Revival: Bringing America Back to God

Let God judge each and everyone individually. The citizens of America are free to make individual choices whether or not to be Christian, but that does not entitle them to enforce this belief on anyone else. God will judge each by their own merit (I don\'t believe in him but for the sake of discussion). He said we\'re not to judge others, it\'s his task, let\'s just leave it at that. Also, if God does destroy the prosperous U.S.A due to non believers/sinners and in the wake of his wrath harms his followers and those faithful to him then I ask, is he truly just? Would you kill 50people if you knew 10 of them were child molesters when you could easily wait for their trials to come up?

To those that have read this take whatever disputes you have up with God, this was not written to debate or to judge and I am not going to debate the issue at all, this was simply written to inform. The Bible says what it says and God's word will still stand firm long after we are gone from this world, You can try arguing with me all day long but that will not change what is written, so debating it is pointless for anybody and futile, Your Conscience testifies of God

Hebrews 3:15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.

Heed your conscience while you can God is patient and Long-suffering, but not forever suffering, You do not have to answer to me but keep in mind It is appointed unto man once to die and after this, the judgement

WAY TO go Thank God we have Other believers out there!!!!!!

Responding to JR, quote, "Would you kill 50people if you knew 10 of them were child molesters when you could easily wait for their trials to come up?", God's answer is no. In Genesis 18:32, God himself, in response to Abraham's plea not to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah for the sake of any righteous people living there, answers "For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it."

I'd say the matter is settled.

fair enough, you have your beliefs i have mine. to each their own. may i ask though, as you live your life, to recognize that not everyone HAS to believe what you believe and that if they choose not to, it is not your responsibility to warn them of what may, or may not, come of it. we have free will, in most cases, and those who choose not to believe have the right to make that choice.

on the other hand, i suppose i did bring the battle to your house so for that i apologize.

perhaps on more neutral ground a discussion would be welcomed.

x

thanks for not joining in debating, a discussion is always welcomed, point taken by the way we do all have free will I'll acknowledge that

Great another religi-nazi trying to force their beliefs on others.
and the only reason you refuse to debate this, is because you cant debate a fairytale against logic.

your bible is nothing more then a collection of older pagan texts assembled into a single book.

Someone called me a religi-nazi and said I was forcing my beliefs on you. What's Ironic is I don't hear you crying anything similar when an atheist expresses his views, but If I or another Christian does you're all over us, somebody under conviction by their conscience?

I'd say so, as for why I am not debating It is because the Bible speaks for itself, The true and Living word of God stands strong as it has always done since it was first given, and it will continue to do so, as it is Written.

"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away " Matthew 24:35

as for Horus' theory and assertion that
"your bible is nothing more then a collection of older pagan texts assembled into a single book." that only goes to show how un-informed he is, study up bud because right now you are looking pretty foolish.

The Bible Is Truth and Wise Men still seek the face of God.

Love and Peace to you all from Our Lord Jesus Christ
Great Article J.K. and keep writing

Jupiter, I am proud to have you as a fellow believer and a brother in Christ. It was only after we took God from school that we started experiencing all the school shootings. It is a sad affair when it is against the law to pray but not to bear arms. I'm telling my age now, but in grade school we had a moment of prayer. For those who did not want to pray, it was a moment of silence. It did not hurt anyone, and in fact was of benefit to the students.

"America was founded as a Christian nation. Our forefathers knew that the only solid foundations for any nation to succeed is faith, morality, and Godly values."

Like the guy above me, the so called "fact" that the nation was founded on Christianity isn't really a fact. Like most of history it is very debatable. Many "experts" believe the nation is founded by deists.However that is debatable also....

to Horus Your last comments were marked as spam I will not have a debate with you, However I would like to draw your attention to 1 Timothy 4:1
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

be careful what you are reading and where your information comes from, You said you are an ex-Christian? well to that I will say this the Bible warns of people such as you who depart from the faith, If all you want is a debate, stay off my pages and stop trying to overthrow the faith of others simply because you yourself don't believe. If your conscience is still active, listen to it while you can and Keep this in mind Genesis 6:3

And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. P.S. "It is appointed unto man once to die and after that the judgement"

I'm sorry my comments offended you I was judging your facts and they are very possibly incorrect when it comes to our nation being founded on Christianity. I was just informing you of knowledge I thought you might be interested in, just like you are trying to inform others. Which Is why I said most of our founding fathers were most likely Deists.

