What is your belief?
 

For all who care:
I believe there is a loving God. I believe if we are all good to each other, do good in the world and in our own lives, there will be a place for us in heaven. If we hate, spread hatred and are rotten people overall, we won't have a place in heaven. I do not feel that I need to go to church every Sunday, donate 20% of my income to the church or confess everytime I miss mass. I am a charitable person, walk in fund-raising walkathons, try to donate to worthy causes, I have a soft spot in my heart for the American Heart Assn. and the American Cancer Society. I try to be a good person.

I believe that, too. TeriB. I think that God is merciful and is present in so many things and people. I see God in a beautiful blue sky, a perfect purple mum, the glorious ocean. I believe in trying to be the best person I can be and trying to bring a little sunshine into all the lives of the people I know.
I don't believe in having to worhip God within the four walls of a building. I prefer the direct route.
I do believe there is a heaven for those souls who want good to win out over evil. And I do believe the spirit of loves ones lives on to help us and guide us when we need it.

i have never had a relationship with God, but i do believe that he is there, i just can't reach him...i have tried but i can't.
creed is my belief.;)

"Hello, is anybody out there? Just nod if you can hear me. Is anyone home?"

I love those lyrics. I like to think that God is home and we can all relate to that one special person inside, the center of it all, shining through everyone's eyes, all at once.

"United we stand, divided we fall."

A2S-He never leaves you. Whenever, if ever, you decide you want to try again, He will be there ready and willing, holding nothing against you. :)

A huge part of who I think God is, is that He forgives. You can be a horrible, evil person and do awful things, but as long as you sincerely ask for forgivness and make a real effort to change, He will forgive you, no matter what.

This is a really big deal if you, like me, and I think like most people, have done things that you are ashamed of and that you feel horrible about. It is never too late, you can always forgive yourself b/c God forgives you.

I am not a religious fanatic, just a Christian, and this belief is the basis of Christianity.

I am sure that we have all done things that we aren't particularly proud of, and you are right, I believe that despite the things you have or have not done, if you are truly sorry, and make the effort to do better, God is a forgiving one.

Right on!

It really points to the fact that even though we cannot undo what has been done, we can still realize the magic of the moment, and that each and every moment is a chance, an opportunity for us to start once again, fresh with a new vision, a new purpose, and an understanding that your heart and mind, at the moment, is really what counts.

well said.i agree

I see God in my two children (mostly when they are asleep or behaving) but he definitely is there.

I believe that there is an Almighty God. I believe that there is a Holy Spirit of God. I believe that there is a satan. I believe that there is a Heaven. Heaven is for those who are God's children and those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. I believe that there is a Hell. I believe God doesn't send anybody to hell, but we send ourselves there by rejecting God and His son Jesus Christ. I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God, born of a virgin, died on a cross for the sins of the world, rose from the dead on the third day, commanded us to spread the Good News of the Gospel, promised to come back for his followers one day in Father God's time. I believe that the Holy Bible is the infallible word of God and that noone should add or take away from it. I believe what I believe and I live what I believe.

I do not believe that you have to accept Jesus Christ as your savior, or even believe in him, to go to heaven. (Think about people who are never even exposed to Christianity for instance!) I do not believe in hell b/c I know that my God is a merciful God, and a forgiving God who is full of mercy would not condemn His children, who He loves more than we can even imagine loving someone, to agony for eternity. I completely reject the whole idea of hellfire and damnation, which is certainly an invention of the human mind. To me, that's ridiculous.

Allison do you not believe in the Bible? I noticed that in a previous reply you call yourself a Christian. To be a cHRISTian you must believe in Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. To be a Christian you must be a follower of Jesus Christ. That is the fundemental core belief in Christianity... no matter what denomination. If you do not believe in Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior then I feel that you should not call yourself a Christian... you are misrepresenting what Christianity stands for and believes. From what you have stated allison, I feel that you are a spiritual person... but because you deny Jesus I would not consider you a Christian. No matter what denomination within Christianity you go to, the core belief of them all is that Jesus is the son of God, died on the cross for the atonement of the sins of the whole world, and that he rose from the dead on the third day and ascended into heaven and he promised to come back. I am not trying to talk down to you, or belittle your beliefs... so please don't misunderstand me. I just feel you are misinformed as to the meaning behind what a Christian is and believes in.

You need to re-read my post, carefully. I NEVER stated that I do not believe in Christ, or that he is not MY savior. I DO and he IS. I simply stated that I do not think that people that do not believe these things go to hell. Simple as that.

