Although I hold these beliefs of mine dearly, they are not so precious/holy that they can not be disgarded if new and better information is provided. Therein dacy2003 lies the difference between you and me. My search is not over and probably never will be because I am always filled with questions that remain unanswered.

You are almost there Truthseeker :tup:
I marvel everyday I see your posts and it just amazes me to witness how God molds the minds of the hardest heads like clay. Take your time and ask God to answer your questions. Believe m when I say He will.

"Sadness is for but a moment and Joy always comes in the morning."

The Kingdom awaits you.

Jesus Christ never proved to anyone during his lifetime he was god because if he truly was, none of his disciples who closely followed him throughout his ministry would have abandoned him while he hung there dying on the cross.

You have an answer for everything don't you?
Or you yourself don't take your own replies seriously?
Maybe you post all this rubbish in order to get a clear answer to something you just don't understand and your to shy to ask? :rolleyes:
Remember Truthseeker: "You have not because you asked not."

Christ did convince many that He is God (thousands back then and today; millions). If He didn't convince anyone back then there would be no such thing as Christianity today. Our faith would have died like many others that we haven't even heard about.

You and I both know that the hardest persons to convince are those closest to us. Have you ever told a family member about a business plan you had? They almost never believe you can pull it off but if you tell any stranger on the street about the same plan, 99% of the time they will tell you that it's a good idea. Thomas was not the closest to Jesus and yet he was the first to be convinced out of the twelve about who Jesus was (John 20:28). Peter was the closest to Jesus and yet he was the first to deny Him three times (Matthew 26:70-74). A good life lesson don't you think?

Wow! There seems to be some bitterness here! I think that is because, secretly, in our heart of hearts, we want people to believe as we believe.(Christian or otherwise.) It is nice to be agreed with but it is far nicer to be agreeable!

People's faith is a very personal thing. It is part and parcel of our identity. When you attack a belief system it is like attacking their child! The only response you will get back is an attack.

The truth is the Bible IS a book of faith and as real as life itself to millions of people. It is a book of history for some folks. A book of symbolism for others. It is a book of many things, but is it a book from God? Ultimately, that is a matter of faith as well. I would say that if reading it does you good, gives you comfort and direction, then it is from God indeed. I can hear some of you saying that many books can do that! Right! God has many voices. Don't shut your ears to any of them.

Okay, so you were not calling me ignorant, but do you find it hard to accept that Jesus is in my head and heart, I'm consumed by Him, by the Bible, I believe!

For me there is no other way. I rest y'all :heartbeat

If you took it that way, I apologize dacy2003. I do not know the extent of your knowledge in this matter we are discussing so it would be unjust for me to call you ignorant.

The ancients believed that the seat of one conscience/emotions resided in the heart but we know otherwise. It is located in the brain.

You are almost there Truthseeker :tup:
I marvel everyday I see your posts and it just amazes me to witness how God molds the minds of the hardest heads like clay. Take your time and ask God to answer your questions. Believe m when I say He will.

"Sadness is for but a moment and Joy always comes in the morning."

The Kingdom awaits you.

And I await the Kingdom.

Don't count on me converting to christianity Delroy. The reason why what I write often makes sense to you is because it is resonable to understand and no God is behind it. You make your God out to be a puppet master, rendering our free will null and void thus making us less than humans. I do not wish for your Great Sculpter to mold my mind in the form he sees fit but to leave it just as it is. I am quite capable of fashioning for myself its shape/character. Thank you very much.

Delroy do you watch Star Trek? Do you know who are the Borgs?

Sure I know who the Borgs are but I don't catch much Tv anymore :)
I see your trying to pump me for more answers Truthseeker. Good! I will do my best.

Read and understand the following:

I never said that God is controlling you. But what I do know is that He is guiding you. Thats how you got to this website in the first place. I am sure that at that time in your life you were looking for answers as to why life is so unfair to you and what is the reason behind it all. The only way you can find those answers is to ask (which you are wisely doing now via reverse psychology).
You cannot fashion and shape your character Truthseeker. That is impossible.
You and I are who we are today because of life's influences whether good or bad.
Even now there is a war of influence going on between each of us. Who do you think will win this war?

Jesus said in Matthew 5:13,"You are the salt of the earth". He was referring to His children as being like salt.

