What I've Learned From...

[TinyGiant]

RELIGION is man trying to BRING HIMSELF TO GOD (by human effort, good works, ritualism, traditionalism, sacraments, etc.).

CHRISTIANITY is Christ BRINGING US TO GOD on the basis of what He did for us on the cross (1 Peter 3:18).



I think its completely possible to not be religious and still believe in God. But on the contrary believing in God isnt all that needs to happen. Satan Believes in God. The Bible outlines that salvation is through Christ.

Look at when Jesus was on the cross. There were two theives up there with him. One of them said to Jesus that he knew he was the messaih.. Jesus told him that he would go to heaven that day. Its understanding that Christ saves us from our sins.. not the rest of the religious stuff.. Jesus didn't say to him.. sorry chum.. there is no time today to get baptized.. or well today is a friday.. and you have to go to church at least once.. being nailed there.. i dont think your going to make it. lol he belived and was saved through Christ's sacrifice.

I'm a Christian and have been since i was 5 been studying scripture ever since. its interesting and deeper than anything you'll ever read. But with anything people can twist scripture to fit what they want people to believe.

I had a summer long talk with the jehovah's witnesses last summer and was able to study thier beliefs.. which are nothing short of cultic. they litterally change words in the scriptures and demand that all of the JW are not allowed to study scripture without elders there to guide them. basically they arent allowed to see the truth at all since they have to be spoon fed slop from the JW elders.

God gave us brains for a reason. He wants us to use them. not follow blindly but to search for him with our whole being. :)

Its good that you are using your head when dealing with a new church. Anytime i visit a church that i've never been to i always am on guard a little because you are never sure what you are going to come across.. there are alot of people who , with best intentions, are just a little off.

The fact that you are noticing how off they are proves you are on the right track :) We'll never have the answers and thats the faith that we need to have. But in the same respect we should always be searching and trying to learn as much as we can about God through the scripture :)

[Tamago]

i thought religious topics had been banned on yarisworld already.

[gokartride]

Well, in relation to the OP, some of the coolest, most aware people I have ever known were religious...but they were in universities or leaders/elders in some way. Very expansive thinkers...they knew the inner workings and dynamics of the full scope their religion, including how it could/is being abused. There are a lot of religious types I would be less inclined to listen to...but some of these folks are great!!!

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Originally Posted by MadMax

Errrr...not quite. An agnostic is "One who believes that it is impossible to know whether there is a God; 2. One who is skeptical about the existence of God but does not profess true atheism."

An agnostic doesn't necessarily believe there is a God, nor do they believe there isn't a God. It is a "wait and see" position.

You have faith, but not religion; and there is nothing wrong with that. Religion is a man-made institution that some felt was necessary to believe, you are simply cutting out the middleman!

Woops, I thought wrong. hahaha. But yeah, thanks for letting me know.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Originally Posted by Tamago

sounds like your GF ran into the wrong SDA's. there's always bad apples in religion.

and yes, most of the shit in the world traces back directly to the roman catholic church, sadly.

hahaha, yeah, their SDA church has only been around for I think two years.

I'm not defending Catholicism by any means, as I do not agree with certain things they do (I was baptized as a Catholic, however), but that's why I don't believe in religion any more. To me, religion simply wants you to be a member of theirs, and instills fear onto their followers. And it seems like each religion belittles each other. Imo, there is not right religion to get into heaven/hell/what have you. You (you as in the general, not you Tamago) believe in what you believe in, and that's fine my me, as long as you can respect other people's beliefs.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Originally Posted by Tamago

what does an dyslexic agnostic insomniac to at night?

LMAO. You might want to add ADHD to that. hahahaha.

Sorry to those offended, I thought it was a funny joke.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Originally Posted by TinyGiant

religion is what man basically does to relate with God. trusting in God and being religious can and usually are two different things.. Religion is more or less ritual. one thing Jesus spoke against was the mundane ritual relation they had with God. God wants us to have freedom in Christ and salvation.. he wants genuine connections not ritual.

here is a little useful something i found online a few min ago that can sorta outline that.(note i havent read any other stuff on this site so i dont know what you will find. but this seemed pretty spot on)

http://www.middletownbiblechurch.org...k/religion.htm

Not what my ex's SDA group thinks. I've said it before to her, but she didn't accept it.

[Tamago]

Originally Posted by Kaotic Lazagna

hahaha, yeah, their SDA church has only been around for I think two years.

I'm not defending Catholicism by any means, as I do not agree with certain things they do (I was baptized as a Catholic, however), but that's why I don't believe in religion any more. To me, religion simply wants you to be a member of theirs, and instills fear onto their followers. And it seems like each religion belittles each other. Imo, there is not right religion to get into heaven/hell/what have you. You (you as in the general, not you Tamago) believe in what you believe in, and that's fine my me, as long as you can respect other people's beliefs.

by just going to church one day a week, your odds of "making it to heaven" are about 1 in 7.

religion is not the answer.

think of it like this.

some of us went to school and learned and excelled. Church is just Religion School

and some of us do better being home-schooled.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Originally Posted by TinyGiant

RELIGION is man trying to BRING HIMSELF TO GOD (by human effort, good works, ritualism, traditionalism, sacraments, etc.).

CHRISTIANITY is Christ BRINGING US TO GOD on the basis of what He did for us on the cross (1 Peter 3:18).



I think its completely possible to not be religious and still believe in God. But on the contrary believing in God isnt all that needs to happen. Satan Believes in God. The Bible outlines that salvation is through Christ.

