Christian views on other religions.

[AshenMan]

nevermind

 

[Minty]

That's a shame, as it was a really good question

 

[Bellicus]

I had a question about this earlier today that i was thinking about, so I just use this thread instead of making another one:

Can christians be buddhists?

Buddism is no real religion, it's basically atheism, but if someone christian would become a buddhist, then it would be like christian buddhism, and none of the religions would really conflict with each other as far as i can see, only budhism would consider christianity un-needed to get to the goal, while christianity would consider buddhism to be much useless work, since we eventually will reach the goal, not by ourself by by Christ.

But how about stuff like meditation? This is something doctors could reccommend to many. And the philosophy in buddhism also got a lot of similar things to christianity, and maybe explain even more in detalj about some things, like whats causing people to suffer.

Buddhism also seem to have a very similar view on the devil, only they call him Mara, the demon that is holding people trapped in the wheel of life. The bible calls the devil the lord of this world. So in many ways i cant see anything bad in this philosophy. How about you reading this?

 

[dead2self]

I do not know all there is to know about Buddhism, but I do know that you cannot really be a Buddhist and a Christian.

From what I have learned, Buddhism stemmed from the teaching of Buddha who was a Hindu who rejected many Hindu doctrines. While it may indeed be true that Buddhists do not believe in a god, from what I can see belief in a god would be a severe hindrance to life as a Buddhist. The goal and the way to get to that goal in Buddhism are entirely contrary to Christianity. The only way to the goal is through Jesus. Morever, the goal is not a state of happiness but fellowship with God. Tryng to acheive this state of happiness through the means set forth in Buddhism is absolutely unChristian. Also, the Buddhist belief in reincarnation most definately contradicts Christianity.

As for meditation, we must look at what we mean by meditation. The Bible tells us many times to meditate. This would seem, superficially, to conform to Buddhist methodology. However, meditation in eastern religions differs greatly from Biblical meditation. In eastern religion, meditaion is an emptying of one's mind, often accompanied by chanting, that serves as an attempt to unify us with spirits or the universe or a great csomic oneness or what have you. Biblical meditation, conversly, is an active process of deep thought on the word of God. When we meditate on His word, God give us further insight into it. As you can see, the two forms of meditation share only a superficial resemblance. Their purpose and method differ greatly and are not compatible.

As for Buddhist insight as to why we suffer, the Bible has some clear teachings on this, and they are not shared by Buddhism.

I hope this helps to shed some light on this. While many
buddhist teachings are similar to Christian values and while there is some great advice to be found, the system as a whole has some very troubling aspects for a Christian.

 

[AshenMan]

Well, from what I know of Buddhism, it teaches to detact oneself from material things, which is similar to Christianity which teaches to separate oneself from the carnal mind. Only by doing so can we reach enlightenment or salvation, respectively. Buddhism teaches to gain strength from within, whereas Christianity teaches that God exists through the acts of Man. Are these parallels? I don't know.

On a related note, my original question before I deleted it was pertaining to is how Christians view other beliefs like Islam and Judaism, considering Judaism is mentioned in the Bible frequently, though Jews read from the Hebrew Bible. Furthermore, I just came across a belief called Jewish Christian. What is that and how does that relate to Christianity? I've read a few things about Mormons on these boards and the general consensus is that they aren't Christian. My brother's a Mormon, though we really never spoke much of it as I've spent most of my life as an Agnostic or Atheist. Could someone shed more light on this topic as well?

 

[dead2self]

Well, from what I know of Buddhism, it teaches to detact oneself from material things, which is similar to Christianity which teaches to separate oneself from the carnal mind. Only by doing so can we reach enlightenment or salvation, respectively. Buddhism teaches to gain strength from within, whereas Christianity teaches that God exists through the acts of Man. Are these parallels? I don't know.

If Buddhism teaches that we are to gain strength from within, then it is exactly opposite of Christianity. In Christianity, we must realise that we have no strength. Everything we have coems from God and it is by His strength that we continue. Christianity requires dying to self rather than self-exaltation.

On a related note, my original question before I deleted it was pertaining to is how Christians view other beliefs like Islam and Judaism, considering Judaism is mentioned in the Bible frequently, though Jews read from the Hebrew Bible.

