Questions by a Non-Christian

[NonCompusMentis]

So this is my first post, better say hello. Hello. Right now that's done and dusted i have first of all to say most of my questions are going to wholly irrelevant to anybody but me, so i apologise for the pointlessness of them. They are fairly nonsensical, and the fact that it's late here and i'm tired means they are going to make even less sense especially with all the grammatical and spelling mistakes (though my guess is i'd make as many when i am fully awake as well).

One more thing before i start if i offend anybody i apologise, i have not set out to do so intentially, but if you are offended, feel free to slap me into a different ethnic group. Alas, i'm useless with smilies so if what i say seems sarcastic then it probably is, and if it does not, well, it probably is as well, and you may also have to decipher the questions from the nonsense surrounding them, coz, well, as you probably now know, i do go on, the art of being succint sometimes eludes me. So here we go.

Its all black and white

My first question is why do Nun's and Priests, only seem to wear black and white. Whats the purpose of it? Where does it originate from? i mean, its not very inspiring and quite depressing for a religion that's all about hope, love and being saved. Also if possible, where does the white collar originate from? what is its significance?

I love my fellow man...except you...and you, and you and the man in the centre of the third row from the front
As you may have guessed this is about the oh so slight hypocrisy that many seem to be unware of or blatently proud of. There are many Chrisitians that i have seen or read about on the fantastic and no way biased sources of media such as the internet, TV and newspapers. There are certain groups which are apparently not compatible with the Christian faith. I can understand (but not condone) why some peoples reactions are, well, less than hospitable, but outright hatred, well, thats another thing isn't it. I personally thought that Christianity was about love etc etc and getting along with others, yet we see people who want to (or i assume anyhow) follow in their saviours path yet they spread all this hatred and animosity. I know most have probably read this all before but how can they see they are following the righteous path if they act with such misgivings and hatred flowing in their veins, it seems a bit of a paradox in comparison to the the main morals of their faith.

What i'm trying to say is, why are their some that don't seem to understand the principles that their saviour set out for them? I don't get it.

Love is great, only mine is better

Quick and simple this, why is it that many people on the net write at the end of a post 'Chrisitian love'. I don't know about anyone else but i perceive this as that a Christians love is better than a Non christians. I know it's harmless, but it just to me seems like that it means that theres some superiority of that person over another. So the question is, am i looking (in all liklehood) too much into it, and just being the cynical so and so that i am, or is there more to it? if you yourself use it do you mean it in a compassionate way unlike how i have described it? and before anybody goes off on one no i don't want it banned etc, it's just something that i noticed.

I will pray that you find the Lord, even though your well off, have no worries and doing quite well for yourself.

Prayer. fun stuff. Personally i have nothing against it, but when i see people pray for others who, and i'll put this in bold so you know what angle i'm coming from, do not want to be prayed for it seems rather pointless. So why do it? thats the question right there. you could pray for the starving aids ridden people of Africa, or the orphans of the world but to pray for a person who is more than likly well off (if your living off of benefits in the western world your still in the richest 15% in world apparently), has access to food and water etc but you pray for this person. WHY WHY WHY (delila) would you do such a thing. In quite a lot of circumstances it also seems very condecsending. If you do feel like praying for me however please pray that i may develop at least half a brain (yes i'm hypocryte, i never said that i wasn't, of course i'm only human-ish).


Honestly, have you really? well i have never been able to....

...read the Bible. i honestly do not know how. I tried, and, well, let's just say i did not find it a real page turner. About 15 or so i think. How do you read it. I'm not planning to as such but is there a way to read it (no jokes about using your eyes or from page 1 etc), or at least, is there a way someone who has the attention span of a three year old with caffeine in their system to read it?

I am humble, but i have a penchant for Roll's Royce's


Ok last question i can think of i'm sure you'l be happy to know. I got the impression that there are many people who say they follow the teachings, but when you see them thrive off of material items, are they not going against the teachings of Christ or something along those lines? the story with the rich dude in it springs to mind.
And just as another thought, why are there some Churches that i have seen so big and extravogant, i thought that it would be preferable to when in reverence or praising or whatever the correct terminoligy is, would it be more humble if the amenities and the decorations were much more basic as it would not matter to your Lord, i just got the impression that He would not really like such things, or once again, have i got the foul smelling end of the stick once again?

Ok if you managed to get this far thankyou for reading. Sorry for the incoherent way i decided to set this out.
Also any apologies to the nice (yes only to the nice) people who may have in any way been offended by what i have said. There is also some weird/lame/extremely bad attempts to lighten up the post, most of this post is not to be taken seriously, i really just cannot be asked to use a smiley coz i am lazy and pushing a button just seems too much effort to me. Yes i sound spineless for saying sorry all the time and not wanting to offend anyone, and the reason for that is, i am spineless. go me.

 

[Zeena]

So this is my first post, better say hello. Hello.

Hello!

Its all black and white
My first question is why do Nun's and Priests, only seem to wear black and white. Whats the purpose of it? Where does it originate from? i mean, its not very inspiring and quite depressing for a religion that's all about hope, love and being saved. Also if possible, where does the white collar originate from? what is its significance?

I'm not Catholic, and I'm sure my Catholic brothers and sisters in Christ have better insight into this..

But I will proceed to speak from experiential reality, if I may be so bold.. God is always speaking to us in a manner we can comprehend, after all

The white on the collars (and hoodies for the ladies), are they not underneathe the black?

To me this would imply that the Light of Christ Jesus has Lighted upon them, and is seeping through into experiential reality.

[O yea, if you require Scriptural references for anything I might say, please feel free to ask]

I love my fellow man...except you...and you, and you and the man in the centre of the third row from the front
As you may have guessed this is about the oh so slight hypocrisy that many seem to be unware of or blatently proud of. There are many Chrisitians that i have seen or read about on the fantastic and no way biased sources of media such as the internet, TV and newspapers. There are certain groups which are apparently not compatible with the Christian faith. I can understand (but not condone) why some peoples reactions are, well, less than hospitable, but outright hatred, well, thats another thing isn't it. I personally thought that Christianity was about love etc etc and getting along with others, yet we see people who want to (or i assume anyhow) follow in their saviours path yet they spread all this hatred and animosity. I know most have probably read this all before but how can they see they are following the righteous path if they act with such misgivings and hatred flowing in their veins, it seems a bit of a paradox in comparison to the the main morals of their faith.

What i'm trying to say is, why are their some that don't seem to understand the principles that their saviour set out for them? I don't get it.

Man, before regeneration is just that, unregenerate, with no Life apart from Christ, and no Light to guide thier feet. Once regenerate (eg;infused with the Life of God [The Holy Spirit] by Faith in Jesus), the Holy Spirit begins a process of illumination by shedding Light upon area's of his/her spirit that are darknened by the soul.

