Category Archives: Religious

Most anything dealing with the religious nature of life. This could be interesting, or not, or enlighting, or perhaps, inbetween

God and Allah Questions 2015-151

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God and Allah Questions   2015-151

 

I have written before about God and the relationship with the Islam god named Allah. I have honestly stated I have a hard time equating the Jewish/Christian God with the Islam Allah for various reasons. That being said, I still have questions about the two gods.

Well, actually, not with the Hebrew/Christian God, but the mingling of the two, by Islam followers, namely the Muslim religious.

The Jews and Christians are named as “People of the Book” in the Islam religious Holy Scripture, the Koran. Mohammad in 600 + A.D. stated that the Archangel Gabriel relayed things to him regarding people of the Jewish faith and also about Jesus.  Jesus is mentioned in the Koran as a prophet and messenger, but not acknowledged as the Son of God.  That statement or part of the Koran can be analyzed or discussed, but I hesitate to do so at this time. That is a separate issue as far as I am concerned for now.

But, the two faiths, Jewish and Christian are mentioned a number of times. The Jewish history goes back to Abraham beginning with the time spent in Ur and his travels when God told him to go and find another land, etc.

The Islam faith mentions Abraham’s sons especially Ishmael and his mother Hagar and when they were sent out of camp into the desert. It is said that he formed the tribes that became Arabs and that led to the formation of Islam by Mohammad.  This is a VERY short description of that occurrence, which again, I will not go into detail now.

That being said, it implies that Islam, Hebrew and Christian histories are related through Abraham, this being a common bond.

Allah is an Arabic word for God. This would be the same God that the Jews worship and the Christian worship and that is why the two other faiths are listed as the People of the Book. The history of the Jews, as recorded by the prophet Moses (per the Islam Koran) and the Jewish book, “The Torah” and the Christian book, “The Bible” are sharing the same God.  I don’t believe the Jews and Christians have a problem sharing God. The Jews just do NOT believe that Jesus is the Son of God either, and I can live with that belief of theirs, just don’t agree with them. The Muslims do not believe that Jesus was the Son of God, and was just a prophet, like they call Moses. OK, so what, I do not care if they do not believe in Jesus as the Son of God!

I do wish I knew some Muslims, especially some with knowledge of the Islam faith. It would be interesting to converse with them, discuss differences, likenesses, and so much more. That is one of the problems with society today; we do not talk with each other at times, about such subjects.  There is just so much info one can get from the Internet. A discussion of this and that is missing, whereas people could get a different perspective on a subject, especially of faiths.

I had an experience in the past to discuss the Christian faith in general with someone who was a doubter of God and Jesus Christ. I have mentioned this before, where we emailed back and forth about Christianity. The problem was, I would suggest 5-6 items and he would respond about only one. It was difficult to have a good dialogue in this way. A phone discussion would have been better, but we did not do so.

Questions like: God of all, (God and Allah) does not mean just Muslims; it includes Jews and Christians as His children. Why so much disparity between the three religions?  Why do I read about some of the Muslims wanting ALL people to convert to Islam if they are not already of that faith? It would be better to just accept others with the faiths they believe in and would be so much more peaceful if those people of Islam that want the conversions  to be more tolerant. Jews and Christians do not expect other people to convert to their religion with penalties if they do not do so.

Why do some of the Muslims think God wants death to all Jews and Christians—– they are HIS people, what goes on??? I believe those that think this way are reading or being taught this is the way God thinks today, whereas this is not the case; simple as that. So, I blame some of the religious leaders for the mayhem that occurs today.

I have NEVER  seen or heard of a meeting with top ranked leaders of the three faiths being discussed, having a sit down discussion about things that could be talked about in detail. WHY NOT????  There are sound bites on TV, or newscast reports saying this and that about a leader of Muslims (such as Iran), and what they call those of the U.S. or Israel, but not one meeting with anyone to discuss differences.

Perhaps, all three religious leaders would have a problem with a discussion of their respective faiths and not want to do so. It would make a neat TV documentary to hear this conversation. I would hope there would not be any yelling or over talk by each of them trying to outdo or speak their thoughts.