We view Islam as a fasle religion using the old Judaic texts as a backdrop for the writings of one supposed prophet. Judaism, on the other hand is a different matter entirely. It is not a false religion, merely incomplete. The Jewish texts (out Old Testament for the most part) point very clearly to the comming Messiah. The Jews believe that He has not yet come and are waiting for Him. We believe Jesus of Nazareth is their Messiah, as He fulfilled all the prophecies, showed His divinity and died and was resurrected. The word Christ is from the greek word that means Messiah.

Furthermore, I just came across a belief called Jewish Christian. What is that and how does that relate to Christianity?

I think you are referring to Messianic Jews. These are Jews who have accepted that Jesus is in fact their Messiah. They are Christians who come from a Judaic background.

I've read a few things about Mormons on these boards and the general consensus is that they aren't Christian. My brother's a Mormon, though we really never spoke much of it as I've spent most of my life as an Agnostic or Atheist. Could someone shed more light on this topic as well?

Mormons, like Jehova's Witnesses, are very unorthodox groups that deny the divinity of Jesus. They claim to be Christian but reject the most fundamental tenents of Christianity, namely that Jesus Christ is God. Without believing in the divinity of Christ, one cannot be a Christian.

 

[Lion-Of-Zion]

"Mormons, like Jehova's Witnesses, are very unorthodox groups that deny the divinity of Jesus. They claim to be Christian but reject the most fundamental tenents of Christianity, namely that Jesus Christ is God. Without believing in the divinity of Christ, one cannot be a Christian." - Dead2Itself

John 20:17- Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

Matthew 26:39-And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

Matthew 26:42-He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.

Acts 3:13-The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.

Acts 3:15- And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.

Acts 3:20- And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:

I can see how a debate of is Jesus God or not could come about. I feel that Jesus is the Son of God, and not God. I like to think of him as the bridge between us and God. the Lion and the lamb if you where.
Just my 2 cents.

And to answer the original thread question I feel we Christians normally have a very negitive out look toward other religions.

 

[paperneck]

Buddhist and Taoist teachings overlap very often, to the point where many eastern thinkers speculate that Jesus was approaching enlightenment.

Buddhism and Taoism teach inner strength through literal self denial. At face value it may appear to be blasphemy, but if you look consider it as philosophy or discipline it can be a very useful tool for christians.

The most important similarities between eastern religion and christianity is the concept of that in order for a man to truely live he must first die(in that he must give up his concept of self, or his selfish desires) In fact in extremes both Jesus, Lao Tzu, and Buddha taught that a man must give up everything to be "perfect". They are all in agreement that a man "cannot serve two masters.

Taoists and buddhists, although they do not credit God, are fully aware of his ways, and are focused on the surrender to way of God, and know him as a single moment. The point of Taoism in particular is to become in harmony with god, and follow his way through simplicity, patience, and compassion. Both religions focus on the singularity of all things, and focus on single moments, as Jesus said "do not worry about tomorrow, today has enough to worry over"

Taoist believe that the universe provides as you surrender to it. Jesus said of the birds and the flowers, that if god can feed them and dress them so we ought not to worry, but trust that god will provide.

the true difference between Christian thought and eastern thought is this: Christians uphold the way of God, but acknowledge that it is more than a way like a stream, rather we believe that God can, and does, intervine. This makes Christian surrender to god more difficult because we have greater cause to question suffering. Unfortunatly this brings many christians to submission instead of surrender.

With submission we seperate ourselves from God and create roles of slaves and master. The reason this is unfortunate is that we mantain our indentities as slaves, and mantain part of our selfish nature, unfortunatly thinking we are loved more or seperatly than others by God due to our submission. We expect to be rewarded.

In surrender, like what we see in Job and, we cease to exist seperatly from God, and wholly embrace everything that comes. We accept God without conditions and know we came from dust. True rewards come from this, and they are never expected.

 

[AshenMan]

In fact in extremes both Jesus, Lao Tzu, and Buddha taught that a man must give up everything to be "perfect". They are all in agreement that a man "cannot serve two masters.

Taoists and buddhists, although they do not credit God, are fully aware of his ways, and are focused on the surrender to way of God, and know him as a single moment. The point of Taoism in particular is to become in harmony with god, and follow his way through simplicity, patience, and compassion. Both religions focus on the singularity of all things, and focus on single moments, as Jesus said "do not worry about tomorrow, today has enough to worry over"

Not that I know much about religions of the world, but it seems that Islam also essentially gravitates towards basic good morality. I know there's some disagreement whether women should have to cover their faces in public, but the same could be said about the Bible mentioning that women should always have long hair or wear hats. I guess all religious texts were written by human beings, empowered by God or for good, both of which can be synonymous in many aspects, though as pretty much all religions attest, pobody's nerfect. Someone's bound to make a mistake or have a lapse in reason while writing thousands of pages of text by candlelight.

