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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
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I said that Christianity was God's way to get close to us because we weren't seeking him. Rom.3:11 declares just that,there are none seeking after God.
You see we weren't looking or seeking. We were dead in our sins when Jesus came and saved us. Rom.5:8 While we were sinners God commanded his
love toward us and Christ died for us.
I understand what you said, but I dont believe God is far away from man, rather that man in his ways is far away from God. If people would inward seek rather than outward seek, they may find that they dont have that far to go to find him...He's right there and keeps knocking all the time inviting people in...  Hence why I said its really up to man himself to find Him for himself, not much else God can do but wait for man to respond, cause he aint gunna bash the door down and drag anybody in.
-Bulletproof and Waterproof don't mean Idiotproof.
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Campfire Ranger
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BarryC,
I was thinking of Sola Scriptura as Luther used it. You are using the Scripture to show there are things that are not recorded in Scripture. At the end of John we are taught the world could not contain all the books that would be written if all that Jesus did was written down. Today we can't use what was not written down. Most don't use what IS written.
"Only Christ is the fullness of God's revelation."
Everyday Hunter
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Campfire Oracle
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Campfire Oracle
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ingwe; Good evening to you sir, I'm hoping that the smoke from our province being on fire hasn't blown south too, too much across the medicine line this year. If it has, please know we're doing our level best to curtail it, but somehow it's been one of those years, you know? As you well know about me, I'm not about trying to convert or convince anyone to the my way of thinking - and as I told a co-worker the other day, my personal beliefs are just a crutch because I couldn't handle booze...  Anyway I'd opine that IF we do church right, then it should have a visible positive impact on our community. Truly we can have a positive impact on our respective communities as individuals, but it strikes me that if there are a group of individuals who have a common goal then we SHOULD be able to have a greater impact than as individuals. Where we fall down, in my view, is when we become unclear on the concept and loose sight of the goal. Personally speaking, I'd opine that when church management are enriching themselves monetarily from any church activity, then they have absolutely lost sight of the goal. Honestly, I believe that whether or not we believe in any sort of deity, be it a cosmic muffin or whatever we choose, our goal as humans SHOULD be making good replacement humans if we choose to procreate as well as have a positive impact on those around us too. If we don't make replacements, then we're back to point number one. Anyway as always that's just one short guy's thoughts on the subject being discussed ingwe, worth only what the good readers paid to pass over the words. All the best to you and yours this summer sir, hopefully the fires abate up here and don't migrate into your part of the world. Dwayne Dwayne: I would love to share a real Campfire with you, any time, any where....wish more "Christians" were like you...
"...the left considers you vermin, and they'll kill you given the chance..." Bristoe
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
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In the Holy Bible, God has given rather clear instructions for the Christian life. Those relate to the individual, although they can be lived and applied as a body of believers.
When we make stuff up in His name, it is a bad mistake. So clear that there's thousands of different denominations of Christians. Maybe you here illustrate the difference between the wisdom and strength of God and the silliness and weakness of mankind. You are presuming a god, that fits a specific definition exists. Of course you will never define that god, nor issue an argument for his alleged existence.
You didn't use logic or reason to get into this opinion, I cannot use logic or reason to get you out of it.
You cannot over estimate the unimportance of nearly everything. John Maxwell
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Nov 2011
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In the Holy Bible, God has given rather clear instructions for the Christian life. Those relate to the individual, although they can be lived and applied as a body of believers.
When we make stuff up in His name, it is a bad mistake. So clear that there's thousands of different denominations of Christians. Maybe you here illustrate the difference between the wisdom and strength of God and the silliness and weakness of mankind. Man persisting in justifying his on way and leaning on his own understanding and, of course, that understanding influenced by his own desire. People hundreds of years ago didnt understand bacteria or lightening, which could still kill them, and did. And they blamed it on evil spirits, demons, and the devil, and were wrong.
You didn't use logic or reason to get into this opinion, I cannot use logic or reason to get you out of it.
