[InOne]

Originally Posted by 08marsh

Actually if you have read the bible you'd know that it says God can forgive anything as long as there is genuine sorrow and regret in your heart.

No crocodile tears.

God says a lot of things, most which contradict in there at one point or another. I doubt that is an exception.

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

atleast she will be getting into heaven

[Pyramid*]

Originally Posted by 08marsh

Youtube video

That was a demon Lola!!!

"Get on your knees and pray for forgiveness"

"That's what Jesus asked me to do....."

[Marsh.]

Originally Posted by Scrooge

God says a lot of things, most which contradict in there at one point or another. I doubt that is an exception.

Contradict? Such as?

And the bible is made up of fables and parables to give examples of how to live your life not to be taken as literal events. Other than Jesus' life of course as that is historical fact.

[Pyramid*]

Originally Posted by Sassy Claus

atleast she will be getting into heaven

There wouldn't be much room left for anyone else - so she's welcome to it.

Is the Big Man going to get a specially reinforced cloud for her to splay her flab all over?

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

Originally Posted by Snowball

There wouldn't be much room left for anyone else - so she's welcome to it.

Is the Big Man going to get a specially reinforced cloud for her to splay her flab all over?

[InOne]

Originally Posted by 08marsh

Contradict? Such as?

And the bible is made up of fables and parables to give examples of how to live your life not to be taken as literal events. Other than Jesus' life of course as that is historical fact.

Tell that to some Christians. They all perceive it different. And the God of NT is very different to the God of the OT.

[Pyramid*]

Originally Posted by Scrooge

Tell that to some Christians. They all perceive it different. And the God of NT is very different to the God of the OT.

Why have an OT and a NT?........

Didn't they like the original version?

[Marsh.]

OT and NT? Are these upgrades?

[Pyramid*]

Originally Posted by 08marsh

OT and NT? Are these upgrades?

*Demands holograms version*

[Sticks]

The Old Testament covers from the beginning to the last of the prophets before the 400 years of silence

The New Testament covers the life of Christ and the beginning of the church plus letters from apostles and others

The old Testament had prophecies that would later be fulfilled in the New Testament, a prominent on being found in Isaiah 53

The main problem over the centuries has been how Christianity was warped, twisted and misrepresented by a corrupt Roman Catholic church leadership. (I say the leadership as some of those in the lower ranks were more decent and were lied to as well by the leadership) Critics of Christianity as a whole ignore the fact that also through the centuries there were a number of people who did not toe the RC line and we got movements like the reformation and the restoration movements.

In the 18th and 19th century there was a good tradition of Dissenters who did not follow either the Roman church or the Anglican one set up by Henry VIII

Now getting back to the base question underlying things here, the best way to learn about God, IMHO is not by studying dusty dry books on theology, but by studying the sciences. In my field, Physics, We have the Anthropic Cosmological Principal, (Which is not the same as the discredited Intelligent Design), the irony of this is that the ACP was derived by atheists, which according to them shows that the universe is designed for man.

As for evil pain and suffering, a lot of that has been caused by man exercising his free will and making wrong choices. Some of these wrong choices may even have been made by people long dead, but their effects still follow on and affect us to this day.

[Sticks]

The Old Testament covers from the beginning to the last of the prophets before the 400 years of silence

The New Testament covers the life of Christ and the beginning of the church plus letters from apostles and others

The old Testament had prophecies that would later be fulfilled in the New Testament, a prominent on being found in Isaiah 53

The main problem over the centuries has been how Christianity was warped, twisted and misrepresented by a corrupt Roman Catholic church leadership. (I say the leadership as some of those in the lower ranks were more decent and were lied to as well by the leadership) Critics of Christianity as a whole ignore the fact that also through the centuries there were a number of people who did not toe the RC line and we got movements like the reformation and the restoration movements.

In the 18th and 19th century there was a good tradition of Dissenters who did not follow either the Roman church or the Anglican one set up by Henry VIII

Now getting back to the base question underlying things here, the best way to learn about God, IMHO is not by studying dusty dry books on theology, but by studying the sciences. In my field, Physics, We have the Anthropic Cosmological Principal, (Which is not the same as the discredited Intelligent Design), the irony of this is that the ACP was derived by atheists, which according to them shows that the universe is designed for man.

