Main Entry: re�li�gion
This is the definition from Merriam-Webster's Dicionary Online. Note: "institutionalized systems"
James 1 (Bible's description of "religion"
26If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. 27Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
"You are very religious!" I get this a lot from people whenever I talked about God. Yes, I love to talk about my Creator or Heavenly Father! I consider my beliefs more than a religion, but I would rather prefer "relationship with God" because of it being more personal. When I think of "religious", I think of sacred, sacrifices, offerings, and holy. There isn't nothing wrong with these terms, but I prefer "love" and "just". God is a loving and just!
Many don't understand why Christians try to share the "Good News"/"convert" (God does the heart changing) others to "Christianity". They also say that what "right" do they have to "force" (Holy Spirit working on them) their "beliefs" to others. As a "Christian", I (Sal)can only say to them that the "Truth" of Jesus Christ set me free and I want to help others be set free (see my story). Below are some other stories of others that were set free:
Hindu Follower Hears About Christ
�An Indian pastor was by the Ganges River during an annual pilgrimage of Hindu followers, which many bathe in the very dirty polluted river to clean their physical bodies as a way to show their way to ask god to forgive their sins. He saw this lady crouching by the river crying, so he came over and asked her why she was crying. She said that she was crying to her god because she felt she had soo many sins that she couldn�t find any way to forgive all the sins she committed., so she just threw her 6mos old baby as her way to sacrifice. This Indian pastor decided to share the Gospel with her, specifically the story of Abraham about to sacrifice his son Jacob, the sacrifical lamb to Jesus dying on the cross (John 3:16). The lady accepted Jesus into her life and left saying to the pastor �how come you didn�t come earlier?�-STORY shared by Jeff King at the Summer Institute of Ministry Training School.
Native Latin American Indian in Mexico Comes to Christ
Manuel Arenas started a school where young Totoanc students could be taught a series of practical skills coupled with an academic and Bible school curriculum. All this to equip Totonacs to minister spiritually and practically among their own people. Loacted in the village of Zapotitlan de Mendez, Puebla, MEXICO.
In July 1986, Manuel spoke as a delegate to Amsterdam 86� to a youth club in Switzerland. A young man from this club who was invited by his wife came to Manuel after attendees expressed their happiness that the Totonacs had the New Testament in their own Bible.
Youth: �In your talk you said you were glad this Bible translator had come to your village; that if he hadn�t come, you probably would never have heard about Jesus Christ.�
Manuel: �Yes, that�s true, the man�s name is Mr. Aschmann and-�
Youth: �That�s very nice, but what I would like to know is why you gave up your religion in favor of this Western religion. Why is it so important for the Totonac people to know about Jesus Christ and Christianity? It�s my opinion that if Western man wants to believe this sort of thing, it�s okay. But the Totonac people have their own religion. It�s just as good as Chrisitianity-maybe even better. Why do you want your Totonac friends to believe like you? I�m sorry, but I just can�t believe Christianity is better than your Totonac religion.�
Manuel: �Tell me, do you know what Totonacs believe? Have you lived in a Totonac house to see how our household gods are worshipped?�
Youth: �Well, no, not exactly. But I have read some books-�
Manuel: �And I have also read books. Books that descibe what our people look like and what they wear, how we build our houses and how weddings and funerals are conducted. These books also tell others what we believe, but what these books can never tell is how we feel down deep inside. We may look happy on the outside and we may laugh, but inside we are a people who have deep churnings, and nervousness and mistrust of others. And many have a great fear of the gods and spirits that live in special trees and rocks and streams.�
Youth: �But that�s just harmless superstition.�
Manuel: �Let me give you an example of what it is like to live with what you call �harmless superstion� (anting-anting). When you are thirsty, you take a drink of water whenever you want. But in my village, if you are thirsty at high noon, you must wait. You must wait because the people believe the lords of the water and the nearby stream take away the spirit of the person who drinks water at high noon. (Mom: Don�t take a bath everyday or on Fridays) If they do happen to take a drink of water at that time, the person become sick. The witch doctors are called, candles are lit and special flowers and spices are spread around the sick person. (Mom: Would pat our backs with a thick heavy duty knife and meditate/pray)-[God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that eeven handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them�-Acts 19:11; Acts 5:12-16] A chicken is sacrificed and the blood poured out on the ground. Maybe the witch doctor will come four or five times and, after about a week, he will tell the sick person that his spirit has returned and he is better. All this is paid for by the sick person�s family.