I think God and Allah is the same God, regardless of what is thought by each faith today. There is only ONE God of the Universe and to debate whose is better, or any other thought process would be ludicrous to say the least. Of course you could include an atheist to make it additionally interesting, but that may make it a stretch to some; don’t know. I think I may be so bloody naïve that what I state and think is not realistic; which is sad in a way……..

Peace be with you

Den Betts

Why God!!! “Oh Why????? 2015-146

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Why God!!! “Oh Why?????   2015-146

A simple question that I do not have an easy answer, but ask!

I would like to ask God, “Why do things happen the way they do?” regarding so many things that occur each day, week, month or year.

I think I know the answer, but would like a confirmation on what I think…  God is where He is right now, and in a way, I believe He is with me as I type. He, in the form of the Holy Spirit, is present with me.

I could turn around, look to my right or left, or behind me and will not see Him, but He is there and I really think He is shaking His head at me. He is accepting me the way I am, who I am, and what I am. And. in that thought. I know He is wondering why I am asking such a stupid question of Him.

He knows what I am thinking and in the knowing, is not telling me the answer to the question, “Why!?” He knows I know the answer and His silence is so quiet, so, in a way, so wonderful. He is allowing me to look into myself and see, and hear what He knows I know.

I am sure, no, I am positive that He is asked, “Why” all the time. Look at the TV, hear the radio, read the newspaper, talk to someone, listen at conversations and the question, “Why” is asked of God all the time.

“Why did Uncle Charlie die; baby Jane, or any loved one we know?” It is not that they are now in a better place; they were good where they were, around people and family they knew! So that is not a great question to find out why.

“Why do people do stupid or horrific things they do?” Why do the ISIS followers do what they do to innocent people.  Do they ever wish they had those five minutes of their lives back, to think things out better?

There are billions of why’s floating out there that people could and do ask God about!

For every question of “Why” there is also a “Why not!” question. If there was a God, it is asked, “Why not, is the question of “Why didn’t God, save, fix, or stop, or anything like that” for things that did not go so well or were not the way we want them. “Therefore, there is not a God, it is stated, or He would have helped, saved or protected, instead of doing nothing.

God cannot win at times. Either He gets the credit or the debit of life in the process.

Crap happens; it is as simple as that.  He is with us always, regardless of what is happening. He is beside us when we are dying, being born, experiencing life in the joys and sadness at times.

But guess what!? Many times it is something He knows that we should try to know. We, as His children are responsible for our actions, or someone is responsible. We can look in the mirror and see what we have done with the shell we inhabit. We, as God’s children, are in control, sort of, with ourselves in our daily living.

If we want to abuse ourselves, hey, go ahead. He can sit behind us and shake His head and wish we do not, but it is our choice. We can go on with our lives, and either live the good life or reap the rewards of the bad life. Our choice!  This has been called “Free Will” and has been debated by theologians and scholars forever.

It is so much easier to give credit to God when things go right and blame Him when the opposite happens. He can take it!!! He will understand our need to thank Him when something occurs that He did not make happen, and when crap happens, He understands our frustrations of blaming Him for something that He did not make to occur. That is life.

So, go ahead and ask God, “WHY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” But, understand that regardless, He is with us always, not sometimes, or on occasion, but always. Give this some thought and perhaps say “Thank you God for being with me when I needed your presence, thank you when I needed you in my time of need, thank you, when things went well and the times when they did not go well, but thank you God, regardless!”

Den Betts

The American War on Christianity 2015-116

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Writer, Artist, Business Owner, Human Being

The American War on Christianity

Posted: 05/05/2015 3:50 pm EDT Updated: 5 hours ago

This MIGHT have been in Huffington Post, but not sure…….DDB

This article was written by Joseph Callahan and was posted online 05/05/2015. I re-blog this as his and not mine, but agree with much of it. I really do not use the Bible as ammunition to make a point, but he does here, in a sensible way. I feel we, in America, are somewhat spoiled with the freedoms we have and sometimes take for granted.        

Den Betts   

The American War on Christianity      2015-116

It is pretty hard now days to turn on the television or open a newspaper without hearing about “the war on Christianity” and see devout believers lamenting on how horribly they are “persecuted” in America today. With gay marriage, abortion and atheists removing God from every aspect of the government, it seems pretty obvious that we secular citizens are using separation of church and state as a new battlefield against religion. How horrible a life American Christians must be forced to live.

