There are seven ancient spiritual disciplines that we will look at in detail because as Jeremiah says, we think there is something valuable in them. "Thus says the LORD: "Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls." (Jeremiah 6:16 ESV) These seven practices are part of all three Abrahamic Faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. We looked briefly at the Judaism equivalent for the practices and how Christianity practices stem from them. The seven practices are: prayer, fasting, observing the Sabbath, sacred meals, giving, pilgrimage, and observing the sacred seasons.
We also looked at other spiritual disciplines there are for us to put into our faith. The list we came up with is not finished but a good start: meditation, service, study, financial decisions in general, fellowship, and prioritizing. All of these will be looked into more deeply over the coming Sundays through August 9th.
We had a great start to our ministry this weekend and I'm excited for all of the other things that are in store for the summer. Many of you are going to do the Children's Ministry with us on July 30th and many are going to read "Religion Saves and Nine Other Misconceptions" by Mark Driscoll with us. I am going to order the books on Monday, June 29th and would love to have everyone's money on the 28th, Sunday. I should have the books available for you all by Sunday the 5th. However, I did say we were going to begin the discussion on Tuesday the 7th, but I completely forgot that most of the new Freshman and I will be at CIY in Tennessee so we need to push it back until the 14th of June to begin the discussion. This also gives more time to ensure that everyone gets a copy of the book before we begin the discussion. So we will begin the discussion on the 14th and we will do five tuesdays meaning the last one will be August 11th. If that's a problem for anyone let me know.
And the final update is that tentatively on August 8th we will be going to Cedar Point. That date could be changed if there was enough interest but that is the weekend date that I think will work better for everyone. Tickets for groups of 15 or more are $32 a person. We will probably need ten dollars a person for gas and then a couple bucks to cover parking. So that's $44 for the day plus food you want to eat at the park. There is a deal that if we all pay $6 extra everyone gets free drinks all day which is potentially a good deal. But the problem is not just some can get it. We all either get it or don't get it so we need to decide on that. Let me know what you think, message me on Facebook and stuff like that.
Well I think that's all for now. I will see you all next week when we cover the first Ancient Practice of prayer, and probably throw in some meditation stuff in there as well. "Pray without ceasing." 1 Thessalonians 5:7 ESV
CAn you help me understand why a divine and perfect being (not saying I believe in that being) would care if people he created with flaws worship him or not? Why would this god care about what we do on sundays? Or what foods we eat? Why would a perfect being have such petty human emotions?
ReplyDeleteIf I was a god, who created everything I really couldnt find myself caring about the ignorant fools I created in the first place...
In the bible there are things that god tells us we cant do but he never tells us why they are wrong. Homosexuality for example, it is very clear that god thinks homosexuality is "an abomination" and that whoever does that deserves to be killed. Jesus never even talked about gays though and he never said that that law should be overlooked. But god never tells us WHY homosexuality is wrong, and neither can the people who worship that concept of a god.
Can you maybe shed some light on that and provide some sort of evidence to support your claim?
Why would a god care about such irrelevant things? Why not just judge them after they die based on ACTIONS that matter as opposed to just beliefs that in the end, do not really matter?
There is creator and there is creation. God created us in his image. We were without any flaws. Then we sinned. From that point on it was not always guaranteed that we would love Him. He always loves us, but it is obvious that humanity no longer always returns that love. God wants us to love him. But it has to be a choice. He cares about what we do, because by denying worldly things we become closer to Him and demonstrate our love. I understand the other side of the argument though as well. If God loves us why would he let us suffer through what we do here on earth? If God wants us to love him then why would he allow sin to enter the world? Well without any choice there is no love. It isn't love if our only option is God. There is no virtue without vice. So he cares about what we do because they are an admission that we love him. Think about parents. Any sane parent wants their children to love them, but they can't force them to. The parents can be there for them, nurture them, advise them, help them, and love them, but that does not always mean that the child will love them. That's why God has set his laws in place. He wants us to love his creation, and in turn love him.
ReplyDeleteYou asked why God would care what we did on Sundays. Well the truth is that he doesn't. Observing the Sabbath doesn't mean you don't go to work on Sundays or that you have to go to church. God simply wants us to have a day of rest. In fact, since I am a minister at a church right now, Sundays are more of a work day for me. Saturdays are much more of a Sabbath. It is a principle that works for all God's creation. Many farmers will divide their fields into different sections and for one season one of the sections will not be planted in. That section of the field will rest and the next few years of harvest will be more plentiful because of it. Each year the section of field that gets rest rotates around to keep production high during harvest. We all need those days of rest.
