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Originally Posted by atari 2600
I love how very boastfully he starts off like that...your loss.
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It is my loss, I agree, but I talk to people of all kinds of religions about religion quite a bit (though not nearly as much now as I used to, sadly.) Hah, not boastful - just admittedly lazy right now. And most of the time...
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Originally Posted by atari 2600
Hey, here's a thought: What about Christians that are raised Christian? How can they ever believe? I mean, REALLY.
Philosophy begins with doubt. All science begins with doubt as well. If one is conditioned to be a Christian then one can never truly believe, that is, unless they are Jesus or somethin' hehe.
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One who is raised as a Christian is certainly able to doubt. I know people who have fully turned their back on it after being raised Christian. It's quite common. Realizing that you do not have to stick to what you are raised to believe opens you up to the possibility of actually believing it. However, I'm not sure if you were saying that or the opposite. I may have misunderstood.
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Originally Posted by atari 2600
The Old Testament is a history of the Hebrews. It is not pretty. They were a fledgeling civilization in the ancient world & constantly being persecuted.
The tome is bloody.
Animals (almost Issac) was/were sacrificed for God's Love & Mercy. It is filled with epic tales.
The New Testament is about a revolution in consciousness that still has never taken place. Instead, the "faithful" like to incant "In the name of Jesus" at the drop of a hat whilst cooking up ways to lie & judge all the live long day and behave as the antithesis of Jesus. & it's probably all because the were raised Christian*, pretend to be Christian, & actually believe in nothing but themselves; besides, they got a great cover story to abuse.
Jesus spoke in parables & it's His blood that we remember.
The Bible is a Book of Wisdom...the world's greatest. It is not however, meant to be taken entirely literally. Such is the excuse given for the origin of much of the world's strife...the real reason is money though (but of course) which is the false god, but that leads us to politics...
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I do believe the Bible to be literal, but not all of it. There are parts (such as the parables) which are very obviously philosophical or symbolic. However, for the most part I think that it is more of a case of misinterpretation. Especially verses taken completely out of context and quoted "in Jesus name," as you said. Verses such as "no one comes to the Father but through me" is a good example of a difficult verse to interpret. I honestly am not sure what to make of that. Each passage must be looked at in the context of the entire book. I've come to the conclusion that things like that are not in my hands, and it is best to trust that God knows what He's doing there. But I am not going to tell someone "Jesus says you're going to hell" just because one verse
could imply that
if taken a certain way. That's not my place.
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Originally Posted by atari 2600
As I wrote before, I belong to no congregation or affiliation, but I feel good that you have made religion a foundation of your personality & I think it can only help you as long as you truly open yourself up to Love & reject Fear.
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I actually don't consider Christianity to be an organization. It is "follower of Christ." One who follows and believes His teachings. And I do. I don't follow Christians, I am one.