BellaOnline Forums Family Christian Living I'd like your opinion

PS. The Bible is the best guide for life that I know of.
There is more evidence that the Bible is a reliable source than there is for any other book from the ancient world. There have been thousands of archaeological finds in the Middle East that support it. Non that contradict it.

It is inspired by God.
It was written by at least 40 authors, over 1600 years, spanning 3 continents, yet one theme runs from Genesis through Revelation.

There have been 2 centuries of scientific prying and it has survived.

It was completed in less than 100 years after Jesus' death (70 yrs I think) and still has a 99.5% accuracy rating to the original manuscipts.

Hi everyone!
It's me...Jenna, The Christianity Host here at Bella...

I have had lots of experience in dealing with the controversy surrounding "Paganism" vs "Christianity." In my humble opinion there is no argument. The Bible states very clearly that there will be scoffers and those who stray from the path of righteousness. It also states that the only way to heaven is through the man Jesus Christ. In the Jewish religion much has been written and studied concerning the coming Messiah. These prophecies have been fullfilled in the person of Jesus of Nazereth.

To me, a Wiccan stating that she used to be a Jew, then studied Christianity and the various denominations there in, then deciding to become a witch is ridiculous. Seems to me that if you've done that much searching, then you've obviously missed alot of the teaching of many of these beliefs. Either you weren't a devout Jew who studied and meditated on the word of the Torah or you simply looked at the fruit of a so called Christian's life and decided that God wasn't worth it. I'm telling you sister, when I need comfort I look to the God that is big enough to take away the pain. When I experience joy and love in my life I thank the God who is big enough to create these emotions and create the people and things that give it to me. When I need redmption and salvation for my very soul I run to the wide open arms of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who was big enough and strong enough to die for me and I thank the Father who is powerful enough to raise my Saviour from the dead so I can stand boldly before Him at the judgement without blemish. I would not want to go into eternity without Jesus. Not if it meant that I would lose my very soul.

What I'm saying is that if someone claims to have studied Christianity and or the life of Jesus Christ and decided against Him, I would have to question the extent of their education on the matter, not to mention the validity of their testimony.

Also, just as a side note, Paganism is ultimatly the worship of demons. The goddess is simply a hag that demands worship and ritual and gives nothing in return to her followers. The study of the old Roman Empire is evidence of this. There stood one of the most powerful empires based on demon worship history has ever seen...so where is it now? It was destroyed during the Crusades and has never been again. Where are the riches and the fullfillment in worshiping these false gods and goddesses? I have yet to see any evidence of anyone finding true joy and everlasting peace through worshipping the goddess....it's because there is none. Everything in this world is temporary. It will all pass away in the end. And the god of this world makes sure that you have nothing when you reach the end of your life.

Does this mean that I think I'm better than anyone who does practice Wiccan? No. It means that I simply want that none shall perish and that everyone comes to know my Saviour. I have a full life and am bold with my beliefs. I may step on your toes a bit but I won't back down...I want to only spread the good news... that there is a way back to God. Through Jesus. Don't be left behind. Respect does not mean Tolerance.

Turn away and move again towards the saving grace of Jesus.

Actually Rome is still around. Yes the empire fell, but that was mainly due to [censored] politics, and bad warleadership (if that's even a word lol!). The religions of the grecians, romans, hindus, buhddists, egyptians, tibetans, etc etc etc are still alive and kicking. There are entire cultures that have a different type of worship than christianity and many many people in those religions who are happy with what they are.

I have a friend who moved away and joined a hari krishna temple. He is extremely happy with his life choice. And I remember talking to some of the buhddist monks, who are in search of enlightenment. In my experience, these monks have an incredible purity to them. There is a strong search for inner peace. I have also met really awful christian priests who have no morals, spirituality, or anything.

On the other hand, I have met some priests who were truely remarkable in their faith.