Steve, read the personal Letters and speeches of our forefathers and you will see that they indeed were Christians, read most state constitutions and the U.S. Constitution itself, and again it attests to them being Christians. I know quite a bit of History myself I study it regularly once again though,
this was meant purely as a ministry and informative article.

Jupiter, for someone who doesn't want to debate, you sure seem to argue quite a bit. But then again, I don't usually find consistency in the Bible. Why expect it from the Christians? Still, you will probably delete this too as spam.
I would love if you could find any reference in the U.S. Constitution to religion other than the forbidding of a religious test for public office. There is no mention of "Under god" in the oath of office. There is no hinting at any god anywhere in it. Don't co-opt and rewrite history to justify your delusions, but please continue to study history: you obviously need more studying into Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, and the large majority of founding fathers. If this was supposed to be informative, you failed.
You can believe your mythology is true. However, also on the front page of Shoutwire is the 50 greatest atheist quotes, which brings up Christopher Hitchens' "What can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof."
About the only argument made here that makes any sense is that those that refuse to follow the laws of god and are unbelievers cannot reasonably expect to have their prayers answered... just like the prayers of those that are believers.

G-man I have yet to argue at all I have explained to Horus why his comments were spammed, pointed out what I saw as a double standard since alot of people allow Atheists to express opinions freely and these people do without being bashed, but If we Christians express a view we get bashed almost instantaneously, further I have asked Steve not to merely believe supposed "experts" but to do his own research, if you perceive that is arguing then I apologize, but it isn't.

If you want proof we were founded as a Christian nation, a perfect document to look at, familiar to all is the Declaration of Independence

P.S. To G-Man as far as the quote you gave let me say this, the existence of God is proved in many ways Example One:The Conscience Example Two: Creation itself Example Three:The Overall complexity of Human anatomy Example Four:Miracles speak for themselves.

God gave us proof enough to Let us know He's there, He gives us a choice whether or not to Love and accept him, and It is by faith that we are guided and walk with Him through our lives

Jupiter,
"God gave us proof enough to Let us know He's there, He gives us a choice whether or not to Love and accept him, and It is by faith that we are guided and walk with Him through our lives"

I will use this as my comment. Wonderfully put!

To Icy,Judy and lolfighter, thank you for your commentary, the rest of you will be in my prayers I pray that God will give you tender hearts and will open both your ears and your eyes. Jesus Loves us and that is the most precious Gift of all To all future readers May God bless and keep you well, this is my fervent prayer.

Forever and Always In Love and Faith,
Amen.

P.S. Thank you to Nate as well

Announcement:
Jupiter deletes posts he does not agree with. Especially the ones that prove him foolish, an easy task.
Please explain how the Constitution, the founding fathers, or the Declaration of Independence were overtly religious (or, in the case of the constitution, religious in the least). Also, explain 1796 Treaty of Tripoli.
Censorship is beneath a man of "god". Or, is your faith so weak you can never suffer a dissenting opinion? Sheesh!

To G-man, your last commentary has been spammed for the following reasons, insighting debate and author bashing. I respect your right to a differing opinion, but beating me or others down is unnecessary P.S. Nobody is forcing you or anyone else to click my link and merely posting an article is a far cry from shoving something down someones throat.

There is a difference between arguing just to see words on the page as you have obviously done and actually saying something productive as I have yet to see you do.

Once again though I was not arguing, the term "arguing" implies that I am opening a matter for debate. I was making a statement, nothing more and I was NOT opening it up for debate if it were open for debate I'd have asked for opinions and other forms of feedback,or given some hint that my statement required a response, which I didn't.

However, it is surprising the lengths some will go to for an argument, if that is what you want, take it elsewhere this board is for civilized discussion only and author or fellow reader bashing just because you disagree with something doesn\'t qualify as civilized and yes posts that are argumentative and frivolous will be marked as spam.

You are advocating a change that is contrary to the founding fathers and disseminating false information. I am not disagreeing with your principles, merely your facts.
The spam function is for unsolicited advertisements, not for silencing criticism. Just as you hope to change someone's mind, I hope they think twice if they study what history truly is, not just a grossly misinformed opinion.

the 1796 treaty was 20 years AFTER the Declaration of Independence, The Declaration itself However is based on Christian ground, and many other documents including letters and speeches of the forefathers make it widely evident that they were indeed Christian as I pointed out to Steve.

