I Believe the New Testament, Not Tenets nor Traditions

Hey, Garyd, I think you forgot to answer to ma2gique above.

What's the matter? Lost you tongue, or lost the whole argument? Can I ask: how old are you? 15 ? Do you have a kid? Any compassion for humankind in you?...or would you rather kill all the kids that lack respect to their parents without asking questions?

You're like most religious people: you have artificial ethical/moral standards that are completely detached from those that would quite naturally come to those people with compassion and empathy. You are cold, and have lost your humanity in your quest for the divine.

Hey, pastor Taylor, aren’t you proud of your sheep?

What is your point Garyd? We should execute them just in case?

Another sophomoric column from the good reverend.

Oh, well...

The menedezs brothers ring any bells Modern man.

The point of the Scripture is simply this one who will not respect his own mother and father will likely hold little if any respect for the rest of your society either including its laws guidelines and Mores and will more often than not provide you a reason to execute him at some point in his life regardless.

To anonymous:

I believe in God. I believe. I believe. Like I said, I believe.

The Bible, all sacred scriptures being hoaxes, the word of Devil even DOES NOT mean there is no God. Atheists are just a smiggen ahead of the curve, not believing in Devil curve that is.

I never met an atheists that didn't agree there may be some higher power than man. Not believing in hoaxified versions of A higher power like the sickly, sorry, puny thing Moses made the deal with is not atheists per say. It's just plain sensible.

Flame away MM -It's NOT bothering me. : )

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19140641/site/newsweek/

To Anonymous above: we've been abused, tortured and maimed by religious people for a few centuries... and it's not over yet. You should be pleased that we are satisfied with returning the favour with words.
/A (devout) atheist

Its funny how much anger a few atheists pollute these threads with. This forum was created as a place for liberals to rethink and regain some political power and its dominated by a small vitriolic group -a repulsion to the people the forum wanted to attract and a true hindrance to the forums goals.

"Was God really behind the events of 9-11? Allah may not be questioned. Allah will do the questioning."

What kind of nonsense Gibberish!

Calling Devil God does not make Devil God but does make Him, (definitely male) happy. That's what the *fallen angels* did, worshiped, honored, adored, glorified and sacrificed to the Lord of hell, Lucifer.

"Go to your churches, temples, synagogues, mosques and pray" - GW Bush 9-11-2001.

Was God really behind the events of 9-11? Allah may not be questioned. Allah will do the questioning.

Faith is good for ya. Faith in what?

Good idea! Throw out the old testament.

http://www.hoax-buster.org/sellyoursoul says Moses, the OT superstar sold his soul to Devil, that the being in the ball of fire Moses made the deal with was not God at all. It challenges those who say it was God to show evidence. The evidence says Devil.

Isn't that crispy critter in the ball of fire the father of Jesus? Devil wins another one.

The big money goes to those who lead the multitudes to hell. How's the collection been here lately?

Well said, Denis. So clear and concise... Can I quote you?

By one of those untoward accidents of history, Western Civilization burdened itself with two incompatible belief systems: the ravings of a genocidal band of sheep-herders written in an unclear Semitic anguage, and the "New Testament," logically incoherent but at least written in clear Greek. The second text contains many more ideas similar to European humanism, making it incongruent with the primitive tribalism of the first. However, its utility as a civilizing influence has long past; it's dividied into mutually opposed sects and its explanations for our existence have been superceded by science.

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Amen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx8P9CQorZw

It's true that God used many who were unschooled, ordinary, weak and even wimps to deliver his message but to my knowledge never used a self declared criminal such as Paul. Maybe Paul was the exception or maybe he was simply a good liar.

I can't help and sit here in stunned wonder at the noise, hypocrisy, passion, certitude and judgement being generated on either "side" of this argument.

Some experience God as the "He" of history and Christian reflection. Some experience the same wonderous connectedness by simply sitting quietly and viewing a newborn child or a bee quietly buzzing about on a Summer afternoon. Some find other faiths/thought processes/traditions to connect with this long standing human desire.

This argument about whether one or "the other" is "right or wrong" is merely another example of the pain and suffering we inflict on each other. All this disccussion of "who owns the ultimate truth" can easily be reduced to its essence; a matter of one's ego - which, from my perspective, has very little to do with connecting to the greater messages that we all seem to experience. It mitigates and erodes us at the very core.

Drive your Camri, your '72 Dodge or a Ferrari - the vehicle itself is fairly irrelevant - it's where you're going and why you wish to even go there that counts. I have compassion (please don't confuse that with pity, which is arrogant) for all here looking to express, defend, question, or dismiss all that has transpired here. It is a great expression of the complexity of our shared humanity and the desire to understand...

Peace

and he gave them over to a reprobate mind...

Mark: Try to have compassion on the angry posters. They always react that way when Scripture is posted:

God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to sorrow. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

Neither Pastor Taylor nor anyone else approaches the bible (either section) without biases formed by their upbringing and interpretations formed by tenets and traditions. To aver otherwise is simply naive, disingenuous or dishonest.