I grew up fearing the many evil spirits of the forest, of the stream, the earth and trees. I saw how strong they were and how they bullied those who sacrificed to them. But when the New Testament Scriptures were translated into our language and Totonacs began to believe and accept [Romans 10:9] Jesus Christ into their lives, I saw those fears gradually disappear. This is why I want all Totonacs and everyone to become true believers in Jesus Christ Only He can take away fear and give hope and peace, for this life and for the true life to come.�
�And so Manuel and the young man talked. Manuel carefully and enthusiastically explained the personal benefits [John 10:10] he had received since accepting Jesus Christ into his life. But beyond the personal enrichment of spirit, the maturity and growth and an enlarged world view, Manuel emphasized that authentic Chrisitianity had little to do with religion, traditions or moralizing (Romans 3:23). Rather, he stressed that Chrisitianity had to do with compassion and love-love of God and his Son, Jesus Christ. A love so strong and full of integrity that it allows the true Chrisitan to treat his neighbor as he himself would like to be treated.�
Steven, Hugh. �The Continuing Story: Manuel� Credo Publishing Corporation. @1987. (pp 41-pp 43)
Other Related Resources:
Many religions require you to do "good works" in order for you to be "accepted". There is that "Golden Rule"...
Jesus actually said this in Matthew 7:12.
There are many religions in the world today, which a lot derived from one another due to different personal perspectives:
"NO other gods before me"
"You shall have no other gods before [1] me."-Exodus 20:3
As you take a look back in history, there has been many religions that has gone past and influence the currrent religions today. As you check out the sites I found down below, see if you can find any similarities on the influeces of todays status on religion:
-Africa
-Asia
-Europe
-South America
-Bible (gods mentioned)
"22 Then Elijah said to them, "I am the only prophet of the Lord who is left, but Baal has 450 prophets. 23 Then call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by setting fire to the wood is the true God!" Then they called on the name of Baal all morning, shouting, "O Baal, answer us!" But there was no reply of any kind."-1 Kings 18
Related Sites:
BARBER SHOP CONVERSATION
The Bible says to have an answer for why you believe to those who ask you.This is a good example of an answer to one of the most common reasons people give for ignoring God and His goodness.
A man went to a barber shop to have his hair and
his beard cut as always. He began to have a good conversation with the barber who attended him. They talked about so many things and various subjects.
Suddenly, they touched on the subject of God. The barber said:
"Look man, I don't believe that God exists."
Well, it's so easy, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God does not exist. Oh, tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God exists, there
would be no suffering nor pain. I can't think of loving a God who permits all of these things."
The customer thought for a moment, but he didn't respond because he did not want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop. Just after he left the barber shop, he saw a man
in the street with long hair and a beard. It was very long, and a long time since he had his hair cut and he looked dirty and unkempt.
The customer entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber:
"You know what? Barbers do not exist."
If you think God exists, send this to other people--If you think God does not exist, delete it!
Stories in the Bible where Kings believe who really God is
-Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (present day Iraq)
"14How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"-Romans 10:14-15
Stories of People Calling Upon a "Higher" One
Pronunciation: ri-'li-j&n
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English religioun, from Latin religion-, religio supernatural constraint, sanction, religious practice, perhaps from religare to restrain, tie back -- more at RELY
Date: 13th century
1 a : the state of a religious b (1) : the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2) : commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance
2 : a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices
3 archaic : scrupulous conformity : CONSCIENTIOUSNESS
4 : a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith
Testimonies
� �Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me?
says the Lord.