Why salt?
Well back then and even today salt is one of the most valuable substance on earth. You and I both know that you don't need much salt to make a pot of peas and rice salty. God only needs a few of His children in one nation to influence that nation. Jesus never used any word for no reason.

Salt Influences
Salt is one of the most powerful substance on earth. It has and can destroy any weapon man can make. Have you ever lived near to the sea? Which is the most influential: Your house or the sea? All you need is to be near a believer and their saltiness will rub off on you also. Our saltiness is increased by the Word of God. The more we study and nearer we become to God, the more influential we become.

God influences and does not control!
I am not converting you Truthseeker, thats God's job. All I need to do is stay close to Him and what I desire in my heart (which is for you to be saved) will happen.

Christianity started as an oral tradition among several eclectic groups of communities throughout Judea. Because there were many different versions of the oral traditions circulating at that time, the early church fathers decided in the best interest of the church and for the ultimate survival of christianity to have them written down in a uniformed fashion.
Those stories which survived to become part of the new Testament were not intended to convey any factual information regarding the history of those events but was used to fused toghether those oral traditions of simular content which were more or less acceptable to the early church fathers and to erase those that weren't.

The Gnostic communities which lived during this time held that the divine was to be found within and was not some man/god dying on the cross. This belief system of the Gnostics was considered heretical by the church and many of the believers in those tcommunities who did not relinquished their beliefs and followed/accepted the church's new doctrine/New Testaments were hunted down and killed or excommunicated because of their refusal.

I give you this tidbit of background info on the early church to show you that it was never intented by all the early christian communities to believe in the same dogma nor was it intended for the stories to be factual because the christian church's only concern then as it is now was the unification of thoughts/beliefs and the survival of the cause at all cost.

This tactic is simular in ways to which the Borg from Star Trek operates. They assimilate other races/culture to use for the overall benefit of the Collective as it was called, and kill those who resist. The Borg believed that unification of thought and beliefs was inherent to their very survival so they set out through the galaxy to conquer and assimulate other peoples just as the christians church is mandated to do. The individual identities were not as important as the Collective who controlled all aspects of the lives of those persons who had become assimulated. This scenario is simular to what the church expects of its followers; to belief in the cause, to believe that the cause is beneficial and do everything within your power to ensure the survival of the cause ,and ultimately to surrender yourself to the Collective which by the way was headed by a single godlike Borg who controlled every other Borg.

So you see I don't wish to be assimulated into the Church's Collective. I do not want to be influence by your God directly or through his agents; the Holy Spook and the his followers. Thank you very much. :dancer2:

The Gnostic communities which held that the divine can be found within...

How very Buddhist!!! Wonderfully so!!!

I do not want to be influence by your God directly or through his agents; the Holy Spook and the his followers. Thank you very much. :dancer2:

Let us remember something, for this posts and on other religious postings. There is no greater compliment one man can pay other than to share his belief system. He has found something of value! He wants to share it. It is a gift that you may, or many not, embrace but you should respect it. (I say that to all! myself included.)

Truthseeker. I must, with all respect, take you to task. The term is Holy Ghost, or Spirit. To the Christian the Holy Spirit is a very sacred icon of their faith. It is the third person of the Trinity, as I am sure you know. To you it may seem trivial - to them it is a "key stone" of their system. A small apology may be in order for that unfortunate, and I am sure, unintentional, slip of yours

And this is where the problem lies today, and has lied for a long time. The true essence of being a Christian if following Yeshua Bar Yoseph. Christ. And Christ ALONE. NOT the "Early Fathers."
Christianity never was an "oral tradition", it (like seeking the Truth) is a way of life and it will remain that way.

Allow me to provide an example. A while ago, on this same thread, somebody brought up the topic of pseudo-isms. On which I do not subscribe, but...

Let me say I'm seeking the truth. Today, I'm seeking the truth about Sesame Street.

How do I get to Sesame Street? Where is Sesame Street?

Because I've seen it on my TV screen, know names of the people that live on Sesame Street, heard/watched documentaries on some of the characters, saw with my own eyes Kermit The Frog's wedding to Ms. Piggy...I could give you facts and figures on Sesame Street, yet should I be thoroughly convinced that it exists?

It is said that the owners of The Children's Television Workshop are alleged to have ties with The Mafia, should I be thoroughly convinced that Sesame Street is bad for me?

