To My Fellow Christian Libertarians...and anyone else open to this..

[Original_Intent]

Original_Intent: But IMO Buddhism, Taoism etc are more of a philosophy, not a religion.

I agree btw. But many of their adherents (Buddhism moreso than Taoism) treat it as a religion they have a pantheon of gods and everything (at least certain sects of Buddhism, which I am sure would have Buddha rolling in his grave lol)

But definitely most of my exposure was as a philosophical foundation, not a religion. As a missionary to Japan I definitely saw Buddhism and Shinto sects that were very religion oriented.

edit: I just had a thought that I want to share. This just came to me as I was meditating while getting ready for bed.

Asking yourself the right questions will lead you to the truth faster than getting answers from somebody else, even if the answers are correct. (ZOMG! somebody write that down that is pure gold! /self-congratulation)

As I pondered another moment...asking yourself the WRONG questions will lead you to the truth faster than getting answers from somebody else, even if the answers are correct. (My Buddhism is showing, isn't it?)

To be told the truth and believe it is better than nothing, but you will not own that truth. (at best this is a guidepost to lead you to the truth, but if you just accept and do not go farther with it, this is building your house on the sand. If this is true (you need to decide) what is building your house upon a rock?

I truly truly believe that meditation is vitally important. Even meditating on a ridiculous question (called koans in Buddhism) can lead to incredible enlightenment! This is getting exciting! I haven't had stuff like this popping into my head for a long time!

Finally to be told an untruth and believe it or to be told a truth and disbelieve it is the most counterproductive, as you have just erected a wall between yourself and the truth (or allowed one to be erected).

Have a GREAT night. I have a feeling I am going to sleep incredibly well tonight.

[asimplegirl]

Ah, what the heck - I won't be able to sleep anyway.

1. Do you beleive that God, Christ and the Holy Ghost are all one being or individuals?

Individual? I guess.

2. Do you believe that only those baptised into the true religion can go to heaven, and that everyone else is sadly destined to burn in hell forever?

no

3. What do you believe in regards to faith vs works regarding salvation?

I think they should be equal, but that works matter even for those not lucky enough to have faith.

4. What do you think happens to infants who die without baptism?

heaven, of course.

5. Do you believe you existed in any form before you were born, and if so what type of existence was it?

nah..i am way too dense for that. LOL.

6. Do you believe in a literal devil? If so what type of being is he?

no...i don't.

7. Do you believe God has ever directly communicated with mankind? Do you believe He currently communicates to mankind? Do you believe he communicates with you?

hmm..directly, as in speaking? no. I DO think that he has LEAD people a certain way within their hearts.

8. Do you believe that Christ was literally resurrected? If so, why? What purpose did it serve? What exactly IS resurrection?

Yeah. I think the purpose was to show through demonstration that you can become "reborn" in Christ...not literally, but you know. I think there is ALOT more to it, but I have never been educated on it...I do think this was a major reason. I think resurrection is exactly what it is, being reborn.

9. If you believe in an afterlife, do you believe you will have any relationship there with loved ones from this life?

I hope so... I guess. LOL.

10. What would constitute and unforgiveable sin (if any?)

I believe God will forgive anything, if you ask and are sincere.

That;s enough for now - I really am tired maybe I will add some more tomorrow if you want. Sorry they are kind of essay questions in many cases. Has to be that way.

.........................

[tonesforjonesbones]

asimplegirl, If you believe that Jesus was the Son of God sent to die on the cross for the sin of the world...you are a Christian. A simple message has become quite complicated..you are right about that. We are saved by grace...not works...but we still must try to obey...lucky for us, God knows we are humans and not perfect...therefore through the blood of Christ..we are forgiven. tones

[tonesforjonesbones]

I have to say..many Christians are confused by the Old covenant and the New covenant. The Old Covenant (Old Testament) was made with the followers of Moses...the New covenant was with the Followers of Jesus (New Testament). Jesus died and liberated us from the chains of Mosaic Law....we are only bound by the teachings of Jesus...HE was the great Libertarian..he gave us Liberty from Mosaic law. tones

[tonesforjonesbones]

Jesus was the Prince of Peace...He would never condone these wars although he said "there will be wars and rumors of wars"...God made all of us, even the arabs...we are all creations of God...everything is. tones

[tonesforjonesbones]

Please view this power point presentation to understand the truth ..what happened to the churches ? tones

http://whtt.org/show/

[Original_Intent]

Asimple girl, now the thing to do is ask yourself - were there any questions that I didn't ask that you wish I would have? The questions I asked you are some of the ones I use to define myself (most of my answers were the same as yours, some are quite different). Discover the questions that define you, and if you are not comfortable with the answers (hopefully you have some questions that you aren't exactly sure of the answer) then begin searching for answers to those questions.

