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VetLegion
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You believe that putting a hand in fire will burn the hand. You believe that falling from a great hight will kill you.
You refuse to put hands in fire and you avoid edges of deep holes.
-> Your behaviour is consistent with what you say you believe.
These and other beliefs are so strong in fact, that one will never in his life voluntarily jump from a building, although it would save considerable time and possibly provide entertainment too.
On the other hand, breaking religious rules is supposed to also hurt you very badly, in fact, if you sin you are supposed to endure unimaginable pain and suffering forever.
Here is a list of seven deadly sins in Catholicism, I bet other religions have similar lists:
quote:
Pride is excessive belief in one's own abilities, that interferes with the individual's recognition of the grace of God. It has been called the sin from which all others arise. Pride is also known as Vanity.
Envy is the desire for others' traits, status, abilities, or situation.
Gluttony is an inordinate desire to consume more than that which one requires.
Lust is an inordinate craving for the pleasures of the body.
Anger is manifested in the individual who spurns love and opts instead for fury. It is also known as Wrath.
Greed is the desire for material wealth or gain, ignoring the realm of the spiritual. It is also called Avarice or Covetousness.
Sloth is the avoidance of physical or spiritual work. |
Now, this stuff is so commonplace - take for example laziness or consumerism - that even people who claim they honestly believe in God do them.
The only logical explanation is - we don't really believe in what we say they do.
Nobody really believes that buying something he doesn't really need (>50% of the stuff we buy) will bring him unimaginable pain and suffering, (forever to boot). Otherwise we wouldn't buy it, just like we wouldn't buy an activated handgranade.
I myself am a Catholic. But I must say that in my life I haven't met a person whose behavior is consistent with his professed religion, except perhaps priests. Importantly, note that I am not talking about full compliance with religious code, I am talking about sincerity of professed belief. As I have explained, it can be easily observed that people don't really believe in religious teaching. At all.
For example, not a single person will post in this thread and say they sincerely believe - because consuming internet forums is hardly a necessity - and doing so would burn your hand.
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Dr Strangelove
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Some of us believe in God's mercy, and I might point out that the "seven deadly sins" is a concoction dreamt up by someone other than Christ and therefore not necessarily "official".
Furthermore one does not "consume" internet forums.
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child of Thor
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I believe in my gods. Have done since about 7years old when i first started to get the vibe from ancient places i visited. So yes.
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Dr Strangelove
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quote:
Originally posted by Theben
I noticed that the more religious someone is, the more of a w@nker they usually are/were. I assume the extra religiousness is an attempt to make up for it. |
Are you talking to me?
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Capt Dizle
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Yes, I believe in God. I see so much wonder in the world and all balanced on the finest blade to think it all came about by chance.
Religion is a different animal, much of that is the product of men seeking dominion over others by false teachings, abusing our natural instinct to search for God.
One of the bulwarks of faith for me is observing the mockery of God and personal attacks on those who claim religious beliefs that are so prevalant. Such protest betrays, I think, that many who claim otherwise have belief in God, denied, and perhaps confirmed by the denial. But faith is in short supply.
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Capt Dizle
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quote:
Originally posted by Agathon
Belief in God is no more reasonable than belief in fairies. |
Gray is a more beautiful color than blue.
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Ben Kenobi
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McGregornobi!
Oct 2002
time: 21:19
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quote:
These and other beliefs are so strong in fact, that one will never in his life voluntarily jump from a building, although it would save considerable time and possibly provide entertainment too.
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Not so, there are people who do voluntarily jump from a building, as we saw in the attack on the World Trade Centre. Rather than staying up on the top of the building and dying, they chose to jump.
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On the other hand, breaking religious rules is supposed to also hurt you very badly, in fact, if you sin you are supposed to endure unimaginable pain and suffering forever.
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If one does not repent from sin, then this is so, and only after our death in Hell. During life, we will suffer from sin, but never to the point where we cannot continue to sin should we want to do so.
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Now, this stuff is so commonplace - take for example laziness or consumerism - that even people who claim they honestly believe in God do them.
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Yes, this is why Apostle Paul says in Romans, that all have sinned and fallen short of the law. Everyone. The standard of Christ is impossible for even righteous believers to meet, because it is God's standard and not men's standard.
Therefore, it is impossible for our actions to give credit to God, since we all fall short of the standard set by God. It is only through the grace of God, can we be saved.
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I myself am a Catholic. But I must say that in my life I haven't met a person whose behavior is consistent with his professed religion, except perhaps priests.
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Then you need to look at these priests more carefully. Everyone sins.
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Importantly, note that I am not talking about full compliance with religious code, I am talking about sincerity of professed belief. As I have explained, it can be easily observed that people don't really believe in religious teaching. At all.
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People are weak. One can sincerely hold a belief, and profess a faith, and still sin. Those who are sincere understand this, and repent of their sins.
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For example, not a single person will post in this thread and say they sincerely believe - because consuming internet forums is hardly a necessity - and doing so would burn your hand.
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I believe, and I accept your challenge. It would be sinful for me to deny Christ, even as I acknowledge my own sins in answering your questions.
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Boris Godunov
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Portland, OR
Aug 2001
time: 00:19
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quote:
Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
Creation implies that there was a time before God existed. |
It does? Whoa, never heard that before...
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If God existed before there was such a thing as time, then God cannot have been created. |
This delves into "what is time." If the universe existed pre-time, than it cannot have been created either.
The notion that the universe had to have a "creator" because of the "first cause" argument is very flawed, because it assumes that A) there indeed existed a point where nothing existed in the universe (which we don't know), and B) that such a "first cause" is required to be a supernatural deity.
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It is also for this reason, that Christ, is co-eternal with God the Father, even though he is begotten by the father before all worlds. |
Blah blah, that wasn't remotely a part of the issue. Could you refrain from irrelevant preaching for just a little bit?
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Ben Kenobi
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McGregornobi!
Oct 2002
time: 21:19
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quote:
This delves into "what is time." If the universe existed pre-time, than it cannot have been created either.
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Very true. Yet science tells us that the universe is not eternal, and must have been created.
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The notion that the universe had to have a "creator" because of the "first cause" argument is very flawed, because it assumes that A) there indeed existed a point where nothing existed in the universe (which we don't know),
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A is true, by what we do know about science. One of the fundamental principles of Cosmology is that the universe is both finite and created. What science does not know is how the universe came to be created.
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and B) that such a "first cause" is required to be a supernatural deity.
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Granted, but to say that if God created the universe than something must have created God, is not necessarily so. What Christians believe in God is logical and consistent.
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Blah blah, that wasn't remotely a part of the issue. Could you refrain from irrelevant preaching for just a little bit?
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There are two questions here. What is time, and what is God. This deals with the second one, what Christians believe about God.
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02-07-2005 16:53
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