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.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.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?
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!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!
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
What do you believe about Jesus? How much do your beliefs differ from our's?
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!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.
What does it mean to baptize a child? What do you do in this process, and what does it symbolize?
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!!!!
Bookmarks