Religion & Spirituality - 16 November 2007

In Genisis 12:2-3 God promises to bless those who bless the Jewish people and curse those who curse the Jewish people. I am well aware that many races have suffered persecution, however, no race has suffered as much persecution as the Jews. Let's look at the former Jewish persecuters. Egypt was once the most amazing empire in the world that built it's empire on Jewish slaves. Today Egypt is all but a third-world country, relying on greater nations for support. At one time the Roman Empire bragged "all roads lead to Rome." However, the Roman Empire imperially ruled the Jews. Today there is nothing left of the Roman Empire, but old momuments. In 1933 the most inhumane treatment of a humane race ever in history began in Nazi Germany with the Jewish Holocaust. Today, Germany is finished as a super power and must view it's former enemies (who freed the Jews) France and England as the greatest military powers in Europe and the United States as the greatest military power.

2007-11-16 04:36:11 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous

I mean....
- Everything in the holy book can be interpreted in a thousand ways.
- You´re born as a sinner and there is no way during your lifespan, to get rid of your wrong doing of being born.
- Then when you get to heaven, there is no guarantee that you will get in, and for some reason or another, you´ll possebly end up in hell.
- You never was provided with solid evidence for your belief, meaning that others, can freely bash you, without you being able to fend for yourself effeciently.
- The amount of conflicting information in the holy book is emormous and rather frustrating, as you don´t know what to believe, and is forced to ignore it.
- You´re being given empty promises, which you believe in, but which might not come true for you.
- Your prayers are not answered. You´re never given the new car before it goes out of production; the million dollars; a new arm just like the one you lost in a traffic accident last year...

So many uncertain things. Rather depressing, eh?

2007-11-16 04:36:10 · 25 answers · asked by Anonymous

I don't understand the hierarchy involved, and the term "father" for a priest rings kind of not right to me.

another thing that bothers me is the lavishness of their churches, with the gold and decorations. it's kind of contradictory, no?

no, i don't want to hear how the entire bible contradicts itself, you're beating a dead horse with that one.

2007-11-16 04:36:04 · 16 answers · asked by kelsey.dgaf 1

Or how many actually bealive they coexisted with humans?

2007-11-16 04:35:40 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous

2007-11-16 04:34:29 · 2 answers · asked by Anonymous

This is clearly a question of physics, theology, religion, televangelism, umm...?

2007-11-16 04:34:13 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous

The Qu'ran says that it is the truth from God.
The Bible says that it is the truth from God.
The Tanakh says that it is the truth from God.
The Book of the Dead says that it is the truth from God.
The Kojiki says that it is the truth from God.
The Book of Mormon says that it is the truth from God.... should I continue?

All of these books have believers that swear to their veracity and truthfulness, none of them have proof of their veracity and truthfulness that would stand up in a court of law. So, besides what you feel in your heart of hearts, what makes your particular holy book of truth any more valid than anyone else's?

2007-11-16 04:31:43 · 40 answers · asked by Anonymous

what exactly were those "evils"? i've known countless wiccans of all ages, and never have i come across anything in their rituals that was evil, yet some people in here claim this to the be case.

if you left wicca or any branch of paganism because of it's evils, what were they? please be specific and honest.

(i asked this recently and didn't get any answers from whom i directed it to, so i'm trying again. thanks to all who answered the first time)

2007-11-16 04:31:32 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous

please let it come today God.

2007-11-16 04:31:16 · 17 answers · asked by Anonymous

2007-11-16 04:30:52 · 19 answers · asked by mlstyl123 2

First of all:

The Employment Nondiscrimination Act, passed in the House of Representatives does not FORCE your private Christian organizations like churches etc to hire anyone they do not want to. I ACTUALLY READ THE EDNA Act and it gives private religious institutions full autonomy and 100% freedom on who they hire and fire. You will not be forced to hire a gay person or pagan person if you do not like gay and pagan people.

Second: Christian spokepeople have been saying that ENDA will silence religious speech in the workplace and we have the right to free speech.

But really, DOES ANYONE have free speech at work? Can we just go into the office and tell our bosses and co-workers ANYTHING we want? Can a muslim go around telling non-muslim women in the workplace they are whores unless they cover up? Company morale and mutual respect takes precidence over EVERYONE's personal and/or religious opinions.

2007-11-16 04:30:08 · 8 answers · asked by pixie_pagan 4

John 3:16 (New International Version) For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever BELIEVES IN him shall not perish but have eternal life. [caps added]

Does it simply mean to acknowledge/accept the existence of that person or thing? What is the difference between believing in Jesus and believing in King Tut?

2007-11-16 04:29:04 · 1 answers · asked by MrMyers 5

2007-11-16 04:28:13 · 24 answers · asked by King Arthur 3

I admit that I am ignorant in regards to many things. (Advanced Calculus, Wicca, History of Polka, Quantum Mechanics, Automobile Mechanics, Digestive Tract Mechanics)

Well I am not sure how many of the above things would be considered "mainstream". I guess the most mainstream item that I am pretty much ignorant about but I do appreciate is Art.

