Non-debating religious thread...let's learn!! :)

[CathyBogart]

I thought it might be fun to learn a vit about the religions present here on Pet Talk. So here's a thread for just that! No criticizing anyone, but please talk about your religion and ask lots of questions!!

I'll start....I'm Pagan. I don't consider myself Wiccan, but I do consider myself a Witch. :)

I'm not really sure where to begin....Some of us work with literally hundreds of Gods and Goddesses, some work only with one Goddess, some work with one Goddess and one God. Notice I say "work with" not "worship". I do not worship any deity, but I will ask one or several for help when it is needed.

I personally tend to work with the Celtic Panthenon, which includes Danu and Dagda as the mother/father deities, as well as Brigid (goddess of healing), Morrigan (Goddess of War), Belenus (Sun god), Nuada (God of Valor) and many others.

There are eight Sabbats, or holidays:

Samhain is celebrated on Hallowe'en. It is a fall festival, a harvest festival, and a time to honor the dead.

Yule is in late December (Just before Christmas). It is a celebration of rebirth and renewal.

Imbolc (sometines called Candlemas) is in early February. It celebrates new growth, and the end of winter.

Ostara is the first day of spring. It celebrates, well...the coming of spring! (well, and fertility too, but that's not for me personally) The custom of giving eggs on this holiday dates WAY back before Christian times. :)

Beltane is May day. It celebrates the appearance of the mature horned God after being reborn on Yule, fertility, protection of animals and gardens, and love.

Midsummer is in June. Its main focus is love.

Lammas is in the first two days of August. It is a celebration of bounty, and the first harvest. It involves lots of sporting games, blessings, and payments of debts. (Physical or spiritual)

Last but not least is Mabon, near the end of September. Mabon means "Divine Youth". It is the second of the three harvest festivals (Samhain being the last).

I realize that I have WAY oversimplified, but I still feel like I've written a LOT. Please post any questions, and following this post up with pictures. :)

[CathyBogart]

http://nasicus.ophiophobia.net/images/mystuff/cauldron.jpg
This is my cauldron. I should have taken a size comparison shot...it's small enough to hold on the palm of my hand (though that's not very easy). It's probably about 5" across.

http://nasicus.ophiophobia.net/images/mystuff/dragonknife.jpg
This is one of the knives I have used in ritual. It's not exactly a traditional style, but it feels comfortable to me. I don't use it anymore though, because pewter is not a good material to use in ritual. I still think it's beautiful though. :)

http://nasicus.ophiophobia.net/images/mystuff/knifeback.jpg
http://nasicus.ophiophobia.net/images/mystuff/knifefront.jpg
This is the knife I currently use in ritual. My great grandfather found this while out hiking in my area. It's a very old stone knife. The tip may be broken off, but it's still beautiful and works for me very well.

http://nasicus.ophiophobia.net/images/mystuff/pentacle.jpg
A fuzzy picture of my lovely Pentacle. It's about 1" across, and those are oak leaves around the outside and part of the star.

http://nasicus.ophiophobia.net/images/mystuff/wand.jpg
My GORGEOUS wand! This piece is my pride and joy....she's spectacular in my eyes. She was a gift from an old co-worker who usually sells the wands she makes. She made this one for me for my birthday a few years ago. Nobody but me has touched her since the day I got her. Unfortunately, she is still unnamed, but a name will come to me eventually. Just holding her gives me a rush of energy and makes me smile.

http://nasicus.ophiophobia.net/images/mystuff/wandbase.jpg
A close-up of the base. I LOVE the spiralling knots.

http://nasicus.ophiophobia.net/images/mystuff/wandhead.jpg
And her head. She really is gorgeous! *Sighs happily*

Yay, all done! :)

[Nomilynn]

This is very interesting! One thing I wanted to ask, though, is you said you used knives in ritual.. I was wondering what ritual is? Is it like a form or prayer?

Thanks for sharing this :)

[CathyBogart]

That's pretty much what Rituals are...I use them to ask deities for help (I try to dothis only rarely), to thank them for help recieved, or on sabbats as part of the celebration. :)

The knives are used (For me anyways) to "cut" a "door" in a circle of energy once it has been raised. The circle is like a "bubble" of energy...half above ground, and half below ground. Walking through it would mess up the energy, so the knife is used to "cut a door" if I need to leave the circle for any reason. I also use it when releasing the circle, but I don't know how common that is. ^_^

[Corinna]

This will be an intresting thread ,we did something like it a while ago . I think it was to explain some Jewish holidays I think.
I have a hard time explaining my belifs as they are a combanation of many different belifs.

[wolf_Q]

I'm LDS (aka mormon). I probably can't answer much question wise though as I haven't been to church in like 5 years...
I don't consider myself very religious at the moment, maybe it's just a 'stage' lol.

[Kfamr]

I have no Religion. I don't consider myself Athiest, or anything for that matter. I'm just Kay. :)

I don't necessarily have an opinion on how we became, or how life started, or how it's going to end. I take everyday how it is. We're here, and we'll never know what's going to happen to us after-death until we're there.

I've actually read the Bible before, many of times (not everything) since my family is Catholic. I have gone to Church, I have prayed before dinnertime.

I have friends of many beliefs and I enjoy hearing from each and everyone of them. I have no problem with that, and as I said I enjoy it - as long as other's beliefs don't step in front of other people's lives.


Spiritual things interest me alot, but I'd much rather just be Kay, and stay that way. ;)

[Karen]

I am a Protestant. Currently Methodist, but the denominations don't change a whole lot one to the next, other than in governance structure and minor details. Started life as Baptist - Northern Baptist, not Southern, in a little French Baptist church in a teeny part of a small town. My family became Methodist when I was 4, and I've pretty much stuck with it since.

I believe in God.

[sirrahbed]

Originally posted by WolfChan
I thought it might be fun to learn a vit about the religions present here on Pet Talk. So here's a thread for just that! No criticizing anyone, but please talk about your religion and ask lots of questions!!



Do you perform magic? What kind if so? Does it work and can you tell us about something magical that happened? If you do magic - is it you or does a god help you? Is it good or white magic?

Why is your wand a "she" ? Is this usual? Would a man have a wand that was a "he"?

What do you call a man witch in your religion?

How are you different from Wiccan? That is the only "witch" I have heard of.

Do you dress differently to identify yourself?

Do you find that people are fearful of you? Are they curious? If fearful, is it better if you explain what you believe?

Do you have a group to meet together with? If so, is it regular like a service most people would be familiar with - that is - a Saturday or Sunday weekly service?

Do you believe in the Judeo-Christian God at all?

Do you believe in evolution?

Where will you go when you die? Do you believe in a heaven?

Are people basically good or bad in your religious belief?

Sorry so many questions!!!!
I also have TONS of LDS questions but guess I need an active and practicing LDS member to ask and who is not out to save my soul ;)

[wolf_Q]

Originally posted by sirrahbed

I also have TONS of LDS questions but guess I need an active and practicing LDS member to ask and who is not out to save my soul ;)

I'm not out to save anyone's soul..well maybe my own haha. ;)

You can ask questions but no guaranteed answers. I will read and ponder..reply if I feel like it. ;) I know it's a religion that many people DISLIKE so I don't want this to turn into an anti-mormon thread.

[sirrahbed]

I am a Christian - the particularly "brand" is Lutheran but that is not important. I believe God created the earth in 7 days even though it doesn't make sense but He can do anything. I believe He created man to be perfect but we messed up and that is called sin and we all do it. Since God is perfectly Loving but also perfectly Fair, he could not just "put up with it". So he had a plan to become man Himself and that is Jesus who was both God and man at the same time. The plan was for Jesus to die on the cross and that way He took all the punishment for the bad (sin) things we do, so God does not have to punish us, only love us and this is called grace. Jesus took all the anger we deserve when He was on that cross. He actually came back to life (ressurrection) after three days in a tomb and curiously, this has never been disproved as you might expect something so bizzaar to be dispelled. None of it makes sense, but it is all recorded in the Bible which I believe was inspired by the Holy Spirit which is also God in the third person of the trinity. In some mysterious way, when you read that Bible, that Holy Spirit enables you to belief all these hard to believe things and everything about life makes sense again. I believe this all and it makes me feel peace. I believe that the reason I am on earth is to love God, honor and serve Him - because He made me and I belong to Him and He loves me even though I am rotten. When I die, I will be taken back to Him in Heaven. I come from a non-believing home, but reading the Bible brought me to this faith and this is what I believe. Christians are not better than anyone else. In fact, some are much worse.

[sirrahbed]

Originally posted by wolf_Q
I'm not out to save anyone's soul..well maybe my own haha. ;)

You can ask questions but no guaranteed answers. I will read and ponder..reply if I feel like it. ;) I know it's a religion that many people DISLIKE so I don't want this to turn into an anti-mormon thread.

I do not dislike the LDS in any way. In fact, I admire their zeal and the lives they lead. I wish Christians could be better models of family ideals and wholesome living. But I do have questions...

What is the purpose of sealing a marriage for eternity in the temple? Do the individuals believe they are still married after death and continue with sexual relations to produce souls for babies?

What is the purpose of the special underwear that are worn after a temple sealed marriage? What do they look like?

Why is water consumed at communion rather than wine? Does it not represent blood?

Was Jesus God's only Son or not?

Do LDS's believe they will some day be god's of their own planet?

Do my LDS friends pray for my soul and research my anchestors in their geneology work? Is this required?

What is a "Jack Mormon"? Is it a Mormon who has left the church??

Why do LDS members cross their arms in prayer? Is this significant?

Can a woman get to heaven without being married to a mormon and sealed in a temple? What happens to her?? Isheaven the same as the planets?
Thanks!!

[lovemyshiba]

I think this is a great idea for a thread--very interesting.
I love to hear about things that I am not familiar with.

Personally, I was raised Catholic, but I haven't been to church in years. My husband was raised Lutheran, but hasn't been to church in a while either. We were married by his uncle, a Lutheran minister, but not in a church.

I have a hard time with Catholicism for a lot of reasons, but the main one is my mother. She is the most hypocrytical person I have ever met, yet considers herself to be the perfect Catholic. She puts on all of the airs (going to church, reading at church, donating $$$ to the church, and so on), but doesn't practice this in her life. Just for one example, I thought Christians were supposed to love everyone and treat everyone as they would like to be treated--not in my mother's eyes--if someone isn't exactly like her--they are going to hell, because their soul is not protected.

Anyway, I would love to hear more about everyone else.

[carole]

I was raised as a presbyterian in the church of scotland, but I have dathered at another religion mentioned here when I was in my teens, however I practice no particular faith and have no religion, but I do believe there is something , a higher power, but that is about it.

[Kfamr]

I just wanted to mention that I think this is a GREAT subject for a thread! :D


"*5 Stars*"

[CathyBogart]

Do you perform magic? What kind if so? Does it work and can you tell us about something magical that happened? If you do magic - is it you or does a god help you? Is it good or white magic?
I use magick every day. If you mean casting a spell towards a specific goal...Only very rarely. I'm not really sure what you mean by what kind of magick. Magick is not good or bad, black or white, it simply is. It's a tool, and it can be used for good or bad purposes. However, one of the most important rules to remember is the rule of three "What thou gives out comes back to thee", which means that the energy you send out comes back to you threefold. It's essentially Karma...you do nice things, good things happen. You do bad things, bad things end up happening to you.

The magick that I use every day can be as simple as sending well-wishes to a good friend, or channeling soothing energy to my abdomen to relieve cramps. (This came in VERY handy in class today! :( ) The more complex things I do are usually asking for help solving a personal problem, or asking for help for a (consenting) friend. I wouldn't cast a spell for someone who hadn't consented, because I would be insulted if someone did something like that to me.

Magick can either be just me - channeling energy towards a goal, or it can be me with the help of a deity, if I ask. (If you ask for help, you do need to thank the deity once they have helped you! Something magickal that has happened...well...*Thinks* Ah!

A few weeks ago, one of my friends got in some serious trouble at work. His business credit card had been stolen....his card issued by the military!! NOT GOOD. Someone had been charging thousands of dollars to it. I asked Goddess (Danu from the Celtic panthenon) to help him find the person, FAST, so that he didn't get kicked out of the military and put in prison. I don't think I've ever put that much energy into anything. First thing the next morning, I woke up to my phone getting a text message. He had looked at the charges, realized that one was in Florida, during the time when his roommate was in Florida. He's gathering evidence for a court case now, and things are working in his favor. I'm STILL really relieved just thinking about it.

Why is your wand a "she" ? Is this usual? Would a man have a wand that was a "he"?
It's pretty common for certain tools (Wands and brooms specifically come to mind) to have names, and to an extent, personalities. They can be male or female, and the gender of the Witch using it doesn't affect it. My want just struck me as a "she"....and I think it's at least partially because the woman who made her for me works exclusively with the Egyptian Goddess Bastet. (The Goddess of cats, and protection from evil) I think she was simply made with a lot of feminine energy, as opposed to a wand made by someone who works with a Goddess/God pair.

What do you call a man witch in your religion?
Simply that, a male Witch. the word "Warlock" means "Oath-breaker", and we wouldn't want to imply that all of our male Witches had broken their oath to their deities(or deity). :)

How are you different from Wiccan? That is the only "witch" I have heard of.
I really don't know what to consider myself. There are many sects of Wicca, and most of them seem to revolve around working with a group. I know that there IS a circle in my area, but I lost touch with them awhile ago...and I never did get a chance to meet with them. I just didn't feel like I "clicked". Right now I prefer to work alone. There are also Druids, as well as other sects that practice Witchcraft.

Do you dress differently to identify yourself?
I don't tend to, aside from wearing my pentacle around. I've never seen a Witch dressed in a way that immediately identified him/herself, mostly because we still get a lot of persecution in this day and age. :(

Do you find that people are fearful of you? Are they curious? If fearful, is it better if you explain what you believe?
Sometimes people are afraid of me...usually because they know nothing about Witchcraft. It's very hard to explain the concept to someone who has "Hocus Pocus, I'll curse you!" stuck in their heads. I find it extremely disrespectful when people jokingly say "oooh, you gonna cast a spell on me?" If someone is curious, or afraid and willing to listen, I explain as best I can what the religion and the practices involve. Hopefully I've alleviated a few worried minds!

Do you have a group to meet together with? If so, is it regular like a service most people would be familiar with - that is - a Saturday or Sunday weekly service?
A lot of people meet with "circles" or "Covens", with a circle usually being a group of friends who het together on holidays and/or whenever they want and talk, exchange tools/ideas, or practice ritual/spellcasting. A Coven is usually amore formal environment, often organized and run by a High Priestess and High Priest. I don't know much about the inner workings of a Coven, unfortunately.

Do you believe in the Judeo-Christian God at all?
I don't, but I know there are some who do.

Do you believe in evolution?
I certainly do! As far as I know, most pagans do, but I'm not sure.

Where will you go when you die? Do you believe in a heaven?
We believe in reincarnation. After a person's life, their spirit, soul, whatever, goes to Summerland, a place of rest and rejuvenation, for as long as they need before they are ready for another life. (Perhaps they need to wait for a loved one, or had a horrible life to recover from)

Are people basically good or bad in your religious belief?
People just innately are. Every person knows right from wrong, it's up to the individual how they turn out. :)

Don't worry, I love answering serious questions! :)

I'm also going to add that I DO celebrate with my family on their holidays, but without any Christian religious elements. I don't expect them to participate in my holidays, but I do expect them not to stop me from practicing them. YAY for two sets of holidays!! *Chuckles*

[CathyBogart]

One more thing!! The only real "law" or "commandment" to be followed is this: "An' ye harm none, do what ye will". This means that you can live your life how you choose, make your own decisions, but do not harm anyone, yourself included, in the process.

[wolf_Q]

Originally posted by sirrahbed
I do not dislike the LDS in any way. In fact, I admire their zeal and the lives they lead. I wish Christians could be better models of family ideals and wholesome living. But I do have questions...

What is the purpose of sealing a marriage for eternity in the temple? Do the individuals believe they are still married after death and continue with sexual relations to produce souls for babies? Yes you would still be married and together after death. I've never heard anything concerning "sexual relations" in heaven...

What is the purpose of the special underwear that are worn after a temple sealed marriage? What do they look like? I know what they look like but I don't think it's something I am supposed to talk about, they are considered sacred. I don't really know much about them as I haven't been through any temple sessions or anything.

