Did Jesus take the stairs, or the elevator?

[StraitTalk]

I watched some show on TV today because it was on when I sat down and I just watched it. It was a show talking about Christianity and the different beliefs like Trinity, Salvation etc... and the movements... I think there are four.. Anywho... What's the deal here?

Why all the interpretations? Why all the different teachings? What the hell happened?



^^^^^^This.......Why???^^^^^

Sorry if it's a vague or stupid question but it's coming from somebody completely freaking ignorant about the matter. I've tried going to Church and even youth groups when I was young just to learn but it just seemed way to preachy and cult-like for me.

[coffeeFreak]

StraitTalk: Sorry if it's a vague or stupid question but it's coming from somebody completely freaking ignorant about the matter. I've tried going to Church and even youth groups when I was young just to learn but it just seemed way to preachy and cult-like for me.

You shouldn't apologize for asking this question...I attended church for some time and still had your type of questions. The only conclusion I could come to is that Jesus would likely not be welcomed into a lot of churches nowadays.

From what I remember the Trinity is referring to the Father (who is God), the Son(who is Jesus, God's son) and the Holy Spirit or Ghost (who is the spirit of Jesus who rose from the dead after he had been crucified).

Churches are supposed to be a place where God's people gather (the church body) and worship together. But the problem with churches are the human participants. The "laws" are made through the various interpretations of the Bible. Some churches are very, very conservative while others are extremely liberal; often neither one respects the other.

Think about educational institutions -- there are a multitude of schools. Some it seems are very leniant with education not seeming to be a priority...gangs, violence, sexually suggestive clothing, no consequences, disrespect etc, or conversely there can be the idea that education can only be attained through strict discipline requiring uniforms, respect bordering on fear, corporal punishment, absolute orderliness, desks in rows and all teachers are more powerful than both of your parents. But every once in awhile you hear of a school where it's open, friendly, fun, creative, bright, students like being there, they learn because they are believed in and are challenged to learn.

The difference? Different philosophies on education. Education is still supposedly the ultimate goal, but extreme differences exist between the teaching approaches.

This is much like Church. Christianity is the goal but extreme differences in religious philosophies exist.

It sounds kind of like you are seeking, so what I will tell you is this: True Christians believe it is their duty to save souls, that if a person dies before they have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour they will go to hell...this is why they often seem to be too "preachy or cultish"...they literally believe your soul is in jeopardy. Their intentions are good (most), however there are some real nutwing "Christians" out there so you must be careful. Hopefully there is someone in your life you can trust and ask for advice...try a Saturday evening church service if there are any in your town because often the music is more lively and geared to more modern groups.

You will hear all kinds of things...and a LOT of negative and judgemental comments about different churches, people and their lifestyles -- BUT remember the bottom line, being Christian is about Jesus ...If you have a bible (and not a King James version, although some will tell you that is the only true bible), in the new testament the first four books (chapters) are Mathew, Mark, Luke and John -- read John first, then start at Mathew. Each of these stories are similar as they journeyed with Jesus but are told from that particular apostle's point of view...Hope you find what you are looking for. I'll send a prayer out for you and ask that someone will be sent your way to guide you...safe travels....

[I Think]

BTW there are lots of conflicting areas set out in the 4 main gospels - even disagreements when directly reporting christs last utterances from the cross.
Did he say "forgive them, they know not what they do."
or
did he say "father why hast thou forsaken me"
just to point out a couple of conflicts.

If you actually read the gospels side by side, rather than just opening the book and reading this bit, then on another day reading that bit, you will discover so many contradictions as to make it clear that the bible is the work of a disjointed entity or tribe.

[grammafreddy]

There's lots of bottom lines ... one for every religion and it's different factions out there. They can't agree on anything because they all think they are right. Being right is of utter importance. Being able to convince non-followers that theirs is the only right one is important because followers beget followers which begets power over people which begets wealth and absolute power for the leaders of their cult.

And you know what they say about "absolute power", right?

[FunkyBunch]

And you know what they say about "absolute power", right?

God has it?

[Glacier]

BTW there are lots of conflicting areas set out in the 4 main gospels - even disagreements when directly reporting christs last utterances from the cross.
Did he say "forgive them, they know not what they do."
or
did he say "father why hast thou forsaken me"
just to point out a couple of conflicts.

Maybe he said both, but each author only wrote down or remembered one of them?

[BVulgaris]

I highly suggest the video: "Who Wrote the Bible?"
http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid= ... 620&hl=en#

Its a brittish documentary about the bible as a document, its history, how it was compiled, and some of its effects through out history. He even travels to the regions to see some of the documents first hand. He also visits the Vatican.

This helps to shed light on the document and allows a better understanding of what the text means in relation to what happened back then.