Christianity & Other Religions

[soma]

Why not repeat, "Love your neighbor as yourself."

 

[DivineNames]

Continue to ignore Scripture at your peril.

Also-

We are repeatedly warned of false prophets, of being mislead, to keep close watch

Really? :wink:

 

[DivineNames]

soma,

Do not be mistaken - Christian mystics still acknowledge that salvation is only through Christ.

Assuming that they could be well fitted into a theory of "universal religion", "universal mysticism", then the Christian mystics could be seen as providing evidence against the Christian notion of salvation. That they themselves would say that salvation is only through Christ, may not be regarded as especially important.

 

[soma]

Wow! Soma, you are amazing. Somehow you managed to interject Fundementalists and Evangelicals into a chapter that isn't even about Christians.

Vic are Fundamentalists and Evangelicals Christian? Some are sincere, many are sincere and leave the church, and some are hiding in the church and behind phrases from the Bible that they repeat over and over because they can't speak from the Holy Spirit.

Many Evangelicals and Fundamentalist act like they are in a cult. They reapeat what their leaders say without research, for example that purple teli tubies are gay ect. ,they accuse others of attrocities and want to punish them even by death, Pat Roberson wants to assasinate leaders. They want to punish or have bad things happen to whole communities in the United States and else where. They are afraid of contamination from anything, person or group that is different. They repeat phrases over and over and put down anyone who talks, thinks or acts without repeating certain phrases.

 

[Soma-Sight]

Wow! Soma, you are amazing. Somehow you managed to interject Fundementalists and Evangelicals into a chapter that isn't even about Christians.

Are you serious?

Read again....

21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'


How is this not referring to Christians????

Anyone that does prophecy, casts out demons, and performs miracles in the Name of Jesus is a Christian!!!!

How much more obvious does it have to be!!!

This verse is totally indicative of Fundamentalist Christian leaders!

 

[Lonelyguide]

Sometimes I am waiting for a traffic light and I find myself looking at the people on the pedestrian crossing in front of me; all of them coming from or going to their jobs, most of them lost in thought ... one thought about something that happened many years ago, another thought about something that happened somewhat more recently, another thought about something that may happen in the near future and yet another thought about things that may or may not happen in the distant future ... and indeed few of them have happy faces and ostensibly none of them have thoughts about right now.

... and I find myself wondering ... would any of them realize that they are children of God ... would any of them be aware of it how incredibly special they are?

And then I come to a place like this and have to read the kind of stuff that you guys are writing about.

And I wonder to which extent those of you who are so concerned about your doctrines are aware of the extent to which you do not live according to the teachings of Christ.

 

[soma]

Thank you for reminding us to live in the present with Christ in Christ Consciousness. A person’s consciousness is raised to a new level above time, when living in the present because this person doesn’t lament the past or stand on his toes to see the future. This person doesn’t see himself as a miserable sinner to be exploited, but a divine being to be loved.

 

[Free]

... and I find myself wondering ... would any of them realize that they are children of God ... would any of them be aware of it how incredibly special they are?

John 1:12, "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,"

Refutes your point.

And I wonder to which extent those of you who are so concerned about your doctrines are aware of the extent to which you do not live according to the teachings of Christ.

I thought you were against judging? Funny how you think that some of "us" are concerned about doctrine and not following the teachings of Christ, when much of our doctrine comes from the teachings of Christ. At least we're trying to adhere to the teachings of the Bible as a whole and not just the parts we want to.

John 3:14-18, "14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God."

 

[sparrow]

Wow! Soma, you are amazing. Somehow you managed to interject Fundementalists and Evangelicals into a chapter that isn't even about Christians.

Are you serious?

Read again....

21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'


How is this not referring to Christians????

Anyone that does prophecy, casts out demons, and performs miracles in the Name of Jesus is a Christian!!!!!

That would be incorrect Soma. that verse is obviously not talking about
christians.