We are afraid of the known and afraid of the unknown. That is our daily life and in that there is no hope, and therefore every form of philosophy, every form of theological concept, is merely an escape from the actual reality of what is. All outward forms of change brought about by wars, revolutions, reformations, laws and ideologies have failed completely to change the basic nature of man and therefore of society. - Thomas Jefferson

Lighthouses are more helpful then churches. - Benjamin Franklin

Art. 11. As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion - Article of the U.S. congress from 1797, Signed by John Adams himself.

To Tyler, I will respond to you with this, anything taken out of context can be used to bash, but in context does it stand up And Actually mean what you want it to?

that is the question, Indeed the majority of the founding fathers were Christian, there are more than enough documents attesting to this,not to mention as Jupiter stated the treaty was 20 years after the Declaration. Many of the State constitutions themselves however are Christian based, One needs only to read them to see that.

Tyler, that is the exact article of the Treaty of Tripoli that G-Man was refering to. Since John Adams was a founding father, it is less than important it was 20 years after the Declaration of Independence, which makes only two references to what Jupiter considers to be a god: "creator" and "natural god". Hardly a ringing endorsement of Judeo-Christian foundations. It could just as easily be interpreted as Shiva or Ba'al. Jupiter, do you believe this country was founded as well on Hinduism? Deists are just as different from Christians as Christians are from Muslims.
"20 years AFTER the Declaration of Independence" is a defense to a ridiculous claim? The Bill of Rights was 10 years after. Does that mean you shouldn't be allowed your free exercise of religion or your person should be free of unreasonable search?
Tyler, one more quote for you to continue fighting the good fight, "Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between church and State."
-Thomas Jefferson

Strangely I feel the need to respond to Answers, Why bash this man simply for writing an article? Nobody is forcing you or others to read it.

While I acknowledge that Thomas Jefferson did state what you say, at the same time it must be looked at from the right perspective, Government is by the People and for the People all that Jefferson's statement meant is that no state or federal legislature can force someone to Worship God a certain way, besides ultimately we all answer for our own actions or lack thereof, so why debate the issue? It is a useless debate.

Remember "The Great Awakening" from History class anyone? or perhaps you slept through that Chapter. This Country was based on and maintained Christian values and principles, not only that but it also prospered, I agree with Judy

God Bless You all

Whenever we read the obscene stories, the voluptuous debaucheries, the cruel and torturous executions, the unrelenting vindictiveness, with which more than half the Bible is filled, it would be more consistent that we called it the word of a demon that the Word of God. It is a history of wickedness that has served to corrupt and brutalize mankind; and for my own part, I sincerely detest it, as I detest everything that is cruel. -Thomas Paine

My earlier views of the unsoundness of the Christian scheme of salvation and the human origin of the scriptures, have become clearer and stronger with advancing years and I see no reason for thinking I shall ever change them. -Abraham Lincoln

The civil government ... functions with complete success ... by the total separation of the Church from the State. -James Madison

Tyler, the reason I keep spamming your comments is this, you are quoting all these things without citations as to where you read them, and therefore they cannot be validated as even being stated by the people you claim.

I have never come across most of these quotes anywhere, which leads to question of whether you made them up to support your views, Not only that but some of them I find not only derogatory but Blasphemous and as I told Horus, stay off my pages if all you want to do is bash and debate.

Here are the citations you need.

The Abraham Lincoln quote was to Judge J S Wakefield, after Willie Lincoln's death (Willie died in 1862), quoted by Joseph Lewis in "Lincoln the Freethinker," also appearing in Remsburg's "Six Historic Americans".

The Thomas Paine Quote is from his book "The Age of Reason"

The James Madison Quote is fro a book of his collected writings that was published in 1999.

Quoted from a well known poet I will state this "Man is flawed, God is Flawless,Man's knowledge is finite, God's knowledge is Infinite, therefore why would we take the opinions of Man over the Living Word of God?"

Nonetheless thank you Tyler for at least posting the citations, However once again I must say your conscience testifies of God and the Validity of His Word.

"The wrath of God only falls upon the Children of Disobedience."