Why is water consumed at communion rather than wine? Does it not represent blood? Consuming alcohol is against the Word of Wisdom. Thats about all I can tell you on that.

Was Jesus God's only Son or not? Yes and no..he's God's only begotten son in the flesh but we are all considered sons and daughters of God.

Do LDS's believe they will some day be god's of their own planet? I can answer yes to that in a degree but I don't know enough about that to fully answer it.

Do my LDS friends pray for my soul and research my anchestors in their geneology work? Is this required? I don't know? I know many people are involved in geneology work..it's not like required to be a member.

What is a "Jack Mormon"? Is it a Mormon who has left the church?? I *think* it's somebody like me..not absolutely sure...kinda like an inactive member.

Why do LDS members cross their arms in prayer? Is this significant? I think just in reverence to God, I'm not aware of any specific significance.

Can a woman get to heaven without being married to a mormon and sealed in a temple? What happens to her?? Isheaven the same as the planets? People who have already passed on are in the Spirit World which is a place of learning and preparation. They will not be in heaven until the resurrection. People who were not married here on earth have opportunities there. That's about all I know on that.
Thanks!!

Sorry I'm not much help, I'm not really qualified to answer religion questions lol.

[GoldenRetrLuver]

I'm technically Catholic. I was baptized in a Catholic church, had my first communion, and went to CCD for five years. (A sort of 'program' to learn more about the religion, and what you have to take in order to have your first communion.) I could honestly say, that I forgot *most* of what I learned. :o

I don't consider myself an athiest; I do believe in a God, but I don't agree with what the religon teaches.

I have a question for Christians- Is it true that you have to be 'saved' in order to enter heaven? if so, could you explain a little bit about that, please? Just wondering. :)

[guster girl]

All the information about Paganism is absolutely fascinating. I also met and briefly dated a Mormon, and, absolutely was mesmerized by his beliefs. He is one of the most amazing genuine people I have ever known. :) He's the reason I have learned to at least accept other religions and/or beliefs. I guess I'm agnostic? I think that's what it is when you're undecided. Someone correct me, if that's not right. :) I don't consider myself lost, necessarily, but, definitely unsure about what I believe in. Sometimes, the idea of an all encompassing deity is overwhelming to me. I've always been probably most interested in Buddhism. I know nothing about it, though, so, if there's anyone here that cares to educate me, I'm all ears. :) If someone can be as open and full of info as Wolfchan, that would be awesome. I do like what you said, Wolfchan, about the karma thing, and, about not harming yourself and others. How does the Pagan religion look at premarital sex, drinking, swearing, etc? Those are the things in Christianity that I just can't get over. It's why I don't go to church. I mean, I know if I ask for forgiveness, then, I'll be forgiven. But, considering I know I'm not going to abstain if I'm not married, it would be ridiculously hypocritical of me to ask for forgiveness. :) And, I drink hard on occassion, and, swear like a sailor. I don't lie to people, I don't hurt people or things, I am a compassionate person. And, because I have a weakness for Patron that surfaces once every few months, and, a weakness for sex with my boyfriend, I just can't fathom that being bad enough to be damned for eternity. I don't know, that's why I don't go to church. Anyway, I'm rambling......I love this thread. I'm all for learning about new things. What makes me the most sad about religion and the people involved in it, is that they shut down to all other ideas. I mean, fine....if you have your beliefs and you have no inclination or desire to change them, that's awesome. But, it's when folks have NO INTEREST whatsoever in learning what makes other good, compassionate people the way they are, that I shed a tear for humanity. Again, my signature rings really true in situations like that.

[popcornbird]

Great thread!!! I'll post my beliefs and questions for others in a short while..............little busy right now, but I want to say this thread is very interesting. Perhaps it will help us all to understand/get to know each other better. I'll be back! :D

[guster girl]

Originally posted by popcornbird
Great thread!!! I'll post my beliefs and questions for others in a short while..............little busy right now, but I want to say this thread is very interesting. Perhaps it will help us all to understand/get to know each other better. I'll be back! :D

What stinks about it is that the people who really need to open their minds will probably not read this thread because of their closemindedness (is that all one word?!). At least, that's how it usually works. It's like these awesome shows on Animal Planet showing how to take better care of your pets, or the plight of animals in the country, etc....the people that abuse animals are not going to be the ones to watch them, although they're the ones who SHOULD. But, it's still a really cool thread. :)

[slick]

I don't normally post in thread like this one but I just have to share and maybe you can tell me what I am because I don't have a clue. :confused:

I don't go to church except for Midnight Mass on Dec 24th.
I don't read the bible
I don't give money to churches

I do believe in a higher power, I call him God
I do believe in Heaven
I do pray on a daily basis
I do believe that God hears me and answers my prayers in one way or another
I do try to love thy neighbour (although that's hard sometimes)
I do treat others as I would want to be treated
I do look forward to death because I know I will be reunited with my loved humans and pets again
I do know the ten commandments and try to live by them
I do get more pleasure out of helping others than helping myself
I do believe that all living things are God's creatures and we should look after them

Some background:
My parents are Atheist, but when I was very little my Mother had me baptized just in case I decided to follow religion when I grew older. She explained to me that she did not want me to be embarrassed by not being baptized. Can't quite figure that one out, but oh well.

I came to know God when I was about 7 yrs old and He's been with me ever since. I have no doubt.

So what would you classify me as???

[G.P.girl]

Wow this is a really interesting thread. Woflchan your religion id really interesting, i don't know anyone else with that reigion. it sounds pretty cool!

as for me, i'm not religius. i don't believe in anything. i'm a very simple person i guess. i'm not against other religions, i'm very open to try them and visit the church, temple, etc. but i prefer not to have any religion. maybe someday if i really feel connected to something then iwill join that religion, but for me to say that i'm any kind of religion right now would feel like i was forcing myself in to it and that's not what it should be about.

lol i hope that made sense :p

[Twisterdog]

Interesting thread.

I was raised fundamentalist Christian ... Nazarene, to be exact.

I had quite enough of that when I was about twelve years old.

I have no idea what I "am" now. I'll tell you what I believe and you can label me as you see fit. ;)

I believe there is a higher power.

I call myself Christian, because that's how I was raised and that's what I'm familar with. I do not, however, believe every single word written in the Bible was meant to be taken verbatim, literally. I also don't believe that "my" religion is in any way, shape or form "better" than any other religion. I call my higher power "God", also because it's what I'm familar with. I don't for one second believe that is actually His/Her/Its "real name."

I believe that the higher power doesn't really care what people call Him/Her/It ... be it God or Allah or whatever. I think there's only one "god", and humans - with our tiny little pea brains - have invented all "religions". I believe organized religion, for the most part, has done more harm than good in the world.

I believe that if you follow the Christian "golden rule" ... "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you", or as WolfChan's religion so elegantly puts it, "An' ye harm none, do what ye will." ... that you will pretty much be ok in this world, and the next.

I also believe that if you are a religious person, and you follow the doctrine and rules of the religion you belong to, that you will ok. I have to think that God hates a hypocrite. If you are born in India, are born a Hindu, live your life as a good Hindu ... that God will think that is just great. Likewise if you are born in Iraq and are a Moslem, or are born in the USA and are a Christian. I think what religion you happen to practice is, for the most part, a function of where you/your family was born. And I think that's ok with God.

I think that "heaven" is whatever you want it to be, or think it will be. If you think you will walk streets of gold, eat milk and honey (gag!) and play harps with the angels ... then I think that is what you will get. I think that if you believe in reincarnation, you will be reincarnated, etc. I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt, if there is only one "heaven" ... about 99% of the people there are going to be miserable. For example, in my heaven, there's going to be lots of dogs. In my mom's heaven, there won't be any dogs, because she is afraid of dogs. I think we'll all have all we want.

I believe, more strongly than anything, that I am probably dead wrong about all of this, and that God is laughing at my puny, meager attempts to comprehend all this. I believe that ALL of you are wrong, too, and giving God a chuckle, as well. I believe NO mortal human being on earth can ever begin to comprehend one tenth of the glories of God. Hopefully, we'll all see it one day.




I personally tend to work with the Celtic Panthenon, which includes Danu and Dagda as the mother/father deities, as well as Brigid (goddess of healing), Morrigan (Goddess of War), Belenus (Sun god), Nuada (God of Valor) and many others.

Wolfchan, my brother is pagan, and (I think) also hangs out with the Celtic folks.

[popcornbird]

Ok, here goes. I'll start with my beliefs and end with some questions for others.

I am a Muslim. We believe that there is only One God, that He has no partners. We cannot associate anyone to God. He is Supreme, the One Who created us all, created the heavens and the earth, and everything within. We believe God created mankind to serve and worship Him alone. The God we worship is the God of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Mohammad, and all other Prophets.

We believe Adam was the first man, that God created him from clay, and then put life into him. Eve was the first woman, Adam's wife, and we are all the children, or say the offspring, of Adam and Eve.

We believe that God sent Prophets and Messengers to mankind, time after time, to give the people of this world His message, on how to live their lives, etc. Some of these Messengers were sent with guidelines, or books, for people to follow. The Prophets that received revelations, include David, Abraham, Moses, Jesus (we believe him to be a Prophet/Messenger of God.......not God's son), and lastly Mohammad, (peace be upon them all), who we believe to be the last Prophet sent to mankind with the completed and final Message from God. The Quran, which was the book revealed to Prophet Muhammad, was revealed to him, through Angel Gabriel, over a period of 23 years. The entire Quran was compiled during the Prophet's lifetime.

I'm going to say a bit on what believe about Jesus, because I figured perhaps the Christians here might be interested.

We believe Jesus was a Prophet, that his birth was a miracle. He was born to Mary, his mother who was a virgin. His birth was a miracle because he was born to a blessed woman, who no man had ever touched. We believe Jesus talked as a baby. We believe he was a Prophet of God, that He brought God's message to his people. We do not believe he was God's son, because it is against our faith to associate anyone with God.........we believe it kind of equates to comparing God to humans and animals, who mate and have offspring. God, in our faith, is much too supreme to have a son, a daughter, a wife, or anything. This is probably the *major* difference between Islam and Christianity. We believe Jesus was never crusified.........that the disbelievers plotted against him, and set a cross up to crusify him on, but God took Jesus up to heaven before they killed him, and replaced him with one of the disbelievers, who God made to *look* like Jesus, and that disbeliever (who was one of those plotting against Jesus) was crusified instead. We believe God took Jesus up with him, alive, that he is still alive, and that he will return to earth before the end of time. He will live on earth for 40 years, a time in which there will be peace throughout the land, and he will rule until his death (40 years later). A person cannot be a Muslim without believing in Jesus, and loving Jesus.

Ok, that's all about Jesus........though we do believe much more about him. I don't think I can go on forever!!! :p What else? We believe in the Day of Judgement, when God will Judge each and every human being for how they lived their lives in this world. Those who lived good lives according to God's teachings will be handed their book of deeds in their right hand. Those will be the people who will go to Heaven. Then there will be people who did wrong in their lives, never repented........never felt bad about their sins, etc. These people will be handed their book of deeds in their left hand, and they will be the people of Hell.

We believe the life in this world is temporary, and that the life to come will be for eternity. Those who will go to Heaven will be there forever, and those who will be unfortunate enough to go to Hell, will also, be there forever.

We believe that every child is born sin-free.........that no child carries the sins of their parents. We do not believe in *Original sin*. We believe Adam and his wife sinned by eating the fruit in Paradise which God forbade them to, but we do not believe every human carries that sin, or the sins of their parents, etc. Sins begin to *count* after a person hits puberty. If a child under the age of puberty dies, he/she, no matter what the faith/religion of his/her parents will go to Heaven. There is much more.......much much more, but I'm tired and this is all I could think of right now. Any questions are welcome.....though I may not know the answers to them all! :p You may check this site out if you have too many questions though. It probably has the answers to most of them. http://www.islam-guide.com/


Ok, now my questions..........for Christians.

Do you really believe children are born sinful, and that they need Jesus to *save* them, otherwise they are destined to Hell? In other words.........do you believe anyone who is *not* a Christian is going to Hell?

What do you believe about Jesus? How much do your beliefs differ from our's?

Do you worship Jesus, or do you worship God? How do you differenciate God from Jesus?

What does Trinity mean? I have never quite understood it, and would like an explanation. :o

What does it mean to baptize a child? What do you do in this process, and what does it symbolize?

I guess I may have more questions with time, but that's all for now.

[Twisterdog]

PCB ... Wow. I'm stuck so much by your post ... because for all the centuries of war and hatred between Moslems and Christians and Jews ... the are almost the same religion ... the same God. So sad that people don't see that, and stop fighting. :(

I'll try to answer some of your questions, although I'm sure others will have differing opinions.


Do you really believe children are born sinful, and that they need Jesus to *save* them, otherwise they are destined to Hell? In other words.........do you believe anyone who is *not* a Christian is going to Hell?

Some branches of Christianity believe that a baby must be baptised to have everlasting life (for example, Catholics) but many others do not. For many denominations of Christianity, baptism is an outward sign of an inward commitment, and therefore one should not be baptised or "saved" until they are old enough to make a conscious choice to follow God. These denominations believe that a baby is born free from sin. I believe the latter.

Sadly, most Christians probably do feel that if you aren't a born-again Christian that you aren't going to heaven. I don't believe this at all, that is one reason I won't join a Christian church.

I should leave your other three questions alone ... they are more for the mainstream Christians out there. I'm sure my views would be a little "off". ;)

[IttyBittyKitty]

Originally posted by slick
I don't normally post in thread like this one but I just have to share and maybe you can tell me what I am because I don't have a clue. :confused:

I don't go to church except for Midnight Mass on Dec 24th.
I don't read the bible
I don't give money to churches

I do believe in a higher power, I call him God
I do believe in Heaven
I do pray on a daily basis
I do believe that God hears me and answers my prayers in one way or another
I do try to love thy neighbour (although that's hard sometimes)
I do treat others as I would want to be treated
I do look forward to death because I know I will be reunited with my loved humans and pets again
I do know the ten commandments and try to live by them
I do get more pleasure out of helping others than helping myself
I do believe that all living things are God's creatures and we should look after them

Some background:
My parents are Atheist, but when I was very little my Mother had me baptized just in case I decided to follow religion when I grew older. She explained to me that she did not want me to be embarrassed by not being baptized. Can't quite figure that one out, but oh well.

I came to know God when I was about 7 yrs old and He's been with me ever since. I have no doubt.

So what would you classify me as???

I agree with you 100%.

You're just like me! I know exactly what you mean. I have "known God" since before I could talk, and have never once doubted that a higher power exists. I was baptised as an Anglican, and I was raised (on and off) in that church, until Mum got sick of the hypocrisy that went on after her and my step-dad split. All that was important to a large segment of the church goers there was how much they donated, and yet they still went home to their mansions while fellow parisioners went home to their housing commission homes. Not to mention my good friend who was bullied until her self-esteem was left in tatters at a "good Christian school" where all the kids think they are fantastic Christians.

That is something I want explained ... how can a Christian, Jessica Simpson for example, be comfortable living in a huge mansion with every luxury when so many suffer in poverty? I am not a Christian, per se, but if I won Lotto, I certainly wouldn't hang on to it and would not live in luxury while others suffered ...

I am also curious about what we would be classed as ...

[sirrahbed]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by popcornbird
Ok, here goes. I'll start with my beliefs and end with some questions for others.

I am a Muslim.
In all my years, I have never met or spoken with a Muslim and I appreciate you laying out your beliefs so simply and easy to understand...although I know this is a nutshell version. It is so very similar to my own Christian faith - I am surprised. We have the very same God!! The God of Abraham. There are crucial differences of course, but what you wrote was very good - thank you!

Ok, now my questions..........for Christians.

I will attempt this - but Christianity has so many different man-made denominations that what I say will only reflect my Lutheran teachings as I understand and believe them - although I believe I am Christian first - before Lutheranism - that is simply a group I belong to who all believe and worship in a similar way.