By the way, Mark, are you actually unable to see that the actual arrogance displayed is almost always by you christians? Anyone who dares to say they know the answers about where the universe comes from or somehow pretends to KNOW that God and Jesus are real is displaying the height of arrogance. Anyone who dares to tell others that THEIR ideas about how to live life, like such issues as abortion, homosexuality, marriage, etc. because their god told them so is UNBELIEVABLY arrogant. The more I think about it, the more stunned I am that any christian would dare to call ANYBODY arrogant. I would never expect someone so illogical as a christian to understand this though. Since when did christians care about right and wrong anyway? Never have, never will.

I am sick of superstitious people daring to call an unwillingness to believe fairy tales arrogant. Just because you don't understand something doesn't make it magic. Just because something is amazing doesn't mean it has to have some supernatural explanation. It is your comprehension that is in question here. Go ahead and believe in fairy tales, elves, leprechauns, angels and God. It is destructive and childish though. We will never move forward as a species while we still look at the universe with a child's eyes. Most of you religious folks would have sworn up and down that Zeus was real a couple of thousand years ago, and you would have been just as wrong and foolish as you are now to insist upon magical gods and demons running the universe.

Chris:

It is arrogance that believes magic does not exist simply because you cannot comprehend it.

Are you so arrogant to say that you understand how a simple apple seed works? How can something dead, dried-up and completely worthless, be placed in the ground and then suddenly sprout, grow, and eventually become a magnificent tree.

I think that dead seed living again qualifies as magical.

Children. It is childish thinking that believes magic is real. Just foolishly believing in magic is bad enough, but when people start talking about some myth that has been altered, translated, altered some more, translated some more, etc. and saying it is the basis for life and death is insane. Even if there was a magic dude called God, it would be silly to believe that this version of the Bible has all that much to do with the original, which may be a good thing after all, since the original was written by people who didn't even know that they lived on a planet circling a star.

Pastor Taylor:

I heard your sermon:

"Sickness and sorrow: pain and death are felt and feared. God shall wipe away ALL! ALL! ALL! ALL TEARS."

And it brought this Scripture to my heart:

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

You are quite wrong, Found It.

I have a child, and the perfection of this little being is always a source of awe for me. I see the sunset and ask myself the same questions as you do, regarding eternity and infinity. I am amazed by all the contradictions of this world: its beauty as well as its cruelty.

The difference between you and me is honesty. I simply don't know the answers to all the questions that come to my mind when I look at the stars... And I refuse to invent them.

This being said, since humanity has refused the answers from revelation, refused to accept that the earth was at the center of the universe (for instance), we have learned a lot. And, I dare say, our quest for real answers is our noblest quest...

The atheists have no way to know spiritual reality. Many are out of touch with worldly truth. Like this poster who says: "some redneck is around".

Stand.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-D5cVHpISEk

Yes, I agree with Paul: it is foolishness.

When a con artist shows up the Good Lord makes sure some redneck is around to hear the message.

Candide?

Con artists and fools?

Con artists don't die for their causes. They take your money and run .

Paul and Peter both were martyred for their "foolishness ".

A quote from Paul -

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written:
"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."

He has got you down to a tee. 2000 years before.........

Pastor Taylor, you are a wonderful example.

Stand up for what you know is right and most importantly keep the Love of Jesus always on your mind..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1uzg7Z6CA0&mode=related&search=

Thank you Pastor Taylor, for your clear and succinct statement of Faith.

Believe the New Testament? What folly. It is designed to conceal, not to reveal the real Jesus. It was written by con artists and fools.

Modernman brings up a good point. You can believe that the Bible is divinely written and that the New Testament is a basis for living your life. You can cherry pick the parts of the Bible that you feel you need in order to justify almost anything. But the Bible was translated at points in time - from Greek, from Hebrew, for German and I know from experience that some ideas, some phrases, some words even get lost in translation. So, how can you take all the parts of the Bible - including the Old Testament and use that as a basis for living you life. Faith is what some people need in order to get through life, this does not make them wrong. Questions are what other people need to get through life and try to make sense of things. As a Unitarian Universalist we often say that we have questions for your answers - some of us are atheist, some of us are Buddhist, and some even read the Bible but we all believe that we must live in Peace on this planet and that we must question what we do not understand or what we feel is wrong. How can you not question. If you just follow blindly, and parrot back what some Pastor has said is right, how do you ever have a personal relationship with GOD? God did give us brains - we should not waste His bounties by not thinking for ourselves.

Sorry for interrupting your dreams, ladies and gentlement, but are we talking about the same document that states "For God said, Honor your father and mother and Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death." (Matthew, 15-4)?

If so, please explain why you consider this to be a good rule...

Very good Pastor TAylor.

Thank you, Pastor. For your clear and succinct statement of Faith.

In the present changing world, Christians need to be able and willing to define and defend their Faith to every walk of life.

Dear Pastor Taylor,

"The New Testament faith will stand secure and sure when time is no more."

I would call that wishful thinking.

I wholeheartedly agree. "Family values" coming from a Mormon are not where my faith rests. I hope that in the next election, real Christians remember that their citizenship is in heaven, not the US, and their loyalty is to Christ, not the Republican party.