Do you believe in the virgin birth of Jesus?

[Care4all]

Symbolism is important in my path too. The Lotus, for example. Is a symbol of our potential as human beings, our own Buddha nature.

It is the pureset of flowers, yet is is born in the mud.

What do you focus on in your spirituality? The positive or the negative? Is everyone outside of your own path a devil?

I focus on myself, and making myself better as a person, and ALL else with others, falls in to place.

No one outside of my own path is a devil, they are all just human beings searching their own individual path that intertwines with mine at times, but not always....free will supports this, in my opinion!

Care

 

[sky dancer]

I focus on myself, and making myself better as a person, and ALL else with others, falls in to place.

No one outside of my own path is a devil, they are all just human beings searching their own individual path that intertwines with mine at times, but not always....free will supports this, in my opinion!

Care

Is the Anti-Christ the devil? I am thrown off by your references to the anti-Christ.

Who or what you do you think the anti-Christ is?

What symbolism in your tradition is particularly meaningful to you? What do you think of the virgin birth teaching? What does it mean to you?

 

[Care4all]

Oh and the Scorpion is a symbol of being paralyzed or numb....

The Dove is a sign representing Christ or a God given messenger...or Peace, Christ was considered "The man of Peace"....among many other things...

The Locust represents pestilence...

just so many things, it is all very interesting and brings new or further meaning to the Scriptures in the bible if one can get the time to fully explore this symbolism, that was very important during their time....a lot of this meaning has been lost over time as with all things, I would suppose....

Care

 

[ABikerSailor]

Check with a Rabbi. Good advice. I think that's the problem with a couple of the Christian paths--no rabbi's, no authentic, living teachers in the tradition. Broken lineages. Where are the living wisdom masters in Christianity?

Where are the Christ-like Christians?

Ummm......they all broke into factions, and started screaming that there was only one way to God, and they have the only right one. After a bit, they start fighting with one another (Northern and Southern Baptists for example), and arguing about who has the better interpretation of their book.

The broken lineages came from the faction wars.

As far as the Christ like Christians? Nope......they've all disappeared because they don't have leaders in their religion that is interested in cooperating, they want to follow the Catholic example and dominate, which leads to factions and wars on religion all over again.

 

[Modbert]

I gotta think that the last thing Jesus gave a damn about was what his political leanings were.

From what I gathered, Jesus was a socialist...*Watches RGS have a heart attack because he can't believe the Son of God could be such a thing.*

Seriously though, there is plenty of evidence to support he was a Socialist.

 

[AllieBaba]

Christ wasn't a socialist any more than he was a Nazi or a Democrat. He was Christ. He told us to obey our government and laws so long as they didn't come into direct conflict with the teachings of the bible.

And GayBiker, there are true Christians, and I don't believe I've ever heard of "Northern" Baptists. CAre to elaborate a little? Shine some of that special brand of non-ledge you have about all things religious..particularly all things Christian.

 

[Modbert]

However, being the Word, who was with God in the beginning, Jesus was God in carnate. You're just projecting your own confused mental situation onto a perfect being. Just because we aren't perfect doesn't mean Christ wasn't.

And the bible makes absolutely no bones about the fact that Jesus had brothers and probably sisters as well.

Mary ran the chance of being killed for her alleged transgression, if it wasn't believed. Not only was it a killing (worst case scenario, it's true, but a very real one) offense to have sex before marriage, it was HERESY to claim you were pregnant with the son of God.

Joseph didn't believe her at first...but after being visited by an angel he changed his mind. I think I would, too.

As far as being "fucked up" at 12, I don't think he could have been too fucked up if he was teaching in the Temple at that age, which he was. Nor do his teachings sound like the ramblings of a fucked up person.

Your assuming that Christ wasn't human then. I assume that he is a human. And human by default are not perfect beings according to Christianity, from the minute you're born you have the original sin for example.

There is a huge leap in Jesus's life from the age of 12 til 30. Care to explain why 18 years, the majority of the man's life up until that point is missing from the bible?

 

[sky dancer]

ABikerSailor isn't gay. He is gay friendly.

 

[Modbert]

Is the Anti-Christ the devil? I am thrown off by your references to the anti-Christ.

Who or what you do you think the anti-Christ is?

What symbolism in your tradition is particularly meaningful to you? What do you think of the virgin birth teaching? What does it mean to you?

Well according to RGS, I am the Anti-Christ. So you all may feel free to begin worshipping me.

 

[Modbert]

Christ wasn't a socialist any more than he was a Nazi or a Democrat. He was Christ. He told us to obey our government and laws so long as they didn't come into direct conflict with the teachings of the bible.

And GayBiker, there are true Christians, and I don't believe I've ever heard of "Northern" Baptists. CAre to elaborate a little? Shine some of that special brand of non-ledge you have about all things religious..particularly all things Christian.

Which is why he told people to obey slavery laws because the bible (the good book of equality supposedly) said Slavery was okay! Thank you for proving my point! However, if Jesus Christ was so perfect that would he not of had condemned slavery for what it was then? Especially with the amass of influence he had on the people?

Jesus wasn't a nazi, democrat (I think you mean Liberal), Conservative,etc. He was a Socialist. Just because you don't want that to be true, doesn't make it untrue.

 

[AllieBaba]

Your assuming that Christ wasn't human then. I assume that he is a human. And human by default are not perfect beings according to Christianity, from the minute you're born you have the original sin for example.

There is a huge leap in Jesus's life from the age of 12 til 30. Care to explain why 18 years, the majority of the man's life up until that point is missing from the bible?

CHrist was God in human form. The Bible states specifically that Jesus was with God at the beginning of the world.
"1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1

"The Word" is Jesus.

