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I disagree jennaflorrie that the only logical answer is that only one belief must be right. I think a more logical answer may be that all beliefs may be wrong.
You say that it is impossible for all beliefs to be true and I certainly agree with that, because mankind has been proven to be wrong many times.
Scientists are finding out new things all the time. There are plenty of Christian Scientists who are more able in Science than I could ever pretend to be - they believe in a creator God too. But, I have faith. Stong faith. I know God is there. Things have happened in my life that cannot be explained logically. Spritiual things.
God says "The fool has said in his heart there is no God", the evidence for God is all around you.
Your spiritual eyes are blinded. You see everything but know nothing.
It merely says the gate was shut. Could you direct me?
Ezekiel 44:1 - Then He brought me back the way of the Gate of the outward sanctuary which looks toward the East; and it was shut.
There doesn't seem to be any copyright on this blog so I assume I can quote the whole sentence....this is not from the bible of course but would think it can be verified.
"Facing the Mount of Olives on the eastern side of the Old City of Jerusalem is the Golden, or Eastern Gate. The Bible indicates that Jesus passed through this gate many times while he was in Jerusalem. Jewish religious tradition teaches that the coming Messiah will enter Jerusalem through this gate. To prevent this, the Muslims sealed the gate during the rule of Suleiman.The Eastern gate is presently considered by the Arabs to be their exclusive property. It is sealed up and blocked off."
Your spiritual eyes are blinded. You see everything but know nothing.
And how do you know your faith is not blind?
Quote:
Luke 11.34-36 34 Your eyes are the lamp for your body. When your eyes are good, you have all the light you need. But when your eyes are bad, everything is dark. 35 So be sure that your light isn't darkness. 36 If you have light, and nothing is dark, then light will be everywhere, as when a lamp shines brightly on you.
According to Luke 11.35 you have to be sure that your light isn't darkness, because if your light is black (darkness) all you will see is darkness. Again the keyword here is believe (your faith is your belief) and not God or light or darkness.
There doesn't seem to be any copyright on this blog so I assume I can quote the whole sentence....this is not from the bible of course but would think it can be verified.
"Facing the Mount of Olives on the eastern side of the Old City of Jerusalem is the Golden, or Eastern Gate. The Bible indicates that Jesus passed through this gate many times while he was in Jerusalem. Jewish religious tradition teaches that the coming Messiah will enter Jerusalem through this gate. To prevent this, the Muslims sealed the gate during the rule of Suleiman.The Eastern gate is presently considered by the Arabs to be their exclusive property. It is sealed up and blocked off."
I realize the east gate is sealed shipm8, but that's not the point. What I was looking for was the long ago prophesy in the bible regarding the sealing of the gate that Campbell says is there. I'm not an expert on the bible, but I can't find it.
Only God can open your eyes by his Holy Spirit. Faith is a gift. I totally know God is there, Jesus has made ALL the difference in my life.
Blessed Assurance
Jesus is mine
Oh what a foretaste of glory divine.
Heir of salvation
purchase of God
Born of his spirit
Washed in his blood
This is my story
this is my song
praising my saviour all the day long
this is my story
this is my song
praising my saviour all the day long.
I use my education in Western Civilization and religious studies to conclude that there's absolutely no possible way any one religion or sect within a religion can be the one, true, and only correct religion. I just don't understand how anyone can just believe they have all the answers and base it on blind faith.
Thus, you base your belief on yourself and not God or the Bible. You believe in yourself.
"If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don't like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself." -- St. Augustine.
Scientists are finding out new things all the time. There are plenty of Christian Scientists who are more able in Science than I could ever pretend to be - they believe in a creator God too. But, I have faith. Stong faith. I know God is there. Things have happened in my life that cannot be explained logically. Spritiual things.
God says "The fool has said in his heart there is no God", the evidence for God is all around you.
Your spiritual eyes are blinded. You see everything but know nothing.
I could also say "The fool has said in his heart there is no Flying Spaghetti Monster," the evidence is all around. And where is this so called evidence that is all around me. I've never heard of any experiment that has empirically proven that a god, goddess, spirit, force, invisible bumblebee has any remote chance of existing. If there is any lick of evidence for a higher power, which there isn't, then that evidence would have been found empirically and be able to replicate it to see if it were true. God believers reject the existence of all claims that have to be taken on faith and have no evidence yet 'god' is exempt from having to provide evidence for someone to accept their existence. You have to have faith that they exist, because faith in 'god' is a gift. How convenient. If someone uses all of this 'rationality' with their invisible man then they have to apply it to all other irrational claims, that are irrational because they have to be taken on faith.
I could also say "The fool has said in his heart there is no Flying Spaghetti Monster," the evidence is all around. And where is this so called evidence that is all around me. I've never heard of any experiment that has empirically proven that a god, goddess, spirit, force, invisible bumblebee has any remote chance of existing. If there is any lick of evidence for a higher power, which there isn't, then that evidence would have been found empirically and be able to replicate it to see if it were true. God believers reject the existence of all claims that have to be taken on faith and have no evidence yet 'god' is exempt from having to provide evidence for someone to accept their existence. You have to have faith that they exist, because faith in 'god' is a gift. How convenient. If someone uses all of this 'rationality' with their invisible man then they have to apply it to all other irrational claims, that are irrational because they have to be taken on faith.
My faith has not come easily.....my story is too long here....a sad background, hardships things I don't even want to discuss really. I had been brought up a christian and left. I saw the way some so called christians behaved. My dad lived it though 100% and so did quite a few other christians.