That said, this is not [usually] an instantanious process! It took HOW MANY years to be molded into the beings they were before regeneration, and [again, usually, yet as God commands] years to be undone!

This being [USUALLY-lol] a process, what you are seeing is not the end result of such a transformation, merely the process by which one is being transformed..

To be sure, the person is in Glory now, but is being tranformed with ever increasing likeness into His Glory!

Love is great, only mine is better
Quick and simple this, why is it that many people on the net write at the end of a post 'Chrisitian love'. I don't know about anyone else but i perceive this as that a Christians love is better than a Non christians. I know it's harmless, but it just to me seems like that it means that theres some superiority of that person over another. So the question is, am i looking (in all liklehood) too much into it, and just being the cynical so and so that i am, or is there more to it? if you yourself use it do you mean it in a compassionate way unlike how i have described it? and before anybody goes off on one no i don't want it banned etc, it's just something that i noticed.

Yes, it's very sad when coming from a professed Christian to witness acts of the flesh..

But that's all they are are acts of flesh!

Although to say that a persons actions would reflect thier belief system is totally founded in truth, these people have obviously not had thier minds renewed by the Light of Christ. In God's timing, way and truth they will bear witness to the Light

The authorities are instituted by God, and will correct such behaviour by snipping it in the bud

I will pray that you find the Lord, even though your well off, have no worries and doing quite well for yourself.
Prayer. fun stuff. Personally i have nothing against it, but when i see people pray for others who, and i'll put this in bold so you know what angle i'm coming from, do not want to be prayed for it seems rather pointless. So why do it? thats the question right there. you could pray for the starving aids ridden people of Africa, or the orphans of the world but to pray for a person who is more than likly well off (if your living off of benefits in the western world your still in the richest 15% in world apparently), has access to food and water etc but you pray for this person. WHY WHY WHY (delila) would you do such a thing. In quite a lot of circumstances it also seems very condecsending. If you do feel like praying for me however please pray that i may develop at least half a brain (yes i'm hypocryte, i never said that i wasn't, of course i'm only human-ish).

What those people to whom the Holy Spirit has so enlightened the hearts of Christians towards need is Jesus! And they [Christians] have Him, because He has them! Instead of praying, or at LEAST in addition to, they aught to offer His Life to them as well!

What they need in the case of an unrepentant heart is prayer.

What they need in the case of demonic possession is both prayer and fasting!

Honestly, have you really? well i have never been able to....
...read the Bible. i honestly do not know how. I tried, and, well, let's just say i did not find it a real page turner. About 15 or so i think. How do you read it. I'm not planning to as such but is there a way to read it (no jokes about using your eyes or from page 1 etc), or at least, is there a way someone who has the attention span of a three year old with caffeine in their system to read it?

No, I've been chastised to NOT read my bible!

I too found it QUITE boring.. When reading it in my own strength!

But, alas, God had something better for me, and that is the Life of Jesus, who LOVES to read the Bible!!!

I am humble, but i have a penchant for Roll's Royce's
Ok last question i can think of i'm sure you'l be happy to know. I got the impression that there are many people who say they follow the teachings, but when you see them thrive off of material items, are they not going against the teachings of Christ or something along those lines? the story with the rich dude in it springs to mind.
And just as another thought, why are there some Churches that i have seen so big and extravogant, i thought that it would be preferable to when in reverence or praising or whatever the correct terminoligy is, would it be more humble if the amenities and the decorations were much more basic as it would not matter to your Lord, i just got the impression that He would not really like such things, or once again, have i got the foul smelling end of the stick once again?

I think, during the 'prosperity' years [I've been working on the railroad, all the live-long day] a lot of churches garnished and accumilated mass treasures, for there was much to be had. So much so that there was overflowing. I truly hope that if anyone had need that they [the churches] were aware of they would have supplied for those needs

But, alas, I was only there in Spirit. What my eyes could not see the Lord's could, and DO! He will judge according to every man's deeds.

Ok if you managed to get this far thankyou for reading. Sorry for the incoherent way i decided to set this out.
Also any apologies to the nice (yes only to the nice) people who may have in any way been offended by what i have said. There is also some weird/lame/extremely bad attempts to lighten up the post, most of this post is not to be taken seriously, i really just cannot be asked to use a smiley coz i am lazy and pushing a button just seems too much effort to me. Yes i sound spineless for saying sorry all the time and not wanting to offend anyone, and the reason for that is, i am spineless. go me.

Np, that non-chalant attitude suites you quite well!

 

[Lisa0315]

Wow! What a great first post! Most people just say, "Hello"! LOL!

I will not attempt to answer all your questions, but I do want to select one: "How to Read the Bible".

First, I would recommend a good study Bible like the Scofield KJV. The Bible IS a difficult read. Next, check out Strong's Concordance which you can get online. Third, when in doubt, ask questions.

These are the tools you will need. Now, lets talk about attitude. What is your purpose in reading the Bible? Is it to understand the Christian point of view? Is it to find errors? Are you attracted the teachings of Christ even if you do not believe in His deity? Attitude is significant when reading Scripture. A pure seeking heart will get more out of it than a skeptical doubting one. It is fine to have questions, but a skeptic will not get the richness and fullness that is found in Scripture.

Is there any particular theme or passage in Scripture that you would like to discuss? CF is a great place to get those questions answered, but you may get more than one "right" answer.

Finally, welcome to CF. I am glad you are here and look forward to many discussions with you.

Lisa

 

[TexasGirl06]

Its all black and white

My first question is why do Nun's and Priests, only seem to wear black and white. Whats the purpose of it? Where does it originate from? i mean, its not very inspiring and quite depressing for a religion that's all about hope, love and being saved. Also if possible, where does the white collar originate from? what is its significance?

Hey... Welcome to Christian Forums, NoncompusMentis !
It's good to have you here.

I have no idea about the black and white.

I was raised in the Catholic Church....
but did not come to know Jesus as my Lord and Savior until I was 26 years old.

 

[TexasGirl06]

Love is great, only mine is better

Quick and simple this, why is it that many people on the net write at the end of a post 'Chrisitian love'. I don't know about anyone else but i perceive this as that a Christians love is better than a Non christians. I know it's harmless, but it just to me seems like that it means that theres some superiority of that person over another. So the question is, am i looking (in all liklehood) too much into it, and just being the cynical so and so that i am, or is there more to it? if you yourself use it do you mean it in a compassionate way unlike how i have described it? and before anybody goes off on one no i don't want it banned etc, it's just something that i noticed.

