Opinions and conclusions about Religion and God.

I have learned that we are meaningless products of a mindless universe. Our existence is of no more significance than the movement of a grain of sand across the surface of Mars. That sounds nice, but I don't think it's possible.People are selfish.

i don't believe in the devil. i believe in ha-satan, who is angel of the lord that tests, tempts, and prosecutes mankind. but he cannot act without the permission and authority (or direction) of god.god loves us, and takes care of us. what need we fear of some devil? that's not what i said. in fact, i said the exact opposite. i said that what defines us as christian is our profession of faith. and actually, i'm not even terribly sure that matters at all. does the son have to apologize for the father to forgive him? the use of fear to control people is a terrible crime of the fundamentalist church. i speak from experience here, not condemnation. you have nothing to be afraid of. god loves you, and forgives you. and you certainly believe that faith is the requirement for salvation -- and you have faith.god takes care of the birds of the air and lilies of the field. what do we have to worry about? i really wish you drop this. it's quite a silly argument. "that there are no absolutes is an absolute statement" is the logical equivalent of "can god make a stone so big that even he cannot lift it?"

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Have you checked out the Friends (Quakers) meetings? I've never been to one but I've known some people who did attended meetings and they told me a little about them. Sounded kind of nice actually. People sitting quietly and then sometimes someone had something to say and did so.Just a thought.lfen

the only christian group i generally test for on those silly internet quizzes are the friends. but i like sex
i'm very interested in a questing bible study, but it's hard to find such that provides me an environment in which i don't scare people.

It could be the community you are in. I live in a pretty liberal university town that offers a wide spectrum of acceptance and choice. You may have to wait to find the group you are seeking until you live where that group is. But maybe they are just keeping a low profile there. Best of luck.lfen

i live in a very large jewish community with a commuter university.
i was raised in the heart of the redneck riviera and the buckle of the bible belt, the blessed home of pensacola christian college.i'm not used to the most accepting environments.

I once had a friend, Gerard. He was an adept Martial Arts guy, and also a lifelong Catholic. I was attending one of those charismatic churches where people get "slain in the spirit", which is questionable as to its authenticity and biblical precedent.Anyway, I had myself been knocked down a few times, and my verdict was that it was either genuine or a strong power of suggestion.....Gerard, whom nobody could knock over, went down like a sack of potatoes and was himself amazed at the event....He briefly became a very devout Protestant, switched to Eastern Orthodoxy and became an apprentice to an Orthodox Bishop in Europe, then switched finally back to Roman Catholicism....much more practical, less mystical, and certainly not heretical,(from his view).Observations of others, either personally or anecdotally, often stirs my faith. (Yes, I believe the stories true.)Bill Bright told of this story:As Pastor John Aker boarded a DC-10 at Newark Airport, the plane was nearly empty. The computer, however, had assigned him a seat next to a man named Richard. Once airborne, the two began talking.

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Richard had just come from the Sloan Kettering Institute for Cancer Research. His condition: skin cancer. The doctors had given him ten months to live, at best. He was going home to Nebraska.

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"May I tell you about something that changed my life?" asked John.

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Richard nodded. John then explained the way of salvation, later asking, "Will you trust Jesus for your future for what lies beyond the grave for you?"

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Richard clutched his hand and said, "Pray with me."

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Right there, 10,000 feet over Chicago, Richard gave his heart to Christ.

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Months later, John again boarded a plane at Newark. This time he sat next to an elderly woman who was on her way to Beatrice, Nebraska. As they talked, John was amazed to learn that this was Richard's mother! She told him that her son was growing in the Lord, and that she had known Christ a long time.

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"I'm so encouraged," said Richard's mother.

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"Yes, and I'm inspired," said John, "that Richard has followed through and that God arranged for us to sit together."

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The woman replied, "You know, this wasn't my seat. Just before you came on the plane a woman asked me to change seats with her!" Edited by Phat, : additionsEdited by Phat, : No reason given.

