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Joseph said -"The problem with answering unrelated questions to the thread is that your mind will then compartmentalize me under a label. The mind does this as a natural function. Then you will assume you understand where I am coming from when you actually do not. Things aren't as simple as liberal/conservative, pre-trib/post-trib, christian sect, etc etc. if you get the gist of what I mean. My religious views are very flexible as I have found that to be rigid in ones views blinds one to self-evident truth before us. Yes, I have a realtionship with God that does not require a Bible though much of what is revealed to me agrees with much of it. It also agrees with saying of truth in other religions. God is as you know not limited to a book and his 1st choice is to speak to us directly. (The mount story) (the holy spirit your teacher) (etc)
Ok, with that understanding ... shoot"
Streetbob says:
Hey Joesph, The bible tells us to test everything that is said and by nature of the brain make decisions about what is said. How do we test people
1 john 4:1-6
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
4You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit[
a] of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
Yes I agree there is other "self evident truths about morality" in other religions but that is because we have a GOd given conscience. THe difference is that Christianity says you cannot earn heaven yourself because you have sinned, but only through the grace of God done by the atoning work on the cross and the all others say you can earn it on your own which is embeded with pride and arrogance which spits in face of Jesus.