PDBROYLES@OWUCOMCN (The Golden Rule: He who has all the Gold makes the rules.) (02/08/90)
>PDB, > I don't understand quite all you are trying to tell us. Do you believe tha >t Jesus Christ is the son of God? Yes, but not necessarily in the way you understand it. I do not believe Jesus Christ to be the genetic biological Son og God. I do however, understand his essence his spirit his Christness to be one with God. >Do you believe he came to us, born of a virgin Hummm, interesting question, and I know that MAKS will remind us of the CARIS postings he made on this subject, but in the Greek, Virgin meant young girl. The understanding that virgin means what it does today is a somewhat more recent understanding. In fact, if I remember correctly, it wasn't until the 3 or 4th century (if not later) that the Church decreed that JC was born of a girl who had not had sex. That understanding was NOT around in the first or second century, although the word was! >to give light to the world and die on the cross to pay for our sins? Do you >believe he arose three days later and ascended into heaven? Yes and No, I'll leave it at that because I'm not even sure if I could explain my views here if I wanted to. And I know that very few people would except them if I could. >Do you believe in the Holy Ghost? This is an unequivical YES!!! I have NO doubt in the H.G. >Do you believe in the trinity? This again is an interesting question, what exactly do you mean by trinity? I could say, "Yes, I do believe in the trinity," but it would not necessarily have the same connotations you associate with the trinity. (An interesting side note, the Hindu's have a Trinity: Brahma, the Creator; Vishnu, the Preserver; and Siva, the Destroyer.) >What Bible do you believe in? There is only one Bible, but that isn't what you are asking. I connot deny that the Bible is the word of God (I can deny that it is inerrant, in translation and/or modern interpretation.) At the same time, however, I cannot say that the Veda's or the Quaran or the Sutra's are not also the words of God given to different people in a differrent land at a different time. WHat you realy what to know is what I base my belieffs and practices on. You claim the Bible, I hold fast to the ultimate truth---Love (and I challenge anyone to put the Bible over real love!) >We as Chrisians, should always show love, patience and perseverence for Christ. I'd take this one step further. How do you show your love and patience and perseverance for Christ? By showing love and patience and perseverence for your fellow human beings! If you can't love your fellow humans without condemning them or looking down on them, then you cannot love Christ/God. At the same time, if you cannot love God then you cannot love your fellow human beings. It's kinda like in the book of James where they are talking about faith and deeds. A man can have all the deeds in the world, but they will avail him nothing because he has no faith. The man with the Faith, however, will automatically have the deeds. In a like manner, the man who loves God will automatically love his fellow man. While the man who claims to love God but doesn't love man is like the man who claims to love God but the Spirit doesn't live within him. I hope this makes sense, I always tend to be on this thing LATE at night when I'm tired. >I know that Satans >best argument is to destroy our creditability and to make us look bad so that >others will turn away from the good news. Unfortunately, it doesn't take much effort on Satans part!!! So much hatred has be accomplished in the name of Christianity that it would should wrentch your stomache! The Crusades, The Inquisitions, Religious Wars, Slavery, Subjectation of non-Christian countries, etc. For almost a thousand years, the Christian Church was one of the most corrupt institutions in the world! Church officials were appointed not by ecclesiastical authorities, but rather by their local lords and kings! (Actually, it was more like the president appointing somebody to a cabinet position. The President [Lord] nominated somebody and the Congress [Church] either accepted or rejected the appointment, but the Church was limited to the selection of a subject loyal to the manorial/fuedal lord! After a millenium of corruption from within and without, you expect me to believe that Christianty maintained its pure uncorrupted form? Don't count on it, we had popes who basically had harems and no REAL commitment to the Gospel! {I want to make a note here, this is not an attack on the Catholic Church, its just that for 1500 years the Catholic and Christian Church were synonymous---ALL protestant denominations are included in this criticism up until Martin Luther!}) >You welcomed it so please respond to my quetsions. I still welcome questions and criticisms, and will TRY to answer them. Unfortunately, I CANNOT spend as much time on here as I would like because I have to start doing some serious studying, and if I get myself too much in the firing line I will have to drop out of sight again {I say this now having NO intention to quit, but if it becomes a problem, I may have to.} > A Christian, Bernice A Lover of Truth, PDB Ps, on a side note, I do not have an appendicitus---thank God. paul