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  1. J

    Can true love exist apart from God?

    If I may give a little background behind this question, I was invited to a couple of social events by a friend who is part of this ecumenical group, or I would call it an ecumenical group. This group has the backing of their church, but they say they are not affiliated with the church. Everyone...
  2. J

    Why are u a non-denominational christian?

    What do you mean by "use the services" of other denominations? I used to go to this one independent church that didn't have its own baptismal pool (sorry I don't know if there's another technical word for it). So we used the baptismal pool of a different denomination church nearby for all our...
  3. J

    Why are u a non-denominational christian?

    Specific denominations exist because of differences in interpretation and practices. If you subscribe to one organization's particular set of doctrine and rituals that other people have institutionalized, then you would follow that denomination. Otherwise, you would simply follow God. Divisions...
  4. J

    Dissapointed by God

    I'm coming in late to this discussion, but I was going to say that there is nothing anyone can say that can explain or take your grief, pain, and disappointment away from you; that no matter what anyone says, it's still a process you have to go through. It would be like Job whose friends tries...
  5. J

    my Mom passed away

    Sorry to hear your loss. Loss of a parent is hard at any age and with the added pressures of caring for a baby at the same time. Hope these meager words is of support to you and your family and remember that we are all part of God's family.
  6. J

    I got no Christian identity

    I actually applaud you for not simply blindly following codified dogma. Even in the Bible, the Bereans were held in high esteem for examining the Scriptures for themselves to see if what was preached to them was actually true or not, and that's the example to follow (Acts 17). The "Nicene...
  7. J

    Questions From Someone Curious About The G-man.

    Yeah, I always try to give people the benefit of the doubt that they are serious in seeking the truth, but there a certain tone in the questions that raises red flags of a troll. If I am mistaken and are you are a true seeker, my suggestion is instead of hoping to get some pat answers off a...
  8. J

    Have your core beliefs ever changed?

    I see where you're misunderstanding the corollary. Yes, philosophical objectivity would dictate that there is only one absolute Truth. However, there is also what is known as subjective truth. (I differentiate between the two with a capital 'T' or lower case 't'.) Subjective truth, or...
  9. J

    Have your core beliefs ever changed?

    I don't understand what you're saying about belief and faith going in different directions; I mean why would they go in different directions? You would put your faith in whatever it is you believe in. The other poster was saying that we might initially have a false belief and faith, but as we...
  10. J

    Have your core beliefs ever changed?

    So how is this "change in belief" different from "getting a deeper understanding" and growing in the faith which the OP said to not include? I mean one does not get "deeper in the faith" by changing their belief to something they don't think is the truth. Wouldn't then all change in core belief...
  11. J

    Which version to read through?

    I think in seminary, you're required to know the original Hebrew and Greek, not translations. And in any serious Bible study or Bible school, even if you read Hebrew and Greek, you should be able to refer to original word and its meaning; such dependencies on translations is a bad sign. But I...
  12. J

    Is Christian a bad word?

    People, labels are just identifying words. Words and languages are society-agreed upon sounds used to make communication easier. That communication breaks down when there's ambiguity and differences on the meaning of those words. "Christian" is just another word/label we use because it's easier...
  13. J

    Is Christian a bad word?

    Well, if you know that that is why they do that, then you know what's their attitude.
  14. J

    Which version to read through?

    Why? I love this analogy, and it will demonstrate the problem with translating not only language but cultural idioms and phrases as well. How would you translate the phrase "raining cats and dogs"? Literalists will argue that everything has to be translated word for word literal translation...
  15. J

    Which version to read through?

    Oh, I'm terrible sorry, I totally misread your post. I guess I missed that last part of the OP message and didn't understand you were answering a question of the translated word. I thought you were being facetious and saying that the Bible could be translated into a dragon or jackal language. My...
  16. J

    Which version to read through?

    Actually, there's a project to translate the Bible in Klingon---really, seriously. I don't think that's the best use of one's time, since they could be putting the effort into a legitimate human language, but interesting none the less.
  17. J

    Which version to read through?

    Yeah, you will get a lot of fanatical responses to people's favorite translations, but remember that they are all just translations or paraphrases. And make sure you understand the difference between the two. First, I would draw distinctions between reading and studying the Bible. For casual...
  18. J

    Is Christian a bad word?

    I don't know if this is a trend starting to pick up or what, but calling yourself something different is nothing new, and I don't find it in any way as denying Christ. Even the early believers were referred to as followers of "the Way" before they were called "Christians" (see Acts). It's...
  19. J

    Is there anything in Scripture the Church has yet to fully understand?

    I don't know to which "Church" you refer since you capitalized it. But I'll take the question broadly and assume you are referring to the whole body of believers over all time. Lots of religious people have come across quite authoritative and confident when they are talking about various parts...
  20. J

    Free MMORPG appropriate for younger kids?

    Really, full screen?! but for members only? Nope, I only played the free world.