I once read a great comment.... there is a military man who retired to a small town. He gave thousands of dollars to different charities annonymously, and constantly helped the community (all without anyone knowing that he was doing it). One day a woman was attacked outside his home. He reacted like the soldier he was and killed the man. Later it became known that the man he killed was actually an enemy of his at one time. Will the people talk about the good he did? Or will they only react to the one moment of violence, and call him vengeful?

We are all walking through this world blindly to a certain extent. I say, let each make the decision for themselves. Languages change... what if in the end it turns out that we are all worshipping different sides of the same being (call it god or whatever) and like with the military man, we believe in what we see. I'm sure the recipients of his kindness would think differently of him, than those who only saw the anger.

Just my two cents <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Jessica,
Your two cents mean alot to me!!! However I am not walking through this world blind. I have the truth.
We are all walking through this world blindly to a certain extent. I say, let each make the decision for themselves. Languages change... what if in the end it turns out that we are all worshipping different sides of the same being (call it god or whatever) and like with the military man, we believe in what we see.

If we are worshipping different sides of the same God and one side claims to have His true Word...why would anyone discredit it?

Well I've discovered that religion is a very touchy subject. Everyone wants to believe that their way is the right way. Many religions have been polluted by the opinions of a few in high positions. Every religious leader puts his (or her) own mark on the religion. Over time that makes them into "separate" churches. Look at all the different versions of christianity that are out there. They all believe in christ... yet they consider the others to be deluded. It's a facet of humanity. Every religion can be discredited if you look hard enough. Saying this one or that one is wrong because of one little thing. That is why there are so many different religions, we all have free will so look for the interpretation of God that best suits us. In the end it is all a belief in a higher power (with the exceptions of the religions that practice ancestor worship... but even that has similarities to the other religons)

Not all denominations of the Christian church consider the others deluded. Many different Christ centered churches feel that we are all on the same team.
Different forms of worship don't change the base belief that Jesus Christ died for our sin and was resurrected and by doing so, gave believers His righteousness leading to eternal life with God.

True Lynne, I am trying to speak in generalities.. but I keep phrasing my thoughts in absolutes lol! Well, I am speaking in the broadest sense of the words, of course there are exceptions to everything. But really it gives you something to think about... what if all of the religions were right, to a point? What if in the end, everyone's interpretation of God ended up being correct in some form?

In the end, I think it is important to be true to your beliefs. If you choose to live the life of a catholic priest for example) then don't practice immoral things. If you firmly believe in the mormon church, then you should live every day by your beliefs, and always practice what you preach. If you are wiccan, then you should believe in the law of three... and not go running aorund "cursing" (as one lady put it) all of the people who irritate you. etc etc etc.

Although, I don't believe that all beliefs lead to God, I do believe that all (or most) are right to a point.
This is because the law concerning right and wrong is one law. It has been here from the beginning and everyone has the ability to know that law and the Source of it until their hearts and minds are hardened to the point where they can't see it anymore.(They never feel conscience or guilt anymore)
I think there is a point where God will not speak to them anymore.

Hi, I liked what NewAgeBella said,"&#8216;El Shaddai&#8217; is feminine in gender and means "the many-breasted One" and = Mother. Jahweh (or Jehovah) is masculine in gender and = Father. Unlike English, Hebrew words are either feminine or masculine in gender. "

I think it's neat that we all are on different paths and I believe that ultimately they will lead to the same souce.

So many people are shying away from traditional religion and finding their own spiritual path. It may be a combination of ideas from different religions or their own brand that fit's their need.

In my case, I study Christian Science. I know there are some religions that feel they have an exclusive on the truth. But, I've been appreciating in my study of the Bible and "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (the book that explains Christian Science), that we are all the children of God. That we all have one Father-Mother God. Eddy writes, "Father-Mother is the name for Deity, which indicates His tender relationship to His spiritual creation."

I connect deeply with thinking about God as Love. Loving us all.

Hi Valdeem,
You are so right. God is love and so much more. And God does love us all. God created people and loves people.
That sounds good and is what I used to believe. However, it sounds like shopping for clothes. Does it fit? Is it confortable? If it doesn't fit next year, shall I throw it away?
God is so much BIGGER than that and deserves so much more.