.

Hmmm..... well, let me answer this only from my personal experience.
Since I am a believer in the Lord Jesus...and my sins have been forgiven, the Holy Spirit (God)..lives in me.
So, when I love... it is actually God loving through me.
Wow...that's huge.

And believe me..... I am amazed at how I am able to love the unloveable. It's Him. Not me.

 

[TexasGirl06]

I will pray that you find the Lord, even though your well off, have no worries and doing quite well for yourself.

Prayer. fun stuff. Personally i have nothing against it, but when i see people pray for others who, and i'll put this in bold so you know what angle i'm coming from, do not want to be prayed for it seems rather pointless. So why do it? thats the question right there. you could pray for the starving aids ridden people of Africa, or the orphans of the world but to pray for a person who is more than likly well off (if your living off of benefits in the western world your still in the richest 15% in world apparently), has access to food and water etc but you pray for this person. WHY WHY WHY (delila) would you do such a thing. In quite a lot of circumstances it also seems very condecsending. If you do feel like praying for me however please pray that i may develop at least half a brain (yes i'm hypocryte, i never said that i wasn't, of course i'm only human-ish).


.

Well, my friend.... this is an easy one to answer.
You (or anyone) can be doing well in this world.... but as a Christian, I know what the most important thing is.
Eternal Salvation.

So, if I know that you do not have a relationship with the Living God....and I know what the consequences of that state is...
I will love you (there's God again, indwelt in me) by praying for you.
And, when I pray for you....
I am lifting you before the Throne of the Living God.
How huge is that?

Like I said in the post above, I was 26 years old before I came to know Jesus. I often wonder who may have prayed for me before that took place.

Not condescending in any manner.
It's love.
You may not understand that right now.
Hopefully, one day you will.

*****************
I wish I were multi talented (like some of the posters above) and could do several quotes in one post.
Hmm....someday.

 

[TexasGirl06]

).


Honestly, have you really? well i have never been able to....

...read the Bible. i honestly do not know how. I tried, and, well, let's just say i did not find it a real page turner. About 15 or so i think. How do you read it. I'm not planning to as such but is there a way to read it (no jokes about using your eyes or from page 1 etc), or at least, is there a way someone who has the attention span of a three year old with caffeine in their system to read it?

.

I love your questions.
I can so relate !
I remember (before I was forgiven)... when I used to try to look at what was in the Bible.....
It was like a foreign language.
Seriously..... I had no idea what was being said. Nothing made sense.

I have come to know that the Holy Spirit (God) is the one who helps believers to understand the Bible.

When I became a believer, He began to allow me to understand little by little...what is in the Bible. It was amazing...
Still is amazing.

The Bible is the most incredible book.

Don't be discouraged. What you are experiencing is very normal.

 

[TexasGirl06]

I am humble, but i have a penchant for Roll's Royce's


Ok last question i can think of i'm sure you'l be happy to know. I got the impression that there are many people who say they follow the teachings, but when you see them thrive off of material items, are they not going against the teachings of Christ or something along those lines? the story with the rich dude in it springs to mind.
And just as another thought, why are there some Churches that i have seen so big and extravogant, i thought that it would be preferable to when in reverence or praising or whatever the correct terminoligy is, would it be more humble if the amenities and the decorations were much more basic as it would not matter to your Lord, i just got the impression that He would not really like such things, or once again, have i got the foul smelling end of the stick once again?

.

There is no teaching in God's Word that tells us that we cannot have nice things. Even...really nice things !
All of our possessions (time, money, talent) belong to God...and He does ask for us to give a percentage of it back to Him.

I think I know what you are referring to about the churches. I'm not sure if I could appropriately comment on that...
but I will say that I do not see anything wrong with having a really nice facility, with high tech equipment, well paid staff, etc.. as long as the Church is operating according to the Word of God.

 

[TexasGirl06]

Ok if you managed to get this far thankyou for reading. Sorry for the incoherent way i decided to set this out.
Also any apologies to the nice (yes only to the nice) people who may have in any way been offended by what i have said. There is also some weird/lame/extremely bad attempts to lighten up the post, most of this post is not to be taken seriously, i really just cannot be asked to use a smiley coz i am lazy and pushing a button just seems too much effort to me. Yes i sound spineless for saying sorry all the time and not wanting to offend anyone, and the reason for that is, i am spineless. go me.

I have been offended in no way.
I really appreciate your questions.
I hope I have helped you to understand...just a little.

Again...Welcome to Christian Forums !
Be Blessed here....

 

[Key]

So this is my first post, better say hello. Hello. Right now that's done and dusted i have first of all to say most of my questions are going to wholly irrelevant to anybody but me, so i apologise for the pointlessness of them. They are fairly nonsensical, and the fact that it's late here and i'm tired means they are going to make even less sense especially with all the grammatical and spelling mistakes (though my guess is i'd make as many when i am fully awake as well).

Hello and Welcome to CF ! Glad to have you, and I hope that you find what you seek. Maybe I can help you, Then again, Maybe I can't, I'm only human.

But Welcome to the Forums ! Hope you enjoy it here.

One more thing before i start if i offend anybody i apologise, i have not set out to do so intentially, but if you are offended, feel free to slap me into a different ethnic group. Alas, i'm useless with smilies so if what i say seems sarcastic then it probably is, and if it does not, well, it probably is as well, and you may also have to decipher the questions from the nonsense surrounding them, coz, well, as you probably now know, i do go on, the art of being succint sometimes eludes me. So here we go.

Sounds fair, thank you for putting this upfront.

Ok, well this might get fun. I hope you do not mind some mixing in your post.

Its all black and white

My first question is why do Nun's and Priests, only seem to wear black and white. Whats the purpose of it? Where does it originate from? i mean, its not very inspiring and quite depressing for a religion that's all about hope, love and being saved. Also if possible, where does the white collar originate from? what is its significance?

This is a great question, but I think you already answered it.

Look at this.

I am humble, but i have a penchant for Roll's Royce's


Ok last question i can think of i'm sure you'l be happy to know. I got the impression that there are many people who say they follow the teachings, but when you see them thrive off of material items, are they not going against the teachings of Christ or something along those lines? the story with the rich dude in it springs to mind.
And just as another thought, why are there some Churches that i have seen so big and extravogant, i thought that it would be preferable to when in reverence or praising or whatever the correct terminoligy is, would it be more humble if the amenities and the decorations were much more basic as it would not matter to your Lord, i just got the impression that He would not really like such things, or once again, have i got the foul smelling end of the stick once again?

The idea was to be humble in the black and white, nothing fancy or eye catching, to allow the works and actions to speak of the person, to let the inner love and grace shine though, while not being distracted by the fancy clothing and ornaments that people wear.

