tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968379359740492695.post1738353445502868215..comments2011-06-25T08:06:58.872-07:00Comments on dye.a.log: The nature of comforts.x.chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06172971184059251750noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968379359740492695.post-47073382276281969672011-01-14T15:43:11.374-08:002011-01-14T15:43:11.374-08:00Was Paul without God when he was still the Pharise...Was Paul without God when he was still the Pharisee Saul, persecuting Christians? Evidently not. Though he did bad things, it was in ignorance, which is why he was finally corrected. He had a genuine zeal for God, but it was just as he later wrote of certain other ones, that "they have a zeal for God; but not according to accurate knowledge." (Romans 10:2)<br /><br />And it's worth noting that God himself recognizes individuals in all religions with real sincerity and zeal as his own, yet he gives them this command, "Get out of her [false religion], my people, if you do not want to share with her in her sins." (Rev. 18:4) To do this requires careful study of what the Bible really teaches.<br /><br />That's how to overcome the doubts, by building your faith not on merely emotional experiences, but with the solid foundation of accurate knowledge of him and what he asks of us.TJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09026162065212920554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968379359740492695.post-85250038534539912032011-01-14T07:47:05.860-08:002011-01-14T07:47:05.860-08:00Sorry- I mentioned concentration camps and then .....Sorry- I mentioned concentration camps and then ... well- the story is not as interesting as what I meant to write there:<br /><br />Jehovah's Witnesses (or Bible Students as they were known at the time) were the only group imprisoned in the camps for their religious stand. (Jews were there for their "impure" blood lines- but Witnesses were there because, unlike the Churches as a whole, they refused to support the Nazi regime in any way) The Holocaust Museum in Washington DC has a website that details the stand Witnesses took. It is very interesting.<br /><br />Anyway- just my 2 cents.<br /><br />Have a great day!Cha-cha-cha-cheatauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07496307550231459177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968379359740492695.post-89783355511397334782011-01-14T07:39:13.435-08:002011-01-14T07:39:13.435-08:00You have many valid reasons for not trusting relig...You have many valid reasons for not trusting religion. In the world around us we see, time and time again, religious leaders and people of religious faith (or, perhaps more accurately "people of professed faith") behaving and conducting their affairs that do not harmonize with what they claim to represent.<br /><br />Always a crazy thought to me, was that people who claimed to represent the teachings of Jesus would willingly take up arms against other human beings who, in all likelihood include other members of the soldier's faith.<br /><br />Hardly indicative of the kind of unity Jesus taught and not much of a display of the kind of love he said would be seen among his "true" followers.<br /><br />Jesus though did say that "true" followers would be easily identified by the love they showed to one another, that they would be "no part of the world" as he was no part of the world (he was not involved in politics or political conflicts of the world). His followers would listen to his voice, be unified with his teachings and be obedient to his commands. These ones would be targets of persecution and lies...<br /><br />In my own quest to find a Christian group that fit the description I was stunned to find that, on a global scale, there is one.<br />These Christians refuse to take up arms against any fellow human (and take prison sentences in stead. In WWII- concentration camps, they were the They are unified in their conduct and actions around the world. Their congregations are like tight knit communities of an extended family, they stick to the bible, and they carry out the work Jesus commanded his followers to do. Like Jesus and the early apostles, they are not paid for ministering, and they have a long track record of being persecuted and lied about.<br /><br />I accepted a bible study from Jehovah's Witnesses, and it was like the lights had been turned on. <br /><br />Jehovah's Witnesses can not only tell you what they believe- but they can show you the reasons why. (most religions can only tell you what they believe- but not provide the reasons based in the bible, historical research, science- yes, science- and the like.)<br /><br />I can relate to your field of doubt. <br />Maybe consider asking Jehovah's Witnesses to study the bible with you. You might be pleasantly surprised to find out what the message they preach really is.Cha-cha-cha-cheatauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07496307550231459177noreply@blogger.com