Forgive me for not understanding you fully. However, by what you just said then you must not believe what Jesus Christ said , John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." As I asked before do you not believe all of what the Holy Bible teaches? I'm Just curious...

I have to agree with allison on this point. What about the jungle people in Africa? I am sure many of them have never been exposed to Christ or Christianity, but does that mean they will automatically go to hell? They never have a chance to accept Jesus as their savior for the simple fact that there is no one there to expose him to them. Does that make sense? I think it's unfair to say that unless you accept Him, you will not go to heaven.

Gods Anger at Sin and how EVERYONE knows Him instinctively...

Romans 1

18) But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who push the truth away from themselves. 19) For the truth about God is known to them instinctively. God has put this knowledge in their hearts. 20) From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God.
21) Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. The result was that their minds became dark and confused. 22) Claiming to be wise, they became utter fools instead. 23) And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people, or birds and animals and snakes.
24) So God let them go ahead and do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other's bodies. 25) Instead of believing what they knew was the truth about God, they deliberately chose to believe lies. So they worshiped the things God made but not the Creator himself, who is to be praised forever. Amen.
26) That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. 27) And the men, instead of having normal sexual relationships with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men and, as a result, suffered within themselves the penalty they so richly deserved.
28) When they refused to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their evil minds and let them do things that should never be done. 29) Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, fighting, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. 30) They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They are forever inventing new ways of sinning and are disobedient to their parents. 31) They refuse to understand, break their promises, and are heartless and unforgiving. 32) They are fully aware of God's death penalty for those who do these things, yet they go right ahead and do them anyway. And, worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.

In todays age missionaries are reaching those people in far off jungles and in the majestic mountains around the world. There is hardly anyplace now that hasn't been touched by missionaries.

Again, I do not believe that for a human being to be admitted to heaven, they must accept Christianity as their religion and belief system. Since you do, I'd like to know how you can believe that our God, as loving and merciful as He is, would condemn the following 2 examples of people to hell:

Example 1: a child who does not yet have the capacity to know what she believes

Example 2: a person living in Afghanistan, or Japan, or anywhere else where Christianly is not the dominant religion, who has never even had the opportunity to learn about Jesus

(Note: those are not the only 2 types of non-Chrsitians that I think would still go to Heaven)

As for your question of whether I believe "all that the Holy Bible teaches", yes, of course, although I think that just as different people hold differing opinions, people interpret the Bible in different ways. Some take it literally, word for word, others try to understand it in the context in which it was written, which, alot of times, it not a literal interpretation. You choose to take it literally, I do not believe that it should be taken that way. You have your opinion of the "right" way to take it, and I have mine. And that's OKAY.

First of all I do not take the Holy Bible ALL literally or All Symbolically. This is where the study of the scriptures, customs of that time and place come in handy. You have to educate yourself of the ways of those in Biblical times, use some common sense to determine what is meant to be symbolic and what is meant to be taken literally. The scripture I just gave above... how could you take that symbolically? Please explain to me what exactly you think that the scripture gave above, especially the part that is in bold, means... I'm assuming that you think it's meant to be symbolic... then explain to me how so.

Second, as for the child issue... have you ever heard of such a thing as the age of accountability? Most Christian denominations believe in it. No I don't feel God is going to send a child to hell... for they have not come to the age of accountability yet. Meaning that they have not come to the full mental capacity to understand that they are a sinner in need of salvation. You can't expect a newborn to know how to read, write and add 2+2 right after birth... for they do not have the mental capacity to do these things. The same goes for the age of accountability. The age of accountability is different for every person... some mature mentally faster than others.

Third about those who live in places where Christianity isn't the dominate religion... refer to the scripture that I gave in my previous reply... especially the part that is in bold.

You're not adding up here.

So are you now saying that the ones that haven't been reached by missionaries are off the hook?

And WHY would there need to be missionaries if everyone knows God "instinctively"???

You took the words right out of my mouth, Allison.

No I don't feel God is going to send a child to hell... for they have not come to the age of accountability yet. Meaning that they have not come to the full mental capacity to understand that they are a sinner in need of salvation.

A newborn baby is a sinner in need of salvation? I'm not getting that. Again, it's all in interpretation of the bible. I don't believe that a child who is not baptized is a sinner in need of salvation. My best friend is Jewish, did not have her baby baptized, but is raising that child to be a good person (not a Christian) and treat others well, help people and generally live a good life. Is that child going to hell?

