What is a Christian?

[talloola]

well put talloola.

So, would you expect that people have to take from religion what you would take from religion if you were to believe and decide to belong to one?

I did belong to one many years ago, as a child, guess that's a little different, everything was about obedience, and being good, and I was very
obedient and good.
I can't even begin to imagine how I would be if I was again a practicing catholic.
That means I would be a sincere believer, so I would be very serious about all
the facets of the faith I suppose, oh I don't know, the fact that I don't believe
in any of it, makes that impossible to visualize. I still would be good, I just
like to be good, makes me happy, so that part fits. lol
I love churches, but only because of the architecture, the old beautiful churches,
and I do feel good thinking about how secure I felt as a child kneeling in the
pews saying my prayers, and believing that 'god' was looking after me, but I
feared him, and was worried that he would know everything I did that wasn't
in the rules, if I said 'damn' on Monday, I couldn't wait till Sunday to go to
confession, to clean the slate again.
And, for sure, being in a church definitely brings back very clear memories,
as my first four years of catholic school, caused me to be very involved in my
religion, both in school and in church, so the inside of a church churns up
all of that, as clear as if it was yesterday, and I can see myself being so good
and obedient with that bit of fear that goes along with it.
That person was someone else, seems like an old friend, I grew out of that
person, my brain would not allow me to remain there, I became much more
aware of what was around me, and bloomed into a full blown human being,
with all the strengths and powers we have, don't need myths and angels and
such to guide me any more, from the age of 12
I expect people to do what they believe, and what makes them feel whole.
That's what I am doing, and if I tried to believe in a god, it would be fake
anyway, I would just be playing a game to get on the good side of the god,
and I am not a fake person, so wouldn't work.
I think I feel most 'concern' for the ones who don't know where to go, can't
figure out what's going on, is there, or isn't there a god, that would be a
very restless place to be, I'm glad I'm not there.
Sorry to be so long winded, but you really started me thinking on this one.

 

[AnnaG]

I did belong to one many years ago, as a child, guess that's a little different, everything was about obedience, and being good, and I was very
obedient and good.
I can't even begin to imagine how I would be if I was again a practicing catholic.
That means I would be a sincere believer, so I would be very serious about all
the facets of the faith I suppose, oh I don't know, the fact that I don't believe
in any of it, makes that impossible to visualize. I still would be good, I just
like to be good, makes me happy, so that part fits. lol
I love churches, but only because of the architecture, the old beautiful churches,
and I do feel good thinking about how secure I felt as a child kneeling in the
pews saying my prayers, and believing that 'god' was looking after me, but I
feared him, and was worried that he would know everything I did that wasn't
in the rules, if I said 'damn' on Monday, I couldn't wait till Sunday to go to
confession, to clean the slate again.
And, for sure, being in a church definitely brings back very clear memories,
as my first four years of catholic school, caused me to be very involved in my
religion, both in school and in church, so the inside of a church churns up
all of that, as clear as if it was yesterday, and I can see myself being so good
and obedient with that bit of fear that goes along with it.
That person was someone else, seems like an old friend, I grew out of that
person, my brain would not allow me to remain there, I became much more
aware of what was around me, and bloomed into a full blown human being,
with all the strengths and powers we have, don't need myths and angels and
such to guide me any more, from the age of 12
I expect people to do what they believe, and what makes them feel whole.
That's what I am doing, and if I tried to believe in a god, it would be fake
anyway, I would just be playing a game to get on the good side of the god,
and I am not a fake person, so wouldn't work.
I think I feel most 'concern' for the ones who don't know where to go, can't
figure out what's going on, is there, or isn't there a god, that would be a
very restless place to be, I'm glad I'm not there.
Sorry to be so long winded, but you really started me thinking on this one.

I love the way you put that.

 

[karrie]

So, your answer is that, no, you wouldn't expect people to practise religion according to your views? I think?

 

[Dexter Sinister]

Suicide is a sin, remember? lol

That's a later accretion to the canon. Scripture doesn't say so, in fact it reports approvingly on Samson's suicide in pulling a building down around himself to take out a bunch of Philistines.:smile:

 

[lone wolf]

That's a later accretion to the canon. Scripture doesn't say so, in fact it reports approvingly on Samson's suicide in pulling a building down around himself to take out a bunch of Philistines.:smile:

Aha! Allah be praised! We have evidence that suicide bombers are sanctioned!