Or where will my resting place be?
Has not my hand made all these things?�[fn12]
"-Acts 7:47-50
"To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust [him] from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt,
Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for [as for] this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.
Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices [by the space of] forty years in the wilderness?
Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon."-Acts 7:39-7:43
Christian Answers
"the name of a false god - see Acts 7:43; R.V., "Rephan"
In Amos 5:26 the Hebrew Chiun (q.v.) is rendered by the LXX. "Rephan," and this name is adopted by Luke in his narrative of the Acts. These names represent the star-god Saturn or Moloch."
Evil Symbols, from nazarite.net
"MAGEN DAVID - Also known as Solomon's Seal or the Star of David. This symbol used by Yahweh's chosen race (Debarim/Deuteronomy 7:14) is often confused with the hexagram by those not familiar with symbology but the Magen David lacks the all too familiar circle associated with most other popular occultic symbols. Magen is the Hebrew word for shield, this is why it is sometimes called the Shield of David. Legend has it that King David's shield was shaped as such. It is more likely to be associated to King Solomon than with King David as the symbol appears on the handle of King Solomon's Sword.
Some critics claim that the Magen David is the Star of Kiyyan (also: Kijun, Kiyuhn, Rephan, Remphan, or Rhemphan) warned of in Scripture (Amos 5:25-27 & Acts 7:43). I am not fully convinced of there claims for several reasons. If it were such a whicked symbol then why don't the pagans wear it, and why don't you see it being sold at Spencers? Every vile creature that walks the earth seems to wear either a cross or a crucifix around their neck but I have yet to see any, not even one of them who will come within ten feet of the Magen David."
Remphen-Wikipedia
"the King James Version of the Bible's rendering of the Greek word variously appearing in Acts 7 verse 43 as Ρομφα, Ρεμφαμ, Ραιφαν, and Ρεφαν. It is part of a quotation from Amos 5 verse 26 where the Septuagint's reading raiphan or rephan stands the Hebrew Chuin or Kewan. The Greek forms are probably simple mistakes for the Hebrew, k (qoppa) having been replaced by r (resh) and ph substituted for v (yod). Kewan is probably the Old Babylonian Kayawanu, the planet Saturn, another (the Akkadian) name for which is Sakkut, which appears as Siccuth in the earlier part of the verse."
Six Pointed Star: Mark of the Beast-Part 2
"The 6-pointed star is not a Jewish symbol, but an Egyptian symbol which Israel adopted in the wilderness due to their apostasy"...
The six pointed star is associated with the worship of Saturn. Therefore, the beast is Saturn (Satan) and his mark is the 6-pointed star.
"Why do you say that?" asked the customer.
"How can you say they don't exist?" asked the surprised barber. " I am here and I am a barber. Why I just worked on you!"
"No!" the customer exclaimed. "Barbers don't exist because if they did there would be no people with long hair and beard like that man who is outside."
"Ah, barbers do exist, what happens is that people do not come to me."
"Exactly!"- affirmed the customer. "That's the point! God does exist.
What happens is people don't go to Him and do not look for Him. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."
... 26 The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar), "Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?"
... 46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him. 47 The king said to Daniel, "Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery."
48 Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men. 49 Moreover, at Daniel's request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court.-Daniel 2
"..When White finished his cigarette, he returned to the lobby and, waved along by a janitor buffing the terrazzo floors, got into Car No. 30 and pressed the button marked 43. The car accelerated. It was an express elevator, with no stops below the thirty-ninth floor, and the building was deserted. But after a moment White felt a jolt. The lights went out and immediately flashed on again. And then the elevator stopped...
..He used his shoes for a pillow and laid his wallet, unfolded, over his eyes to keep out the light. It wasn�t hot, yet he was sweating. His wallet was damp. Maybe a day had passed. He drifted in and out of sleep, awakening each time to the grim recognition that his elevator confinement had not been a dream. His thirst was overpowering. The alarm was playing more aural tricks on him, so he decided to turn it off. Then he tried doing some Morse code with it. He yelled some more. He tried to pick away at the cinder-block wall...
