is a waste of time because His plan for the future is already set in motion and He won’t change it just for one lousy human. Is it just that Christians are reluctant to admit responsibility for their own decisions?

2007-10-15 18:26:25 · 19 answers · asked by Anonymous

It only takes about a week to a week and a half to walk across it. What did they do, walk in alternating concentric circles?

2007-10-15 18:24:07 · 16 answers · asked by Enigma®Ragnarökin' 7

2007-10-15 18:22:53 · 29 answers · asked by Anonymous

2007-10-15 18:18:37 · 6 answers · asked by R C 2

Why did the watchtower society adviced many times that myspace is bad for young witnesses, and my friend has the WHOLE congregation (the young people) in her friend list. Even the ones that are pioneers, even the elders's children. But the worst part is that they show who they really are. And they MAKE OUT in the pictures they have posted. There's two options

1. Watchtower has to accept that teenagers like myspace

2. Disfellowship them all

2007-10-15 18:16:57 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous

2007-10-15 18:15:39 · 2 answers · asked by sstines05 1

69- Then eat from all the fruits and flit about the spacious paths of your Lord. There issues from within her abdomens a drink of varying colors, wherein is healing for the people. Verily in this is a sign for those who understand.
16-The Honeybee, 69

The honeybee has a body that varies in length between 1cm and 3cm, and that is divided into three parts: head, thorax and abdomen. The verse quoted above stresses that in the individual female bee there are “abdomens,” which in Arabic is “butuniha,” the “ha” referring to a singular female bee. If the plural of the word “abdomen” was meant to refer to the female bees, then the plural female pronoun “hunna” would be attached to the verb “butuniha.” This makes clear the segmented abdomen of the bee. Inside the abdomen there are two stomachs or crops. When collecting the nectar from flowers, nectar is stored in this honey stomach for transport back to the hive. At the rear of the honey stomach is a valve that prevents stored nectar from passing on into the rear portion of the digestive system, except for the small amount needed by the bee to sustain life. The hind portion of the bee’s body is the abdomen that is made up of segments in the form of rings. The abdomen of the bee functions as a chemistry laboratory to produce honey.

The colors of honey vary as stated in the Quran. They change according to the climate, season and weather conditions and the sources where nectar is obtained. The color of honey ranges from dark brown to green, among which the light yellow is preferred. In the honey industry, modern countries with developed techniques use a colorimeter to establish the exact description of honey’s color.


THE HONEY DANCES OF BEES
At the beginning of the verse, reference is made to the collection of nectar. The female bees not only produce honey, but also assume the duty of collecting the raw material from flowers to be eventually transformed into honey. During this process of seeking the nectar, incredible phenomena occur.

The bee that has located the spot where there is nectar to be collected returns to the hive to inform her sisters about the location of flowers. The scout bees returning to the hive perform circular dances or tail-wagging movements on the comb. These dances indicate not only that the scouts have found nectar or pollen and that the other workers should go out and seek it, but they are actually performing an amazing charade that conveys precise information to their sisters about the direction and the distance of the location of a newfound source.

Sometimes a normal adult must attend a dance course for six weeks while a bee, whose lifetime is but six weeks, is able to perform a dance for communication purposes. The bee’s calculation on her way back to the hive is also of great interest. The bee makes her calculation according to the position of the sun. The sun changes its locality one degree per four minutes. The bee that has spotted the location of her food also calculates her return journey as directly and correctly as possible in relation to the sun. She performs this without any error. All these calculations and harmonious coexistence within the hive cannot possibly be explained by pure coincidence or after a six-week-long training. So, all these are innate in her as an endowment of the Creator.


THE HEALING POWER OF HONEY
The verse speaks of the nutritive property of honey, a product of female bees. The regenerative property of honey is confirmed by medical authorities. In addition to its rich vitamin content, among its components are also such minerals such as calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus as well as such metals as copper, iodine, iron, zinc, and hormones.

Thanks to the easy convertibility of its sugar content, it is easily assimilated. Honey facilitates the functioning of the brain, thanks to its other sugars. It contributes to the production of blood, to its cleansing and proper circulation. Honey provides for the requirement necessary for proper functioning of our physiology and also it is used externally in cosmetics and dermatology.

