General Chat

Can I ask a question?? My Mam believes in God like she knows him personally. She speaks of a God that is good and kind and just with certain expectations from us and can give lots of lovely examples to back this up. My Son at the minute is doing some modular exams in R.E. and he speaks of a God that is vengefull and who will slay people who do not do as he says is the right way ie he tipped off Noah and his family but not the rest (he gives more examples but I've forgotten and I'm not sure of the bible) To be honest I should have waited until Son came home from school before I put this comment because I really dont know much about the bible :-) Anyway the question is: who is right - Mam or Son?? Sue xx

Im now very much a believer in the Buddhist Faith, It makes sense to me. I have read 'the bible' and the 'Quran' and lots about various faiths. I was a raised a christian and my faith was very strong, until the priest told me that if I divorced I would not be allowed to take holy communion again, I was just disgusted at his attitude, I decided to leave the church, this in my opinion is just rubbish!! Who is he to decide I can or can not take communion, Im now happy with my spirituality,Ive found my path,so to speak, I know theres more to us than flesh and blood. I dont think it matters what you believe,its whats in your heart that counts, thats the important part.

When my dad died in 1999 a glow came off his body but only a couple of us kids noticed it so it has made me think there is something else and when I am feeling down I get the feeling he is beside me so he is still around

To be honest, subjects like history, theology and religious dogma leave me cold. What I have experienced, though, is the guiding hand of God throughout my life, wonderful answers to prayer and a peace and contentment that money can't buy. I am constantly reassured by the simplicity of the gospel message, summed up for me in St John 6:40 'And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.'

Hadn't realised this thread was still going strong. As I said earlier on, I am a believer, but after catching up on this thread, it's made me start thinking about all sorts of things. Hope you don't mind if I share them with you here. I've often question the fact that the church won't allow women to become priests. I was told that if Jesus had intended women to become priests, he'd have chosen some female disciples. On the other hand the church teaches that people have 'a calling' to become a priest - it's a vocation. However, if women have 'a calling' they just remain nuns, unable to say Mass, yet they are 'good enough' to prepare celebrations? I'd rather see a female priest 'doing a good job' than see a mediocre male priest. Then I've often wondered why Popes cannonise saints. I don't remember Jesus ever doing that, or am I wrong? Why are reliable birth control methods still scorned? I agree that we should go forth and multiply, but nowadays not many couples would be able to house, feed or cloth a large family, let alone find time to educate them properly for life or in the Faith. What about those priests with certain 'problems' who just get shoved about from one parish to another? I often wonder why the church doesn't make sure they get proper care and attention. As many people have said, these downfalls are due to mankind's way of organising religion. I often wonder what Jesus thinks about the way mankind is now 'handling things'. Blimey, I'd better stop there although there are other things that bother me. Sorry for going on, but I'd be interested in hearing what other people think - if they've had time to read all this! Margaret

Denise As a child being sent to Sunday school I suppose you believe as a child does and everything you are taught is right. I believe this was my case. You grow up enter into the world and all it has to offer and you begin to doubt and stray into the way of the world. Attending church only for weddings, christenings and funerals because its the done thing. Always believed in God but never practiced going to church after the age of 19 other from quoted above. When i was 34 I suppose I was something of a 'bingo queen' or maybe verging on be an out of control gambler. I began to wonder one Sunday night 'I wonder what hymns they are singing tonight' Aghast where on earth did that come from and blimey her who could mark 12 tickets all at the same time and still count the numbers as they were called began to miss them. This went on for a few months and I really wanted to go to church, can't say why, but didn't want to go on my own. My best friend said 'Elaine (her sister) and Ian are coming home soon, them being missionaries in Africe, I said oooo after watch the p's and q's. No said friend why should we after all its them that's changed not us. Any way sometime after they came home friend said we are going to church tonight fancy coming - fancy coming do I heck have wanted for some reason to go for ages but not on my own. We went and the preacher went on and on (a bit like me sorry) my reaction was ' If you think i'm going there again you can think on' and where was I the following week - yes same place but the minister of the church was in residence - a visiting preacher previously. Made no difference mind he went on a bit but lo and behold I just could not stay away and was asking 'well how do you know your christian' always assumed I was one cause i'd gone to church and believed in God - not so. The more I heard, the more i knew I needed a Saviour if I was going to find favour with God. Something happened one night after a week of very strange happenings, a bit too long to explain, but after that I knew Jesus had come into my life. I knew that when he died on that accursed tree it was for my sake, for the remission of my sins and because of that God had forgiven me and reconciled me to himself. I can only tell you that I knew peace within like nothing else I've ever experienced and my life changed drastically. That was 23 years ago and I don't regret a single day. Like Davo I can also quote Job ' I know that my redeemer liveth'. Love & God Bless Dorothy