In Iran, Christians are being executed for their faith. In Myanmar, you can be thrown in prison just for owning a Bible. In North Korea, well, you face death just for believing any God exists. The 2015 report from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) shows that 13 million people have fled seven countries (Syria, Iraq, Nigeria, Central African Republic (CAR), Eritrea, Burma, and Afghanistan). Many of those displaced are Christians, and mostly due to fear of violence and/or death.

The Bible, and distributing it, is restricted in over 50 countries worldwide, and spreading the gospel will land you in jail or executed in many of those. But none of this compares to the wholly American horror of (possibly) being forced to bake a cake for a gay wedding! How could we compare the American “war on Christianity” to the Christians (and other religious beliefs) persecuted worldwide? I mean, our own little bubble, and our own discomforts in the first world are all that really matter. The rest of the world isn’t us, so we shouldn’t compare ourselves to them, right?

In America today, you can proudly say, “I’m a Christian” and carry a Bible with you everywhere you go. You can go to any church you want to without being arrested. You can say anything you want! You can even proclaim that you worship the Giant Spaghetti Monster, and all the persecution you will receive is strange looks from some people. Yet, in this, one of the most religiously tolerant nations, Christians are screaming persecution just because our laws are changing to embrace everyone’s belief structure. By not allowing one faith to force their beliefs down our legal throats, the country has launched a “war” on (one specific) faith.

Let’s say, for one minute, that this perceived war on Christianity is real, that American liberals and atheists want to persecute believers out of a shear sense on malevolence. What should the Christian believer do in face of such hideous mistreatment? Let’s turn to our Bibles.

Persecution should come as no big surprise if you read your Bibles. In John 15:20b (NIV), Jesus states “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.” Well, what exactly happened to Jesus? I think being beaten and executed counts as persecution. So, since “the world” (Non-believers) persecuted Jesus, shouldn’t Christians expect persecution? Even Paul warns Timothy, “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution,” (2 Timothy 3:12 NKJV).

So, Christians, at least those who read their Bibles, should not be surprised at persecution, weather real or perceived. They should, in fact, expect it. Jesus said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer…” (John 16:33 KJV), and the Apostle Peter said, “If you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name,” (1 Peter 4:16 NIV). So, not only should Christians expect persecution, but they should embrace it as a way to glorify God and be more Christ-like. The last thing they should ever do is complain. “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you,” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV).

Now, American Christians don’t face death or jail, like many believers in other nations do, so they are forced to find this persecution anywhere they can. They have to look hard to find it, not to whine and lament about the injustice of it all, but to grow and rejoice in their faith. It makes me wonder, if we are truly waging a war on Christianity, then aren’t we really doing them a favor?

Joseph Callahan   5/5/2015

Was Jesus a Rabble Rouser? 2015-114

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Was Jesus a Rabble Rouser? 2015-114

First off, WHAT is a rabble rouser? Hmmmm, let’s see! This may not be the best word to use, but I am anyhow. Bill O’Reilly used this word in his book “Killing Jesus” and he said it represented Jesus who disturbed the peace and challenged the authorities in His time. Sounds good!!!!

It is said that the word originated between 1825 to 1845 and the term was first used to describe Abe Lincoln, but not sure if that is a fact or not. It does have a definition as a person who manipulates the passions of the mob; and is a demagogue.

Rabble is a term for the lower classes or common people and Marie Antoinette was referring to them when she said, “Let them eat cake”. The original term rabble was coined about 1655-65 and pertained to shifting hot coals, or “churned up” and that is where the rabble comes from using the French word “raable”, a fire shovel tool. The rouser was pertaining to the stirring up or inciting strong indignation or anger.   OK, nuff of history; “Was Jesus a rabble rouser?”

I don’t think He thought He was such, but don’t know of course. He had his way of doing things. The written account of His turning over the tables of the money lenders/changers is a vivid story of when he ticked people off with His actions. He was careful though in some of his dealings with the authorities, namely the High Priests of the Hebrew faith. They were out to get Him and tried to lure Him into saying things they wanted to hear so they could “take care of Him, in a not so nice way”. They could then arrest Him and put Him to death. They were such lovely religious people of His time; NOT!!!