Truthseeker, you know as well as I do, as you have said in your above post...those in power write the history. The Ancient Egyptians did it. The Babylonians did it. The USA is doing it today.

So bear in mind that the data you present could very well be just as grey as The Vulgate.
Please do not confuse what Christ came and brought to people like myself with Roman Catholic Dogma under the guise of "Christianity."

Judge Christianity by Christ alone please, then if you find Him unsound taunt and jeer at Beings you've never encountered.

The ancients believed that the seat of one conscience/emotions resided in the heart but we know otherwise. It is located in the brain.

Are you sure? This would mean consciousness is only perception. And if consciousness is only perception, wouldn't that mean that it is fallible and not to be trusted?

I feel it important to note that TODAY we "know" otherwise. Tomorrow, we may find out that the seat of consciousness dwells somewhere outside the body, with the brain acting only as a filter.

An Example. How does a deaf/mute person hear/speak? Using their hands as a filter for communication.
Harder question: How does an individual seek the truth?

Let us remember something, for this posts and on other religious postings. There is no greater compliment one man can pay other than to share his belief system. He has found something of value! He wants to share it. It is a gift that you may, or many not, embrace but you should respect it. (I say that to all!)

Truthseeker. I must, with all respect, take you to task. The term is Holy Ghost, or Spirit. To the Christian the Holy Spirit is a very sacred icon of their faith. It is the third person of the Trinity, as I am sure you know. To you it may seem trivial - to them it is a "key stone" of their system. A small apology may be in order for that unfortunate, and I am sure, unintentional, slip of yours

When I look up the word spook in the dictionary it denotes ;A spirit, a ghost, an apparition. What's in a name. A spirit by any other name is still the same. Where is the offense in me using Holy Spook if that is what it is.
Spook also has another denotation; scared, frightenened. Now tell me CG if a ghost holy or not were to enter your body, would you not be spooked.
But if I have insulted or offended any christian then I apologize.

Hinduism which preceded christianity by many centuries also has a trinity of gods: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Just thought you would like to know if you did not already.

ROTFLMAO

By that logic, you shouldn't even be here then. We all have spirits Truthseeker, and it often shows up in our posts.
One can sense a spirit of something sacred and/or a spirit of understanding simply by reading.

So now, let me formally ask you are you scared of the spooks in our words?

And what about the spook of "diction" found in the dictionary? Are you afraid of that too?

I think you need to be reminded that the dictonary is a slave to the trends and fashions of men (both stupid and sound alike) and it should used only in reference to diction and not necessarily fact. "GAY" today doesn't mean what it did in 1278. It is the same with "spirit."

Try going to Butler & Sands and asking for a "spook." I'll be willing to BET (heh heh) that they'd laugh you right outta that store.

And let me say, from PERSONAL experience there is a VERY, VERY, VERY lucid difference between when a djinn enters your body and when The Holy Spirit enters your body.

When I look up the word spook in the dictionary it denotes ;A spirit, a ghost, an apparition. What's in a name. A spirit by any other name is still the same. Where is the offense in me using Holy Spook if that is what it is.
Spook also has another denotation; scared, frightenened. Now tell me CG if a ghost holy or not were to enter your body, would you not be spooked.
But if I have insulted or offended any christian then I apologize.

Hinduism which preceded christianity by many centuries also has a trinity of gods: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Just thought you would like to know if you did not already.


Point taken. But I still think Spook is a little to superficial a word for the Holy Spirit. It has a derogatory, dismissive tone. It is like calling Jesus Christ, J.C. Or the Buddha, Bud! Sure, I know people do it but it is like calling Elizabeth, Queen of England, "Liz." It just does not sound respectful.

Thank you for your apology. You are at heart, a gracious person.

As for the trinity in Hinduism, I know about it well, but thanks for the reminder. In fact there are many trinities or multiple expressions of God in world religions.

You seem to have a lot of information about religion. I ask, in all sincerity and respect, how did you come to this knowledge? Religion is my field of study. I am interested in other people's experiences.

CG

Delroy would probably tell you that God through the Holy Ghost is guiding my path/search. Simply lots of reading. that's it. No supernatural intervention or praying for revelations or chanelling nothing just plain old simple reading. Oh yeah and a little bit of common sense! :D