There's a saying: there's no such thing as a selfless act. I think the closest thing to selfless is acting out of love of God or good, where there is no further end beyond that, and that's what casting off carnal desires is about. Without material attraction, what else is there? Just love?

 

[Jayangel81]

I can see how a debate of is Jesus God or not could come about. I feel that Jesus is the Son of God, and not God. I like to think of him as the bridge between us and God. the Lion and the lamb if you where.
Just my 2 cents.

Im sorry but Jesus made it perfectly clear that He was God. Take a look at these scriptures.


John 8:58 "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid Himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.In exodus (3:14) God made it clear that He was called "I Am"



(Matthew 1:22)All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" - which means, "God with us."

(Isaiah 9:6) For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
(Revelation 1:8) I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

(Revelation1:17-18) ... "I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One, I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!
(John 5:46) If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me.

There are many scriptures ( I can give you many more)that prove that Jesus was indeed God. What people have a hard time understanding is The Holy Trinity. Just thought id show you that.

Be blessed!

 

[dead2self]

Great response. I don't think I can add much to it.

Im sorry but Jesus made it perfectly clear that He was God. Take a look at these scriptures.


John 8:58 "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid Himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.In exodus (3:14) God made it clear that He was called "I Am"



(Matthew 1:22)All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" - which means, "God with us."

(Isaiah 9:6) For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
(Revelation 1:8) I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

(Revelation1:17-18) ... "I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One, I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!
(John 5:46) If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me.

There are many scriptures ( I can give you many more)that prove that Jesus was indeed God. What people have a hard time understanding is The Holy Trinity. Just thought id show you that.

Be blessed!

 

[paperneck]

Not that I know much about religions of the world, but it seems that Islam also essentially gravitates towards basic good morality. I know there's some disagreement whether women should have to cover their faces in public, but the same could be said about the Bible mentioning that women should always have long hair or wear hats. I guess all religious texts were written by human beings, empowered by God or for good, both of which can be synonymous in many aspects, though as pretty much all religions attest, pobody's nerfect. Someone's bound to make a mistake or have a lapse in reason while writing thousands of pages of text by candlelight.

There's a saying: there's no such thing as a selfless act. I think the closest thing to selfless is acting out of love of God or good, where there is no further end beyond that, and that's what casting off carnal desires is about. Without material attraction, what else is there? Just love?

islam means submission, which brings us back to the difference between submission and surrender. It is true that much about Islam is based in good morals similar to those of christians or jews, but mind you Islams is based on the laws of Abraham and Moses.The biggest moral problem i have with Islam is when it teachs vengence. I can't trust a religion that satisfies the craving for personal revenge the way islam can. For me the law and way of god comes before and under rides everything, as we know it is written on our hearts, when we lose the law of god we rationalize morals, when morals fall apart we create our own laws, and so on and so on.

there are some muslims who i believe understood god very well, and may infact be saved. I think it is hard for any one to read Rumi and not think him a man of god.

it's true that there is no such thing as a selfless act which is why the Taoists teach non-action, or non doing, which simply means not reacting They teach that we ought to be and live like water flows. It seems very callous at first but the point is to be in harmony with the way, or what christians call the way of God, so that when you rid yourself of yourself all that remains is the way. Like you said, all that is left is the love of God. The lives of religious mystics of all faiths run on similar paths and the conclusions are generally equally similar, sometimes it really feels like a matter of semantics. Whether it be the christian hermits, the jesuits, the buddhist monks, or the Sufi Muslims, i believe when a man goes into the wilderness(literal or figurative) in search of god he will first find something great worthy of great fear, and ultimatly return knowing love vast beyond men.

i blame no one for their faith. i doubt any of us can describe the shape of God if we are asked to. Perhaps what sets me from universalism apart is that i believe the source of this in the world comes from an obscure carpenter named Yahushua 2000 years ago, who's death transcends time and space. I believe this because i was brought to it by God. When i wonder about other faiths and the forgiveness we recieve from Christ my heart is easy. He asks us to listen and follow.

How many things might this mean. For me the point is to be quiet enough to listen and follow, rather than shout his name from the rooftop. Christ said many speak his name but in heaven he will say he never knew them. What is praise worth to god? We know our words are like filthy rags(the actual translation is rags filthy of a woman's period) The only way i know to praise god is to follow him, and i believe he is with me now guiding me.