I tried drinking and going to the clubs, I stopped going to church. Had a really bad year in 1990 told God I wasn't going to trust him anymore. That was on a Wednesday, I had prayed in the middle of a field out loud, no one knew, no one heard me. On the Sunday, went to a church I didn't normally go to. The minister came down to me......"God has told me to come down here" he said "You have told God you won't trust him anymore, God has told me to tell you, you CAN trust him". I was amazed!! The minister didn't know me, no one knew about my situation.......since then I trusted again, slowly.
There have been hard times since....but my faith has only increased as I have continued to look to God. Jesus calls Christians to "Take up their Cross Daily and follow him". Not "PARTY ON".
I have felt his comfort I know he is with me, I do not expect sunshine and roses every day. My reward is not in this life - but I know that when my spirit leaves this body I will be in heaven.
I have the peace he gives. I cannot explain everything, I only know from experiencing God grace in my life every day that he is real. I do not look to people - we are all hypocrites because this side of eternity we continue to fail. I look to God and he gives me the strength I need everytday. My trust is in him. I will continue to take up the cross he has given me and move on. Keeping my eyes fixed on him. Those who continue to the end will be saved.
This is my faith.
This is the narrow path, the only path that leads to heaven. No, it's not easy, but I wouldn't go back to my old life, which was empty and barren.
If faith is a gift, does that mean that God is playing favorites, something that we, as reasonably decent human beings and parents, would frown on, and disagree with? After all, we generally "gift" our children as reasonably and as fairly the same as we can, do we not? Yet, only certain lucky people are gifted by God to have faith, which really is just a fundamentalist Christian's polite way of saying that they were smart enough to become Christians, while everyone else is a prideful dolt.
I believe in the Creator, but I long since gave up the idea that God is going to toss folks into an eternal hell, (yes, I know, "God doesn't throw people into hell; people put themselves there"), because they weren't smart enough, or "gifted" enough to accept Jesus, particularly those poor saps who never heard of Jesus, or the young kid who's hovering right on the brink of that magical "age of accountability", or the person who's never known anything but horrible abuse all of their life. Yet we are all supposed to know/recognize "Fatherly love", (complete with eternal punishment, stacked up against a mortal/finite life, for making the wrong choice, no less, though it is supposed to be a gift. Hmm...can we say "confusion", boys and girls?).
God doesn't force people accept the "gift"? Well, I don't force my children and grandchildren to accept gifts, either, but I don't threaten them with horrible punishment, if they choose to reject said gift. Good heavens! If we did to our children what God supposedly will do to other folks, for lack of belief, we would be locked up, at the least, and rightfully so. Talk about ungodly behaviour! And, if one would give the argument that God is entitled to act as he chooses, because he is God, well, that's a rather poor argument, needless to say. If God expects us to love unconditionally, and continually, (remember Peter's question about forgiveness? Jesus told him he must forgive "seventy times seven times"), then it stands to reason that he needs to set the example, the same as we are expected to do with our children. To say that one must choose Jesus, (during our very short lives), or suffer hell, (eternally!), is not a choice, no matter how the argument is given. That would be akin to a husband telling his wife that she must "choose" him, or she'll be thrown into a bonfire, over and over, no end in sight! A peculiar kind of love, that! Love cannot be forced, or else it is not love.
It was one of the best moments in my life when I finally and completely, let go of this idea that God is sitting around with a tally-book in his hand, like some cosmic Cowboy, running the herd through, writing down the names of those poor suckers who weren't smart enough to pick the "right" chute. I'm not constantly frightened for myself, my children, my family, my friends, etc. I can enjoy the life that my Creator has given me, to the very best of my ability. I've learned to look at other people, not as "poor unfortunate lost souls", but as people, in their own right, entitled to their own beliefs, without being told that not only are they wrong, but they are damned! I've learned to leave other folks alone, and allow them to live their own lives, and "work out their own salvation", as it were, according to their own beliefs. It's not my place, or my business to tell other folks how they should relate to their Creator, or even whether they should. Rather reminds me of an old Hank Williams song, in which he said that if we're minding our own business, we won't be busy minding someone else's.
For those Christians who are content, happy, and fulfilled in their walk with God, I say more power to you. If it brings you comfort and joy, that's wonderful! If going to church, and being fully involved in the same gives you what you need in your life, that's fine, (been there, done that, by the way). But, remember, just because it's the right way for you, doesn't mean it the right way for everyone else. It's really not that hard of a concept to grasp. Grown folks don't need you to lead them around by the hand, treating them as though they are foolish children, (the same idea used to witness to the Native Americans, and other indigenous peoples, I might add, with many disastrous results).
"God will understand, my lord. And, if he doesn't, then he is not God, and we need not worry".
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And how do you know your faith is not blind?
Again the keyword here is believe (your faith is your belief) and not God or light or darkness.
), is not a choice, no matter how the argument is given. That would be akin to a husband telling his wife that she must "choose" him, or she'll be thrown into a bonfire, over and over, no end in sight! A peculiar kind of love, that! Love cannot be forced, or else it is not love. 
writing down the names of those poor suckers who weren't smart enough to pick the "right" chute. I'm not constantly frightened for myself, my children, my family, my friends, etc. I can enjoy the life that my Creator has given me, to the very best of my ability. I've learned to look at other people, not as "poor unfortunate lost souls", but as people, in their own right, entitled to their own beliefs, without being told that not only are they wrong, but they are damned!
). But, remember, just because it's the right way for you, doesn't mean it the right way for everyone else. It's really not that hard of a concept to grasp. Grown folks don't need you to lead them around by the hand, treating them as though they are foolish children, (the same idea used to witness to the Native Americans, and other indigenous peoples, I might add, with many disastrous results).