Do you really believe children are born sinful,
yes, we are all born sinful - I believe this because the Bible says so and I believe that the Bible is God's Word and is all I have to go on
and that they need Jesus to *save* them, otherwise they are destined to Hell? In other words.........do you believe anyone who is *not* a Christian is going to Hell?
I cannot say when salvation occurs. It is God's miracle and happens through faith when a person hears God's Word and believes it. I do believe there is a hell. I know we cannot earn our way to heaven, but only go to heaven through faith in God through Christ Jesus. God is so supreme and righteous that He could not possibly stand us the way we are. That is why Jesus had to die - to take the wrath and anger of God and cleanse us of our sinfulness, and make us right with God again. It does not all make sense and seems almost too easy in some ways and even barbaric in other ways - but I believe it happened and because it happened, God redeemed all of his creatures so we could go back to Him someday. I don't know who goes to hell. I only have the hope that I will be in heaven because I believe that Jesus's death on the cross was all that was necessary once and for all, to save me and all people from sin. This is why I go to church - to thank Him for doing this for me and for everyone, to praise Him and seek His help to make me a kinder and more compassionate person that perhaps because of me, someone else may seek Him also, receive His peace and live with Him in eternity. I do not know who is going to hell - only God knows that and He does not want anyone there - He wants all of us with Him!

What do you believe about Jesus? How much do your beliefs differ from our's? Do you worship Jesus, or do you worship God? How do you differenciate God from Jesus? What does Trinity mean? I have never quite understood it, and would like an explanation. :o
Well, I do believe Jesus was actually God 's Son - that He was both true man and true God at the same time. He could have avoided the suffering at any time but chose not to because He loved us and wanted to take the punishment so we would not have to. God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are the Trinity - three persons but one God. Sort of like ice water and vapor are all the same substance. It is a mystery I do not understand and can't explain. When I worship - I am worshipping all three because they are the same. I might address God in His majesty and supreme power, I might address Christ because as man he understands how I feel and hurt and am tempted and how hard life is, the Holy Spirit is the Comforter - the Spirit who is so close to me at all times and in my heart, thoughts and mind through the Words of the Bible and helps me have faith even when my logical mind fights it and thinks nothing makes sense. When I think I can't pray, the Holy Spirit lives inside me and prays for me because i am lazy, rotten and not like God at all - and so He enables me to be patient and loving and kind to other people. As far as the Crucifixion - I absolutely believe it was Jesus as true man and that he actually was put to death and died - and at that moment, the world turned dark as there was a momentary separation of his human nature from His divine nature and it must have been so horrifying! It is how we are without God - empty and lost. But, he did not stay dead. He rose again, scars healed and was no longer humiliated but exalted, sin and death was finally conquered and after a period of time, He ascended to heaven and there He is at present with the Father. I do not know if they are still separate or not - but the memory of what he went through is surely there for us to remember always and believe. That is why we have communion - to remember His body and blood that was shed for us. It is a moving and amazing thing to drink the blood and eat the body of Christ at a sacramental supper - to be reassured that all of the above events happened and that they happened for me! - and for anyone who believes through faith. I also think believing has become very difficult because wellmeaning believers have acted so hypocritically and made it difficult. They have added too many rules and things to the simple Gospel message. Churches are so organized and have so many rules. I suspect there are many "closet Christians" like I was for many years. I did not know what to believe, just knew something big was out there! I guess I was agnostic. Reading the Bible made things clear for me and this is how I believe. God forgive me if I ever lead anyone wrong or astray or cause anyone to stumble! This world is so very painful and confusing! I am thankful for the opportunity to share my faith here without criticism. Some will scoff i suppose. But I know there is a God and he knows we are trying our best to find Him and live for Him. We are weak and do things wrong all the time. If we had to live a certain way to belong to Him, none of us would be fit. Nobody. I heard a good quote and wish more lived by it - "the Christian Church is no showcase for saints - it is a hospital for sinners"

What does it mean to baptize a child? What do you do in this process, and what does it symbolize?
This one defers widely. In churches that baptize infants (such as mine, we believe that when we sprinkle or pour water over the babies head while speaking God's Word, that God miraculously puts His Holy Spirit into that child and it is up to the parents or guardians to promise to continue to raise that child in the faith so they will continue to learn and understand when they are older. Other churches wait until the child is older and "decides" but we do not believe a person is able to decide such a thing unless the Holy Spirit enables it and so we have a "confirmation" for the older kids to declare their beliefs publicly and thus continue in catechism clases, etc. The above churches also normally require a full immersion while we only require water in any form and the Word. We do not know the actual moment of conversion like some other churches claim such as "bornagain" movements, Baptist, etc. We just believe it happens at some time and the person grows in grace.
Hope I answered clearly enough.

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

:)
What an interesting thread... i love to see how open everyone is being!!!...

I want to start with a few questions before I tell about me....

Wolf Chan...
You believe in several gods and dieties.. where do you (and others in your belief) believe they came from?

Popcornbird....
As much as i have learned from you already...:) ... You say muslims believe Jesus will return and bring peace for 40 years.. What do muslims believe is the purpose for Jesus doing this.. what is going to be accomplished from it?

Popcornbird...
After Jesus dies then what happens? Most christians believe in the rapture (Jesus' *God's son* return) and we will be taken to heaven in the rapture...
How do muslim's believe life on Earth will end?


i am sure i will have more questions later... :)

now to answer the best way i know how...

What do you believe about Jesus? How much do your beliefs differ from our's?
I believe Jesus is the son of God. That he came to earth and was the last sacrifice.. so I can simply ask and be forgiven of my sins. I believe He died on the cross and rose from the dead three days later and with that took the keys to death and hell. I believe He is alive in heaven now sitting at the right hand of God.

It seems to me our beliefs in Jesus are completely opposite..;)

Do you worship Jesus, or do you worship God? How do you differenciate God from Jesus?
like in your next question.. i believe in the trinity.... so i don't really differenciate God from Jesus but that they are one.

What does Trinity mean? I have never quite understood it, and would like an explanation. :o
the trininty is very hard for me even to understand... i have seen posters and different studies to try and explain.. and with that my faith is elevated... i just know that it is what the Bible says... and i know God is so ALMIGHTY that I will probably never fully understand until i get to heaven...

What does it mean to baptize a child? What do you do in this process, and what does it symbolize?
i think but am not sure that, that is something catholics do.. and i am not even sure if they call themselves "christians"... but i believe when you are at the age of accountability that you ask Jesus into your heart and then you are baptised with water... simbolizing your death from a fleshly life and rebirth into a spiritual life..



now about me...:)
I was raised in a baptist church... and now am a member of a church of God church....

I couldn't find who posted it but agree that organized religion is more hurtful than helpful ... and has been proven since Jesus' time... BUT i believe it is healthy for a christian to attend church for the fellowship.... the teaching... and the testimonies.

I attend a church of God church because that is what suits ME best..

I believe in the holy Bible and everything written in it. I believe if you pray and ask God for His help to understand the Bible that He gives you spiritual insight.

I am saved and with that meaning that I believe Jesus is the son of God.. that he died on the cross for our sins and was reserructed after three days... that He is now alive in heaven and sits at the right hand of God. I have asked Jesus into my heart and am establishing a relationship with Him. I believe very soon Jesus will return again and that the dead in Christ will rise and those who remain (in Christ) will be taken up.

(and now my life is an AWESOME testimony!!! :D )

I could go on forever and forever.... it is just really too deep a topic to discuss in one sitting...

but to say I love God with all my heart... I have lived a life without Him and will NEVER again... my whole life and testimony is a miracle and testimony for the glory of God!!!


*good thread*

[ramanth]

I'm also Pagan/Wiccan.

I was baptised and raised Catholic. Attended CCD and did confirmation. Though it never sat well with me. When in 6th Grade my mom stopped going to Church and said we (my sisters and I) wouldn't have to go either if we didn't want too. So we didn't.

I was pretty much agnostic till late in High School. Then my friend told me how she was looking into the Pagan religion and it was like a beam of light. I feel at peace and comfortable with myself.



Originally posted by sirrahbed
Do you perform magic? What kind if so? Does it work and can you tell us about something magical that happened? If you do magic - is it you or does a god help you? Is it good or white magic?
I believe there is good magick and bad magick. It all depends on who is practicing and what their purpose is. I only perform good magick. I am not out to harm anyone.

This past Ostara, during our coven ritual, I asked the Goddess and her consort to bless Kia with good health this year. So we'll see. :)


What do you call a man witch in your religion?
A witch. :) The word warlock is not used by myself or anyone else I know.


How are you different from Wiccan? That is the only "witch" I have heard of.
I'm Pagan and Wiccan. Like Wolfchan said, there are many different sects of Paganism.

All Wiccans are Pagan, but not all Pagans are Wiccan.

It's like all German Shepherds are Dogs, but not all Dogs are German Shepherds.

Make sense? :)



Do you dress differently to identify yourself?
Nope. I'll wear Rennasiance type dress for rituals, but on a whole, I don't wear anything different than what you might wear. I'm a jeans and t-shirt kind of gal. :)


Do you find that people are fearful of you? Are they curious? If fearful, is it better if you explain what you believe?
I don't go around broadcasting that I'm a witch and since I don't have it written on my forehead, I tend to find that people are not afraid of me. I only tell those I'm most comfortable with... if the subject of religion comes up.


Do you have a group to meet together with? If so, is it regular like a service most people would be familiar with - that is - a Saturday or Sunday weekly service?
I do now. :) I found a Yahoo Group of local pagans and we had a meet and greet at a local restaurant. It was there that I was invited to an Ostara ritual and that night we decided to become a coven. :) I'm new to the whole experience, but it's a wonderful group. Every Saturday night our coven tries to get together for a lesson of sorts. The Saturday before the full moon or a Sabbat we'll have a ritual.


Do you believe in the Judeo-Christian God at all?
No.


Do you believe in evolution?
Yes! :) No true evolutionist will say that we came from Apes. That's false.... but we did evolve from something.... far down the family tree.



Where will you go when you die?
In the ground. ;) Seriously... I think when I die, I'll just die. No biggie. But if I'm lucky, maybe I'll be reincarnated. But if not, I'm not going to worry about it.


Do you believe in a heaven?
No. Nor do I believe in hell. These are Christian beliefs.


Are people basically good or bad in your religious belief?
That's a pretty vague question. I'm a good person and the women in my coven are good people, but I can't speak for everyone else. I would hope they are good people.

It's like me asking you if Christians are basically good or bad.




Originally posted by Sara luvs her Tinky
You believe in several gods and dieties.. where do you (and others in your belief) believe they came from?
They just are. I don't dwell on where they came from. They could be aliens for all I know. :) There is just this spiritual energy about the Earth and that's all I know and care about.

Where do you believe the Christian God came from?
:)

[slick]

My question is one about food.

All my aunts and uncles were/are Roman Catholic and they always ate fish on Fridays which (I think) symbolized Jesus when he feed a city on 1 fish and 1 loaf of bread.

PCB: Muslims don't eat pork do they??? Why??? What does a pig symbolize??

My best friend is Jewish and she does tries to keep kosher and she does not eat pork either.

For other religions, are there any food restrictions??

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

Originally posted by ramanth

Where do you believe the Christian God came from?
:)

The Bible says that He has always been...:D

I got another question for Wolf Chan or Kimmy...
Do you guys have any sort of religious books that you study like I have the Bible?

[CathyBogart]

Originally posted by Sara luvs her Tinky
I got another question for Wolf Chan or Kimmy...
Do you guys have any sort of religious books that you study like I have the Bible?

No. There are many books of information ABOUT the religion(s) published, but most people make their own "Book of Shadows" that encompasses their own practices and beliefs. In mine, for example, I have the sabbat rituals I have written for myself, a dedication ceremony I am currently writing for when I feel ready to officially commit myself for life, and all sorts of other information I've found useful over the last few years. (recipes for sabbat celebrations, magickal uses of stones/colors, and lots more!)

Any two Books of Shadows will be completely different, but essentially the same, if that makes sense. ^_^


You believe in several gods and dieties.. where do you (and others in your belief) believe they came from?
I honestly don't know. :)

[ramanth]

:D This is nice. Ya'll are good people... but you already knew that. :)


Originally posted by Sara luvs her Tinky
I got another question for Wolf Chan or Kimmy...
Do you guys have any sort of religious books that you study like I have the Bible?
Not really. I read Pagan/Wiccan books that I pick up from the book store.

Our coven is putting together a Book of Shadows. It's a book commonly used by witches but doesn't have to be used by everyone.

Here's a definition:
BOOK OF SHADOWS- A book of spells, rituals, recipes, traditions, and other guides and materials written by a witch or coven. The Book of Shadows is usually a very personal book to the Witch or Coven which created it, and the information within is rarely shared with outsiders, even other Witches.

*edit* I posted at the same time as Wolfchan. :D

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Originally posted by slick
So what would you classify me as???

Slick, my question for you would be - you say you believe in God, but do you believe in Christ and all he stands for? If so, you can classify yourself as a Christian - no further explanations necessary. If not then I don't know what to classify you as. ;) Maybe just a good person trying to live a decent, moral life? And what's wrong with that?

I don't have time right now to get into my whole background and what I believe, but it's real similar to Slick. Like someone mentioned about their Catholic mother, I think a lot of so called "religious" people are really hypocrits (sp?) and I don't want to be that way. I may not go to church on a regular basis, but I do pray and I try to leave a decent - basically moral - life. I was raised Catholic, but there is so much about it that I don't agree with and can't live by - but those are arguments for another day - so I, like Slick, really don't know what you'd classify me as. I guess I believe in Christ so the easy out would be to call myself Christian.

Anyway, great thread and I really wish more of this type of discussion would go on world wide. It would really help people understand different cultures and religions and maybe we could all just get along a little better. :( :rolleyes: :)

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Originally posted by ramanth
I don't go around broadcasting that I'm a witch and since I don't have it written on my forehead, I tend to find that people are not afraid of me. I only tell those I'm most comfortable with... if the subject of religion comes up.

I guess this means you're really comfortable with us PT'ers, eh Kimmy? Thanks for feeling that way. :D

And thanks to everybody for sharing. People are so often afraid to discuss religion and it's refreshing to have a civil discussion about it.....so far anyway. ;)

[ramanth]

Originally posted by Tubby & Peanut's Mom
I guess this means you're really comfortable with us PT'ers, eh Kimmy? Thanks for feeling that way. :D
Yes I do. :D

[emily_the_spoiled]

I found this posting absolutely fanscinating. I would like to thank everyone for thier willness to share their believes and to answer the questions we have posted.

I am not sure what I would be classified as. I was raised as a fundamentalist Roman Catholic (yes there are plenty out there). But I had a difficult time accepting many of the beliefs, rule, regulations (what ever you want to call them) of the Catholic religon. (I was even asked to leave the Catholic High School in my town because of that.)

Over the years I have explored many different types of religions including Anglicanism, Lutherism, Buddism, and even Taoism. I haven't found one that fits yet, but I do know some of the things I believe in:
- A supreme being who can be called many things including God, Allah, or Yahweh.
- We were all put here on earth for a reason and we need to grow and search for that reason.
- We should all try to lead a "moral" life. Although this may have different meanings for different people I think we can all agree on some basics like "Don't murder someone".
- I am not sure if I believe in heaven or hell (but I grew up being told I was going to burn in hell ... a long long story), but I think there is somekind of afterlife.

I guess my over riding belief is to treat others as you would want to be treated, because it will come back to you eventually.

[Edwina's Secretary]

Slick - a person who believes in God without the other stuff is a Deist. Thomas Jefferson was one.

There are many dietary restrictions if you are an orthodox Jew. No milk and meat together (forget the cheeseburger!), no shell fish, pork. Animals must be slaughtered a specific way (and under the supervision of a rabbi) to be kosher. There are special rules for ice cream, butter, cheese, chocolate, just about any processed food.

[popcornbird]

Thanks for the answers everyone. I must admit I am still confused about Trinity, but perhaps its something I will never understand. :o I have some more questions....

I don't understand how a child can be born *sinful*. The child wasn't a part in anyone else's sins in the past. The child didn't even exist in the past. Why would God judge a newborn child as *sinful* when the child has never committed a sin? Do you believe that if a baby dies, and that child was not baptized yet, will that child go to hell? Do you believe the children of people of other faiths will go to hell if they die young, before the age of accountability? I ask these questions because its something soooo different from how we see things. We see children as completely sinfree. We believe that if a child dies at a very young age, whether that child is a Jew or a Christian or a Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, whatever, that child will go to heaven because he/she never committed any sins.

