This a simple poll. I am not trying to start any kind of philosophical debate here.

There is no need to qualify you answer with a comment. I don't expect anyone to be converted here.

I have tried to keep this short and inoffensive. If you are offended, get therapy immediately.

There is only one God, which is made up of a Trinity: The Father God, Jesus & the Holy Ghost. The only way to Heaven is by the way of God's Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior. Jesus will cleanse your soul and forgive your sins, forever....There is no other way.....

Edited February 28, 201016 yr by tsmrdh

There are many religions that believe that they have the answers but respect other religions and accept the fact that the others may have it right as well.

If there are 'religions' out there who feel that there are many other ways than their own, I have never heard of them. We shouldn't confuse religions with denominations. there are many differing denominations of Christianity, but I believe that they all agree that faith in Jesus is the only way to Heaven. They may disagree on other things, but not on that main principle.

Catholics, for instance, totally respect the sacraments of other churches. It affects many things relating to their members and how they treat people of other religions within the confines of their church, as well as the way their members are expected to behave in relation to other churches' sacraments.

Not so with Southern Baptists, for instance. They believe that they are the ONLY ones with the answers and the ONLY ones who are getting into heaven. If you are not baptized in their church, you're doomed. Unless that ideology has changed since I was baptized there many years ago.

Having participated up close and personal in both of those churches, I can tell you which one I believe has a better chance of being right.

I watched Catholics go about the community doing good works for anyone in need. I watched the Baptists very vocally criticize the non-Baptist community members and take care of their own. It was a dramatic contrast in community service, love and generosity and being good because it's the right thing to do. Versus doing something simply because you're looking out for your own hide and hell-bent (if you'll pardon the expression) on getting into heaven.

Please don't think that I am saying that all Catholic churches are good and all Baptist churches are bad. I'm merely using those two experiences of mine to show the contrast between them, as I experienced them.

I believe that there will be many people from all kinds of different christian 'denominations' iin Heaven. Baptists, methodists, catholics, presberterians, etc. This is true because their are many from each of these denominations who have put their faith in Jesus to bring them there.

I also KNOW that your deeds (good or bad) and how you lived your life does NOT determine your destination at death. This has already been decided by God. He says that those who put their faith in him to SAVE them will go to Heaven, and those who don't will go to Hell. Some can't fathom this. How could a person who does so much wrong in his life go to Heaven and someone who did so much good go to Hell? Satan has reallly confused people with getting them to believe it's about being good or being bad in life. Truth is, a very bad person who truly repents and is sorrowful for all he has done in his life will receive God's forgiveness and acceptance into his family. He will end up in Heaven. And, someone who has done so many wonderful things for others in their life, yet has never acknowledged God or felt the need to repent for anything he has done will not know God and will end up in Hell. It's hard to fatham if you don't understand what is required of a person in order to enter into Heaven. Many denominations get it wrong. MANY, MANY people feel that "how" they live or "what" they do for others is their guarantee of Heaven. This is just not true. Did you ever see some Catholics, in all sincerity, crawl on their knees for miles, in an act of repentance, to be accepted by God, or say 100 Hail Marys to be forgiven. They just don't understand. It isn't needed. Jesus did it all for us, all we need to do is accept it from him.

I'm goin' to heaven! I was baptised in a Southern Baptist church after I accepted Jesus into my heart and turned my life over to God when I was in 4th grade! neener! :biggrin:

(though I do believe there is more to it than that)

Did you ever see some Catholics, in all sincerity, crawl on their knees for miles, in an act of repentance, to be accepted by God, or say 100 Hail Marys to be forgiven. They just don't understand. It isn't needed. Jesus did it all for us, all we need to do is accept it from him.

__________________

They do that as penance for sins. Catholics believe that Jesus gave his disciples (and therefore priests) the powers to forgive or not forgive sins. If the person confesses sins and says a sincere act of contrition, they are forgiven and given a penance.

Did you ever see some Catholics, in all sincerity, crawl on their knees for miles, in an act of repentance, to be accepted by God, or say 100 Hail Marys to be forgiven. They just don't understand. It isn't needed. Jesus did it all for us, all we need to do is accept it from him.

__________________

They do that as penance for sins. Catholics believe that Jesus gave his disciples (and therefore priests) the powers to forgive or not forgive sins. If the person confesses sins and says a sincere act of contrition, they are forgiven and given a penance.

