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Pastimes : Ask God -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: nihil who wrote (25851)	6/14/1999 6:06:00 PM
From: PROLIFE	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 39621

The failues of religion reinforce skeptics in their doubts. Religion never seems to accomplish anything worthwhile. I laugh at your weak attempts to discredit. You continue to use weak men as examples to blame and deny God and everything that has happened without figuring out that our great God accomplished exactly what had to be done to save mankind. Had satan known what was going on, satan would have tried everything possible to prevent the crucifixion, and after, there was not one thing he could do to stop the resurrection. We live in a world where performance matters. Science works. Religion shirks. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame ? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods ?

To: nihil who wrote (25851)	6/14/1999 9:09:00 PM
From: mark silvers	Respond to of 39621

Nihil, FWIW, I don't believe in organized religion, but I do believe in spirituality. <<We live in a world where performance matters. Science works. religion shirks.>> It depends on how you measure performance, and what kind of results you are looking for. Not all performance is quantifiable. If the purpose of religion is to bolster and nurture the spirit, that can not be measured. As a person who is cynical of the positive aspects of religion or spirituality you can point to war and murder commited in the name of religion and try to quantify it that way, from a more negative point of view. However, as you well know, many wars fought in the name of religion are truly fought over more mundane things like money and power for those in charge, with religion just being the excuse to stir the masses.(no one would be willing to die for a leader sho says we must fight to satisfy my lust for more power) Religion is just the excuse. There are millions of individual acts of kindness and selflessness done by anonymous people everyday because of their belief in the god of their choosing. Of course because of the scale they are commited on, it doesn't exactly make the papers. Personally I run a food bank out of the Unitarian church, we form a loose network with other churces and we supply a lot of the area foodbanks on a very consistent basis. While this doesn't make the papers, it does happen here, and all over the country, al because of people's spirituality. Science, is also not completely innocent when it comes to war, murder, and mayhem. Like religion, science is a tool. Like religion, it is a tool that can sometimes cause greivous harm, and sometimes cause immense joy and alleviate suffering. Much of it depends on who is using the tool and for what purpose. Science does hae the advantage of being used in a field and a way that is much easier to quantify, but that doesn't mean that it has any more or less value in and of itself. It just means that it easier to see to the naked eye. Mark

To: nihil who wrote (25851)	6/14/1999 9:10:00 PM
From: IN_GOD_I_TRUST	Respond to of 39621

* Please Read This ** This lays out the Christian belief pretty clearly. If it does nothing for you right now, just remember it: Just as there are physical laws that govern the physical universe, so are there spiritual laws that govern your relationship with God. Law 1: God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life. God's Love: "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16,NIV) God's Plan: [Christ speaking] "I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly" [that it might be full and meaningful] (John 10:10) Why is it that most people are not experiencing the abundant life? Because . Law 2: Man is sinful and separated from God. Therefore, he cannot know and experience God's love and plan for his life. Man Is Sinful: "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23) Man was created to have fellowship with God; but, because of his own stubborn self-will, he chose to go his own independent way and fellowship with God was broken. The self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference, is an evidence of what the Bible calls sin. Man Is Separated: "The wages of sin is death" [spiritual separation from God] (Romans 6:23) The third law explains the only way to bridge this gulf. Law 3: Jesus Christ is God's only provision for man's sin. Through Him you can know and experience God's love and plan for your life. He Died In Our Place: "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8) He Rose from the Dead: " "Christ died for our sins. He was buried. He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures. He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred." (1 Corinthians 15:3-6). He Is the Only Way to God: "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one comes to the Father but through Me" (John 14:6) It is not enough just to know these three laws. Law 4: We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God's love and plan for our lives. We Must Receive Christ: "As many as received him. To them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name" (John 1:12) We Receive Christ Through Faith: "By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works that no one should boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9) When We Receive Christ, We Experience a New Birth: (Read John 3:1-8) We Receive Christ Through Personal Invitation: [Christ speaking] " Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him" (Revelation 3:20) Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self (repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive our sins and make us what He wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins is not enough. Nor it is enough to have an emotional experience. We receive Jesus Christ by faith, an act of the will. The following explains how you can receive Christ: You Can Receive Christ Right Now by Faith Through Prayer (Prayer is talking with God): God knows your heart and is not concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. The following is a suggested prayer: Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be. Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? If it does, I invite you to pray this prayer right now, and Christ will come into your life, as He promised. [Taken from the Four Spiritual Laws by Bill Bright]