It is my thoughts that Jesus KNEW what He was doing and what affect it would have on the people listening to Him. I would think that, after a while, He would EXPECT a reaction from those around Him and that might have spurred Him on. His actions of performing miracles would have the same consequence and would add to the following He was having. People would have heard about the acts, and sought Him out to experience the events.

I went to a Rob Bell presentation in Cleveland, in August of 2015, and there were people that could be considered his ardent followers which were in the audience. I think the average age could have been early forties, which was amazing to me. There were older folks too, but many younger people were there listening to every word he said. His presentation was fine, but not what I expected.

The same with Jesus way back in His time. The followers would have gone and be listening to every word that was said and take back to their tribe, what they experienced, creating more followers that just HAD to hear and see Him. The fact that He might have said things that made Him a rabble rouser in their minds might have helped Him then. Rome was not a popular domineering faction and they wanted someone to hopefully go against the Roman law.

Jesus knew the Hebrew laws of Moses. He used the laws to help Him make a point in His parables and other teachings to those that followed Him. Most people knew the laws too, and knew what He said was in keeping with the Laws. That probably helped Him be accepted in many places and in this acceptance; he was in keeping with the “old laws” of long ago in the minds of those listening. Jesus was not dumb and He became the authority to those hearing the very words they grew up with listening to the Rabbis of their time.

Was He a rabble rouser? To the Roman contingent – YES. To the religious leaders – YES. To the people that followed Him – MAYBE. To the Disciples that were with Him – MAYBE or MAYBE NOT. Everyone then, probably had their opinions about Jesus based on how they perceived Him and how He came across to them.

Do I think He was one – PROBABLY. Is that bad in my mind – NO!

 

Den Betts

Inspired Word of God 2015-103

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                             Inspired Word of God   2015-103

So what is inspired? Does it mean that it is as simple as being influenced by a divine or supernatural being, when talking about religion? I have mentioned in my writings, many times, that I believe that the Bible was inspired by God.

Do I really think this? Again, what does inspired actually mean? I firmly and truly believe that there is a God. He is active, alive, and present with us always. I do NOT care if some do not believe this, but my thoughts to them, could still be interesting, maybe.

But that being said, do I truly believe that the Bible is inspired by God. I researched for a Sunday School lesson, called, “History of the Bible” and have a one inch thick booklet I passed out at the time. I was going through it the other day and found a page about this subject.

In it there were four different thoughts about the Bible, in reference to God having a hand in writing it. I looked it over and found a page that was attributed to the Thomas Nelson Publishing co. from 1990-. It was titled “Authority of the Bible – Inspiration or God’s Breath”.

“The most common appeal to the Bible’s authority has been by the concept of inspiration. For the most part, the Bible does not directly speak about inspiration. One verse, however, is often quoted. “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). The word inspired in this passage is the Greek theopneustos, which literally is God Winded or God-breathed. It follows a verse referring to the “sacred writings” (verse 15), that is, the Hebrew Bible and possibly some of Paul’s letters as well. There is more than one way to speak about inspiration. We can identify four basic ways to think of the inspiration of the Bible.

1              One view holds that every word of the Bible is totally inspired by God and contains truth free from error. The assumption here is that God effectively persuaded all biblical writers to put down just the correct words, all the time. (I would imagine that this refers to or means the Bible is inerrant or without error)

2              Another way to speak of inspiration is to say that it applies to the ideas and concepts, but not to the actual words of the Bible.

3              Still other Christians have argued that God inspired not words or ideas but individual people. These folks then wrote what they did using the language and thought forms of their culture.

4              Yet another view of inspiration is that God inspired the community that produced, preserved, and passed on the writings we call Scripture.”

So, inspiration can be defined as all the words, all the ideas, all the writers, or all the believers who kept the writings as Scripture. Each of these positions has its advocates, its strengths, and its critics. Not all Christians agree on how to describe the God-breathed nature of the Bible. But, most Christians do agree that Scripture is inspired by God. God is the ultimate source or origin of Scripture

After researching the History of the Bible and reading many sources of data, I firmly believe the Bible is indeed “the inspiration by God”. To what degree of the four concepts shown above, I will keep to myself, but feel anyone can believe as they believe – which is only right and correct, and I respect those feelings and beliefs of others. I also feel that this issue should NOT be debatable as the essence of Belief in Faith is not something to be debated.

