Mike, Liked your post on D&D, I remember my Evangelical friends having concerns about it also, supposedly people who played D&D had a higher rate of suicide, when this was researched it turned out the D&D guys had a lower rate of suicide than even Evangelicals! They didn't however have any girl friends.
Their name has nothing to do with the modern day Quakers. The Quakers are probably the least "cult-like" branch of modern Christianity. Study of other religions and critical thinking are both encouraged, and at least at the few meetings I've been to, they spend a good deal of time in meditation and discussing world events. No hellfire and brimstone at all, and no group think.
Thanks, I agree, my problem isn't with christ, its with all the EVIL things that his dad does in the bible. that along with people reveling in "context" and parables effectively making it impossible to argue with them because everything is either a riddle or i've interprited it wrong. {how surprising and convenient...} I agree with the God TV crap too, It really ****es me off when i'm flipping channels and theres the evangelist losers healing the crippled and taking your money for thier gas expenses. everyone STOP SENDING THEM YOUR MONEY!! THEY DON"T NEED IT!!! My biggest problem is with the methodical imposed brainwashing of a signifigant portion of every generation. There just HAS to come a point where that stops. when free will is stripped away at age 5 and free thought condemed, no one can think for themselvs and form their own opinion without their parents slamming thier opinions and material in their face. That should be an indication of a religions credibility, when imposed brainwashing is the only way it can maintain a following. I really like that last part, you are 100% right. unfortunately, there are far too many people like that out there.
Yes, a cousin of mine tells me every chance he gets that I'm going to hell because I practice martial arts. That our "strength" comes from the devil. What an idiot, and he's really serious too!
So you accept glorolalia (speakig in tongues), faith healing, and all that other stuff where the Holy Spirit comes down at the prayers of mere mortals? Or, as with speaking in tongues, just decided to make an appearance?
Yeah they are strange RELIGEONS, not cults dunno a few of them but the jehovahs witnesses while annoying for a few beliefs can be more down to earth than christians sometimes. However i feel that not many know the truth so they live by these religeons to hide fear of the unknown aka death. My i remind you that communion could be viewed as divination and havent you seen the guys with the nice hats and the insence? what do you think the insence is for?... yes its purification just like warding off evil spirits. who cares what is mambo jambo and what isnt unless you have first hand experiance you cant say anything about it. which is why im shutting up now.
So you're willing to accept the supernatural as long as it's Christian, even though all anyolne else does is pray with props? Or get touched by one of their gods. Seems mighty narrow-minded, that your god is the one and only and all others must be Satan.
I think narrow mindedness is the biggest problem. If we dont explore a possiblillity we may be wrong be it ratonally or morally etc. we shoud atleast look.
Not what I meant, im not talking about hellfire & brimstone. Here's an excerpt from this informitive site:http://www.rootsweb.com/~quakers/quakhist.htm WHERE DID QUAKERS GET THEIR NAME? This E-Mail message was forwarded to JTR by Cheska Wheatley: Quakers are officially called "The Society of Friends". The word "quaker" was originally a derogatory term used by King George (I think) to William Penn, who would not take his hat off in deference to his majesty. Penn told the King that instead of worrying about silly thing like hats, he should be "Quaking before the Lord." The King then responded "Get this quaker out of here!" So at first, "Quaker" was actually a slur. Now, although we still are called "Friends," we are also called "Quakers" by many people, including ourselves! BAM!
Well, I have to admit that I find it ironic that: Speaking in tongues at a Pentecostal Church is a blessing. Letting the loa ride you during a Santeria ritual is "occult". Lighting incense, candles, and pulling out the rosary in church is "prayer", and acceptable. Lighting insence, candles, and pulling out the prayer beads at my home daoist shrine is "occult" and evil. Faith healing is the the Holy Spirit working through man, but Chakra, Reiki, and Spells, which are just prayers with props, are "occult". See what I'm getting at? Same acts, different gods... One man's "religion" is another man's "occult".
^^^ and that is the point...beyond a certain point, faith becomes fanatasism and all consideration of tolerance goes out of the window. essentially, those who are true to their faith tend to be tolerant and open minded individuals...those who have doubts try to hide them by swinging to an extreme view and insisting that all who fail to see the world from such a polar extreme are infact unworthy of their religion and possesed by a maligned force. Why? simply because they are unsure of themselves inside and thus need to drag as many people over to their viewpoint as possible...strength in numbers and all that... real faith from a true source surely is all about accepting that people have the freedom to choose their own path and recognising the common strands in us all instead of focusing on the small differences in attitude and outlook and turning them into problems.
I am very sure of myself inside. I am not trying to drag anyone to my point of view, if anyone comes to a saving knowledge of Christ from this, it certainly won't be because I dragged them. I am only saying that there is only one true way to God and that is through Jesus Christ, God will never take away your freewill to choose. We will all die someday, every one of us will go before God on judgement day. I rest asured that on that day I will stand before God justified, not because of anything that I have done except that I accepted the free gift of salvation from Jesus Christ. He paid the price for my sins when He died on the cross. This is the greatest message of love that mankind has ever heard. I have spent a great deal of time studying all of the religions of the world, I'm not close minded, I have just finally found the right answer. If you guys are so open minded then read the Bible. Anyone who genuinely wants to know what's true can ask God directly. If that person is open minded and willing to hear the truth, the truth will come. Check it out for yourselves and prove me wrong. In the end we will all find out who is right or wrong.
