Our Mutual Joy

[Cynthia]

I believed it until I was old enough to realize that it made no sense.

I experienced the opposite. Religion (raised a Methodist) didn't make any sense to me until I found out what it all meant to believe in Christ (through the Mass in the Catholic church).

 My parents weren't too happy with me. ...My Irish Catholic roots were buried by my father's family, never to be discussed.  Irish folks were considered second class citizens

...but I grew up in the SW as a naive and sweet desert rat~ ha!
 I never understood such prejudice against Catholics or Irish or Black or Jew or  anyone for that matter....

[BT]

Being raised anything doesn't mean that the person was once a 'believer' in the faith.

It meets your criteria of having lived both sides.

XO's journey is his, just as your journey from Methodist to new Age to the Roman Catholic Church.

You simply took different paths and ended up at different destinations.

Jesus said "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you.."

XO can do that as easily from his destination as you can from yours.

And isn't that what it is really all about?

[Xavier_Onassis]

The Golden Rule is a good thing to practice. I don't think one is required to believe that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God and is returning just any day now in order to realize that he did have some good advice.

Even if there never was a Jesus Christ or Yeshua ben Yacov or whoever.

[Plane]

Jesus could not have mentioned the destruction of the Temple, at least not Herod's temple, since it was standing when he died C. 27-33 BC.

Whether the Ark is now in Ethiopia or ever has been in Ethiopia is speculation. A couple of dotty old priests claim it si there, but they admit they have never seen it, and won't allow anyone else to check it out.

Matthew 24

1Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2"Do you see all these things?" he asked. "I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=47&chapter=24&version=31&context=chapter

[Cynthia]

The Golden Rule is a good thing to practice. I don't think one is required to believe that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God and is returning just any day now in order to realize that he did have some good advice.

Even if there never was a Jesus Christ or Yeshua ben Yacov or whoever.

There's more to the story of the Bible.....eternal life has been promised. Having the special relationship with Jesus is more than following the Golden Rule.

There are no "requirements" for believing in JC. He is our Savior, as well as advice giver, teacher and loving God.

[Xavier_Onassis]

Actually, according to Christian mythology, supposedly EVERYBODY gets eternal life, don't they?  It is just that those who don't believe in Jesus or God and such have to spend it in Hell, being tortured by Satan. Those who do believe, get to spend it in Heaven, eternally singing Hymns of Praise in the Choir Celestial. Or something like that.

Or do they? Maybe they die, the Bible mentions that as well.

It is all pretty vague.

Any travel brochure is a lot more specific.

Half the time, my cat does not appear to believe I exist. I suspect that many pets are like this. But we love them, anyway, don't we?
Are we more compassionate than Jesus? What do you think?

I could not refuse to feed my kitty just because she did not pay attention to me when she wasn't hungry. Please don;t tell me that the Universe was created by someone more vengeful than I.

[Cynthia]

Any travel brochure is a lot more specific.

LOL...that was a good one, XO

Either you travel to heaven or you travel to hell? Nothing more specific than that.

[BT]

There is also Purgatory, sometimes known as the bus station, and for the Catholics there is Limbo.

[Cynthia]

There is also Purgatory, sometimes known as the bus station, and for the Catholics there is Limbo.

You know, Purgatory has been debated by many theologians. I just hope there is such a place---that purgatory is a waiting room for heaven, because there are too many souls who deserve to be given the chance of eternal life in this world...those souls who die too young etc.

Perhaps the knowledgable RC's like Henny can share that part of scripture (I think she's RC)...if not, I will try to do that and post it in Matters of Faith.

[BT]

http://www.scripturecatholic.com/purgatory.html

[Xavier_Onassis]

So which is it?

The wages of sin is death.

or

The wages of sin is Hell .

I alway thought that "The wages are..." was more grammatical than "The wages is...", but in lots of places the Bible gets a bit ungrammatical.

[Amianthus]

I alway thought that "The wages are..." was more grammatical than "The wages is...", but in lots of places the Bible gets a bit ungrammatical.

"Wages" can be considered either plural or singular, therefore both are correct.

[Xavier_Onassis]

wage is the singular.

wages would be the plural.

Other than in the Bible, I know of no other usage of the word 'wages' as a singular noun.

[Cynthia]

http://www.scripturecatholic.com/purgatory.html

It will take more than a google to post on this one, BT. Sorry

[BT]

You can always check out the baltimore catechism