lulapilgrim

Reply to A Dose of Common Sense in Religion JoeUser Forums

STILLKOONTZ WRITES: “Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?” -Epicurus These are questions that man has wrestled with and religion has tried to answer for millennia. In America today, the most popular religion is Christianity and the God of this reli

Reply to A Dose of Common Sense in Religion JoeUser Forums

STILLKOONTZ WRITES: “Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?” -Epicurus Stillkoontz, is this a true quote of Epicurus? I gather from Bakerstreet’s comment that it might not be. Epicurus lived from 341-271 BC during the Hellentistic period

Reply to Revelation 2:12-17 in Religion JoeUser Forums

KFC POSTS: At Constantine's deathbed Eusebius, as you stated, baptised him. This Eusebius not to be confused with Eusebius, the church historian. Thanks for your added commentary on Constantine. It may have seemed as though I was holding Constantine up on some kind of pedestal, but I wasn't and your points nicely pull that through. That he was a political compromiser is certain as is the fact that he helped pave the way for the Church to grow and procee

Reply to Depression Doesn't have To Be Fatal in Health & Medicine JoeUser Forums

Thank you LW for expaining so well what it is like to be in the midst of depression. After learning this and knowing what I do about my nephew who suffers from manic depression, it seems calling out in personal prayer and asking prayers of others fits somewhere in the equation...call upon God...and give the pain and suffering to Him and offer it for release of someone else's, in this world , whose worse off than you.

Reply to Revelation 2:12-17 in Religion JoeUser Forums

I had some quiet time on the home front and really enjoyed reading your commentary. I followed along with your theme and added a couple cents worth.

Reply to Depression Doesn't have To Be Fatal in Health & Medicine JoeUser Forums

Hi Mason, Thank you for sharing this very personal account. My nephew suffers from depression and he has said that crying, that his own tears are a natural relief. I will pray for you. Do you know that Hope is a passion just as love is. Hold tight, cling to hope Mason...you never know what kind of pleasure and joy that you can receive or give to someone else in the the next moment, the next hour, the next day. When a man can take pleasure in something, even if it's a little thing

Reply to Revelation 2:12-17 in Religion JoeUser Forums

As a follow up, during the Byzantine period Pergamus was refortified and several churches were built, but in the 14th century, it fell into the hands of the Moslem Turks.

Reply to Revelation 2:12-17 in Religion JoeUser Forums

KFC WRITES: One thing I found interesting is that the word Pergamum has the base root of marriage built into it. This church was found married to the culture. Later Constantine becomes a major player in all this. When he declares Christiandom he literally puts crosses on all the Pagan Temples declaring the acceptance of Christianity. You mentioned the stately library in Pergamus filled with scrolls. Pergamus had preserved this library from its ancient p

Reply to Revelation 2:12-17 in Religion JoeUser Forums

KFC WRITES: 17“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.” ’ Apoc. 2: 17 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone, a

Reply to Revelation 2:12-17 in Religion JoeUser Forums

KFC WRITES: 16‘Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth. Apoc. 2: 16 “In like manner do penance; if not, I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.” Again, Christ calls those who have gone astray to repent; the same pattern is found in the other letters. Otherwise, He will have to take action Himself with a clear sentence of judgment. Po

Reply to Revelation 2:12-17 in Religion JoeUser Forums

KFC WRITES: 14“But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. 15“Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. Apoc. 2: 14-15 “But I have against thee a few things: because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Bala

Reply to Revelation 2:12-17 in Religion JoeUser Forums

KFC WRITES: 13“I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. Apoc. 2: 13 “I know where you dwell, where the seat of Satan is: And you hold fast to My name, and has not denied My faith. Even in those days when Antipas was My faithful witness, who was killed among you, where S

Reply to Revelation 2:12-17 in Religion JoeUser Forums

KFC WRITES: We now move along the postal route to the third Church of seven having already moved past Ephesus and Smyrna. This church is called Pergamos or Pergamum. We start reading the letter to this church from Revelation 2:12-17 12“And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write, ‘These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword: Apoc. 2:12 “And to the angel of the church of Pergamus write: ‘These things says He that has

Reply to Rev 2:8-11 in Religion JoeUser Forums

LULAPILGRIM POSTS: In understanding that we will be judged by our works, let's go over what St.Matt. 25:31-46 means in regard to the description of the Last Judgment ...(which I say, btw, that you WILL BE A PART OF). KFC POSTS: ok, now having read that particular piece of scripture you cited. I want you to reconcile it with this one? How do the two fit together? "For this we say to you by the word of

