Posted by GIT on September 1, 2011, 12:00 am, in reply to "Absolute Truth?"
Anyway... while still a faithful Christian.. I can still see a higher set of truths that all religions aspire to...call it the path on the mountain theory. Each path holds the higher truths. You and I and a billion or two others believe that path was laid out in the Judeo-Christian tradition.
Our Lord says - "I am the way, the truth , and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
I believe Him Dee and I try to allow Him to live through me. If I do not believe the Bible, then I do not believe it is the Word of God, because if I believe it is the Word of God - who am I to question it or add to it or retract from it?
You may ask why I would even try to make other paths equal then?
Well the reason why is that while we have revelations given that Christianity is the true path....there is still so much that we do not know.
Humans cannot fully comprehend the higher truths. We can study ABOUT them... We can try to DESCRIBE them...as we can only TRY to describe God...
Though this statement is true, that we cannot understand Gods truth fully, He has given us a path to follow. I will be first to admit I know very little about other religions and not enough to argue them. What I do know, is that they all are based on works - the only one that is not based on someone doing enough or being good enough to make it to "eternity", is Christianity. It is based soley on the grace of our Lord, that is a huge difference Dee.
I also cannot prove this statement - I am taking that and saying it based on faith of someone elses knowledge, whom I trust.
But as humans...no matter our religious path..we'll never explain it fully. Some believe the fullness will be revealed in the 'by and by'.
So for all those reasons and much more... I just simply disagree with your approach.
With all due respect Dee, you are entitled to disagree. I do not however believe that you have proven that someones core beliefs (or religion), is separate from those things they do, speak, vote, or think etc...
As a matter of fact I think you have proven just the opposite. By your stance on those things you believe, though you are a Christian - you think there are other paths to God. According to our Bible though - there is not and that is what I fully believe.
According to my take on your stance, you do not necessarily believe the things the Bible says - that some things are open for interpretation. I do not believe that, particularly those things in regards to salvation and spiritual truths.
I hope that allows you to understand me better - it is not me trying to say my truth is right - it is me trying to say I fully believe and know Gods truth to be right.
I hope you understand that if I don't stand on that principle, I call God a liar because He is the one who says He is the only way, not me. If I cower to you or anyone else and pretend as though I do not believe what God has said and that all religions are equal - I make people higher than Him because I fear offending them or I fear their opinion of me.
I also hope you can understand why my opinions lead to Him - it is because I fully believe He is the only way, truth and life. I study His Words and principles to form my own. I am imperfect and all to often a horrid example of this, but that is what I strive for.
With that said, this is an open forum, a place for discussion of issues, values, beliefs etc... that is the point. Since proving that our core beliefs are not separate from any other part of our lives - given they(beliefs) are who we are - every single person posting is discussing religion. Discussing their take on life and once again - who their core belief of God is or isn't.