I say no revolution. Frankly, all the bible-thumpin' right wingers have guns, and me being a liberal, tree-hugger...I'm likely to be captured and executed as a resistor! :eek:

I say no revolution. Frankly, all the bible-thumpin' right wingers have guns, and me being a liberal, tree-hugger...I'm likely to be captured and executed as a resistor! :eek:

 

So was this clip made about you by a time traveling director who changed the gender for your protection?

 

Call me when a student gets in trouble for praying. Cats belief is incorrect. No religion gets more freedom than any other.

 

The politically correct thing to say....

The politically correct thing to say....

 

...and the educated thinking thing to say.

 

I'm still waiting for your examples. Heck, I'd take one good example.

John 14:6..And Jesus said to them..."No one comes to the Father except thru me". Islam is a false religion. The Jewish people do not accept Jesus Christ as Savior as also like Islam. Jesus speaks of Hell many times. Eternal tormet, If you/Muslims/Jews don't accept Jesus as your LORD you will go to Hell forever.

John 14:6..And Jesus said to them..."No one comes to the Father except thru me". Islam is a false religion. The Jewish people do not accept Jesus Christ as Savior as also like Islam. Jesus speaks of Hell many times. Eternal tormet, If you/Muslims/Jews don't accept Jesus as your LORD you will go to Hell forever.

 

What happens to someone who lives in Siberia who never hears of Jesus?

What happens to someone who lives in Siberia who never hears of Jesus?

Have they had a chance to hear the Gospel and reject it? God takes care of people in situations you mentioned. Thats why he is God.

Yes. It is my understanding that they are supposed to pray five times a day (at specific times as well) on a mat (don't know the real name) facing a certain direction (I believe East, towards the Mecca).

 

Which could open up a whole different conversation. What if the kid is in the middle of a test? Let him leave to go down to the prayer room?

 

If we are suppose to have a separation of church and state, why let any of that happen? I can pray staring right at my teacher and they would have no idea. Nothing special is done to allow me to do that. Allowing a Muslim student to leave class, would allow them something special, wouldn't it? If they went and prayed on their lunch break or during recess, basically their own time, then I don't think it would be a problem. But what if that doesn't coordinate with when they are supposed to be praying? Allowing them to miss class means there is no longer that separation and some could say special treatment.

 

 

. . . nor prohibit the free exercise thereof

So do they have the same concept? The son, the father, the holy spirit?

 

Christians call God, God. Muslims call him Allah. I know both of their "Gods" are eternal. As in they represent everything.

 

No one questions that the Jews worship the same God and yet they have a non-trinitarian belief. In fact most find it amusing that we have the divine presence in three incarnations. The Jewish name for God is Yahweh, different terms for the same thing. Do we say Jews don't worship the same God because they use the term Yahweh?

 

Early on Mohammed made sure that his followers knew not to mistreat or forcibly convert Christians and Jews because while their methods of worship were different, they worshiped the same God, and were known as "People of the Book." It wasn't until the Turks and then Persians were conquered that their was much in the way of friction between the groups. The vast majority of the "militant" Islam that you see today is not a long standing tradition as much as it is a relatively recent development (post 1950). Prior to then any groups like that were considered fringe loonies that no one gave much credence to.

Have they had a chance to hear the Gospel and reject it? God takes care of people in situations you mentioned. Thats why he is God.

 

It a question that I have always struggled with AL. I'm glad you believe that God would take care of those who never had the opportunity to hear the Gospel, because I believe he should as well. Not fair for them to have to go to hell if they never even had the opportunity to learn about Jesus Christ.

 

However, another question and one I struggle with. Let's say I'm born into a predominant Muslim or Buddhist country. I grow up learning everything about that religion and truly live by it. Then one day when I'm 45 years old with a family of my own whom I'm teaching my religion too, and Christian missionaries come to me and try to convert me and my family. I refuse because I believe in what I've been brought up to believe for the last 45 years of my life. By definition of what we believe as Christians, in that scenario, I would be going to hell at my death. I kind of have a problem with that.

 

No way would you turn from Christianity to Muslim/Buddhist now after being raised with Christian beliefs all of your life. It's kind of hard for me to expect them to have too. It's something I struggle with. Many people in every faith believe in what they do because their parents do, the majority of the country does, and they were raised that way (of coarse there are plenty of exceptions, but you get my point).

^ MJ, I have had similar struggles. However, I trust the wisdom of God to do the right thing. Just having faith that he is never wrong is enough to keep my worries about this issue subdued.

. . . nor prohibit the free exercise thereof

 

Then why are Nativity scenes on public property a target?

Besides which christian view you going to teach? Baptist, Catholic, Church of Christ, or another? They are all very different.

 

My question was similar, but I wasn't thinking of denominations.

 

Is it the Christianity of Manifest Destiny, the white expansion west, ordained by God, that permitted "us" to take whatever we wanted and do whatever we wanted with those already occupying the land? The Christianity that resulted in the massacre of the natives, the breaking of covenants with them, and forcing the survivors onto isolated reservations?

 

Or was it when "we" imported slaves from Africa to do our work and make us wealthy? Was it before that when blacks were considered 3/5 of a person by our Constitution? Or, after they were freed, when they were still mistreated and discriminated against and not given the right to vote?

 

Was it when we decided to declare war on Mexico, primarily for the reason of annexing Texas?

 

Which Christian era are we trying to get back to?

^ MJ, I have had similar struggles. However, I trust the wisdom of God to do the right thing. Just having faith that he is never wrong is enough to keep my worries about this issue subdued.

 

Well true. It's not like it affects me. Maybe I should say struggle, just something that I wonder about.

 

I think it poses an intersting question.

It a question that I have always struggled with AL. I'm glad you believe that God would take care of those who never had the opportunity to hear the Gospel, because I believe he should as well. Not fair for them to have to go to hell if they never even had the opportunity to learn about Jesus Christ.

 

However, another question and one I struggle with. Let's say I'm born into a predominant Muslim or Buddhist country. I grow up learning everything about that religion and truly live by it. Then one day when I'm 45 years old with a family of my own whom I'm teaching my religion too, and Christian missionaries come to me and try to convert me and my family. I refuse because I believe in what I've been brought up to believe for the last 45 years of my life. By definition of what we believe as Christians, in that scenario, I would be going to hell at my death. I kind of have a problem with that.

 

No way would you turn from Christianity to Muslim/Buddhist now after being raised with Christian beliefs all of your life. It's kind of hard for me to expect them to have too. It's something I struggle with. Many people in every faith believe in what they do because their parents do, the majority of the country does, and they were raised that way (of coarse there are plenty of exceptions, but you get my point).

Yes I do, and its a very good one and well thought out. But we cannot pick and choose Bible verses, and I have to go by the Christian Bible. Its thru faith I do this. Jesus was seen by people who wrote about him in other books. Eye witness's have seen him after he was resurrected.

 

This is huge by me because no other religion can claim a risen Savior. And when I look at the Bible and see things writtten 500 years in advanced and these things happen later, well that carrys a lot of weight.

 

This tells me the Bible is the true written word for Christians. And this goes back to Jesus and what he says about coming to God thru faith and believeing in him. Thats why John 3:16 is the most famous verse ever. Thanks again for your post.