What is the nature of man? - Page 2

lol sorry I had it in my head that you believed that one religion was right and the others were wrong - my apologies! - to answer your question - I wasn't trying to - I was trying to prove that other stories like that exist so how can you know which are right...

I do have it in my head that one religion is correct, but that is because I believe that religions can all be classed into two groups, Christianity and everything else.

okay for this one I think we'll have to agree to disagree - thanks for responding

What? We've only just begun. Perhaps another time.

all right- first of all, what is the basis for your classification (Christianity and everything else)? - why do you believe that your take on morals, the afterlife, etc. is more valid than anyone else's? besides the miracle story, faith, and just "it was how I was brought up" - something tangible

The two classes are simple, religions that require you to work for your salvation and religions that offer salvation to all who accept it. Only Christianity falls into this group.
My views are more valid because I believe in the only living God. I have seen physical proof of God but you will likely dismiss it because you are blinded by your own set of beliefs which you seem to think are more valid then mine.

"The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried." G.K. Chesterton

i like that quote.
There area lot of contradictory views around, even within religions. Creation is one of the best examples with this, with people believing that god created the earth exactly as it i says in genesis, or he started the big bang.
But wandering back to the topic, i think human nature would be free will, we have it in our nature to make our own decisions.

"My views are more valid because I believe in the only living God. I have seen physical proof of God but you will likely dismiss it because you are blinded by your own set of beliefs which you seem to think are more valid then mine."

Just to get this straight, I believe that all religions have equal validity. I am not denying the existence of God (here anyway). I'm just saying that I haven't seen any credible evidence that favors a Christian God over a Muslim God or a Buddhist God over a Christian God as being "the one true spiritual force". If you have some solid evidence that would prove that the Christian God is right, please share it! I don't believe my religion is more valid than yours - I haven't even decided on one yet; (That's why I'm having this conversation). I was a Christian for years though (but not anymore).

"The two classes are simple, religions that require you to work for your salvation and religions that offer salvation to all who accept it. Only Christianity falls into this group."

In my opinion, accepting something as important as a religion is an extremely difficult task that does require work (for me, it's been learning about different belief systems). Plus, if you are Catholic, I think you have to do good deeds to be saved (not sure on this one).

"The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried." G.K. Chesterton

Good quote! - I think this can apply to many religions though.

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I was a Christian for years though (but not anymore).

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I challenge that statement I do not believe that you have ever been a Christian, you may have gone to church and knew all the right answers but if you ever were a Christian then you still would be. because unlike other religions where you can come and go as you please Christianity is the only one were once you are there you never leave it. Not because you are forced to but because anyone who truly believes in and knows Jesus will never leave Him. They may get lost from time to time but they never cease to be Christians.

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Good quote! - I think this can apply to many religions though.

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It cannot because if it applied to other religions there would be no defection. And everyone would stay in his or her own religion because they have found all they desire.

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I believe that all religions have equal validity.

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There i one major problem with that statement, as all religions say that their is no god but their own, so they cannot all have equal validity.

Though i do think that there is a lot of overlap in some of the major religions, both islam and christianity stem from judaism, so from one point of view, they could all be seen to worship the same god, though their morals are often different, though as ethereal said, christianity is the only one that offers salvation for free.

"There i one major problem with that statement, as all religions say that their is no god but their own, so they cannot all have equal validity."

Sorry for not being clear - what I mean is that any of them could be "right" - not they are all right

"because unlike other religions where you can come and go as you please"

Have you ever belonged to any other religion besides Christianity? If you have practiced many relgions and have found them all unsatisfactory and left them and then became a Christian and found it to be great, only then you are justified making this statement.

"anyone who truly believes in and knows Jesus will never leave Him"

I do not doubt this but, again, it can be applied to any religion. Just take out the word Jesus and replace it with the name of a God or prophet, etc., etc.

"It cannot because if it applied to other religions there would be no defection."

Huh? Please explain

I found a statement of yours on another message board: "If your feelings cannot be backed up with fact then they are useless." Please back your belief up with fact (like the physical proof you said you have).

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Sorry for not being clear - what I mean is that any of them could be "right" - not they are all right

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So by your own confession you believe some religions to be wrong. That being said why is it so absurd that just one be right? I mean you just said that any of them could be so why must it be more than one? Why do you mock the idea of there being just one answer?

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Have you ever belonged to any other religion besides Christianity? If you have practiced many religions and have found them all unsatisfactory and left them and then became a Christian and found it to be great, only then you are justified making this statement.

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Let me ask you something first. Do you think that eating human feces is disgusting? By your own logic you would only be able to say it is disgusting if you had personally tasted it.

"So by your own confession you believe some religions to be wrong. That being said why is it so absurd that just one be right? I mean you just said that any of them could be so why must it be more than one? Why do you mock the idea of there being just one answer?"

As Cynic-Al said, they can't all be right because they all claim that their is no God but their own. Thus, some must be wrong, true. It is not absurd that one is right. All I'm saying is, we don't know which one yet because there is no proof that favors one over the other. This means that, for all we know, any of them could be right.

"By your own logic you would only be able to say it is disgusting if you had personally tasted it."

Honestly, I don't know if it tastes disgusting, because I've never tasted it. Even then it would be my perspective. Now answer my question, have you ever belonged to any other religion besides Christianity?

What difference does it make? I personally have not travelled the world that doesn't mean that I think there is no where else but where I live. I have learned what I needed to about some other religions and I chose this one because it was the only logical choice

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I do not doubt this but, again, it can be applied to any religion

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How many religions do you know of that allow for personal relationship with its deity? The key difference in Christianity is that its believers are not slaves but rather children of God we are in fact allowed to be part of God's family (but not because we deserve it) I've read about a few other religions, ones where you must pray to a piece of wood or some other fabricated symbol. But I have a personal relationship with my God.

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Huh? Please explain

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If other religions were not found wanting then everybody would be happy with their religion and they would not abandon it for something else.

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Please back your belief up

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I have told you that you will not believe me because these things have not happened to you. You will not be able to find God where I am until you find God where He is.

"If other religions were not found wanting then everybody would be happy with their religion and they would not abandon it for something else."

Sure of course - If people were completely happy with their relgion, they wouldn't abandon it (voluntarily anyway). It extremely likely that each religion, even Christianity, has someone that's not completely happy with it.

"I have told you that you will not believe me..."

Even if I don't believe you, I'd be helpful to me. I'm looking for God, but not in the sense that you see him in. ANY help whatsoever would be appreciated - Plus, by not backing your belief up, it seems a lot less credible.

"The key difference in Christianity is that its believers are not slaves but rather children of God"

Believers of other religions are slaves?

"How many religions do you know of that allow for personal relationship with its deity?"

Having a personal relationship with a deity is your choice. From what I know, one can grow close to God(s) in numerous religions, even animism (is that what your talking about?). A close relationship with God is what you make it and can be achieved outside of Christianity and even with no official religion at all.

Responses to the other things you've written in your last post are in my last post (not including this one).