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I was having a talk recently with my Christian father-in-law (Southern Baptist). He says Mormons aren't Christians, that Mormonism is a cult and that Mormons don't go to heaven like Christians do. How universal is the belief amongst Christians that Mormons don't go to heaven? Why or why not...

Have you guys watched Samsara yet? I watched Baraka last year on DVD per some advice on this forum... I actually prefer Baraka, but the visuals don't compare to Samsara on the big screen!

If life on Mars were (hypothetically) to be discovered, would that impact your view of the Genesis creation story? In precisely what verse of Genesis chapter 1 do you think God would have created life on Mars?

I'm exploring some Buddhist beliefs, which at times seem a little nihilistic to me. For example, why would a person that truly believed in the Buddhist teaching of the Four Noble Truths ever bring children into this world? Wouldn't that be knowingly inflicting suffering on another sentient...

Thanks to an earlier link from SG, I've been contemplating the Tao Te Ching. I'm curious to discuss an idea from chapter 20: "I am like an idiot, my mind is so empty" I have read similar concepts in other Eastern writings. Krishnamurti taught of the importance of an empty mind, without the...

A counter-argument to the morality argument for a God (from a Christian standpoint) in "I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist": Not only is a biblical standard for morality predicated on “absolute truth”, but even once we get past the absolute truth prerequisite, counterpoints for moral...

Is gravity an absolute truth? In the book/video "I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist", gravity is used as an example to "prove" the existence of abolute truths; which then sets up his "proof" of other concepts. i.e. whether or not you "believe" in gravity (subjective truth), if you...

Wanted to extract this conversation from the Human Nature thread to focus on the idea of God's will vs. my will vs. free will: Here's an example of free will that I like to ponder: Person #1: a homeless girl, born in the slums of Mexico City, who begs on the street instead of going to...

I believe this is true if you tell that person that you are praying for them. Actually, I think if you tell them you are praying for them it doesn't really matter if you pray out loud, pray silently, or don't pray at all. They think you are praying for them, and their power of positive...

Hi y'all, my sister and another Southern Baptist were recently discussing interpretations of Jesus' sheep parable; specifically John 10:16 - "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd."...

I'm back from another watchless backpacking trip and, with some recent posts dealing with Flow and living in the present moment, I wanted to share an old essay I wrote. Anyone else a fan of time without a watch? Time Without a Watch Iowa Guy "Not to keep hours for a lifetime is ... to live...

From another thread, moving upon request of the OP:

The recent threads discussing the Book of Thomas and Revelations has me thinking about "revealed" texts and "holy" scripture. How does one in the Abrahamic faiths distinguish from the many texts? Holy Bible, Book of Thomas, miscellaneous apocrypha, Book of Mormon, Quran, Bahai scriptures, etc...

I've been pondering the inherent nature of humans. Rasied as a Christian, I was taught that humans have an inherently evil/sinful nature (selfish, wicked, greedy, deceitful, etc) and need divine intervention (God/Jesus) to redeem us and make us "good". I recently have been reading some of...

I'm trying to better understand the Buddhist concept of karma. I realize depending on the particular tradition Buddhists may differ in the particulars but from what I have read it seems like in general karma and rebirth (until attaining enlightenment) are core concepts for most (but not all)...

Any recommendations for your preferred English translation of the Gita for someone not familiar with the text? The Gita is on my upcoming winter reading list and I see on the Internet that there have been over 200 English translations. I realize, just like the bible, there are probably pros/cons...

I've personally always felt closer to "God" outside of church and a cookie-cutter doctrine. Agreed. I dig Muir's thoughts on this: "The hills and groves were God's first temples, and the more they are cut down and hewn into cathedrals and churches, the farther off and dimmer seems the Lord...

Welcome to the forum Pastor, I am glad you have found a spiritual path that works well for you. Actually I just posted a thread on biblical prophecies/predictions, would be interested to get your take on it... There are also some recent posts on the trinity that you might find interesting...

Some Christians use fulfillment of biblical prophecies as "proof" that the bible is the word of God. I was recently asked by a relative, after telling her that I don't interpret the bible as the literal word of God (or even inspired by God), "well, how do you explain why so many biblical...

Hi, I'm starting this new thread from a previous rebirth thread that I originally started in the buddhist sub-forum: http://www.interfaith.org/forum/reincarnation-question-14186.html We were getting away from buddhist views into more philosophical discusssions of rebirth so this is probably...