I needed someTHING also. The thing I needed *was* to be needed. I also needed to be reassured that there IS something bigger than this. I found that love *is* bigger than this. AS for being mortal and fallible. There are others in my life that need me. Others that will live long past my existence, and being fallible is why they need me. For that matter, being fallible is why I need them. I am content with my life. I am content with my answers to life. I can see that you too have found many of the answers you want to reach that contentment. I am happy for you.

I dunno if I am just wierd or something, but doesnt that seem like and endless loop of fallibility, or did I read it wrong? Basically, it is like saying I believe in the Bible because it tells me I should.

I dunno if I am just wierd or something, but doesnt that seem like and endless loop of fallibility, or did I read it wrong? Basically, it is like saying I believe in the Bible because it tells me I should.

It *is* his choice, though. Even if we don't agree it's his choice.

I'm kinda glad it stopped where it did. That's all the world needs is more religion...

Actually, there were over twenty commandments.

Think of it this way: Christianity is like looking through a keyhole into a room. You can see some stuff, but you don't get the whole picture. Add these other texts to what is contained in the Bible, and it's like opening the door to the room slightly. You see more of what's beyond.......

Like evolution and the Dharma?

I dunno if I am just wierd or something, but doesnt that seem like and endless loop of fallibility, or did I read it wrong?

What I'm saying is I believe in love because I feel love and it is more than enough to answer the question of why I am here. Fallibility, both mine and that of those that surround me, is just one of the many, many things that contribute to why I feel that love. For me, and I am *only* speaking for me, this answer is *the* answer.

It is very difficult to discuss these things, using words that have absolutely no meaning *to me*. God, bible, heck even theist and atheist have no real meaning. They are just sounds, collections of symbols, that indicate nothing in my existence. I simply believe that there is nothing special beyond this existence. It was not there. It is not there. It will not ever be there.

And you know what? I'm very content and happy with that knowledge.

Peace everyone. I'm excited that all of you have found your own answers and that those answers make you happy and content. Isn't that what the quest is all about?


So, to get back to the original questions. And I will answer them only from withing my frame of reference, since that is all I have:

"What if the Bible isn't the end of the story?"

The Bible isn't the story at all.

"What if there's more to the nature of the divine and man's relationship with such?"

I cannot speak to such things since, in my existence, they don't exist.

"What if the Council of Nicea only got it partially right - what if there are other teachings that are just as valid that expand upon the teachings of the Bible?"
What if? How would that affect your faith? Your beliefs? Your perceptions of what is real and what isn't?

I suppose, from a purely scholarly perspective, it would be an interesting investigation.

"What if?

Would it change things for you?"

Not at all.



Peace and love.

Too many people say they believe in God, and they believe in Jesus Christ, but they never get past the Holy Bible in their belief of either.

Is the Holy Bible God? Or Christ? Or is it the message in the Holy Bible that we are supposed to take from it?

God doesn't lock himself in the pages between Genesis and Revelation. Jesus never said that "when you look at the Bible, you are looking at me".

The Holy Bible is important because it teaches us about God, Jesus, and tells us that our problems aren't new. People have faced temptation, sin, war, famine, uncertainty, weakness, as well as strength, love and bounty since the beginning.

Reading the Bible can teach us a lot about God... but if we only look to the pages to find Him... we'll probably miss Him altogether.

I wish someone would tell that to the evangelical christians and marguerite perrin.....

They would not listen.

Again, that is your choice to believe that

Yes, it is.  Just as it's your choice to come here after the little disagreement we had this weekend.  Which, by the way, I find to be in incredibly poor taste.  I don't want to be a bitch about it and I'm not trying to be a bitch about it, but.....I was under the impression that you didn't want anything to do with me.  So, I guess I don't really understand why you're here.

I have no problem believing that The Bible, while a wonderful work of inspired writers, is incomplete, incorrectly translated in many places, and simply one tool which God has given us to get to know Him just a little bit. But the end? Only a beginning

EXACTLY!  There are many, many more writings and ways to find god.  The bible is just a very small part.

 

Like evolution and the Dharma?

Yes...and a lot of other stuff too.

Yes, there were a lot more than what Moses eventually came down with, but he destroyed them in anger after witnessing the idolatry that was occurring in his abscence. God then real;ized the people were too stupid to handle anything more than a simple "do/dont" list--so he simplified things. We (meaning mankind) STILL screw it up...so even the 10 proved too much for us.

Yeah, if we can't handle those 10 what hope would we have with more?

Peace and love.

