Am I the Only Agnostic?

[reallyME]

I think I will stick to the topics about stalking and abuse.  This could get really sticky when I happen to be one who will vehemently go against anything not involving the God I know personally.

All I can say is, may He reveal Himself as REAL to anyone here who is in doubt or against Him.

~Laura

[WRITE]

There's only one G_d Laura, one Spirit, I am convinced of that. And I'm also with Ghandi: G_d has no religion.

But you're right- there's no further dialogue once you've revealed 'your truth' if it goes against other people's. I think that's why it's really important to me that what I believe is very open- I don't think I know how to transcend that. I don't want to argue, even intellectually argue, if it will break someone's spirit ( as an aside some other parents think I am weak for taking the same approach with child-rearing ) or cause hurt. G_d is love to me, pure love, and anything that isn't that love isn't of G_d to me.

Something that is becoming more clear to me in everyday living: whose lesson is this?

Sometimes it's for me, but if it's for someone else then only they can learn it and it's not for me to teach/preach.

That's been a strange process unfolding  during the disentangling from my ex- we were so enmeshed and that was my role then, and it's hard now for me to watch at a distance whilst he ties his life in knots and it's not my place to untangle them.
It's easier for me to step back from my son in that regard!
But it is a role I have taken a lot in trying to make sense of things; my life hasn't always made sense to me and it's only now I can see a bigger picture.

in my experience, most churches worship themselves

it's interesting, I've been to church after church and couldn't fit my beliefs to the behaviour or attitude of the people. I know what my theological beliefs are, and my relationship with G_d, but I just don't have the kind of transcending patience to be in a church without considerable compromise.

I do miss being part of a spiritual community so I've taken to nomad-ing around Houston's various faiths, of which there are numerous, and to taking long walks and communing with nature.

Prayer has gone from being a deliberate set-aside enterprise to a part of all experience and the revelation of the day.

But being part of a church takes me away from G_d not brings me closer so far.

[reallyME]

First of all, as much as my spelling it out GOD offends you, your leaving out part of His name offends me.  We can agree to disagree here, but am stating my feelings anyway.

As far as there being one God, I'm not debating that.

As far as me being intolerant of others' beliefs, I guess if you consider that I believe hell is an actual real place that people who do not accept Jesus go to, then maybe you could understand my insistence of others not having other Gods nor beliefs.

That's life through my eyes

~Laura

[Brigid]

I think I have asked this question before but,

I believe hell is an actual real place that people who do not accept Jesus go

what happened to all the people who existed b.c.?  Did they end up in Hell also, or did they get a free pass to Heaven because they didn't know any better?  Just curious.

B.

[WRITE]

as much as my spelling it out GOD offends you, your leaving out part of His name offends me. 

you misunderstand me Laura- I am a Christian so it doesn't offend me. But I am aware that Jewish people and some Christians do not spell it out or speak it so that it cannot be spoken blasphemously ( which it often is in my culture, an expostulation or used as curse word )

If I am writing to Christian people I know will not be offended, as I will be to my parents in law later, I would write it out. But I want to respect all faiths in an open forum.

what happened to all the people who existed b.c.?  Did they end up in Hell also, or did they get a free pass to Heaven because they didn't know any better?

I've always been curious about the 'Jesus descended to hell' bit of the apostles creed too.

[mudpuppy]

Brigid,
That's a tough question, often also applied to infants and the mentally incompetent.
I believe a God of mercy makes provision for those who have no way of finding Him or hearing of Him.
Paul directly addresses those who were capable of knowing when he discusses justification by faith. Abraham lived long before Christ but was justified by his faith. Paul goes on to say that those who lived before Christ were without excuse, because they had a choice between worshipping a Creator or His creation. The implication being that those who worshipped a Creator rather than the various pagan nature 'gods' were justified by their faith.
And in the book of Hebrews the 'heroes of faith' all lived prior to Christ.
There is also the statement by Peter that after His crucifxion Christ went and preached to the souls of Noah's time. This is one of the bases of the 'Jesus descended to hell' doctrine.
It seems to me that God provides an opportunity to every person to make a choice, and for those who are unable He provides as well.

Hops,
If you want to be called an agnostic that's OK by me. Most of your posts seem to acknowledge a supernatural realm so I guess I have overlooked those where you do not.

reallyme,

then maybe you could understand my insistence of others not having other Gods nor beliefs.

I respectfully submit that it is God's job to insist others not have other gods or beliefs, not ours. We are only to present the gospel; what they do with it is between them and God.

There, I've told  Christians, agnostics and those  somewhere in between what to think. My work here is done.

mud

[reallyME]

mud, then I respectfully submit that you might remove the book of Psalms from the Bible, since David says "haven't I HATED those who hate You." (toward God)

[WRITE]

 My work here is done

 

remove the book of Psalms from the Bible

I'd take out the Book of Revelation myself, I can recognise psychosis when I read it! 
And Rev 22:19- oh dear, what a sad mistake.

Fortunately people haven't stopped adding their wisdom down the ages, we just have to search for it. Maybe in some other time The Bible ( Greek word for Book ) will be added to again.

[mudpuppy]

RM,

The bible also says David murdered Uriah and bedded his wife. Not every sentiment expressed in the bible is Godly, even by those with a heart after His.
We are to seek the whole counsel of God. And that whole cousel shows that we are not to hate others nor 'insist' that they worship as we do.

mud

[reallyME]

may God forgive you

[Brigid]

Mud,
Thank you for the thoughtful response.  I knew I could count on you to at least give me some insight into a true biblical perspective.  Remind me to NEVER debate religion with you.   

Hugs,

B.

[Dr. Richard Grossman]

Hi everyone,

To add one more dimension to Hop’s topic:

There is increasing evidence that religious faith (at least in adults) is, to a significant degree, an inherited trait.  See, for example, http://www1.umn.edu/umnnews/Feature_Stories/Religious_faith_may_be_genetic.html .

Best,

Richard

[moonlight52]

HI ALL ,

I was born in a home of complete "religious freedom".
My mother born in the south was raised on hell and brimstone stuff and
"you will go to hell if you do not get straight A's.

My gentle mom told me if there was one thing she was going to do right it was not burden her children with this kind of religion and she did not.

I and my twin and I were raised in the same home we were  different in many ways.
I searched many religions for over 25 years of reading.My twin had no such interest in religion.

I now do not hold religion as an answer.But I still hold the heartfelt reverence for the cosmos.The inner vastness and what we think of as outer vastness.I see the beauty and I am in awe................................................

MoonLight

[mudpuppy]

Richard,

I guess I'm being a little boneheaded here, but isn't it just as likely that her evidence is really saying that people who are gentically identical would more likely react similarly to parental input than those who are not gentically identical? That hardly seems earth shattering nor would it justify categorizing religious faith as 'inherited'.

mud

[moonlight52]

Or one day scientists may find  some DNA  GOD code in the molecules and cells of our bodies.

ONE day in that case the message would be the same Universal.

Interesting ideas I still am in awe of a higher power.

What message would God put in our DNA?

Moon


this idea comes from a book called the God Code