Christ is the only way

Originally posted by knightmeister
I fail to see how it is disrespectful to other religions. I simply say that the other religions don't seem to tackle death , suffering pain and hurt in a head-on way like Christ does. In Christianity God can say with authority that in Christ he KNOWS suffering and experienced it. God gets his hands dirty in a way that other religions can't claim.

...[text shortened]... thentically like Christ does then please enlighten me. So far you have not made an argument.

Just look into other religons.
ua41 has got you started on bhuddism.
Maybe christianity deals with it a different way but I've definately seen pain and suffering,etc. addressed by other religons.
Some guys can answer any questions about anything, including death ,pain and suffering. Real people in constant touch with the scource. It is naive to think only christianity deals with those problems

Originally posted by knightmeister
Politicians who are responsible for solving poverty , unemployment but have never experienced these things first hand or got their hands dirty just don't cut the mustard. I'm sure many agree. The same would apply to a Counsellor or Psychologist who has never faced their own demons. They are just not qualified enough in the school of life to have any re ...[text shortened]... e , broken in pain that's exactly the kind of thing I would expect of a real living God.

edit: "So, there may not be a God of course but once we have decided that there is then there can be only one religion and one way."

Nope; until the blessed time that we human beings will validate as "absolute truth" a specific theory of reality that it will be proven 100% accurate based on solid and accepted scientific facts and evidence beyond the slightest glimpse of scepticism, each personal truth of each member of humanity will keep the shape of the consiousness of the human being that brought up her/ his personal theory of reality.
Of course this truth of mine is empty; nothing holy😵

Originally posted by knightmeister
I fail to see how it is disrespectful to other religions. I simply say that the other religions don't seem to tackle death , suffering pain and hurt in a head-on way like Christ does. In Christianity God can say with authority that in Christ he KNOWS suffering and experienced it. God gets his hands dirty in a way that other religions can't claim.

...[text shortened]... thentically like Christ does then please enlighten me. So far you have not made an argument.

And what's your problem with death? Where you 've been before ... Hhhmmm, this ole miserable atheist black beetle forgot the rest of the question; probably my younger brother karoly aczel could help this obnoxious shadow of a scarab😵

Go ask a Sintoist, your beloved wife, a prostitute, a killer sentenced to death, a Marine that just returned back home from Iraq, your best friend, your beloved children, a prostitute, a gay, a lesbian, an Apatche, a Sioux, a Suffist, a Zennist, a lama, the Pope, the first religious personage of your religion, a shaolin, a rabbi, a shaman and Jesus the Son of Your God what they would do if they were forced to choose to save from the fire either a disabled child or their so called "holy scriptures" along with the most extraordinairy and unique object of art that is created by the human beings throughout history.
Then ask yourself the same question
😵

Originally posted by karoly aczel
Just look into other religons.
ua41 has got you started on bhuddism.
Maybe christianity deals with it a different way but I've definately seen pain and suffering,etc. addressed by other religons.
Some guys can answer any questions about anything, including death ,pain and suffering. Real people in constant touch with the scource. It is naive to think only christianity deals with those problems

Other religions do deal with suffering and death but NOT in the same way. Only God in Christ can say "I know and have experienced suffering , I know what it feels like - I've been there".

It's a subtle but highly significant difference. If you went to see a Psychologist who have never experienced hurt or depression himself then how could he draw alongside you and really attempt to understand your hurt? If you went to see a marriage counsellor who had never experienced any relationships or problems in a relationship how can his advice and help have authority for you?

Humanity can rightfully cry out to God........

" come down here and see what it feels like to suffer God . Let's see how you deal with being mortal and being in pain. You like to judge and rule over us but you don't really know anything until you get yourself down here and experience it for yourself. If you really think sin , death , suffering can be transcended then why don't you have a go at it yourself, eh? "

I'm sure you can see that God in Christ is the only God capable of addressing these questions in any authentic way.