You cannot over estimate the unimportance of nearly everything. John Maxwell
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Too many churches have fallen under the influence of the almighty dollar, thinking that's what it's all about. Same way with some church goers as well. There's a couple who attend the same church that I go to. They give to the church......but it's usually things that they can also use as a tax write off. They have even gone so far as to keep up with their mileage to and from church, and take that off as "charity". For some reason, I think they are attending church for the wrong reason. Times change, so does "religion". The church services that I attended 50 years ago, are much different from services today. Too many churches, religions, take your pick, have customized their message so as to cater to their members......and keep the money coming in. Same way on the issue of homosexuality and same sex marriage.
I think it's only natural for a Christian to have doubts about religion, and the direction they are going in. I have, many times too. I'm still not sure about everything, and will probably die having my doubts. But, I do believe that if you love the Lord with all your heart and soul, and do your best to live as He wants you to, then the rest will not matter as much as you might think it would. James, The only reason ANY Christian denominations still exist is they've been contentiously tailoring their messages to their customer for the last 2000 years.
You didn't use logic or reason to get into this opinion, I cannot use logic or reason to get you out of it.
You cannot over estimate the unimportance of nearly everything. John Maxwell
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Yep......
Never noticed anything about an immaculate conception where the Mother of God, her mother and on back thru the ages had to be sinless.
The Creator of the universe will not be harnessed verbatim to words written by men who were only getting a glimpse of Divinity and filling in the blanks with their imaginings. To this day it is all we are capable of.
You would do well to lay aside your bible and do as Peter suggested......... study YOUR conscience " as to a light shining in a dark place" and leave off counseling others. You're doing a lot of adding to the Word there. The Catholics believe in the un-Biblical "immaculate conception. None of Apostle Paul's works today even hint of that. Somehow along the way you have been deceived to think you conscience is better than God's Word. God tells us He sends a deluding influence on those who wish to believe a lie. As far as Apostle Peter is concerned you are taking some major liberties. He says about the things Paul writes in 2 Peter 3:14-16: "Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction." We see Peter is including Paul's writing in Scripture. Except 2nd Peter wasn't written by the same person who wrote 1st Peter. Gene is on to something about the influence of fallible men upon the scriptures.
You didn't use logic or reason to get into this opinion, I cannot use logic or reason to get you out of it.
You cannot over estimate the unimportance of nearly everything. John Maxwell
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
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People hundreds of years ago didnt understand bacteria or lightening, which could still kill them, and did.
And they blamed it on evil spirits, demons, and the devil, and were wrong. Well if it wasn't the devil and his demons killing people, it was an angry revengeful God firing up volcanoes to snuff people out... devil used to work for God , So I can see where he gets his sinister ideas from...
-Bulletproof and Waterproof don't mean Idiotproof.
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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In the Holy Bible, God has given rather clear instructions for the Christian life. Those relate to the individual, although they can be lived and applied as a body of believers.
When we make stuff up in His name, it is a bad mistake. So clear that there's thousands of different denominations of Christians. Maybe you here illustrate the difference between the wisdom and strength of God and the silliness and weakness of mankind. You are presuming a god, that fits a specific definition exists. Of course you will never define that god, nor issue an argument for his alleged existence. To support your assertion about my presumption, kindly pluck from my posts the specific definition I have given - and post it here. Absent that, it appears that you have presumed a presumption.
NRA Member - Life, Benefactor, Patron
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Friend Clark, I used to beli vet as you do about Paul. Then I considered the fruits of his teachings and compared his teachings to the words ascribed to Jesus. Most of the division we see in Christianity can be laid at the feet of Paul.
I consider him a well intentioned Jew who could not get his head around the simplicity of the Gospel.
We need a lot more Johns and fewer Paul's. And some of the most divisive passages in the Bible are ascribed to Paul, but where not written by the same person who wrote Romans, and the other uncontested letters.
You didn't use logic or reason to get into this opinion, I cannot use logic or reason to get you out of it.