I love my fellow man...except you...and you, and you and the man in the centre of the third row from the front

As you may have guessed this is about the oh so slight hypocrisy that many seem to be unware of or blatently proud of. There are many Chrisitians that i have seen or read about on the fantastic and no way biased sources of media such as the internet, TV and newspapers. There are certain groups which are apparently not compatible with the Christian faith. I can understand (but not condone) why some peoples reactions are, well, less than hospitable, but outright hatred, well, thats another thing isn't it. I personally thought that Christianity was about love etc etc and getting along with others, yet we see people who want to (or i assume anyhow) follow in their saviours path yet they spread all this hatred and animosity. I know most have probably read this all before but how can they see they are following the righteous path if they act with such misgivings and hatred flowing in their veins, it seems a bit of a paradox in comparison to the the main morals of their faith.

What i'm trying to say is, why are their some that don't seem to understand the principles that their saviour set out for them? I don't get it.

This made me a laugh a bit, hope you do not mind. It was funny how you phased it and all.

The issue is, they are humans after all, we all are just humans. I believe that people do not realize that, and think that Christians are like machines or something, but we are just people, with faults.

Love is great, only mine is better

Quick and simple this, why is it that many people on the net write at the end of a post 'Chrisitian love'. I don't know about anyone else but i perceive this as that a Christians love is better than a Non christians. I know it's harmless, but it just to me seems like that it means that theres some superiority of that person over another. So the question is, am i looking (in all liklehood) too much into it, and just being the cynical so and so that i am, or is there more to it? if you yourself use it do you mean it in a compassionate way unlike how i have described it? and before anybody goes off on one no i don't want it banned etc, it's just something that i noticed.

No offense, but I think you are are really reading too much into it, unless they act haughty or elitist, it's just a statement of their religion and their compassion.

At least that is what I think it is, it might also just be the way they end their posts, Like I end all my posts with "God Bless" even If I just told the person to go to... well.. the place other then heaven... you get the idea....

I will pray that you find the Lord, even though your well off, have no worries and doing quite well for yourself.

Prayer. fun stuff. Personally i have nothing against it, but when i see people pray for others who, and i'll put this in bold so you know what angle i'm coming from, do not want to be prayed for it seems rather pointless. So why do it? thats the question right there. you could pray for the starving aids ridden people of Africa, or the orphans of the world but to pray for a person who is more than likly well off (if your living off of benefits in the western world your still in the richest 15% in world apparently), has access to food and water etc but you pray for this person. WHY WHY WHY (delila) would you do such a thing. In quite a lot of circumstances it also seems very condecsending. If you do feel like praying for me however please pray that i may develop at least half a brain (yes i'm hypocryte, i never said that i wasn't, of course i'm only human-ish).

You are still a person, and just as deserving of salvation and Gods good grace as anyone. I mean, I would think that God should still care about us, even if we have medical coverage.. and drinking water.. and McD's... and all that fun stuff.

Honestly, have you really? well i have never been able to....

...read the Bible. i honestly do not know how. I tried, and, well, let's just say i did not find it a real page turner. About 15 or so i think. How do you read it. I'm not planning to as such but is there a way to read it (no jokes about using your eyes or from page 1 etc), or at least, is there a way someone who has the attention span of a three year old with caffeine in their system to read it?

It's not a real page turner.. That much I will give you.. come to think of it, it's not easy to read at all, unless you are looking for something. I have read the bible few times cover to cover, and it's not an easy book, at least, the first time is like the hardest. You pick it up, read like one page.. if you can.. then put it down.. loose the page you were on.. read some other page.. like 6 months later.. then a quote here.. a quote there..

I hate to say this, but I do not think there is an easy way to read the Bible., at least not the first time.

By the Third time.. if gets easier.. because now you are looking for something, your looking for more information that you might have missed, and you learned soo much the last time.. and you just feel that there is always more to learn. It kinds starts to build on itself, so people that have like read the bible a billion times, make it look so easy, but they sometimes forget that first time.. the time it took them like 12 years to finally finish it..

Ok if you managed to get this far thankyou for reading. Sorry for the incoherent way i decided to set this out.
Also any apologies to the nice (yes only to the nice) people who may have in any way been offended by what i have said. There is also some weird/lame/extremely bad attempts to lighten up the post, most of this post is not to be taken seriously, i really just cannot be asked to use a smiley coz i am lazy and pushing a button just seems too much effort to me. Yes i sound spineless for saying sorry all the time and not wanting to offend anyone, and the reason for that is, i am spineless. go me.

Loved the questions, I hope you enjoyed my answers, and please feel free to ask what ever questions that weigh upon you.

God Bless

Key

 

[NonCompusMentis]

Well i'm back and it's late-ish here again.woops. I'm a telly addict and i'm proud of it. First of all thanks for all of you who responded it was much appreciated, i will attempt to ask questions and more than likely will miss some good ones coz analysis (of more or less anything) is not my forte.

So first of all response to Zeena, what i meant about the love bit was just that it seems to me that (some) Christians act like to profess their love at the end of letter by saying 'with Christian love ' seems a little bit condescending, but as Key pointed out it was probably me probably looking way to much into. Plus i'm really really cynical and i am always look at people and think if they have an ulterior motive or not. Cynicism and Paranoia at its best.

I would like to ask you about when you talk about prayer and demonic possession. What do you perceive these demons to be, are they 'GRRR ARRRRG' type demons or metaphorical ones? and how do you feel that prayer actually gets rid of them, or does it just give you hope that any illness etc in a person, or when a bad situation is at hand it will make it go away? does it work (for you that is)?

Now onto Lisa. My purpose for reading the bible would be just to understand a Christian perspective, how they would (or should) base their decisions on, and would like to know the essential elements of the bible they would be more than likely to follow (though some of you will no doubt say all of it). And your comment about being skeptical, well you got me in one there, i'm a skeptic about almost everything, so getting what you term as 'richness' is probably not something i would get. Then again i'm skeptical about cook books and that the recipes are going to taste as good as the cook proclaims them to be. There is no hope for me lol.

Now to you Texas Girl (i'm sure your looking forward to this, not lol). My first question to you is how did you come to believe, did you go through a process of uncertainty and then decided to seek out a higher being or was a suddenly out of the blue eg like 'mind that bus what bus SPLAT' type of sudden?

