To AJ Philips.

Sorry I've been busy the last few days. I'll still get back to you regarding some of your point, (or maybe about my own point also or instead. But for now, I just thought I'd answer about my religous upbringing.

My dad is Baha'i, and so while his faith has a large element of peace and unity, it also places itself as revealed from God chronologically after Islamic faith. (It accepts Islam and Chrisytianity as past of it's heritage in the same way Christianity accepts Jewish faith as part of it's heritage).

My mom grew up in a Methodist church, but I didn't know that until I was much older. For the most part of the Christian enviornment I grew up in I'd consider non denomoninational.

Though I had religion from my parents I also had friends who were not Christian also. (Most of them at the time I grew up weren't Christian, and talked openly about their opinions and doubts). From the time I started looking for God on my own I had enough background for questions and doubts to be part of the process.

Fast forward to today, I currently attend a Presbyterian church with my wife, but I think a lot of my views stem from actively looking and listening on my own. Though I'm Christian now, I've tried to sift through many Christian perspectives, to gauge which ones hold their own weight and which ones fall apart when held up against the bible. There are still many I hold as a posibility without going further to say it's definitely right or definitely wrong. But nowadays I don't hold that aspect of understanding as whether I'm saved or not.

(Continued)

(Continued)

On another note. Reading the history of Christianity is on my to do list. It's a daunting subject because it looks like I'd need to look at several sources.

History from early Christianity (and later) about the debates that led to the first few large scale meetings of what is Christian and what isn't. History from where the church as a whole split into several churches, (and the histories following at least a few of those denominational separations.). History of dovote Christians and their lives or their early deaths (Martyrs). History of corruption and churches not living up to their callings, (or at least their leaders when it is because of the leadership). As well as history with the positive attributes Christianity has offered societies. History of misionaries going out. And history of theological understanding.

Most of the time I think Christian history is studied in only a few of these areas instead of noting that there is a lot more to go on. Therefore greater doubt or greater faith can be harnessed based on a focus of historic sub topic.

Still it's something I am wanting to look into, and am collecting a list of books to read. If you have recommendations based on when you looked into the history,p the lease let me know.

Correction on the last sentence. I meant to say "please let me know."

Further to the Holocaust verses and how the Catholics changed it into a Sunday School picnic they get caught out easily when they change things selectively.

They forgot to change these crimes of David...

2Samuel 8:2 David also defeated the Moabites. He made them lie down on the ground and measured them off with a length of cord. Every two lengths of them were put to death, and the third length was allowed to live. So the Moabites became subject to David and brought him tribute.

Even the Catholics agree that he took the vanquished and made three lines of the people. He killed two of the lines and kept the 3rd line alive as slaves.

I mean in the holocaust they changed what basically says "put them into saws" and "and made them pass through the brickkiln" they changed them to "setting them to work" and "employed them making bricks". It is an absolutely ludicrous change but who would check it if we totally ignored the OT and listened to them?

If we can't trust believers on any of their beliefs why would anyone ever trust loony Methane John on his definitions of heaven....lmao

Remember in the afterlife according to Christians not 1 woman qualifies in the 144,000 worthy enough to hang with Jesus.

It's all men not defiled by women.

Revelations 14:4 These are they which WERE NOT DEFILED WITH WOMEN; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

It's all shameful discriminatory stuff that they alter when it suits them better.

Online some places have even taken to rearranging the Hebrew words in the original texts to match the translation that you are reading... AMAZING!

NNS...If you would remember correctly you changed my word AMAZING experience to your word UNIQUE experience.

You had no right to do that as it was my experience. That is what Christians do all the time. As I mentioned above many Christian sites re-arrange the ancient Hebrew to suit the translation.

Do you think that is reasonable!

So seeing that happen so many times I am just a bit wary when people change words to suit themselves.

Since posting my experience I have done a lot of thinking regarding the two guys who came through in dreams.

http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?discussion=8181#254358

And

http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?discussion=8181#254367

I now have copies of both entries and know much more.

I still can't explain the dreams but I do have an open mind about the possibility of an afterlife. Some people I know and trust believe we have lived many lives and I am not in a position to say they are wrong.

I just never want to be misrepresented on anything and that is why I bit hard. I may have been a little too quick to bite so hard.

O2.

I explained my reasoning for not calling your experiences amazing. It's not out of mis-quoting you. It's out of disagreeing with your term. Until I see you do a few things right, (such as long periods of getting people's names correct, or even to take things more seriously without self gratifying pats on the back and self gratifying boasting, ... There's several more items on this list). Until you get a few things right, for the most part I'm not going to read your posts. Like this last one.you posted, I'll probably read enough of the post to see that you wrote it and possibly a little more accidentally near the top before looking to the next post from someone else.

Just thought you might like to know, why you're not being responded to. It's largely because it's not being read, and there's no reason to read it. Change to write in the right way earlier on in your replies and I might read more of them instead of skipping them completely. My time is valuable enough to not .waste on reading and focusing on things that aren't worth the time.

Just an FYI