OK, that was then! Do I still believe it now? I have to still say yes, but with some reservations and thoughts. I think He was there when the King James Version (KJV) was compiled. The KJV was overdue for mankind to have the Bible that was understandable, at its disposal. The many versions that were in play at the time were archaic and hard to read. The Bibles at the time were many and some are listed here: The Vulgate, which St. Jerome wrote, The Wycliffe’s Bible, Matthew-Tyndale’s, Luther’s German Bible, the Bishops Bible, Coverdale’s, the Great Bible, Geneva Bible ,Douay-Rheims and even Noah Webster’s Bible about 1880. I would imagine that there have been many more versions or translations over time, up to a recent one called the Message, written by Eugene Peterson, which is more of a paraphrase than a translation.

Needless to say, was God involved in the inspiration of these variations? Perhaps, and perhaps not. I think He might have been present when they were being written or compiled at the time the work was done and His inspiration was evident to those doing the writing at the time.

I think most of us have our own opinions about this word “inspired” in relation to the Bible and again, that is fine. I know there is a God, one God that is the creator of the Universe and He is with us always and part of this companionship is being involved with writings of Scripture in some way. Believe what you want to believe, but I stick to my thoughts as being true, right and final about this subject, but cannot say that I was inspired by God to say so.

Den Betts

Lament of a Doubter &UB Person 2015-102

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 Lament of a Doubter & UB Person   2015-102

Perhaps lament is too strong of a word to use, but I do so anyhow. What do I mean?  I have written about a doubter of God in the past, as one who does have doubts of the authenticity of His existence and therefore cannot say they are a complete and absolute believer.

We all doubt, including me. There are times that I feel doubt about God where I hear of an instance where I feel God could have helped the situation. That is normal, I believe, and not a true doubting thought, just a thought at the time.

That being said, I state that I AM a believer of God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, amen…. I have no qualms of saying this, as that is what I believe; period…  Some do not have this feeling and could be called doubters, or just un-believers.

This is, I feel, a common thought process and this subject could be discussed at length, but I am thinking more of the Lament of a Doubter. Again, what do I mean? I do not know if I am correct, but could be, and it would be up to the individual doubters to renounce my thoughts.

Here goes! Does a doubter feel that they are correct in thinking that God does NOT exist? I would think they do so, and that is a normal thought.  I speak in general terms of what a doubter may think, so forgive me, for now.

The un-believer (UB for short) thinks he is correct in his thoughts. Many UB people state that there is no proof of God’s existence and feel they are correct. Many use science as a way of trying to proving their beliefs, even though some scientific deductions cannot do so.

Now, does the UB feel that he is right and does this thought go from now until he dies. When he dies is he just dead and nothing else?  Good thoughts on their part, or deductions made, because there is NO proof in their eyes.

My thoughts are this: what if the UB is wrong and God knows they are UB people?

So, this comes to the thought that the UB somewhat has to put up with all the Believers out there and the things they do because of their belief.

The UB is harassed with Christmas songs from almost October through December each year.  They have 40 days of Lent to hear about Jesus Christ and the Crucifixion during Lent.  They are required to pass all kinds of churches, synagogues and mosques on the way to work.  They have people wearing crosses everywhere they go.  The TV has programs like AD that tell the story of Jesus.

You get the picture!  The UB people are surrounded by all kinds of Godly things and happenings daily and there is nothing they can do about it.  It would drive me crazy, knowing that I did not believe in something and have to put up with all the trappings of those that do believe.

Do they actually lament on having to live with all the religious hoopla that goes on in the name of God? I don’t know, but I would if I was a un-believer of God.

There really is NO way for a doubter or UB to express themselves in their non-beliefs.  There is Facebook, but that is a limited crowd and I doubt if many would sign up as a friend if they were active believers. There has to be some way that they can get across to the believers that God is not alive, not active and His Presence is not with us today.

When I read about a UB that makes statements to the news or other media about the absence of God I keep hearing them go over and over about the negative thoughts, like they have something to prove to the world. Can they just shut up and not believe in their disbelief?   What do they have to prove? That they are right, in their minds? They cannot do that, because I can ask them for absolute proof, which is not possible to get from them.  They might want God to do something special, but God does not work that way. It would really tick me off, if I went through life as a doubter or UB person and found out that I lived a life that way, but was wrong. Blasé Pascal, a Christian philosopher – 1623-1662, had a saying that is called Pascal’s Wager, which, in essence, had a unique idea to believe in God and I will encourage you to look it up and consider it.

