Thanks for the grammar corrections as I said my Latin grammar is... well non existent!

Funnily enough I was going to put "Deo", that was what I first typed, but for some reason convinced myself that I was wrong

I should trust my instincts more...

OK, tangent over

I'm a Christian, musician and composer. One of my ambitions is to be a footnote in an encyclopedia about minor British composers. I've been playing in church since I was about 13, and now lead worship with hubby about once every couple of months.

im a christian

I'm a Christian too - and lead our church praise band for the monthly evening service. I'm often called upon to play piano for services if the organist is away, or for the quieter services.

I sometimes play the piano for worship band too...only occasionally because there are so many people who plays the piano in our church.

I am a Christian too.....

not christian , but jewish.

not christian , but jewish.

Some have said "Religion is the opiate of the masses". Others have simply said "Think". I prefer the second quote.

I sometimes refer friends to the following site:

http://www.deistnet.com/deismquo.htm

There are many quotes there to consider.

As for me, I consider myself to be an agnostic humanist... brother to all, and lover of good music whether composed by the religious or secular person.

Ray Baldwin

I think that was Karl Marx.

Of course, today, the opiate of the masses is television.

I went to a C of E Primary school and became interested in religion as a teenager. I started going to Catholic mass and felt more at home there.

I also read a lot about Christian theology. There is SO MUCH that people don't know about their own religion, it's unbelievable.

The four gospels were actually chosen from many. The Gospel of St Thomas describes Jesus as a young boy.

In fact, the whole New Testament is really just a small selection of hundreds of manuscripts that were all considered for inclusion. There are other 'Revelations', 'Acts of the Apostles' etc. Do a Google search for the 'Didache'.

All this made me a much stronger and philosophical christian. Only, for me, it's a lot more than 'The church'.

Oh, and science does not contradict religion at all!

Steve

Aren't karate and those athletic(?) practices of Eastern origin considered as un-christian?

Goodness, GC, where did you get that idea from? I know yoga has a different spiritual dimension in terms of its origins but karate??? Well, that's certainly news to me.

I am a Christian.

By the way, it's certainly true that the TV is the opiate of the masses. Religion has never been the opiate of the masses unless you are a non-Christian living say in the times of the Welsh revival, for example. It's unbelievable how addictive TV is - ask any mother and she'll tell you how much time junior spends on the TV!

I think they all share common Eastern philosophical bases. Perhaps not a topic which should be discussed here, but worthy of further research or comment.

Tai-chi, Wu Shu and the like are derivatives of Eastern philosophical thought.

Guess I should stop here before I get moderated for being tangential in my posts...

Please... I have never said the religious are gullible, whatever that word means.

Ray Baldwin

I am going to keep my opinions to myself on this subject so I don't start a war but I will say that I'm a Wiccan which is a branch of Paganism. Before anyone starts on me I would like to say that I do [/u]not curse people and I do not[u] worship the devil, who is in fact a complete christian-based belief.
Now you may sentence me to an afterlife-time in ###### or whatever you do to Pagans.

Edit: I didn't use a swear word, the censor is just over-protective.

Hi Shimmer. Don't worry about the automatic censor. I think we've all experienced that.

In the early days of AOL, their american censor program used to replace certain words with ***.

It was badly programmed and words like assassinate were converted into ******inate.

You're correct about the devil. Our depiction of the devil as a horned goat is the old pagan symbol of fertility.

In old Christian legend, the real Satan is actually an angel who fell from grace.

It's surprising how many of our beliefs come from the middle ages and not from the Bible at all.

Steve

Yes, I've heard that ledgend too. Apparently Lucifer was the most beautiful angel in heaven but got fed up of God being the only important one (in the version I heard anyway) so he left Heaven to make a kingdom of his own. Or something like that.
Many christian beleifs are Pagan based. The thing about christianity that gets to me is their treatment of women. Not so much now but until recently they were often treated as inferiors. To that I merely say 'God may be male but the earth's a woman.'

According to the Bible, God isn't male at all. It says that God is spirit so "he" is pretty much sexless! Hope I don't get censored for pointing out this fact.

Well... I am a Christian!