 

[Lion-Of-Zion]

Im sorry but Jesus made it perfectly clear that He was God. Take a look at these scriptures.


John 8:58 "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid Himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.In exodus (3:14) God made it clear that He was called "I Am"



(Matthew 1:22)All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" - which means, "God with us."

(Isaiah 9:6) For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
(Revelation 1:8) I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

(Revelation1:17-18) ... "I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One, I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!
(John 5:46) If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me.

There are many scriptures ( I can give you many more)that prove that Jesus was indeed God. What people have a hard time understanding is The Holy Trinity. Just thought id show you that.

Be blessed!

There are scriptures that go both ways. I provided a few my self that I feel show Jesus as a different being than God. As I said I can see how there would be two separate opinions on the issue. But who then was Jesus referring to every time he said Father, and to whom did he pray to? “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46
I respect your opinion and know bunches of people who believe the trinity, but Jesus is great either way!!!!
Bless

 

[MyHeroIsJesus]

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,New York]He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. (Colossians 1:15-16)
[/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman,Times,New York]
[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,New York]As for judgement, the apostles clearly testified that Jesus is judge.[/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,New York]He (Jesus) commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. (Acts 10:42)[/FONT]
​

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,New York]Consider this additional passage where Jesus, himself, pointed out that He would be judge...[/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,New York]"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. (Matthew 25:31-33)[/FONT]
​

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,New York]Once again, in light of an Old Testament passage, this shows that Jesus was claiming not only to be judge, but to be God![/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,New York]And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for God himself is judge. (Psalms 50:6)[/FONT]
​

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,New York]Learning the right answers to these questions is only a start -- a very good start as these answers are rooted in the Word of God. But knowing all the right answers won't save you -- even the demons could recite these truths -- you still need to believe. In [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman,Times,New York]whom[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman,Times,New York] do you believe?[/FONT]
We must have a solid foundation.

 

[Jayangel81]

There are scriptures that go both ways. I provided a few my self that I feel show Jesus as a different being than God. As I said I can see how there would be two separate opinions on the issue. But who then was Jesus referring to every time he said Father, and to whom did he pray to? “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46
I respect your opinion and know bunches of people who believe the trinity, but Jesus is great either way!!!!
Bless

Jesus always humbled Himself to the Father, in no way does that discredit Him from Being God. You cant just look at one verse and take it out of context. God has 3 distinct persons Father,Son and Holy Spirit. And they are all one God.

I cant base knowledge on my oppinion but by Gods written Word, that is where truth is found.
You say that scriptures go both ways, but that is contradiction. When you put it in context it isnt.

Im curious to what scriptures you found that doesnt refer Jesus as God.

 

[AshenMan]

I'm beginning to think religion is what you make of it. It's what people gain from it, because when I first think of Buddhism, I get the feeling that it's lacking spirit, however, I know there are people who gain spirit from it, which I think is the ultimate goal of religion, because from spirit hope is derived, and from hope comes unending love, as long as you don't continue to be ensnared by material things. On the other hand, Christianity teaches God comes from without, whereas Buddhism comes from within. Again, there could just be a different interpretation on the same thing. It's dependant on an individual's set of definitions and how they perceive the world. I would aire on the side of Christianity personally because if someone is missing something, how could they find it within themselves. Those people who find it within themselves may already have it, but just require the strength to "galvanize" it.

I'm beginning to understand the difference between submission and surrender. Islam which teaches "submission" is popular in a part of the world where there's a lot of strife in the material side of life. A person can't help but be incredibly defensive under those conditions. To me, submission is what one does when one is on the offense, whereas surrender is derived from being defensive. It seems the first step in being saved is submission OF the devil, then can one afford to surrender TO good. Think of a person's soul as evil or in sin, walled up in a castle, a prison of material concern (ironically material imagery). We must first submit before we let God in to free us. They're two sides of the same coin. After which we're free to be good, always with an ounce of caution not to be tempted back into the prison. Islam, assumes one will already surrender to good, whereas Christianity assumes one has already submited evil if they're on this path. Islam believes spirituality is there, whereas Christianity believes a person requires spirituality, and from this point they both provide guidance.

A person can "think" of evil in order to disarm it, but should only feel good in goodness. The unforgivable sin is when one feels entirely good when doing entirely evil. It's sort of like saying the good in oneself submits and they surrender to evil: the reverse of the aformentioned. Lesser degrees of this are when one commits sin and "enjoys" it.

