Gotta go with both science and faith. It is only through faith -- a belief in a higher power, God to me -- that we have come to our level of human development that enables us to understand and use science.

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Things fall apart, the center cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;

--Lines 2-6, "The Second Coming" by Wm. Butler Yeats

I think that you are right on target Blackbird, I have gone to churches for months at a time. In fact the largest one in my state "Willow Creek", the churches I went to just kept going past the point of the bible. They would say that they do not look down on other religions and then, pick on them for disagreeing with them.

My belief is the bible is a guide to life, follow the guide and you will find that the end of your path is rewarding.

By the way, I have met that Lee Strobel guy you were talking about, nice guy. I talked to him after one of his speeches.

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Well, here's the thing you haev to understand about Christianity. If you are a true, whole-hearted follower of Christ, you can't believe that any other religions are right. Jesus said he is the only way to Heaven. So someone who is a Christian but still believes that others can get to Heaven by whatever religion they choose is going against the teachings of Jesus. But that doesn't license Christians to look down on or condemn anyone. Jesus is the judge, and we are supposed to love everyone equally, no matter what.

Well I think, that there are good feasible parts of the other religions, for exaample the Muslim religion, though Paradise and Jihad's are definetly not one of them.

Buddhists are believers in commitment to being a good person, though I do not agree with theire ultimate goal: becoming a drop of water in the ocean of life.

I understand christianity. For a number of years I considerd myself a christian. Do not mistake me for atheist, I just believe that God gives us much more responisibilty for are actions then some would tell you. We form who we are, God gives us nudges in the right directions on occasion.

By the way Blackbird, have you ever met Lee Strobel? He used to be a pastor at the church I formerly went to. Now he writes some the books that you were talking about.

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LOL, after I posted that last message I heard a knock on the door. It was a Church of Christ group that wanted to save me. They Failed!

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Oh I believe in some of the basic concepts of other religions, but mostly just because they are also in line with Christianity. I think most religions carry similar themes: love, faith, servanthood, etc. And I also believe that we make ourselves into the people are. We're certainly not puppets, and we're very responsible for our actions. That's what the Old Testament is all about. When Jesus came, He didn't take away our responsibility, He just took the punishment. Everyone who believes in Jesus and accepts His forgiveness gets into Heaven, but once in Heaven the rewards will be different, each according to what he has earned. I mentioned this book before, 'A Life God Rewards' by Bruce Wilkinson... It explains it a little better, and it's a really quick and easy read... you should read it sometime.
I have met a few Christian authors, but not Strobel. John Maxwell, who has had several NYTimes best-selling leadership books, is a pastor at my church here in Florida.

Finally got around to reading your full post Blackbird. I'm glad you have your beliefs. When I was a christian, I was known as a bible thumper. Our whole church was one of those one's that preach about fire and brimstone. We were an independant-fundamental bible believing baptist church. We followed the bible to the T. God could heal you, but nothing was known as a direct miracle as you were talking about. We never had healing services because it was known in the new testament that all the gifts of god were taken around Jesus' death. (There was only one case in the bible after Jesus died of a man speaking in tongues, but no one could interpret what he had said) There was no more faith-healers, I also think Jesus is rolling around on the floor right now in heaven (Given he does exhist) laughing at all the faith healers on television. What does a god want out of a good christian? He wants someone who will follow his word and try to preach his word to everyone we meet. I forgot who it was, Peter or Paul who was said to have preached to everyone he even passed on the street, and for that he is not accountable for anyone's soul that was cast into hell, but rewarded for every soul he led to heaven.

Also, we didn't believe in tolerating other religions. Hate the sin, not the sinner. So our church constantly had classes on the different kind of religions and how stupid they were. I don't believe they are stupid now, but then they had me deathly afraid of what these other religions were about. Every religion that was not our own was going to get this world burned.

In ten years.... Where will I be? I think you are to insinuate that I might go back to my religion because of my earlier roots in the church. Which is false, I've seen too much of life to believe in the God of the bible. There's still a God out there, but not one that taxes our souls for the worshipping of his word and image. I'm sure God wants us to be better people, but that's the reason for the way we live. God could have created us to be modelled after mindless robots, but he didn't. He gave us a soul so that we could pursue our own lives, our own hearts. If I want to be and enforcer for the mob, so be it. Want to join the air force? So be it. Want to drain my life away to booze, so be it. Want to join a religion that puts their hearts and souls behind him for a robot march, so be it.

Kyle

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I cannot beleive Humans are the BEST creation can come up with...I don't beleve in orginized religion,where anyone tells me that only THEY can interpet what GOD means,and only they can talk to God,and if I do not belive the way they do,they have every right to kill me..Kinda sad when ALL releigons are based on a version of "Do onto others" ..My idea is "your rights end where my nose begins"

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Two steps ahead of the guys with the butterfly nets!!

I think I'm both science and faith, because i don't believe in god or anything, but in nature and facts. I love Biology, chemistry and physics, because everything about it is proven and true.
But otherwise, I believe the ghosts of dead people stay with their families. (I know that's weird, but still.)

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- Does anyone know how to use a gun?
- I think you just pull the trigger.

- Hey kid, what's eating you?
- Nothing, he's at the top of the food chain!
(The Lion King^^)