That's what I like about Christianity...the fact that it is able to question elements of it's religion (like womens role), and understand that some rules were put in place for the wrong reasons ( man's fear of women's role in society so lets keep her downtrodden). They try to move forward with the times and to do this you need to analyse and be self critical.
It is interesting how many festivals are taken from pagan festivals. To me it all seems a combination of spirituality.

It's all very interesting. I think Tess is right - God is neither male nor female but has characteristics of both - or rather, we mortals are incomplete might be a better way to look at it.

Plenty is being questioned, that's for sure, Miochy. A member of my family is currently training for the priesthood, and part of the study this term has included looking at gender stereotypes in traditional religion literature, bible, hymns, etc and how they so easily give us a male-dominated slant.

That's really interesting and good to hear that they are encouraged to be analytical and get an understanding of the concepts behind religion. My uncle trained to be a priest in Rome many years ago. He found it all very tough though and didn't take the vow in the end.
Good luck to the member of your family...and may God Bless them!

The Old Testament is an interesting and strange document. It seems to have lost a lot in translation from the Hebrew. Much old Hebraic teaching was passed by word of mouth and never got into the Bible.

According to the Bible, God isn't male at all. It says that God is spirit so "he" is pretty much sexless! Hope I don't get censored for pointing out this fact.[quote]
Int he bible god is reffered to as He and The Father, which makes him male and Jesus is obviously supposed to be male.
The injustices done to women through history makes me mad, I just comfort myself by saying the men were scared of us!

Yup, Jesus is male all right.

[quote name='shimmer' date='Dec 1 2005, 06:56 PM' post='201283']
According to the Bible, God isn't male at all. It says that God is spirit so "he" is pretty much sexless! Hope I don't get censored for pointing out this fact.[quote]
Int he bible god is reffered to as He and The Father, which makes him male and Jesus is obviously supposed to be male.
The injustices done to women through history makes me mad, I just comfort myself by saying the men were scared of us!
[/quote]

Yep - I agree - I think the church has been to blame for some of it, plus Paul's teachings and letters, which are hard to interpret unless you understand the situation in the churches he was writing to at the time.
But Jesus certainly treated women with greater respect than the religious leaders and the general culture of his day - look at how he dealt with the various women he encountered! And several women were amongst his group of followers. And it was women he appeared to first after the resurrection!

[quote name='chocolatedog' date='Dec 2 2005, 08:51 AM' post='201660']
[quote name='shimmer' date='Dec 1 2005, 06:56 PM' post='201283']
According to the Bible, God isn't male at all. It says that God is spirit so "he" is pretty much sexless! Hope I don't get censored for pointing out this fact.[quote]
Int he bible god is reffered to as He and The Father, which makes him male and Jesus is obviously supposed to be male.
The injustices done to women through history makes me mad, I just comfort myself by saying the men were scared of us!
[/quote]

Yep - I agree - I think the church has been to blame for some of it, plus Paul's teachings and letters, which are hard to interpret unless you understand the situation in the churches he was writing to at the time.
But Jesus certainly treated women with greater respect than the religious leaders and the general culture of his day - look at how he dealt with the various women he encountered! And several women were amongst his group of followers. And it was women he appeared to first after the resurrection!
[/quote]

I am not disagreeing with your stand on women in the church or the dis-service they suffer at the hands of men I to find myself angered by these. The best example of Jesus reverance for women was washing a lady's feet!!!! All the significant events in his life have been with or centred around women. Birth, death and resurrection.

I will point out that althought the bible dosen't specifically say God was a man it does say.

"made Adam in his own image"

Again we could argue semantics and question translation but I dont think it is truly relevant if God was male/female. You need to read behond the text and understand the message and why it is written in such a way. Taking the bible and its message out of the period it is written is very dangerous and leads to all sort of problems as you say there are cultrual issues etc..... However this dosent make the message any less relevant or important today, it just makes it harder to understand.

Hey!
yeah i'm a christian 2

Laura Schlessinger is a US radio personality who dispenses advice to
people who call in to her Radio Sow.
On her show recently she said that, as an observant Orthodox Jew,
homosexuality is an abomination according to Leviticus 18:22, and cannot
be condoned under any circumstance.

The following response is an open letter to Dr. Laura, penned by a US
resident which was posted on the internet. It's funy, as well as
thought provoking.

