bsmbahamas
12-07-04, - 02:59 PM
you seem to be very angry ...
Why should I question or disprove my beliefs? They are good enough for me to follow, and that's that. By the same token, I don't question anyone else's beliefs, nor impose mine on them, as I think that's unfair to them - not to mention rather insulting.
*you don't have to proove or disproove your belief. You have freewill to do as you please, and I did not intend to insult you.
My anecdote wasn't to be interpreted as bragging rights. I'm not saying someone should do good deeds only to get to Heaven. What I meant was that a person who lives a fulfilling life should not be denied entry to Heaven simply because he/she wasn't born again. By not being "saved" or "born again", it does not mean that someone has rejected the Word of God.
*they shouldn't be denied, but if you read your bible and not just follow what you are taught you may be able to see that salvation is not based on baptism, good works or religion. accepting the word of God is not enough either. We study from the same bible I believe, just that you may be restricting your knowledge of the word by not reading the rest of the bible. Your christianity is not determined by what your denomination teaches, often a denomination only stresses a part of the Bible, but the whole bible is God's words not just some sections of it - so I encourage you to explore the bible.
(not saying that you don't read it, but read all through it, especially Luke and John of the gospels)
James 2
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
Let me clarify my cyncism: Homosexuality may not be the only issue - my point is that people are never satisfied, and that frustrates me; particularly when the dissatisfaction is of others' lives. There are so many people that will bash a gay person (for example) but if that same gay person were to "play it straight" (for lack of a better phrase) to please everyone else and to put an end to the bashing, those same bashers would find something new to bash them about - ie their denomination, their skin colour...anything that differentiates that person from them. In my experience, those bashers were the people that run around telling me that I should be saved, because being an Anglican apparently doesn't cut it; I have to be an Evangelist or Baptist or a member of the Singing Bishop's church in order to gain approval. As far as I'm concerned, I missed the memo which stated that I needed rescuing.
you are right, people ae never satisfied, but your aim should not be to please people. Read your bible and put your faith in what you read. The bible is a book of truth, and you will see for yourself what God has said.
here are 3 great sites for exploring the bible and they answer many questions often brought up by believers and non-believers.
http://www.christiananswers.net
http://www.gotquestions.org
http://www.answersingenesis.org
peace, and I hope you see that I am not bashing or critisizing you or your belief.
Why should I question or disprove my beliefs? They are good enough for me to follow, and that's that. By the same token, I don't question anyone else's beliefs, nor impose mine on them, as I think that's unfair to them - not to mention rather insulting.
*you don't have to proove or disproove your belief. You have freewill to do as you please, and I did not intend to insult you.
My anecdote wasn't to be interpreted as bragging rights. I'm not saying someone should do good deeds only to get to Heaven. What I meant was that a person who lives a fulfilling life should not be denied entry to Heaven simply because he/she wasn't born again. By not being "saved" or "born again", it does not mean that someone has rejected the Word of God.
*they shouldn't be denied, but if you read your bible and not just follow what you are taught you may be able to see that salvation is not based on baptism, good works or religion. accepting the word of God is not enough either. We study from the same bible I believe, just that you may be restricting your knowledge of the word by not reading the rest of the bible. Your christianity is not determined by what your denomination teaches, often a denomination only stresses a part of the Bible, but the whole bible is God's words not just some sections of it - so I encourage you to explore the bible.
(not saying that you don't read it, but read all through it, especially Luke and John of the gospels)
James 2
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
Let me clarify my cyncism: Homosexuality may not be the only issue - my point is that people are never satisfied, and that frustrates me; particularly when the dissatisfaction is of others' lives. There are so many people that will bash a gay person (for example) but if that same gay person were to "play it straight" (for lack of a better phrase) to please everyone else and to put an end to the bashing, those same bashers would find something new to bash them about - ie their denomination, their skin colour...anything that differentiates that person from them. In my experience, those bashers were the people that run around telling me that I should be saved, because being an Anglican apparently doesn't cut it; I have to be an Evangelist or Baptist or a member of the Singing Bishop's church in order to gain approval. As far as I'm concerned, I missed the memo which stated that I needed rescuing.
you are right, people ae never satisfied, but your aim should not be to please people. Read your bible and put your faith in what you read. The bible is a book of truth, and you will see for yourself what God has said.
here are 3 great sites for exploring the bible and they answer many questions often brought up by believers and non-believers.
http://www.christiananswers.net
http://www.gotquestions.org
http://www.answersingenesis.org
peace, and I hope you see that I am not bashing or critisizing you or your belief.