Re: The power of prayer
 

well staying with evolution, if things have developed - how far has God evolved ??

If God has made everything perfectly then those things man makes are not always perfect - because they were made by man and not by God.

I havent heard much reporting in the Daily Mirror or Express or even The Times that God has made anything recently.
He is treating us the same way as we treat our kids, bring them up then send them out in the big wide world to make a go of it.

Re: The power of prayer
 

But the bible tells us its alright for a man in his 80s to sleep with his wifes maid and get her pregnant. Its alright for the same man to then get his 80 yo wife pregnant and cast out the maid and her son (back to the story of Isaac and Ishmael), if memory serves the bible doesnt tolerate homosexuality either!!?? Then theres "an eye for an eye" ??? hhmmm, we dont adhere to that one do we these days - its not christian. The bible is full of contradictions, horrors, cruelty by god and inaccuracies when it does attempt to explain the meaning of life! So for spiritual health, the last book I'd recommend is the bible. So what else is it good for??

Jo xxx

Re: The power of prayer
 

All the things you have mentioned are Old Testament and you have to remember that this was the culture of the time and also the Jews were bound under the laws of Moses (about 600 of them I believe). In the New Testament (which is New Promise) Jesus came to tell us that He was the fulfilment of all these laws and we didn't have to be bound to the letter of them them any more. There were only two NT Commandments which were:

Matthew 22:The Greatest Commandment
34Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:
36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'[b] 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[c] 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

You will notice that Jesus said that ALL the OT Law and Commandments was contained in these two Commandments.

The OT is important as it sets the scene and context for the NT, but Christians do not have to keep to OT laws, as they aspire to Jesus' greater Commandments..

Re: The power of prayer
 

I do agree that bible reading can be good for spiritual help and well being, the trouble is, which bible and which God, because there is quite a big choice out there.

Buddhist writing can often be extremely helpful, and is recommended by many mental health professionals. 'Going with the flow' is about the best advice I've ever had, and it's so simple.

Engaging in relaxing Yoga is much better then sitting on a hard Church bench with some loud-voiced preacher telling you that will burn in hell unless you get saved.

(Especially if the old woman sitting in front of you gets such a fright from the preacher's words that she passes wind, loudly.)

Re: The power of prayer
 

I don't know which Church you go to, but the one I attend is nothing like that!:rofl:

Re: The power of prayer
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgJ7-...eature=related

Some interesting stuff in this video that could make some re think.

From what I have read it would seem that the Sumerian text in stone (and they found a whole room full of it, Not all yet translated), was written long before Christ came along (who I think was a genius preacher and nothing else, and who did exist) and it seems to me to be pretty much like what is found in the Old testament.

If these translations are true, it could change the whole worlds outlook on God .

Re: The power of prayer
 

Re: The power of prayer
 

The Church where I heard the 'burning in hell' rhetoric was the Billy Graham one, the Evangelists, and it genuinely frightened the woman sitting in front of me to have a farting fit. She was definitely a candidate for a good dipping to cleanse her of her sins.

I'm not being facetious, I believe in a God, a Higher Power, but one for everyone, not just a small part of humanity who study a certain bible and dismiss the other bibles around the world.

Re: The power of prayer
 

One explanation for people's experience of "the voice of god" speaking to them comes from Jaynes - the more primitive human mind experienced the voice of conscience, higher reason, etc., as an internal voice, possibly that of another being of some kind. Because of the bicameral nature - one "side" of the mind giving orders to the other, the voice was experienced as a deity rather than as one's own conscience.

No idea if that's anywhere approaching good science, but it's interesting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicameralism_(psychology)

Re: The power of prayer
 

I believe in that God too. I believe he loves everyone. Not everyone wants him in their life though.

Re: The power of prayer
 

The church I used to attend used to tell us that we werent worthy to eat the crumbs from under gods table, we were wretched sinners and sermons seemed to be mostly about how wonderful god was for forgiving us cos we were so bad. Well I wasnt bad, neither were the others in the congregation. Heck when Jesus was crucified I wasnt even around so he hardly got put there for my sins - awful belittling nonsense that bred a sense of inferiority in people. How dare some minister stand there and spout such stuff and nonsense, I stopped going

Jo xx

Re: The power of prayer
 

You were 'bad' in the sense that you could not live up to God's standards, no-one can.

And I believe that Jesus was crucified for your sins, my sins and all the sin in the world past, present and future, and I know you don't believe that, but I would appreciate it if you refrained from calling it 'belittling' and nonsense'. Thanks. :)

I also agree that there are ways of preaching this without making people feel angry and upset. Preaching is a gift, like any other good public preaching/teaching, and some people are better at it than others. My own pastor is an inspired preacher and people leave church feeling encouraged and enervated.

Re: The power of prayer
 

i dont mean to insult your views, but that how it all used to make me feel. It was insulting. And then reading the old testament hearing how apparently "unchristian" god was made me wonder at the wisdom of the minister - even visiting ministers, different churches etc, all had this view that we were unworthy. It doesnt do a society good to be degraded like that, especially when no one ever defined these so called sins?!! I think you and I are opposite. You werent but now are, I was but now I'm not.

Jo xxx

Re: The power of prayer
 

Thanks. I'm sorry the preaching made you feel like that. :(

Re: The power of prayer
 

Didn't the pope recently say something along the lines of " We should welcome and Bless Aliens in the future"?