Religion...

[Noah]

Mr. Waylon... This is stuff that people should see.  Look forward to standing beside you at judgement day... if it exists.... 

Matt.... You, as most Christians do, believe that unless one accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, there is no hope of making it into heaven... and therefore you will burn in eternal hell.

I refuse to accept that a person, that lives every day of their life for the purpose of glorifying GOD, should burn in hell for eterintiy for not accepting that Jesus Christ was the son of God...

... Guess I'll be burning in hell right beside them...

... Am I saying I don't believe that Jesus is the son of God?  No. 

... Do I believe that not accepting it as fact should condemn an entire God-loving people to eternal damnation?  NO.

At a certain point, one must realize how people(human culture) has corrupted religion to suite their own needs... stay in ANY church for more than a bit and you will see it split... "Christians" will split into "Catholics and Protestants"... etc.....etc..... etc.....   One sect will say that the other is going to hell because they believe something the other does not.... 

WAKE UP and LOOK AT WHERE "YOUR" RELIGION CAME FROM...    We ain't the first to think we were right and every body else is wrong brother...

[Heaven Sent Kennel]

Noah I grew up in a non-demoninationl church. Be at church every sunday and wednesday, Do what you're told and be the best person you can be. I got burnt out on it, started riding bulls and living the free life doing what I want when I want but watching over my shoulder for the people that I knew were "churchy" so that they wouldn't look down on me. That was my thoughts, wether they looked down on me or not for what I was doing I don't know cuz I wasn't them but thats the way I percieved it. I tried to do what was right but did enjoy myself a lil too much on what doing what I wanted when I wanted. That was the FLESH coming out in me. If you spell FLESH backwards it's HSELF. now consider the H as HIM aka GOD. so if you drop the "H" or take God out of the backwards spelling you have SELF. which is what I was living for. In actions I was doing good for other people but usually looked for the good of myself coming out some point and time. It wasn't until I had dang near run myself down, ALMOST loosing everything i ever enjoyed and GOD got a hold of me. I had nowhere else to go but which and God was there. That's when I started relying more on my faith and God instead of myself.

Just a lil background of myself. Don't know if it helps or not but thought I'd share a lil bit more

[waylon-N.E. OK]

Mr. Waylon... This is stuff that people should see.  Look forward to standing beside you at judgement day... if it exists...

Same to ya brother 

[Noah]

Wow, wow, and WOW. This is  good Church right here, you guys are saying it so much better than I ever could,,, Amen.

You are 10000000% correct brother,  THIS is what church should be about....   However, most pastors(in my experience) prefer to avoid such subject matter and ask to speak in "private" about said topic...

... The last thing... SCRATCH THAT...   THE FIRST THING I want people to do is QUESTION THEIR FAITH.


ANY PASTOR THAT SAYS DIFFERENT IS NOT WORTH THE DIRT HE STANDS ON.


"The unexamined life is not worth living".... (Socrates)

[Noah]

I feel the need to put in a disclaimer at this point of heretism....  I do not pretend that I have it all figured out... I just refuse to accept that some do...

[Heaven Sent Kennel]

http://churchesaid.com/ministry.asp?id=164 This is a community out reach deal done with some of the guys I run around with. Click on the cowboy church part in the right column. It was a great eye opener and demonstration. Good discussion started here. The guy singing is the pastor of a church down at Lubbock, Texas. If you ever get the chance to go I'd say do it. He's got some good stuff coming thru him. not sure of the name of the church but it's done at an arena or sale barn I'm thinking.

Noah just a question here man hope the holy ghost lets you read this in the best way possible. They trinity, Father, Son, Holy Spirit. it's one of those thangs that no one can explain but "IT" just "IS". So taking one of the three away will change the whole deal but if you look at the symbol of the trinity there is no begining and no end it just goes around and around thru and thru.

John 3 the whole chapter has both view points of believing who Jesus is and What he did and why He came.

[Noah]

At this point in my life, honestly, the book does not impress me too much....  (I can elaborate if needed)

PEOPLE do.  I am ALWAYS open to speak to those who walk with God.  I can count those that I've been around on one hand... when discussing present conversation... they had no better answer than myself, and were honest about it... which I respect.   

In no way am I saying people should not believe in God... What I am asking you to do is consider "why" you believe in God.

If you know a person that you would consider "a holy man", please let me know who he/she is... I'd love to talk to them.

[Jared H.]

"To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible."
Thomas Aquinas

[Noah]

"To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible."
Thomas Aquinas

Please explain... 