"Flesh and blood hath not revealed it to you, but the Father which is in Heaven.."

[TurtleBurger]

I have been searching for a church to attend that is Christian and not zionist..

The Roman Catholic Church would be your best bet. It's not Zionist, it believes in treating Jews (and everyone else) as individuals rather than as groups. As an added bonus, the Pope is a libertarian (he's even written articles for LewRockwell.com) and the church is the most influential non-government organization in the world. So based on political reasons alone, it's a great choice, and when you throw in all the spiritual advantages it beats all the other choices hands down.

[Nirvikalpa]

I have to say..many Christians are confused by the Old covenant and the New covenant. The Old Covenant (Old Testament) was made with the followers of Moses...the New covenant was with the Followers of Jesus (New Testament). Jesus died and liberated us from the chains of Mosaic Law....we are only bound by the teachings of Jesus...HE was the great Libertarian..he gave us Liberty from Mosaic law. tones

Good post,

[LATruth]

I still say practice in your own way, the way your heart tells you, and stay away from the indoctrination of organized religion .

[tonesforjonesbones]

[axiomata]

http://libertarianchristians.com/

[tonesforjonesbones]

....

[heavenlyboy34]

I still say practice in your own way, the way your heart tells you, and stay away from the indoctrination of organized religion .

+a bunch, IMHO

[TurtleBurger]

I still say practice in your own way, the way your heart tells you, and stay away from the indoctrination of organized religion .

What if my heart tells me to be indoctrinated by organized religion?

[LATruth]

What if my heart tells me to be indoctrinated by organized religion?

Commit yourself to a padded room?

[BeFranklin]

christians don't kneel at the feet of a wooden cross, but rather, we kneel to the man who died on the cross to atone for our sins. He is creator, lord, and savior of us all, not the nails and wood.

qft

[BKV]

What if my heart tells me to be indoctrinated by organized religion?

then do it, just don't complain people chose to indoc their children or enjoy being sheep of the media.

[TurtleBurger]

When I go to work, I don't ask my heart what I'm supposed to be doing there. I do what my boss wants done, whether my heart agrees or not. If I'm sitting around doing nothing and my boss says "What are you doing" and I say "I'm following my heart", he's going to kick my ass out of the office building. Same with God. There are very objective things that are true about God, and very objective things that he wants us to do. You won't find out what those things are by mushy feel-good "following your heart". When you do that, you are in effect making up your own God and your own rules; you are making yourself God. God reveals himself and his requirements through his Word, and if you choose to ignore that in exchange for following your own feelings, you can't expect him to accept the substitute, as if your way of doing things is every bit as good as his.

[BeFranklin]

When I go to work, I don't ask my heart what I'm supposed to be doing there. I do what my boss wants done, whether my heart agrees or not. If I'm sitting around doing nothing and my boss says "What are you doing" and I say "I'm following my heart", he's going to kick my ass out of the office building. Same with God. There are very objective things that are true about God, and very objective things that he wants us to do. You won't find out what those things are by mushy feel-good "following your heart". When you do that, you are in effect making up your own God and your own rules; you are making yourself God. God reveals himself and his requirements through his Word, and if you choose to ignore that in exchange for following your own feelings, you can't expect him to accept the substitute, as if your way of doing things is every bit as good as his.

IE I agree with you mostly. Follow the bible. The heart of man is only evil continual.

Psalm 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

[BeFranklin]

In regards to the original message, I think church should be viewed as a worship service with fellow believers - some of which exist in most churches even if there are non-Christians in it.

Although this might comfort no one else, I note Jesus went to synagagues and taught even when there were people there that disagreed with him, and have taken comfort in it.

[TurtleBurger]

IE I agree with you mostly. Follow the bible. The heart of man is only evil continual.

Psalm 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Yup. Following your heart, i.e. doing whatever you feel like doing, isn't good enough for work life, educational life, relationship life, or political life. Why would it be good enough for God?