A Believer's Thoughts on Faith

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Deesse23: i believe the God of Islam and of Christianity are the same.

in one of Belacqua's last posts he mentions the Taoist definition for God and i believe their definition and the Christian definition are very similar, maybe exactly the same.  do people not believe that all of the possible conceptions of God are referring to the same God?  i do: in case it helps, i believe Christianity is the "one true faith" because it combines the truths of all other religions and was meant to discontinue them so that we're unified under one faith.

(Bold mine)

Hasn't exactly been a stunning success, has it? It's as if a product manufacturer introduced a marketing campaign designed to drive its competitors out of business and - two thousand years later - the competitors are still thriving.

Boru

[rlp21858]

Deesse23: yes, on faith. i only regard one God but the "other gods"/religions i acknowledge in a way: i believe God (Taoist definition) was giving witness of himself by whatever truth was taught to man through them. Paul the apostle speaks of both of these things. what Taoists call "Tao" i believe a Christian calls "God". my belief system touches all aspects of my life, so yes "when a bus is coming" would fit in it (i hope i understand the question).

Grand Nudger: i know muslims reject Christ. and to combine i mean to put all in one place. i dont reject the truths of other religions: i believe they were all translated into Christianity. thats why i put "one true" in quotes because i dont see it that way (that's just what it's often called in the Christian world). and i dont try to destroy the other religions of the world nor do i condone that, though i know that many followers of Christianity have tried to.

Boru:: that all followers of God be united under the same faith is supposed to be seen as a good thing: there isnt supposed to be any competition. and yes, i know what the other religion situation looks like but i still find hope in it.

that i be questioned makes sense since i have the same title as so many others, but do remember that all Christians have different beliefs.

[The Grand Nudger]

Looks like gods -and- bullshit to me. Pretty much a non starter. If you lose a person at gods, do you expect to reel them in with gobbledygook?

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Deesse23: yes, on faith.  i only regard one God but the "other gods"/religions i acknowledge in a way: i believe God (Taoist definition) was giving witness of himself by whatever truth was taught to man through them.  Paul the apostle speaks of both of these things.  what Taoists call "Tao" i believe a Christian calls "God".  my belief system touches all aspects of my life, so yes "when a bus is coming" would fit in it (i hope i understand the question).

Grand Nudger: i know muslims reject Christ.  and to combine i mean to put all in one place.  i dont reject the truths of other religions: i believe they were all translated into Christianity.  thats why i put "one true" in quotes because i dont see it that way (that's just what it's often called in the Christian world).  and i dont try to destroy the other religions of the world nor do i condone that, though i know that many followers of Christianity have tried to.

Boru:: that all followers of God be united under the same faith is supposed to be seen as a good thing: there isnt supposed to be any competition.  and yes, i know what the other religion situation looks like but i still find hope in it.

that i be questioned makes sense since i have the same title as so many others, but do remember that all Christians have different beliefs.

That was kind of my point. If God wants all people to be united under one faith, why aren’t they? Given 2 Peter 3:9, it seems that the repentance and salvation of everyone is pretty important to God. It’s kind of problematic that He hasn’t turned everyone into the right kind of Christian.

It can’t be a free will thing - since God overrides free will in order to damn people, it clearly isn’t impossible for Him to do the same thing in order to save them.

Boru

[The Grand Nudger]

I'm immediately reminded of the shamans pulling the fire alarm about the flock absorbing pagan and new age mysticism. Apparently, having decided to go that route, many people then make the mistake of believing that their christianity™ is more well considered and less wrong than that of others. For the most part I think it's a good development for abrahamism, but if a person isn't interested in the original, they probably don't want a knockoff either.

[Deesse23]

Deesse23: yes, on faith.

Well, as you have explained yourself, you believe in the hope you may find out in the future your beliefs may be true. Thats wishful thinking you are engaged in. My standards are higher than that, especially when it comes down to the origin/originator of everything.

Regarding the content of your beliefs, i am not particularly interested, given the lack of standard for believing on your side. I simply do not have enough time to listen to everyone who is engaged in wishful thinking.

[Jehanne]

Is anyone here prepared to discount the Aztec religion? Maybe that religion was the One True Faith??

[Anomalocaris]

Deesse23: yes, on faith.

Well, as you have explained yourself, you believe in the hope you may find out in the future your beliefs may be true. Thats wishful thinking you are engaged in. My standards are higher than that, especially when it comes down to the origin/originator of everything.

Regarding the content of your beliefs, i am not particularly interested, given the lack of standard for believing on your side. I simply do not have enough time to listen to everyone who is engaged in wishful thinking.

Any standard of any type even remotely worthy of the name standard is higher than that.

As a reason to believe there is actually nothing that can even theoretically be worse than faith.   It encapsulates in one word every last wrong reason to believe, and exclude every last right reason to believe.

Every other bad reason to believe is just a subset of faith that manages to miss out on a few of the bad reason to believe.

[Nay_Sayer]

Is anyone here prepared to discount the Aztec religion?  Maybe that religion was the One True Faith??

The practicers of MATOS MOCTEZUMA had a lot of contact with fsm after all you can't spell MATOS MOCTEZUMA  without sauce.

As such they were granted special access to the grand Valhalla which is why the civilization all but disappeared, although as a channel of the lord FSM I must tell you all, No more human sacrifice.

[Jehanne]

As with the Mormons, can we ever be sure that with Valhalla that this is, indeed, the "final" revelation??