Four great religious truths

[Pararousia]

1. Muslims do not recognize Jews as God's chosen
people.

2. Jews do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah.

3. Protestants do not recognize the Pope as the
leader of the Christian World.

4. Baptists do not recognize each other at
Hooters.

 

[nice gaijin]

not to be rude, but does this belong in the "serious discussions" forum?

 

[lexico]

Greater truth

It was a "strange" Samaritan who gave aid to the guy who got mugged;
he was no Muslim, NOT Jewish (although Israelite), not Christian, and not Baptist. But he could do what was natural for a normal human being. That is sure proof that there is hope; not becuase there are all kinds of sectarians everywhere. Still some sectarians do good works, as do Buddhists. Heh

 

[Pararousia]

Ok Nice_Gaijin, Perhaps you are right. I will add to it 4 (Serious) religious truths to make up for my error!

1. God LOVES you and offers a wonderful PLAN for your life.
God's Plan
[Christ speaking] "I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly" [that it might be full and meaningful] (John 10:10).
Why is it that most people are not experiencing the abundant life?
Because...

2. Man is SINFUL and SEPARATED from God. Therefore, he cannot know and experience God's love and plan for his life.
Man Is Sinful
"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Man was created to have fellowship with God; but, because of his stubborn self-will, he chose to go his own independent way, and fellowship with God was broken. This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference, is an evidence of what the Bible calls sin.

3. Jesus Christ is God's ONLY provision for man's sin. Through Him you can know and experience God's love and plan for your life.
He Rose From the Dead
"Christ died for our sins...He was buried...He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures...He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred..."

4. We must individually RECEIVE Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God's love and plan for our lives.

We Must Receive Christ
"As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12)

We Receive Christ Through Faith
"By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9).

Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self (repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive our sins and to make us what He wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of the will.

You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer
(Prayer is talking to God)
God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. The following is a suggested prayer:

"Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be."

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart?

If it does, pray this prayer right now, and Christ will come into your life, as He promised.

(In English)
http://www.greatcom.org/english/four.htm
(And in Japanese!!!!)
http://www.greatcom.org/laws/japanese/

 

[Tsuyoiko]

Tsuyoiko's Four Great Religious Truths

1. Religion is defined as belief concerning the supernatural, sacred, or divine, and the moral codes, practices, values, and institutions associated with such belief.

2. Religion (probably) developed as a system to encode useful survival tips and social structures in a way that early man could understand. Some argue that religion is a tool concocted by the powerful to pacify and oppress the powerless.

3. Most religions boil down to the same basic tenets, such as 'love thy neighbour'.

4. Religion is not necessary for (and may hinder) spiritual development.

 

[Rich303]

2. Religion (probably) developed as a system to encode useful survival tips and social structures in a way that early man could understand. Some argue that religion is a tool concocted by the powerful to pacify and oppress the powerless

4. Religion is not necessary for (and may hinder) spiritual development.

2) People used to live in fear of excommunication and going to hell if they didn't pay their 'Tithe' (a tenth of their earnings) to the church.
My problem with a lot of western religion is that (maybe more so in the past)it is too focused on fear and guilt.

4) Interesting.
Years ago,such opinion was rare.
I think we are often taught that religion is the only path to spirituality,but who's to say where we would be now if religion had never been invented.
We'd have one less thing to argue about,for a start.