As for evil pain and suffering, a lot of that has been caused by man exercising his free will and making wrong choices. Some of these wrong choices may even have been made by people long dead, but their effects still follow on and affect us to this day.

[fruit_cake]

Originally Posted by MTVN

Believe in what? If you say God then you have to answer which God, why that God, and what even is God. And even if you can define that then you're still left with numerous other questions. Surely all the religious conflicts and disagreements that have happened throughout history and are still happening today show that it is a complicated question.

I suppose when I say believe I mean to believe in someone in control of everything, like our maker or something..rather than it all being a bit random and pointless. I'm not really talking about one religion or the other. They all have their strengths and weaknesses I guess.

[fruit_cake]

Originally Posted by Snowball

Hang about. Your opening post said "I think I am ....it does seem'.

That isn't what you're now saying....now you are saying either you believe, or you don't, yet in your first post - you said 'I think I am'. That means you aren't so sure yourself asto whether you are religious or not.


confused.com

well that's just

[Kazanne]

Originally Posted by Scrooge

No. Humans are meant to be above Animals.

I'm glad you said 'meant' InOne as sometimes I wonder! the depravity some humans sink to is mind boggling.

[InOne]

Originally Posted by kazcringle

I'm glad you said 'meant' InOne as sometimes I wonder! the depravity some humans sink to is mind boggling.

Indeed, it says we should look after them too. So anyone who mistreats and claims to be religious isn't following the texts

[InOne]

Originally Posted by Snowball

Why have an OT and a NT?........

Didn't they like the original version?

Why are you asking me?

[InOne]

Originally Posted by 08marsh

OT and NT? Are these upgrades?

They can be whatever you want them to be good sir

[MTVN]

Originally Posted by christmas_cake

I suppose when I say believe I mean to believe in someone in control of everything, like our maker or something..rather than it all being a bit random and pointless. I'm not really talking about one religion or the other. They all have their strengths and weaknesses I guess.

Oh right, I see where you're coming from

[joeysteele]

Originally Posted by Snowball

I know yours is a humorous wee story, but grrrr... don't even start me on Catholic priests and nuns and some of the behaviours that we hear about all too often. Guaranteed to make my blood boil - and these are the very ones preaching God's word.

*note: I was raised as a Catholic and opted out when I started to have a good think about all of the above*

I agree completely, it is more a turn off towards the faith than encouragement to come into it the way Priests and Nuns abuse their positions and often are downright torturous and cruel psychologically, not to mention the other very unsavoury acts.

When it was really only Nuns teaching in schools too, according to my family, they were some of the most cruel and brutal people about.


My guess is that if there is a God/overseeing being, then as in the New Testament where Jesus spent a lot of his time in conflict and angered by the so called hierarchy of the Faith in his time then the same would certainly be the case today with the hierarchy of near all faiths now,whose example is miles away from what they demand from their members and teach them.

[Vicky.]

You know, I have sat and thought a few times (usually when stoned or something) about if a group of us today sat down and wrote a few books about a miracle worker etc etc...and they surfaced a few hundred years in the future...would this create a brand new religion and people who took every word we said in those books as truth and started to worship the main character.

[Kazanne]

Originally Posted by Rudolph

I believe they do. I know not everyone does but I like to think that they do.

Have you not seen the movie 'All dogs go to heaven?'

[joeysteele]

Originally Posted by Vicky.

You know, I have sat and thought a few times (usually when stoned or something) about if a group of us today sat down and wrote a few books about a miracle worker etc etc...and they surfaced a few hundred years in the future...would this create a brand new religion and people who took every word we said in those books as truth and started to worship the main character.

It's certainly not impossible Vicky nor even unlikely.

[Callum]

Originally Posted by kazcringle

Have you not seen the movie 'All dogs go to heaven?'

No, why? Would you reccomend it?

[Vicky.]

Originally Posted by joeysteele

It's certainly not impossible Vicky nor even unlikely.

We could put a load of new 'rules' in it.

Thou shall dress up in a banana costume and worship the biggest oak tree within a 10 mile radius every thursday evening at 8pm or else you will be smited by the giant donkey god of Azerbaijan.

And such