How else do you find fulfillment in yourself but by accepting both love and forgiveness? And how can you keep inside of love and forgiveness if you do not love and forgive your fellow man? Christ is this love, Christ is this forgiveness, no man has ever come to love and forgiveness but through Christ, even if he is ignorant to the name by which he comes.
Fulfillment.. ?
Last I was aware, the most pressing "universal" psychological need was to feel good about oneself. People will go to great lengths to do this. Some people use drugs. Some people have copious amounts of casual sex. Some people eat a lot. But everyone does not. Many people are able to feel good about themselves without resorting to self-destructive habits and without having any knowledge of Christianity.
You can make an argument that people need some aspect of spirituality to be happy. Christianity, however, is not in any way the only option.
You illustrated my point for me anyway. For you, religion serves a psychological need that you have. I do not have the same kind of need that you do. Whatever psychological needs I do have are not in any way helped by subscription to religious doctrine(s). I ain't alone in this either compadre.
Try telling that to the Dalai Llama.. or to Ghandi.
The means through which you discover compassion are unimportant. Call it a "relationship with Christ" if you want to. The actual compassion is what matters. Dogma is irrelevant. Churches are irrelevant. Christianity is a vehicle through which one can reach understanding of compassion, ie "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." As is Buddhism, for instance. As are the teachings of the ethical humanists. Etc.
I don't need to be a "Christian" or a "Buddhist" to understand compassion. I can learn from the teachings of Buddha or Christ. If you can't understand that, then you aren't seeing the forest for the trees.
None of these things that feed the flesh do what we are all esentaly working twards: feeding the spirit...
I'd suppose that if you don't subscribe to the particular doctoring of believing that Christ is the risen son of God, but you find your way to acceptance of forgiveness, acceptance of love and strive toward the forgiveness and love of your fellow man then you are very close to the kingdom and will live a very good life.
But by submitting the pride of that good life to Christ we can die and be reborn in Christ, so we can truly start to live humbly inside of that life of love and forgiveness.
I doubt they would disagree with either of us, the more enlightened folk tend to see past the dogma and into the intentions of each man's heart, which in the end, is by what God will judge each individual.
This is important, but equally important is personal humility that allows a re-forming of the self in the hands of Christ.
This is mostly true, and Buddhists are very close to the path of Christ, but as they focus on the center nonexistence; having Christ in your heart is focus on the light. The fruits of your actions are what show what your true understanding is. Most importantly, no man has ever completely understood compassion but Christ, in his life of perfection he overcame of the evils of the world, and by his love and life I have hope for salvation from the equitable and fair judgment of God.
Such is the basis of Christianity:
In the end i hope everyone trys to be the best person they can, and learning from buhda, or hendu writings, or ofcourse Jesus is a fine way to go about it...
But there is something deeper than the simple interpersonal compassion to be found in Christianity. It's a profound death and rebirth that grows towards the unending good, available to anyone who chooses faith in Christ.
BWhhhhaa oh.. that's good stuff.
LOL, :wine:
I don't know man... I doubt suicide or sex with the Jesus is on the agenda...
but let me check...
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Ok, there is a marriage after we are resurrected, hum.....
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no, ok yea, it's all a matter of meta-physical symbolism instead of the fleshly focus of what most think of as a cult.
This entire thread is an abberation. Our President Bush is in fact a Born Again Christian, and I feel that this thread is derogatory toward Born Again Christians, and hence is an affront to our Commander in Chief. It is imperative that Americans do not unduly criticize our Commander in Chief during times of conflict and mortal danger, as the present is. Normally, I would be fully supportive of a good-spirited discussion of the merits and shortcomings of religious variations. However, the current conflict is a Religious War. An American general, General Boykin I believe his name is, has even confirmed this. Our adversaries are very religious, in their heathen beliefs, and hence, they will likely seize upon this traitorous thread as propaganda and evidence of internal conflict within our Great Nation. This thread provides clear aid and comfort to the enemy, and I may be forced to report it to Attorney General John Ashcroft. Also, if neccessary, to the proper military authorities who may choose to designate posters as enemy combatants.
Zephyr
Zephyr
Wow. They really should ban obvious trolls such as yourself, and then we might have some intelligent discourse in P&N.
This is really not what I intended for this thread. The NEWS was that Stephen Baldwin was promoting a Christian skating Video and professing to be born again. That was the news. I didn't expect all the bashing and derogatory comments.
Then again, I guess I've been around long enough to know better.
Then again, I guess I've been around long enough to know better.
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