Another question. I know Christians believe Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a Virgin, as we do. How could she be a virgin from your faith if Jesus had a father..........God? How could a woman have a son with God? Do you not believe Jesus was a human being? How could God Almighty have a son like a human being?

Ok, now answers. :)


Originally posted by Sara luvs her Tinky



Popcornbird....
As much as i have learned from you already...:) ... You say muslims believe Jesus will return and bring peace for 40 years.. What do muslims believe is the purpose for Jesus doing this.. what is going to be accomplished from it?

I'm not sure I know the complete answer to this, but I guess, to *clarify* the confusion about him (as in Christians/Muslims believing differently about him being/not being God's son, and as in him being/not being crusified), and to establish God's word in the land. We do believe that after Jesus returns, each and every person remaining on the planet will become a believer.

Popcornbird...
After Jesus dies then what happens? Most christians believe in the rapture (Jesus' *God's son* return) and we will be taken to heaven in the rapture...
How do muslim's believe life on Earth will end?




We believe that the Day of Judgement will start soon after Jesus dies. We believe the Day of Judgement will start with an angel blowing a horn. With that, all that is left alive in the world will die. Then the angel will blow the horn again, and all of mankind will be risen back to life...........from Adam, all the way to the last person on Earth. Then God will question/judge every person and will place them in Heaven or Hell, according to their deeds and how they lived their lives.

Slick

No we do not eat Pork because God has told us not to, in the Quran, which we believe to be 100%, the Words of God. We believe God has a reason in all he tells us to do/not to do. We are also forbidden from eating the flesh of any carnivore. Our meat has to be from an animal slaughtered in a certain way (similar to the Kosher way). If it was slaughtered improperly, we can't eat its meat. We are forbidden from consuming alcohol as well.

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

How to Practice Deism

Think, think about thinking, find wonder and awe in the universe.

Love yourself. Love the Deity.

Don't be a beggar when praying. Just be thankful.

Know that all others are just as special as you. But, also know, that no one is any more special than you.

Be respectful and tolerant of others. They too are imperfect.

Know that you are not perfect, and that is okay!

Search for the truth, and embrace any truths you may find along the way.

Hmmm....looks interesting, I'll have to look into it a little further. Thanks Sara!

Although I have to admit that I have a sort of skepticism towards "joining" any "organized" religion....but this looks interesting.

And PCB, re: "I must admit I am still confused about Trinity, but perhaps its something I will never understand." Don't worry, even some of us who were raised with this have trouble understanding it. ;)

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

Originally posted by popcornbird

I don't understand how a child can be born *sinful*. The child wasn't a part in anyone else's sins in the past. The child didn't even exist in the past. Why would God judge a newborn child as *sinful* when the child has never committed a sin? Do you believe that if a baby dies, and that child was not baptized yet, will that child go to hell

I don't know about other religions.. but I do not believe children are born carring the sin of their parents or forefathers or anyone else.. i believe they are born into sin... wich just means to me that they are born into a sinful world and can rebel and such (which is sin).. but until the child reaches the age of accountability they will not go to hell.. because God judges you based upon what you know and children are blameless. sounds like the same you believe.:)

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

I know Christians believe Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a Virgin, as we do. How could she be a virgin from your faith if Jesus had a father..........God?
Mary was a virgin because she never knew a man (well untill she married Joseph)

How could a woman have a son with God?
Mary didn't have a son "with" God... God used Mary to carry Jesus so he could be born..

Do you not believe Jesus was a human being?
hmmm... i believe Jesus was God in the flesh.. so in a way yes...

How could God Almighty have a son like a human being?
exactly like you said ... He is God Almighty... he spoke this universe into existance... He can do anything:)

[sirrahbed]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by popcornbird
Thanks for the answers everyone. I must admit I am still confused about Trinity, but perhaps its something I will never understand. :o
yes, the Trinity is a hard one. I don't really understand it completely either and I have not had a good explanation from a pastor either. The best analogy is One God in three persons - Father , Son and Holy Spirit, 3 in One, like Ice, Water and Mist are all H20. The Father was the Creator, the Son was the Redeemer and Savior and the Spirit is the Comforter and Enabler to Come to Faith and Remain in Faith, yet all the same person. How can that be? I don't know - He's God.

I don't understand how a child can be born *sinful*. The child wasn't a part in anyone else's sins in the past. The child didn't even exist in the past. Why would God judge a newborn child as *sinful* when the child has never committed a sin? Do you believe that if a baby dies, and that child was not baptized yet, will that child go to hell? Do you believe the children of people of other faiths will go to hell if they die young, before the age of accountability? I ask these questions because its something soooo different from how we see things. We see children as completely sinfree. We believe that if a child dies at a very young age, whether that child is a Jew or a Christian or a Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, whatever, that child will go to heaven because he/she never committed any sins.
this one troubles many people. maybe a better way of putting it is that we are all born with the capacity to sin. obviously, a newborn infant is not going to lay there and commit sins, but nobody has to teach that little baby to become selfish and to learn how to get his/her needs met, etc. They learn "me first" pretty quickly. That is the natural sin in us. Some Christian denominations insist an unbaptized baby will go to hell but this is not taught in my church (Lutheran) However, we do baptize infants as soon as possible, just to make sure they are given the opportunity to have God place His Holy Spirit within them. But, it does not depend on us so we dare not say what happens to a baby who dies unbaptized - but rather leave that infant in God's loving Hand. I would only worry about - say a believing parent who refuses baptism for her infant after being taught that baptism is the proper thing to offer her infant - why refuse to bring your child to God if you are a believer? There is lots of room for debate about baptism even among Christians. Lutherans believe baptism is a sacramental work of God and leave it at that. It is a miracle. Others denominations see it as an outward sign of what has already occurred in the heart - a symbolic washing. The thief on the cross was likely not baptized and yet when he confessed his faith in Jesus, he was told that "Today I will see you in Paradise". So, baptism is a controversy - the way it is done, when it is done and what it accomplishes. Only God knows and I cannot say anyone is going to hell for any reason that has to do with baptism or lack of baptism. That is up to God. The Bible only says BELIEVE and you will be saved. Please no debate from other denominations - it would be counterproductive - these are my Lutheran based beliefs and do not affect our eternity. I happened to have been fully immersed in a Baptist church, but that is what was available as I was an adult convert so I guess i have all bases covered :)

Another question. I know Christians believe Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a Virgin, as we do. How could she be a virgin from your faith if Jesus had a father..........God? How could a woman have a son with God? Do you not believe Jesus was a human being? How could God Almighty have a son like a human being?
Jesus was both true man AND true God at the same time. You cannot separate the two. He was not an ordinary man per se because he always had the divine nature as well - we do not hear about it much until he was 12 years old and conversing in the temple. The Catholic Bible does have some stories of miraculous things he did as a child but the Protestants do not use these books of the Bible. He was conceived of Mary, a virgin - by the Holy Spirit - he had no biological father - in that way He was Divine by nature. Joseph had no relations with Mary until after Jesus was born, she remained a virgin. Yet, he was human in the sense that he felt things like hunger, emotions, pain, etc. He cried and he bled.

Ok, now answers. :)
That is the best I can do, based on my study and understanding. Some of it is "head knowlege" and some is just embedded deeply in my heart and hard to explain because I just believe it by faith even though it may not make sense of have logic to it - some of it even offends my intellect. I was not raised as a believer. My mom was Roman Catholic and my Dad was a Unitarian and sometimes an Agnostic - encouraged me to seek and think for myself. Unfortunately, when I did think for myself and become a Christian - he laughed at me and told me I was gullible and a hypocrit - based on other Christians he has known. It makes me sad. Christians can be some of the most closed minded people i know. I am still a believer though. I remember my dark and searching years and would never want to be without my faith again. Jesus is my Savior from sin and I will live in heaven with Him for eternity. I am still a sinner and sin every day, but He loves me anyway! THAT is amazing and that is grace. It is NOT an excuse to sin. I try not to - but I am weak like everyone else. I try to be better because I love God, not because my future depends on it. This is what I believe.

[popcornbird]

Originally posted by Sara luvs her Tinky


[B]How could God Almighty have a son like a human being?
exactly like you said ... He is God Almighty... he spoke this universe into existance... He can do anything:)

Of course God can do anything, but my point in asking this was isn't saying God could have a son like people degrading to God? Or does the Bible mean something else when it refers to Jesus as His *son*. Does it mean his *slave* or his *servant*? I ask this because I believe God is Supreme. He does not compare to His *creation*. I believe we are inferior before God, and that begetting a child is a characteristic of mankind, of animals, of God's creation, not of God Himself. If you're wondering why I feel this way, this is what the Quran says about this issue....

"Had God wished to take to Himself a son, He could have chosen whom He pleased out of those whom He doth create: but Glory be to Him! (He is above such things.) He is God, the One, the Irresistible. (The Noble Quran, 39:4)"

"To Him is due the primal origin of the heavens and the earth: How can He have a son when He hath no consort? He created all things, and He hath full knowledge of all things. (The Noble Quran, 6:101)"

"Say: He is God, the One and Only; God, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him. (The Noble Quran, 112:1-4)"

"They say: 'God hath begotten a son' :Glory be to Him.-Nay, to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth: everything renders worship to Him. (The Noble Quran, 2:116)"

One more Question

Do you believe all Christians will go to Heaven. If one believes in Jesus being the son of God, will that person go to heaven, in your faith, no matter how sinful he was in his life? What if he was a murderer, robber, raper, etc. but he said he *believed*. Will he go to heaven and be *saved* even if he never repented? If so, why?

[Logan]

Without going into a lot of detail right this second, Popcornbird, I believe that "repentance" is the key. Our God is a forgiving God, when people repent of their sins, regardless of the sin (thus my words regarding divorce in the other thread).

This is so interesting. I will be back with my thoughts on other questions later.

Logan

[sirrahbed]

Originally posted by popcornbird

One more Question

Do you believe all Christians will go to Heaven. If one believes in Jesus being the son of God, will that person go to heaven, in your faith, no matter how sinful he was in his life? What if he was a murderer, robber, raper, etc. but he said he *believed*. Will he go to heaven and be *saved* even if he never repented? If so, why?

Not sure you are asking Sara or just anyone so here i go again - OK? The "Visable" Christian Church is made up of believers and unbelievers and only God knows who are the true believers. Some people may live really pious and good, moral lives on the outside, but harbor evil , hate and unbelief on the inside where God sees. On the other hand, some people who are honest believers may seriously struggle with horrible sins and never quite get them under control and yet they are forgiven because of their repentance and get to go to heaven. Again, only God knows. But God also says that a persons actions tell alot about the heart. Someone who repeatedly sins - especially something like rape, murder etc and with no remorse - it is very doubtful that this person is a believer at all. Of course there is always room for a miracle and a conversion and this person can change:rolleyes: (remember the thief on the cross?) Unrepented sin in NOT forgiven. If a person knowingly and willfully continues in a known sin, he is in danger of losing his salvation. This is another denominational divisive controversy among different Christians. Lutherans do not adhere to "once saved, always saved". It might be semantics in that the unrepentant sinner may never have actually been saved at all (like Judas) - God only knows, but there sure are alot of warnings in the Bible to think that salvation is a stamped ticket to heaven.
I hate to keep using "Lutheran" because I do not even belong to them anymore - that is just where I did most of my learning and where I feel the Bible is best taught. At this point of my life, I do not know where I fit, although I know I wish to be part of a worshipping body of believers. Like many, I have had heartbreak at the hands of institutional organized denominational religion. I would rather say I am a Christian, am spiritual and have faith rather than I am religious, etc.

Now I have a question for PCB -
As a Muslim - you believe in and love Jesus the Prophet - does this mean you read the Bible the same as Christians? How do you learn about Jesus?

[popcornbird]

Originally posted by sirrahbed


Now I have a question for PCB -
As a Muslim - you believe in and love Jesus the Prophet - does this mean you read the Bible the same as Christians? How do you learn about Jesus?

We know of Jesus from the Quran, the Holy Book revealed to Prophet Muhammad, from God. As Muslims, we are required to believe God revealed the Torah to Moses, and the Bible to Jesus. We do believe those books too, were the true words of God, however, we believe certain parts in these books have been altered, or written by man over the centuries, so we cannot take everything in them as what God originally revealed at the time of Moses and Jesus. We believe the Quran is a completion, of the whole message sent by God, until the end of time. We also believe that the Bible, and Torah, foretold the coming of Prophet Mohammad. I'm not sure if this part is still included in the Bible, but we do believe that. The Jews and Christians, before the coming of Mohammad, used to tell the people about the coming of a Prophet, that God would send to mankind. That is why so many Jews and Christians converted to Islam when Prophet Mohammad came. They felt that was the Prophet God had told them about. So many others, also rejected him, and their reason for that was because he came from the generations of Prophet Ishmael, and not Prophet Isaac, but their leaders did acknowledge he was the prophet God had foretold them about. They just refused to accept it. If you're curious about this, you should watch the movie *The Message*. It really clarifies things about the beginning of Islam, and has quite a bit about Jesus in it as well.

In other words, we do not believe God sent different religions. We believe God sent the same message, to Moses, to Jesus, to Mohammad, and to every other Prophet, and with time, it was the people who altered God's words, either knowingly, or unknowingly, but we believe the Quran to be the completed message from God, and the same message that God originally sent to Jesus, and Moses, etc.

What the Quran says about Jesus is as follows:

16. Relate in the Book (the story of) Mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place in the East.

17. She placed a screen (to screen herself) from them; then We sent her our angel, and he appeared before her as a man in all respects.

18. She said: "I seek refuge from thee to ((God)) Most Gracious: (come not near) if thou dost fear God."

19. He said: "Nay, I am only a messenger from thy Lord, (to announce) to thee the gift of a holy son.

20. She said: "How shall I have a son, seeing that no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste?"

21. He said: "So (it will be): Thy Lord saith, 'that is easy for Me: and (We wish) to appoint him as a Sign unto men and a Mercy from Us':It is a matter (so) decreed."

22. So she conceived him, and she retired with him to a remote place.

23. And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree: She cried (in her anguish): "Ah! would that I had died before this! would that I had been a thing forgotten and out of sight!"

24. But (a voice) cried to her from beneath the (palm-tree): "Grieve not! for thy Lord hath provided a rivulet beneath thee;

25. "And shake towards thyself the trunk of the palm-tree: It will let fall fresh ripe dates upon thee.

26. "So eat and drink and cool (thine) eye. And if thou dost see any man, say, 'I have vowed a fast to ((God)) Most Gracious, and this day will I enter into not talk with any human being'"

27. At length she brought the (babe) to her people, carrying him (in her arms). They said: "O Mary! truly an amazing thing hast thou brought!

28. "O sister of Aaron! (it means sister as in all believers are sisters and brothers.......not literally) Thy father was not a man of evil, nor thy mother a woman unchaste!"

29. But she pointed to the babe. They said: "How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?"

30. He (Jesus) said: "I am indeed a servant of God. He hath given me revelation and made me a prophet;

31. "And He hath made me blessed wheresoever I be, and hath enjoined on me Prayer and Charity as long as I live;

32. "(He) hath made me kind to my mother, and not overbearing or miserable;

33. "So peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die, and the day that I shall be raised up to life (again)"!

34. Such (was) Jesus the son of Mary: (it is) a statement of truth, about which they (vainly) dispute.

35. It is not befitting to (the majesty of) God that He should beget a son. Glory be to Him! when He determines a matter, He only says to it, "Be", and it is.

36. Verily God is my Lord and your Lord: Him therefore serve ye: this is a Way that is straight.
Quran: 19 Mary, 16-36

[honor_fl]

Sorry I didn't see this post sooner, or I would have replied sooner, since I started the other thread on religion. And really (really!) I was just venting, as I find religious stuff distasteful when its in an inappropriate place. and what I consider inappropriate is purely personal :-)

I never, ever mind a serious discussion of religion in the proper context and tried to learn about every major religion (and some minor ones) when I was in college.

For my own beliefs, I was raised Jewish, but found that, for me, it didn't fill my needs. I moved away from that, and did a lot of reading and soul searching, and I guess the closest thing I am now is Buddhist. I believe in cause and effect (karma), and that whatever we do we will reap the effect of it in this life or the next. I believe in compassion for all living things.I believe that each of us has some of the infinite inside of us, just struggling to emerge. I believe in reincarnation, because I just can't believe that this one life is all that's allotted to us. I try to live my life
according to my own inner moral code, rather than trying to follow rules laid out by someone else.

