bennie,


I agree, I was exposed to 5 years of Christian education, to no effect. The Nobel Laureate Peter Medawar is supposed to have said that he "didn't have the gene for religion",there's probably some truth in this idea as some people believe against all reason and others are total materialists. What are Church services really, other than ritual magic?

TRUTHNOW78,

If you're implying that religion is necessary for morality, you are wrong, this idea is easily refuted.

The gods of men are many and varied, but they are still all myths and legends. Men prescribed that Christ was divine, but then Christ himself was not a christian (and given christian creed and history he definitely wouldn't countenance such a belief). Imagine what he would have said if some christian idiot proclaimed: "your mother was a virgin, your father was the holy spirit and you step-father was Jehovah"?? That would be treated as blasphemy. But each to their own, many people will believe anything after they're indocrinated.

Ho Hum and Bennie you are correct, I have been in many churches around the world,I definately do not get the spiritual vibes as mentioned in another E-mail, the only thing I can think of, especially the old churches of Europe, being the amount of poor people who built these palaces of worship, mainly for the rich of the time, and how many lost their lives in doing so, if you wish to pray to your god what is wrong with saying a few words to him in your garden, I am sure it would be as uplifting as going to Hillsong for a social gathering.
Any thing to do with mass hypnotism at the pulpit and music that is so sweet generally in tune with the minister is corrupt, how people can start falling all over the place, or believing in some unseen God is beyond me, no I don't intend visiting Hillsong and never will, some of us are not so gullible.
Just as many spiritual people including ministers end up in jail, it is like the Pope condemning Homosexuals when he has more than he can handle in his flock.

Babies inside mothers wombs are a lot safer at Hillsong than at Public schools and universities. This article says little except that the author seems to envy the success of many who attend Hillsong. You would think Andrew would spend his time trying to sort out the mess the Uniting church is in rather than be critical of other Christian groups who seem to be a lot more Biblically based than his own.

Interesting Article:

"Some streams of Christian expression especially need to hear this. Where an emphasis is placed on "signs and wonders" as indicators of God's reality and presence, there will always be a temptation to force God to perform."

I rather think ALL streams of Christian expression need to hear this.

But of course.. had the author of the book believed in the Lord Jesus HimSELF.. rather than the Hillsong church.. she would have ended up looking for a different fellowship rather than ending up as a ROBERT from olo.

Shallow Christianity is unsustainable. Jesus never taught it.. his words

"If any man would follow me.. let him DENY himself and take up his CROSS daily and come after me. Anyone who loves mother or father or sister or brother more than me is not worthy of me, anyone who is ashamed of me in this life, I will be ashamed of him in the next, for what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul"

It's not exactly happy clappy material! The beautiful reality though is that ONCE you come through that door.. you enter a paradise beyond description.. but there's no easy way in. It will cost you your heart, mind and will.

The simple solution to 'happy clappy' shallow Chrisianity and distortions that sometimes I find HillSong to be...(not in all things, but in some) is.. READ YOUR BIBLE for goodness sake.. from Matthew to Revelation.. all of it.. withOUT some one standing over your shoulder telling you what it means.. let the Holy Spirit teach you initially.

Then.. you can go deeper with help on matters like background..archeology.. textual matters etc..

HillSong and many others will come.. be and go.. but the Body of Christ will remain 4ever.

TRUTHNOW78: Hillsong or jail. Now I know that religion limits thinking...but is it really that bad?
Back to reality, studies show the reverse. Religion goes part and parcel with criminality and mental illness. Not 1:1, just statistically linked.
Gibo. I've had the "experience" but it was doing maths and relating it to nature that brought it on. Epiphanies occur no matter what your culture. It is what you do with them that counts. I could *never* renounce my atheism as it is reinforced every day by living!

To any agnostics still not comfortable you may be pleased to learn that one of the biggest "religions" is actually athiest at heart.
Buddha's ideas assume no God. For this reason his teachings are hard to practice, but make more sense as you practice more. I am not a Buddhist (I just happen to have came to many of the same conclusions), but none of the ideas clash with science or common everyday experience so you can consume them with safety and decide for yourself.
Christianity's version of "Love" seems to drive people mad. They either turn hateful or just partition their minds into insanity.