The fact that honey had healing properties was nothing new for communities all over the world. Therefore, I am not claiming that this was not a generally acknowledged fact at the time of the descent of the Quran. However there were also such superstitious beliefs as the healing effect of a camel’s urine, which was later falsely attributed to the Prophet in hadith books. The Quran never justifies any of such false ideas offered as elixirs. Had the Quran been a product of human imagination, it might also have contained at least a residue of such false beliefs.

The distribution of work of bees in a hive and the multiple tasks performed by bees is too complicated to explain within the scope of this book. The ventilation of the hive, regulating humidity and temperature, keeping a perfect hygienic medium in the hive; guarding the hive, discarding the unwanted foreign matter, dead bees, etc., secreting wax, propolis, all are amazing tasks. How can a bee, whose lifetime is but six weeks, know and perform such grandiose artistry? Without an intelligent Creator the fortuity of all these data is certainly unimaginable. Every inquirer into the doings of a bee - to whose properties there are references in the Quran - will observe the sublime artistry of God in the entity of an insect.

4- Also in your creation and spreading of the animals are signs for people of assured faith.
45-Kneeling, 4

2007-10-15 18:11:41 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous

19- He has let free the two seas meeting together.
20- Between them there is a barrier which they do not transgress.
55-Gracious, 19-20

A famous French oceanographer, J. Cousteau, gives the following account as a result of his studies in water barriers: “We studied the assertions by certain researchers about barriers separating seas, and noticed that the Mediterranean Sea had its own salinity and density and housed autochthonous fauna and flora. Then we examined the water of the Atlantic Ocean and discovered features entirely different from those of the Mediterranean Sea. According to our expectations, these two seas that merged in the strait of Gibraltar should present similar characteristics in terms of salinity, density and other properties. The two seas presented different features even though they were adjacent. This greatly puzzled us. An incredible barrier prevented the two seas from coming together. The same sort of a barrier had also been observed in Bab Al-Mandab in the Gulf of Aden connecting with the Red Sea.

Subsequent to our observations, further researchers made it clear that the seas which had different characteristics had some barriers.” This fact that astounded oceanographers was revealed 14 centuries ago in the Quran. This aspect, not visible to the naked eye and appearing to be in conflict with the properties of water known to man, was first revealed to men in the Arabian peninsula, men who were not at all experienced in any sense with oceanography.
The barriers between adjacent seas demonstrate a rich diversity, a result of the perfect planning of God. Wherever we turn our gaze, the complexion of human beings, the infinite diversity of flowers, etc., demonstrate the marvelous diversity of God’s creation. The Quran refers to the waters that do not coalesce. This is because of a physical characteristic called “surface tension.” Thus, neighboring seas present different densities, salinity rates and compositions. These differences enable media that permit different species to coexist. Thus, fish, plants and microorganisms living under water present untold varieties. Water, that usually mixes easily, can turn into a wall thanks to God’s imposition and operation of physical laws, contributing to this variety. This fact is not affected by strong waves and currents. This property to which the Quran refers is a miraculous statement unknown at the time of the Prophet and presents clear evidence for the man of understanding.

53- He is the One who has set free the two seas; one is sweet and palatable, and the other is salty and bitter. And He made a barrier between them, a partition that is forbidden to be passed.
25-The Distinquisher, 53

2007-10-15 18:04:59 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous

that politics is the reason for war not religion nor culture differences?



~have a wonderful day~ : )

RoChEr

2007-10-15 18:03:23 · 26 answers · asked by RoChEr 5

can we them teach atheism and comparative religion classes in religious schools? I mean if we are giving equal time to all "theories"

2007-10-15 18:02:05 · 15 answers · asked by Gawdless Heathen 6

2007-10-15 17:58:32 · 17 answers · asked by Old guy 5

yeahhh; religion was never a big thing or heavily reinforced in my life growing up. So i dont know all the "rules" and stuff.

2007-10-15 17:52:33 · 40 answers · asked by Anonymous

WHAT ARE THEY??????

Please state the general ones.

2007-10-15 17:48:44 · 4 answers · asked by sop8hia 2

especially when they find out all those lies they've been fed by their 10% tithing preacher and wife throughout the years. I see a lot of it once the ex-fundies do their research and find out they've been lied to, by Jach Chick et al.