Also you mention prayer for eternal salvation. Salvation from what exactly? i have a feeling it may be hell, just a small feeling mind you, but seriously, if me, a person who is an atheist born out of apathy rather than giving it much thought (until recently whereby science seems to be doing ok) how can you actually describe what this salvation actually is to me. I do not know what it is like to be 'saved' so i don't feel as if i'm actually missing anything. This eternal salvation is also a bit beyond my comprehension because eternal is to last forever, and i just cannot really see forever if you get me, best way of putting it is try counting to infinity , you couldnt, you know infinity exists but it's too vast to comprehend. I think i could have somehow explained that more easily but at this moment in time it eludes me, sorry about that. But Prayer to me anyway, seems futile, and act of desperation, i will admit i have done it myself oddly enough, but it working is another thing, i am i will admit, an atheist in a foxhole to an extent, but my mind always tells me, even through strife, that to believe in a being is, and please don't be too offended by this, absurd. And that little voice in the back of my head has been right about a great many things.

Oh and your ability of not being able to multi quote, well, don't worry, i have problems turning the computer on. Technology has something against me i swear.

So now onto Key. Your point (and zeena's) about the collars actually makes quite a bit of sense, so thanks for that. Don't mind you laughing at me post either because it was supposed to be in noooooooo way serious. But what i meant about the question about loving 'my fellow man' was some Christians that i have seen seem to think they are perfect and going to get into heaven because they believe in their Savior and his teachings. These teachings i believe include love and tolerance, but they show such venom and hatred to some members of society and it sickens me. They go against these teachings though they profess they follow them, but they do not? do they not see hypocrisy?

On the question about money is that many churches, are well, 'slicker than your average'. Do they really need to be so grand? would not a house of God be more fitting if it were humble, but built solidly and well, a bit plain, God not liking vanity an all. And the money would therefore go to the needy, as Texas Girl said. It just seems not quite right to me. And these churches i'm talking about, you bet, ive only seen them on tv lol, but they are still there.

And about the prayer, well, i know that your God would from my understanding, not not (intentional) care about a person, even those tucking into lobster at fancy restaurants each night. But does this person need as much prayer,if any, compared to the starving and dying person in a third world country? would you not be better praying for them or giving a donation instead of a prayer (positive rather than passive action)?

Once again thanks for answering they were of help to me. Unfortunately i could have responded slightly better by just quoting and asking a question from it, but i like answering personally to the person who had written the post (and not too mention by the time the thought had occurred to me about quoting i was well on my way too finishing and really couldnt be asked to change it, sometimes i can be a bit too honest)

If any one one else feel's like answering any of the questions i have posed (if you can find any of em) feel free.

 

[Key]

Well i'm back and it's late-ish here again.woops. I'm a telly addict and i'm proud of it. First of all thanks for all of you who responded it was much appreciated, i will attempt to ask questions and more than likely will miss some good ones coz analysis (of more or less anything) is not my forte.

Such is life, no worries, no rush, glad you are asking and seeking.

So first of all response to Zeena, what i meant about the love bit was just that it seems to me that (some) Christians act like to profess their love at the end of letter by saying 'with Christian love ' seems a little bit condescending, but as Key pointed out it was probably me probably looking way to much into. Plus i'm really really cynical and i am always look at people and think if they have an ulterior motive or not. Cynicism and Paranoia at its best.

Well, if they said "Iggy the Magic Tree Elf Hate" would it make the hate special to you?

I really think, your just reading too much into it, and it might be the way people just end their posts, like a "in Post Sig" or "Good Bye" or what have you.

I would like to ask you about when you talk about prayer and demonic possession. What do you perceive these demons to be, are they 'GRRR ARRRRG' type demons or metaphorical ones? and how do you feel that prayer actually gets rid of them, or does it just give you hope that any illness etc in a person, or when a bad situation is at hand it will make it go away? does it work (for you that is)?

I really can't answer this, it's not my area of knowledge, so I'll leave this to others better suited and informed on tis issue, sorry for bowing out like this.

Now onto Lisa. My purpose for reading the bible would be just to understand a Christian perspective, how they would (or should) base their decisions on, and would like to know the essential elements of the bible they would be more than likely to follow (though some of you will no doubt say all of it). And your comment about being skeptical, well you got me in one there, i'm a skeptic about almost everything, so getting what you term as 'richness' is probably not something i would get. Then again i'm skeptical about cook books and that the recipes are going to taste as good as the cook proclaims them to be. There is no hope for me lol.

I am going to let you in on some hidden knowledge. You won't make it as good, at least never the first time. They perfected the recipe, and they have skills in the art of making the food that you do not possess, unless you yourself are also a formally trained chief, or master cook.

Now to you Texas Girl (i'm sure your looking forward to this, not lol). My first question to you is how did you come to believe, did you go through a process of uncertainty and then decided to seek out a higher being or was a suddenly out of the blue eg like 'mind that bus what bus SPLAT' type of sudden?

Well my answer would be "God called and I just answered" simple as that, sorry if that sounds so "Cop Out" but, that is all I have to offer.

Also you mention prayer for eternal salvation. Salvation from what exactly? i have a feeling it may be hell, just a small feeling mind you, but seriously, if me, a person who is an atheist born out of apathy rather than giving it much thought (until recently whereby science seems to be doing ok) how can you actually describe what this salvation actually is to me. I do not know what it is like to be 'saved' so i don't feel as if i'm actually missing anything. This eternal salvation is also a bit beyond my comprehension because eternal is to last forever, and i just cannot really see forever if you get me, best way of putting it is try counting to infinity , you couldnt, you know infinity exists but it's too vast to comprehend. I think i could have somehow explained that more easily but at this moment in time it eludes me, sorry about that. But Prayer to me anyway, seems futile, and act of desperation, i will admit i have done it myself oddly enough, but it working is another thing, i am i will admit, an atheist in a foxhole to an extent, but my mind always tells me, even through strife, that to believe in a being is, and please don't be too offended by this, absurd. And that little voice in the back of my head has been right about a great many things.

Well the Salvation is so that you can enter Gods House, the Kingdom of Heaven.

Ok, now Imagine a moment, you die, and you stand before God almighty, Creator of the World, the Universe, all that there is, and there behind him is Heaven, a Place of Contentment, where people shed the pains and failures and problems of life, and are filled, whole and overflowing with joy, so much so, they sing in praise because of the love that fills them.

And then, God looks at you, with a sad look, "Sorry, your name is not on the list, Was the death of my son not good enough for you?"

Now, first off even if "Hell" is not a place, the realization that you just lost Heaven, is Hell.

Secondly, what could you say to God?

As for Prayer, it works, I have seen it work in my life.

Oh and your ability of not being able to multi quote, well, don't worry, i have problems turning the computer on. Technology has something against me i swear.

I know that feeling.