Denise - my only reply to that is that 'He' has been there during my toughest times when I have really needed him. There was a time when I turned my back on religion and then God totally, but when life was at its lowest I found him again and I believe that my faith pulled me through it. Kaye x

I was bought up in a religious family (my father was headmaster of a CofE school). I had thoughts of a church career but chose the R.C.church as other denominations were but splinter groups After months of tuition, study and research, in my twenties, I became disillusioned. The Tutor-Priest was bit like an advanced Davo, something of a parrot who had learned his catechism but could not answer questions in depth, and the stock answer to any dilemma was 'you must have faith, my son' by which he meant 'give up reason and knowledge' I do have faith; in reason and free-will which, after much thought leads me to observe that the most damaging plague to beset mankind, that responsible for the most repellent, brutal behaviour the world over, is organised religion. I do, however, believe in consciousness being a separate entity from the physical body and go along with Plato's definition of God. Len

Anyway...now that Davo & Len have done all the detailed heavy stuff & baffled us , or at least me, with science & theology...can I ask a less theoretical, more experiential question- Who has had definite experiences of God that convince them of his reality? I don't mean all the trying to contact the dead & seeing the future stuff- there are other threads for that on here. I mean how people going from knowing/wondering about God to actually knowing his personal involvement in your life? Denise

But... I suppose that means you've now gotta amend the sentence under the title too, to make it more general??? Oh, don't listen to me in future- I'm always full of bright ideas! D

You're right Denise, I have now changed the title. Thanks for the suggestion Lynda :))))))

...well, you did say you wanted more people to add... so I'm back on here again! Lynda- I wonder if it would draw more people in if you changed the thread title to something like 'what do you believe?'....hope you don't mind me suggesting that? It's just that 'non-believers' seems limiting, considering the discussions that have gone on! Denise

It is interesting Sue isn't it? I sit omn the fence with religion, it all seems very far fetched to me, but am amazed that some folk can quote passages from the bible word for word, and I'm sure they don't have to read it, just have it all in there heads. I don't think my head could take all that in, and not sure I'd want it to anyway, but as you say Sue, you can feel the passion in some folks words. Hope more people add, it makes interesting reading. Lynda

This is a briliant thread. I don't believe in God myself but I love to hear about religion (all different religions) from people who do. People can speak with such passion and faith that you can almost feel it. Sue xx

Anna I had read something about that already and that it goes some way to enforcing the idea that the Crucifixion was a carefully stage managed magic trick. I was extremely fortunate to have an inspirational teacher at school and he told us to examine the facts...all the facts...consider all possibilities...only then are you entitled to have an opinion - anything else is a prejudice. (He was talking generally, not of religion). This has stood me in good stead. I know that the Bible is an edited, corrupted version of what someone thinks someone else said or did - and because of that I cannot take it as anything more than an interesting story. OC

Whatever anyone believes or doesn't believe, I think it's a great pity when anyone becomes so entrenched in their beliefs that they lose sight of the fact that all these religious beliefs are rooted to some extent in faith as opposed to fact. No-one is 100% sure what did or did not happen in history. I'm not getting at anyone here, my comment applies to believers of just about any belief system on the planet and an observation that a little humility goes a long way.

In Oz last night, the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) televised the documentary regarding the Gospel according to Judas. The original papyrus based writings discovered in Egypt in recent times have been authenticated by carbon dating. This gospel throws an entirely different perspective on the relationship Jesus had with Judas. Rather than being a traitor, it portrays Judas as being closest to Jesus and simply carrying out Jesus' wishes when delivering the famous Judas kiss. It's fascinating. Oh that we had accesss to the huge volume of writing which was passed over in favour of the gospels which were chosen for the Bible. It seems selective editing started with the Bible. Anna

Len If you are referring to Josephus as a myth writer, I would remind you that he was an eyewitness to the Jewish wars. David

Len I'm not an Anglican, so have no say in their antics. David

Davo. Thanks for that. Now let's have some of your own reasoning and observations - and try to avoid quoting tracts from the writings that many of us regard as myth. No doubt repeating these, parrot fashion, bolsters your belief system but leaves others unimpressed. I am sure there are plenty of contradictory passages we could quote back to you. Now that the Anglican Church appears to be on its last legs, do you think women and gays should be ordained as bishops? Had you been born a Jew or perhaps a Muslim no doubt you would have been equally mesmerised by either the Torah or Koran. Although they probably outnumber Christians, they appear to be more devout. Are they misguided ? Len