Why doesn't God (since He is everywhere) just enter everyone's heart and wipe out religions, which are mostly corrupted and immoral institutions?
Where in the Bible does God or Jesus imply, suggest or state that "Thou shalt worship me in a Catholic Church or in a Mormon Church, or in a JW Temple"??
2007-03-06 05:25:03 · 17 answers · asked by Malcolm Knoxville III 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I'm not gay; but I respect gays.
2007-03-06 05:37:57 · update #1
I know someone who has an altar with a Pee Wee Herman doll on it. He says that is GOD.
Seriously...i literally saw it..couldnt believe it.
It doesnt say any of that and you dont have to go by a BIBLE to tell you about this and u can worship any way you wish or anything.
Its the major religions of society that are giving u this crap.
Im so glad im pagan..i dont have to follow this BS.
2007-03-07 10:21:24 · answer #1 · answered by Triskelion 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God has always revealed certain things to those who are worthy or capable of understanding, but not to others. This is why he commanded his prophets to build temples in the old testament and they existed throughout the time of Jesus. This is why Jesus was so angrey with the money changers at the temple, because they were defiling a place that was consecrated for God, for him to be present and for people to learn of God.
God does enter everyone's heart who opens it to Him, but He will not force Himself in, because He provided mankind with free agency from the beginning. This is the same reason He will not wipe out religions, even those that are far from His teachings. I does make sense to me that God would allow or provide for a church to expound His truths. In the past He spoke through prophets to tell His people how to behave, etc. It seems it was His method. This way people can believe or not.
Lastly, you assume that the Bible is the only place God's word exists, which again doesn't make much sense to me. But that's what makes this world great, and religion interesting, that we can all believe our own way on a personal level and have a personal relationship with God.
2007-03-07 03:44:36 · answer #2 · answered by straightup 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It doesn't say that in the Bible. Jesus said where ever two or more of you gather in my name, I am there. The only thing he asks is for the apostles to go out and spread the word. They could do that outside in a field. IN regards to sacrifice that was OT stuff. God commanded that. Look up when Abraham met God before he was to sacrifice Isaac. Rituals and Temples were added by man and were a carried over tradition from at least 2000 BC when the Greeks and Egyptians started building them for their God(s). But the answer to your question is NO.
2007-03-06 05:38:08 · answer #3 · answered by The Angry Stick Man 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What you are asking is really a question on the character of God and the character of humanity (or human nature).
The Bible would claim that God has certain charactersitics, a short list would include:
Holy
Just
Merciful
Loving
Omnipotent
God will not do anything in violation of his character or word
The problem is this. God created humanity with a free will. Humanity has chosen to rebel, spitting in the face of God, cursing him... thus violating his law, showing ingratitude, and making ourselves unholy in the process.
God has given a moral law that says there is a price to pay for that rebellion (rebellion=sin).
The price for that rebellion is death.
If God were only Holy and Just, then he could pretty much blank the world with impunity, and be correct in doing so.
Because he is merciful, he provided a substitution to satisfy the price of breaking the law (Christ was the substitution). Only God can satisfy God's wrath (an essential component of the doctrine of the Trinity)
People are again back to the state of they can trust that this is correct or not, and that in doing so, you will ultimately get exactly what you asked for.
As CS Lewis used to say.... "there are ultimately 2 types of people, those who say to God 'Thy will be done' and those to whom God says 'Thy will be done' "...
That is the 1 minute basic theology primer...
2007-03-06 05:41:37 · answer #4 · answered by doc in dallas 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In Judaism, God made the youngsters of Israel furnish an animal as a sacrifice to atone and pay for the guy who sinned. So if I sinned, i could furnish a lamb to pay for my sins. In Christianity, (which comes from Judaism traditionally) there is not any sacrifice, because Jesus Christ got here because the perfect sacrifice and died for mankind's sins once and for all. As a Christian, i do no longer could furnish any more suitable animals; i must settle for Jesus' sacrifice for my sins.
2016-12-05 08:09:45 · answer #5 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God doesn't need temples, etc, but He wants a serious relationship with us. For some people temples, etc, are part of their seriousness: they help them to focus on God and express their devotion. For others, the same things simply get in the way. He doesn't force His way into our lives because what matters to Him is faith expressed through love and neither of these can be obtained by force. He wants us to choose Him and He wants our choice to be free, serious and out of love.
2007-03-06 05:42:01 · answer #6 · answered by Andrew G 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hi. Well firstly no where in the Bible does it state that God is ominpresent.
In a letter from Paul we read that we should not forsake the gathering together.
2007-03-06 10:18:49 · answer #7 · answered by Ish Var Lan Salinger 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Jesus Christ himself explicitly taught that earthly temples were unnecessary for true worship.
Recall that Judaism was known for its temple in Jerusalem, and Samaritanism was known for its temple on Mount Gerazim, and note Jesus' exchange with the Samaritan woman at the well...
(John 4:7,19-24) A woman of Samaria came to draw water. ...The woman said to [Jesus]: “Sir, I perceive you are a prophet. Our [Samaritan] forefathers worshiped in this mountain [Gerazim]; but you [Jewish] people say that in Jerusalem is the place where persons ought to worship.” Jesus said to her: “Believe me, woman, The hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you people worship the Father. ...the hour is coming, and it is now, when the true worshipers will worship the Father with spirit [rather than with physical places] and truth, for, indeed, the Father is looking for suchlike ones to worship him. God is a Spirit, and those worshiping him must worship with spirit and truth.”
Sadly, so much of Christendom has worked to pollute Jesus' message and interfere with the pure communication of God's Word to humankind.
2007-03-06 08:15:43 · answer #8 · answered by achtung_heiss 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
God doesn't need anything. He wants us to live for Him through Christ by following the Ten Commandments and observing His Holy Days.
2007-03-06 05:31:42 · answer #9 · answered by rezany 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We need something to spend all that money on! Now that there are no starving children in the world, or homeless people, or medically uninsured elderly to use it on, architecture has become the way to go.
2007-03-06 12:29:45 · answer #10 · answered by Jennie Fabulous 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