So you do think that the above person would go to hell??? That they should somehow just "instinctively" know that they need to deny their born religion and everything that they've been taught and somehow just know that they need to believe in some man that THEY have never even heard of? Ridiculous! But, like I said, that's your opinion, we won't ever see eye to eye on this, and that's OKAY.

I think I'm done here. Peace.

Yes, me too. I think we should just agree to disagree and be done.

First of all I don't believe in baptizing babies. Baptism by water doesn't save someone's soul all by itself.

John 3:4) "What do you mean?" exclaimed Nicodemus. "How can an old man go back into his mother's womb and be born again?"
5) Jesus replied, "The truth is, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6) Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven. 8) Just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can't explain how people are born of the Spirit."

A person must be mentally capable of understanding that they are a sinner... in need of a Savior...need to be baptized by water... and born again of the Holy Spirit of God... which means that they must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior... then the Holy Spirit of God transform them into a new creature spiritually speaking. The transformation comes on the inside of the spirit... the baptism by water is just a mere outward symbol of the work on the inside of the spirit.

Second of all The Jewish religion doesn't even acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Savior. They are still waiting for the Savior to come and save them. They don't even acknowledge the Holy Bible other than the first five books of the Old Testamment called the Torah. Therefore by what the Bible sspeaks of that Jewish mother will go to hell if she doesn't accept Jesus Christ as her personal savior before she dies. Unless she is a Messianic Jew... a Jew who holds to the traditions of their faith but they also believe that Jesus Christ is indeed the Savior and have made Him the Lord and Savior of their lives.

As for the baby... if that baby died at this very moment without becoming mentally capable of understanding the plan of salvation then no that baby would not go to hell.

I was born into a family where they were pentacostal and most all spoke in tongues... yet their spirits were so critical, judgemental, mean spirited, greedy, and often malicious. I just instinctively knew that there was more to the God of the Holy Bible than what my family represented. I searched and searched for God in my spiritual journey. I've been to the pentecostals, Methodists, Baptists, Catholosism, I was even once a Wiccan... but not one of these man made religions showed me the God that I instinctively knew in my spirit was out there. I had to experience Him for myself. Through different people who refused to conform to one particular denomination in Christianity God revealed himself to me. In the beginning though, I was born into a long line of pentecostals.

To be born into a man made religion isn't an excuse for not knowing that there is a ONE TRUE GOD out there in heaven.

We may not see eye to eye on this issue... but I have never once meant to belittle anyone or talk down to anyone. This is merely an intelligent debate between intelligent people.

Absolutely. No one is here to belittle anyone. It's just apparent that we disagree on a few things, is all. You have your beliefs and I have mine. Tolerance is the key.

WOA! I already posted about my beliefs and commented to Lady V on the old board. I believe in an everpresent, all powerful God that is the creator, sustainer of all of life - available to anyone that opens their heart and stills their mind. I believe that Jesus' greatest teachings were about forgivenss, love and our direct relationship with God. I am going to lovingly bite my tongue now and leave this thread - but first I would like to ask all those NON-CHRISTIANS to try, like me, to forgive Lady V's judgemental, self-righteous words.

Yes, I do forgive those words, as I am trying to practice what I preach by being tolerant of others' opinions even though I respectfully disagree with them.:)

Off on a tangent, I'm going to come out of the closet, so to speak, in the hopes that the other members of this board will not laugh at my beliefs, but actually ponder them to some extent. I'm not a preacher, but I do feel I have something important to share.
So, without further ado, here it is.

I believe that everyone is one person. I in you, you in me; we're one.

To me, it's as real as the air I breath, the skin I feel, the thoughts I think, the computer screen in front of me. It's not a philosophy, nor an idea. It's not a possibility, nor a concept; it's life in every moment and in every way I experience.

Ask yourself this: Who are you living for when it really matters? You believe you have eternal life? If so, is that life yours or someone else's? And, when it comes to the matter of salvation, why do you want to be saved in the first place? Does the idea of hell scare you? Do you want heaven? For whom do you want these things? The answer to that is the one you love. Once you begin to realize the essence of the one inside, take it higher and see that one in everyone else. Magnify and expand yourself so that you may love others as yourself and not live or work for you alone, but for the greater self in all.

Sounds twisted, but to me, it's right here, right now, and it's the truth.

Again, take it for what it is. I don't expect it to make much sense and I'm not trying to push, just share.

