quote:

Originally posted by Nico:
Everyone make sure to take advantage of our low commodity prices!

...and take advantage of this drop in the petrol prices to drive long-distances and see friends and relations.

Mum says it's under $2 per gallon now in Florida!

I know, I know - it's around one pound sterling per litre in UK, but still!

I've been enjoying Brussels sprouts daily! They're fresh, locally-grown and available on the stalk.

Which reminds me of a riddle:

Q: What's the difference between Brussels sprouts and boogers?

A: Kids won't eat Brussels sprouts!

Aw, what do kids know - Brussels sprouts are delicious. I gurgitate them on a quasi-regular basis myself.

And cabbage, and black-eyed peas, and many other fine vegetables.

Just looking through a few back posts here, out of curiosity. For the most part I don't jump into these discussions, because I know that nothing I say will change anyone's opinions. Still, sometimes it's fun just to debate, you know?

But I felt I could not let a previous statement pass without comment. A few pages earlier I came across this statement: "Let me save you a whole lot of trouble in trying to debate scripture. Scripture is spiritually discerned. The depth of meaning in scripture is not discerned thru human reasoning. You are missing the absolutely vital understanding when you use human reasoning."

Hmmmm... I think I'm missing something here. Does this mean that one should leave intelligence and logic at the door, when reading the Bible, because such qualities are useless in understanding the truth? That makes no sense to me; far as I can see, God gave people minds to USE them. If I understand correctly, this line of reasoning implies that one's eyes are opened the true meaning of scripture as a sort of spiritual gift. And that being the case, there is no need for debate over, or interpretation of, the meanings of various passages, because the truth is just THERE, no question.

However, if that is the case, why has Christianity fragmented over the centuries into hundreds upon hundreds of separate sects? These individual groups exist because their members interpret Scripture in various ways. If this were not the case, there would just be one great big worldwide Christian church, with everyone in agreement about everything. So, even if the meaning of Scripture is "spiritually discerned," seems to me that there is still plenty of room for debate about the various bits of the Bible...

You have hit the nail right on the old head - good job!

quote:

Originally posted by theoctobercountry:
Still, sometimes it's fun just to debate, you know?

That's what I think, but some folks get real testy about it.

quote:

Originally posted by Doug Spaulding:
You have hit the nail right on the old head - good job!

NO! theoctobercountry did not hit the nail on the head!

There is a reason why there are so many sects, so many divisions of Christianity. That discussion could go on for a long time and fill lots of pages. But here is simple reason for many of them:

What do you want to believe? And how far are you willing to go in that belief? If you want to believe that Jesus was a good man and a wise man and nothing more, there is a church for you. It's 'The Church of the Friendly Jesus' and you'll find it down some cozy street in your neighborhood. Or if you find Jesus prophet and counselor, and a wise man for his times, there is a Church for you also. Maybe it's called 'The Wiser Jesus Assembly'. If you think Jesus was a lot more, perhaps even a god, a god among many gods, there's a popular denomination for you likely in your own home town, maybe right down the street on the corner. If you think Jesus is God, there is a church for you to meet as well. And, like Thomas Jefferson, if a lot of New Testament is problematic for you, well you could just clip away all those offending passages like ol' Tom Jefferson did and print your own Bible and start your own Jeffersonian Church with your Thomas Jefferson Bible.

Do you want to yield your entire life to Christ, bow down before the Father as a sinner upon whom God lavishes his love upon your thru what Christ did on your behalf, and humbly learn to walk with your God. Look up! There is a Church for you, too!

And when you humbly walk before God, empowered by his word and driven to wonders that God leads you into, and thru the fires of life that hunt us down, God is there to speak to us thru by word (the Holy Spirit) and teach us of the shortness of time and the vanity of life and the permanent love of God.

And thus scripture tells us, the wisdom from God's word and the instruction thru the Holy Spirit, makes the fool wiser than any learned man.

No offence intended Nard, but your post simply reinforced my idea as stated earlier. There is no doubt that every splinter group of Christianity (and those who are devout members of these groups) believes that the spirit of God has enlightened them and lead them to an understanding of the Scriptures. If this were not the case, these many divisions would not have occurred in the church in the first place. Why profess a belief in something if you don't really and truly trust in it?

And so you end up with all these denominations, each thinking "My own particular church is the MOST correct, and everyone else is off-base in their beliefs."

quote:

Originally posted by Nard Kordell:
NO! theoctobercountry did not hit the nail on the head!

Did too!

quote:

Originally posted by theoctobercountry:
And so you end up with all these denominations, each thinking "My own particular church is the MOST correct, and everyone else is off-base in their beliefs."

theoctobercountry makes a very compelling point.

So this is what Heaven's like!

Better buckle up for this one, or you may fall out of your chair.

And then there's hell.

Wait a moment, are these clips meant to be serious, or are they some kind of spoof? (The bizarre comments people have written after the clips are pretty funny in themselves...)

Don't forget reality or non reality of Purgatory

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27ANt7L12qI

Oh yes - we mustn't forget that!