Greetings:
It can be very difficult to find a reason for being alive at this time and there is no one answer because we are all on a different path, all of us at a different level of understanding.

That is why I wrote a book and had it self-published and then put it on the internet for anyone to read and download or purchase. It is on my website - spiritualmusings.net which also contains a number of articles and some guided writing some of which has turned out to be prophetic.

Perhaps that might be a route for anyone reading this to take.

Gimmy

Poly,
Those are great and clever quotes- not bad for a priest.
I agree with you about prosperity gospel.
It’s brimming with mumbo-jumbo and could be called a New Age religion as Wobbles mentions.

I’ve been wanting to read “The Eye of the Needle- Discipleship and Wealth” by Jim Reiher.
I got it for my birthday a while ago but it’s lingering on my still-to-read pile. I’ve skimmed through it, though, and it seems quite interesting. Do you know about that book?
The author holds a BA Dip Ed and an MA in Theology with Honours. He specialises in New Testament Studies.
Anyway, I’m sure that he hates prosperity gospel as much as you and I do.

Do you think that people try harder to believe in Jesus if they’re promised they’ll get rich quick?
Will that promise really help them to believe in Jesus, or are they just pretending?
There wouldn’t be a point in pretending, because if Jesus existed, He’d know that you’re pretending. If he didn’t exist then there’s no point either.

Exammy,
OK, here’s my picture, look--> :0/
My birthplace is Amsterdam,
You can search for my birth date in the stars.
Teeheee, I hope that helps :+)

Do you know what I wonder about astrology?
Pluto (the planet, not the dog) has always been included in people’s charts.
But now that Pluto has been reclassified as a non-planet, wouldn’t that make all charts invalid in the eyes of astrologers?
Imagine that your chart said something like: “Pluto is in your 7th house, therefore you are blah blah...”
I just wonder what astrologers do with their calculations now that Pluto plutoed.

I think that many people find astrology a lot of fun because books on their star signs always tell us how wonderful they are :)
Which was Yabby’s point- many of these New Age crazes make people feel good.
It can do no harm as long as people take it with a grain of salt (or with a particle of stardust).

continued

Gimmy,
I’ll have a look on your website, thanks.

Wobbles,
Great point about the new age religions.
The New Age version of glass houses might be polycarbonate ones- one can cast (gem) stones in these.

Runner,
I appreciate your long reply to my questions.
Even though we disagree on a lot, it’s good to try to communicate.
“No person will be saved by belonging to a denomination. They will be saved by faith in Jesus Christ.”
Yeah, I always thought that was the idea, too. So it shouldn’t really matter to anyone whether family members want to change religion.
Perhaps it would be a bigger problem for someone from a religious family, to come out as an atheist, or adapt a complete different religion, e.g. Islam, than it is to simply change denomination.
True, that people, who are born into atheist families can have difficulties, too, if they want to take up a religion.

I really think that people, who do not ‘believe’ in evolution, do not know enough about evolution. Evolution has not been unproven since Darwin and the theory is very unlikely to be disproved.
If uni students don’t want to accept evolution, then the area they study must not be, in any way, related to studies that include evolution theory aspects, like Biology.
If the evolution theory is as invalid as creationists say it is, then why is it that none of them has been able to disprove it? Everyone is free to do so at any time.
It’s easy to say that the wold is only 6000 years old but the evidence shows a different age.
Creationists are free to show that they are correct but all they have is a book that was written at a time when people knew very little about science.

The New Age version of creationism is ‘Intelligent Design’ mumbo-jumbo.

Celivia,
Pluto is still valid(sic) it is the sign of dramatic change often the end of something one needs to read the the aspects and take them into consideration on where they are as each 'house' has specific meaning ie 4th house (Cancer crustation not disease that comes from square and opositional aspect in the house of health etc.) home/ family. Follow? Good moving right along one must also take into consideration of the other stars and which houses they appear as we know they don’t always appear in their native houses. If they do that could be good but again it is the duty of the delineator to interpret these in concert with all the other relevant aspect.
Having done the above one mustn’t forget the positive sides of star and sign
Like trines semitrines sextiles and conjuctions(in injunctions as the latter are the consequences of legal interruptions and as such have no bearing what so ever on the topic). It is by the total amalgamation and blending of all these facits that an accomplished astrologer can delineate a meaningful nativity chart.

But warning when I said nativity I was refering to your or the subject’s birth and not that of ‘the nativity as in the Christian birth in Bethlehem ats this too has nothing to do with your chart.Either).

There are in astrology several different types of charts such as the synastry chart that refers to the cohabitational lives of two partners. Note: astrology does not distinguish bheetween genders not does it distinguish between leagal of defacto relationships. It is also possible to do charts of wedding days, business startups, infact anything that it time dependent.
No serious astrologer should give definativeor absolutes as this is contrary to the motion of the stars and what this implies is that every thing is in flux therefore any chart can only reasonably tell tendencies by comparisons between the natal chart and the current dawn or sun rise chats one can determine how you are progressing with the fates the stars bestowed. Understand good? Now what was the question?
Hethehehehe

Celivia

I appreciate your civil tone. You write
'Creationists are free to show that they are correct but all they have is a book that was written at a time when people knew very little about science.'

Without entering debate 3004 on this topic I agree that the bible is not a science book. There is a ton of scientific evidence confirming the truth of Scripture. The point is that evolution is also not science. The simple question of where material came from is not able to be answered. There is no plausible or even sensible explanation by scientist.

I have no objection to them teaching their dogmas but to call it science is really totally dishonest. No one who has done the simplest maths and the odds of the big bang could possibly believe such nonsense.

Runner,
I have a mother who sort of shares your views. There are a few points you need to understand.

Where matter came from is in the realms of theoretical cosmology, theoretical mathematics (the far end of physics) or philosophy. (As yet very undecided).
Even atheists can’t agree on the mechanism that necessarily links the two as part of the same equation. The current maths does seem to indicate that The Big Bang ((the origin of the universe) is the most likely contender for ultimate inclusion in the theory of everything. (TOE) or the Grand Uniting Theory (GUT).

Evolution is about biology (living matter) and its process (es) how/why it developed from there. Evolution as an over arching construct few within the relevant scientific community disagree although the down and dirty detail are still subject to discussion e.g. punctuated equilibrium (essential this ‘wrinkle argues that pressure for evolutionary change builds up within a paradigm then burst out in a spurt as opposed to the almost imperceptible micro changes of orthodox evolution.)

In a nut shell The Big Bang theory has nothing directly to do with Darwin or Evolution per se. Even if Big Bang is established all it will show is by what mechanisms the universe was created but still won’t absolutely prove or disprove God only move the point of absolute proof. So I often wonder at the angst.

Contrary to what you may think I have no truck with anyone’s right to their religious beliefs and I never intend to assert my beliefs over someone else’s.
• I do how ever question obvious flaws or errors of fact.
• Get frustrated with agendas beyond a rational discussion
• And prickle if someone tries to suborn my rights.
I have no intention of trying to change your views The purpose of this is to merely inform