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Secular credentials belong in secular study, C. I wouldn't claim that my English degree makes me an expert in Physics, so if FaithfulServant is dismissing the credentials of a theologian (which is, essentially, as secular a field of study as any else), then she's got the Bible's backing. Now...

Very cool. What part do you think the Lake of Fire plays in this, as depicted in the Revelation? I assume that this is the basis of The Inferno and other hell-related fiction. Do you see the Lake of Fire as something figurative, or is it real but not related to the doctrine of Hell, or something...

What is Christ? As if Jesus is a thing to be analyzed? And as if the created are in a position to analyze the one who was with God in the beginning? This is not as complicated as some would like to believe, and the only reason why people have been debating this issue for centuries is out of...

Nope. There is a bit of a correlation there, but I don't think it's a cause-effect relationship. What I was indicating is that civilizations are built out of human beings, and when those human beings cease to believe in anything significant, said civilization shall rot from the inside out...

Welcome, everyone, to this week's edition of our favourite game show, Guess The Point. This week's contestant is Soleil10. Tell us, Soleil, because we're all very much intrigued: What is the point of posting 14 verses that indicate that Jesus Christ and God are not identical beings? Particularly...

*sigh* The Christian downturn..... tell me, were there many empty Anglican churches during the Victorian Era, wil? When England was at the height of its power, I mean? What about during the Renaissance? When England raised itself above France and the other Imperial powers at the time, what...

I certainly agree that God does and will heal people, and that the healing may come through the laying of hands, and that some people may have the gift of healing. However, I doubt that they are attracted to the spotlight. Jesus was the first, and if there are others then surely they follow his...

Paul's letters were meant to instruct the new churches on how they were to conduct themselves. Judging from what he says here (and I agree soooooo much with Luna, and would hazard that anyone who says they actually understand this passage is fibbing), it appears that it was considered impolite...

You know what I see quoted quite a bit? "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he will direct your path." (Proverbs 3:5-6). It's actually kind of weird, but I picked that verse out when I was studying Proverbs about...

I agree, because I'm coming at it from the same angle as you are, Luna. When I think of person, I think of a living, breathing, thinking entity. When I think of field, I think of a passive space that is not alive, and does not think or act, but just exists. To the Buddhist, a field is much...

I should have known. And when it says that they nailed Jesus to the cross, I'm sure they interpret it as being impale him on the stake, yeah? But that causes a bit of a problem, doesn't it? I mean, how would one survive for six hours if one's body had been impaled on a stake? And Jesus died...

Hmmm.... not sure where you're coming from on this one, C. When I said... .... I thought you'd understand that I'm taking care not to exclude other peoples' beliefs simply because I don't share them. I'd like to take exception to the way that you seem to be implying that because I'm not going...

This is a little off-topic, but one thing I've considered is that the way we interpret the ten commandments may not be the way God intended them. That is to say, God did intend us to misinterpret them. Anyone confused yet? If I as a parent was to say to my child, "You will do your homework...

Actually, I'd quite like to hear Mee's take on your post, G. Mee, does your translation say that "the message of the stake is foolishness to those who are perishing..." by any chance?

That's exactly what I mean, C: To you, a formless field of liberation comprised of perfect wisdom and love sounds like God; to me, it sounds like the absense of God (albeit an extremely attractive absense of God). To me, God is a being; assuming that I'm reading you correctly, to the Buddhist...

How does one come to the conclusion that an entire religion is bogus, Bandit? The entire thing? Every single aspect of the religion, from as complex as the theology to as inane as the arrangement of the place of worship-- completely bogus? :) I love how religion becomes an all-or-nothing...

I wish that was true.

But if the cultural systems must be fully understood before the religion can be understood, what measure of study can possibly be enough, other than to be a product of that culture? I don't know. It seems pretty clear to me that Buddha did not believe in God, but then a case can be made that...

These references are from Revelation 2 and 3 respectively: This synagogue of Satan is one of only few references that appear in more than one of the seven letters. Who does it refer to?

They don't refer to denominations per se. Remember that at the time that this prophecy was delivered to John, the word "church" would have still refered to "congregation" rather than a denominational, institutional church like we know them today. So the prophecy includes messages to seven...