A year or so ago I attended a Church of about 1,200 people in the south of Sydney and it was said there were people from over 80 nationalities and 40 languages attending that Church. Their corporate participation indicated that the Church is capable of a beautiful unity. Language, skin colour and race enhanced the experience of the people there; as they were united in Christ. It did require interpreters but the songs were often sung in unison in several languages

The Church I previously attended each year had a cultural weekend where people attending the Church dressed in National costume prepared food from their homeland, set up stalls and allow everyone to taste their national foods. The Church is capable of unifying people even though diverse in race, language and culture. The Church I currently attend has an Indian Pastor, with university Masters in Theology, Ancient History, and family Counselling.

Redneck's view of a multifaith heaven will not work. I think Himself would take a pretty dim view of 17 virgins being handed out for martyrdom. Firstly because Christianity does not approve of suicide and there would be a severe shortage of virgins anyway
The non virgins would probably rather go where there was some fun!fun!fun!

REDNECK... welcome back :) .. Haven't seen your posts for a while.

regarding your colorful discourse on multi religious heaven. Well, in all seriousness, being honest on this subject seldom wins a believing Christian any popularity contests, as we are bound by the Word. May I refer you to John 14:1-6 and have a read, and you will have your own answer regarding 'who' will be received into Heaven. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=50&chapter=14&version=31

The term 'Christian' arose in Antioch in the first few decades of the growth of the gospel in Asia Minor. It was in response to the Word of the Gospel of salvation in Christ alone, that people were gathered into the family of God. As Peter concluded his address to Cornelius the Centurion (Acts 10.. please read) "and He (God) has appointed him (Christ) to be judge of the living and the dead". Even Muslims believe this, they heard it from Christians.

God has entered human history, in the Patriarchs, Israelites, then ultimately in Christ, for the whole world irrespective of race, culture or creed. But faith in Christ, is the saving creed, it is faith in Him and forgiveness.

PHILO.. one of your all time best posts. Praise Him :) I felt every word of it. (having also lived it)

ALCHEMIST
Do you now understand about Ireland ? lets not leave that one until we are sure it won't crop up again :)

[31For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."

32When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered,
but
others said,
"We want to hear you again on this subject." 33At that, Paul left the Council.] Acts 17

and so I (Boaz) leave the thread for a while..cheers all

"A year or so ago I attended a Church of about 1,200 people in the south of Sydney and it was said there were people from over 80 nationalities and 40 languages attending that Church. Their corporate participation indicated that the Church is capable of a beautiful unity"

Sheesh Philo, your endorphins start to flow over about 1200 people. The Muslims will gather 2-3 million around the Kabba, all with the same fuzzy feelgood stuff that belonging to a tribe entails.

Now clearly all this mass delusion means that either the Muslims are all wrong, or the Xtians are all wrong, or you are both all wrong.
I guess this proves my point that the brain is more of a little endocrine factory, with provision for just a little rational thought, then anything else. The rational part is clearly hugely
outweighed by the emotional....

Interstingly, humans don't have any parts of their brain that chimps or bonobos don't have. Its just a bit of size difference in various sections.

I'm sick of people hiding behind this multi-culti garbage, and the overuse of the racist is just a sickening. I can tell you that there would more racism on behalf of migrants than the other way round.I'm fed up with being called a skippy, and certain area's I can't go to because of the racism of ethnic minorities, seems racism only applies to white Australians, I say to these social criminals, these left wing loony tunes, that started all this bigotry, you have a lot to answer to, do you care enough about your decendants to even care. Selfish and out right treason. We are under invasion with the virus called multicultralism, oh yes even the kids coming out of school heaps are not speaking English they speak their parents tongue. I have to go two suberbs away to by groceries because there is not one shop in my suberb that sells Australian food. LOL.
As Bette Davis said, get a grip, we are in for a bumpy ride.

A number of posters seem to have an amazing knowledge of Jesus. This knowledge is urgently required to settle an Italian court case. So come on guys, put your amazing knowledge to good use, on behalf of whichever side you feel most comfortable barracking for.

"An Italian judge has ordered a priest to appear in court this month to prove that Jesus Christ existed.

The case against Father Enrico Righi has been brought in the town of Viterbo, north of Rome, by Luigi Cascioli, a retired agronomist who once studied for the priesthood but later became a militant atheist."

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,17725213%255E29677,00.html