That's a logical fallacy. With that statement, you assume that the bible is 100% correct and inerrant, which is a false conclusion.

Your second statement is also fallacious. If every time you disagreed with me, I said "Your conscience clearly verifies my point", Then I'd be extremely hard to argue with, wouldn't I? That's because differing opinions do not indicate a validity in the opposite opinion.

It is clear that you are just looking for an argument at this point Tyler. I said your conscience testifies of God and the Validity of His word I did not say "your conscience verifies my point" as a matter of fact I made no mention of "I","Myself" or "My Point" in my statement

All I am saying is that God testified of Himself and Gave us our conscience for a purpose and while it's true you may not have to answer to me, if you harden your heart against Him then when consequence comes there will be no excuse,

what I mean by that is when you yourself stand before God and have to be accountable for your actions(We All have that appointment one day, it is inevitable) What will you say then?

I agree with the statement in this blog, but I dont agree with what it suggests. Yes, we should abide by Gods laws and acknowledge him. But what is God?

Is God in a book, or is God everywhere? Do you feel God more than I do? Whos right in the debate of what God is, when everyone feels God in their own way?

Ultimately, if God is everywhere, God pretty much is everything. God didnt write the laws, God IS the laws. How can you prove this?

Lets look at the more obvious laws we can observe. What happens when you jump off a building, or hold someones head under water long enough? You die. That is a universal fact you cannot compete with.

What about the more subtle laws? What goes around comes around, Karma, and Destiny. There is no more a hell than the one we create, the universe has this weird elastic property where if you push something, it pushes back. If you teach something love, it in turn can love.

Jesus even narrowed down the 10 commandments to love God as thyself, as you do your neighbor. Love is the ultimate truth to the universe, if you go against it, you suffer. There is no mysticism behind it, there is no praying in Church on Sundays, there is no tithe to hand over to the monarch who rules and decides... there is you, there is God, and there is the Universe. You are the master of your destiny, and God is omnipresent. Do good unto others, and they will do good unto you. If you pretty much observe the laws of nature, and treat everyone with respect, you will have a much easier time accomplishing your goals.

Finally, theres nothing outside the PERFECT science of nature which manipulates things and makes decisions. If there was a being which one day decided to create the universe, he did so. After that, the ball rolled on its own, there was no God finger in the soup bowl. Prove to me or anyone otherwise, and you will solve the problem of who God is once and for all... until then, there will be the rational, and there will be the sheep of mankind.

sure, this is not a debate, apparently he dictate it to be that way, and only respond with biblical quotes. But anyway, I agree with maplejib, also searching for god in the bible, koran, or whatever text book, is like trying to appreciate the beach just looking at a single grain. I assume god is more than that, and so
other ministers in other religions, try to understand the universe, like a great painting, the evolution, big bang, math, etc.
I work in the scientific community and let me tell you something, let us work, you think that us in scientific comunity don't beleave in god, and that the big bang and evolution is just proof that god don't exist, well some think so and some don't. And no, I don't think that teaching Intelligent design is good for the children or that god must be in other subjects besides religion in school, that's wrong, we need to teach the right stuff. And it saddens me that religion affects good science.
Like Hawking says:
"If we do discover a complete theory, it should in time be understandable in broad principle by everyone, not just a few scientists. Then we shall all, philosophers, scientists, and just ordinary people, be able to take part in the discussion of the question of why it is that we and the universe exist. If we find the answer to that, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason — for then we would know the mind of God."
Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays (1993)Sthepehn Hawking.

This discussion is quite interesting but anyway, God is omnipresent yes, but nonetheless Jesus made it crystal clear that He is the only way,thus eliminating any other way Science,Works, Etc. In other words nobody can work their way in to Heaven,

God Looks at us from the Standard He set which is His Righteousness bestowed through Jesus Christ, our own righteousness is as filthy rags.

Isaiah 64:6
But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

John 14:6

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Without the Righteousness of Christ, nobody can enter the Kingdom of God.

To Receive the Righteousness of Christ what must we Do? Have Faith in Him,Love Him, and Acknowledge and accept the Sacrifice which Jesus made for us on the Cross.

John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name

John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Many have the "mind knowledge" but not the Heart Knowledge and without a genuine heart then anything else is in vain.

Think of Wisdom as a plant,
A seed can be planted and watered, but if the weeds in the garden are not pulled up, they will choke out the Life of the plant.

