Where in the Bible does it state that people shouldnt drink alcohol? Bible verses would be good.
I found this website. To answer your question, look for the entries titled "Warnings against abuse" and "Vows of abstinence."
References to Alcohol in the Bible
http://wooga.drbacchus.com/bible/alcoholr.html
Anyway, I decided to note a few verses (King James) for you as well.
Leviticus 10:9
Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations.
Judges 12:4
Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing.
Proverbs 20:1
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise
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I am very confused about religion. My family is Christian and believe in God, but aren't too religious. I was never told to believe in anything.
I believe in God. BUT I also believe in Karma. Is there any sort of name or religion for that? they are two different beliefs and religions, but I believe in both.
I have a favorite website that has a quiz in which you answer questions about your belief and rate their importance to you. It's supposed to be all in fun, but I think it might be a good start to answering your question as well.
http://beliefnet.com/story/76/story_7665_1.html
It's a bit long, but I think it's worth the effort.
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Really, I asked many people what the definition of soul is, and everybody starts saying his own crap. Soul, is something you cant see, something you cant touch. I dont want to know what soul is not.
people will start saying that soul is your imagination, your choices, antywyas jsut say what you think.
This isn't really advice, but I thought I'd share a sort of new-age, non-christian perspective.
Soul is the part of you that you share with everyone else. It's the only part of you that really exists. It is eternal, and it links you with the "afterlife," or true reality. It's the only real part of our projected world that we curently inhabit.
Well...I hope that helped!
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Hey, i was wondering if u would be able to enlighten me with some of your wisdom of your religion, currently i have put together a lot of random things that i call my code of rational and i base most of my judgements off of it. Since your quite good at giving advice, would you tell me of some of your main pricipals of paganism?
Well, first off, thanks! My principals are sort of hard to define, mainly because when I find something that seems more true or right than what I already believe, I go with that. But, I'll try.
I believe in a god, but not the Christian God. For me god is a good, loving, benevolent force that surrounds and moves through things. God is all loving and all seeing, and powerful, but not all powerful. God wants humans to be happy and aware of "his" presence; he primarily seeks harmony in all living things.
I don't know where we came from, or where we are going. There is not enough evidence in this world to convince me of anything definite. I would like to think that there is an afterlife, and that it is similar to the Zoroastrian afterlife. As in, we are punished, but only in accordance with our sins, and then we're forgiven! And we all exist happily ever after.
I feel that human's purpose is to seek to be happy, to make others happy, and to live a good life.
There was actually a principal that I live by mentioned in a question recently. I think he said it as "if everyone did it." Actually, I feel bad rewriting what he stated so well, so you should probably read it. It's number 2 on his list. Also see number 4 on his list.
http://www.advicenators.com/qview.php?q=369332
I seek to be happy, to treat others the way that I want to be treated, and to live a good, spiritual life. I want to make other people happy. Apply this to the "if everyone did it" principal, and you get the basis of my beliefs.
Other than that, I guess that if I had to name it I would call myself a Postmodern Pagan. Meaning that rather than seeking absolutes, I seek the relative truth of subjective experience. I feel the adhering to prescribed rituals, rules, and ideas, people limit themselves in their search for the truth. Therefore, I feel that people lumping themselves into pre-named religions with pre-decided ideas of reality blinds a person and prevents them from understanding, or even accepting other religions.
I think religion or spirituality should be an enrichment experience in life, and to do so, we need to embrace diversity, because that is how we learn and get new ideas.
I'm not sure where to go from here, so if you have any other questions, or would like more specifics or detail, let me know!
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ive heard about a lot of different religons, and most of them i dont understand. could u guys list some religions with the basic belief/definition of that religion? (even one religion with a def. gets a
5)
OK, there are a LOT of named religions, so I'll give you a real brief definition of a few commonly recognized ones, and a more in depth definition of the most recognized...here goes. The most prevalent religions in the world (where at least 75% of a country follows the religion) are Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Confucianism, Taoism, Shinto, Judaism, and tribal religions. Three other influential religions that don't fall into the 75% category are Sikhism, Jainism, and Zoroastrianism.
