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Desire to be a vessel of honor unto the Lord Jesus Christ?
Join For His Glory for a discussion on how
https://christianforums.net/threads/a-vessel-of-honor.110278/
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Taking the time to pray? Christ is the answer in times of need
https://christianforums.net/threads/psalm-70-1-save-me-o-god-lord-help-me-now.108509/
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Depending upon the Holy Spirit for all you do?
Read through the following study by Tenchi for more on this topic
https://christianforums.net/threads/without-the-holy-spirit-we-can-do-nothing.109419/
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How are famous preachers sometimes effected by sin?
Join Sola Scriptura for a discussion on the subject
https://christianforums.net/threads/anointed-preaching-teaching.109331/#post-1912042
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Why Christians confuse me.
- Thread starter Oats
- Start date
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elijah23
Guest
Oats was asking specifically about Jesus. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are accounts of the life of Jesus.
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Alabaster
Guest
It was just a reminder to you that Jesus is on every page of scripture. It is all about Him and all by Him.
Express your feelings
Member
I have faith in the bible, but not in aliens. I mean, Aliens probably do exist, but somewhere else. I mean, they probably aren't even called aliens!
This is my opinion
This is my opinion
caseagainstfaith
Member
Reminds me of John Loftus' "outsider's test for faith". Where he basically asks, "are the claims strong enough to be believed by someone that isn't already a believer?
The claims of people who believe in alien abductions think they have good reasons to believe. But, does it pass the "outsider's test for faith"?
Mike
Member
Perhaps if someone was abducted by aliens, and he had 12 friends who were willing to be put to death rather than admit they made it up or they were wrong (when they witnessed it with their own eyes), I would believe that person was taken up in a ship. And maybe if there was a person named... oh, we'll just call him Josephus, who never supported him or his friends, write in his memoirs about the event, that would make me listen more. Given the vast uptake of Christianity in the new Church, I believe you have your "claims strong enough..." as you said.
caseagainstfaith
Member
I'm looking at your avatar and thinking, "someone is wrong on the Internet" LOL.
Not even the Bible itself records martyrdom of the Apostles. There are conflicting legends after the fact. The one martyrdom recorded in the NT is Stephen in Acts. If you take it at face value, which I don't, but if you do, what the Bible says he was executed for was refusing to renounce Jesus as being a greater prophet than Moses. Not that he rose from the dead or was God incarnate and the Savior. Merely that he was a prophet greater than Moses.
I'm not convinced this actually happened, but so what if it did? Someone was willing to die because he thought Jesus was greater than Moses. So?
As far as Josephus, it is AT LEAST a partial interpretation. There are some decent arguments it is partially valid, some decent arguments it is total interpolation. At any rate, even if partially valid, it would basically support some evidence that there was a historical Jesus, but not much else.
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Alabaster
Guest
There was an historical Jesus, but His body is nowhere to be found after strict measures were taken by the authorities to guard the tomb so that His body would be undisturbed.
Why? He rose again in spite of it!
Why? He rose again in spite of it!
musicayla
Member
I don't see how doing martial arts can be considered sinful. It simply teaches ways to fight to defend yourself, and breathing techniques, etc to use control and not lash out right away. I don't see anything wrong with borrowing things from other cultures just because another religion *happened* to start it. If you want to continue down that line of thinking...should we celebrate Christmas on December 25? I mean, its' been proven that's not when Christ was born, it was put there to cover up a Pagan holiday.
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Alabaster
Guest
As Christians, we must be careful when we think about adopting ways of other cultures, especially pagan ones. Many of the things they do emanate from their pagan practices and beliefs. There are spirits behind these things, and we must be wise in remaining undefiled and unpolluted.
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elijah23
Guest
The teachings of Jesus are found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
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Alabaster
Guest
And Acts, Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2 and 3 John, Jude and Revelation....not to mention all the Old Testament.
Then what about Christmas and its pagan origins? Easter and the pagan origins? In the searching I've done I've come to the conclusion that both of these "Christian" holidays and began as an attempt by the church to meld pagan tradition into a Christian celebration, not the other way around.
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TaemJ
Guest
Why do you get to choose what Christmas means, but we can't perform martial arts because they come from another religion?
I agree with you. It is up to use to choose what we make of something.
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So then a person that participates in learning the disciplines of martial arts does not necessarily adhere to the old customs, traditions, rituals, beliefs, etc. that are often associated with the practice by others.
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Alabaster
Guest
If a martial art has a pagan religious spirit behind it, you can be vulnerable to it. It could be a form of worship. Do you want to possibly be guilty before God of worshiping an idol? Do you want to be guilty of entering into a pagan rite?
Do some research, so that you won't have anything to be judged for.