In other words, a person can share Godly wisdom with others,
but if people harden their own heart and refuse to take it in, then they miss the Blessings.

I agree mostly with Jessi. Essentially it has little to do with which medium you choose to find God, rather the importance rests on the love you have.

Yes, the words of Jesus after multiple translations and perhaps even in the original account of the apostles may say that you can only find truth through himself, but again it depends on whether or not you choose to take the bible as the unquestionable guide to following in the footsteps of the Lord. And even if you choose to do that, you can interpret it in to an infinite number of ways.

I am not denying your beliefs, I am arguing the statement that without a 'Christian' mind America will fall and suffer. I find that notion a far cry from fact and an obscurity of the lesson which the bible teaches us. Love is the key and answer, treat your neighbors as you yourself would like to be treated, observe the laws of the universe and treat it with respect as well.

If you can love and respect everything and everyone as Jesus did, you will have a true relationship with God, which is everything and everywhere. Observing the words of a book can be an enlightenment to those without understanding in the meaning of Love, but they are not the only answer and guide for our existence in this life.

I really like chuchogl's statement:

searching for god in the bible, koran, or whatever text book, is like trying to appreciate the beach just looking at a single grain

God is everywhere, not only the Son of God who left us 2000 years ago... God is in the grass, the trees, basically all of nature, and in people as well. God isn't a material thing... God is like love, infinite. You can't measure God, and you can't divide God. God just is.

The consequences of your actions may be felt in the afterlife, but as an individual if you act against the love which binds us together, you will suffer enough in this lifetime.

We don't know what's on the other side, in the bible God said his majesty is such that if we were to witness it, we would just die instantly... I think the sentiment is that it's beyond our understanding, at least for now. There's no point trying to lure people into belief, this was not Jesus' goal... His purpose was to teach man to love... he failed mostly, but many people do know love and hopefully in the future we will learn to cherish what we have, respect each other and the earth which sustains us. Without that, we will suffer the consequences which are written in the above mentioned verses.

Maplejib, Jupiter was not trying to Lure anyone into believing, He was simply ministering to those open to hear and receive
"Faith comes by Hearing, and hearing by the Word of God."

Faith, by its very nature cannot be forced, it is Trusting God,

He draws us, but He does not force us into believing, He made the sacrifice and He does the drawing, that is His Part

but ultimately accepting is our part, If we choose to turn a deaf ear to His word then we ourselves are responsible

I agree that we should Love, that is true, but if one rejects God then that one does not know Love, Why? Because God Is Love.

If one willfully hardens their heart, then they choose wrath rather than Love, It is not God's Will that any perish but that all would come to repentance.

People send themselves to Hell by the hardness of their own hearts, God never intended hell to be for people, at the same time However, God is not mocked,

If we willfully,deliberately and unrepentantly continue in sin after receiving the Knowledge of the truth, then we in essence are trampling the Blood of Christ, thereby mocking God, and God will deal with such people as is necessary,

If we reject God's Loving Sacrifice, then we have earned His Wrath.As was stated in an Earlier Post

"The Wrath of God only Falls Upon the Children of Disobedience"

Jesus said "Come unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest" —Matthew 11:28.

If we reject Him as our Saviour we choose Him as our Judge and No one that rejects Him will enter his rest. The scriptures are clear

Your rebuttal brings me back to a question from my first post.

Why is the Bible used as an exclusive source of our spirituality?

The word of God can be gathered from many things and not only the Bible. When chuchogl said that looking for God in one book is like trying to understand a beach with one grain of sand... There are many things to observe which are God. God is everywhere. God is no more in the bible than he is on the porch of Satan. God cannot be divided, he is everywhere and his presence is reflected in everything. It is just as wrong to rely on one exclusive text to determine the meaning of life and everything.... as it is to rely on one source for all your news and events.

We were given free thinking for a reason. USE it, it gives you the ability to weigh reality on your own, and question everything which exists. If you want to find God, search in yourself. Search in your family, your friends, your life. You will find God much sooner than by placing your whole belief into one book... Be fair to yourself and have an open mind towards things.

Ultimately, the message is not the part to emphasize, the part which matters is Love. The lesson itself is the message to man.

Lastly, have you come to think that someone like me, who loves God, is condemned for life? I wouldn't think it fair to see me in such way, to say that you love God more than I.

