But your analogy doesn't fit. Your lady friends did not get to know the "strangers" they "fed". They don't even know which stranger was responsible for having to add on to the house. You need to tell them what the Bible says about letting anyone and everyone into the front door. They should know of their sin before God which needs to be dealt with.

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America will get over Trump

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If only that were true. Look around you, we are living in a reality show...and America loves reality shows.

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Originally Posted by jlisenbe

But your analogy doesn't fit. Your lady friends did not get to know the "strangers" they "fed". They don't even know which stranger was responsible for having to add on to the house. You need to tell them what the Bible says about letting anyone and everyone into the front door. They should know of their sin before God which needs to be dealt with.

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YOU're STILL missing it! My analogy had nothing to do with my "ladyfriends." It had to do with your house analogy.

But my house analogy WAS about your friends.

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Originally Posted by jlisenbe

But my house analogy WAS about your friends.

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It was a very poor one. Their houses weren't left unlocked accidentally. They had issued invitations.

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Their houses weren't left unlocked accidentally. They had issued invitations.

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Must have sent a lot of invitations if they don't even know who the father is. Keep the door closed and locked until you have a ring on your finger. I know you don't like to accept simple, common-sense answers, but that's the answer. And for those of us who are Christians, it goes hand in hand with the teachings of the Bible. The same answer also applies to men who have regard for the will of God.

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Originally Posted by jlisenbe

Must have sent a lot of invitations if they don't even know who the father is. Keep the door closed and locked until you have a ring on your finger. I know you don't like to accept simple, common-sense answers, but that's the answer. And for those of us who are Christians, it goes hand in hand with the teachings of the Bible. The same answer also applies to men who have regard for the will of God.

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Oh, I agree with you about having the ring first, and actually did that myself! But others disagree with me. For some reason, I just can't control their needs and passions. And many of those I've known over the years have been white and attend church regularly.

https://scontent.fmem1-1.fna.fbcdn.n...2f&oe=5D44A2AE

Just my observation, but even among Christians the will of God is interpreted differently. To be fair the same dynamic is present among the Muslims as well. If there is but one God, why do humans fight amongst themselves over the trivial regional, cultural customs, tradition, and dogma that surround whatever version of God they subscribe too?

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Originally Posted by talaniman

Just my observation, but even among Christians the will of God is interpreted differently. To be fair the same dynamic is present among the Muslims as well. If there is but one God, why do humans fight amongst themselves over the trivial regional, cultural customs, tradition, and dogma that surround whatever version of God they subscribe too?

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Even in the one sub-division of the Lutheran denomination that I belong to, they can't agree about who God is and what we are to believe! I recently proofread a paper on Sikhism for a college student and was amazed at how similar Sikhism is to Christianity. And most religions have the Golden Rule embedded in them. Yes, Tal, why do humans fight amongst themselves over who God is???

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Even in the one sub-division of the Lutheran denomination that I belong to, they can't agree about who God is and what we are to believe! I recently proofread a paper on Sikhism for a college student and was amazed at how similar Sikhism is to Christianity. And most religions have the Golden Rule embedded in them. Yes, Tal, why do humans fight amongst themselves over who God is??

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Yes, there are similarities in the moral codes of most religions, but the person of Jesus Christ sets Christianity light years apart from the others. No other major religion had God come to earth as a man to both show us how to live and to give His life as a ransom for our sins. His life glows and shines brilliantly, and as a result we do not simply preach a moral code but rather a message of faith in the One who gave Himself for us and Who comes to live within us that we might effectively live for Him. Every major Christian denomination believes that. It is the core message of Christianity. So is Christianity similar to other religions? On the surface yes, but not in the vitals.

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So is Christianity similar to other religions? Not at all.

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Take a comparative religion course. Yes, Jesus is the stand-alone in Christianity. As for moral teachings, most religions agree, which makes me think they have a common foundation somewhere back in man's history.

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Yes, Jesus is the stand-alone in Christianity. As for moral teachings, most religions agree, which makes me think they have a common foundation somewhere back in man's history.

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Jesus is not merely a stand-alone. He is God come to earth. He completely sets Christianity apart from all other religions by His amazing love, worth, power, and wisdom. All other religions are based upon the idea that, by doing the right things, man can become acceptable to God. Only the Christian faith rejects that idea.

So Christians are better than anybody else because they have Jesus? I suppose that's cool if you are a Christian. I got no problem with that, as long as you keep it in your yard and out of mine.

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So Christians are better than anybody else because they have Jesus?

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I don't think that is what he's saying.

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So Christians are better than anybody else because they have Jesus?

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You have a talent for drawing the most strange conclusions.

It wasn't a conclusion, it was a QUESTION. Your talent seems to be dodging direct questions, or you got no answer. I don't know which it is. Most of my other Christian friends and family don't see it that way, they get beyond the labels and self designations.

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Originally Posted by talaniman

It wasn't a conclusion, it was a QUESTION. Your talent seems to be dodging direct questions, or you got no answer. I don't know which it is.

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I've been hanging around Christians all my long life, so I know what they think, believe, and how they act. Please, JL, answer Tal's question.

OK. I still have no idea how you would have even come up with the question, but the answer is very simple. ""to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven, to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” luke 1:77-79"

So the superiority belongs to God, not to people. Christians are people who have acknowledged their sinful condition and their residence in darkness and the shadow of death. They are similar to someone drowning and appealing for a lifeguard. It has nothing to do with being better than someone else. It has to do with the greatness and mercy of God displayed in Jesus. That is why you cannot say that the Christian faith is similar to other world religions in an really meaningful way. It is not. To say that is to downplay the glory and importance of Jesus.

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Just my observation, but even among Christians the will of God is interpreted differently. To be fair the same dynamic is present among the Muslims as well. If there is but one God, why do humans fight amongst themselves over the trivial regional, cultural customs, tradition, and dogma that surround whatever version of God they subscribe too?

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Who's fighting who? I don't know, why don't you ask the Israelites.

Maybe it has to do with the Shedding of Blood. Christians have the Blood of Jesus...that is the difference.