..And then he gave up. The time passed in a kind of degraded fever dream. On the videotape, he lies motionless for hours at a time, face down on the floor.
A voice woke him up: �Is there someone in there?�
�Yes.�
�What are you doing in there?�
(*Note: in Good Morning America (Monday, April 21st 08'), Nick stated that this voice could've been a "Higher Power"...)
White tried to explain; the voice in the intercom seemed to assume that he was an intruder. �Get me the *#@! out of here!� White shrieked. Duly persuaded, the guard asked him if he wanted anything. White, who had been planning to join a few friends at a bar on Friday evening, asked for a beer...
White never went back to work at the magazine. Caught up in media attention (which he shunned but thrilled to), prodded by friends, and perhaps provoked by overly solicitous overtures from McGraw-Hill, White fell under the sway of renown and grievance, and then that of the legal establishment...
Man Trapped in Elevator for 41 Hours
Nicholas White Went Out for a Cigarette but Got Caught in Elevator With No Food, Water
By RICH McHUGH and JONANN BRADY
April 21, 2008 (ABCNEWS-Good Morning America)
"..Not a religious man, White prayed for help. On Sunday at 4 p.m., White, who was nearly delirious from thirst, heard a voice on the intercom asking if anyone was there. Finally, he was rescued."
Man Trapped In Elevator For 41 Hours
"Nicholas White was trapped in an elevator in New York City's McGraw-Hill building for forty-one hours. Here is a condensed look at White's ordeal, as captured by the building's security cameras."
Video surfaces of man stuck in elevator for 41 hours,
Published April 21, 2008 (theolympian.com)
"NEW YORK � A time-lapse video of a man trapped in an elevator for 41 hours has become something of an Internet sensation after surveillance camera footage emerged after nearly a decade...
Video of his Oct. 15, 1999, ordeal in an elevator in New York's McGraw-Hill building was posted online to accompany an article in the April 21 edition of The New Yorker. It can be seen on the magazine's Web site and had been viewed more than 280,000 times on YouTube by Monday morning.
White said he understood why the video has captured people's attention: So many have wondered what they would do if it happened to them...
Guy Trapped in Elevator: 41 Hour Ordeal Caught On Tape, from gizmodo.com
"White got into elevator car 30 to return to his office in the McGraw-Hill building on Sixth Avenue in New York. It was an express elevator, designed for traffic efficiency, with no stops below the 30th floor, and it jammed around the 13th late on a Friday night.."
Books
-Pop
R.E.M. - Losing My Religion
" this is R.E.M.'s biggest hit"
Video
A Man Fell in a Hole - Bluefish TV
Books:
Q: All Religions lead to God?
A: No (see world religions index)
Healing
History
History of religion in less than 2 min
Movies
Bill Maher�s Movie Mockery of Muslims May Backfire
By Michael Ireland
Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service Wednesday, October 1, 2008
"BELLFLOWER, CALIFORNIA (ANS) -- In Religulous, due to be released in 500 theaters this week, comedian Bill Maher travels to numerous religious sites, such as Jerusalem, the Vatican, and Salt Lake City, interviewing believers from a variety of backgrounds, including Jews for Jesus, Christians, and Muslims.
Ray Comfort
Responding to the movie, best-selling author and TV co-host Ray Comfort said, "I don�t blame Bill Maher for mocking religion. Manmade religion has left a trail of destruction throughout history--from the Roman Catholic Inquisition, its famous Crusades against Islam, and pedophile priests, to hypocritical Protestant ministers and money-hungry televangelists. I can see why he took the trouble to make the movie. In one sense, it�s overdue."
However, the author said that although the film is bound to be popular in the U.S., it may badly backfire on Maher.