Right back at ya, honey.

 

God doesn't lock himself in the pages between Genesis and Revelation. Jesus never said that "when you look at the Bible, you are looking at me".

YES!!!!!  TELL IT, TED!!!!!

Thank you all for your comments. I'll be back when I have a better attitude - it's a bad pain day today.

Yes, it is. Just as it's your choice to come here after the little disagreement we had this weekend. Which, by the way, I find to be in incredibly poor taste. I don't want to be a bitch about it and I'm not trying to be a bitch about it, but.....I was under the impression that you didn't want anything to do with me. So, I guess I don't really understand why you're here.

Kay. I'm vamoosed.

EXACTLY (again)! There's all this worshiping and prostrating oneself and worrying and fretting.....there's no need for it. Really.

Sorry for the double post, sometimes Firefox gets a little buggy with me.

I have to disagree with you dharma, even though it is a little hair splitting. I think worship and prostration before God is necessary, my point was that I disagree with people who do not understand why or for what purpose they do so, but follow blindly in pursuit of nothing. Just my opinion. Great topic though.

Singrdave and Blue Dev said it better than I could.

What if there's more to the nature of the divine and man's relationship with such? What if? How would that affect your faith? Your beliefs? Your perceptions of what is real and what isn't?

Here's looking at it from the other angle (and how I realized the truth as I see it)
What if this is all there is? What if a-there is no God or purpose to life? or B-what if God just dumped a bunch of stuff on us hundreds of years ago with no real connection anymore and no real future after this life other than playing a harp on a cloud?

I realized then that there HAS to be a God and that there is more to our existence than is laid out in the Bible. The nature of our relationship with the Divine isn't limited by what's listed in the Bible (or even other scripture) Realizing that did affect my faith....it gave me the reason to have it.

realized then that there HAS to be a God and that there is more to our existence than is laid out in the Bible. The nature of our relationship with the Divine isn't limited by what's listed in the Bible (or even other scripture) Realizing that did affect my faith....it gave me the reason to have it.

That's almost exactly the reason I came to the same decision.

Think of it this way: Christianity is like looking through a keyhole into a room. You can see some stuff, but you don't get the whole picture. Add these other texts to what is contained in the Bible, and it's like opening the door to the room slightly. You see more of what's beyond.......

I think that's great. Different insights from our world religions can open the door a little bit more, and when we get to see how our religious revelations fit together - like jigsaw pieces - we can get a better view of our place in the bigger picture. The Bible doesn't discolse the full picture, and I believe that's deliberate, because it urges humanity (Christians in particular) to explore, expand and grow. It's not in God's interest to spoon feed us.

Different insights from our world religions can open the door a little bit more, and when we get to see how our religious revelations fit together - like jigsaw pieces - we can get a better view of our place in the bigger picture. The Bible doesn't discolse the full picture, and I believe that's deliberate, because it urges humanity (Christians in particular) to explore, expand and grow. It's not in God's interest to spoon feed us.

YES!!! God WANTS us to explore and grow and come to know ourselves....because in coming to know ourselves, we will know him.

As you know, I am a Mormon. Card carrying member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the one based in Salt Lake City, all that Utah Jazz.

They give CARDS now? Where the hell was I when THIS started?

(sorry, dave...in a sacastic mood today).

I wish someone would tell that to the evangelical christians and marguerite perrin..... They would not listen.

Hey I resemble that!!!

I consider myself an evangelical....surprise, surprise. But I know that I cannot change or convert anyone. it's not up to me. Only God can do that. I just toss out the seed. It's up to God to prepare the heart and water the seed. Not me.

As far as those "other gospels" there are many reasons they did not make the cut. There was criteria involved in this. One of which Christ did not quote from them or mention them. If you read the four gospels we have now you will see he quotes from most of the OT books. That gave credence to what we have in our hands today. Besides the Jews took very good care of the OT scriptures protecting and preserving thru the centuries.

Also the Gospel of Thomas I believe preaches that a woman cannot enter heaven. She has to become a man. So this contradicts what Jesus taught and has no reason to be put with "inspired" scriptures.

If you put all those above mentioned books together with what we have today....you would have one big mess of contradictions. It would be a watered down gospel.

If God is God to begin with don't ya think he would make sure the right books got put together as one to give us the answers?

There is much confusion out there for the many cults and groups. After studying the scriptures for more than 30 years and the last ten extensively I would highly recommend digging into this book. It's the only book that the author is with you while you are reading it. And all the answers are in there.....but the question is do you really want to know?