I could find evidence to suggest I don't have to check the air in my tires if I chose to interpret the Bible as such....

Spirits don't need to be ruled....

 

[VanIsle]

So, your answer is that, no, you wouldn't expect people to practise religion according to your views? I think?

I cannot understand why anyone would think another person should practice religion according to their views. My own son and his wife have bible study in their home once a week (or they go to the home of someone in their study group)and while I am a christian, what I see them doing is studying their own interpretation of the bible and to my way of thinking, they are not understanding it or they are understanding it the way someone in the group wants them to understand it. I say nothing because it's their belief - not mine.

 

[VanIsle]

Suicide is a sin, remember? lol

The most weird thing about commiting suicide is that it's actually against the law in Canada!!! Wonder who they will charge? 8O

 

[talloola]

So, your answer is that, no, you wouldn't expect people to practise religion according to your views? I think?

Don't 'expect' anything from people, what they do is their choice. I said in my
above post, that I can't really put myself in the position of being a believer, so
therefore I cannot begin to think about what others, who believe in god, should
or should not do, not my call anyway.
I also stated in my 'story' above that I expect people to do what makes them feel
whole.

 

[AnnaG]

That's a later accretion to the canon. Scripture doesn't say so, in fact it reports approvingly on Samson's suicide in pulling a building down around himself to take out a bunch of Philistines.:smile:

lol Ok, how about this then: "Thou shalt not kill"?

 

[AnnaG]

The most weird thing about commiting suicide is that it's actually against the law in Canada!!! Wonder who they will charge? 8O

Never underestimate the contrivances of politicians and lawyers. lol

 

[karrie]

Never underestimate the contrivances of politicians and lawyers. lol

they will NOT be cheated out of a tax payer. lol.

 

[AnnaG]

they will NOT be cheated out of a tax payer. lol.

lol.

 

[MHz]

It is and it isn't. The sheer volume on here gets perplexing.

Volume??? At the moment this is the only 'religious thread' going. Close to 30m posts and not much said about how Scripture feels about anything. Suicide included. Samson gave his life in a battle, that is self sacrifice not suicide. Judas is as close to suicide as you can get. If you want to argue the finer points, then what effect did his repenting have on his salvation.

What is a bit perplexing is how many atheists visit religious threads, nothing random, the same ones time and again, often with only a very few word changes from what they said in another religious themed post, that is totally wierd

 

[karrie]

*scratches head* what exactly did you think I was complaining about MHz?

 

[taxslave]

Apparently none of the rulers of the Catholic church ever read any of these commandments. Not too many fundies have either.

 

[MHz]

The most weird thing about commiting suicide is that it's actually against the law in Canada!!! Wonder who they will charge? 8O

The estate, any/all grievances that are owed the crown are retrieved in full before any other matters are even mentioned.

What if you showed up with a body and said you don't know who owns it, would the state bury it free of charge, the exoense would then be passed over to the 'will', they would pay all charges or they could not get the surplus.. How much is being left 'to the carnivores of the world fund' funeral package cost. Dumped from moderate altitude just to be double sure you are dead before you are eaten.

It may not be staunch RRC but I don't have a verse that says anything about a person, once being dust, is of any value except to God. We grieve for a month and then move on. Hopefully by that time any retaliation that is due to emotion has had a time to cool. If legal things were also trespassed then starting off down that path is more than allright anytime after a 'date' has been set.

 

[herald]

Jesus said, that, a Christian is he that is born again. John 3.

 

[AnnaG]

Volume??? At the moment this is the only 'religious thread' going. Close to 30m posts and not much said about how Scripture feels about anything. Suicide included. Samson gave his life in a battle, that is self sacrifice not suicide. Judas is as close to suicide as you can get. If you want to argue the finer points, then what effect did his repenting have on his salvation.

What is a bit perplexing is how many atheists visit religious threads, nothing random, the same ones time and again, often with only a very few word changes from what they said in another religious themed post, that is totally wierd

Christians visit science threads, too. That's pretty weird, also.

 

[AnnaG]

Jesus said, that, a Christian is he that is born again. John 3.

I don't think I would like that very much. Although I enjoyed my childhood, I would rather see what coming next than relive my history.

 

[lone wolf]

Jesus said, that, a Christian is he that is born again. John 3.

Sorry....

...In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.[a]"

BIG difference