Comfort said that in 2007 he befriended the atheist who received national attention for encouraging other atheists to post videos of themselves blaspheming God.
"I emailed him explaining that Muslims translate the name �God� as �Allah,� and suggested that he rethink what he was doing. Muslims killed a number of people for merely publishing cartoons of their prophet Mohammad. I also reminded him that author Salmon Rushdie is still hiding in fear of his life for his Satanic Verses. All it would take is a report on Arab television that Americans were making videos blaspheming Allah and saying, �And I am not afraid,� to stir a response. After I sent that email, the blasphemy challenge seemed to disappear very quickly."
Comfort warns that Hollywood has gotten away with mockery of Christianity, but many Muslims aren�t so tolerant.
"How will they react to a movie that critics describe as �a blasphemous detonation of all things holy�? Even Maher�s casual jesting with his Jesus could be offensive to Muslims, who believe Jesus was a prophet. Imagine if the movie catches the attention of Arab news, which reports, �American Comedian Mocks Allah in Popular Movie.� Already, the International Herald Tribune�s lead article was titled �Maher vs. God.� The movie�s website www.lionsgate.com/religulous links to a site that has a Muslim symbol with the word "Bastard" beside it. While that site has a sense of anonymity, the famous comedian doesn't, as his face is easily recognizable.
"I wouldn�t want to be in Maher's shoes, or even in the seat of a theater that upsets Muslims. We are living in volatile times. We don�t need this sort of thing right now--religious intolerance. I seriously suggest that he postpone the release date, and do a little last-minute editing."
The Canadian Press said that Maher �dissects organized religion, but he's doing it in his laceratingly funny, typically sardonic way�But Maher undermines his arguments at the end when the tone turns sharply serious: He tries to make a connection between religion and all the wars and violence in the world, and he does it with the same kind of certitude he just got done condemning others for having."
Comfort added that he also believes Maher is straining at gnats and swallowing a camel with his movie.
"He is speaking the truth when he talks of religion�s trail of destruction. But religion comes in second when it comes to committing atrocities down through the ages. Atheistic communism is number one. It is responsible for more than 100 million deaths. The problem isn�t religion or atheism. It�s human nature. That's what needs to change."
Comfort is the author of Hollywood Be Thy Name (Bridge-Logos), which looks at Hollywood�s history of blasphemy and why it is so out of step with mainstream America. It explains why movies such as Religulous wouldn�t have made it to the box office before the 1950s, and what it was in 1962 that opened the floodgates to unrestrained blasphemy. "
Music
-Videos
Poems
World Religions Overall:
Golden Rule...
"Golden Rule? In case you�ve forgotten, it�s �Treat others as you would like to be treated.� Or as Jesus put it, �Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.� Or in the words of Hillel, �What is hateful to do, do not to your fellow man.� Muhammad�s take? �Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you.� And even Confucius say, �What you do not want others to do to you, do not do to others.� We think those guys know what they�re talking about."-gaia.com
Abraham & Isaac A Prophetic Journey
"Was God testing Abraham's faith by asking him to sacrifice his son? That was part of it, but I contend it was meant to be a model for the future sacrifice of his son. Often we can not see that God has a much larger purpose for the trials we face. In this case Abraham modeled the Father's redemption of mankind. "
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Denominations (within Christianity overall):
If you still don't believe Jesus (2nd of the Trinity) was God sent by our Heavenly Father (1st of the Trinity) that died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins, and rose again the Third Day and left this earth with the Holy Spirit (3rd of the Trinity). Then ask the "god" you call to and ask for yourself:
(name of your god), show me yourself to me that your are real through your love.
Then ask Jesus next..."Jesus, if you are real, I ask you to show your love to me"
7"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."-Matthew 7:7
Small Communes
-Amish
"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."-Galatians 2:6
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The Pit
Reconciliation
Tradition
Tradition has helped me to keep persevering on what I was raised with, but it can sometimes be an hindrance and be close minded to having your mind being renewed...
"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."-Colosians 2:8
...more on tradition