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It seems to me that it's the various cultures that seem to produce different ideas of God. Kind of like a prism, which breaks light up into a spectrum of colors--but there's only one light.

Yes, we ultimately believe in the same God. And ultimately, all religions are one. Those who stress differences, do a disservice to religion in general. It's not a question of YOUR religion or MY religion. These are usually aspects of the particuar culture in which we happent to be born...

I have never taken LSD, and would be scared to death to do so. My son took it once and had a psychotic episode. I feel that if I took some, I would do the same. For me, a chemical has little or nothing to do with spirituality, which is not about instant gratification.

Devil's Advocate: "I wouldn't contend with you on this issue. Paul is clearly at odds with something in Jerusalem that sounds from Paul's letter like a precursor to the Nazarenes or Ebionites, but which is clearly claiming some sort of "faith" in the revelation of the Christ before it came to...

Jesus could be seen as a radical, in that he was someone who wanted to go to the root of religion, man's relationship to God. BTW, mystics seldom, if ever, preach the superiority of their system of dogma, let alone talk about making war on other systems.

One thing I've noted about many Fundamentalist Christains is that they tend to apply the term "Christian" only to themselves, and not, for example, to Catholics.

Great thread. The message seems to be that the ego has to be fought--or maybe bypassed--every step of the way. Wisdom is not a high and mighty thing, but lies low, and its message is not heard by the world.

Yes, there are things I would die for. But formal religious doctrines are not among them.

Yes, it's narrrow and hard--for each of us.

Kenod, "The love that Jesus practised encompassed forgiveness and patience, but it did not include the "many paths to the Truth" rhetoric we often hear today." ________________ But how could it be otherwise? There are almost as many varieties of views as there are people. So let's say that...

So is this a point in the RC's favor? That is, there was a church and tradition before there were written gospels?

Back in the 17th & 18th centuries, our biggest exports were beaver hides (from the North), and tobacco (from the South, before cotton became "king")

Yes, Paul constantly refers to the gospel, yet there were as yet no written gospels (that we know of).

I've cut way down. 6 or 7 cigs a day.

All true, I believe. I also think that the spiritual realm has a reality that is "harder" (in every sense) than the physical. We know that physical laws are just there, and we have to conform to them (gravity, etc) May it not be so in the realm of Spirit as well? We spend so much energy...

"This is why I don't condemn baby Christians who still smoke, for instance, for I was there once. i know how hard it is to quit. It took time, prayer, and patience before God gave me the strength to quit altogether. I fell short at times, but I'm glad I didn't give up the effort."...

Q, Does that make me one of these "predisposed"? Or simply a man who trys to do what is right, and stumbles alot, but can look to God and state, "doin' m' best sir"...any advice is good advice..."? Personally, I think no. Life doesn't work that way for most people. Special people, yes I...

The phrase is from the Jesuit priest Teilhard de Chardin. Willy-nilly, we live in the Divine Milieu. Spirit is the power behind everything we see. "The Earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof." In an article in NOTRE DAME MAGAZINE, Lawrence Cunnihgham writes of "the opening of the self to...

In the 17th century, the Thirty Years War between Catholics and Protestants wiped out half to 2/3 the population of central Europe. Partly as a result of this carnage, Europe experienced the Enlightenment (also owing to the Scientific Revolution). As a result, toleration became a primary...

Re: rules Well said. I think the problem is that some people or groups get a little piece of the truth and believe they have it all. Then the viciousness inherent in much of our human nature takes over, and some say "An idea in my head is worth more than your life." Thus, religion is not...