I'm finding everyone's posts very interesting, and thank you for starting this thread WolfChan.

[2kitties]

In a hurry and just skimming,
but to answer the Jesus/man thing, it's the concept of the Triune God. We believe that, while made man, Jesus is the true son of God yet still one in the same. That is the concept of triune God- although it is admittedly difficult to understand. God the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Think of it like an egg- there is a shell, the white and the yolk. But it's still an egg.
Because Jesus was immaculately conceived, we believe he was God, incarnate made flesh, as spoken in the Nicene Creed. There was no sex between mary and Joseph. The conception was immaculate. Hence, the miracle of the Virgin Birth. Born of a virgin= Born of a miracle. God incarnate. (imho)

Babies are human. Humans are filled with Original Sin- the sin of Eve. The sin of just plain old being human. Nothing we can do about it- we're just born that way. So, we get baptised as a baby to remove that original sin. NOTE: This is my view as a Lutheran. I do not believe that all Christian sects believe this.

Then we create our actual sins through deeds and thoughts. These are sins for which we must ask God for forgiveness. It doesn't matter if you're saying God, Jesus, or Holy Ghost. All the same thing:)



Well, that probably didn't clear anything else, but I just think of the egg!;)

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

Do you believe all Christians will go to Heaven. If one believes in Jesus being the son of God, will that person go to heaven, in your faith, no matter how sinful he was in his life?

No... i believe there are a lot of people who say they are christians and will not go to heaven. It takes A LOT more than just believing in Jesus being the son of God.. even the devil believes and knows who Jesus is and you won't see him in heaven... ;)

I believe it doesn't matter what sin a person did in their past.. when they truly give their heart to the Lord... they come into repentance.. then they are saved and will go to heaven.. (i am not sure of the exact wording) but the Bible says that a persons joy will turn to sorrow when they are saved.. because they will be so sorrowful for the things they have done in their past... that they will morn for it.

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

Of course God can do anything, but my point in asking this was isn't saying God could have a son like people degrading to God? Or does the Bible mean something else when it refers to Jesus as His *son*. Does it mean his *slave* or his *servant*?

Jesus was not God's slave or servant... he is one with God...:cool:

After satan tricked Adam and Eve into sin.. the devil pretty much had control over the Earth again.. so for spiritual legality reasons Jesus had to come to earth in the flesh and when he was resurrected after the third day he conquered death and took the keys to death and hell.. so i hope that makes sinse...

:)

If you're wondering why I feel this way, this is what the Quran says about this issue....

no problem.. i am enjoying learning about everyone elses' beliefs!!:D

[popcornbird]

Originally posted by Sara luvs her Tinky


Jesus was not God's slave or servant... he is one with God...:cool:

After satan tricked Adam and Eve into sin.. the devil pretty much had control over the Earth again.. so for spiritual legality reasons Jesus had to come to earth in the flesh and when he was resurrected after the third day he conquered death and took the keys to death and hell.. so i hope that makes sinse...

:)

Ahhh, I keep getting more and more confused. :o:o LOL!

If that's the case, then what about other Prophets? Like Moses, David, Noah, Solomon, etc. You do believe them to be Prophets, right? They, too, were sent with miracles. They too, were sent by God. They too (well some of them) were sent with books from God. So why is it that Jesus is any different? Why is Jesus, a *part* of God, from your beliefs, and not the other men sent my God? :confused:I know Jesus was born with no father, but Adam was born with no father OR mother. Why isn't he *part* of God? :confused:

Also, what do you think about the people before Jesus? Where will they go? We believe there were Prophets from the start of mankind, and that God's message was the same, always, so those who believed and followed the Prophets sent by God to them, even before Mohammad, will still go to heaven. But what do you believe on this? The people before Jesus.........the ones who didn't know Jesus, because they were born before the *Savior* was born?

Sorry for all these questions........I'm just so curious, and I like learning about other beliefs. It gives me a broader perspective when I can compare.

[IttyBittyKitty]

I can probably answer these ones ...



Originally posted by popcornbird
Ahhh, I keep getting more and more confused. :o:o LOL!

If that's the case, then what about other Prophets? Like Moses, David, Noah, Solomon, etc. You do believe them to be Prophets, right? They, too, were sent with miracles. They too, were sent by God. They too (well some of them) were sent with books from God. So why is it that Jesus is any different?

Those men were prophets in their time, and their messages came from God. The Old Testament spoke of a Promised Messiah. When that Messiah came to Earth (Jesus), he said that He was the Promised Messiah. To believe that He is who He says He is is to have faith, and many at the time did not.

Why is Jesus, a *part* of God, from your beliefs, and not the other men sent my God? :confused:

The other men sent by God were sent as prophets, as "messengers" alone. Jesus also had messages for God's people, but most importantly, he was the "sacrificial lamb" for believer's sins.

I know Jesus was born with no father, but Adam was born with no father OR mother. Why isn't he *part* of God? :confused:

Adam was created from the sands of the earth. Adam also was created in "God's image" and therefore, to some extent, bears some of God's characteristics. Jesus, however IS God (which comes back to the whole Trinity thing - which I had best explained to me as follows: imagine a box with light contained in it. Now imagine that the box has three holes, which are different shapes. Those three holes represent God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. While one and the same, they are three ways of seeing God). This kinda sounds confusing, but this example is supposed to open your mind to the possibility ... understanding the trilogy is easiest when you don't try to make it sound too logical ...

Also, what do you think about the people before Jesus? Where will they go? We believe there were Prophets from the start of mankind, and that God's message was the same, always, so those who believed and followed the Prophets sent by God to them, even before Mohammad, will still go to heaven. But what do you believe on this? The people before Jesus.........the ones who didn't know Jesus, because they were born before the *Savior* was born?

God's people, the Jews, who lived before Jesus' time achieved honour in the eyes of God in the "old" ways of sacrificing animals to the Lord. Jesus, in the New Testament changed everything by himself becoming the sacrificial lamb, therefore believers after his time need follow His instructions in order to go to heaven.


Sorry for all these questions........I'm just so curious, and I like learning about other beliefs. It gives me a broader perspective when I can compare.

No worries ... I am not what you would call a practicing Christian, per se, but I was raised as such and it is hard to walk away from years of belief even if you've lost faith in the Christian church :)

[Twisterdog]

Originally posted by popcornbird
Why is Jesus, a *part* of God, from your beliefs, and not the other men sent my God?

'Cause God says so, that's why! ;) Seriously ... that's the reason, I suppose ... because that's what the Bible says.





Also, what do you think about the people before Jesus? Where will they go? We believe there were Prophets from the start of mankind, and that God's message was the same, always, so those who believed and followed the Prophets sent by God to them, even before Mohammad, will still go to heaven. But what do you believe on this? The people before Jesus.........the ones who didn't know Jesus, because they were born before the *Savior* was born?

That is an EXCELLENT question. I have often wondered about that myself. Frankly, the whole thing with Jesus brings up a zillion questions for me. I suppose it does for anyone ... except those rare and wonderful people, like my dear Grandma, who simply believe the Bible, word for word, at face value, without a thought of questioning anything. That is TRUE faith ... and, alas, I don't have it, I suppose. My mom says that Jews who lived before Jesus, and believed in God, will go to Heaven and be saved ... because they were following God's word and worshipping him. They couldn't very well worship someone who didn't exist on Earth yet. Which opens another can of worms for me.....

God was just God, and his followers were Jews. All was well for thousands of years. All of a sudden, God sends his son down to Earth as a baby named Jesus, and all the Jews are supposed to change their belief over night ... beliefs they have held for thousands of years. They are supposed to say, "Ooops, we were wrong. We aren't Jews anymore ... now we're Christians. We will follow the teachings of this young radical, proclaiming to be the son of God, and we will abandon the only religion we have ever known ... a religion which was just fine with God only yesterday, mind you. And if we don't, suddenly we'll go to Hell." Uuummmmm, ok. Sorry, but that doesn't sound very fair to me. I've always wondered about that. :confused:



PCB, here's what I was taught about the trinity as a child: There is one God. He created Jesus, to go out to people on earth. He created the Holy Spirit, to go out to people in their thoughts and minds. Jesus and the Holy Spirit were created by God, so they are parts of God himself ... made from his holiness. Make sense? Of course not!! ;)




As Muslims, we are required to believe God revealed the Torah to Moses, and the Bible to Jesus. We do believe those books too, were the true words of God, however, we believe certain parts in these books have been altered, or written by man over the centuries, so we cannot take everything in them as what God originally revealed at the time of Moses and Jesus.

PCB, I am more and more impressed by your religion as I read your posts, PCB. It seems to me that Islam is much more tolerant and open-minded toward Judaism and Christianity then Judaism and Christianity are towards Islam.



In other words, we do not believe God sent different religions. We believe God sent the same message, to Moses, to Jesus, to Mohammad, and to every other Prophet,

That is a very interesting, and appealing, idea. I'll have to give that one some thought ......

[Tonya]

Great thread!

My beliefs are fairly simple. (At least I think so.)

I'm a Christian. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. I don't believe that banging on people's doors or going to church is necessary in order to love God.

I believe that the only thing that you need to do is love and accept Christ in order to get into Heaven because our God is a forgiving God. I think that we should love Christ enough to want to do good deeds, but I don't think it's mandatory to be perfect in order to get in.

[Desert Arabian]

I practice Yellow Labrador Obsessism- oh wait, that's not a religion...

I'm (100%) atheist. Not much to it.

[IttyBittyKitty]

Originally posted by Tonya
Great thread!

My beliefs are fairly simple. (At least I think so.)

I'm a Christian. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. I don't believe that banging on people's doors or going to church is necessary in order to love God.

I believe that the only thing that you need to do is love and accept Christ in order to get into Heaven because our God is a forgiving God. I think that we should love Christ enough to want to do good deeds, but I don't think it's mandatory to be perfect in order to get in.

Tonya, THANK YOU ... this is my faith EXACTLY ... I didn't think I really identified with Deism, as I still love and believe in Jesus ... but I am kinda outside the church at the moment and kinda going through some "disagreements" with God :)

[catnapper]

Boy have I been out of the loop!

I was raised Catholic. As a kid, I thought it was great. As a young adult, I have had many issues with the religion. But since this is talking about our religion, and not debating it...

for PCB: I have always understood the trinity but can't really explain it. To me, The Father, Son and The Holy Ghosts are one in the same, but each has different roles... kind of like you can be wife, mother, daughter (if you're not a mother, pick another role :) )... you are still you, but you play different roles throughout your life, with different people and different reasons. So imagine putting yourself a triangle - the whole of you is the triangle, but you should divide yourself equally among your various roles. Thats about the best way to describe it. I am in no way a religious explainer. :D

Baptism is a symbolic ceremony where the priest washes away original sin. Thats about it for baptism.

I am Catholic and define my beliefs that way. I do not attend church, rather I beleive that every person in themselves is the church. In 5th grade, my teacher wrote CHURCH on the board and said the UR in church meant that YOU ARE... that was very powerful to me for some reason and I have never forgotten it. I carry my beliefs with me everywhere I go. I try to be the ebst person possible.

Since this thread is about religion, I thought you might be interested to know that my father is Faith Tabernacle. That is the religion that beleives in God's will and does not take medicine or go to doctors. My mom was considered and outsider and a "worldly person" when she married him, and the marriage didn;t last long because of the persecution she received form his family and the church. I know nothing of the religion other than they are very zealous and strict.

My Father-in-law is Mennonite. He's in the new order - which means they are allowed to own regular cars (old order own cars, but paint the bumpers balck - nothing flashy is allowed.) I know next to nothing about this religion too.... FIL would gladly talk for hours about it and it tends to turn everyone off since he's preachy about it. :rolleyes: If anyone's interested, I can ask him questions about it tomorrow. :)

[2kitties]

Originally posted by Tonya
I'm a Christian. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. I don't believe that banging on people's doors or going to church is necessary in order to love God.

Amen. My dad always says that going to Church doesn't make you any more a Christian than standing in a barn makes you a tractor.

[2kitties]

Well Pops, I didn't quote your whole post, but I'll say it is great. I learned a great deal from it! I'll try to quickly answer some of your questions as I understand them.

First, I'll say that I am Christian, Lutheran to be exact. However, my personal religion/relationship with God varies a little. I feel that God gave us free will and free thought and so to assume that I would align myself specifically and wholy with one sect, insults the gift of free thought. God wants us to question and thing for ourselves. If we all thougth the same thing, then there would only be one religion totally, much less a zillion different schools of thought within one religion (lutheran, catholic, baptist, methdist, etc.)

okay, anyway.
Do you really believe children are born sinful, and that they need Jesus to *save* them, otherwise they are destined to Hell? In other words.........do you believe anyone who is *not* a Christian is going to Hell? some do think that, it's true. I personally believe it is arrogant for any human to presume they can say who is going to Heaven or Hell. Do the best you can in this life. God will do the judging.
I believe that you can read any holy book and find words that will say almost anything you want them to say. I take them as guides, but not literal. For instance, I believe that science and God can go hand in hand. I believe that in the beginning, one of two things could have occurred. 1. A day was not equal to 24 hours. Or 2. The bible is metaphorical. Science is showing us that in our time, certianly things did not happen in 7 24 hour intervals. But that doesn't bug me. I think that if God wanted to make a day equal a million years, or if he wanted to make a Big Bang... well, he's God so I suppose he could do whatever he wants!:D I personally don't think it is wise to assume that because the Bible tells us it is okay, that we can sell our youngest daughter into slavery. Yes, it says that!


Originally posted by popcornbird
What do you believe about Jesus? How much do your beliefs differ from our's? While I disagree with many Christian things, i feel that it's the basics that are improtant to us. Virgin Birth, Crucifiction, Resurrection. Those are the biggies for me. I've never understood Christians who spend so much time arguing with one another over the minutia of the Bible. I mean, do we really honestly care if Mary Magdalene was a whore or royal decendant? Does it honestly matter in the grand scheme of things? Not to me. If Jesus wanted a wife- well, that's just fine by me.


Originally posted by popcornbird
Do you worship Jesus, or do you worship God? How do you differenciate God from Jesus?

What does Trinity mean? I have never quite understood it, and would like an explanation. :o

What does it mean to baptize a child? What do you do in this process, and what does it symbolize?
Refer back to my previous post about the egg. The Holy Trinity- father son and holy ghost. I love someone's previous analogy of mother, wife and daughter. We believe Jesus was God made flesh. Imagine God cut off his little toe and made it into a baby. i know- silly, but it makes the point. Jesus is God made flesh. Is he a son.... in the human sense... I don't know. Maybe that is the way the deciples wrote it in the bible because that is a way humans can comprehend the relationship..... I don't know. But it works for me so I'll take it!

Babies are baptized in my church. I was baptized as an infant. My father joined our church after marrying my mother and was baptized as an adult. People have explained our idea of original sin pretty well here, I think. But I do think it's an abstract thought. I mean, we're born human, which is sinful by nature. But God only makes perfect things..... so doesn't that sort of collide?

Heck if I know.

This is fun ya'll!!!!

[Maresche]

Originally posted by 2kitties
I feel that God gave us free will and free thought and so to assume that I would align myself specifically and wholy with one sect, insults the gift of free thought. God wants us to question and thing for ourselves.

Oh my goodness! I thought I was the only one who thought this way! :eek:

[RICHARD]

Originally posted by sirrahbed

What do you call a man witch in your religion?




a Mitch.

[sirrahbed]

Originally posted by RICHARD
a Mitch.

RICHARD!!!!!!!

[RICHARD]

Originally posted by sirrahbed
RICHARD!!!!!!!

What?;)

[sirrahbed]

Originally posted by RICHARD
What?;)

:rolleyes:

[carole]

BOY are we getting religious in here, just jokin, seriously I wondered if there were any PT members who are in the Bahai Faith, I used to share a house with a girl who was, and it was an interesting faith, not that I know a lot about it, but I felt it was particularly good for women, correct me if I am wrong, anyway just curious?

