I cant decide

personaly i want to go to my dogs church, but you follow what ever path you need

 

Make an informed decision, and a decision that feels right for you. And remember, just because you chose a paticular belief system doesn't mean that's the end of your knoweldge and experience. You have your entire lifetime to explore the spiritual beliefs of the people across the globe. I personally believe you are doing yourself an injustice if you ever think you are done learning.

 

What's j.W.?

And John 14:6 need not be interpreted the way you do.

 

Jehova's Witness.

How do you interpret it?!

 

I don't follow the bible, so it doesn't matter how I interpret it, but "No one comes to the Father except through Me" could mean any number of things, i.e. when you die, and Peter says you're ok, jesus takes you to meet the big cheese. I doubt jesus cares about these silly "come into my heart" and "I devote my life to you" vows. Especially when the people that make them go out and start wars and stuff.

 

Why not study both?

Christianity is not anti-Buddhist. Buddhism is not anti-Christian. They are perfectly compatible with one another. You don't have to make an exclusive choice between Christianity and Buddhism, just as you don't have to choose between "adult" and "educated," between "conscience" and "consciousness," between "love" and "truth."

 

Those people who have done the crusades weren't saved.

Your interpretation wouldn't fit the rest of the Bible...

 

Actually, Jesus was speaking in the terms of being the creation of God. God reveals God through everything around us, Jesus spoke of himself as part of everything around him (wine is blood, bread is body). God introduces God's self through the people and things around you. So I could truthfully say, if I was all of created reality around you "No one comes to the Father except through me". Of course, I am but a little part of created reality, and have but my humble little obsequious part to play within created reality (or God's son, as the weanie likes to call itself).

 

Kharakov, you're sounding like Pantheist again! ^^;

 

God uses us, the universe, it's laws, etc. to mold us, as well as directly influencing us (you know, the holy ghost).
God is more than the laws God molds us with.

pantheism: a doctrine that equates God with the forces and laws of the universe

 

Amen.

 

Actually, this doesn't sound very Pantheist to me. It sounds very much like Lutheran theology. ..in a good way.

 

--------Couldn't Have Said It Better If I Tried...Right On, Varuna : )

 

Thanks!

 

Ah, OK.

Now I know what you meant. Yes, you did sound like a pantheist saying: "All and everything is God".

But now I cotcha! Thanks!

 

to see how this worked out see the thread My Finds(Read)

 

lol... maybe next time...

Is totally different than saying "All and everything is God", which implies that the tools God uses to mold creation (us, physical laws) are part of God.

If I say 'I used a computer to post this message on the forums' does this imply that the computer and the forums are part of me or does it imply that I used tools to send you a message?

Say I designed the things (humans) that designed the computers so that I could send you a message through humans through a computer through the internet to your computer which processes the information and displays it in a manner that you can recieve the message.... Does this mean that the humans, the computers, the internet, etc. are part of me, or does it just mean that I used them as tools to get a message to you?

I am not a pantheist. The truth is, God uses creations to interact with God's creations (as well as direct interaction with God's creation).

 

One would think that Buddhism is more of a philosophy than religion. Is this not true? You could practice both or encorporate both into your life as you please. I highly recommend that you study theology until your head pops so that you get an understanding of everything and aren't subjegated to one label. Surely you see the difference between "trying to fit in with the 'norm'" and "finding your own path."

 

Right on man! I get so excited reading your posts. Hey, it's the small stuff in life.