The thing about women wearing hats in the Bible: if I remember right, it believes a woman in marriage is with the materials concerns, and a man in marriage is concerned with God (?)... something about the head of the man is God, and the head of the woman is the man. In this case the woman supports the man to do greater things. Still, right after, the Bible also implies this is only a suggestion and isn't of great importance. I saw a post somewhere on here asking if the Yin Yang was wrong in the eyes of Christianity. I think the Yin Yang refers to this. The predominantly white area, Yang, represents predominantly masculine characteristics, whereas, the black area, Yin, feminine characteristics. Some people interpret Yin as being evil, and Yang good, however the philosophy of the Yin Yang is that both are essential and they make up a whole, and that each side still maintains atleast a little of the other side's qualities. Perhaps people that consider Yang good and Yin evil, are refering to its concern of the material, like a married man and woman, respectively. Yin Yang culture seems to be popular amongst very male dominated societies, which is why there's more emphasis on this ideal.

Are these all difference pieces of the same puzzle working on many levels?

 

[paperneck]

the yin and yang represent opposites that correspond. in traditional folklore they represent a good spirt and a bad spirt. Taoism makes the point out of disregarding concepts like this. they teach that by acknowledging good we create evil, or by acknowleding beauty we creaty ugly, by acknowledging hot we make cold. the point is ultimatly to let all things exist on their own without comparing them, which is the goal for self. The faith in this is that by disregarding good and evil the true nature of the universe will present it self, and if you can get into harmony with it you will eventually become it, or realize that always were it.


Taoism presents no misogyny, or discrimination against any group of people. I'm not sure which male dominated societies you are describing.


there are bits of truth in each religion. a lot of christians will tell you what they hold as truth, but i know fully well a man must find truth on his own.

 

[AshenMan]

the point is ultimatly to let all things exist on their own without comparing them, which is the goal for self. The faith in this is that by disregarding good and evil the true nature of the universe will present it self, and if you can get into harmony with it you will eventually become it, or realize that always were it.

I see how this is true. All things material are the same, while being meaningless. I guess Yin Yang represents the material world.

Taoism presents no misogyny, or discrimination against any group of people. I'm not sure which male dominated societies you are describing.

I think male dominated isn't an accurate term. I think what I meant is traditionally patriarchal.

there are bits of truth in each religion. a lot of christians will tell you what they hold as truth, but i know fully well a man must find truth on his own.

Yes, if it isn't his own, it wouldn't be the truth at all, like - seeds falling onto stoney places.

 

[Lion-Of-Zion]

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,New York]He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. (Colossians 1:15-16)[/FONT]


[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,New York]As for judgement, the apostles clearly testified that Jesus is judge.[/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,New York]He (Jesus) commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. (Acts 10:42)[/FONT]

​

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,New York]Consider this additional passage where Jesus, himself, pointed out that He would be judge...[/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,New York]"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. (Matthew 25:31-33)[/FONT]

​

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,New York]Once again, in light of an Old Testament passage, this shows that Jesus was claiming not only to be judge, but to be God![/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,New York]And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for God himself is judge. (Psalms 50:6)[/FONT]

​

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,New York]Learning the right answers to these questions is only a start -- a very good start as these answers are rooted in the Word of God. But knowing all the right answers won't save you -- even the demons could recite these truths -- you still need to believe. In [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman,Times,New York]whom[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman,Times,New York] do you believe?[/FONT]
We must have a solid foundation.

Acts 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

10:39 And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree:

10:40Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;


Psalm 50 1-6 does not mention Jesus.
1The mighty God, even the LORD, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.
2Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.
3Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him.
4He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people.
5Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice. 6And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah.

Revelations
1The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:


5And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.


John 8:54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: <-- Oh snap!!

I am not one to start fights on beliefs, or pee matches. If you believe Jesus is God that&#8217;s great, many people do. But I separate the 2 and call Jesus (blessed be His name) the Son of God. I guess we take scripture in different ways. If I am wrong I will gladly apologize, but I am not about to change my mind as you are not.
Bless

p.s. I believe in God. The creator of all (including Jesus).

 

[mathildapaws]

The more I talk to people of different religions the more I realise we all just want the same thing. Love, compassion, kindness and a peaceful society.

There's a kind of westernised secular philosophical Buddhism marketed as Buddhism without beliefs. I don't see why that can't blend nicely with Christianity.