[popcornbird]

Originally posted by Twisterdog






That is an EXCELLENT question. I have often wondered about that myself. Frankly, the whole thing with Jesus brings up a zillion questions for me. I suppose it does for anyone ... except those rare and wonderful people, like my dear Grandma, who simply believe the Bible, word for word, at face value, without a thought of questioning anything. That is TRUE faith ... and, alas, I don't have it, I suppose. My mom says that Jews who lived before Jesus, and believed in God, will go to Heaven and be saved ... because they were following God's word and worshipping him. They couldn't very well worship someone who didn't exist on Earth yet. Which opens another can of worms for me.....

God was just God, and his followers were Jews. All was well for thousands of years. All of a sudden, God sends his son down to Earth as a baby named Jesus, and all the Jews are supposed to change their belief over night ... beliefs they have held for thousands of years. They are supposed to say, "Ooops, we were wrong. We aren't Jews anymore ... now we're Christians. We will follow the teachings of this young radical, proclaiming to be the son of God, and we will abandon the only religion we have ever known ... a religion which was just fine with God only yesterday, mind you. And if we don't, suddenly we'll go to Hell." Uuummmmm, ok. Sorry, but that doesn't sound very fair to me. I've always wondered about that. :confused:


This is a question that had ALWAYS hit my mind ever since I was a child, growing up. In my case, I would wonder.......what about the people before Mohammad?? This was of course, when I was younger, and didn't exactly know what my religion said about this. As I got older, I realized that we believe there is only one religion before God, only one religion that God sent to mankind, and it was mankind who changed it, and created differences amongst themselves. We believe Adam was a Prophet, too, so we believe, right from the beginning, God sent His Message to mankind.........the same message. We also believe the *Jews*, or the followers of Moses were believers. The Quran is full of stories about them, and about the followers of Jesus too. We believe Moses, Jesus, and all other Prophets were Muslims too. The term *Muslim* actually means *One who submits to God*. So from our belief, the believers before Mohammad were no different than us.......that they will have the same accountability before God.......that they worshipped the same God as us, and they didn't have to worry about worshipping someone who wasn't born yet, because God was always there, and Jesus wasn't. We believe Islam to be the completion of God's Word for all of mankind, but no different than what God originally revealed before. We don't worship Mohammad, or Jesus, or Moses, or any of the Prophets..........ONLY God (as in ONE God........I still don't understand Trinity :o:o:o), so I don't see any confusion from an Islamic point of view on this issue. The people following Prophets before Mohammad were believers of the same message, in our faith.

Now, if you are wondering why I'm confused/questioning the aspect of Trinity when I *do* firmly believe God revealed the Bible to Jesus, its because, as I mentioned earlier, we believe mankind altered those Holy Books over the centuries, and from our beliefs, the Trinity issue is one of the aspects that was altered. In other words, from our faith, we don't believe God really said He is 3 in 1. We believe that was added later on, because the Bible was compiled years after Jesus had left this world......not right away. That is why so many things in Judhism and Christianity are the same as Islam. Just like Jews can't eat pork as we can't, and the Bible contains the same stories of Prophets as the Quran does.......we do believe a lot of the Bible even today, is the Word of God, but we don't take it because we can't believe in what we believe to be the man-written parts. I must say though, I love reading the Bible and comparing it to the Quran, because you can really see the similarities/differences between the two, and it gives a clearer picture of both religions.



PCB, here's what I was taught about the trinity as a child: There is one God. He created Jesus, to go out to people on earth. He created the Holy Spirit, to go out to people in their thoughts and minds. Jesus and the Holy Spirit were created by God, so they are parts of God himself ... made from his holiness. Make sense? Of course not!! ;)

You're right. Of course not. :p Maybe I'm confused because everything I've been taught in my religion has always been so clear and did make complete sense to me, so I just can't understand this. :o I have never questioned what God said in the Quran.......I do have true faith in that, but I have never read anything that confused me so bad in the Quran either. It has all, always made sense to me.





PCB, I am more and more impressed by your religion as I read your posts, PCB. It seems to me that Islam is much more tolerant and open-minded toward Judaism and Christianity then Judaism and Christianity are towards Islam.




That is a very interesting, and appealing, idea. I'll have to give that one some thought ......

This is because in the Quran, God has given us a clear picture of the people before Mohammad, the believers........who were the Jews and Christians of the time. We don't believe Islam to be a different religion to what God revealed to Prophets before. The differences between us today, are because of what we believe to be man-written changes in previous books. I don't think most Jews and Christians of today really *know* about Muslims and what they truely believe in.........Lots of misunderstanding........unfortunately.

I love this thread. I'm learning so much! Thanks for all the answers everyone!

I thought I would share some more of what the Quran says on Jesus. *Gosh the internet makes it SO easy to search for the verses you're looking for! :p*


42. Behold! the angels said: "O Mary! God hath chosen thee and purified thee- chosen thee above the women of all nations.

43. "O Mary! worship Thy Lord devoutly: Prostrate thyself, and bow down (in prayer) with those who bow down."

44. This is part of the tidings of the things unseen, which We reveal unto thee (O Messenger.) by inspiration: Thou wast not with them when they cast lots with arrows, as to which of them should be charged with the care of Mary: Nor wast thou with them when they disputed (the point).

45. Behold! the angels said: "O Mary! God giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name will be Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honour in this world and the Hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest to God.

46. "He shall speak to the people in childhood and in maturity. And he shall be (of the company) of the righteous."

47. She said: "O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man hath touched me?" He said: "Even so: God createth what He willeth: When He hath decreed a plan, He but saith to it, 'Be,' and it is!

48. "And God will teach him the Book and Wisdom, the Law and the Gospel,

49. "And (appoint him *Jesus*) an apostle to the Children of Israel, (with this message): "'I have come to you, with a Sign from your Lord, in that I make for you out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God's leave: And I heal those born blind, and the lepers, and I quicken the dead, by God's leave; and I declare to you what ye eat, and what ye store in your houses. Surely therein is a Sign for you if ye did believe;

50. "'(I have come to you), to attest the Law which was before me. And to make lawful to you part of what was (Before) forbidden to you; I have come to you with a Sign from your Lord. So fear God, and obey me.

51. "'It is God Who is my Lord and your Lord; then worship Him. This is a Way that is straight.'"

52. When Jesus found Unbelief on their part He said: "Who will be My helpers to (the work of) Gpd." Said the disciples: "We are God's helpers: We believe in God, and do thou bear witness that we are Muslims (submitters to the Will of God).

53. "Our Lord! we believe in what Thou hast revealed, and we follow the Messenger. then write us down among those who bear witness."

54. And (the disbelievers) plotted and planned, and God too planned, and the best of planners is God.

55. Behold! God said: "O Jesus! I will take thee and raise thee to Myself and clear thee (of the falsehoods) of those who blaspheme; I will make those who follow thee superior to those who reject faith, to the Day of Resurrection: Then shall ye all return unto me, and I will judge between you of the matters wherein ye dispute.

56. "As to those who reject faith, I will punish them with terrible agony in this world and in the Hereafter, nor will they have anyone to help."

57. "As to those who believe and work righteousness, God will pay them (in full) their reward; but God loveth not those who do wrong."

58. "This is what we rehearse unto thee of the Signs and the Message of Wisdom."

59. The similitude of Jesus before God is as that of Adam; He created him (Adam) from dust, then said to him: "Be". And he was.

60. The Truth (comes) from God alone; so be not of those who doubt.
Quran; 3, 42-60

[lat192004]

Hello forum members;

What an interesting discussion here! To start with I'm not religious. Not even a little bit. Jesus to me was a teacher, and an important religious leader. His influence is still felt today in his teachings and followers. God to me is an abstract idea, I have no idea what God really is. The more we study our universe, the faster old theories go to the wayside, but we still don't have a handle on what God is.Maybe it's beyond our comprehension, it is for me. You can read and study the Bible and take it's word for fact, as many people do.The structure it provides has saved many a life. Some folks really need the Bible and Jesus Christ. It provides a sense of security for them to lead a normal life. ....So, where do I get the courage and strengh to keep going on in this crazy world? It comes from within. It is not Jesus, God, or anyone.The power comes from within me, I can't explain it. Religion, Jesus,God, and whatever you pray to is the way many turn on that inner power that resides in our souls. That power is there for everyone, except some folks go about getting it in different ways,using God, Jesus, meditation, and even chemical agents. I don't go to church, don't pray, don't worry about going to heaven or hell or worry that God is going to punish us all if we sin by sending us all to a fiery death forever... For me life is simple:treat people nice, don't hurt others, respect others and treat people as you would like to be treated yourself. I don't complicate my life with do's and don'ts and complicated rules found in the Bible which some follow and others don't. We will all die someday, it's a fact of life! While you are here alive, live everyday as if it's your last. Be nice to people AND animals, of course! It's good Karma!

I really cannot think of anything else here, but it does prove that pet owners and animal lovers are deep thinkers. Just reading the posts prove it. All different ideas, no right or wrong, whatever works for the individual is what counts. And I still don't know what God is, except there seems to be an order to things, some form of control, some mysterious force and drive to it all. Maybe some day I will have the answer. The famous scientist Einstein was working on something he called "the theory of everything". He died before he could finish it. This theory may have given us a clue to what God and the universe is. In case anyone wonders what my religion is, it is close to Universal Unitarian.

I really enjoy this forum, nice people here. Pet lovers, naturally! :D :D

[IttyBittyKitty]

Originally posted by RICHARD
a Mitch.

LOL ... and what is your religion Richard? :p

[IttyBittyKitty]

Originally posted by carole
BOY are we getting religious in here, just jokin, seriously I wondered if there were any PT members who are in the Bahai Faith, I used to share a house with a girl who was, and it was an interesting faith, not that I know a lot about it, but I felt it was particularly good for women, correct me if I am wrong, anyway just curious?

I knew a girl at school who was of that faith, and she was THE nicest, sweetest and kindest person you'd ever meet in a day's walk.

[carole]

Funny you should say that Tam, my flatmate Karen, was like that too the most sweet, kind and bubbly person, I can remember one thing though, she had a really nice Tongan boyfriend, who she wanted to marry , her parents forbade it, and because of her faith she would not marry him, there was a happy ending though, her parents finally gave permission and she went to live in Tonga with him, and I remember she came back to NZ to have a baby.

[lat192004]

Originally posted by Tubby & Peanut's Mom
I guess this means you're really comfortable with us PT'ers, eh Kimmy? Thanks for feeling that way. :D

And thanks to everybody for sharing. People are so often afraid to discuss religion and it's refreshing to have a civil discussion about it.....so far anyway. ;)

I find this refreshing that people are so open here. I'm still reading. I disconnected my dial-up, clicked off-line, and away I go. It is amazing that this discussion has remained civil, usually a religious topic goes sour pretty fast, but this is different. Great topic:)

[RICHARD]

Originally posted by IttyBittyKitty
LOL ... and what is your religion Richard? :p

The Church of the Easily Amused....It's a cult.

:rolleyes:;)

[IttyBittyKitty]

Originally posted by RICHARD
The Church of the Easily Amused....It's a cult.

:rolleyes:;)

Can we join????? He he!

[RICHARD]

You all can join,

No tithes, no church and no 'mitches'.....

no rules, no Kool Aid and no comets to hitch your star to....

;)

[ChrisH]

Great thread WolfChan! :) And special thanks to you, Kimmy, and Popcornbird, very interesting. :)

[CountryWolf07]

Wow, what an interesting thread.. definitely interesting..

I'm a Roman Catholic.. but I don't attend church, just on holidays, only..

I believe in God, I believe there's the Heaven, but I am not certain if there's really a Hell. I do believe that we go somewhere after we are finished with our time here on Earth.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

PopcornBird,

Do you really believe children are born sinful, and that they need Jesus to *save* them, otherwise they are destined to Hell? In other words.........do you believe anyone who is *not* a Christian is going to Hell? Yes I believe we are born sinners. However I believe that if a baby dies at birth or any really young age they will go to heaven. When a child reaches the age of accountability (knowing right from wrong) that is when they are "responsible" for their actions and need Jesus to save them.

What do you believe about Jesus? I believe that Jesus is Gods son sent to earth as the ultimate sacrifice to save us from sin. He was born sinless and remained sinless his whole 33 years on this earth. In order to be born without sin he needed to be born of a virgin. Jesus went out teaching and healing people. I believe that Jesus was tortured and hung on a cross. Altho he could have called to his father to be removed, he didn't. He endured the pain and suffering for me, because he is my "ticket" to heaven. Jesus died on the cross and was buried in a tomb with a large rock in front of it. 3 days after he was buried he got up and walked through the rock, he walked out of the tomb. He is Alive!!! He is in heaven with his father and all those who believe in him.

Do you worship Jesus, or do you worship God? How do you differenciate God from Jesus? God is the father and Jesus is the son. Basically they are one in the same, just in 2 different forms. God is God and Jesus is God as man. I worship them both the same.

What does Trinity mean? I have never quite understood it, and would like an explanation. :o The Trinity is the father, the son, and the holy ghost. They are all God, just different forms.

What does it mean to baptize a child? What do you do in this process, and what does it symbolize? To be baptized as a baby means nothing, I don't believe in that. I believe that you should be baptized after you have accepted Jesus as your saviour and prayed for salvation. When your baptized you are put into water (completly covered, head and all) and then you get up and out of the water. This is to symbolize the burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is also to show that you love Jesus and are not ashamed if him.

I think that you can be a christian without going to church. However I think it's important to fellowship and be with other christians, which is a good reason to go to church. I have other reasons too. Just for the record I'll also say that I don't believe in Divorce or homosexuality. I do believe that a wife should submit to her husband. I think the couple should try to compromise but in the end the husband makes the final decision. I don't believe that a woman should be a pastor of a church. These are all very controversial topics, but this is what I believe.

[carole]

I am curious as to which faith you belong? you have certainly opened up a can of worms for discussion here, I have to say I could not disagree with you more , especially on your last statement about men making the final decisions and women not holding positions in any church, and women submitting to their husbands, this is 2004, regardless of your faith surely you can see this is wrong to have women still treated as second class citizens, however I respect your beliefs and you have a right to them, I just feel completely the opposite to you in most of the things you said, except that people can be christians without going to church, that one I agree with 100 per cent.

[guster girl]

I'm usually all for healthy debates. But, don't forget the title of this thread. I think another thread could be started, or pms could be sent, but, this thread has been really civil and strictly for learning purposes. It's been really nice so far, let's keep it that way. Peace....

[Cincy'sMom]

Originally posted by KBlaix


What does it mean to baptize a child? What do you do in this process, and what does it symbolize? To be baptized as a baby means nothing,

I was with you up to this statement. Obviously, this goes against your personal beliefs, and may mean nothing to you, but that does not mean it means nothing.

When child is baptised, their parents are dedicating their child to God and promising to raise their child in the church. They are asking God to accept their child into his family.

I was raised Roman Catholic, so I can not speak for other religions that baptise children, but in the Catholic faith, Baptisim is reaffirmed in Confirmation. This is when the "child" can now speak for themselves and makes an adult decision to be part of the church. When I was in school, this was done in the 8th grade (too early to make an adult decision in my opinion) and now many churches are doing it even earlier. I think that confirmation should happen when and if the "child" chooses, not at the age the church dictates. Just my opinion.




As I said, I was raised Roman Catholic, although I do not regularly attend church now. I have vistied many different churches, and was active in a Baptist youth group, although I was not a member of the church.

My biggest problem with religions in general is that everyone thinks they are right. "If you don't go to church X, you will not go to heaven" I do not believe that. I also think that while some people's intentions are good, they are so dedicated to their particular religious denomination they close their minds to all other views. I have sen or been in many discussions where people will quote the Bible left and right to defend their view, but when an opposite view supported by a Bible quote no response is made or the topic is changed.

[CathyBogart]

Hey hey now...I started this to LEARN about different faiths...it's a discussion and exchange of information, and while technically this still fits those criteria. I don't want to see this thread get locked, because I've been ENTHRALLED so far! :)

[sirrahved]

Originally posted by GoldenRetrLuver
I'm technically Catholic. I was baptized in a Catholic church, had my first communion, and went to CCD for five years. (A sort of 'program' to learn more about the religion, and what you have to take in order to have your first communion.) I could honestly say, that I forgot *most* of what I learned. :o

I don't consider myself an athiest; I do believe in a God, but I don't agree with what the religon teaches.

