[bit.listserv.christia] Buddha, 700 Club, etc., etc.

pc1y+@ANDREW.CMU.EDU (Peter Capell) (02/10/90)

Yes Mr. PDB (Whomever you are), you understand my perspectives and
beliefs completely.

Re: the Father -- did it ever occur to you that Jesus was using
metaphor.  While I do believe that
God can choose to appear to us in any form He likes (burning bushes,
people, angels, Jesus, Buddha, your rear view mirror), His true essence
is without form.  Jesus used the Father, to describe a way of relating
to God (I believe), and that one may also look upon God as one's friend
if one likes.

Re: Christ force -- Are you being sarcastic with me Michael?  Sounds a
little too much like Star Wars
                  to me.

Re: Hindus and Moslems -- I think it is highly presumptuous to say that
the followers of a religion
                                          (Islam) whose numbers dwarf
those of Christians worldwide has left
            them feeling a "void."  This is clearly wrong.  Of course they have
 their
            dogma which says the same of you.

            I wonder, when you pull out of the hat, examples of the failures of
            Hinduism and Islam, do you also consider the Spanish Inquisition,
            and other such lovely episodes in Christian history.  Or do you
 somehow
            excuse them.  Hitler's Germany was composed mostly of Lutherans
            and Catholics, and those Christians saw fit to torture and
 annihilate
            6 million Jews.  Was this the will of Christ?

            The pot is calling the kettle black.  There are great examples of
 God's
            power and love in Hinduism, in Islam, in Zorastrianism, and in
 Buudhism.

I am not saying one must be a little of each, I am saying that to the
extent one is one in Christ, one is in tune with the core objectives of
each of those religions.  Clearly my perspective is beyond you, and I
don't intend to continue bumping against your beliefs here much longer.
I am not saying that you are exactly wrong -- how can one go wrong in
Christ, on the other hand, you are not right either, and my only
recommendation was that you not attempt "to remove the mote from you
brother's eye" until you have removed the beam from your own.

But of course you can always retreat to the position that the forces of
evil use scripture too.  Well if
I am a force of evil, then you're an elephant.

C08926RC@WUVMD (Rob) (02/10/90)

>
Just wanted to clarify one thing...



>Re: Hindus and Moslems -- I think it is highly presumptuous to say that
>the followers of a religion
>                                          (Islam) whose numbers dwarf
>those of Christians worldwide has left
>            them feeling a "void."  This is clearly wrong.  Of course they have
> their
>            dogma which says the same of you.
>

Ummm, I hate to burst your bubble, but Islam is the largest religion in the
world, not Christianity.  Christianity is the second largest.

C08926RC@WUVMD (Rob) (02/10/90)

OOPS!

After rereading the statement about Islam, I realize that I read it
wrong the first time.  SO, please ignore my last post.

It's been a long day...

Rob

dl2y+@ANDREW.CMU.EDU (Donna Marie Lewis) (02/10/90)

>Ummm, I hate to burst your bubble, but Islam is the largest religion in the
>world, not Christianity.  Christianity is the second largest.
     Are you sure ? I just read an article in the February " St. Anthony
Messenger "  which stated that Islam has as about as many believers as
Catholicism. If Christianity is taken to mean the Catholic Church , the
Orthodox Churches, and the various Protestant churches, it would seem to
be larger.  More divided, but larger.
                      Yours in Christ,
                                             Donna Marie Lewis
        Cor ad cor loquitur - "  Heart speaks to heart "
        Gaudete semper - " Rejoice always "

UK3W@DKAUNI2 (Matt Will<uk3w@dkauni2>) (02/13/90)

I don't think numbers are important. After all, only a few of those
in the Roman Catholic church are believers, I would say. To me, really,
it does not matter at all how many people are in such and such church.
To me it matters to be able to talk to those who don't believe in Jesus
about the Lord, and tell them they were saved 2000 years ago by the
blood of Jesus. We shouldn't boast with numbers. We should be humble
and thankful to serve Him, for He is the only answer, at least for me.
                                  Matt

dl2y+@ANDREW.CMU.EDU (Donna Marie Lewis) (02/13/90)

>I don't think numbers are important. After all, only a few of those
>in the Roman Catholic church are believers, I would say.
What is your definition of  " believer " ?
  Yours in Christ,
                            Donna Marie Lewis
        Cor ad cor loquitur - "  Heart speaks to heart "
        Gaudete semper - " Rejoice always "

JIM@AUVM (Jim McIntosh) (02/14/90)

In article <"90-02-12-19:18:36.40*UK3W"@DKAUNI2.BITNET>, "Matt
Will<uk3w@dkauni2>" <UK3W@DKAUNI2> says:
>
>I don't think numbers are important. After all, only a few of those
>in the Roman Catholic church are believers, I would say. (rest deleted)

Can you explain what  you mean by this statement? It  sounds like you are
saying that  you know who  is a believer and  who isn't, although  I know
this couldn't be what you mean. Thanks for taking the time to clarify it.
-------
Jim McIntosh (JIM@AUVM)
The American University
Washington DC 20016 USA