I'm not religious, I have a relationship with God.

[Confused-by-christianity]

without the Bible you don't get Jesus;

I don't know if that's true.

I had a dream where Jesus came to me and we spoke.
I don't think it would be fair to assume that I saw Jesus because I read the Bible. I might have seen Jesus in my dream if I'd never heard of Him.

 

[rturner76]

I don't know if that's true.

I would say it like without the Bible, we don't know anything about Jesus or his commandments

 

[Confused-by-christianity]

I would say it like without the Bible, we don't know anything about Jesus or his commandments

Thanks - I updated:
I added:
I had a dream where Jesus came to me and we spoke.
I don't think it would be fair to assume that I saw Jesus because I read the Bible. I might have seen Jesus in my dream if I'd never heard of Him.

If Jesus did show up in a dream (in my religious experience in other words), I'd "know" something about Him.

 

[rturner76]

Thanks - I updated:
I added:
I had a dream where Jesus came to me and we spoke.
I don't think it would be fair to assume that I saw Jesus because I read the Bible. I might have seen Jesus in my dream if I'd never heard of Him.

If Jesus did show up in a dream (in my religious experience in other words), I'd "know" something about Him.

Yes you are right as Jesus appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus. There was no Bible at that time.

 

[Confused-by-christianity]

Yes you are right as Jesus appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus. There was no Bible at that time.

Can you remind me of the story?

Did Jesus give Saul the teaching? Or did Saul get it from someone else after his experience?
Did Saul get taken to a heaven? Seventh heaven??

 

[Confused-by-christianity]

If Jesus did show up in a dream (in my religious experience in other words), I'd "know" something about Him.

Yes you are right as Jesus appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus. There was no Bible at that time.

I guess my problem would be, how do I test my dream for truth?
In Saul's case with no Bible?

 

[ozso]

Thanks.

Now let's all remember where this started. The comment that was made in the Original Post was this--



and this:

How did he appear to be a Christian though? I mean was he being Christlike?

 

[LeafByNiggle]

It is hard to separate the notion of relationship from the specifics of religious belief. It is possible for a person to imagine what God is like, and to imagine what God is saying to him, and feel like God is calling him to go fishing on Sunday and drink beer and appreciate the beauty of the outdoors. But if that conversation is entirely imaginary, then is it really a relationship with God? Or is it more like Riley's relationship with Bing Bong? (look it up.) Somehow a relationship with God should be based in reality. That is where a religious belief helps.

 

[Confused-by-christianity]

... But if that conversation is entirely imaginary, ... Somehow a relationship with God should be based in reality...

I think about this a lot, but with the Bible.
I can read it and be convinced that I have correctly ascertained the true meaning of it - but that doesn't mean I have correctly ascertained the true meaning of it.

I guess that is why I don't use the frase "Bible believing Christian".
That statement is valuable in respect of my attitude towards the scriptures - but doesn't tell anyone what I believe the Bible means.

 

[Albion]

How did he appear to be a Christian though? I mean was he being Christlike?

That's a question for Ken.

 

[Jesus is my Superhero]

How about Rom 1:19, For what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse.
Is Paul saying a person by observing the natural world can deduce variety, laws of nature, beauty and order. Therefore, there must be a creator?

 

[rturner76]

Can you remind me of the story?

Did Jesus give Saul the teaching? Or did Saul get it from someone else after his experience?
Did Saul get taken to a heaven? Seventh heaven??

It is Acts:9 the whole chapter tells the story but basically Saul was persecuting Christians for the Roman government. He saw a vision of Jesus on the road to Demascus. Jesus asked him "why are you persecuting me?" and he made Saul blind. He was instantly converted, his name was changed to Paul and he became on of the most influential Apostles. Acts"9 tells the story much better

 

[renniks]

We may follow a religion like Christianity. We know everything about this religion, but that don't do much unless we get to know Jesus. It's through the Holy Spirit we start to not only know about Jesus, but know him as a real person, a friend. We start to love him and follow him, not only know him as a vague character. I hope that makes sense.

Yes, you can follow the religion completely without ever knowing Jesus, and you will miss heaven.
Doing rituals like baptism and communion and such does not save a person.

 

[Albion]

Yes, you can follow the religion completely without ever knowing Jesus, and you will miss heaven.

Sure. But that's not the question. The question here concerns whether or not a person can be right with God while having absolutely no connection to the Bible, Jesus, his teachings, etc. etc.

Doing rituals like baptism and communion and such does not save a person.

That's true, they do not save a person by themselves. But that doesn't have anything to do with the divine command to observe such sacraments, the benefits derived thereby, and the meaning involved with them. And that's to say nothing about all the other religious activities that presumably are also rejected as meaningless "ritual."

 

[renniks]

Sure. But that's not the question. The question here concerns whether or not a person can be right with God while having absolutely no connection to the Bible, Jesus, his teachings, etc. etc.

Who said that was the question? You can not have a relationship with someone you know nothing about.

When someone says they aren't religious I don't take it to mean they don't know the Bible.

 

[Albion]

Who said that was the question?

See the Original Post and the title of this thread.

You can not have a relationship with someone you know nothing about.

Sounds reasonable to me!

When someone says they aren't religious I don't take it to mean they don't know the Bible.

Could be, but that's not all that the Original Post told us.

 

[renniks]

See the Original Post and the title of this thread.


Sounds reasonable to me!


Could be, but that's not all that the Original Post told us.

Seems like the OP made the same assumption....that because the person said he's not religious he must not know the Bible.

 

[ozso]

Sure. But that's not the question. The question here concerns whether or not a person can be right with God while having absolutely no connection to the Bible, Jesus, his teachings, etc. etc.

I just got the impression he was a Christian who wasn't into organized religion. I'm not all that into it myself. Which is why I just say I'm a Christian, rather than a Baptist, or a Calvinist or a Pentecostal etc.

 

[LeafByNiggle]

I just got the impression he was a Christian who wasn't into organized religion. I'm not all that into it myself. Which is why I just say I'm a Christian, rather than a Baptist, or a Calvinist or a Pentecostal etc.

Well, you may not identify with any of these specific denominations, but the fact that you are a Christian means you are religious in the sense that you believe in Christ and his teachings in a way that has a lot in common with others who also say they are Christian. That is in contrast with the person described in the OP who was complaining that religion is just man's interpretation of God, which is a much stronger statement than merely saying he isn't into organized religion. I think that person would object to the bible itself and say that it too is just man's interpretation of God. I don't think you believe that, so you probably don't have that much in common with the beliefs of that person. (We would have to get more information from the OP to know for sure.)

 

[NBB]

I accepted Jesus when i was 5, but i just lived my life without a relationship with him or following the gospel, i thought God was someone distant, high in the sky, judging people etc. that he didn't interacted with people, until one day i went to a church and met the Holy spirit, it was so awesome, that i am fully aware now of God existance not only that, he interacts with people at a personal level.