God

[EveronVetsAgainstTheWar 0]

Negative. I officially belong to the United Church of Christ (Protestant) Because I was baptized at teh age of 10. Along with my 5 and 2 yr old sisters. None of us could truley think for ourselves.

[ale2999 0]

Actually my parents were Catholics when they were ung so when I was like 3 months I got bapthised. I dont really know about the movement u were in, but I got baptise 1 year and a half ago for my choice. No1 asked me too, it was my pick, and when u get baptised is not the moment u become a christian: it is just an action to show ppl around u that u believe in the Lord Jesus as ur personal saviour

[Guest]

Yes, residuum is right, that religion comparation isn't fair. I was also bapthised when I was a couple of months old. Not because of religious belief but because of tradition. So I'm 'officially' counted as a christian while I'm actually 100% atheist.

[WKK Gimbal 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (denoir @ June 23 2002,10:12)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Yes, residuum is right, that religion comparation isn't fair. I was also bapthised when I was a couple of months old. Not because of religious belief but because of tradition. So I'm 'officially' counted as a christian while I'm actually 100% atheist.<span id='postcolor'>

Exactly the same with me. I think it's wrong - I had no saying in that matter. Also, becoming member of the protestant church too without ever signing a member form.

[Placebo 28]

I too was christened as a baby, most kids are, for the majority of parents it's really not about pointing their kids towards the Christian faith, it's simply a lil traditional ceremony where family and friends get dressed up all pretty to welcome the new baby into the world, before going back to someone's house to get inebriated and eat cake.

[Paratrooper 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Exactly the same with me. I think it's wrong - I had no saying in that matter. Also, becoming member of the protestant church too without ever signing a member form. <span id='postcolor'> I could understand you being annoyed if you were a member of another religion, but being an atheist you can't believe it matters.

[Duke_of_Ray 0]

I was Bapthised about a year ago. Islam and Christianity are very different, different gods,Christianity having the true God, and so on. Just becuase a baby is bapthised does not make him a Christian, only by accepting Christ as your Lord and Saviour can you go to Heaven, if a baby where to die at birth I have no doubt in my heart that he goes to Heaven, but there is a point in a persons life where they become responsible for their actions, and by now I am sure we have all met that, like ale said being baptished doesnt make you a Christian its trusting the Lord and accepting Jesus.

[Oligo 1]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (denoir @ June 22 2002,22:32)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I always thought that atheists and agnostics are in majority. Well, you learn something new every day <span id='postcolor'>

It's because in Finland, for example, they count you as christian unless you state otherwise. I am counted as a christian by the authorities, for example, and I don't believe in anything except the struggle for survival (I guess I am an atheist mechanist).

[WKK Gimbal 0]

Well, if you count those who actually goes to church and believe in the religion they're registered under, I do think there are more muslims than christians. Just like Oligo says, here in Denmark practically everyone are members of the christian church, while only few actually believe in the nonsense.

Duke of Ray: Islam is actually a branching from the old testament, just like christianity, so essentially it's the same god. They just don't agree with the methods of worship, nor that christ is son of god. Doesn't surprise me that you didn't know this.

Edit: deleted a statement

[Oligo 1]

Gimbal, you have sober views of religion, but you shouldn't really waste your breath on Duke. Religious fanatics never accept any degree of ecumeny (sp?), so to them, theirs is the only true god. Only people who can remove themselves above belief and bigotry can grasp the big picture and understand how religion, like life itself and cultural things, is subject to evolution. Like you can draw the relations between species by observation, you can draw relations between religions. Religion is a part of cultural evolution, is all. If you compare f.ex. medieval christianity to modern christianity, it is hard to believe it is even the same religion. Ironically, that's why it is so hard for some people to realize that we have descended from apes.

[WKK Gimbal 0]

You're right. Nothing could move duke an inch, perhaps except maturing and getting wiser later in life... we're just wasting our time and patience here, so I'm butting out of this thread.

[IsthatyouJohnWayne 0]

Gimbal-(Moderator)-"What pisses me off about religious fanatics like you, is your unmeasurable arrogance."

Maybe im missing some previous statements but it doesnt seem very proper for a Moderator to make statements like this.

All 'Duke_of_Ray' did was state that he believed his God was the true God ,and what being a Christian was about for him.

Nothing any other religionist wouldnt say.

i have no problem with you proposing that Islam and Christianity are branches of the same 'tree' of religion...

But i DO have a problem with 'people like you' comments

and where precisly is his arrogance situated in his last post or two?

But i will now read the rest of the thread to make sure..

[WKK Gimbal 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (IsthatyouJohnWayne @ June 24 2002,14:38)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">But i will now read the rest of the thread to make sure..<span id='postcolor'>

Yeah, please do ok? This thread has more than 2 pages in case you didn't know...

