Quote: Originally posted by ChaosTheory on July 19, 2004
Visiondude,
(1) (First, I apologize if I offend you in any way. It's just my nature to get sucked into religious debates.)
(2) Are you saying that over 4 Billion people currently living on earth are practicing the wrong religion? (3) And of those christians, are they all right? (4) Should we be born again? (5) Should we be baptized as babies or as adults? (6) Should we practice speaking in tongues?
(7) Personally, I believe at least most roads lead to the same place. I don't think God would allow people to be doomed for eternity just because his funeral was performed by a Hindu Priest.
(8) Genesis says we were doomed because we gained knowledge.
(9)Does that make science wrong? Perhaps we should start walking to work instead of driving our cars. That computer of yours is a piece of sin as well.
(10) As related to this forum: Why not try using psychic powers? How much different is it than science? It's just using another part of our brain...just like when we first learned to use stone tools, or thought about philosophy.
(1) you didn't offend me so no apology is needed (but thanks). talking about God is offensive to some because of it's inherent "authority" issues. while i never seek to offend anyone, my priority is to please God above man by telling the WHOLE truth, not by leaving parts of it out that may offend someone. IT'S KIND OF PART OF DOING "BUSINESS" LOL
(2) God judges all men/women by the same exact standards. there is no such thing as a "geographical gradient curve". if a person has heard the message of Jesus Christ as Gods only provision for sin, they are judged according to thier adjustment to it, or thier rebellion against it. if they have NOT heard, God judges the condition of thier heart as it pertains to him.
(3) a sad thing .... but no. the church has much division with hundreds of sub-sects just within Christianity. who is right? the ones who trust Christ alone for thier salvation ...... not the ones who still attempt to "save" themselves via good works. the difference between religion vs. "relationship".
(4) the bible calls for us to, so yes. but it is not as "weird" as it sounds. it is simply the inward exchange of your will for Gods will. it happens in a mans heart. you are "born again" (metaphorically) when you care more about what God has to say about your life than you do. it is as simple as that. there is an undenialbe change.
(5) it is a waste of time to baptize a baby for two reasons. baby's do not have the capacity to understand what they are committing to. baptism is symbolic ..... it CANNOT save a person. it is a public confession of what has transpired in a believers life. you are publically identifying in your own life that you (like Christ), are now dead to the power of sin over your life while being "raised" to the newness of your life. it is symbolic. a person must make the choice themselves. the thief on the cross did not have the time to be baptized and went to paradise that day.
(6) speaking in tongues was a sign to other believers in the early church that solidified to them that indeed the Holy Spirit had come (just as Christ had said he would). they recognized the "foreign" language". it is grossly mis-used today. and it sure isn't a "requirement". it was used to draw believers in the early church who were "divided", back into a solid unity so that the church would have a strong foundation, and would spread. just like the miraculous healings of that time period. it still happens to day, although not as regularly and not as prolific.
(7) if there is a God, the last thing that God would do would be to allow confusion about who he is and what he wants. he is not touchy-feely or politically correct. he is not like us in that he is worried about hurting our "feelings". therefore, all "roads" could not possibly lead to the same place. in fact, it would be spiritually impossible for God to allow more than just one "road". that is mans undoing as man seeks to turn God into thier own "liking" by creating thier "own road". . God sets one standard for all mankind and it is up to man to adjust. just one extra "road" would lead man to massive confusion, and would reduce God into something more like a traffic cop ..... and that he ain't. ONE STANDARD FOR ALL MANKIND
(8) incorrect as far as your interpretation of what happened. basically speaking what happened between adam and eve, happens with all of us in that we choose (some more than others) ..... to rebel against Gods revealed authority. God gave the garden inhabitants specific instructions on what not to do. of course the story goes that they decided that they knew better than God and effectively rebelled against him. in the process, they "acquired" the knowledge of evil and "tainted" thier relationship with God. something we all do. inherently "knowledge" is good, until it is used to circumvent Gods authority .......then it is evil.
(9) no waaaaaaaay. science backs up what God has already said about himself. knowledge (and the pursuit thereof) ....is a wonderful gift from God. But it must be efficient in that it must dventually lead to a greater understanding of God. that includes things that are beneficial to mankind. the bible puts the pursuit of the "right" kind of knowledge into perspective when it said "what profit is there if a man gains the whole world, yet loses his own soul". bill gates (the worlds richest person) once said "there is no need for God, it is a crutch". thusly factoring in the efficentcy factor, billy's contributions will live on, but unless he admits his need for Christ, eternity with that decision is a very long time to think about what he spent his life "investing" in, and how he shunned God. true "knowledge" ...... allows one the luxury to accomplish BOTH.
(10) because God forbids it as it invites the dark side of the spirtual world in. you go to (trust) God for your future. you never circumvent that and chase other things in order to find out. science is a whole other ball game. God is heavily into the science arena as he created all things and his creation (revealed thru science) is but one of the many tools that God has used to draw us into worship, and to get our attention. i love the discovery channel and all thier scientific followings. it screams of Gods wonderfull design.
VISION