*wanders off to read rest of the thread*

 

[sparrow]

Thank you for reminding us to live in the present with Christ in Christ Consciousness. A person’s consciousness is raised to a new level above time, when living in the present because this person doesn’t lament the past or stand on his toes to see the future. This person doesn’t see himself as a miserable sinner to be exploited, but a divine being to be loved.

that would be unfortunate since we are not divine beings.

what in the world hav eyou been reading while i was away?

mark

 

[soma]

that would be unfortunate since we are not divine beings.

what in the world hav eyou been reading while i was away?

God pervades the entire universe as well as human beings, and every person has divinity within himself or herself. Some will call it the Holy Spirit, some will call it the soul. I feel the people who feel this are divine beings.

We only need to acknowledge God’s presence and our spiritual sense will awaken our original, eternal self to God’s rhythm and the harmony that is operating undisturbed. Turning from material beliefs to spiritual beliefs will change our perspective and reveal the ever-present divine Love that is in ourselves, our neighbor and the world.

Life flows up from the inside where the Divine Presence is springing up from within us. When we realize this, we recognize that the all-pervading God is responding to us from every person, thing or event that transpires. The Divine Presence is everywhere so let us awaken to the realization of this Presence.

The Bible shows us with symbols that there is no such thing as luck or fate, but that divine law governs every action and thought. The time for individual development has come so we can interpret the symbols and discover for ourselves why we must do certain things in life. The cause of our good and bad fortune lies in ourselves because we set them in motion in our unit mind, the good and bad things that baffle us and put us in our own unique place in the universe. We do reap what we sow because we generate the energy behind our bad or good fortune. The religious symbols in the Bible when interpreted correctly not only provide a window into the realm of our divine nature, but also allow the mind to make the right choices by enlightening the mundane world and transforming it into a realm of experience that cannot be described by words.

http://thinkunity.com

 

[sparrow]

that would be unfortunate since we are not divine beings.

what in the world hav eyou been reading while i was away?

God pervades the entire universe as well as human beings, and every person has divinity within himself or herself. Some will call it the Holy Spirit, some will call it the soul. I feel the people who feel this are divine beings.

We only need to acknowledge God’s presence and our spiritual sense will awaken our original, eternal self to God’s rhythm and the harmony that is operating undisturbed. Turning from material beliefs to spiritual beliefs will change our perspective and reveal the ever-present divine Love that is in ourselves, our neighbor and the world.

Life flows up from the inside where the Divine Presence is springing up from within us. When we realize this, we recognize that the all-pervading God is responding to us from every person, thing or event that transpires. The Divine Presence is everywhere so let us awaken to the realization of this Presence.

The Bible shows us with symbols that there is no such thing as luck or fate, but that divine law governs every action and thought. The time for individual development has come so we can interpret the symbols and discover for ourselves why we must do certain things in life. The cause of our good and bad fortune lies in ourselves because we set them in motion in our unit mind, the good and bad things that baffle us and put us in our own unique place in the universe. We do reap what we sow because we generate the energy behind our bad or good fortune. The religious symbols in the Bible when interpreted correctly not only provide a window into the realm of our divine nature, but also allow the mind to make the right choices by enlightening the mundane world and transforming it into a realm of experience that cannot be described by words.

http://thinkunity.com

you know... if you bother to read the scriptures you will see that not only
does it NOT say that we are "divine beings".

but it also does NOT say we are to ~awaken to the divine rythmn~

After reading some more of your posts though, I will give you credit for
intellectual honesty. It seems you are quite willing to knowingly spread
the flavor of gnosticism that tends to pervade the "christian mystic" movement.

I would suggest a re-reading of the Gospel of John for you.

mark

 

[Soma-Sight]

you know... if you bother to read the scriptures you will see that not only
does it NOT say that we are "divine beings".

but it also does NOT say we are to ~awaken to the divine rythmn~

34Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?


I dont think I am God lets get that clear right away....

However in the long run believers are to have the rewards of Christ's life on earth in the Heavenly realms and be "Children of God" for eternity....

If this is not "godlike" status... I dont know what is!

 

[soma]

"But he who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him." 1 Corinthians 6:17 RSV

God is not just "out ther somewhere"; He is in each of us who believes and loves Jesus so Sparrow please look at your brothers and sisters with the divine light of our Lord, wipe away all the ashes from the hell fire and see the real light. Hell is a distraction unless it makes you happy. It seems you just want to find fault.