You cannot over estimate the unimportance of nearly everything. John Maxwell
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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Yep......
Never noticed anything about an immaculate conception where the Mother of God, her mother and on back thru the ages had to be sinless.
The Creator of the universe will not be harnessed verbatim to words written by men who were only getting a glimpse of Divinity and filling in the blanks with their imaginings. To this day it is all we are capable of.
You would do well to lay aside your bible and do as Peter suggested......... study YOUR conscience " as to a light shining in a dark place" and leave off counseling others. You're doing a lot of adding to the Word there. The Catholics believe in the un-Biblical "immaculate conception. None of Apostle Paul's works today even hint of that. Somehow along the way you have been deceived to think you conscience is better than God's Word. God tells us He sends a deluding influence on those who wish to believe a lie. As far as Apostle Peter is concerned you are taking some major liberties. He says about the things Paul writes in 2 Peter 3:14-16: "Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction." We see Peter is including Paul's writing in Scripture. Except 2nd Peter wasn't written by the same person who wrote 1st Peter. Gene is on to something about the influence of fallible men upon the scriptures. And you know this how?
"Only Christ is the fullness of God's revelation."
Everyday Hunter
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
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People hundreds of years ago didnt understand bacteria or lightening, which could still kill them, and did.
And they blamed it on evil spirits, demons, and the devil, and were wrong. Well if it wasn't the devil and his demons killing people, it was an angry revengeful God firing up volcanoes to snuff people out... devil used to work for God , So I can see where he gets his sinister ideas from... In the Book of Job God puts him up to it.
You didn't use logic or reason to get into this opinion, I cannot use logic or reason to get you out of it.
You cannot over estimate the unimportance of nearly everything. John Maxwell
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 31,140 Likes: 5 |
In the Holy Bible, God has given rather clear instructions for the Christian life. Those relate to the individual, although they can be lived and applied as a body of believers.
When we make stuff up in His name, it is a bad mistake. So clear that there's thousands of different denominations of Christians. Maybe you here illustrate the difference between the wisdom and strength of God and the silliness and weakness of mankind. You are presuming a god, that fits a specific definition exists. Of course you will never define that god, nor issue an argument for his alleged existence. To support your assertion about my presumption, kindly pluck from my posts the specific definition I have given - and post it here. Absent that, it appears that you have presumed a presumption. So you are claiming he's indefinable?
You didn't use logic or reason to get into this opinion, I cannot use logic or reason to get you out of it.
You cannot over estimate the unimportance of nearly everything. John Maxwell
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Posts: 31,140 Likes: 5
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 31,140 Likes: 5 |
Yep......
Never noticed anything about an immaculate conception where the Mother of God, her mother and on back thru the ages had to be sinless.
The Creator of the universe will not be harnessed verbatim to words written by men who were only getting a glimpse of Divinity and filling in the blanks with their imaginings. To this day it is all we are capable of.
You would do well to lay aside your bible and do as Peter suggested......... study YOUR conscience " as to a light shining in a dark place" and leave off counseling others. You're doing a lot of adding to the Word there. The Catholics believe in the un-Biblical "immaculate conception. None of Apostle Paul's works today even hint of that. Somehow along the way you have been deceived to think you conscience is better than God's Word. God tells us He sends a deluding influence on those who wish to believe a lie. As far as Apostle Peter is concerned you are taking some major liberties. He says about the things Paul writes in 2 Peter 3:14-16: "Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction." We see Peter is including Paul's writing in Scripture. Except 2nd Peter wasn't written by the same person who wrote 1st Peter. Gene is on to something about the influence of fallible men upon the scriptures. And you know this how? You really need to learn about Textual Criticism.
You didn't use logic or reason to get into this opinion, I cannot use logic or reason to get you out of it.
You cannot over estimate the unimportance of nearly everything. John Maxwell
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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Grateful to have found a congregation (and, as far as can be realistic, a denomination) that does what you describe reasonably from my point of view.