Originally posted by black beetle
And what's your problem with death? Where you 've been before ... Hhhmmm, this ole miserable atheist black beetle forgot the rest of the question; probably my younger brother karoly aczel could help this obnoxious shadow of a scarab😵

Go ask a Sintoist, your beloved wife, a prostitute, a killer sentenced to death, a Marine that just returned back hom ...[text shortened]... is created by the human beings throughout history.
Then ask yourself the same question
😵

what they would do if they were forced to choose to save from the fire either a disabled child or their so called "holy scriptures" along with the most extraordinairy and unique object of art that is created by the human beings throughout history.
Then ask yourself the same question
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

simple - the answer is the disabled child. I bet Jesus would have said the same.

What exactly is it that you are trying to say here?

Originally posted by knightmeister
what they would do if they were forced to choose to save from the fire either a disabled child or their so called "holy scriptures" along with the most extraordinairy and unique object of art that is created by the human beings throughout history.
Then ask yourself the same question
------------------------------------------------------------------ ...[text shortened]... I bet Jesus would have said the same.

What exactly is it that you are trying to say here?

I want to say that it's enough to respect Life to the hilt😵

Originally posted by knightmeister
what they would do if they were forced to choose to save from the fire either a disabled child or their so called "holy scriptures" along with the most extraordinairy and unique object of art that is created by the human beings throughout history.
Then ask yourself the same question
------------------------------------------------------------------ ...[text shortened]... I bet Jesus would have said the same.

What exactly is it that you are trying to say here?

I was waiting to hear you asking me why I proposed you to ask two prostitutes😵

Originally posted by knightmeister
Other religions do deal with suffering and death but NOT in the same way. Only God in Christ can say "I know and have experienced suffering , I know what it feels like - I've been there".

It's a subtle but highly significant difference. If you went to see a Psychologist who have never experienced hurt or depression himself then how could he draw al ...[text shortened]... in Christ is the only God capable of addressing these questions in any authentic way.

I know what you are getting at. Because Christ came down and suffered and died on the cross he as a monopoly on the issue of suffering and death. Is that right?

If Jesus was Gods son , and hence special, wouldn't he also have special attriubutes that may enable him to withstand pain?
Because you christians say Jesus is special and no ordinary man, how can he understand what its like to suffer and die like an ordinary person?

Of course I believe Jesus was born an ordinary man.(no virgin birth!). Hence, he was capable of connecting with ordinary people.

Of course others have suffered and died in a manner similar or even worse to Jesus'. To think otherwise is narrow-minded and arrogant.

Originally posted by knightmeister
Politicians who are responsible for solving poverty , unemployment but have never experienced these things first hand or got their hands dirty just don't cut the mustard. I'm sure many agree. The same would apply to a Counsellor or Psychologist who has never faced their own demons. They are just not qualified enough in the school of life to have any re e , broken in pain that's exactly the kind of thing I would expect of a real living God.

"...Any God that is not prepared to meet human suffering , death and sin head on without dodging it is not worth bothering with in my opinion..."
'Sin'... seems like an arbitrary concept in that it is anything you god dislikes. I'd expect other 'Gods' would deal with things that annoy them too (perhaps in a more elegant, effective, and civilised manner than hanging itself from a cross)

'Human suffering'...The stock answers I've heard a number of times for why, say, people starve in Africa or suffer a long and miserable death at the cruel hands of cancer etc.. are either
1) Adam & Eve were naughty (where it should be argued that your God knew they would be naughty if given the potential for it, and then gave them the potential). Not very virtuous
2) it is the actions of us humans that leads to suffering around the world. It can then be argued that God is making an example out of those who suffer (by neglecting to help them) in order that we shamed humans collectively change our ways. Again, not very virtuous.

'Death'...In what sense do you talk about death?...do you mean the magical and never ending wonderland of harps and eternall bliss promised simply for accepting Jesus??? What about if you accept a different character (different religion) with all the goodies promised in their afterlife???
Or do you talk about the tendency for our bodies to decay over time?