So now onto Key. Your point (and zeena's) about the collars actually makes quite a bit of sense, so thanks for that. Don't mind you laughing at me post either because it was supposed to be in noooooooo way serious. But what i meant about the question about loving 'my fellow man' was some Christians that i have seen seem to think they are perfect and going to get into heaven because they believe in their Savior and his teachings. These teachings i believe include love and tolerance, but they show such venom and hatred to some members of society and it sickens me. They go against these teachings though they profess they follow them, but they do not? do they not see hypocrisy?

I bet, they don't, or they would stop it... or they don't care. So they are either blind still, or have no faith.

On the question about money is that many churches, are well, 'slicker than your average'. Do they really need to be so grand? would not a house of God be more fitting if it were humble, but built solidly and well, a bit plain, God not liking vanity an all. And the money would therefore go to the needy, as Texas Girl said. It just seems not quite right to me. And these churches i'm talking about, you bet, ive only seen them on tv lol, but they are still there.

They can be quite nice when you walk into them, really. I think it's more for the people that show up, to give them this "Impressive" place to call "Gods House". Not really sure on that.

And about the prayer, well, i know that your God would from my understanding, not not (intentional) care about a person, even those tucking into lobster at fancy restaurants each night. But does this person need as much prayer,if any, compared to the starving and dying person in a third world country? would you not be better praying for them or giving a donation instead of a prayer (positive rather than passive action)?

Well, Christians founded the idea of "Positive Action" and we are still at it today. (Red Cross, Salvation Army, Christian Children's Fund, Peace Corps, Etc)

Once again thanks for answering they were of help to me. Unfortunately i could have responded slightly better by just quoting and asking a question from it, but i like answering personally to the person who had written the post (and not too mention by the time the thought had occurred to me about quoting i was well on my way too finishing and really couldnt be asked to change it, sometimes i can be a bit too honest)

If any one one else feel's like answering any of the questions i have posed (if you can find any of em) feel free.

I hope I have helped you out a Bit.

God Bless

Key

 

[Zeena]

haha!

I like Kev's answer on my behalf about "Iggy the Magic Tree Elf Hate", so, I think I'll leave that as is :LOL:

As for the demons, they're similar to the GRR BRAHH typo's you see in horror movies!

And it's not just prayer that cast these out, but prayer and fasting!

Yes, I've witness's two people come to thier sense, one temporarily [until he submitted to the things again =P], once with a word, the other with prayer and fasting

The word one is the one who went back to his vomit..

 

[FrAnthony]

Its all black and white

My first question is why do Nun's and Priests, only seem to wear black and white. Whats the purpose of it? Where does it originate from? i mean, its not very inspiring and quite depressing for a religion that's all about hope, love and being saved. Also if possible, where does the white collar originate from? what is its significance?

As an Orthodox Priest, I can tell you that I wear it because that is what people of today recognize as a Priest...there is no doubt when somebody sees me. Here a link that explains the "meaning".

http://sunday.niedziela.pl/artykul.php?nr=200409&dz=wiara&id_art=00052

I have to agree with the Author...I much prefer the simplicity of the Cassock, which is plain black. But when I do, combined with my beard, people see a "Muslim" or sometimes today even a "Terrorist" vs. a Priest...it's a shame, really.

Whenever I am with people who know me, I wear the plain black cassock as a symbol of my "Death to the World"...plus it's so much easier to put on and doesn't itch my neck.

I love my fellow man...except you...and you, and you and the man in the centre of the third row from the front

What i'm trying to say is, why are their some that don't seem to understand the principles that their saviour set out for them? I don't get it.

Yes, yes...it's a process. I commend them for trying though.

Love is great, only mine is better

Quick and simple this, why is it that many people on the net write at the end of a post 'Chrisitian love'. I don't know about anyone else but i perceive this as that a Christians love is better than a Non christians.

Ha! I haven't seen this, so can't really comment. I bet that does burn...I would hope their intentions are pure and they are just trying to be nice.

I will pray that you find the Lord, even though your well off, have no worries and doing quite well for yourself.

Prayer. fun stuff. Personally i have nothing against it, but when i see people pray for others who, and i'll put this in bold so you know what angle i'm coming from, do not want to be prayed for it seems rather pointless. So why do it? thats the question right there.

We are suppose to pray for and love everyone. This is a way that we express ourselves. Still, out of respect for you, I would hope you don't get into a situation where you say "don't pray for me" and the Christian starts praying just to upset you.

Honestly, have you really? well i have never been able to....

...read the Bible. i honestly do not know how. I tried, and, well, let's just say i did not find it a real page turner. About 15 or so i think. How do you read it. I'm not planning to as such but is there a way to read it (no jokes about using your eyes or from page 1 etc), or at least, is there a way someone who has the attention span of a three year old with caffeine in their system to read it?

It's not really meant to be read like you describe. I was taught to read Scripture daily for about 15 minutes, but no more than 30. It's better to understand a single verse than to make claim to reading the Bible just for the sake of performing the act of reading the Bible. Read a verse, or several verses, and reflect on what you get from it. If you get nothing from it, look harder.

I am humble, but i have a penchant for Roll's Royce's

I got the impression that there are many people who say they follow the teachings, but when you see them thrive off of material items, are they not going against the teachings of Christ or something along those lines?

Again, a process. Some out there believe you need to show that you are rich and successful for people to believe that they are "blessed by God". I disagree, but that's just me. Simple does it. In a church, however, I see no problem with people splurging within their means. In the Old Testament, people would put gold and fine jewels all over the place in their holy places and in their vestments. God comes first, and this is one way of showing that. It is possible to go overboard though.

I enjoyed reading your post.

 

[TexasGirl06]

Now to you Texas Girl (i'm sure your looking forward to this, not lol). My first question to you is how did you come to believe, did you go through a process of uncertainty and then decided to seek out a higher being or was a suddenly out of the blue eg like 'mind that bus what bus SPLAT' type of sudden?

Also you mention prayer for eternal salvation. Salvation from what exactly? i have a feeling it may be hell, just a small feeling mind you, but seriously, if me, a person who is an atheist born out of apathy rather than giving it much thought (until recently whereby science seems to be doing ok) how can you actually describe what this salvation actually is to me. I do not know what it is like to be 'saved' so i don't feel as if i'm actually missing anything. This eternal salvation is also a bit beyond my comprehension because eternal is to last forever, and i just cannot really see forever if you get me, best way of putting it is try counting to infinity , you couldnt, you know infinity exists but it's too vast to comprehend. I think i could have somehow explained that more easily but at this moment in time it eludes me, sorry about that. But Prayer to me anyway, seems futile, and act of desperation, i will admit i have done it myself oddly enough, but it working is another thing, i am i will admit, an atheist in a foxhole to an extent, but my mind always tells me, even through strife, that to believe in a being is, and please don't be too offended by this, absurd. And that little voice in the back of my head has been right about a great many things.

