It is Very interesting reading the posts when one has been on both sides, both in a cult and now standing outside of it. Cults they all are; these 'religions', these brainwashing manmade ideas you try to impose on another mans' thinking. Like someone in an above post (?Belly), I too have tolerance for Buddhism as they do not doorknock nor bother others. If we want we'll go get. What gives another person the right to hound another into a thinking they don't want. You are saved and so be it; it is your believe/your faith. Can you make another 'have faith' without it being a brainwashing. Hmmm. If in the end, one 'thinks' the same, it is merely the gullable, the vulnerable and brainwashing that did it. Back off! Live a life of being good to yourself, to your family, to all others as you'd have them do for you. Heard that somewhere before. Respect and you'll be respected.
By the way, it wasn't Moses who lead the animals into the ark, it was Noah. Good gosh I am an educator.

mjpb do not take it personal, let me tell you a few things my birth was in the bush, my education in life both Sydney streets and most Australian city's.
Jim and I clash often yet we both think we want a better life for Aboriginals.
In asking can I sit At your fire? I was highlighting at that point in the debate my place was with him.
You are hurt ,it shows in your posts , that I ask the question over and again is there truly a God.
And maybe my view that man made all Gods offends you, sorry but I value the prospect of man standing up for himself.
Of ,not the lie we constantly say but is not yet true all men are equal, one race no need for religion based differences.
And no God to separate us.
Name any of the Gods man has worshiped tell me that one is the only one.
Then I ask why did he not destroy the rest?
Why did he not make himself known to the other half or is it two thirds of humanity?
In this final day of the world did your God save all those wrong believers to take their enternal sole as proof he/she is all powerful?
mjpb I stand not alone but firmly with humanity , not in my view fables.

DavidBoaz and co. can you let me know what your take on the soul is? I'm curious about the Christian take on this, and the way Christians talk about their soul as if it was something separate from themselves. Eastern religions and new age spirituality talk about self and soul as one and the same.

Belief in the bodily resurrection of Jesus, as against a spiritual rebirth betrays a confusion that began with the Gnostics v. the early Christians and is still an issue today.

Science and a materialistic viewpoint have no more validity with their explanations of our origons than religion. The Big Bang may well explain the beginnings of this universe but does not even begin to answer the 'before' question, or even address the idea of life, opinion and thought etc. Hypothetical spontaneous combustion of life from a swirling soup of chemical is as far fetched as any religious doctrine.

Cakers,
Just for your info, the ark thing was done on purpose!

And again the question is raised, according to some of these threads,
some of us relate to the Lord as he/she, where does it actually state in the bible what sex the Lord is?

Belly,

“Jim and I clash often yet we both think we want a better life for Aboriginals.”

I didn’t know the background. I’ll drop that if you like.

I don’t feel offended by even the fable comment. I have seen worse. But I will call a spade a spade if you make an unkind comment.

They say it takes a big man to admit he needs his friends. Sometimes admitting a dependence isn’t as weak as you think. Sometimes acting overly brave is a bluff. Just a thought.

The religious belief is not a case of God destroying the rest because the belief is that there are no rest. However with Christianity the God gives us free choice for belief. That doesn’t negate truth. But we have the choice. What large chunk of humanity has never heard of the Christian God?
How do you know it is the final days? Why can’t it get worse? Noone knows the hour? Sorry to say this but it sounds very JWish.

Spanky,

“And again the question is raised,... where does it actually state in the bible what sex the Lord is?”

Does it really matter? What if the Lord is neither? Jesus was male but God in heaven spirit - men and women made in the image of.

Cakers,

“ I too have tolerance for Buddhism as they do not doorknock nor bother others. If we want we'll go get. ... Back off! ... Respect and you'll be respected”

So how many Christian denominations door knock and are any accepted as mainstream? Respect and you’ll be respected but for some Buddhist extremists in some countries being Christian is equivalent to a death sentence. I’m just suggesting it would be worthwhile considering the issues a little more.

It would be unfair to most Buddhists to label them killers due to some Buddhist extremists but you are using a minority within(?) a religion to criticize the majority is not fair. JW's don't believe that Jesus is God yet you use them to criticize Christians.