Originally posted by knightmeister
Other religions do deal with suffering and death but NOT in the same way. Only God in Christ can say "I know and have experienced suffering , I know what it feels like - I've been there".

It's a subtle but highly significant difference. If you went to see a Psychologist who have never experienced hurt or depression himself then how could he draw al ...[text shortened]... in Christ is the only God capable of addressing these questions in any authentic way.

Again, we can say a lot of philosophies and religions incorporate the same idea.
If we follow up with my previous example of Buddhism, it tends to lead to certain pandeistic/pantheistic characteristics. That is, there is essentially no difference amongst us and creator/creation- a dynamic equilibrium. Kind of like being a bike gear and chain, both require each other for the system (This is a bit more of a prevalent idea in Daoism and 'Zen'😉.
Basically (I'm trying to refrain from going so literally with pandeistic and pantheistic ideals), any god character is already existent in the universe and is dealing with what we deal with and suffers the same way and has his creator characteristics. Saying Christ suffered differently from the rest of us is a bit of a longshot. Sure, I probably won't get crucified, but I can imagine plenty more of a worse death. And it's not like he gave into temptation, which would probably lead to more sever suffering- I don't think he ever had to fight a needle habit.

Originally posted by black beetle
I was waiting to hear you asking me why I proposed you to ask two prostitutes😵

Ok. Curiosity has gotten the better of me. Why the two prostitues? (Cheers!)

Originally posted by karoly aczel
Ok. Curiosity has gotten the better of me. Why the two prostitues? (Cheers!)

Oh the first is the Good Samaritan, and the second -tricky story- acccording to some western hermeneutics is Maria Magdalene; once you check the pieces of information available in the Catholic Encyclopedia -Conrau K amongst else could offer an holistic Catholic approach regarding Maria- you will see how easily one can get lost in the 4 Gospels;

Tsune ni ite... you know the drill🙂

Be well and follow your way😵

Originally posted by black beetle
Oh the first is the Good Samaritan, and the second -tricky story- acccording to some western hermeneutics is Maria Magdalene; once you check the pieces of information available in the Catholic Encyclopedia -Conrau K amongst else could offer an holistic Catholic approach regarding Maria- you will see how easily one can get lost in the 4 Gospels;

Tsune ni ite... you know the drill🙂

Be well and follow your way😵

aye,aye!
Be well and know that I shall be rooting for Geece in the World Cup. (they did make it ,didn't they?)

Originally posted by karoly aczel
aye,aye!
Be well and know that I shall be rooting for Geece in the World Cup. (they did make it ,didn't they?)

Who knows? I know nothing about football😵

Originally posted by Agerg
[b]"...Any God that is not prepared to meet human suffering , death and sin head on without dodging it is not worth bothering with in my opinion..."
'Sin'... seems like an arbitrary concept in that it is anything you god dislikes. I'd expect other 'Gods' would deal with things that annoy them too (perhaps in a more elegant, effective, and civilised ...[text shortened]... r afterlife???
Or do you talk about the tendency for our bodies to decay over time?[/b]

You miss the point if you intellectualise it It's not an intellectual point.

The point is that if you are suffering a painful death then you can reach out to God in Christ who also knows what it is to suffer and die in such a way. The God of Islam (for example) cannot identify or empathise with you in the same way.

Any deity is always open to the potential accusation " how can you know what it's like to be human and suffer? You sit there in heaven , remote and untouched by death - you have no idea what it's like for us down here - get lost God!!!" . This gut felt cry comes from the very heart of wounded humanity.

Any religion that posits a deity is vulnerable to this attack - and rightly so- do you not see (from an emotional level NOT intellectual) why it is so important that Christ dies and suffers and enters into our broken world?

If we are to overcome suffering and pain then God had better b*****ing well lead by example - in Christ he does. All other deity religions talk the talk - but Christ walks the walk.