I have seen miracles happen Maplejib,I have seen the work of God in plenty of places through out my life I was never trying to say that you were condemned or that I love God more than you do,In fact God Himself said we are only condemned if we do not Believe, Faith In and Love for God is the Key here, and that is the Essence of the Gospel. I wasn't trying to judge at all simply to inform,

Ultimately those that are condemned are condemned due purely to unbelief, "There is therefore no condemnation for them that are in Christ" In essence, so long as we believe,Love God and keep faith then we are not condemned "But they that believe not are condemned already"

As I stated, I am not here to judge, Only God knows your heart.

P.S. As for Why the Bible? Because it is the Written Word of God, Documentation of the Life,Ministry,Miracles and teachings of our Lord Jesus and despite all opinions and excuses man comes up with not to believe, God's Word has Life Giving power, admittedly God shows his Love and Strength through out our lives in Various avenues such as Miracles,Blessings, helping us through times of Struggle etc. But the Word of God is the Foundation, as it is The Gospel of our Lord, and all things were created by Him and for His Glory.

Colossians 1:16 "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him"

I totally agree with you maplejib, that is my point exactly. Nice to see another person with open view of things.

For the record, I don't reject god, I love god in my own way, but also, i don't reject other views of thinking or other sources.

And also, let me remind you, that when you say the written word of god, it sound that it was dictated by god, but, there is an agreement between the christian/catholic and the jews church (except for the orthodox jews) that in fact the Bible/Tanakh was inspired by god, that is actually different. But anyway, I'm not atacking or otherwise offending.

As Jupiter has repeatedly stated,God gave us a mind,soul,heart and conscience for a reason, We all will give an account one day as to what we did with What God gave us,

If you have faith and Love God that is the key, the Bible is the Word of God, Anybody that listens to that still small voice knows that's True, God shows us truth and gives conviction when we do wrong

John 10:27-28 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

God Testifies of Himself, as has been stated He made the Sacrifice but accepting that precious gift is our part, if we don\'t then we ourselves choose condemnation

Acts 4:10-12 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, [even] by him doth this man stand here before you whole.

This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Ok, nevermind. "Higher criticism" or "lower criticism" is not allowed here

When Jesus said He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no man comes to the father but by him, he made it clear with those words that there is no other way, Jesus Christ is God with Us, Emmanuel,God in the Flesh, the Living Word, and there is No greater Authority than God Himself, so as for anyone's "higher criticism" or "lower criticism" it is void if it is not backed up by the Word of God.

ok, so then, if you take the bible literally you don't understand the true message, that is "lower criticism". Take for example the wedding of Canna, you know de miracle right? turn water into wine, but do you know the true meaning? do you know the mistake there is in the translation of the sacred texts?.

The Bible is Literally the Word of God, anyone taking it as purely "symbolic" is severely misguided, all things must be seen in context, however I am curious as to what supposed "mistake" you are referring?

The reason some take the Bible as simply "symbolic" is because to acknowledge that God will indeed literally judge those that reject the gospel is an uncomfortable thing, Nonetheless however there is a judgment coming, the only way one will be saved is by acknowledging and accepting Christ as Lord.

In response to Chuchogl, There was no mistake in translating the Texts.Some might try to SAY there was, but that is simply their vain attempt to discredit the Bible, Jesus turning water to wine is however pure,literal, stone cold unchanging fact, For the record I agree with John

this is addressed to Tyler who gave the 1862 Abraham Lincoln Quote,

here is another Lincoln Quote

"With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan - to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations." Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865.

Apparently Abraham had faith in God,did it occur to you that possibly it was grief over Willie Lincoln's death may have been why he said what he said in 1862?

Grief drives us to do strange things at times, but what really matters in the end is what is in the Heart of a man

"In regard to this Great Book, I have but to say, it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Savior gave to the world was communicated through this book." "Reply to Loyal Colored People of Baltimore upon Presentation of a Bible" (September 7, 1864)"Reply to Loyal Colored People of Baltimore upon Presentation of a Bible" (Abraham Lincoln September 7, 1864)

Another Lincoln Quote "In regard to this Great Book, I have but to say, it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Savior gave to the world was communicated through this book." "Reply to Loyal Colored People of Baltimore upon Presentation of a Bible" (September 7, 1864)

sorry for the double post I was unsure if the 1st one was posted or not, my internet is sometimes acting up. not to mention I pasted "Reply to Loyal Colored People of Baltimore upon Presentation of a Bible" (September 7, 1864)twice on the 1st post,sorry about that, but at least you have the citation

I sought out this article after reading your more recent defense of this... I think that perhaps what you might consider is first illustrating for us what you mean by "taking God for granted." ... What do you mean by that? How do people take Him for granted? Try to use a little bit more illustration... Don't tell us, show us.

