The drug thread got me kind of curious about the forums Christians views on the matter. I shouldn't really have to spell it out for you guys on my opinion, but I am curious what some Christians who won't just say "Because the Bible says so!" think.
This going-off topic malarkey on threads is really starting to get out of hand. I think a good quote by Jesus was "you will know a tree by the fruit it bears." In this respect He was talking about the many people who would claim to be prophets of God, and how they would reveal their true nature through their actions. Jesus preached peace over violence, He ordered us to love our enemies as we love our friends, and all the while living an extremely humble life. He ate with the outcasts of society and preached that Heaven was accessible to even the most accomplished sinner. And of course, He was prepared to give up His life and endure the most brutal punishments for what He believed in. But if my answer is not what you are looking for, I would suggest you check out Howard Storm and Ian McCormack on YouTube, and how their lives were changed by Christ after they experienced NDEs.
I agree. Yes, I understand that he was a swell guy. I don't think anyone would deny that. But the fact of the matter is that he didn't fulfill any of the Messianic prophecies. I am more curious about the justification Christians give.
They are a little difficult to explain without me having a Torah at hand, but I will quote you from a good source.
As you've probably guessed by now, I'm no Biblical scholar, but I believe this will occur during the Second Coming. Some of them are already coming to fruition since Christ first walked the Earth (the Jews have returned to Israel, and the world is very much aware of God thanks to Christ, meaning Christianity is on the rise in places such as the Far East.) The intention of the first coming was to bring word of the Gospel. It is during the second that the prophecies will finally be fulfilled, although no one knows when this will happen. That is the only answer I can give you. Aside that, I have faith in Jesus that this will come to pass.
My Opinion: There is no Messiah. (No offense intended mind you.) If you really want that shit to happen, then you're gonna have to do it yourself. Get to work Matt.
I don't think we actually have anyone on the forums who would be able to debate the intricacies of Messianic prophecy with you. I'm much more interested in theology than all that. By no means am I a Biblical scholar and I don't much care for the dogma, religion is more about my philosophical point of view than any particular text or prophecy. Nominally I am a Christian, Catholic in particular, but this is mostly due to my particular view of God and the afterlife being very much similar to the Catholic point of view. And Jesus, whether or not you want to call Him the son of God, was a hell of a lot better person than I'll ever be.
I can admire your faith, even if the Second Coming stands on shaky scriptural legs. I am doing my best. So far I haven't accomplished any of that, but it's a work in progress. That is a shame, for I do enjoy some good scriptural debate, mainly because it is all about interpretation. I try not to look at it so much as dogma, for that makes it difficult to examine the books past their religious meaning. I have always been fascinated by all aspects of all religions, especially the Holy Books. Even the most devout Atheist will admit they are some of the most inspiring and dangerous books ever produced. So, I have done my best to study them and find out what is actually true, what is possible, and what the prophets or authors just pulled out of their asses. All that is why I am was a Religious Studies major and I am becoming a Rabbi. And I agree. Jesus was a hell of a person, and a amazing Rabbi. I have raised some eyebrows when I speak of Jesus as a inspiration for me becoming a Rabbi, but the wise ones just nod in understanding. He really was a great man.
I was under the impression that accepting Jesus Christ and no-one else, as the son of God, was prerequisite to being a Christian. But presumably there are lots of less literal interpretations out there
My opion of religion is not to have an exact set of rules like go to mass every sunday but make religion youre way like I go every second sunday but I pray sometimes for ten minutes.I dont beleive in hell and I think jesus was the "Son of God" the only problem with religion is some of the history is dodgy because people lied about stuff for advantages like
You know what. Fuck you. I spend all day trying to guess the location of a temple and kidnapping errr... rescuing Jews to bring back to Israel. This is really the thank you I get?
Well, first we need to start kidnapping Jews and bring them to Israel. Then we'll build a bunch of temples everywhere until we get it rigt. Then converting the whole world and ending disease, sufering, oppression, AND hatred will be the hard part.
The world with the Messiah will be pretty much everything a Anarchist wants then add in the whole no suffering, hatred, or war deal. It will be a leaderless world, so to speak.