Reply to Rev 2:8-11 in Religion JoeUser Forums

KFC POSTS: "Verily Verily I say to you, He that hears my word and believes on him that sent me has everlasting life, and shall NOT come into condemnation, but is passed from death to life." John 5:24 Salvation hinges on belief...not works. Yes,there is no doubt that salvation hinges on belief....yet our works are figured in...Christ will judge according to our works separate the sheep from the goats, and reward or condemn according to St.Ma

Reply to Rev 2:8-11 in Religion JoeUser Forums

KFC POSTS: Once this is done....we escape the judgment and have been found NOT guilty. At the last great judgment...we will NOT be there. I will go over those passages you cite and put those together with St.Matt. 25 which clearly says that we will all be judged according to our "works" which is the true love we have for God and of our neighbor. As far as certain Christians escaping the final tribulation period, the Final Judgment and not being

Reply to Revelation 1:4-8 in Religion JoeUser Forums

Courageous Dageous POSTS: I just wanted to let you know that I've been reading and have found this entire altercation very . . . entertaining. Three immovable placards of religious "belief", never to be moved by the words of another, futilely fighting to make their voices heard. If I had to pick a winner, I'd go with BakerStreet. I'm curious, CD, irregardless of whether they can be moved, what do you ascertain Bakerstreet's religious 'belie

Reply to Revelation 1:4-8 in Religion JoeUser Forums

BAKERSTREET POSTS: lula: Your church beatifies people who were antisemites. Do you really believe that an antisemite is a successor to the apostles? Do they remove that status when someone is found to have been antisemitic? Nope. More often they continue to fight for the person. I would point out that you still persist in separating "sin" and the "inquisition". The inquisition WAS a sin. Under no circumstances was the Inquisition a valid Christian practice, and

Reply to Rev 2:8-11 in Religion JoeUser Forums

LULAPILGRIM POSTS: In St. Matt. 25:41 Christ will judge each one of our thoughts, words and actions and separate us according to our deeds. He will tell the wicked to depart from Him into everlasting fire and in 25:24, He will say to the just (good) come to everlasting life. KFC POSTS: are you sure you got the right scripture here? Doesn't make sense with what you're saying? In understanding that we wi

Reply to Rev 2:8-11 in Religion JoeUser Forums

KFC POSTS: Notice what you said tho..."our children." So first they have to be in your family right? Then comes obedience, love and honor right? It's the same with salvation. We must first be in the family of God before we do such things. But it's God who picks us, not the other way around. Yes, I agree with much of this. In Catholicism the natural family is the "domestic Church"...and very important and analagous to the spiritual family...all in Christ

Reply to Revelation 1:4-8 in Religion JoeUser Forums

LULAPILGRIM POSTS: "Bishops are by divine right the successors of the Apostles." KFC POSTS: Then why are they not following the dictates of scripture? The Bishops of scripture (overseers also referred to as elders) were TO BE MARRIED. "A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife.....not GIVEN TO WINE......one that rules well his own house having HIS CHILDREN in subjection with all gravity. For if a man knows not how to rule his

Reply to Revelation 1:4-8 in Religion JoeUser Forums

KFC POSTS: Any other attempts were squashed and the ones involved burned at the stake. You know, of course, that Protestants themselves were responsible for quite a bit of Bible burnings. Religious spirit of intolerance and violence tainted every stream that I know of within Protestantism. Which, when you think of it, is all the more disgraceful when coming from people who profess to base their religious beliefs of the right to private judgment!

Reply to Revelation 1:4-8 in Religion JoeUser Forums

KFC POSTS: At one time scripture was translated into 500 languages but by a certain date all were destroyed with only one translation allowed...Latin. You make these charges using the vaguest of terms. Could you be more specific? What time was Scripture translated into 500 languages? By whom was it translated? When were they destroyed? KFC POSTS: Any other attempts were squashed and the ones involved burned at the sta

Reply to Revelation 1:4-8 in Religion JoeUser Forums

LULAPILGRIM POSTS: Can we show that men having been ordained in a lower tier than the Apostles yet, taken up place alongside them in the mission work of the Church? a lower tier? See this is the influence of the CC and proves that the influence of the RCC and its hierachy still moves in the heart and minds of its people. Lower tier? no we are all given gifts to work in the body...we are not all arms or all feet or all ears, but each and every par

Reply to Revelation 1:4-8 in Religion JoeUser Forums

KFC POSTS: When Paul spoke of himself as his converts' father he was using a spiritual analogy not claiming a title. He was not claiming a title but stating a fact that he was there for the spiritual birth of his converts. Okay, if this way suits you, then, in keeping with St.Paul, when Catholics call Priests 'Father', it isn't claiming a title, rather we are using a spiritual analagy as they are certainly there for our spiritual birth. The Church,