God allows us to believe or not believe; simple as that.  It is up to us, as individuals, to believe in the  Triune God and if someone does not; so be it.  Time will tell.

Den Betts

Presence Wanted? 2015-99

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Presence Wanted?  2015-99

I have written about “The Presence” before, regarding the presence of the Holy Spirit in relation to religious or Spiritual life, but want to go further on this subject.

First off, let me suggest that we are believers of God the Father, the Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit for the sake of argument. If some are not, go along with me on this for the moment.

My question is this. If the Triune God as mentioned in paragraph two, comprises “The Presence”, do we want His presence with us all the time? I mean “REALLY”!!!!!

I have alluded to this before; when we are taking a pee for instance. Or, when we are doing anything personal that is, well – personal……

Or, when we are doing something that is not really nice. I will let you fill in the equal to nice……….

You see what I am getting at. If “The Presence” of God is with us always, then we really do not have a say in this as to what we like or do not like.

I had one person say, “He CANNOT” be with us always.” I asked why and he said, “Because there are too many people on Earth for Him to be with all of us always”.  I do not agree with his argument. God has His time frame in our lives and is not bound by earthly time zones of our living by the clock. He CAN be with all of us, individually, and still take care of Godly things that He does, at the same time.

One more thing!  Let us just say we agree that He is with us always! How many of us would acknowledge His Presence being with us on a continual basis. How would our lives be changed if we know and are aware of His Presence being with us? You would have to answer that one yourself!

There are times, not always, that I feel His Presence with me. It is not a 24-7 type of feeling, but I am conscious of His Presence at times. When this happens I have a profound feeling of many emotions, all good…. In reality, I AM trying to have this feeling of His Presence be with me continually, for I LOVE the emotions that come with the feeling.

In a way, you DO have to be aware at these times. It is not something that just happens and is gone, but instead, is a specific time period of this awareness. The time period may be a moment or an extended period of time; all depends.  The “CANNOT” guy would attribute this feeling period of time to something else, I am sure. I may add that he has also become an unbeliever or an agnostic at the best, if even that.

I have also written about Meditation and mentioned that this is a time where a one on one period of time with God is possible. I use this meditation time to contemplate many things, pray about many things, and try to become one with God in the process. It works; usually. I say that because life happens and I do not always concentrate on what I am doing, but mostly it does succeed.

How does Meditation work? How do I feel His Presence? I can only say it is a process. It does not happen all the time, when I want it to, or when. It is a process of trial and error, of trying over and over, of waiting for the inevitable, I say that with the thought that it WILL happen, but it takes TIME. Most of us want things NOW and do not want to wait or work at things. That is normal, but it all depends on what you want and how bad you desire it.  I started this “process” a couple of years ago, after “The Happening” occurred and I am still learning, but now getting results. I love it……..

Den Betts

Whose God is Who???? 2015-96

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Whose God is Who????    2015-96

If the God of the Hebrew, Christian and Muslim faiths are the same God of Abraham, THEN, is there a different god that is followed by those same faiths? Of course NOT!

All those following these religious faiths can say “God is Great!” or “Allah is Great” in Arabic, if you use that language.

To say or think that the God of Abraham likes only one of the religions mentioned and not the other two is ludicrous. I would think that to use a religion to exclude the others of the same God could be sacrilegious to do so.

To also believe that any that do not believe in the religion that you follow and to insist that those of the two other religions MUST do so, is— well I have many words I could use here to describe those people.

History can tell of how evangelists of Christianity traveled to parts far away to not just spread the word, but to somewhat force the unbelievers of Christ into believing in Him. Christians can deny that this happened, but too many writings have proven this to be a fact.

It is evident in reading the stories of the Old Testament that the Hebrews had a thing of dealing with those that did not believe in their God of Abraham, called Yahweh in the time of Moses and afterwards.

So, it is not surprising that certain Islam followers are trying to do the same thing today. The goal is to have the non-believers of Islam convert to their religion, even at the threat of death.

The difference is what the Hebrews did, what the Christian evangelists did, and what the Muslim followers are doing today is about the timing. What the Christian and Hebrew followers did then is not what they do now as a policy. Then and now does not represent now.