"One God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all. Ephesians 4:6 BBE

Sparrow read the scripture and look within I hope you see the Holy Spirit, God is everywhere so behold the divine vision. Yes I agree the smoke from Hell fire can blurr making us see negativity everywhere but that is your choice do you want to concentrate on the divine or the negative?

 

[sparrow]

Fascinating.

You would take what amounts to a stinging rebuke of the magistrates
of Israel, and attempt to use it to say that everyone is divine...

The fact that I am sealed by the Holy Spirit, and used by Him, does not
make me divine.

You can trust me when I say that I am still a mere human.

 

[sparrow]

"But he who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him." 1 Corinthians 6:17 RSV

God is not just "out ther somewhere"; He is in each of us who believes and loves Jesus so Sparrow please look at your brothers and sisters with the divine light of our Lord, wipe away all the ashes from the hell fire and see the real light. Hell is a distraction unless it makes you happy. It seems you just want to find fault.

hell is in no way a mere distraction.
and you were not specifying that you were discussing only those who follow
Jesus.
Even so you would have been incorrect. we are not divine. we have been
forgiven though.

"One God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all. Ephesians 4:6 BBE

Sparrow read the scripture and look within I hope you see the Holy Spirit, God is everywhere so behold the divine vision. Yes I agree the smoke from Hell fire can blurr making us see negativity everywhere but that is your choice do you want to concentrate on the divine or the negative?

Seeing negative? nah.. I am merely seeing the false teachings of gnosticism
re-surfacing....


mark

 

[soma]

The world I see is ruled by God. I see him everwhere. I don't want to see Satan or be ruled by him. Don't be so bitter that the word divine sends you into a frenze.

"Live in the world as if only God and your soul were in it; then your heart will never be made captive by any earthly thing." St. John of the Cross

"I do not fear Satan half so much as I fear those who fear him."
St. Teresa of Avila

"Until all things become One for you, traced to One source and seen in One act of vision, you cannot find anchorage for the heart, or rest calmly in God. O God, you are the truth; unite me to yourself by an act of unfailing love!" Thomas a Kempis

"Must you continue to be your own cross? No matter which way God leads you, you change everything into bitterness by constantly brooding over everything. For the love of God, replace all this self-scrutiny with a pure and simple glance at God's goodness." Saint Jeanne Chantal

"You as a community must do all in your power to be formed in the image of God. And what do we find in God? We see equality of persons and unity of essence. What should that teach you if not that you should all be one and equal?" Saint Vincent de Paul

"Christianity is not a collection of truths to be believed, of laws to be obeyed...Christianity is a person, one who loved us very much, one who calls for our love. Christianity is Christ." Archbishop Oscar Romero

"I, then, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, a striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace: one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."
Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians 4:1-5

 

[Soma-Sight]

"I do not fear Satan half so much as I fear those who fear him."
St. Teresa of Avila

"Until all things become One for you, traced to One source and seen in One act of vision, you cannot find anchorage for the heart, or rest calmly in God. O God, you are the truth; unite me to yourself by an act of unfailing love!" Thomas a Kempis

"Must you continue to be your own cross? No matter which way God leads you, you change everything into bitterness by constantly brooding over everything. For the love of God, replace all this self-scrutiny with a pure and simple glance at God's goodness." Saint Jeanne Chantal

Those are great quotes!!!

That is a very good way to look at things....

 

[Heidi]

Fascinating.

You would take what amounts to a stinging rebuke of the magistrates
of Israel, and attempt to use it to say that everyone is divine...

The fact that I am sealed by the Holy Spirit, and used by Him, does not
make me divine.

You can trust me when I say that I am still a mere human.

We will always still have a sinful nature when we have the Spirit inside us. But once we have the Spirit, we have access to the mind of God. But no other religion has this because they don't believe in the Holy Spirit. So how can they possibly know God? :o They can't. So to them, God is just a guess. ;-)

 

[soma]

That is a guess that they don't believe in the Holy Spirit . You can't know all religions inside and out.