Never the less, my remark may have been on the edge. I shall take it back.

[RatPak 1]

religion sets morals. everyone turns to faith some point in thier life. you may not know it but you do

[Duke_of_Ray 0]

Chritianity and islam a very different, like I have said before differnt gods and like you said islam does not believe in Christ so it is a very different religon.I have had a former muslim converted to Christianity talk to my Church and being a Christian and being a muslim are very differnt. And as for getting more mature and wiser, well that would be maturing in Christ and getting wiser through God.

[IsthatyouJohnWayne 0]

Gimbal-"This thread has more than 2 pages in case you didn't know..."-

No SHNIT ! I was involved in some pages of the first 10 or 20 or so  

Gimbal-"Never the less, my remark may have been on the edge. I shall take it back."

Thank you  

Duke of Ray-

"And as for getting more mature and wiser, well that would be maturing in Christ and getting wiser through God."

I must say i find it amusing the way you manage to turn everything everyone says to the glory of your God.

Christians are allowed to talk about other things you know.

They are allowed or even encouraged by the teachings of Jesus to indulge in intelligent debate with others

( without having to heap constant praise on their Lord)

You are even allowed to stray from the path as long as you return to righteousness.

Are Christianity and Islam more different than the difference between you and the catholic priests who molested children?

everything is relative

[Hardliner 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (IsthatyouJohnWayne @ June 24 2002,16:57)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Duke of Ray-

"And as for getting more mature and wiser, well that would be maturing in Christ and getting wiser through God."

I must say i find it amusing the way you manage to turn everything everyone says to the glory of your God.<span id='postcolor'>

Yeah this gets a bit much at times.

[Duke_of_Ray 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Are Christianity and Islam more different than the difference between you and the catholic priests who molested children?

<span id='postcolor'>

Yes I can talk about other things but sense this topic is about God I will talk about Him.

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">They are allowed or even encouraged by the teachings of Jesus to indulge in intelligent debate with others ( without having to heap constant praise on their Lord)<span id='postcolor'>

Where does Jesus teach this?

And if you do stary from the path it is not a good thing, and you will have wished you had not of done it.

[Akira 0]

http://www.capalert.com/

I like to read that occasionally so I can see how people can take it way too far.

One of the most assinine things I have ever seen.

[Duke_of_Ray 0]

Yes I read over that site and on a few things that guys takes it too far, like crtizing cigrates that were not smoked. Alot of things I agree with,most probably, but there are a few I do not.

[BoogieBoogie 0]

What is God? Is God a giant man who once incarnated as his own son 2,000 years ago through the womb of a woman in the Middle East? Certainly not. Is God a man who created everything we see? Wrong again. These stories are just perceptions filtered through the limited human mind. They are not ultimate truths. Is God male? No way. This is an erroneous interpretation by the male ego.

One can think of God as the life force or sentience that permeates the cosmos, gravity or levity, it matters not. As an example of such an energy, one can take a plug and stick it into an electrical outlet - this is what becoming spiritual is all about. One becomes plugged into "God." But think about that electrical life force: It has no form. In other words, it's not a human being. It has no gender; it's not a male. It has no color; it's not white. It has no size and no container. That life force, or "God," is not a giant white man, as we have been told, who can mysteriously incarnate himself through the womb of a virgin of any particular ethnicity. Rather than being historical, these are myths that are merely symbolic for the creation of matter out of spirit.

In the Far East, this life force has been discerned as and termed "the Tao." The Tao is the "thing" that makes birds chirp, cats purr and the sap of the trees run. We can also call it cosmic consciousness. It is simply an energy, sentience or spirit that pervades all things. Far from having gender, as we have been led to believe, it is the magnetic principle between the male and female potencies. It is also the male and female polarities themselves. This Great Spirit, Tao, or God, encompasses all things. If it is not all-encompassing, it is not God. Anything less than the total is not God. The definition of "God" is omnipresence itself. Nothing is outside of "God."

The creative/destructive mechanism of this all-encompassing life force can be called the "cosmic mind" or the "universal mind." This cosmic mind projects its thoughts into form; hence, reality could be called "God's Dream." But this dream includes the fragmentation of the Divine into seemingly dense objects and entities that have a will and independence of their own. As separate entities, we are nonetheless connected atomically to this life force, but the individual ego separates itself into a deluded state. This delusion, or maya, can become so strong that the creative life force is limited and the entity in which this spark exists no longer knows that it is "God." This delusion, which can be called "Satan" if personified, is how existence creates, by separating itself out of the whole and presenting the illusion of the many. But this delusion/ego/Satan is not anything bad until it is so separate and dense that it no longer sees itself all around but sees "other," which it is then free to harm if need be or desire arises.