Is there prejudice against the other two religions by one religion today, not saying which religion they are right now. YES, would be the answer, for in reality, the minority of each probably does have resentment towards the other religions not of their own that they follow.

Does this make sense? NO!!! In this modern world there should NOT be this type of discourse today! I would think that the only God in existence must have problems with His children that have thoughts and actions the way they do today. Fellow man cannot be violated and killed in the name of God, regardless of the religion being followed.

God does not get pleasure in hearing “God is Great” or “Allah Akbar” (being about the same phrase) after one of his children does a despicable thing like killing in His name. I believe that those that do so are either primitive in thinking, brain washed, ignorant, or some other description that is appropriate for them. Using God as an excuse is inexcusable.

The main thing is if they kill, decapitate, destroy, maim, or kidnap, DON”T do it in the name of God and state that He is agreeing with your actions. If you do it, do it for your own personal corrupt reasons and not God’s if you feel you must do those acts! Or better yet, don’t do it but try to make a peaceful statement for your religion instead. There is NO reason for killing for killing sake anyhow…… Maybe I should say there is NO reason for killing ––period……

I really think I am writing, but not reaching the people of all faiths that do the things they do. I just watched the news (6-18-15) and listened to the reporter tell of nine people killed by a racist in North Carolina, because he hated blacks. He did it inside a church after staying at a Sunday School lesson for an hour, then killed everyone there except for two people who pretended they were dead.

What a world! Again, God of Abraham has to see these things happen and shake His head wondering about the human race then, now and in the future. So many atrocities that occur that probably remind Him that we are still primitive people on this planet Earth. To think that He is in agreement today or even before, of doing things in His name, must make him ponder of why He even bothered creating man………………………….  Maybe it is because He loves ALL, unconditionally, regardless of the faiths, beliefs, etc………………………… Hmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!

Den Betts

God’s Grace 2015-91

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God’s Grace    2015-91

So, what is God’s Grace?  Is it something we can get or is it something else? According to my favorite source, Wikipedia, it is something we get for free, from God. It is tied in with the word faith, but let me get into that later.  I think, but am not sure, that this might be a Lutheran thing, based on Martin Luther’s beliefs. I really do not want to get into a Luther versus Catholic belief thing, but may or may not have to do so.

Now, this can be hard to understand or it can be made easy. I think one way of solving this is to check out Scripture and see what it states.

The fundamental meaning in the New Testament and in subsequent theological usage is that contained in the Letter of Paul to Titus: “For the grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all people” (2:11), and in Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift.” The book of James has another spin off regarding deeds and faith, but I will leave that alone for now, also.

Luther had his thoughts of grace. It is by faith alone (sola fide) and by grace alone (sola gratia) that men are saved. Good works are something the believers should undertake out of gratitude towards their Savior; but they are not necessary for salvation and cannot earn anyone salvation; there is no room for the notion of “merit” in Luther’s doctrine of redemption.

I admit that other religions or denominations have other thoughts about this subject, but I am not going into the divisions of this subject. The concept of grace has been called “the watershed that divides Roman Catholicism from Protestantism, Calvinism from Arminianism, and modern liberalism from conservatism. So there ARE different thoughts about how we get into Heaven or are saved. I guess I am expounding on one thought now, and will leave the others to people more capable to do so.

I was sent the following “joke” from my Pastor that may put this into perspective of how grace works, versus other actions by us.

How to Get Into Heaven per St. Peter

A man dies and meets St. Peter at the Pearly Gates. Peter says to the man, “Here’s how it works. You need to have one hundred points to get into heaven. You tell me about all the good things you’ve done. They are all worth a certain number of points. If your total is one hundred or more, you can come in.”

“Well,” says the man. “I was happily married to the same woman for 52 years. I never looked at another woman. I was attentive and loved her dearly.”

“That’s great,” says St. Peter. “That’ll be two points.”

“Hmmm,” says the man. “This is going to be harder than I thought. Well, I attended church regularly, volunteered my time and tithed faithfully.”

“Wonderful,” says St. Peter, “That’s worth another point.”

“One point!” says the man. “Okay, okay. I was involved with a prison ministry for twenty-five years. I went into the prison, at least monthly, and shared Jesus with them.”

“Wow!” says St. Peter. “That’s another two points!”

