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Marsh, you make good sense. I still need to think about "forgiven" and "responsibility". I not sure if I believe that being forgiven by God and Man, relieve someone of their debt to society, but I need to think about it in the context you've given me. Thanks.

One of the Christian concepts I'm having trouble reconciling with my current vision of Christ's teachings is "Forgiven" as it relates to "I've been forgiven for that". It seems that I hear a lot of Christians use "Forgiven" with the implication that they are absolved from any responsibility for...

I think there are two issues here, partially related. First the lack of appeal to 21st century Americans by the church. I don't think this is a failure of just the Catholic Church, but of most Protestant demoninations as well. I think the early church made decisions to advince the church's power...

This is slightly off topic, but I had a thought while looking at this thread. It came after I found this map of the universe that scales from the visible universe to the local stellar group. Stars in the visible universe: 30 billion trillion. Started thinking about the grand scale of the...

I've always thought that the term "hallucinogen" was inappropriate. The effects vary, but one of the most prominent effects they can have is removing the structure that you have given existence. We all have developed a structure that we view the universe through, things that we believe can...

My sincerest apologies. I didn't realize the texts were here as well. My bad. Sometimes I don't see things right under my nose.

I've been looking at the works from the Nag Hammadi and the Gospel of Thomas is very striking in it's parallels and contradictions to the New Testament Gospels. I would be really interested in your thoughts on it. Many of the verses contained in the Gospel of Thomas speak to me and seem to fit...

I'm sure I'm stealing this quote, but I don't know from whom. "If life exists only on earth, that would be a terrible waste of space." Surely God is not wastefull.

I think your question is the reason I had to change my perception of God from the Christian God I was taught as a child. I just couldn't come to grips with a God that had the power to change or prevent these things and didn't do something. I've heard the rationalizations, and they just don't...

It seems to me that "insulted" is a human concept. I hope that God is above human emotional responses. This leads me to consider another point. Does God have emotions? My first impulse is that emotions are products of physical existance and spiritual beings would not have them. Thinking longer...

Marsh, After thinking about the analogy more, I think you are right. My experience came from losing my traditional faith (Christianity) and growing without knowing what my faith was. Since I couldn't (and didn't try) to put a lable on my faith I think I've underestimated the effect that it had...

For me it's simple; when faced with a moral decision, do I do the right thing? I believe that the best way to put myself in a position to do the right thing consistantly is by loving God. This almost makes it sound like religion is more the means than the end, but I don't think it works out...

When I joined this forum I asked where my beliefs fit in. Now that I've been looking around, it seems that the Baha'i faith is very close to what I believe. I've been to the Baha'i sites and read the principles, but I'd like to hear from practicing Baha'i, a little more personal viewpoint. If...

Mohsin, I must admit that I'm having difficulty understanding your perception of creation, my fault, not yours. Could you help me out by explaining your position. I'm curious since you accept the big bang (which to me is on much shakier scientific ground that evolution is), do you accept the...

Muhammad-Khalifa, you have raised a point that I've been thinking about a lot lately. I unfortunately don't know enough about the three religions you've mentioned to really bring this up, but I will anyway. I've wondered if Judaism, Christianity and Islam were all, at the core, the same...

Mohsin, My sincere apologies, but after reading the verses you provided, I don't see anything that contradicts evolution. The word create does not imply instantaneous creation in my mind. I see great beauty and wisdom in the verses, but not evidence against evolution. I would think God's...

Mohsin, Thank you for the sources. I have been wanting to look into Islam and this seems like a very good starting point. It's been hard for me to know what to believe about Islam by looking on the internet. When I go to a Christian site I know how to place that group in the context of...

I believe there are many paths to the same end. Sometimes our experiences make us choose a path that is more difficult (or maybe interesting) at first. I hope as your friend goes though his path that he will be able to get past the feelings he has for his father. As I thought about this it...

Mohsin, I believe that the evolution of species is the hand of God working on earth. I did not say the "Theory of Evolution" because honestly I'm not a scientist and don't understand it well enough to defend it, but I think it is undeniable that species adapt and change to fit into changing...

Follower of Christ I had never thought of the difference between Christian and follower of Christ before. It seems to be a good way to differentiate someone who whishes to follow the Crhist teachings and someone who subscribes to the tenets of the Christian church. I need to think about this...