Hmmm....how I came to believe. You are asking me for my "testimony".
Like I said earlier, I grew up in the Catholic Church...but never knew Jesus as my Lord and Savior.
Got married.
Had a baby.
Everything is great.
Not.
What's wrong.
This is hard work.
Every day.
Every day...all day.
Is this why I am alive?
To do this every single day...
and then go to sleep and do it again the next day.
I would lie on my bed at night...and ask my husband... "What are we here for?" (He still remembers that )
I just had a strong desire to understand more deeply what this whole life/death thing was all about.
At that time, I was having some contact with a Bible based church, as my step daughter was attending school there. So, I was beginning to hear some teachings from the Bible...about Heaven, Hell, Jesus, etc....
I began to be thirsty for the Truth.
I WANT TO KNOW WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT !
Looking back on those years...
Yes, I said years !
I see that it was then that God was calling me to Himself.
My little world was difficult (not just the everyday routine question)....and I was missing something.
God was showing me that what I was missing was Him.
I was created to be in fellowship with Him....
but sin was keeping me from Him.
Skip ahead a year or two....
My 7 year old niece develops a brain tumor.
She will only live for about 1.5 more years.
Rip my heart out.
My sister's baby. She is going to die.
Why God. Why God. Why God?
More questions that I do not know the answer to.
There are answers to these questions.
God has them.
He is using this situation to draw me to Him....
and many others were drawn to Him at this time.
God showed me my sin.
I have sinned against a Holy God.
The wages for sin is death.
Because I have sinned, I will die. Eternal Death...which is eternal separation from God, when I die. (hell)
But, God loves me so much.
He does not want me to go to hell.
He wants me to live with Him forever.
He will provide a way for me to go to Heaven when I die.
Sin must be punished.
Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness for sin.
God will provide a sacrificial lamb, to die for my sin.
The Lamb will be perfect. No blemishes. No sin.
This Lamb is Jesus.
This is why God sent Jesus to be born as a baby in a manger.
He was born to die.
When Jesus died on the cross that day....it was my sin that put Him there. Me.
The eternal consequences for my sin (hell) has been washed away.
Jesus is the Son of God.
I repent of my sin.
I turn from it.

I am "saved".
Saved from what?
Saved from hell.
When I die, my soul will immediately go to Heaven with God.
Eventually, my body will be resurrected...(just like Jesus' body was resurrected)...and my soul will join my body.
Wow. Big stuff. I know.

I am a Believer and a Follower of the Lord Jesus Christ....and the Best is yet to come.
I begin to study God's Word. I enroll in a world wide non denominational Bible Study. It is a 7 year study. I am currently in year 5.
I grow in the knowledge of the Lord.

How is life today?
Still hard.
probably harder than before.
He never promised that life would be easier with Him.
In fact, He did say it would be hard !
But...I have God now.
He is always with me.
Never does He leave.
He gets me through every hard thing that comes my way.

He is my Lord.
There is simply nothing better.

So, when I pray...I talk to God.
Directly to God.
Jesus gives me the direct line to the Father.

I do not pray to ask for things....
although I do certainly ask for things.
I pray so that I can visit with my God.
I tell Him how great He is.
I thank Him for things.
I talk to Him about other people.
I remind Him of His promises, although He needs no reminding.
I talk to Him about how hard my day is.

And...my friend, I have no doubt in my mind...that He hears all that I say or think.

And...to comment on the enemy.
Satan is his name.
He is the enemy of God.
He was at one time a great angel in Heaven.
But...he began to question God..and think that he could be perhaps better than God. He rebelled against the Holy God.
And....he took 1/3 of the angels with him, when he rebelled.
God kicked them out of heaven.

Yeah...Satan is an angel.
A bad angel.
aka...a demon.

And, my friend...the enemy does not want you to know the Truth.
He will deceive you. He will confuse you.
He will lie to you. He will distract you.
He hates you.
He will convince you that all of this is nonsense.

I used to think it was nonsense.

I thank God that He put me in a position where I was thirsty for the Truth.

I know you aren't very interested in prayer.
but...I cannot help but lift you before The Holy God.
He does love you.

I think that's all for now.
I seem to be writing a book.

I'm glad to answer any other questions you may have.
have a great night !!!!

 

[Zeena]

haha

I know 'she'll' have a great night!

haha!

 

[MikeMcK]

I personally thought that Christianity was about love etc etc and getting along with others

No. Christianity is about being forgiven and reconciled to God through the person and atoning work of Jesus Christ.

What i'm trying to say is, why are their some that don't seem to understand the principles that their saviour set out for them? I don't get it.

We are not saved by our works, but our works are an indication of whether or not we're following Christ.

If our works are compatible with the teachings of Christ, then that's an indication that we're following Christ.

If they're not, then that's an indication that we're not following Christ.

you could pray for the starving aids ridden people of Africa, or the orphans of the world but to pray for a person who is more than likly well off (if your living off of benefits in the western world your still in the richest 15% in world apparently), has access to food and water etc but you pray for this person.

We should pray for both.

More importantly, we should share the Gospel with the one, and feed the other.

i honestly do not know how. I tried, and, well, let's just say i did not find it a real page turner.

I do.

My guess is that you've never had a plan, that you just flipped open to a random page and started reading it like a novel.

Is that close?

How do you read it.

I prefer to start with a passage or an idea, and study that passage or idea out, using cross-referencing (most Bible's have this included in their margins) and various Bible study tools.

I'm not planning to

OK.

I can certainly understand why you would see the Bible as being so intimidating.

I teach the Bible and even I find it to be a little overwhelming at times.

Would you consider reading just the book of Romans for me?

I got the impression that there are many people who say they follow the teachings, but when you see them thrive off of material items, are they not going against the teachings of Christ or something along those lines?

Not necessarily.

The Bible never says that there is anything wrong with wealth or material things, in themselves.

In fact, there are many instances where the Bible tells us that wealth is a sign of God's blessing.

However, it all comes down to the difference between having wealth and wealth having you.

the story with the rich dude in it springs to mind.

That's a good example of what I mean by "wealth having you".

The Rich Young Ruler loved his things more than He loved righteousness.

But remember, when Jesus tells him to sell everything he owns and give it to the poor, that's not axiomatic. It doesn't apply to everyone. Jesus was just calling this man's bluff.

And just as another thought, why are there some Churches that i have seen so big and extravogant?

Don't know. Again, there's nothing wrong with that, in and of itself.

My church was founded last May. When we broke off from our old church, we didn't have a building. We had no idea what the future held for us or where we would meet in the rain or when the weather turned cold.