[Heaven Sent Kennel]

"The Book" is just like a steak. It can be marinated, seasoned, and cooked to your specifications. But when your mouth is being held open and the chef is shoving it down your throat it ain't gonna be near as good as if you were to take your time and chew and savor it for yourself.

[Noah]

 Very true... the old adage about "interpretation" of scripture gets REAL OLD....   When a hundred different "cults" can interpret the Bible a thousand different ways... what's that mean for the average man who has "blind faith" in his church....

[Jared H.]

The Bible says you can't get to God but through  Jesus....I don't know how you can interpret that any other way.

[Noah]

Very true if you base your faith on the bible alone.

[TexasHogDogs]

Why do I believe in God.  I was raised to believe in God but always wondered were did God come from ,  who is God how can all this be.  Threw a lot of hard times and a lot of thinking I could only come up with one answer.  That being somebody are someone had to make all of this had to make me make you the world everything , so this made the most since to me .  So I decided I do believe in God and went on doing what I was suppose to do are what they say you should do go to church , pray all of that stuff but all the while still had that tick in the back of my mind do I really believe what I was taught to believe kinda like you .  As this went on and I done stupid things in my life , sinned and ask forgiveness I thought man this is like a merry go round .  Then my life went to hell and it got bad bad bad bad enuff for me to get down on my knees and ask God to help me get out of this situation I was in the next day things changed a week later I was out of what I had been in it was unreal.  Then as time went on I started to feel the Holy Ghost in me when I prayed and I could feel the Lord talking to me and in me as I prayed when I did I could feel him , I could hear him talking to me and brother that is a right feeling it is a feeling like no other and that is when I knew the Good Lord and Jesus was the real deal bro .  I will say this until you get that feeling of the Hole Ghost running threw your body as you talk to him you have never had a feeling like that in your life .  I don't know maybe you have and others to but I can tell you one thing you will know it when it happens its powerful and it is mind and life changing  !  Thats what made me a believer not to mention all the other things that he done for me that I know for a fact he is the one that done it .

Jim

[jimco]

I believe god is all around us, Just look for him and he's there. Nature, children,loved ones, under a rock, the moon and stars,etc. I believe
if you live a descent life and have some spiritual connection with YOUR GOD , then you are on the right track. My self I don't think you have to go to church to have a connection with God. Now with that said, I have nothing against people that do go to church thinking it is the only route to heaven.    I do agree with Noah that organized Religion is man's corruption of what should be very simple. From what I
have read, the native American Indians were a very Spiritual people . Then along came the white man and he tried to convince them that their beliefs were wrong.  I can't believe I posted about Religion.  I try to never discuss religion or politics except with family and close friends but Noah got me thinking on this one. I hope my post didn't offend anyone.    

[Jared H.]

"To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible."
Thomas Aquinas

Please explain... 

There comes a time when you have to decide you believe completely or you don't.  You can question everything in life until the day you die and you still won't have all the answers.  That's where Faith comes in.  Have you ever looked at all the people for all these years that have set out to disprove the bible and haven't. They've  done nothing but fail, or just learned to believe. 

[TexasHogDogs]

"To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible."
Thomas Aquinas

Please explain... 

There comes a time when you have to decide you believe completely or you don't.  You can question everything in life until the day you die and you still won't have all the answers.  That's where Faith comes in.  Have you ever looked at all the people for all these years that have set out to disprove the bible and haven't. They've  done nothing but fail, or just learned to believe. 

Amen !

[Reuben]

I keep thinking that nature at its highest level is a part of God...not just created by God...

[Noah]

the native American Indians were a very Spiritual people . Then along came the white man and he tried to convince them that their beliefs were wrong.  I can't believe I posted about Religion.  I try to never discuss religion or politics except with family and close friends but Noah got me thinking on this one. I hope my post didn't offend anyone.    

HAHAHA.... jimco, you just the type of person I was hopin' to goad into this conversation... excellent point...

The fact of the matter is, if one claims to have faith.... this should be an open book conversation.... and a different perspective should certainly not "offend" anyone....

[Noah]

"To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible."
Thomas Aquinas

Please explain...  

There comes a time when you have to decide you believe completely or you don't.  You can question everything in life until the day you die and you still won't have all the answers.  That's where Faith comes in.  Have you ever looked at all the people for all these years that have set out to disprove the bible and haven't. They've  done nothing but fail, or just learned to believe.  

I've met way too many people in life that were "blindly faithful" because they could not understand any further.... does not make it true.

A simple mind requires simple answers... sounds chitty but it the truth.

I ask everyone to look at the whole picture... not just out brief "window" in time...  We are not original... we are but a link in the chain of humanity...