I understand the reason they give, but I just can't see the reason behind it. Anyone, and that includes any Catholic priest, who has read the bible, knows that all people have been given free access to God through what Jesus did for them and does not need to speak to God through anyone else, like a priest. We can go to him, through Jesus, and in His name, and ask him anything our hearts desire, even forgiveness. As for the crawling on the knees or saying 100 Hail Marys, Jesus already paid the penalty for our sins. We don't need to pay penance. When we do that, it's like telling God that his Son's sacrifice on the cross wasn't good enough or sufficient enough for us, and it was.

Edited February 28, 201016 yr by pattygreen

Me too hummingbird! Neener,neener. But according to some, that's all you have to do.

And you are quite right Cleo's. And the Pope is infallible and other stuff.

As for terminology, patty, religion can be interpreted as:

any systen of belief, worship or conduct; a state of mind; any object of conscientious regard and pursuit and more. It can mean denomination or church or it can mean personal belief in a divine superhuman power or powers to be obeyed or worshiped. Or even to unite publically with a church.

Just because you use a word to describe one thing in your everyday pontificating vernacular doesn't preclude someone from using it in a different context for it to be correct. I used it appropriately, just perhaps not in the same way you normally use it.

Me too hummingbird! Neener,neener. But according to some, that's all you have to do.

The scrippture does say that faith without deeds is dead. So, one can say that from this you must have some kind of fruit from your profession of faith besides just saying "I believe." For even Satan believes in God and we all know where he spends his eternity. I believe that Jesus was saying that if you have faith in God and believe that he exists, it will be impossible for you to just sit there and do nothing with what you believe. You will pray for others, you will give of your time to teach others about what you know, you will give generously to spread the good news, you might give to those who are in need of anything, you will love others as yourself, you will read your bible and get to know God, and on and on our deeds will go. But, our 'deeds' , or actions and things that we do, will not 'save' us. It's our faith in Jesus that does that.

But, our 'deeds' , or actions and things that we do, will not 'save' us. It's our faith in Jesus that does that.

Yup, like I said, that's what some people believe.

WHEN I SAY I AM A CHRISTIAN

When I say..."I am a Christian"

I'm not shouting "I am saved."

I'm whispering "I was lost!"

That is why I chose this way.

When I say..."I am a Christian"

I don't speak of this with pride.

I'm confessing that I stumble

and need someone to be my guide.

When I say..."I am a Christian"

I'm not trying to be strong.

I'm professing that I'm weak

and pray for strength to carry on.

When I say..."I am a Christian"

I'm not bragging of success.

I'm admitting I have failed

and cannot ever pay the debt.

When I say..."I am a Christian"

I'm not claiming to be perfect,

my flaws are all too visible

but God believes I'm worth it.

When I say..."I am a Christian"

I still feel the sting of pain

I have my share of heartaches

which is why I seek His name.

When I say..."I am a Christian"

I do not wish to judge.

I have no authority.

I only know I'm loved.

Author Unknown

Too bad that Lap Band talk doesn't have a "like this" button like facebook. But I like this poem, thanks for sharing.

That poem does pretty much encapsulate the reasons why Christianity means so much to so many people.

Throughout history there have been many gods, but they are all dead reproductions made out of cement or other materials . . . BUT I serve a living God, the Creator of all, one that come to earth and became a man, Jesus. Died for our sins return to Heaven and sits on the right hand of God. God is real and He lives within my heart. God is the best 3 in one- God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. I would not want to live one day in this world without Him. If you do not know Him you do not know what you are missing.

I couldn't have said it better... :wink2:

Have you all studied the ancient gods that were part of a belief system a long time before Christ was born?

123crod, you say that: "Throughout history there have been many gods, but they are all dead reproductions made out of cement or other materials . . ."

Which makes me wonder how much you've studied the actual history of belief systems throughout the ages or if you have found one that you like and stick to it like glue. (Albeit the glue that keeps you together and not wanting to live on this earth without it.)

patty:

i am new to this discussion but i beleive the bible also says:

James 2:24 and 26 “Do you see that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only?. . . For even as the body without the spirit is dead: so also faith without works is dead.”

To sum of every thing the Bible teaches that we need :

Faith Heb.11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please God. For he that cometh to God must believe that he is: and is a rewarder to them that seek him.”

Good works Luke.19:8-9 “But Zacheus standing, said to the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have wronged any man of any thing, I restore him fourfold. Jesus said to him: This day is salvation come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham.”

God’s grace Eph.2:8 “For by grace you are saved through faith: and that not of yourselves, for it is the gift of God. Not of works, that no man may glory”

Baptism Jn.3:5 “Jesus answered: Amen, amen, I say to thee, unless a man be born again of Water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of kingdom of God". Mk.16:16 “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall he condemned.”