2007-11-16 04:26:44 · 35 answers · asked by Anonymous

2007-11-16 04:26:39 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous

A: Only so many Souls get into Heaven, So the more on earth at Armegedon, The more LDS will be in Heaven

B: When the Holy War comes, They will have more Soldiers.

C: Creating Child Labor Work Force

D: More the Merrier

2007-11-16 04:26:13 · 18 answers · asked by Matthew David 4

Did you ever listen to Bill Wiese's "23 minutes in Hell"? He said in that afterlife that even though it was Hell and not Heaven, he felt just as physcial and pain stricken there as you're able to feel here in the physcial form. So in the afterlife, that must mean it's more like another dimension. If it's all spiritual and you don't have a concrete form in Heaven or Hell, and if your body is all wispy and dreamly like when you're dreaming, then you're never gonna feel whole, you're always gonna feel like something is missing, your actual body and all of the physcial, concrete sensations. So to all of you who say that Heaven can't be an actual physical concrete existance where you have all of your sense like you do now, I don't believe you. Why would have this concrete existance in Hell, but not Heaven?


If you haven't watched Bill Wiese's Hell story yet, here it is,
http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=1220088&fr=yfp-t-471

2007-11-16 04:25:52 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous

If everything pertaining to Christian teaching is to be found in the Bible, then it should say somewhere in the Bible that "everything pertaining to Christian teaching is to be found in the Bible". Where does it say that?

I have found the Church in the Bible, and I have found that the Church is the "pillar and foundation of thruth" (1 Timothy 3:15). I have found deacons and bishops in the Book of Acts, but I have nowhere found that everything pertaining to Christian teaching is to be found in the Bible.

Isn't this proof that protestantism and their Bible-only concept is false, and the Catholic belief in an authoratative teaching Church is true?

2007-11-16 04:25:16 · 46 answers · asked by Swiss Guard 2

1. Does God exist?
2. Do all religions lead to God?
3. If God is good, why is there evil and suffering?
4. Is Jesus God?
5. What will happen to those who never hear about Jesus?
6. Is there really right and wrong?
7. What about all the wars that have been caused in the name of Christianity?
http://cozay.com/life

2007-11-16 04:24:03 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous

2007-11-16 04:23:40 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous

Ever notice how in the Religion section.....many questions are sooo often answered by People who seem to have this great Hate for Jesus and His exsistence? seems odd to me that all these Non- Believers are "hanging out" on such a section......
just wondered if anyone else noticed this?

2007-11-16 04:22:30 · 31 answers · asked by craftsmanunltd 3

Question: "If the Orthodox faith is the only true faith, can Christians of other confessions be saved? May a person who has led a perfectly righteous life on earth be saved on the strength of his ancestry, while not being baptized as Christian?

Answer: "For He saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth [struggleth], but of God that showeth mercy" (Rom. 9:15-16). In the Orthodox Church we have the path of salvation indicated to us and we are given the means by which a person maybe morally purified and have a direct promise of salvation. In this sense St. Cyprian of Carthage says that "outside the Church there is no salvation." In the Church is given that of which Apostle Peter writes to Christians (and only Christians): "According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience, and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 1:3-8). And what should one say of those outside the Church, who do not belong to her? Another apostle provides us with an idea: "For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? Do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth" (1 Cor. 5:12-13). God "will have mercy on whom He will have mercy" (Rom 9:18). It is necessary to mention only one thing: that to "lead a perfectly righteous life," as the questioner expressed it, means to live according to the commandments of the Beatitudes—which is beyond the power of one, outside the Orthodox Church, without the help of grace which is concealed within it.

The question: Can the heterodox, i.e. those who do, not belong to Orthodoxy—the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church—be saved, has become particularly painful and acute in our days.

In attempting to answer this question, it is necessary, first of all, to recall that in His Gospel the Lord Jesus Christ Himself mentions but one state of the human soul which unfailingly leads to perdition—i.e. blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matt. 12:1-32). The Holy Spirit is, above all, the Spirit of Truth, as the Saviour loved to refer to Him. Accordingly, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is blasphemy against the Truth, conscious and persistent opposition to it. The same text makes it clear that even blasphemy against the Son of Man—i.e. the Lord Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God Himself may be forgiven men, as it may be uttered in error or in ignorance and, subsequently may be covered by conversion and repentance (an example of such a converted and repentant blasphemer is the Apostle Paul. (See Acts 26:11 and I Tim. 1:13.) If, however, a man opposes the Truth which he clearly apprehends by his reason and, conscience, he becomes blind and commits spiritual suicide, for he thereby likens himself to the devil, who believes in God and dreads Him, yet hates, blasphemes, and opposes Him.

Thus, man's refusal to accept the Divine Truth and his opposition thereto makes him a son of damnation. Accordingly, in sending His disciples to preach, the Lord told them: "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mk. 16:16), for the latter heard the Lord's Truth and was called upon to accept it, yet refused, thereby inheriting the damnation of those who "believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness" (II Thes. 2:12).