Dear Dr. Laura:

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I
have learned a great deal from your show and try to share that knowledge
with as many people as I can. When someone tried to defend the
homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus
18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination... End of debate. I do
need some advice from you, however, regarding some other elements of
God's Laws and how to follow them.

1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and
female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend
of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians.

Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

2. I would like to consider selling my daughter into slavery, as
sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would
be a fair price for her?

3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her
period of menstrual uncleanliness - Lev.15: 19-24. The problem is how do
I tell? I have tried asking. but many women take offense.

4: When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a
pleasing odor for the Lord- Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They
claim the odor is not at all pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath - Exodus 35:2.

The passage slearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally
oblicted to kill him myself?

6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an
abomination - Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality.
I don't agree. Can you settle this? Are there 'degrees' of
abomination?

7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a
defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does
my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?

8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair
around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev.
19:27. How should they die?

9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me
unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two
different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments
made of two different kinds of thread (cotton / polyester blend). He
also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we
go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? -
Lev.24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family
affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev.
20:14)

I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy
considerable expertise in such matters, so I am confident you can help.

Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and
unchanging.

Your adoring fan




Laura Schlessinger is a US radio personality who dispenses advice to
people who call in to her Radio Show.
On her show recently she said that, as an observant Orthodox Jew,
homosexuality is an abomination according to Leviticus 18:22, and cannot
be condoned under any circumstance.

The following response is an open letter to Dr. Laura, penned by a US
resident which was posted on the internet. It's funny, as well as
thought provoking.

Dear Dr. Laura:

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I
have learned a great deal from your show and try to share that knowledge
with as many people as I can. When someone tried to defend the
homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus
18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination... End of debate. I do
need some advice from you, however, regarding some other elements of
God's Laws and how to follow them.

1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and
female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend
of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians.

Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

2. I would like to consider selling my daughter into slavery, as
sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would
be a fair price for her?

3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her
period of menstrual uncleanliness - Lev.15: 19-24. The problem is how do
I tell? I have tried asking. but many women take offense.

4: When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a
pleasing odor for the Lord- Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They
claim the odor is not at all pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath - Exodus 35:2.

The passage slearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally
oblicted to kill him myself?

6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an
abomination - Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality.
I don't agree. Can you settle this? Are there 'degrees' of
abomination?

7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a
defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does
my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?

8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair
around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev.
19:27. How should they die?

9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me
unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two
different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments
made of two different kinds of thread (cotton / polyester blend). He
also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we
go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? -
Lev.24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family
affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev.
20:14)

I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy
considerable expertise in such matters, so I am confident you can help.

Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and
unchanging.

Your adoring fan

That's excellent Ray and just goes to reinforce kmt63's point a little earlier that....




We live in a different world today than Leviticus (Thank God ), when the teachings of Christ were still to come.

Another Christian here. Peace!

I wish to wholeheartedly agree with your comments.

I may also open a can of worms where it talks about the penalty for those who commit murder.

*Stands back*

Wittingly

GC

Im a muslim

im a christian!

Shalom! I am a Christian too:)

I take it Laura didn't reply?

Just a bit out of point here.

I find it interesting to note that out of the many musical instruments that are familiar in the modern day, the harp and the flute is first mentioned in Genesis; and the trumpet in Leviticus, i think. So now we have a rough idea of which instruments in our western classical fraternity has the longest history and legacy of being invented.

RE: Dear Dr. Laura letter

This is just although it could be offensive to some, I think it's meant to be taken as a joke although, I think that it raises the valid point that the bible should not be followed to the letter in this day and age for times have changed.

BTW I'm not Christian.

mr leviticus clearly knew a h-u-g-e amount about abomination so he must have a phd at least, i'm guessin.
spose you could always approach harvard, massachusetts or evn oxford to see if a dregree course is available. D.Abom might look good on your mail.

as long as it isnt so bad you crash into the altar.
horrid! the polyester makes one smell awful after a day and is there to support the deodorant/odour mask industry which is run mainly by gentiles.ur allowed a looser interpretation - just get stoned along with them in this run up to saturnalia.
that's so unkind considerin they just do it to keep warm this arctic weather.



nor am i but in deference to those who are, this book is called the Bible.
the first word in the Bible begins with the hebrew equiv of b[ ב , value 2] and why bet is the most favored letter in the hebrew alephbet.

Do you mean that the beta is supposed to be capital?