I have a question for Christians- Is it true that you have to be 'saved' in order to enter heaven? if so, could you explain a little bit about that, please? Just wondering. :)

Maybe this is a trifle late to be answering this, but I'd like to take a shot just the same.

Using the term "saved" generally implies making a decision for Christ. Some denominations of Christianity believe in this, some don't.

I believe that we get to heaven only by the grace of God. I believe we are all horrible, wretched people. We cannot make a decision to follow God, we can only turn away from Him. We have to have faith, but our faith comes from God.

Does this make sense?

[Logan]

I thought I'd try to "lighten" the mood a bit. This came by email this morning.

This is worth reading!!

Subject: Children Letters to God

> 1. Dear God,
> >
> > Please put another holiday between Christmas and Easter.
> > There is nothing good in there now.
> >
> > Amanda
> > **************************************
> > 2. Dear God,
> >
> > Thank you for the baby brother but what I asked for was a
> > puppy. I never asked for anything before. You can look it up.
> >
> > Joyce
> > **************************************
> > 3. Dear Mr. God,
> >
> > I wish you would not make it so easy for people to come apart.
> > I had to have 3 stitches and a shot.
> >
> > Janet
> > **************************************
> > 4. Dear God,
> >
> > If we come back as somebody else, please don't let me be
> > Jennifer Horton - because I hate her.
> >
> > Denise
> > **************************************6. God,
> > Dear God,
> >
> > I read the bible. What does begat mean? Nobody will tell me.
> >
> > Love, Alison
> > **************************************
> > 7. Dear God,
> >
> > How did you know you were God? Who told you?
> >
> > Charlene
> > **************************************
> > 8. Dear God,
> >
> > Is it true my Father won't get in Heaven if he uses his golf
> > words in the house?
> >
> > Anita
> > **************************************
> > 9. Dear God,
> >
> > I bet it's very hard for you to love all of everybody in the
> > whole world. There are only 4 people in our family and I can never
> > do it.
> >
> > Nan
> > **************************************
> > 10. Dear God,
> >
> > Did you really mean, Do Unto Others As They Do Unto You? If you
> > did then I'm going to get even with my brother.
> >
> > Darla
> > **************************************
> > 11. Dear God,
> >
> > I like the story about Chanukah the best of all of them. You
> > really made up some good ones. I like walking on water, too.
> >
> > Glenn
> > **************************************
> > 12. Dear God,
> >
> > My Grandpa says you were around when he was a little boy. How
> > far back do you go?
> >
> > Love, Dennis
> > *************************************
> > 13. Dear God,
> >
> > Do you draw the lines around the countries? If you don't, who
> > does?
> >
> > Nan
> > *************************************
> > 14. Dear God,
> >
> > It's O. K. that you made different religions but don't you get
> > mixed up sometimes?
> >
> > Arnold
> >
> > *************************************
> > 15. Dear God,
> >
> > Did you mean for giraffes to look like that or was it an
> > accident?
> >
> > Norma
> > *************************************
> > 16. Dear God,
> >
> > In bible times, did they really talk that fancy?
> >
> > Jennifer
> > *************************************
> > 17. Dear God,
> >
> > What does it mean you are a jealous God? I thought you had
> > everything you wanted.
> >
> > Jane
> > *************************************
> > 18. Dear God,
> >
> > How come you did all those miracles in the old days and don't do
> > many now?
> >
> > Seymour
> > *************************************
> > 19. Dear God,
> >
> > Please send Dennis to a different summer camp this year.
> >
> > Peter
> > *************************************
> > 20. Dear God,
> >
> > Maybe Cain and Abel would not kill each other so much if they
> > each had their own rooms. It works out OK with me and my brother.
> >
> > Larry
> > ************************************
> > 21. Dear God,
> >
> > I keep waiting for spring, but it never did come yet. What's up?
> > Don't forget.
> >
> > Mark
> > ************************************
> > 22. Dear God,
> >
> > You don't have to worry about me. I always look both ways before
> > I cross the street.
> >
> > Dean
> > ************************************
> > 23. Dear God,
> >
> > My brother told me about how you are born but it just doesn't
> > sound right. What do you say?
> >
> > Martha
> > ************************************
> > 24. Dear God,
> >
> > If you watch in Church on Sunday I will show you my new shoes.
> >
> > ************************************
> > 25. Dear God,
> >
> > Is Reverend Coe a friend of yours, or do you just know him
> > through the business?
> >
> > Donny
> > ************************************
> > 26. Dear God,
> >
> > In Sunday School they told us what you do for a job.
> > Who does it when you are on vacation?
> >
> > Jane
> > ************************************
> > 27. Dear God,
> >
> > In school we read that Thomas Edison made light, but in Sundaym
> > School they said you did it first. Did he steal your idea?
> >
> > Sincerely, Donna
> > ************************************
> > 28. Dear God,
> >
> > I do not think anybody could be a better God than you. Well, I
> > just want you to know that. I am not just saying that because you
are
> > already God.
> >
> > Charles
> > ***********************************
> > 29. Dear God,
> >
> > It is great the way you always get the stars in the right place.
> > Why can't you do that with the moon?
> >
> > Jeff
> > ***********************************
> > 30. Dear God,
> >
> > I am doing the best I can. Really.
> >
> > Frank
> > ***********************************
> > 31. Dear God,
> >
> > I didn't think orange went with purple until I saw the sunset you
> > made on Tuesday night. That was really cool.
> >
> > Carol

[RICHARD]

Originally posted by sirrahved


Using the term "saved" generally implies making a decision for Christ.


Or...

Having a real good pitcher come out of the bullpen late in a game-when the outcome is in question.

Or....

Having a hockey goalie make a real good stop on a point blank shot....;)

----------------------------------

?????

Ship of Fools to run 3D church service

The world's first "three-dimensional" internet church service is being launched next month.

The service, on the Ship of Fools satirical Christian website, will have cartoon characters for a congregation. It will also feature wooden pews.

The service will be celebrated by a priest who will appear in cartoon form and who will be able to move around the church.

The congregation will be able to log on and see themselves as cartoon characters on the screen.

Simon Jenkins, the website's editor said: "We're running this as an experiment for three months and we are looking forward to seeing how people use the church and what they get out of it."

The service begins on May 11.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

Originally posted by Cincy'sMom
I was with you up to this statement. Obviously, this goes against your personal beliefs, and may mean nothing to you, but that does not mean it means nothing.

When child is baptised, their parents are dedicating their child to God and promising to raise their child in the church. They are asking God to accept their child into his family.

I was raised Roman Catholic, so I can not speak for other religions that baptise children, but in the Catholic faith, Baptisim is reaffirmed in Confirmation. This is when the "child" can now speak for themselves and makes an adult decision to be part of the church. When I was in school, this was done in the 8th grade (too early to make an adult decision in my opinion) and now many churches are doing it even earlier. I think that confirmation should happen when and if the "child" chooses, not at the age the church dictates. Just my opinion.
I'm Baptist. We do have a ceremony in which parents dedicate their baby to the Lord and vow to love and raise them in his name. However baptism is totally different we don't baptize a person until they are saved. I didn't mean to offend you or any one, that is just the way and beliefs of a baptist.


I am curious as to which faith you belong? you have certainly opened up a can of worms for discussion here, I have to say I could not disagree with you more , especially on your last statement about men making the final decisions and women not holding positions in any church, and women submitting to their husbands, this is 2004, regardless of your faith surely you can see this is wrong to have women still treated as second class citizens, however I respect your beliefs and you have a right to them, I just feel completely the opposite to you in most of the things you said, except that people can be christians without going to church, that one I agree with 100 per cent.

I don't want to turn this into a big thing, this is just what I believe, which is what this thread is about. I never said that a woman shouldn't or couldn't hold a position in any church. What I said was I don't believe that a woman should be a pastor. I understand that this is 2004 but I think there is a lot wrong in 2004.

[Logan]

Kblaix, I think you stated your opinion and your views, which is what this thread is all about, whether somoene agrees or disagrees.

In the Methodist faith, which I follow, we baptize infants, and it is as ceremony that involves the parents, loved ones, and the whole congregation, who are all agreeing to bring up this infant in our faith, and to support their parents, much like the dedication in the Baptist fait.

Logan

[carole]

I wish to say I am sorry, I realise this is not mean't to be a debating thread, and I was doing that, I really never mean't to come across that way, and I do respect each individuals opinions, I Did not mean to challenge your views, I have no intention of turning this thread into something its not mean't to be.

I have found it interesting to read about what people believe, its been quite an eye-opener to me.

[Cataholic]

As a presbyterian, we also follow the baptism of infants, with a vow from the family/congregation to bring the infant up as a child of God. Then, in 7th or 8th grade, we go through Confirmation, and make a personal statement to the church of our faith.

[Cincy'sMom]

Originally posted by KBlaix
I'm Baptist. We do have a ceremony in which parents dedicate their baby to the Lord and vow to love and raise them in his name. However baptism is totally different we don't baptize a person until they are saved. I didn't mean to offend you or any one, that is just the way and beliefs of a baptist.





KBlaix,

I assumed from your post that you were batptist or something simliar, becuase I have many friends with your same beliefs and they are. (I know never assume!) I have no problem with your belifes. I was just trying to point out ( and I think I did so poorly) that while baptism as a child means nothing in your religion, it does have a meaning to others. Since Popcornbird was asking and she is not a christian, your answer could have been interpretted to mean it is a pointless thing to all christian religions. Maybe a better explain by you would have been, "while my religion does not recognize a baptsim as a child others do blah blah blah" I did not mean to offened or imply that I was offended. Just trying to clear up the point for a non-christian.

Does that make any sense?

[smokey the elder]

This thread is neat.

I was brought up Congregationalist, and there's a lot to like about that brand of Christianity. It is a quite simple denomination, in terms of ceremony. We had baptisms of infants, Holy Communion, and special Christmas and Lenten/Easter services. One went through Sunday school and confirmation, and affirmed themselves as a member, typically on Maundy Thursday, which was also first Communion.

I don't attend church regularly, but sing with a group who performs as a guest choir at different churches so I see a number of variations of the theme of Christianity. They are more similar than different.

My personal beliefs would be considered convoluted at best. I don't think you can fully describe God. I believe there is a Supreme Being, who shows different faces at different times to individuals and/or groups. My view of the whole Trinity thing is that it's a matter of faith, and one can go nuts trying to make logic of it. There's logic, but it's God's not of man.

My "religion" doesn't really have a name, I guess. I do believe in the many equivalents of the Golden Rule, and most definitely in karma, or you reap what you sow.

[popcornbird]

How many sects are there in Christianity? I always knew there were several, but I didn't know they differ so much. :o

[CathyBogart]

Originally posted by popcornbird
How many sects are there in Christianity? I always knew there were several, but I didn't know they differ so much. :o

I've never tried to count, but there are quite a few!!

[RICHARD]

Originally posted by popcornbird
How many sects are there in Christianity?

There is alot of sects in Christianity.

The problem is they don't believe in birth control.:rolleyes:

[Logan]

Originally posted by RICHARD
There is alot of sects in Christianity.

The problem is they don't believe in birth control.:rolleyes:

Richard!!! :eek: You are too funny for your own good!!! LOL!!

Popcornbird, that is not true, although there are some people of Christian faith who do not believe in birth control, most are not that way.

Logan

[popcornbird]

Originally posted by Logan
Richard!!! :eek: You are too funny for your own good!!! LOL!!

Popcornbird, that is not true, although there are some people of Christian faith who do not believe in birth control, most are not that way.

Logan

I knew I didn't need to believe Richard anyway, Logan. ;);)

LOL!

[Cincy'sMom]

Originally posted by popcornbird
How many sects are there in Christianity? I always knew there were several, but I didn't know they differ so much. :o

I would be interesting to know, but I am not sure it would be possible to count.

Even within Catholic, there is Roman, and Eastern Orthodox. Some catholic churches are very traditionalist and others are more "modern" . And that is true of any christian religion.
My ex-boyfriend could only go to Baptist churches that belonged to the Council of Regular Baptist churches ( or a name similiar to that).
I have two friends who both go to fundalmentalist churches and their beliefs are almost indentical, expect that one friend believes in speaking in tongues, the other does not. Tothe non-tongues speaking friend, that is a major point and she would not consider dating someone on that point alone.

[ramanth]

Originally posted by ChrisH
Great thread WolfChan! :) And special thanks to you, Kimmy, and Popcornbird, very interesting. :)
Awww. Thank you Chris. :)

Kudos to all. :D

[sirrahved]

As a Lutheran (LCMS), we believe in grace alone saving through faith. We baptize infants, believe that women should not be pastors, elders, or the president of a congregation. Most of us believe that speaking in tongues was something that had a specific purpose when it was used, and God no longer uses it. We believe in the trinity, that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three beings and one being. I can't think of anything else particularly special...

[BitsyNaceyDog]

Originally posted by Cincy'sMom
KBlaix,

I assumed from your post that you were batptist or something simliar, becuase I have many friends with your same beliefs and they are. (I know never assume!) I have no problem with your belifes. I was just trying to point out ( and I think I did so poorly) that while baptism as a child means nothing in your religion, it does have a meaning to others. Since Popcornbird was asking and she is not a christian, your answer could have been interpretted to mean it is a pointless thing to all christian religions. Maybe a better explain by you would have been, "while my religion does not recognize a baptsim as a child others do blah blah blah" I did not mean to offened or imply that I was offended. Just trying to clear up the point for a non-christian.

Does that make any sense?

I apologize, I did say that very poorly.
I do have a question, do you have a second baptism after you've been saved?

[Cincy'sMom]

Originally posted by KBlaix

I do have a question, do you have a second baptism after you've been saved?

In general, most Catholics, will say they have been Confirmed, not saved. In my interpretation, the underlying meaning is the same. You are making an adult to decision to live your life in the teachings of the church, you ask God into your heart and to help guide you. There is no second Baptism associated with this, and no Baptism by submiersion is done at any stage. There is, however, a renewal of baptism vows, in which you state these intentions and promsie to reject Satan and all his evil ways. You are also anoited with a special oil.

[NoahsMommy]

How on earth did I miss this thread? ;)

My beliefs are similar to those of Sirrahbed and Sara.

Some beliefs I'd like to add:

-I don't like to call myself anything more than Christian...even then, that's only because I believe in Jesus Christ.

-The woman/church thing. I believe that if God called me to a leadership role in a church, I'd take it. I'm a big time feminist, but also close to God. I pray all the time and go to Him for everything...I feel that if I were wrong, it would have been put on my heart a long time ago. My inlaws do believe women shouldn't hold certain leadership roles in church, my husband may very well believe the same...but they all know not to utter even the slightest opinion around me. ;)

-Baptism. I was baptised a year ago. I believe baptism is something one should do when they are old enough to fully grasp what it is. Baptism is desplay of one's faith in Jesus and God. I personally don't feel a child is capable of doing that and having it truly mean something.

-Children and sin. I think Sara and Serrahbed explained it exactly how I would have. Its kind of like if someone living in some remote wilderness dies....what if they didn't know God (any religion), would they go to hell? No, God bases where we're going on our heart...if one that died in that desolate wilderness enjoyed torturing animals, they most likely wouldn't meet me in heaven. ;) Does that make sense?

-Here's a hot topic...tithing. I feel that by giving $$ to God's children "counts" in the giving category. Not all giving needs to be at a church. I believe God puts certain things on people hearts, for me its His animals and sick children.

-Another hot topic...church membership. Its not for me. I think its good that people join together, they are stronger and can accomplish a lot more. Its great, but not for me. I don't feel I need to be tied to ONE specific church or religous label to be the person God wants me to be. I love attending church because I learn more every time and I get to praise the Lord through song. But I don't feel I need to stay in one place to do that. I can praise Him at home or at my grandmother's church.

Those are just my beliefs, not those of Sara or Sirrahbed. Don't want to sound like I was talking for them. :D

This is a great thread. I didn't know ANYTHING about Paganism and I find it so very interesting. Thanks for starting this thread. :)

[primabella]

This is a great thread! I didn't get a chance to read through it all but I did learn quite a bit. Thanks for starting it WolfChan.

I am also a Christian.


Some beliefs I'd like to add:
-I don't like to call myself anything more than Christian...even then, that's only because I believe in Jesus Christ.

