[Donna Mae]

One God.
One Son.
One Body (the church).
One Baptism.
One source of God's word (the Bible).

Just as Talaniman is certain that all religions are correct.
I am just as certain that there is only one true religion.
People were first called Christians in Antioch, this was the beginning of the one true church. Others who couldn't abide by the teachings of Christ spawned their own churches. Man made churches.

Unless we are with Christ, we are against Him.

And the only way that I can see why you would say that all religions are alike is because you don't really know what the true religion of God is. The only way to know is by reading the Bible.

Of course Christ extended His hand to sinners, that's what He came here for. That's what all Christians are here for, to bring unbelievers to God's word.

My question is what about the religions who don't even believe in Jesus? How can they all be the same? The common root they can be traced back to is Jesus. But if they have turned against Jesus and God's word, they can no longer be the same.

[Donna Mae]

God is the only one who can judge and condemn those who do not believe.

[talaniman]

My question is what about the religions who don't even believe in Jesus? How can they all be the same?
They are the same because they all require you to believe in something greater than yourself.
The common root they can be traced back to is Jesus.
Actually they do not as man and his religion, predates Christ.
But if they have turned against Jesus and God's word, they can no longer be the same.
Semantics, tradition, and dogma is a local thing. Believing is God is personal. Man has always congregated together by agreement, and fought wars because of disagreement.

[talaniman]

God is the only one who can judge and condemn those who do not believe.

You got that right!

[Donna Mae]

You got that right!

Why do you say this as if I am judging you. Is it because by accusing Christians as 'judging' everyone, you can justify your judging of Christians?

I do what God tells me to do, inform others about Christ. God will be doing the judging. Telling others is not judging. If it were then you are judging all Christians with your non belief. Doesn't really make any sense does it?

I feel the same way about your comments.

If someone comes on here who really wants an answer, then I will respond, but I think you and I might as well agree that you are not here for answers and we will never agree.

[talaniman]

Wow, I agreed with you, and you go all sensitive, and defensive.

[Donna Mae]

Wow, I agreed with you, and you go all sensitive, and defensive.

Sorry, I thought you were being sarcastic. I didn't think you would ever agree with me.
Sorry again.

[Donna Mae]

Man has always congregated together by agreement, and fought wars because of disagreement.

Fighting wars because of disagreements. Sounds like they're not all the same.

[talaniman]

They all fight. Yes it's a human thing. They do it in the name of God, and that too, is a human thing, which has little to do with God, but a lot to do with control.

Sorry if I came off as sarcastic, Not my intention.

[N0help4u]

Bottom line is your Pastor nor the congregation is going to 'save' you so you have to be sure in your own heart your relationship with God and your faith.

[Galveston1]

As usual, there is probably a problem in communication here. If someone, pastor or otherwise, tells you that you must accept Jesus Christ as your LORD, (that means you do what He says) or be lost to Hell, that is witnessing or preaching the gospel. If someone, pastor or otherwise, directs his words to you personally and says that you are going to Hell, that is judging, because he doesn't know what is in your heart.

[sassyT]

Its like the old tale of the blind men, who came upon an elephant. They could only see the elephant from where they touched him, so as they described the elephant, they were all right, because thats all they knew. But what they couldn't see was the true shape of the elephant. It is the nature of man, to believe only what he can see, but there is another view, that you cannot see at this time, so we are all right, yet have not seen the bigger picture, but rest assured, as we have better vision, we will see a more clearer picture. As you have said yourself you have studied the bible, so thats all you can see, but there are other views to study, and thats why I know what I do, we as humans are the same.

Actually before I gave my life to Christ studied a lot of religions, I have read the Koran and of course the Torah. I also know a lot about oriental religions as well as Hinduism. After studying all these religions I have personally come to the conclution that The Bible is absolute truth. If the Bible turns out to be truth, that means all other religions are not right in their idiology. If the Bible is right that means there is only one God and the only way to Him is through his son Jesus Christ. I believe the devil miss leads people into thinking all religions are right and you can get to God through anyone. Jesus said " i am the way the truth and the light, no one comes to the father (GOD) but by me"
So the bottom line is there can be 5000 religions out there but only ONE is True. When I was in the darkest moment in my life, it was Jesus who came to my rescue, not Mohamed not Budha not Krishna. That is why my trust is in the Lord Jesus Christ.

[talaniman]

Sorry, I can put no one, and nothing, between or before me, and the God that I understand, just me though. I see no difference in the way God has created all men either. Still just me. Its all good, and I feel very comfortable letting God judge as he will.

[De Maria]

I used to be christian, until my pastor began telling me how wrong everyone else in the world was.

Without knowing what he said, I can't comment upon that.