 

[AllieBaba]

Which is why he told people to obey slavery laws because the bible (the good book of equality supposedly) said Slavery was okay! Thank you for proving my point! However, if Jesus Christ was so perfect that would he not of had condemned slavery for what it was then? Especially with the amass of influence he had on the people?

Jesus wasn't a nazi, democrat (I think you mean Liberal), Conservative,etc. He was a Socialist. Just because you don't want that to be true, doesn't make it untrue.

Find the quote where he states what political affiliation he claims.

 

[AllieBaba]

Jesus called for the people of Israel to become “one nation under God” when they were under oppressive Roman rule....and for his followers to make a start by being a holy community. He was not concerned about politics, he was concerned about the behavior of the holy community.

 

[Care4all]

Is the Anti-Christ the devil? I am thrown off by your references to the anti-Christ.

Who or what you do you think the anti-Christ is?

What symbolism in your tradition is particularly meaningful to you? What do you think of the virgin birth teaching? What does it mean to you?

Well, it's all crazy really...but I believe it ALL!!!!! lol I didn't for about 10 years of my life, walked away completely, and only when i gave up on any established church or formal denomination and began reading the Bible and a lot of other research on my own, did I believe, once again, solely on my own Bible study, not from any "Church's" and i take it as a kick in the butt from God but that's just my way of looking at it...

ok, on the anti-christ/beast and Satan, The Devil tries to mimic God in many senses....he wants to be God, in his own right and he wants to be our God.

One of his ways in the end times or rather the ''end of time as we know it'' period, is Satan, the Dragon in the Book of Revelation mimics God by sending the Beast (the Antichirst) and the False Prophet to mimic the Trinity, God in the form of the Father, God in the presence of the Son, and God in the form of the Holy Spirit.... the Dragon, the Beast, and the False prophet.

The Beast is merely a MAN pretending to be the world's savior through the name of Peace, as Christ was our Savior..... his number is 666....6 represents man, humans....666 represents humanity amplified, here on Earth....He leads humanity to destruction instead of salvation....those that follow his movement....

Anyway, the Beast has an accomplice, a or the False Prophet....who represents the Holy Spirit, or the Spirit of God that resides in us, who will help the Beast lead us astray....if we are not careful....

And as far as the Virgin birth, i hadn't much thought about it until the other day when i saw a program on the History Channel about some missing books of the Bible that were found that describes or tells a story about Mary's mother and father being barren and God impregnating Mary's mother with Mary....so Mary was the Immaculate conception, not a virgin birth but an unspoiled birth of a human born without original sin, so that SHE could be the PURE vessel carrying Christ later on....

THAT ALONE added a whole new twist to the story as I had known it....so i am still pondering such! lol

But i would imagine, it was important to show that Christ was pure, unblemished with man's sin, although woman's vessel was used to bring Him in to his fruition....hmmmm, i will have to research this a bit before answering, ok?


Care

 

[Care4all]

Which is why he told people to obey slavery laws because the bible (the good book of equality supposedly) said Slavery was okay! Thank you for proving my point! However, if Jesus Christ was so perfect that would he not of had condemned slavery for what it was then? Especially with the amass of influence he had on the people?

Jesus wasn't a nazi, democrat (I think you mean Liberal), Conservative,etc. He was a Socialist. Just because you don't want that to be true, doesn't make it untrue.

There were no Bank of America's to borrow from to pay back ones debt to others, if it could not be paid back, they were put in to slavery to the one they owed money to until they paid it off....this was common practice at the time and for a very long time after wards.....is one of my understandings of it?

these laws and rules are DEAD. They no longer apply to Jews or to Christians....

 

[Modbert]

CHrist was God in human form. The Bible states specifically that Jesus was with God at the beginning of the world.
"1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1

"The Word" is Jesus.

There is plenty of other verses in the bible that show Christ was not God in Human form.

For many christians though, God NEEDS to be Jesus. Why? Because only God's death would be good enough to pay the penalty for the sins of the entire world. Only god could pay such a price. Only God could take on the sins of the world.

2 Corinthians 5 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

But if we do assume (for sake of argument) that God was Jesus. Then he still wasn't perfect. Unless you believe every word that Jesus spoke and every action that God/Jesus did was perfect. Nobody is perfect, even God.

Remember this: God created us in HIS IMAGE.

 

[Modbert]

Find the quote where he states what political affiliation he claims.

He never made any such political affiliation. Just like he never straight out and said "I am God". To ask me for such a quote is being a hypocrite.

 

[Modbert]

There were no Bank of America's to borrow from to pay back ones debt to others, if it could not be paid back, they were put in to slavery to the one they owed money to until they paid it off....this was common practice at the time and for a very long time after wards.....is one of my understandings of it?

these laws and rules are DEAD. They no longer apply to Jews or to Christians....

There were no Bank of America, however if I remember correctly did Jesus not always talk about forgiveness and forgiveness of debts?

Tampering with the market system to redistribute the wealth or assure that the poor are protected is defined as "Socialism."

 

[sky dancer]

Do Christians think the only human being ever to be born with the capacity to be inseparable from God is Jesus?

What do you have to look forward to then?

 

[ABikerSailor]

You know......first off Yeshua (Jesus to you with little understanding), stated SEVERAL times, that He WASN'T GOD! Remember when the disciples asked when He would return? He told them that only the Father knew when. Therefore, if Jesus didn't know, how could He be God?

Next? The original Word was the Torah, as handed down to Moses on Sainai, and the Word was actually God, not Jesus.

For such a supposedly smart person Allie (see, I didn't call ya nasty names), I fail to see why you cling so doggedly to a lie.

Sad.....actually.