Religion Thread

[shaun]

I'm not sure what you are talking about Rob.

[Rhonald]

I believe I have found her, thank you very much!

  I just have to go visit. Incidentally, I found her thru prayer, too. God chose her for me thru the Word. They were four. Fei, Angel, Lily and one whose name I've forgotten.

The fourth was called Zhou from your posting on the official forms September 20th 2010. So if Lily is the one that you have to go see, why then 16 months later you still have not gone and seen her?

[Willy The Londoner]

I have a questionthat maybe could start a debate

Was John really Mary in the da vinci painting?

Go back and watch it again Robbie.
Then give us your answer first.

Willy

[Scottish_Robbie]

Shaun in the da vinci painting of 'the last supper' the twelve apostles are sitting at the table breaking bread. To jesus right hand side is supposed to be John, however it really does look like a woman, some say that it is Mary Magdaline. what do you people think, is it?

I think it does look like a woman

[Scottish_Robbie]

I have a questionthat maybe could start a debate

Was John really Mary in the da vinci painting?

Go back and watch it again Robbie.
Then give us your answer first.

Willy

I have been looking at the portrait ... and I think I see a different character ....
not anyone named Mary or John ...

Haha ahh so thats why shaun did not understand mt original question...

[Willy The Londoner]

I have a questionthat maybe could start a debate

Was John really Mary in the da vinci painting?

Go back and watch it again Robbie.
Then give us your answer first.

Willy

I have been looking at the portrait ... and I think I see a different character ....
not anyone named Mary or John ...

Haha ahh so thats why shaun did not understand mt original question...

By Golly. I see an uncanny likeness - take away the wig and you have a certain Scottish chappie who will be nameless.  Shall we call him scottish_nameless?

Willy

[Vince G]

Ponder this.. What if he did marry Mary? Why not? He was a jewish man (a rabbi) not a catholic priest. Another spin on it is Mary was a very common name then and this Mary may have not been the same sinning Mary. Just one of the editing or misunderstanding? who knows?

Same about his brother James, just pops up from nowhere?   

[shaun]

Vince, James just didn't jump out of nowhere.  There are better documents available but I find no error with the following explanation of James and Jude.  Here is the link;

http://www.ucg.org/christian-living/profiles-faith-james-half-brother-jesus


I think that it is possible Jesus could have married Mary but I also think that it would have been recorded in the bible.  Jesus would have also given charge of his wife along with his mother to John.  He only gave charge of his mother.  A lot of people like to talk about this but really it isn't worth it because it doesn't change anything about the bible.

I did some study about the time issue and did run across this on the internet;


F. R. Stephenson and J. M. Steele both from the University of Durham in a paper titled “Astronomical Dating of The Babylonian Texts Describing the Total Solar Eclipse S.E. 175”  wrote that, “The Babylonians counted years from either the start of a king’s reign or the Seleucid Era (311B.C.); however some late texts also used the Arsacid Era (246B.C.) in parallel.”

“Most years contained 12 lunar months; occasionally an intercalary month was inserted in order to keep the calendar roughly in step with the seasons.”

This is like the Jesus married Mary issue too.  There isn't any evidence to support that people counted in dog years, for a lack of a better term, 6000 years ago.  This is an article that takes it back to 750BC and identifies it as being nearly the same as today.


Shaun

[Rhonald]

You know that there is a modern update to Washington crossing the Delaware that tries to be more realistic. The Last Supper was painted way after the original event compared to the Crossings painting. So any debate on this painting would be debating Leonardo's vision & not historical accuracy. I will now turtle up on my stance after saying with a sigh, Raphael's shell game is better.

[Vince G]

Ok, it says, While James grew up in the same house with Jesus in Nazareth ? this is an assumption, and so is, Though Jesus and James had the same mother, Jesus was the son not of Joseph, as James was, but of God the Father Himself.

No one knows for sure how, where or anything else about Jesus and the family until later on in his life. James did not pop into the story till almost christ's resurrection.