And as for eating certain foods that is something that has changed. Yes in the Old Testament there were foods that were set aside as "unclean." I believe that was to set the nation of Israel apart from the rest of the world, simply because Jesus would come from it one day and begin his ministry there. In the book of Acts however, chapter nine I believe, Peter receives a vision of a sheet descending from heaven with all sorts of animals on it, clean and unclean. God offers the food, Peter refuses and God says that he has made them clean. In my understanding of scripture this is where God is telling Peter that he needs to expand beyond Israel into the Gentile nations. Israel is no longer set apart and the animals have been made clean.
"God created us in his image"
ReplyDeleteProve it. And also, you have to prove that god exists first because pretty much your ENTIRE argument is based on the assumption that god exists.
Your analogy trying to compare god to my parents fails. Here is why:
I know my parents exist, god on the other hand, has made absolutely no effort to show that he exists. There are no testable manifestations of ANYTHING supernatural, all the arguments for the existence of god fail. If god revealed himself to us, and if his existence was obvious then yes, your analogy would be accurate. God could just reveal himself to us and help us love him. THAT would help me. I am not going to love something I do not believe exists, and I am sorry but no one has a good reason to believe in god, not even you. Its called faith.
"He wants us to love his creation, and in turn love him"
WHY!? Why is the divine creator of the universe such a human like being? Why does he want to be loved? Why does he want to be worshipped? Any evidence to support these claims? It doesnt make any sense.
God cares what we do on the sabbath! Wow, what are they teaching you man? Are they just interpreting bible verses out of their meanings? Just because you have things to do on sunday doesnt mean that the god you worship thinks it is therefore ok...
And your explanation about the "unclean animals". I looked for the verse in Acts 9 I couldnt find it. But even if that was there... pardon my french but that is one stupid explanation.
Ok, so god, wise and perfect told us we shouldnt eat something because it is unclean. He never said why they are unclean but we go ahead and just trust the bible because we are dumb like that. Then he changes his mind, he brings peter a plate and says "oh nevermind, they are clean now!" which is why we eat them today. PULL THE OTHER ONE. The god you worship and believe in, is extremely stupid. OR he just isnt all knowing.
"God instituted marriage to be between a man and a woman"
ReplyDeleteThere you go again, refusing to investigate things.
In fact, marriage only became religious in nature thanks to a concerted effort by the church. People have been getting "married" for most of mankind's history. The act of getting married deals with far more than religious ceremony; it involves family, jealousy, and questions of paternity.
In the 16th century, the Catholic church passed the Tametsi decree, which declared among other things that no marriage was legitimate unless recognized by the church.
Thus, the church declared themselves effectively in charge of families by fiat. The claims many theists have that marriage is a religious matter and that government should stay out of it could be correct.
However, governments are often involved--as is the case in the United States--in what has been called marriage due to medical decisions, tax filing among many other things afforded to couples who are married.
Since we live in a society that uses marriage in these ways, rather than just two people who are "married" in a religious ritual, anyone should be able to get married legally in order to be given the same rights, same-sex or not.
And it is all IRRELEVANT until you actually demonstrate that this god you speak of actually exists. It would be like me saying "well, the god magumba said that all women should dance around naked for men"... yea ok so?
"I have lied. I have lusted. I've done many other things that simply make me a sinner. And I deserve death"
Its really sad that you actually believe that stupid things like lying, and lusting deserve death. It is irrational and it doesnt matter how you look at it. Is that what your faith has done to you? You really believe that you deserve to die because of your OWN nature?
Oh crap, nevermind there IS a loophole correct? You can be as "bad" as you want as long as you promise to worship the god that made you in a way that would lead to the bad things you committed. Let me take that comment about god being stupid back, he is a genius! He makes you in a way that will lead to action "x" and that action deserves punishment... BY HIM, and the only way to absolve yourself is by WORSHIPPING HIM.
He is not the idiot... someone else is.
Belief is not an action. Accepting christ is not an action either. You answered the question but you made no sense.