Look at when Jesus was on the cross. There were two theives up there with him. One of them said to Jesus that he knew he was the messaih.. Jesus told him that he would go to heaven that day. Its understanding that Christ saves us from our sins.. not the rest of the religious stuff.. Jesus didn't say to him.. sorry chum.. there is no time today to get baptized.. or well today is a friday.. and you have to go to church at least once.. being nailed there.. i dont think your going to make it. lol he belived and was saved through Christ's sacrifice.

I'm a Christian and have been since i was 5 been studying scripture ever since. its interesting and deeper than anything you'll ever read. But with anything people can twist scripture to fit what they want people to believe.

I had a summer long talk with the jehovah's witnesses last summer and was able to study thier beliefs.. which are nothing short of cultic. they litterally change words in the scriptures and demand that all of the JW are not allowed to study scripture without elders there to guide them. basically they arent allowed to see the truth at all since they have to be spoon fed slop from the JW elders.

God gave us brains for a reason. He wants us to use them. not follow blindly but to search for him with our whole being. :)

Its good that you are using your head when dealing with a new church. Anytime i visit a church that i've never been to i always am on guard a little because you are never sure what you are going to come across.. there are alot of people who , with best intentions, are just a little off.

The fact that you are noticing how off they are proves you are on the right track :) We'll never have the answers and thats the faith that we need to have. But in the same respect we should always be searching and trying to learn as much as we can about God through the scripture :)

I've always found your posts in my threads to be well said. But the things you and I believe in, SDA's refuse to believe in. They HAVE to believe in the bible, which brings me to think...

...in the bible, slavery is an okay thing. So, that means my ex's church leader should be enslaved? I'm sorry, but there are too many things that contradict in the bible for me to believe in it.

Also, on another note, the bible and/or SDA's say that the world's knowledge means nothing to God, correct? So tell me why in one of the their church meetings, they mention how scientists who conducted scientific research have found that breakfast is something needed by humans to stay healthy? I'm sorry, but didn't they just tell me that the world's knowledge is incorrect and means nothing? So why use science in their lectures?

Again, too many things wrong.


Furthermore, the last bible study, the leader mentions vines and wine, and says "what do you think of when you hear vines? Grapes." Ummm, no, I was actually thinking of plants that grow on walls, sticks, etc, like golden honeysuckles.

I hate it how their leader says that the bible interprets itself, but and uses another verse to interpret another verse, but uses his opinions and stuff (like that grape vine) on the verse that's interpreting the other. Umm, so that's not the bible interpreting itself, it's him that is.

[Tamago]

sounds like you have a problem with the people. the actual religion is not NEARLY as creepy as they're making it sound to you. shame you've met some retarded apples.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Originally Posted by Tamago

by just going to church one day a week, your odds of "making it to heaven" are about 1 in 7.

religion is not the answer.

think of it like this.

some of us went to school and learned and excelled. Church is just Religion School

and some of us do better being home-schooled.

hahaha, by me going to church on Sunday makes my odds of going to heaven 0 in 7, and a bazillion in 7 in the eyes of SDA's since I'm not going to church on Saturday.

I'm sorry, but the bible never says anything about Monday, Tuesday, etc; but rather, First Day, Second Day, etc. So who is to assign Sunday to First Day, and Saturday to Seventh Day?

[Tamago]

Originally Posted by Kaotic Lazagna

So who is to assign Sunday to First Day, and Saturday to Seventh Day?

go look at your calendar buddy.. i don't understand why people have a problem getting their head around this.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Originally Posted by Tamago

sounds like you have a problem with the people. the actual religion is not NEARLY as creepy as they're making it sound to you. shame you've met some retarded apples.

Yeah, I think so too. I mean, I still respect the SDA religion, as I think respecting others is important, but the things the leaders are teaching is just, well, extraordinary. He's saying that if you break one thing, that all your "good work" is nothing.

I've also asked my ex about our relatives who have passed, and since they were not SDA's and didn't follow the bible, does that make them have a higher chance of being in hell than heaven? She replies by saying that she cannot answer that, and only God can judge. I also said the same thing about that thief who went to heaven. Ummm, yeah, well, then leave me the **** alone if it is God that can say where I go. I seriously refuse to think if you're a genuinely good person, but do not follow the bible, then you're pretty much condemned to hell. That's seriously stupid...

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Originally Posted by Tamago

go look at your calendar buddy.. i don't understand why people have a problem getting their head around this.

I realize that, but isn't our calendar based on non-Christians? So why would Christians utilize it and base the biblical days onto it?

[Tamago]

Originally Posted by Kaotic Lazagna

I seriously refuse to think if you're a genuinely good person, but do not follow the bible, then you're pretty much condemned to hell. That's seriously stupid...

if you dont' follow the bible, which means you don't worship god, do you think you'd be happy in heaven?

you'd get there and be like "worship what?? hell no, i'm not worshipping god"

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Originally Posted by gokartride

Well, in relation to the OP, some of the coolest, most aware people I have ever known were religious...but they were in universities or leaders/elders in some way. Very expansive thinkers...they knew the inner workings and dynamics of the full scope their religion, including how it could/is being abused. There are a lot of religious types I would be less inclined to listen to...but some of these folks are great!!!

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I hate religious people or religion for that matter. I just hate how people use religion to instill fear and hatred in people. I mean, come on, SDA's are HIGHLY against homosexuality. Ummm, isn't that being judgmental and hateful, which is against the bible?

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Originally Posted by Tamago

if you dont' follow the bible, which means you don't worship god, do you think you'd be happy in heaven?

you'd get there and be like "worship what?? hell no, i'm not worshipping god"

LOL. I don't think I need to follow the bible to worship God. Otherwise, I'd be worshiping the bible.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Originally Posted by Tamago

i thought religious topics had been banned on yarisworld already.

LOL. Religious and political topics get banned when they get out of hand. If they can be discussed in a civil manner, they do not need to be closed.

Good discussion with ya, btw.