True spirituality is defined not by separation but by union, union with the whole, union with the life force, Great Spirit, Tao, or God, that lies behind creation and binds it together. Of course, the separation itself could also be thought of as a spiritual experience, in that it provides an opportunity for an individual soul to truly develop itself. Yet in that development, we come back to the omnidimensionality of being one with the cosmos. It is a paradox, yet one we like to live with, one that we ourselves created, as directors of our own drama. To be separate yet infinite - now, this is "God." This is ecstasy.

Anything that imposes limits on an infinite divinity is not a complete spiritual system or experience. Anything that projects form upon this genderless, raceless, formless and nonhierarchical godliness is not the ultimate truth. The ultimate truth, which is "God," cannot have any form whatsoever, no gender, no race and no hierarchy.

In the gnostic or esoteric systems of any religion, the Ultimate is always perceived as utterly formless. The realization of such formless Ultimate is considered within these systems to be the flowering of consciousness, the maturation of the soul and psyche. Thus, the definition of "God" as a father-figure in the sky is a lower understanding upon which lies man's puerility and immaturity. Creation has no gender, nor does the creator. "God" is not only father but mother, and grandfather and aunt and grandmother and uncle and cousin and sister and brother, etc. If the "Mother of God" can give birth to "God," She must also be God. Can an imperfect, unholy being give birth to a perfect, divine one? She must also be divine, which makes her God.

In reality, behind the fables, the truth is that the "Mother of God" also has no form but is simply the female aspect of creation, when the neutral Spirit-Atom begins to divide itself. The first elements out of the formless creator/destroyer/ balancer are male and female, in equal proportions. The perfect yin/yang balance is the basis of creation. There is no hierarchy in spirit; hence, the female is never in reality lower than the male, as certain "religious" traditions teach. In humans, the density grows so strong, the ego so potent and intoxicating, that the gender aspect becomes all-consuming. One is nearly completely defined by the gender of the material vessel in which the genderless consciousness is carried. While this illusion is remedied spiritually, in this earthly dimension these differences remain between male and female. The remedy is that the consciousness of the individual, through enlightenment or "God-realization," recognizes that it is both male and female and neither. It is an impartial observer or "witness." Yet, we need not be so hasty in maintaining a genderless state for ourselves, as we are rather fond of the play between polarities, which is in large part why we take birth.

The ego will perceive itself as having a gendered experience, but the witness behind the ego is a clean slate of pure sentience. In this dualistic creation, both experiences will happen simultaneously, where one can know the union of existence, the genderlessness and egolessness, and one can enjoy the separation. The difference is one of consciousness. The conscious, awakened individual will know in her/his inner being that she/he is "one with creation," but will also know that as the creator of her/his own drama she/he has chosen to incarnate into the denser, more deluded realms, for the sake of the experience itself. He or she has no other reason for incarnating, just as "God," or the universal mind, has no reason for creating except for its own amusement. Once an illuminated soul knows this, then he or she is free to create his or her own experience and purpose for incarnating. This is liberation. This is enlightenment.

Enlightenment, which seems to many to be so nebulous, awesome and scary, is very easy. It is not miracles or magic tricks, although those can be developed if desired strongly enough. Enlightenment is simply the realization of who is pulling the strings of one's puppet. It is the revelation of autonomy to the individual. It is the bestowal of the ultimate god-authority over one's own being. It is when the cosmic creative mind and the individual consciousness merge, when one's mind becomes united with the Cosmos. This mental merger goes beyond the mind and penetrates the very cells of the being. This penetration is possible because the god-force resides within the soul-cells of every entity.

There are many practices that can lead to union or reunion with this life force, Great Spirit, Tao, God. We can use yoga or prayer, meditation, chanting or sex. We can play basketball in the Zone. We can eat good food or engage in intelligent, funny or meaningless conversation. We can run up hills, climb mountains and swim seas. Or we can sleep. Ultimately, no practice is needed, when one becomes united with this "godhead," when one has returned to the natural state, from which the human ego has created separation. Reunion with this life force is the mark of true religious experience and system. A true religious system is not one that demands slobbering at the feet of a separate god-ego - however large and frightening, whatever race or gender - but one that leads to communion and union with the quality of divinity itself.

[Duke_of_Ray 0]

God is the Lord of the Earth. He is the creator of all things, and yes He sent His son Jesus to die for our sins. The only way to Heaven is through Jesus, becuase whoever calls up on the name of the Lord will be saved!

[Placebo 28]

BoogieBoogie 5 posts before I spotted you were advocatexxx, congrats

Posting rights removed.

[Duke_of_Ray 0]

How could ya tell???

[Harnu 0]

lol, at the very bottom of ym screen I saw what looked like praise form Placebo. Then I scrolled down. HAHA IM LAUGHING MY ASS OFF! BTW, How did you tell and why didn't you remove mine right away? Woo I got a chance!