Put the bible down, step back and imagine christ as just a famous named man. You know nothing of the bible stories. What kind of man is he? He seems to me to be a teacher (that's what a rabbi is) a kind man that had his rebel moments. Most people treated him like a low life, just a laborer. Take away all the hocus-pocus stories and you still have a good man helping people learn. This is how I see it. Even in the bible Jesus did not say he was the son of God. He said father but that could have meant as creator. We still do this. Your child is born you say or think Thank God it was born with all 10 fingers and toes? Does this mean God fathered the child? Well that's my logical opinion about it.

Time and counting years? Each region/tribe/civilization throughout the world had their own way of doing this. I go with the one most reasonable. Those forty years in the desert could have easily been 40 days. Just someones human mistake or an exaggeration? No one knows. 

[Vince G]

People Good or Bad

[Scottish_Robbie]

One of the best voices has been taken from us,, RIP dear whitney
Not only did you gave a special voice you looked beautiful too

[Scottish_Robbie]

Mike sorry to hear about your mom

[Willy The Londoner]

Well I have found the Religion thread. Although Christians do not regard their faith as a religion.

What are my views.   

  In China I accompany my wife to Church every Sunday.  She was a Church goer here before I arrived on the scene.  She says a prayer every morning when she wakes and every night before sleeping.
 
I have been attending this same church here since 2009 and I have my own special place where there is a Chinese/English Bible and Hymn book awaiting me every Sunday.

I can understand maybe ten words during the service but I like the atmosphere within a Church, the people etc.  My wife does everything for my pleasure and comfort 24 hours a day 7 days a week.  So the least I can do is to give her 2 hours a week to accompany her to where she wants to be.

I do not know about other religions just Christianity.  But people receive a great deal of calmness in their lives from it.   OK some go way over the top but that is the same whatever you follow whether its religion or sport or stamp collecting,  But on the whole Christians I find are more calm and relaxed.

We all have heard about Christian Leaders abusing people in sexual ways. That is true but the same goes on with sports coaches, scout leaders even teachers in fact anywhere where people are in charge of people.

I have several pastors and church leaders amongst my friends.  They know my views and respect them as I respect theirs.  I am against pastor who consider themselves as Gods nominee on earth and whose word is law as far as they are concerned but that goes for many religions as well.

I do not assign to the fact that there is another life at the end of this one. I think we have just one. So probably I am a Humanist rather that a Christian. But I am comforted by the fact that tens of millions do believe that there is.
 
As David E says it is a way of controlling people. Can you imagine just what the World would be like without any religion. The mayhem that would go on as every one was treating everyone else the way they wanted. Pure anarchy would reign.

Mind you Christianity has enabled me to travel the world. India and West Africa, Nigeria and Ghana in particular where there seems to be a church on every corner.  It also enables me to be in China.

I am against American millionaire preachers who have made themselves a good life from telling people what they want to hear.  I maybe should not say too much about that as many will know that I have two pensions and I run a Christian Music Site and allows me a fairly comfortable life by doubly my monthly income!  But at least I am giving people something not take take take as many do.

Willy

[Vince G]

Yes Willy I know the cornerstone of the christian music site you have and that is fine with me. Most of these christians either have me scratching my head or laughing out loud from, not to sure if they are misinterpreted or it's ignorance? They will take one thing from the bible, twist it, turn it, spilt in to fit what they want it to be, then insist they are right?

Here in the US or at least the southeast where I am they block out the word God on TV? Except on a religious show. My guess is they are taking from the early part of the bible where in hebrew it is said not to speak god's name. God is not his name it's a title. God's name starts with a Y and sounds something like yahoo. What astounds me is if the name God shouldn't be written how do we know how to spell it? How come Jesus' name can be written? D'uh.

Dave and you are both right ("The mayhem that would go on") in keeping people under control. That is the concept of religion. The jewish religion took off because it was the first to have only one god. The religions that followed just followed suit.

As I said before and will say again, if a religion helps you, gives you peace, that's ok, just don't tell me false statements, or give me propaganda to get me to join. I enjoy the entertainment from this side of the fence.