All i could think was, how can you be saying those people are wrong when they rely on faith just as you do?

All faith is not the same.

Does a Buddhist not have faith that his religion is true?

I suppose.

And if someone who does not believe in jesus lives their life well, why should they be condemned?

How do you define "well"?

If a gay man is sweet and kind and thoughful, or just doesn't step on any toes, why should he burn in hell?

If he acts upon his unnatural urges, because he has rejected God's gift and God's laws:

Believing one self to be gay is not a sin in itself. Acting upon the homosexual urges is a sin against God and the nature which He has given man:

Genesis 2 24 Wherefore a man shall leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they shall be two in one flesh.

Or a girl who made a mistake and in result chose to terminate her pregnancy, why must you all look down at her?

Because she has committed the murder of the unborn.

What do you mean by "look down at her"?

If you mean that I would point out that she has murdered her child and must repent before God, I see that as giving her advice for her eternal life. Murder is sin unto death.

I guess what I am asking is If your religion preachess love and truth why when good people do things that you disagree wiith, even when they hurt no one, do you feel the need to point and tell them how condemned they are.

In the example of abortion, the woman has harmed her child. Murdered the child in fact.

In the example of the homosexual, the gay person, you have not given an example of a sin. But if he has acted upon his homosexual urges, he has harmed his own body and the one with whom he indulged in this sin. Even if the sin were consensual.

I thought god said, I give you the choice... why can't you people just let us choose.

You do have a choice. We advice against your choosing the curse rather than the blessing. But if that is what you or anyone choose, there is little we can do about it.

Deuteronomy 30 19 I call heaven and earth to witness this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Choose therefore life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

Sincerely,

De Maria

[ineedhelpfast]

All we as christians can do is tell about Him, God, but you yourself have to seek Him, if that is what you wish to do, but no one is forcing you, if you think someone is, God gave us free will and it is our choice on what we do with Gods gift of salvation to us.

[Onan]

Christians believe to go to heaven you have to accept Christ as savior while Judaism believes you just have to keep the 10 commandments. How can both be right? It’s one or the other.

Actually accepting Christ and keeping the commandments are both christian concepts. It just depends on what your church desides is the right way. Even Jesus quotes the Ten Commandments when asked how to be saved. The whole heaven and hell idea is also christian. Judaism doesn't dwell on how to get to heaven but how to get closer to God while living here on earth. For just that reason there is over 600 rules and laws in the OT. While I agree with you that every religion cannot be right I couldn't help but notice from this quote that you don't know very much about Judaism or your own religion.

If he acts upon his unnatural urges, because he has rejected God's gift and God's laws:

For a person who is gay, it is a very natural thing for him/her. The common mistake christians make is to think it's a choice. This way of thinking has led many confused people to kill themselves because they thought something was wrong with them or because the church they grew up in preached they would go to hell.

Believing one self to be gay is not a sin in itself. Acting upon the homosexual urges is a sin against God and the nature which He has given man:

There are some strange laws in the OT where of course, all of this started from. What people need to remember is MAN made the laws and MAN wrote them down. When these laws were being made by the Irealites they were a small nomadic clan. There was empires all around them. In order for them to take the lands they wanted, or God promised them(how ever you want to believe it) they needed an army. Now you couldn't very well build an army if couples were having anal and men and women were sleeping with their own kind could you. These kinds of laws were made for reasons needed back then and had nothing to do with getting to heaven or not. Of course the best way to get these laws followed was to say it would anger GOD if they weren't followed.

In the example of abortion, the woman has harmed her child. Murdered the child in fact.

How can the Bible be used to speak against this? Against murder of all things?
I personally am against abortion as a form of birth control but there are plenty of reasons a woman would choose to have one. If I was a woman there is no way in hell I would want to go through 9 months of being pregnant and then a life long reminder after the kid is born, of the night I was raped. Do you really think a loving and caring God would want a woman to live the rest of her life with that pain?

In the example of the homosexual, the gay person, you have not given an example of a sin. But if he has acted upon his homosexual urges, he has harmed his own body and the one with whom he indulged in this sin. Even if the sin were consensual.

I'm not really sure what you mean about harming his body. Can you explain this to me?


To the original question.

If anyone(preacher/teacher) tells you these things it's pretty much because he doesn't understand his own bible and the time and place it's pages was written. If the Bible was followed word for word we would still be killing our disobedient children.

[talaniman]

I think it dangerous to take what ancient man wrote, and think it's a directive from God. A personal relationship with HIM, is what's needed. Men lie! They also have their own agenda. I am not just speaking of the bible here either, as man has written many books, and put them forth as the only truth, or make them somehow divine. That's why we have free choice. Just my humble opinion.