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“There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, "All right, then, have it your way” --C.S.Lewis

Oh, I just remembered you were looking for grad school and I believe considering some on the west coast? Have you considered the University of Oregon? or University of Washington? Eugene, Seattle, Portland are cities that offer wide ranges of liberal approaches to life.lfen

I agree with the second half of your comment. God allows Him to exist. If He didn't He would be a fascist, and then many would accuse Him of being insecure. All of it ultimately works for the glory of God. Evil proves what is good by way of it's consequences to relationships.I part with you on the first half. Satan was an angel of God, but all of God's creatures (at least angels and Humans) are given free will. Some just are too impatient to trust God and want to know and have power now.We only need one God. We are so lucky to get to experience the mystery of Humanity. We are truely blessed. I have always wanted to get back the 'wonder' of childhood. God has given me that and I love Him for it. I don't fear the devil anymore. His threat of death has been defeated by our Lord. Not at all, 'while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.' Your right about that. God is bigger than that. We need to ask for forgiveness, because in order to do it, we have to acknowledge the truth (that we are corrupt) so that we can see... It is for our benefit and opens the flood gates of knowledge through true humility and open-mindedness to Gods voice.It is like the command to worship God. It is not because God is insecure and needs to be worshipped, it is because 'we' need to worship Him instead of our shortsided worldviews. It is for our own benefit. This is patently untrue in the sense used today. Fear is one of the most legitimate ways to enlighten and evoke thought.If I tell someone to not jump out of an airplane because they will die without a parachute, is that motivating by fear? Absolutely! And it works every time. It's inargueable, just as it is inargueable to remind the lost that they are sinners. It is not manipulative to tell the truth, and it is not judgemental. Telling someone that they are a sinner is not a judgement. Judgement is giving condemning them outright. We are all rightly condemned. All it takes to get to heaven and know christ is to do what the theif on the cross did. Admit that our penalty is just.Some will never admit a thing. And they cannot be forgiven, because they are not guilty. God is not a fascist. He doesn't want to control us like a puppet. He wants us to chose to understand. If we will not, He does not force us into His heavenly reality. Of course He can.. but He dosen't do stupid things. He did in the sense that He gave us free will. And He will give us want we want. To make this possible, He will allow for a seperate place for those who do not love Him. They will live out eternity by their rules, and I think they will be dissapointed.

i have decided to search for schools based on the papers proposed by professors rather than by school placement or credentials. however, i am terribly infatuated with portland.

For folks used to lots of sunshine the first winter spent west of the Cascades can be a trial. Depression as a result of long stretches of grey days is not uncommon. On the other hand I like that the rain is warm and when the sun does break through it's an amazing delight.lfen

A reason I think this is impossible is that it seems that what people are really interested in is prestige. The problem with prestige is that it's a relative matter, a comparison with others. If everyone has prestige, then no one does.

i spent a month in anchorage one christmas. it was wonderful. i was diagnosed as chronic low-grade depression in about 4th grade. the weather is not going to make me worse. i prefer november in the south. it tends to be crisp, windy, and rainy. read: scotland.

You like Scotland, then sounds like the Great Pacific Northwest country US or Canada might be a place you should aim to visit or live in for a spell. My biggest problem is that being adapted to this climate I die when the temperature goes over 80. I do best at about 60.lfen

i think god does more than allow. god commands. i say evil is what defines good (and vice versa). god creates by making divisions: earth from sky, light from dark, good from evil. i know the myth of which you speak. i say "myth" because it is not found anywhere in the bible at all. just obscure references that people have been reading way out of context. interestingly, it is ha-satan that allows this particular concept, and makes our choices for the good meaningful. what would it mean to be a christian, if there was nothing else to choose? also, not what i said. why do we need to ask for forgiveness? you say god is bigger than that -- which i believe.i agree about it being for our benefit. i have problems with the usage of christianity as "hell insurance." i don't like it, in the slightest. my personal experience has been that it is part of what i have termed "the christian guilt cycle." it's part of the unhealthy philosophy that leads to back-and-forth of "backsliding" and revival. cults use similar methods and similar cycles to enforce and increase continued membership. they teach fear of the outside world, and fear of extreme punishment, and then control people using guilt.i feel very strongly that this behaviour does not belong in the church of christ, who brought hope, and light, and compassion to the world. i think it is an utter perversion of his teachings. the fundamental message behind "judge not" and similar verses is that we are to do to other as we'd like done to us -- we're to put ourselves in their shoes, empathize, and try to see things from their perspective. and people, well, don't like being called sinners. whether you mean it as condemnation or not, they see it that way. you will find that there are better and more effective ways to evangelize than making people feel attacked.and frankly, i don't believe it belongs in the church, either. humility, yes. but not goinging around telling people they're rotten individuals doesn't help. again, i don't think that's the message christ had in mind. what penalty? we have been made free. do you believe in a less-than-omnipotent god?this is a legitimate question, and one i haven't decided for myself. it seems to me that god has (or had) the power make himself not-god. and it seems to me that in order to allow free will -- god cannot be omnipotent. otherwise, everything we do is by his will, not ours.

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