-The woman/church thing. I believe that if God called me to a leadership role in a church, I'd take it. I'm a big time feminist, but also close to God. I pray all the time and go to Him for everything...I feel that if I were wrong, it would have been put on my heart a long time ago. My inlaws do believe women shouldn't hold certain leadership roles in church, my husband may very well believe the same...but they all know not to utter even the slightest opinion around me.

-Baptism. I was baptised a year ago. I believe baptism is something one should do when they are old enough to fully grasp what it is. Baptism is desplay of one's faith in Jesus and God. I personally don't feel a child is capable of doing that and having it truly mean something.

-Children and sin. I think Sara and Serrahbed explained it exactly how I would have. Its kind of like if someone living in some remote wilderness dies....what if they didn't know God (any religion), would they go to hell? No, God bases where we're going on our heart...if one that died in that desolate wilderness enjoyed torturing animals, they most likely wouldn't meet me in heaven. Does that make sense?

-Here's a hot topic...tithing. I feel that by giving $$ to God's children "counts" in the giving category. Not all giving needs to be at a church. I believe God puts certain things on people hearts, for me its His animals and sick children.



I totally agree. As for attending church, I haven't been in a while and I don't think you need to go to church to be a "good Christian". Maybe I feel this way because our local church bothers me...the priests mutter everything and I just sit there not learning at all. I actually feel more comfortable praying to God at home. I pray during the day but mostly at night. I feel like I have a good relationship with God and He has truly helped me through some difficult times. :) Faith is just important to me.

[sirrahbed]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by NoahsMommy

Baptism is desplay of one's faith in Jesus and God.
That is a denominational difference - I do not believe baptism is a display or symbol - but rather a sacrament - a means of grace that is done by God and a miracle. My belief is that the outward show of faith is done later at confirmation and reaffirmed continually throughout life. Not a matter of salvation - just a difference. .

-Here's a hot topic...tithing. I feel that by giving $$ to God's children "counts" in the giving category. Not all giving needs to be at a church. I believe God puts certain things on people hearts, for me its His animals and sick children.
Yes, tithing has become pretty legalistic. To me and my understanding of the Bible, tithing is not just $$ - it includes time, talent, etc - just as Kelly has said. It does not mean 10% either. It *can* but that would be legalism IMHO.

-Another hot topic...church membership.
The Bible says we are not to neglect the gathering together - but church membership - I dunno. I did a search on Google and found that there are over 1000 denominations of Christians!! Sheesh! And of course each is the RIGHT one! (just kidding) I believe we need to gather with others who have similar beliefs but I have been burned by the institutional church but still belong to the Church with a "C". The closest thing I can claim is Lutheran but I do not belong to a Lutheran church. I am just a Christian.

This is a great thread. I didn't know ANYTHING about Paganism and I find it so very interesting. Thanks for starting this thread. :)

I agree - I have also enjoyed hearing about LDS, Muslims etc. Hope it continues!

[Christiansmommy]

I am a Born Again Christian.

I was raised in the Methodist church, and was also baptized as an infant (sprinkled with water). I find nothing wrong with that...i believe it is just a statement from the parents to God, saying that they want to raise up the child to be a follower of Him...it doesn't make the child become saved, and of course there is no guarentee by doing that, that the child will walk with God in their future years.

I now attend a Baptist church and feel that once you are saved (have repented, accepted Christ and want to live your life for Him), that it is important to become baptized as an adult (or whenever that time was that you became a Christian). This baptism is a public display of your faith to God...before the congregation...if you are not truely saved, and have not asked God to take over your life, and truely walk with Him, then you shouldn't become baptised. This baptism is by submersion.

I, as a child, asked Christ to come into my life an save me. However, for me personally, i don't believe that i actually became "born again", until i was older (early teens), and i was sitting in a conference in my school (Christian school), and a man teaching there one day, just said some things that clicked with me, and i felt that i had been calling myself a Christian all of those years, but not truely walking with the Lord. And no one, but myself and the Lord would ever have known...but i just felt like, now i am really gonna start living my life for Christ. And i truely became a born again Christian at that point in my life. You might ask what i mean by becoming "born again"...i had believed in God before, and read the bible, attended church, but i was lacking the personal, close relationship that I now have with Jesus...and i hadn't realized it until that day. Christ is my Savior, Father, Friend...whom i love with all of me.

[sirrahbed]

...about *Born Again*....that is a another of the 1000 denominational differences - I do not believe baptism is a display or symbol - but rather a sacrament - a means of grace that is done by God and a miracle. My belief is that the outward show of faith is done later at confirmation and reaffirmed continually throughout life. Not a matter of salvation - just a difference..... thus born again and again and again continually...:) Continuing in faith happens when the parents continue to bring that child to God's house and/or teach the child God's Word (another means of grace) This way of understanding baptism leaves all the work up to God - so we cannot take any credit for ourselves for making this good decision (known as "Decision Theology" in some circles) I do not believe it because it gives too much credit to US, IMHO - only the Holy Spirit can bring us to faith because we ourselves are spiritually dead and unable to do so. This is my belief. We are NOT going to agree. 1Peter3:21 clears it up for me - comparing the waters of baptism with Noah being saved from death - stating clearly that baptism does save. But again - a baptist will not agree with me here and it does not matter. This is not a debate - just sharing differing beliefs.

[NoahsMommy]

Originally posted by sirrahbed
Originally posted by NoahsMommy
Baptism is desplay of one's faith in Jesus and God.
That is a denominational difference - I do not believe baptism is a display or symbol - but rather a sacrament - a means of grace that is done by God and a miracle. My belief is that the outward show of faith is done later at confirmation and reaffirmed continually throughout life. Not a matter of salvation - just a difference. . [/B]
I didn't mean to make it sound only symbolic. Its a very, very spiritual thing. I was trying to convey that I personally believe, as so most churches I've attended, that it isn't a required act for salvation. Someone here asked if a baby wasn't baptised, would they got to hell. That's what I meant by it. :)

Tithing with time...I agree 100%!! :D



I, as a child, asked Christ to come into my life an save me. However, for me personally, i don't believe that i actually became "born again", until i was older (early teens), and i was sitting in a conference in my school (Christian school), and a man teaching there one day, just said some things that clicked with me, and i felt that i had been calling myself a Christian all of those years, but not truely walking with the Lord. And no one, but myself and the Lord would ever have known...but i just felt like, now i am really gonna start living my life for Christ. And i truely became a born again Christian at that point in my life. You might ask what i mean by becoming "born again"...i had believed in God before, and read the bible, attended church, but i was lacking the personal, close relationship that I now have with Jesus...and i hadn't realized it until that day. Christ is my Savior, Father, Friend...whom i love with all of me.
I love this paragraph. :) Its always very cool for me to see/read how other's come to their faith, regardless of what religion it is. Yours is very similar to how I came to be Christain as well. :)

[sirrahbed]

Just want to clarify and hope I did not border on debate about the *born again* - have been in heated debates with others about this and some who have been born into a church, baptised as infants and have never really had such a *moment* can be made to feel they missed something when in truth - they have not...I am an adult convert and while I do not really believe a *born again* experience is necessary - I do believe such experiences DO happen and sometimes repeatedly. Even Martin Luther - staunch Reformist had such an experience in his "tower" but it was the result of reading God's Word and was a renewal of growth on his journey. I can recall a time when I had been going to church for several years, I did already believe because the holy Spirit allowed me to believe, but was doing an intensive Bible study on my own in the book of John and suddenly, something just *clicked* and head knowledge became more real in my heart. Was I saved before this? Yes. Had I grown in faith? Yes. Have I *arrived*? No. It is an ongoing process. Hence being born again and again and again....etc.

But again - many Christians that have always been part of a church are no less Christian just because they have no moment of salvation or decision in their memory to claim. They were "saved" 2000 years ago when Christ died on the cross.

These are my beliefs:D

[Christiansmommy]

Originally posted by sirrahbed
Just want to clarify and hope I did not border on debate about the *born again* - have been in heated debates with others about this and some who have been born into a church, baptised as infants and have never really had such a *moment* can be made to feel they missed something when in truth - they have not...I am an adult convert and while I do not really believe a *born again* experience is necessary - I do believe such experiences DO happen and sometimes repeatedly. Even Martin Luther - staunch Reformist had such an experience in his "tower" but it was the result of reading God's Word and was a renewal of growth on his journey. I can recall a time when I had been going to church for several years, I did already believe because the holy Spirit allowed me to believe, but was doing an intensive Bible study on my own in the book of John and suddenly, something just *clicked* and head knowledge became more real in my heart. Was I saved before this? Yes. Had I grown in faith? Yes. Have I *arrived*? No. It is an ongoing process. Hence being born again and again and again....etc.

But again - many Christians that have always been part of a church are no less Christian just because they have no moment of salvation or decision in their memory to claim. They were "saved" 2000 years ago when Christ died on the cross.

These are my beliefs:D

To me, it doesn't matter how you became saved...the fact that you are, is what matters. If you were rasied Christian, strayed from God and came back to Him in your older years, that is a blessing to know that the Lord never left you, and was waiting for you to come back to Him...and if you became saved as a 5 year old child and grew to love Him more and moe everyday, staying close with Him your whole life...that is a wonderful thing as well..,it would be a shame to think that someone would make a Christian feel that their experience becoming a Christian was "better" or more "moving" than another...just the fact that you are one is all that would seem to matter to me.

When i think of calling myself "born again", i think of the fact that i was born a sinner, and upon recieveing Christ as my Savior, i then become "born again" (made new) (although still a sinner). And i agree, that as you grow in your Christianity, you do continue to renew your faith (or become born again), and again with Christ.

[CathyBogart]

Wow...I just want to say that I'm VERY happy with how this thread is turning out. I hope it keeps going!! I've thought of a few questions, but I'll save them for when I get back form work. :)

[ramanth]

I agree WolfChan. :D

[smokey the elder]

Originally posted by popcornbird
How many sects are there in Christianity? I always knew there were several, but I didn't know they differ so much. :o

About 6.02 x10^23. (Sorry chemist geek humor.) There are probably hundreds, and they all disagree on the tiniest of minutiae, missing the Rabbi Jesus' point.

[PJ's Mom]

I want to bump this back up since Kay pointed it out to me.

The Pagan religion is something I'm very interested in. Reading this has led me to the decision that it might be right for me. :)

I'd really like to read more about it, I think. :)

[IRescue452]

Felt like answering thought it'd be fun...
Do you perform magic? What kind if so? Does it work and can you tell us about something magical that happened? If you do magic - is it you or does a god help you? Is it good or white magic?
Yes, healing usually, yes it works all the time, spirits help me, mostly good as bad tends to backfire on me more than the usual person and I've learned to accept that I can't help myself through magic too much. Also I can scry which is to see images is a pool of water (as compared to a crystal ball type scrying).

Why is your wand a "she" ? Is this usual? Would a man have a wand that was a "he"? Wand? What wand? I suppose it'd be from a tree which is usually described as feminine.

What do you call a man witch in your religion? Gardnerian Pagan- same as everybody else. A warlock is a bad witch- males and females.

How are you different from Wiccan? That is the only "witch" I have heard of. I prefer not to use wiccan because too many teenagers go through a fad stage in which they pretend to be "wiccan".

Do you dress differently to identify yourself? Nope but I wear a pentacle for protection and strength.

Do you find that people are fearful of you? Are they curious? If fearful, is it better if you explain what you believe? More likely prejudice and rude to me and try to convert me. I try to educate them. Some are afraid of so called black magick.

Do you have a group to meet together with? If so, is it regular like a service most people would be familiar with - that is - a Saturday or Sunday weekly service? Yes but not very often.

Do you believe in the Judeo-Christian God at all? Yes very much so, just not as the only one and all-powerful.

Do you believe in evolution? No.

Where will you go when you die? Do you believe in a heaven? Summerlands or possibly reincarnation.

Are people basically good or bad in your religious belief? Good but they are taught to be bad by popular culture.

[DJFyrewolf36]

Originally posted by PJ's Mom
I want to bump this back up since Kay pointed it out to me.

The Pagan religion is something I'm very interested in. Reading this has led me to the decision that it might be right for me. :)

I'd really like to read more about it, I think. :)

Good for you! I am always glad to see people educating themselves!

"God wants spritual fruits, not religious nuts" ;) Don't ask me where I got that from, I just happen to believe very strongly in that philosophy.

[JenBKR]

This is such a great thread, I really wish I had seen it earlier. It was so interesting to read about different beliefs. I am Christian, went to a Baptist church when I was little, then an Alliance church for a while, now a Weslyan church. They are all very much alike. There's so much I could talk about, I don't even know where to begin. I don't believe that you have to go to church to be considered christian, it's not for everybody. I personally love going to church, I have friends there and learn so much. The most important thing about a church to me is the ride home...if you can't wait to get home, are tired, or anything like that, the service may not have been right for you (if I feel that way every week, like I did after a while at my last church, it may be time to look for a new church, or just pray on your own). If on the ride home you feel good, want to be a better person and help others, and are thinking about how much you learned, it was beneficial.

I think it's great that everyone has put in their opinions and not much debate going on. It's amazing how many different religions there are, and how lots of them actually come down to a lot of the same beliefs (not just in christianity)

[CathyBogart]

What a surprise to see this thread at the top again...but a good one! :)

[CathyBogart]

I'm not trying to start an argument about this, although PM me if you want to talk about it...I am just bringing it up as something I thought a lot of people might find interesting.

An interesting topic that a lot of pagans disagree on....using magick to help yourself. A lot of pagans feel that it is wrong to use magic to help yourself more than you *need* to, and that seems to be almost unanimous(sp?) among Wiccans (that i've met).

However, I feel that magick is just a tool, like any other, and I tend to use any tool at my disposal to better my life and those around me. Lately, I've been wishing for more spending money. I have plenty of money to pay rent and buy food, even to get something fun every now and again, but I really wanted a little extra.

Am I a bad person for asking the aid of my dieties in finding a source of extra money? I asked, and a major pet-sitting job that made me around $600 popped up. I am very grateful that Goddess responded to my request so strongly, and I don't feel that it was bad to ask as long as I give thanks, but I know a lot of people who would disagree.

****************

I just re-read this whole thread and I think it's wonderful. Thanks for bringing it back up PJ's Mom. :)

[JenBKR]

Being a different religion, I can give you my view. I don't think it's wrong to ask for financial assistance. I have asked God, and He has certainly helped. I would never ask for money to buy a mansion or anything like that, but day-to-day expenses and bills. Does that make sense? You can go overboard asking for that, so keep it to a minimum.

edit: I should add that I know a lot of christians would argue with me on that, and while I agree that this life should not be based on material things, it is a fact that you need money to live and eat. I would never ask to win the lottery (I actually know someone who has prayed for that :( ) but I just ask for a little help here and there.

[Suki Wingy]

Everyone need some type of beliveing to give them comfort and reasurance. I belive science, straight science. Once your energy running throughout your body dies, all of your memories, thoughts, knowlege, almost exhistance does too. Other people can sertainly keep your exhistance true by remembering you. Kind of like in The Forgotten. When someone dies instantly and painlessley, if they had a great life then it is no loss.
Energy is literally everywhere. It is neither lost created or destroyed. I think this whole livable atmoshphere, all evolution came to be this way by chance, sparks of energy. This is why I love storms, when all the energy is shaken up. I saw an interview about a man in Scotland that slipped on the ice and fell on a stake. It went through his head, but missed everything by fractions of inches everywhere. What were the chances of that? I think something like more than winning the lottery and getting striked by lightning in the same day. If this could happen, then I see no way the universe and all things could have formed to be so perfect if these chances and sparks didn't happen to happen whenever they did.

[Iilo]

I believe in love. ;)


I do believe there's a higher power up there. A few years ago, I would regularily pray to Whosoever, but I was going through a huge phobia/fear stage where I was convinced that our house was going to burn down while I was sleeping.

Last night, I prayed for the first time in years.

I have had very spiritual moments in my life. I'm very Thoreau-ian in my religion, I guess. Minus the "Oh, right, um, about that year in the woods? Yeah, I was like a mile away from Emerson and we partied it up a lot." All my huge spiritual revalations/talks with God have happened in the thick of nature, alone. So, why should I identify myself as a sect or become part of a group when my spirituality is currently singular.