ah ok. so they're taking all the love of jesus without any of the rules. that's so unitarian universalist of them.

i always see it as god being a loving parent. he loves us uncondtionally, whether we follow him or not, but if we do something wrong outside of what he tells us, then we need to be discplined.

and god doesnt make rules to take away the "fun" of life. he does it so that we might enjoy REAL happiness and joy. all the other stuff only satisfies temporarily. thats why u have to do it over and over.

as god says "if you drink this water you will be thirsty again, but if you drink of the living water i give you, never again will you thirst"

thanks for the clarification dreamer.

GO GREEN! YAY!

i just switched all the bulbs in my house to CFL's. using 1/4 the energy and they last a lot longer. neato!

btw, they're HELLA cheap now. $2.97 for a 4 pack at home depot.

art, what do you mean here? are you talking about people who "pray the prayer" and never really live by the bible? or are you talking about people like me who genuinely try their best to follow god, but still screw up sometimes BECAUSE I'M HUMAN? do you think that i am not a christian, even though i go to church almost every week and do my best to live by the bible and christ's teachings? what else can i do but try my best like i am doing now?

everything has a beginning. where did our concepts of good and evil even come from? how can we know what is good with a definite standard to compare it to?

basically at some point something HAD to be created for this universe to exist. things dont just exist for no reason, and out of nothing. so the only explanation i can think of is that someone OUTSIDE the laws of nature, time, and space, creating those laws and we can't comprehend what that THING is.

now this does not point to a christian god per se, but at least a creator. i believe science and religion can coexist. science is just explaining the process of what god did.

but then again, this whole evolution vs creationism debate will go on forever until one is proven wrong, so what i say really doesnt matter. people are gonna believe what they want.

late night rambling is FUN!

*nevermind*

though i agree with you mostly dreamer, you say if we dont live by the book we are not christians. the bible in many areas is lft up to interpretations, so i find it highly unlikely that you interpret it 100% correctly. even if you do, which you don't, cuz no one can know god's will 100%, you are still an imperfect being with sin dwelling in him.

you make it seem like being a christian is all about works and not faith. its a mix of both, moreso faith in my opinion. i try my best to live by the bible, but i stumble and i get back up with christ's forgiveness. does that make me not a christian because sometimes i dont follow the bible 100%? no.

you come off as very "high and mighty", whether you are trying to give off that vibe or not. i would be a little more ready to admit your own faults too along with your points.

maybe wiccan is what you're looking for? not sure.

i respect your beliefs, christian or not. rabbit needs to chill out and stop hatin.

eh, believe what you want dude. god loves you anyways.

read that book i talked about and tell me what you thought about it.

exactly. 11 of the 12 apostles died HORRIBLE deaths and john was exiled to the island of patmos. no one would do that for something they KNEW to be a lie.

even extremist muslims suicide bomb themselves BELIEVING they'll immediately be in heaven with 72 virgins.

just a question too, does it say "female virgins"? haha.

nothing is impossible if he really WAS god. i believe his spirit went to heaven and on the 3rd day came back into his body and he physically woke up and walked around WITH holes in his body.

it's just a name. jesus was a very common name even before jesus existed. same with muhammed. i doubt either version of god would be offended by the practice.

seriously the book i mentioned is a very thorough and interesting read. it addresses this specific theory and many others from BOTH SIDES.

if you are really interested in these kinda arguments against christ, his existence, divinity, and his resurrection you should read "the case for the real jesus" by lee strobel. great book taking the most recent atheist arguments against christ and dashing them to pieces.

ok. sounds good.

oh, my mistake. of course i knew all the first christians were jewish. i just assumed most jews were jewish religion wise, the whole ethnic/religion confusion gets to me.

i actually have only ever met one person i KNEW was a jew. dont get a lot of em in my area from what i can tell.

i am sorry for my ignorance. i thought yeshua was just was jesus' name was in hebrew.

i dont see how i can read it wrong. you said "whatever works for you is right for you".

so if killing folks works for someone that's right for them? i doubt it.

i'm glad u further explained it though. i was just going off your first post.

so then u celebrate him as a great teacher, but not the messiah?

i dont get that view at all. how can u claim someone is a great teacher, yet ignore his claims to godhood? unless u think we was just a looney with some good teachings.

or are u a jewish christian?

wow art. where did u learn all this stuff? are u a pastor or something?

except christ, the ultimate jew.