I tend to believe that the depravity of man is generally concentrated rather than diluted in groups.
As soon as a (relatively small) group breaks off the whole, their grievances with their former institution fade and their issues with one another come to the fore, and they begin their descent which is usually precipitated by a need for acceptance from someone other than God.
Put not your trust in princes or bishops or elders or deacons or preachers or saints or scientists or whomever.
There is One Lord of the Universe, praise His life-giving name.
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
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Just running it back to the religious zealots here that killed a great forum with their behavior. Please don't shoot the messenger. Laffin. You certainly are squeaky clean in this regard. This cat aside. IMHO, what God is interested in today is what we are doing for him. It's about service to our fellow man. We are called to serve, not just study scripture. Evangelism is certainly important, as is serving those in need. MANY Christians and Christian organizations exhaust themselves in serving folks in need. It is easy for some of the dead asses around here to criticize, when Christians around the country will be busting their butt to help others throughout this weekend. We have folks in the inferno that is known as eastern N.C., this weekend, helping folks that were flooded in Hurricane Matthew last year. Just imagine working all day in mid 90s, in a house with no air conditioning. Some weekend huh? That is the kind of thing that Christians do in a regular basis. The volunteer effort is massive and the dead asses can't honestly deny it. That said, we clearly need to do more. It is our calling as Christians.
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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Maybe you here illustrate the difference between the wisdom and strength of God and the silliness and weakness of mankind.
You are presuming a god, that fits a specific definition exists. Of course you will never define that god, nor issue an argument for his alleged existence. To support your assertion about my presumption, kindly pluck from my posts the specific definition I have given - and post it here. Absent that, it appears that you have presumed a presumption. So you are claiming he's indefinable? Ooops - there you go again - attempting to place words on my tongue or thoughts in my brain. You know full well that I made no such claim. You pretended that I presumed a specific definition of God - but you can't produce that, so you shift to a different misrepresentation. Come on - you are a bright fellow - you can do better than that.
NRA Member - Life, Benefactor, Patron
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Campfire Oracle
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Campfire Oracle
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As soon as you complete your penance you will no longer be required to open these threads. Ha. True that.
Ecc 10:2
The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but that of a fool to the left.
A Nation which leaves God behind is soon left behind.
"The Lord never asked anyone to be a tax collector, lowyer, or Redskins fan".
I Dindo Nuffin
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Campfire Oracle
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Campfire Oracle
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In the Holy Bible, God has given rather clear instructions for the Christian life. Those relate to the individual, although they can be lived and applied as a body of believers.
When we make stuff up in His name, it is a bad mistake. So clear that there's thousands of different denominations of Christians. Maybe you here illustrate the difference between the wisdom and strength of God and the silliness and weakness of mankind. Man persisting in justifying his on way and leaning on his own understanding and, of course, that understanding influenced by his own desire. People hundreds of years ago didnt understand bacteria or lightening, which could still kill them, and did. And they blamed it on evil spirits, demons, and the devil, and were wrong. nope. We are all born of the flesh.
Ecc 10:2
The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but that of a fool to the left.
A Nation which leaves God behind is soon left behind.
"The Lord never asked anyone to be a tax collector, lowyer, or Redskins fan".
I Dindo Nuffin
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 12,806
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
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Posts: 12,806 |
BarryC,
I was thinking of Sola Scriptura as Luther used it. You are using the Scripture to show there are things that are not recorded in Scripture. At the end of John we are taught the world could not contain all the books that would be written if all that Jesus did was written down. Today we can't use what was not written down. Most don't use what IS written. Ah, yes, I wanted to use that passage, but I forgot about it. Old I guess.  But, yes we CAN use what was not written. It's called Apostolic Tradition and the Catholic Church is the only church to maintain the fullness of that tradition. Paul said "I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I have delivered them to you" (1 Cor. 11:2), and "So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter" (2 Thess. 2:15) are just a couple.
Islam is a terrorist organization.
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