It's not twisted. It is your belief, it is a very valid belief and you explain yourself very well. Thank you for sharing that and for being descriptive so that we understand. I respect you for that.:)

Again I say that everything that I have said so far have not been meant to belittle or to tear down. I was having an intelligent conversation with someone who cliams to be a fellow Christian... someone who believes in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. I was trying to understand how a Christian can pick and choose what they like out of the Holy Bible... the very basis of the Christian faith. I was trying to understand the person and sharing what I feel the Bible says about the subject. Not once was I trying to tear anyone down. You people often mistake someone who is outspoken and confident in their beliefs with someone who is pushing their faith or is trying to belittle someone else's beliefs. You guys are so blinded that you can not see that you guys are not being tolerant of me by belittleing me and asking people to forgive my judgemental and intolerant words. I am a Christian. I am also very outspoken. I study the Bible intensely. And I am very confident and proud of my belief in Jesus Christ and the Holy Bible. I will never back down and say that I am wrong for these things. I have done nothing wrong here. You people need to learn to be tolerant of the fact that I am outspoken and confident in my beliefs. It's not like I was pulling things out of my rear like other people on the old board without having a basis for why I believe the way I do. I don't expect for Non-Christians to understand my reasoning. I was conversing with a person that claims to be of the same religion that I believe in. I was in no way shape or form pushing my beliefs, or being judgemental towards anyone. May each and everyone of you have a blessed day.

Cool. I like it when people express themselves. Just let it go.

Life flows. Good, bad, up, down, in and out. Things are what they are and it's all a part of what was, is, and will be. Just go with it, I say, and enjoy the ride, or the float.

I appreciate your sharing and am open to sincere thoughts/others experiences. A good tangent - not twisted to me.

Here's a verse I love by Black Elk, <i> "The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize that their relationship, their oneess, with the universe and all its powers, and when the realize that at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us." </i>

This may be a bit 'odd' for some, but it feels right to me, especially for this thread. It's by Paramahansa Yogananda,<i> "Our One Father, we are traveling by many true paths unto Thy one abode of Light. Make us feel that the diverse religions are branches of Thine one tree of truth. Bless us, that we may enjoy the intuition-tested, ripe, luscious fruits of self-knowledge, hanging from all the branches of manifold scriptural teachings. In Thine one temple of silence, we are singing unto Thee a chorus of many-voiced religions. Teach us to chant in harmony..." </i>

Most cool, my friend. On the same page, I see we are. Looking forward to Sacramento, I am. Getting the chance to me you, I hope I have. Talking like Yoda, I will now stop.

Perhaps I am a little sorry for reacting to your scriptural interpretations and judgements. God Bless - go in peace

Hey Yoda, Looking forward to meeting you too - and will be gentle in my tripping ;)
Another for this Thread..<i>"Christianity does not ask us to live in the shadow of the Cross, but in the fire of its creative action" (Teilhard de Chardin)</i> - great lyrics for Creed!

Romans 2
1: You, therefore, have no excuse. You who pass judgement on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgement do the same things.
6-11: God will give to each person according to what he has done. To those, who persist in doing good, seeking glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil; first for the Jew, then for the Gentile (Christian). But glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good; first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism.

This sums up what I believe about Heaven & Hell. I got this from the Holy Bible because as a Gentile/Christian, this is my book. I believe, as the Dalai Lama beleives: that there must be different religions because each culture has their own way of defining life. Yes, every human has the ability to know God. Every person in their right mind knows the difference between right and wrong. I only wonder how I can go to Hell because I believe in and talk to God. Not Jesus or Mohummed or Mary or any other sons and daughters of God.
LadyV, you have not answered the question of those who never know Jesus. DO you believe they are going to Hell because the missionaries haven't gotten to them before their death? That does not sound like the loving, forgiving, and just God that I know.

Straight out of the bible. Jews will have eternal life if they do good, seek glory, honor and immortality. Jews, who have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. You do good, you will be rewarded, you do bad, you will be punished. It's a lesson I learned from my parents.

"God is a concept by which we measure our pain." John Lennon

IMO, this is what it's all about. Your pain. Heaven cannot be known without the experience of hell. There cannot be good unless there is bad to define it. This is the ying and yang, the reality of duality. It's the balance of life. All things have there opposites.

On that day when you take this life in vain; when you truly believe it meaningless, every waking moment and action worthless, then you'll taste darkness and pain like never before and nothing else will matter because nothing will seem to matter. Oh, what absolute bitter, seamingly hopeless fear this can be. And, only with faith, hope, and perseverance, can you climb out of those depths of despair and reenter the light and taste the fruit of heaven, realizing the love that surrounds and permeates every moment, every action, and everyone in your life.