Secondly, I think that there is a big debate even among many theologians and Christian historians as to whether our "American" roots were ever truly Christian... considering what Christians did to Native Americans, African Americans, and even among their own... those who were caught up in adultery... those who were accused of witchcraft when they hadn't done witchcraft... And many of our forefathers were actually Masons, which to many Christians is known as a cult... to those who don't see it is a cult, many would at least agree that many of our forefathers were Deists and not Christians...

I don't see our nation as a Christian nation. I see us much like the Jews in the time of Esther who were living in a pagan land... Yes, revival is turning from sin and turning back to God, but how that looks may be differently than what you might think of...

I think in this time that we're in, one should careful to not judge too quickly... and should remember the words of the prophet Samuel, that while man looks at the outer appearance, God looks at the heart.

Food for thought,
Blessings,
Sammy

Thank You sammy for your thoughts, it was never my intent to judge, only to minister, some however have outright attacked me for it though and it was to them that I was responding, as I said many of our forefathers(though admittedly maybe not all) were Christians, as you pointed out only God knows the hearts.

As for how people take God for granted, as I stated many deliberately and knowingly go against him and yet those same people complain when they don't get his blessings, regarding what you stated about what happened to native americans,african americans and so on, some people have calloused hearts, but nonetheless that is because they allowed themselves to get that way. Jesus told us to Love one another and it is because I love people that I wrote this article and it is not God's will that any should perish, but at the same time He will not force His will on anyone either.

I think it's just important to remember that it's the kindness of God that draws people to repentence. There is a huge generation in this country that was raised with the hellfire and brimstone message. They feel judged, they feel separated from God, and they need to know that in the midst of their sin they can cry out to God and He'll still hear them. The reason we call things "blessings" is because none of us earn them. We don't earn them by being good or living godly lives. We are simply blessed, even when we fall down. Not saying we should pre-meditate sin or take God for granted, but should we fall and be going through a hard time, His grace is greater than that...

Agreed Sammy, as I said it was never my intent to judge

i can understand faith in God, but i cant understand faith in the Bible...??? its just a collection of writings (essays,letters,poems,thoughts...etc) did these not come from man? is man perfect? then why is the bible perfect?

im not arguing with you, just trying to understand you.

ps- the cyrilic alphabet in which many eastern european languages are written was created by two monks, one of who was Brother Cyril. is the bible written in cyrilic perfect?

speaking of how this country was founded, here\'s something interesting for general knowledge purposes:

Quotes by Thomas Jefferson:
\"Shake off all fears of servile prejudices, under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God, because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear.\"

\"We are afraid of the known and afraid of the unknown. That is our daily life and in that there is no hope, and therefore every form of philosophy, every form of theological concept, is merely an escape from the actual reality of what is. All outward forms of change brought about by wars, revolutions, reformations, laws and ideologies have failed completely to change the basic nature of man and therefore of society.\"

and by Benjamin Franklin:

\"The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason: The Morning Daylight appears plainer when you put out your Candle.\"
Benjamin Franklin, the incompatibility of faith and reason, Poor Richard’s Almanack (1758)

religion attempts to answer many of the BIG questions: where did we come from, how did it all begin, what is our purpose of being, what happens when we die?

my question: whats wrong with not knowing the answers to these questions? or: whats wrong with saying I DON'T KNOW?

"FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS, AND I WILL WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS. AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.

You ask why we should trust the Bible and here is why, It is the Living testimony of the Lord's ministry as documented by those that walked with Him,The Old Testament, such as the 10 commandments document the Laws of God. Our conscience is also there to bear witness, God wrote his laws on the hearts of all he created.

John,If we don't know,we are told we can ask, there is nothing wrong with asking questions, God gives wisdom freely to them that seek it if they ask in faith. James 1:5 if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.