Nineveh
Merely Christian
RightIdea said:1. Does your religion/philsophy cause you to open your heart or set up barriers between you and others who may be different than you?
It causes me to open my heart to those who have set barriers between them and myself by rejecting the one true God. Consequently, I love them enough to tell them they have a problem with God, and that they need to get right with Him or they will, by their own choices, be forever dead.
2. Does your religion/philsophy add to the peace in the world, or encourage battles?
When my Lord returns, there will be peace. First, for a thousand years... and then after a final battle agains the Deceiver, peace for eternity. In the meantime, His "good news" is a "sword" that rightly creates division in the world. Trust tends to divide in the world, not unite, namely because the truth hurts.
3. Does your religion/philsophy give you a sense of superiority or kinship with humanity?
Without God, I'm nothing but a worthless fool. In Christ, I am a new creation, something special and very valuable to God. He desires every person on earth to become just as valuable.
4. Is your religion/philsophy based on love and acceptance or anger and punishment?
Both. People choose their fates in this world. Hell is the greatest monument ever created for the person who chooses not to accept Him. And as the old saying goes... the gates of Hell are locked from the inside. But, as I refered to above, He loves the world so amazingly much that He would go to unbelievable, incredible lengths to reconcile us all. Even to the point of giving His own Son as a sacrifice for sin. He desires that none should perish but all come to repentance. But He's not going to force you...
5. Does your religion encourage openmindedness and learning or closedmindedness and stubborn opinions that cannot be changed?
He desires that we live not by blind faith but by a reasoned faith, so to speak. To love Him not only with our hearts but our minds as well. Loving God with your mind! Living according to love isn't enough. One must live by the principles of love and truth, equally, hand in hand. Either one without the other leads to destruction. And if you don't have the Truth, you don't have Him. And if you don't have Him, you have nothing.
6. Does your religion/philsophy encourage and foster the growth of love such as is found in 1 Corinthians 13?
Amen, of course it does! But as I said above, sometimes that love means telling something a hard truth. If your friend suffers from alcoholism or drug addiction, you don't just shower them with "love" ... ie. niceness. You confront them with the difficult truth, they have a problem, but the good news is there's a solution!
7. Is your religion/philsophy a vehicle for seeing reality as it is or a coat of white paint that you use to gloss over the ugliness?
No rose-colored glasses here. I recognize the rampant wickedness in the world, and I call it what it is. The rapid decline of morality in our world, especially in decriminalizing things like adultery and homosexual sex, it just breaks my heart that so many people want to white wash these things and look the other way, pretend that everything is fine.
8. Does your religion/philsophy cause you true peace of mind that is found only by acceptance and mindfulness of the world as it is with a true sense of compassion for the world and all who are contained in it?
I thought I knew joy before Christ. I hadn't the faintest clue. I was happy... now and then. but there's a difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is based on temporary, earthly things - whether nice clothes and a comfortable house, or jewelry, or status, or sexual gratification, or sunsets and beautiful flowers, regardless all of these things are materialistic in nature. Materialism isnt' limited to just gold watches and fancy cards. But joy... that is transcendent and eternal. My happiness comes and goes. But my joy is 24/7, and unceasing.
I was in a bad car accident (5 cars) a few years ago, and sitting there, with glass and battery acid in my right eye, I "knew" I had lost my right eye. And you know what? I would have never expected to feel this way, but... it was no more disconcerting than if I'd lost a nice leather jacket. "Oh darn" was how I felt. And while my body was in shock, I was at peace, and became consciously aware of the fact that, although I wasn't happy (I guarantee!), I had joy in that moment. Joy in Christ, joy and peace in the guaranteed promise of eternal life in Him, sealed by the Holy Spirit unto the redemption of that promise. Secure and safe.
I wonder... did the one true religion pass the test? (After all, it's not "my" religion.)
Well said
Found in post 317
