I grew up Christian, & believe in God. But I still question why so many strict Christians proclaim our way to be the "only" way. It seems silly. Couldnt it be that as long as a person fully and spiritually believes in a higher power (whether it be God, Allah, Buddah, etc), that their after life will REFLECT whatever it happens to be that they believe in? Heres what I mean: If some ppl believe in Buddhism, couldnt it be possible that THOSE PPL DO experience reincarnation? And then Christians, who believe in heaven and hell, couldnt it be possible that they experience THAT in their after life cuz its where their spirit lies? What I'm saying is that Christians ideas about the after life are so restricting and should instead reflect DIVERSE beliefs because, after all, every person is uniquely their own physically, mentally AND spiritually. Since so many Christians are stuck on heaven or hell, what do they suppose happens to those "others" who believe in, say...reincarnation?
2007-09-19 08:22:42 · 29 answers · asked by Alaina's Mumma! 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Most religions started with the truth as taught by a master, son of God, prophet or enlightened being and then were added to through the years and the ages with the thoughts and imaginings of people who were not of the same consciousness as the original teacher. Simple misunderstandings have been built into traditions as meaningless as any human folly. Some have grown into monsters of hate and intolerance. Trust your own inner connection with all that is holy. Keep your eyes open and don't stand for ignorance and bigotry to flourish in your presence even when it is presented as God's will or in God's name. Any church, religion or individual who proclaims they are the sole keepers of the truth are deluded; the truth lives in everyone's heart.
2007-09-19 08:48:09 · answer #1 · answered by Tamara S 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
We are "stuck" because most Christians believe that the Bible is the Word of God. The Bible tells us that Jesus is the Son of God and The Way ,( the only way), to God. It tells us about heaven and hell. It is our "instruction" manual, so to speak , just as other religions have books that they read and believe in and follow. Which one is "correct" ? I bet that there are people in every religion that will tell you that theirs is ..LOL...and I believe that the only way we'll ever know, for certain, the answer to that question is after we die and see where we end up..( heaven ,hell, reincarnated, etc....)...The one thing I can tell you for certain.......All those that honestly and truly seek God....They will find Him.
2007-09-19 08:52:06 · answer #2 · answered by jetta's mom 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well it is you who chooses the right religion, if you`re Christian what teachings do you have? Be good, go to church, believe in God, Jesus is the son of God? Are these teachings the only teachings you have learnt? There is more to Christianity than your avarage priest lectures. Join a society which teaches the Bible, one that does not endlessly give pointless teachings, one which really teaches you.
I could see this from your heaven and hell ideas "where the spirit lies", our personality is devided into different pieces such as physical, spiritual, character ect. and our body does join the soul in heaven.
Some teachers don`t really teach religion this is what caused Christians to discriminate homosexuals and Harry Potter (Laura Mallory who tried to ban Harry Potter said she didn`t read the books because they are too long, she is trying to ban Harry Potter for being a wizard, he was born wizard he didn`t do any occult or other nonsense, in fact anti-Harry Potter fansites aquatince people with spirits than the books) don`t for fall Jesus Camp (its made by Bush to get people to worship him), just read the Bible.
2007-09-19 08:41:32 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
God makes The Rules... play by God's Rules... or... ultimately... you lose.
The practices you cite are not God's Will for mankind... that is The Christian position. That position is from God...
you may have grown up but you did not "grow up" Christian... your statements show a clear lack of understanding of The True Christian Faith.... I do not know the circumstances of your upbringing... but your instruction concerning The Faith was extremely lacking at best... had your instruction growing up "christian" been correct you would not be making statements or posing the questions you do now.
No one may "grow up" Christian. No one is a Christian just because the family they were born into claims to be Christian. No man may declare himself to be a Christian or may declare any one else to be a Christian. Only God may confer the title of Christian upon any one.
2007-09-19 08:39:25 · answer #4 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Buddha - “Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.”
It's not about choosing the right path, it's all about becoming the path itself. Whatever makes you a good person is the most important thing.
2007-09-19 08:35:39 · answer #5 · answered by WreckinShop 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You know in your heart what you believe. Read the bible. I like NIV student bible because its a bit easier to understand. I'm a Christian myself and have had several unfortunate encounters with my belief that have left me asking the same questions. How DO we know which one is the correct one? Ask that question to God in your prayers and trust me, soon you'll know which one is the correct one for you. Many Christian churches out there are not doing their job in delivering the word of our Lord the way it should be. They like to cover up the truth. Some however can over do it as well. Try going to bible studies or simply read the bible yourself and ask for understanding. It's a beautiful book to read and trust me... you'll soon realize what is right and wrong. :)
2007-09-19 08:33:31 · answer #6 · answered by Me :) 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I agree with you. It seems what you believe in is more important to some fundamentalists than your actions; that what sets someone apart from morality and immorality is their religious views. It's sad really, because I see a lot of hatred and religious bigotry coming from some of these "holier than thou" Christians (no offense--you don't seem like one of them) who take themselves to be much more superior because they have the "proper" and "correct" religious beliefs.
In reality, no one really knows. And I see it as being very arrogant to think people think they are 100% sure on the topic of religion. I'm an athiest, but I'll admit, there could possibly be some kind of supernatural deity out there. I'm not 100% set in stone in my views, and neither should anyone else. But I highly doubt any god, if there is one, would want his creations fighting against each other for the sake of truth, but rather living our lives to the fullest and helping anyone in need. That simple.
As they say, "Live and let live."
2007-09-19 08:30:36 · answer #7 · answered by Uliju 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋
http://reluctant-messenger.com/
Reluctant Messenger of Science and Religion: Taoism Judaism Christianity Islam Buddhism Buddha Hinduism Sikhism Kabbalah Sufi Sufism Mysticism Sabbath reincarnation resurrection
http://www.near-death.com/
Near-Death Experiences and the Afterlife
2007-09-19 08:26:47 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
It's really very simple. Every path is correct to a certain group of people. The Hebrew god is correct for the mid-eastern group of people and people of their descent. For the "chosen nation", or however they called themselves. Even just that phrase should tell you that other groups and nations aren't chosen by that god, and should therefore follow different paths.
My path is correct for me, for people of Nordic or Germanic descent and those who feel spiritual connection with our roots from there. The Heathen gods have called upon us, so we follow the path that is correct for us.
To each their own.
2007-09-19 09:42:17 · answer #9 · answered by Ymmo the Heathen 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I can only tell you this don't make a mistake and miss out with going after a man made god . Man has made himself many god's and goddess's and it doesn't seem that a heck of a lot of them are still around .One life to live, after that well I don't know of any one that's been reincarnated
2007-09-19 08:36:36 · answer #10 · answered by the only 1 hobo 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