I think we should all love each other, but I don't think the pastor making up al those lies is going to get away that easy in front of Jesus for dividing his chuch.

what do you think ?

2007-10-15 17:48:03 · 7 answers · asked by defOf 4

Is it just another poor excuse for people who can't handle responsibility, or are trying to get away with something mischevious?

2007-10-15 17:45:42 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous

the bible also says "Satan will be called god of this earth..."

and in between the two there are myriads in Satan's army working hard to keep him god by preaching eternal life saying they will not die.

2007-10-15 17:44:39 · 13 answers · asked by Gyspy 4

Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, and third president of the United States, once wrote

"Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between church and State."

2007-10-15 17:43:45 · 18 answers · asked by downdrain 4

I have a casual interest in observing a Jehovah's Witness Assembly or Convention - but honestly speaking, have no interest in being approached by anyone - no matter how sincere they may be. What suggestions do you have?

2007-10-15 17:42:42 · 10 answers · asked by interested party 2

2007-10-15 17:35:57 · 17 answers · asked by engelfeurs 2

Bukhari

Volume 9, Book 86, Number 94:
Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Umar:

A man mentioned to the Prophet that he had always been cheated in bargains. The Prophet said, "Whenever you do bargain, say, 'No cheating

Have a great night.

2007-10-15 17:34:19 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous

Seriously people! Can someone not believe in God and that people need encouragement and help without being persecuted? What is so wrong with Joel Osteen? Is it because he has made a great living for himself and his family by teaching the word of the bible in a way it is more easily understood and by truly caring about people and trying to help them feel better about themselves? All of you who are taking smack need to just admit you are mad because of the success he has become and you MUST find a way to abolish that success because you are not reaping the rewards! Think about it, would you be complaining if you received Joel’s calling and were living his life right now? I think NOT! Jealousy is a horrible sin and obviously a sin too many of us practice EVERYDAY! Let the guy continue to make people feel better and believe better. Ask the people he has helped, they would give again. Would you feel the same if he was JUST a self help speaker? Or do you just have a problem with his faith?

2007-10-15 17:34:13 · 23 answers · asked by havasufem 3

If I asked you who/what is God you might say: The creator of the Universe, The source of everything that is, Alpha and Omega, Uncaused cause etc...etc..

So who/what is Satan?

2007-10-15 17:33:14 · 23 answers · asked by Future 5

i know they dont celebrate birthdays
but my friend is one and has a bday coming up.

what are some do's & don'ts for bdays?
can i at least wish them a happy bday?

im too embarassed to ask him. lol

2007-10-15 17:32:22 · 11 answers · asked by JoshR 2

How can I say that? Because to accept that you are CHOSEN-that You Are Saved-is to say that ALL others that do not believe like you do are condemned. It is accepting a Prejudiced propensity because in accepting Christ as your savior, you are stating that those who do not believe like you do ARE NOT SAVED, Are Not Chosen and are condemed. There-by accepting this condemnation you have accepted a form of Bigotry that has caused millions of deaths through war and disparity throughout the history of mankind. Why are you so afraid to Live with your fellow human beinmg that you would create Hell on Earth to try to change the world to believe like you do. I believe that You are entitled to your religious views but that to exert them upon others and say WE THE CHRISTIANS rather than WE THE PEOPLE is a considerable error in Judgement and that it lessens the bound of humanity. I believe in the Human spirit and want to see all people prosper, but the bible teaches "Gods Chosen Children" WHO?

2007-10-15 17:32:07 · 17 answers · asked by Anonymous

Do you agree with the following line: "Religion can tear apart, but faith unites". I.e; I had a hard time being Catholic because of all the "one true faith" and "Protestants are traitors" business, while the hypocrisy of some priests and popes made me cringe. Then I realized a FAITH in God is much richer. Do you agree? 10 points to the most thorough, polite, unbiased respose.

2007-10-15 17:30:48 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous

We all know that we don't know how we got here. So why do people believe in magical stories instead of looking at evidence and trying to find the truth? I guess magic fairy man just gave us brains so he can say "ha ha! fooled you! now you burn forever! But I love all my children! Suckers!"

2007-10-15 17:28:38 · 19 answers · asked by Ralishev 1

2007-10-15 17:13:28 · 16 answers · asked by Anonymous