We literally met in somebody's back yard.

But that didn't make us any more humble or holy than a church with a large state of the art facility.

Ok if you managed to get this far thankyou for reading. Sorry for the incoherent way i decided to set this out.

Yes, the run-on sentences and the lack of punctuation do make your posts difficult to read.

 

[Key]

Yes, the run-on sentences and the lack of punctuation do make your posts difficult to read.

I thought that gave the posts a distinct character.... but that is just me.

God Bless

Key

 

[MikeMcK]

I thought that gave the posts a distinct character.... but that is just me.

A rather Manson-esque charm.

 

[NonCompusMentis]

Once again thanks for the responses, just a few more things to clear up then, well, this manson-esque writing should be over, much to the joy of some i think, coz you know, being evil and all (can you year that nerve of mine thats been struck. Quite bass like, don't you think?)

First, Keys post.

Well my answer would be "God called and I just answered" simple as that, sorry if that sounds so "Cop Out" but, that is all I have to offer.

Honesty is what i wanted. I have seen (well, read about) many who go through trials and tribulations before they started to believe, but the all of a sudden aspect also fascinates because going from a non belief or uncertain to just suddenly believing is quite intriguing because it just seems slightly strange to me, like going from not liking mustard to liking it just like that (and in no way is that meant lessen your believing in God, its just the best example i could come up with at this moment in time)

Well, Christians founded the idea of "Positive Action" and we are still at it today. (Red Cross, Salvation Army, Christian Children's Fund, Peace Corps, Etc)

Good point there, i don't doubt it (and on a different note are they still thinking about changing the Red Cross symbol because of people shooting at/killing members for one reason or another?), but for your average Joe Christian it just seems to be a bit pointless wasting time on prayer for me or others like me. Trust me compared to a vast amouint of others in the world i am the least needing of prayer, and if there is such thing as an afterlife and eternal damnation then i more than likley deserve it coz i am quite vain and selfish, though no doubt there is a lot of other items you could add to my rap sheet (punctuation one of them which has been duly noted!)

Thankyou for you comments they have been useful, especially about taking that with Christian Love bit, i really need to lighten up a lot methinks. The bit also about prayer working, nice, but me, i just believe in coincidence or random events happenning which produces a certain outcome (there's a word to describe that (no it's not random) but i can't think what).

Iggy the Magic Tree Elf Hate

Now i have so got to get that into a conversation somehow.


Now Zeena, all have to say is if i fast, all that would be left of me is dust, i'm not exactly like mike tyson in stature. So real demons. That actually explains a lot of my friends.

Fr Anthony, thanks for the link about the dress code. The collar equating to the a ring, which shows the priests marriage to Christ is something i would not have ever guessed in my lifetime, so thank you.

The people equating to you as Muslim is quite interesting in terms of similarities between the religions (yes i do know they are both Abrahamic religions, thats about all i really do know about Christianity). I have no problem with Muslims, Sikhs or Hindus, had many of them as my friends, also a satanist, but it's not something we really talked about. Nice guy though.

Again, a process. Some out there believe you need to show that you are rich and successful for people to believe that they are "blessed by God". I disagree, but that's just me. Simple does it. In a church, however, I see no problem with people splurging within their means. In the Old Testament, people would put gold and fine jewels all over the place in their holy places and in their vestments. God comes first, and this is one way of showing that. It is possible to go overboard though.

Seems to be thing of having no problem with the church being full of grandeur fair enough really. I completely agree with you when you mention about the showing off ones own riches in such a way. If you want to see something interesting go to the Cathedral in Glouscter in the UK, it's humongous, got a dead king buried there (cannot remember the name because my memory is poor) and a lot of history to it. Though its quite creepy walking on graves, why you would want your grave in the middle of a floor in a Cathedral where people would step on it i don't know.

Now onto Texas Girl. My Condolences about the tragedies that have happened to you. My fault for prying i apologise, i'm sorry.

The way you came about to believing was that you thought there must be a meaning to your life. I have thought that most days. Personally i can't see one to my life (i can almost hear the 'damn right' by others now lol) but that has not really got me down, so feeling that everything is futile (which it is, because i am young and i apparently know everything!) is nothing new to me.
However i am glad you experiencing such a thing (not the futility, the whole finding God bit) gave you motivation, my respect to that and your ability to carry on through times of trouble.

Hello to you MikeMcK, nice to see there are still some people who are blunt and get straight to the point. Need more of them in government because they lack what i lack, a backbone, or at least the one here in the UK does anyway.

Christianity is about being forgiven and reconciled to God through the person and atoning work of Jesus Christ

But if they are sinning how are they atoning. Hating a group and actively showing/spreading it is not really helping them on their way to sin free life (which i am making theassumption is what a lot of Christians try and strive for, correct me if i'm wrong, though i'm sure you will lol), seems a bit contracdictory.

Is that close

Actually quite off the mark. In the bible i have got (which was free and given to me by a really over zealous priest, but still quite a friendly person) there was a lot of preamble, with prayers and how to be a good Christian which i read. It did give some advice some advice along the lines of of what Fr Anthony said. Also i believe it said to read particular parts on certain days of the year. Gave that ago, didnt get it and of what was going on because it did started off in the middle. So i did the sensible thing and tried to read it from the begginning. No success however because i lack the fine art of concentration as you have probably noticed, which is why i wanted to know how a person with such as short attention span could read it.

Would you consider reading just the book of Romans for me

I might just do, but i have a lot going on recently, things have started to become turbulant in my life meaning i need to get myself in gear.

However, it all comes down to the difference between having wealth and wealth having you

That is very good advice and funnilly enough (and i am so sure you really wanted to know this) but i was told that money really get to me. Though personally i am not so sure. Every man has his price.

Yes, the run-on sentences and the lack of punctuation do make your posts difficult to read.

Thats because i am lazy/lethargic and as you can see it shows in my writing. I assure you my coursework is not like this (well, the for the modules i care about anyway).

A rather Manson-esque charm

I am going to take that as a compliment

Two questions i have to ask, first one is i remember reading somewhere that there are extra versus of the bible or something like that and Christains accept but protestants do not. More than likely i have just imagined it but is this true?

Secondly if we are suppossd to have free will, then why do people talk about Gods plan for people, 'it was His will' etc, never understood that. Or Astrophysics come to think of it.

Sorry about not answering all points, once again i am doing this at stupido'clock in the morning because well, i'm a cretin, to put it simply. Anyways Adios, if anyone does actually respond to this i may not be able to reply straight away because i have (or at least should have) a busy weekend ahead of me, and i hope you all have a pleasant weekend.