Received the real presence of Christ body, blood and Divinity in the Holy Eucharist; Jn.6:51-52 “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world.”

Does this Biblical verse sound like faith alone?

Clearly not.

We are saved through Grace, Faith, Good works, Baptism and receiving Communion or in other words through the Sacraments.

Edited March 28, 201016 yr by mrjwsjr

patty:

i am new to this discussion but i beleive the bible also says:

James 2:24 and 26 “Do you see that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only?. . . For even as the body without the spirit is dead: so also faith without works is dead.”

A man asked Jesus, "what must we do to do the works of God?" He answered ,"The work of God is this: To believe in the one he has sent." (John 6:28,29)

To sum of every thing the Bible teaches that we need :

Faith Heb.11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please God. For he that cometh to God must believe that he is: and is a rewarder to them that seek him.”

Good works Luke.19:8-9 “But Zacheus standing, said to the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have wronged any man of any thing, I restore him fourfold. Jesus said to him: This day is salvation come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham.”

This verse above doesn't mean that he was saved because he did all those things. He recognized that he was a sinner and needed God. Rome's method of collecting taxes was to employ as tax collectors locals who knew who had money and where they kept it. A province was divided into tax districts. Locals would bid for the contract of collecting taxes in a district. The bid was the money they were contracted to pay the government; whatever they collected over that amount was theirs to keep. The chief tax collector (such as Zacchaeus in Luke 19) owned the contract for his region. Then he would employ others to collect taxes in the various villages. Tax collectors were widely regarded as thieves and robbers. In this story in Luke, He sought after Jesus and ran, and even climbed a tree just to see him that day. He said, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my posessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." (almost the extreme repayment required under law in cases of theft). So, Jesus told him that "today he received salvation". Not because of his doings, or works, but because of his belief in Jesus. After he believed, he chose to make restitution for ripping people off as a tax collector. Jesus recognized that he had true faith.

God’s grace Eph.2:8 “For by grace you are saved through faith: and that not of yourselves, for it is the gift of God. Not of works, that no man may glory”

Baptism Jn.3:5 “Jesus answered: Amen, amen, I say to thee, unless a man be born again of Water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of kingdom of God".

The above verse refers to "physical" birth and "spiritual" birth. Water represents physical birth and the Spirit represents the Spiritual birth. We are all born phsically and we all must be born "again", spiritually. This doesn't have anything to do with the commandment of God to be baptised in the water after one comes to believe.

Mk.16:16 “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be condemned.”

Notice that those who don't believe will be condemned, but it doesn't say that those who don't get baptised will be condemned.

Received the real presence of Christ body, blood and Divinity in the Holy Eucharist; Jn.6:51-52 “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world.”

In John 6:35-36, before Jesus said the quote you gave above, Jesus compares himself to manna, the bread the Israelites ate which God gave them from Heaven. He said I am the bread of life. In what way is Jesus like bread? His followers will never go hungry or be thirsty. Of course, he is speaking spiritually here, not physically, following the tradition of Isaiah 49:10 and 55:1-2. Jesus had used similar language with the woman at the well of Samaria:

"Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:13-14)

This eating and drinking of his flesh and blood is not literal. When one eats or drinks something it becomes a part of him, and he must do it himself. No one can do it for another. This is the key to salvation.

On that day he had said, "Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." (Matthew 5:6) When he later fed the crowd by his power, he wanted them to see the fulfillment of a hunger for righteousness. The crowd who had eaten plenty of bread and fish wasn't interested in righteousness, which they could not see. They wanted bread, which they could see. Jesus answered by saying, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."

This answer, which some must have seen as esoteric mumblings, was not satisfactory. He claimed to come from heaven, when they knew he came from Nazareth. He claimed to be the son of God, when they knew he was the son of Joseph and Mary. And how was he supposed to give them his flesh to eat?

His voice may have risen when he said, "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you." This statement in John 6:53 prepares them to understand what he will say later as institutes the Lord's supper. "This is my body. This is my blood." (Matt 26:26-28) The body and blood of Jesus nourishes our hunger for righteousness, and becomes part of us. It is real food, real bread and real wine, yet it is the body and blood of Jesus, a real mystery. The point of feeding all those people bread that they could see was to point them to the need they didn't even acknowledge - their yearning to feel right with God, their deep hunger to become righteous. So, you see, only believing in Jesus can bring salvation, nothing more is needed. Just faith.

Does this Biblical verse sound like faith alone?

Clearly not.

We are saved through Grace, Faith, Good works, Baptism and receiving Communion or in other words through the Sacraments.

..............................................................................