Sannhetseeker

By sannhet - About Me - E-mail this page - Add to My Favorites - Add to Blog List - See other blogs in Religion & Spirituality

Tuesday, August 17, 2004

Don't Believe In God. It's Better For You

S orry I haven't posted in a while. This thesis (which I present next Thursday) has been kicking my butt. But here are some interesting statements to ponder. While Jean-Paul Sarte argued that we need to reject God, since the idea of God negates our freedom – which is a rather stark thought - others have stated that we should reject God because it is better for us. Maurice Merleau-Ponty ( a contemporary of Sarte's) stated that rather than increasing our sense of wonder, believing in God actually... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, August 13, 2004

There Should Be 52 Books in the New Testament

I am curious. For those who view the Bible as the inerrant word of God, how does one holding this view reconcile the fact of the Apocrypha, a series of 27 books, were not accepted into the canon of the new testament when Constantine convened the Nicene council in A.D 325? These books were kept out for various reasons, but were voted on by those called to the council (Bishops and Priests). The books, which include the Secret Book of James, the Gospel of Thomas and The Gospel of Mary and others,... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, August 12, 2004

We Can't Love God First

There are two verses of Matthew that some have read to mean that there is a specific order that must be followed of those that one loves. Matthew 22:37 (KJV) says, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." Matthew 22:38 follows with "This is the first and great commandment." Finally, Matthew 22:39 reads, "And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." Some argue these three verses in the order they are in... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, August 11, 2004

We Can't Love "God" Until We Love Ourselves

Jesus said in Mark 12:31 to love your neighbor as yourself. Well, that's the rub, isn’t it? How many of us truly love ourselves? If we truly loved ourselves, there would be no crime. If we truly loved ourselves, there would be no war. If we truly loved ourselves, there would be no pollution. If we truly loved ourselves, then that love would be carried over into our every day lives. It would be carried over into our relationships with others, into our relationships with animals, into our... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, August 10, 2004

Capital Punishment - The Bible Argues Both Sides. What is Yours?

In our Toastmaster’s club today I was picked to deliver a table topic, and the topic I picked (blind) was my feelings on capital punishment. It wasn’t difficult for me to decide what side I fall on, I’ve always been against capital punishment. I find it hard to accept that our government sanctions an activity that is illegal for everyone else. You’ve killed this person and that is illegal, so we’re going to kill you in return because it is legal for us. I’m very comfortable with my position and... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, August 9, 2004

I'm Not a Fan of Organized Religion - But I Go

There has been some discussion on various blogs recently about the need for church doctrine and organized religion. And while I am the first to state that I am not a fan of today’s various organized religions, I currently attend a Lutheran church. Is it a liberal church? Not particularly. Does it espouse doctrine that I don’t necessarily agree with? Yes. But I still go. It’s something that I need. For me part of the reason that I go is, if I didn’t, I would be judging. And judging is not a... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, August 8, 2004

Love - How Much Simpler Can It Be?

Jesus told us to love our neighbors as ourselves. In 1 John 4:8 we are told that if we don’t love, we cannot know "God" because "God" is love. Buddha taught to love compassionately. The Koran encourages actions that bring about "God’s" love and discourages actions that extinguish "God’s" love. How much simpler can it be? It really doesn’t matter which "God" one follows. It really doesn’t matter if the Christian path is the right way or if the Muslim path is the right way. It really doesn’t... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, August 5, 2004

Can We Truly Be Gods?

I’ve been ruminating on what I read in Westwend’s recent post about all of us being gods. And it got me to thinking about what that really means. If, as the Bible says in Psalms 82, we are all gods, then where is my omnipotence? Where is my miracle-making? Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that we can or cannot create miracles or be omnipotent. I am just wondering if we can, when does it happen? Is there a certain level of "goddom" that we have to reach before it happens? Is there a test we... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, August 4, 2004

Since We Are Divine, Are We Gods Too?

As I have mentioned before, I believe that we are put on this earth to love. And I also believe that when we love, we are touching the divine. So the question becomes, does touching the divine make us divine? I think it does. Divine is defined as "being or having the nature of a god" in Webster's. And since God is Love, when we love, then it would seem we become divine. We have the "nature of a God". In 1 John 16 we are told that when we love we are one with God. Odysseus, in a recent post,... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, August 2, 2004

If There is No Hell, Then There is No Heaven

I am one who believes that the universe always seeks balance. There is matter and anti-matter. There light and dark; Yin and Yang; good and bad. You know, Newton’s third law of motion? Because of this, I am inclined to ask myself, "Since I don’t believe there is a Hell, then is there a Heaven?" I truly want to believe there is a heaven. I like the idea of going to a place of beauty and pleasure to live with my other relatives and friends who are there (except my uncle Earl – he was pretty... Sign in to see full entry.

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