“Only two points!” says the man. “At this rate, it’ll be only by the grace of God that’ll I’ll ever get into this place.”

“Bingo!” says St. Peter. “That’s one hundred points! Come on in.

OK, maybe that is not the way exactly how it works, but it sounds sort of neat. Common Christian teaching is that grace is unmerited mercy (favor) that God gave to humanity by sending his son to die on a cross, thus delivering eternal salvation. Do we have to have faith to get grace, or does it come from God automatically. In John 3:16 (KJV) says “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” That was stated so long ago and attributed to John, but does it continue like it was or does God have a different opinion now?

Many theological theories based on interpretation of Scripture are offered about this subject. I would like to think that it is up to God to decide on the fate of his children and that can be  thought of in a convoluted way that man does or could not understand. There is no NEW tablet that anyone has hiked up a mountain to get where God has written his decrees on, so I don’t know, of course.

When I pray to God, I usually add in my prayers, “Thank you God for the opportunity to be with you for eternity because of the sacrifice that Jesus made on the Cross. Let me carry His cross in acknowledgement of His act, so long ago.”  I have stated before, I wear a cross daily, not for others to see, admire, or comment, but to remind ME of Jesus Christ and  His resurrection and that I AM a disciple of Jesus Christ forever more.

Den Betts

OMG 2015-83

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From: TheBettsDen.com

                                                OMG   2015-83

OMG!!!! How often do we use this small phrase in life? Daily?, Sometimes?, Often,? Never?

It all depends on the situation, I am sure.  I have a category called “Quotes” that I just started and have one from C.S. Lewis from one of his writings. In it is the quoted statement, “Can a mortal ask questions which God finds unanswerable? Quite easily, I should think. All nonsense questions are unanswerable.”, C.S. Lewis This does not relate entirely to OMG, but gives an idea as to what is not to be used; maybe…..

Now, OMG is not really a question, or is it? I am sure God has a filter system of knowing when we mean Oh My God (or OMG) as an exclamation or a request for his hearing us or knowing we need His attention. I am sure He also knows, through the filter, that we are just making noise at something.

We just stepped in a pile of dog crap and said, OMG as a startled yell of unbelief. Or something happened that was of the unordinary in life and OMG was a wail of disbelief or a real belief of greatness of what happened at the time.

BUT, it is sometimes used for getting God’s attention! He is not THAT busy that He cannot deal with our life’s problems, comfort us, or be with us in times of despair or even great joy.

Oh dear God, where are you, or help me in my time of discomfort, be with me in my time of need, help me when I am in danger, and statements or yells like this are not yells of inconsequential requests! Or again, Oh My God (OMG)!!!

I read a psalm in the Bible that a psalmist said “Oh My God” to get His attention and presume that it worked, but too many times we, including me, say it in a superficial way; period……….

OMG just thrown out for minor reasons, or exclamation thoughts, or usually just a habit of saying, are not really a prayerful saying. Really!!!

I then state, if it is not used in a, let me say religious reason, then should it be used at all? Some could say, “Who cares!” Perhaps God cares and does not like it to be used in a nonsense way or frivolous way that taxes the filter He uses for real requests from one of His children.

Does OMG bring up one of the Ten Commandments “Do not use the name of the Lord in vain”? Does God think of OMG as doing this action that He said NOT to do long ago? I really cannot say, because I do not have that knowledge. The word God is being used in this OMG context so this might be true. If it is the case, then perhaps we need to be asking forgiveness for using this phrase in our daily lives!

 

I would think if this is so, then we could say it is a bad habit of phraseology in daily living and try to change our doing or using this OMG phrase. I think I may have used it and perhaps others have done so too. Maybe it is time for a change of habit if that is what it is for us.

What really astounds me is when I hear OMG from someone that may or may not be a believer of God and it is used in a way that I described above. Why say it, when they do not believe? Why say it when we do believe?

Sometimes when I pray to God in a meditative moment, I ask God, “Why do you put up with us, the way we are and how we are in relation to you?” The only answer is a simple one that amazes me. “Because I love you!” His love is an unconditional love without strings attached, somewhat. Ok, there are strings that I could mention, but will save those for another time.

Even when we say “OMG” in a nonsense way, God still loves us, though I believe He shakes His head in wonder at times.

Den Betts