Well since a lot of people have decided this is ok for discussion...
 

I agree with a lot of what Alan said. And I consider myself a Christian. :eek: How does that work, you say?

What he was saying about a lot of religious people, churches, etc, seems so right on to me.

There's all the wars and violence through history in the name of religion, things like the Crusades, the things 'missionaries' did here in the Americas a couple hundred years ago, Muslim jihads....

On a more personal level I've seen religion tear apart families, or control people so much that they blindly follow a path that IMHO will not lead them in a good direction.

And what is up with the signing a paper thing? That sounds like a pretty insecure religion where they make you sign something to ensure future generations will worship the way they want them to worship.

I do believe there is a place for organized religion. Meeting with others that share your beliefs and worshiping together is good for the soul. But does that mean you have to join any organization started by men and go to a big fancy building? Maybe for some, that is what is needed. Everyone is free to do what they want, especially in America. :) It is not the right thing for everyone though.

Just remember, religion is what put Jesus on the cross.

But the most important thing is what Jesus did after he went to the cross, why he did it, and who he did it for. Amen! :)

Isn't it Amen! :confused:

buuut
 

Bad things happen outside the name of christianity also. I'm not saying the crusades and such were right. I think it's unfortunate that people look at the crusades and such and therefore decide that christianity or another organized religion is fundamentally flawed. The bottom line is that those types of things aren't accurate representations of what the religion is all about. You can go out daily and see religious people (and non religious people at that) doing things that people would definately approve of, but christians are still remembered for things that happened forever ago. A similar, although possibly slightly askew, comparison would be saying that America is messed up because it dropped an A-bomb. We killed sooo many people. Now I know there are arguments like "it ended the war," and "Imagine the amount of lives that would've been lost had the war continued for 5 years." I'm not here to decide if the a-bomb was right, that's not my point. My point is that there were probably similar "excuses" like that for the crusades and such, and wheter right or wrong, they don't represent the group or beliefs of the whole.

*I just focused on the crusades for ease of typing. I'm not some kind of crusades defender. Heck, I don't really know much about them at all. :rolleyes:

Ooops - yep it is. :o

mmmmmm MMMMM makes me feel like readin' the good book!

"Ezekiel

23:1
The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,

23:2
Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother:

23:3
And they committed *****doms in Egypt; they committed *****doms in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their virginity.

23:4
And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah.

23:5
And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours,

23:6
Which were clothed with blue, captains and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding upon horses.

23:7
Thus she committed her *****doms with them, with all them that were the chosen men of Assyria, and with all on whom she doted: with all their idols she defiled herself.

23:8
Neither left she her *****doms brought from Egypt: for in her youth they lay with her, and they bruised the breasts of her virginity, and poured their *****dom upon her."

WOOO WEE! Dontcha just get all warm and fuzzy inside?!

- Rob

23:4
And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah.



Rob, sometimes you can be the biggest Ahol of all.

Ron (Gettin' down on my knee-on).

Warm and fuzzy, it's not . . .
 

. . . nor is it meant to be.

Aholah (meaning "her tent" or "her temple") was the northern kingdom of Israel. Her 'harlotry' consisted of consorting with the wealthy kingdoms of Assyria and Egypt. Her leaders consequently led her into 'fornications', which merely means serving the gods of those other countries. At or near 722 B.C., Assyria deported her, scattering her people among the many tribes and countries in the area. They never regained their homeland. I.E. the ten 'Lost Tribes' of Israel.

Oholibah (meaning "my tent/temple is in her") was the southern kingdom, called Judah. It's seat was Jerusalem, which held Solomon's Temple. It also had several wicked kings (even Solomon was led into idol worship by his foreign wives. The book of Exodus had warned him of that very thing.), probably the worst of which was Manassah. Even though the two 'sisters' had the same mother (refers to Israel as a whole), Aholibah didn't learn from the mistakes of Aholah. Consequently, she was taken captive by Babylonia around a hundred years later. You can read about these events in several books of the Bible, but particularly Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. Isaiah lived during the northern deportation - the other three during the southern. Isaiah prophesied (predicted) the deportation of Judah about a hundred years before it happened. Jeremiah predicted how long that deportation would last (seventy years - one year for each of the 'rest' years, 1 in 7, that Israel didn't adhere to during the preceeding 490 years). It seems when God tells you to rest - you'd better rest! Daniel lived in Babylon during the entire 70-year captivity.

I'm glad you brought it up as it's a very interesting story.

:D

Amen! Right on! :)

I knew you'd say that Waisons. :p Christians always try to figure out how anything in the bible can be good, even a story about two girls who were sluts, one was beheaded, the other was raped, mutilated and gangbanged.... and yet somehow, you guys see this as a history story. Riiiiigggghhhhttt.

So maybe Jesus wasn't real and just represents.....

- Rob

Wasn't Hitler a Christian?

No, not really. Some people claim he is (usually atheists) but of course the Christians refuse to allow that, but I've looked at both sides (when trying to argue against christianity) and I believe the evidence points to him NOT being a christian.

- Rob

Oh so it's kind of a conterversial issue. Anyone read Mein Kemp, Kemph, Kaph, whatever the hell it is?

'Mein Kampf'

I have.

It's a prime example of how many dictators, world leaders, etc., have used religion to subvert the truth. Other examples might be: Saddam Hussein (only supports Islam when it meets his needs), Slave dealers (a little twist here, a little twist there - hey, we can make this sound like it fits our view.), Alexander the Great (Christianity might be a good way to for me to rule the world.), et al, ad nauseum.

:rolleyes:

[QUOTE]Originally posted by wasions
[B]

'Mein Kampf'

I have.

Thank you. I figured the answer might be in there. Anyway like you said, Killing in the name of God. As long as God told you to do it , it's ok.

Personally if I have to kill someone it will be becouse I want to not becouse God told me to. I only listen to the voices in MY head that come from the little person inside me, he's my freind, he likes cheese. All thoes religious killers are just wierd freaks.