The Holy Orthodox Church is the repository of the divinely revealed Truth in all its fullness and fidelity to apostolic Tradition. Hence, he who leaves the Church, who intentionally and consciously falls away from it, joins the ranks of its opponents and becomes a renegade as regards apostolic Tradition. The Church dreadfully anathematized such renegades, in accordance with the words of the Saviour Himself (Matt. 18:17) and of the Apostle Paul (Gal. 1:8-9), threatening them with e ternal damnation and calling them to return to the Orthodox fold. It is self evident, however, that sincere Christians who are Roman Catholics, or Lutherans, or members, of other non-Orthodox confessions, cannot be termed renegades or heretics—i.e. those who knowingly pervert the truth...* They have been born and raised and are living according to the creed which they have inherited, just as do the majority of you who are Orthodox; in their lives there has not been a moment of personal and conscious renunciation of Orthodoxy. The Lord, "Who will have all men to be saved" (I Tim. 2:4) and "Who enlightens every man born into the world" (Jn. 1.43), undoubtedly is leading them also towards salvation In His own way.

With reference to the above question, it is particularly instructive to recall the answer once given to an inquirer by the Blessed Theophan the Recluse. The blessed one replied more or less thus: "You ask, will the heterodox be saved... Why do you worry about them? They have a Saviour Who desires the salvation of every human being. He will take care of them. You and I should not be burdened with such a concern. Study yourself and your own sins... I will tell you one thing, however: should you, being Orthodox and possessing the Truth in its fullness, betray Orthodoxy, and enter a different faith, you will lose your soul forever."

We believe the foregoing answer by the saintly ascetic to be the best that can be given in this matter.

* The Greek word for "heresy" is derived from the word for "choice" and hence inherently implies conscious, willful rejection or opposition to the Divine Truth manifest in the Orthodox Church.
From Orthodox Life, Vol. 34, No. 6 (Nov.-Dec., 1984), pp. 33-36.

2007-11-16 04:20:56 · 12 answers · asked by Jacob Dahlen 3

2007-11-16 04:19:58 · 13 answers · asked by VGpugs 5

what is your value structure, what gives your life meaning and what values do you want to pass down to others.

we are all teachers to someone, what do you want to pass down as a gift of love to others to carry out with them

2007-11-16 04:19:24 · 19 answers · asked by magnetic_azimuth 6

I have read questions about "What would the 11th Commandment be?" And I believe I have found the answer.
Directions
While Kellogg's Pop-Tarts are fully baked and ready-to-eat right from the pouch, if you prefer them warmed, Please Follow these Instructions: Toasting appliance and microwave capabilities differ by manufacturer. Follow the manufacturer's guidelines for safe use. Be sure your appliance is clean and functioning correctly. Children should always be closely supervised when operating toasting appliances and microwaves. No refrigeration needed. Pop-Tarts Toasting Instructions: 1. Remove pastry from pouch. 2. Warm pastry in toasting appliance at lowest or lightest heat setting for one heating cycle only. 3. Cool briefly before carefully removing pastry from toasting appliance. Pop-Tarts Microwave Instructions: 1. Remove pastry from pouch. Place pastry on a microwave-safe plate. 2. Microwave on High setting for 3 seconds. 3. Cool briefly before handling.

What do you think?

2007-11-16 04:18:44 · 24 answers · asked by Anonymous

Haven't Christians figured out yet that Christmas is a PAGAN celebration, and the pagans tricked them into celebrating pagan god-men/saviors? Don't they know they are bowing to Appolo, Attis, Baal, Dionysus, Helios, Hercules, Horus, Mithra, Osiris, Perseus, and Theseus in a festival called the "Birthday of the Unconquered Sun" on DEC-25, many years before the birth of Christ? Christians can re-name it "Christmas" if it makes them feel better -- I'm sure the pagans don't mind -- but I can't find where it's written in the Bible that Jesus was born on Dec 25.

2007-11-16 04:18:38 · 18 answers · asked by unconcerned but not indifferent 3

Never having experienced company of angels or humans he would not have had anything to define his lonliness. So why would he have created anything?

2007-11-16 04:17:09 · 7 answers · asked by Murazor 6

to hate Manheim Steamroller?
(please excuse me if I spelled it wrong, but I so dislike them that I don't really care...)

2007-11-16 04:16:36 · 22 answers · asked by Anonymous

"There's no more scientific basis for intelligent design than there is for the idea an omniscient creature made of pasta created the universe. If intelligent design supporters could demand equal time in a science class, why not anyone else? The only reasonable solution is to put nothing into sciences classes but the best available science."

2007-11-16 04:16:16 · 20 answers · asked by Anonymous

For myself I think crime and violence, sickness and death top the list. I believe that God will step in and help us, and do away with these things and that is coming in the very near future. What do you think?

2007-11-16 04:16:09 · 13 answers · asked by RF57 1