OK, before I start, it is important to point out that these definitions are really broad. For instance, I define Buddhism in general. In reality, there are several types of Buddhism, such Mahayana, Theravada, Chan, Zen, Tantric, Pure Land, etc. It, unfortunately, isn't possible in this sort of forum to really give good definitions of all major religions branches.
Overall, tribal religions believe that the universe has many friendly and unfriendly spirits. In different parts of the world, this religion may or may not have a high god. Many don't believe in creation, they simply believe that the world always was. They believe that humans are the children or demigods from long ago. They commonly believe that we are reborn into this world, often in a "same spirit, different form" sort of manner.
Buddhism is hard to define. Buddhism teaches that reality is unity. Ultimate reality is the unconditioned reality beyond everything, called Nirvana, or the Void. The universe goes through cycles with no beginning or end. There is no individual, but rather a process of cause and effect. There is no self, the true realization of this lack of self is the goal of Buddhism. We suffer unending lifetimes in this world and others according to karma, until we break through to Nirvana. One who practices Buddhism is expected to do good, to commit good religious and moral works to gain good rebirth, and to seek Nirvana.
Hinduism teaches that the universe is profoundly one. The high god is Brahman, the "One Mind" or "Life", which is the one reality. It is a flame that takes many shapes. The world goes through endless cycles of creation and destruction, therefore there is no true beginning or end. Humans also have no beginning, as we were never created. We go through countless lifetimes, determined by karma. Our lifetimes take us through many places, including heavens and hells, until we transcend reality through our own realization. Hinduism follows the Vedic scriptures. People who follow Hinduism are expected to follow dharma (rituals, behaviors, deeds) to seek moksha (liberation) through yoga and devotion under the guidance of a guru.
Confucianism says that universe is a unity under the heavens, of which we are an important part. Family and society are our links to the universe. Ultimate reality is "heaven" or Tian, which regulates the world and moral order. The world originates from heaven and develops through interactions of Yin and Yang and the five elements. There isn't too much stress on the afterlife, other than ancestrism. We are to try to live a good life in this world through family and society, and that is all that really matters. Someone who practices Confucianism is expected to honor their parents and ancestors, exercise kindness and benevolence.
In Daoism, the universe is one, which always moves and changes. Ultimate reality is the Dao, the great Way through which the universe moves. Creation and the end of the world are simply expressions of the Dao. Humans are another expression of the Dao, though one may become immortal by mastering the Dao. One who practices Daoism is expected to live spontaneously, live close to nature, and to perform rights that draw one closer to immortality.
Shinto follows many gods. Nature, humans, and gods are very closely related. The world was created by the gods, and humans are descended from the gods. It is possible that after death we either become gods or merge with already existing gods. We are expected to celebrate the existence of the gods, remain pure and sincere, and enjoy life.
Zoroastrianism teaches that the universe is a great battleground between good and evil. God, Ahura Mazda, is all good, and fights against the evil force, Ahriman. The world is a trap for the evil force created by Ahura Mazda. Once evil is defeated, the world will be remade anew, as a pristine paradise. Humans were created by Ahura Mazda with free will. After death we are judged according to our life, sent to paradise or hell, and resurrected at the end of the age into the new world. In hell we are punished only in proportion to our crimes, and never any more. One who follows Zoroastrianism is expected to do good, do right, keep pure, and maintain the faith. Interesting note: this religion was the first monotheistic religion, that is the first religion to believe in one god. In fact, the ancient Hebrews first developed their beliefs in one god, judgment, resurrection, and heaven and hell until they came into contact with the Zoroastrianists in Persia.
Now enter Judaism, which (broadly) teaches that the universe is made by God for humans to live in with free will in cooperation with God's guidance. There is one sovereign, personal, all-good God. The world was created by God, and will be led by God through time until a messianic age brings it to a paradise state. Humans were and are created by God. Through God, humanity will become better and better until paradise is reached. Judaism follows the Torah, or "Law" and its interpretation in the Talmud. Our responsibilities are to honor and serve by following the law of Moses. There are many types of Judaism, including Orthodox, Reform, and Conservative.
The fundamentals of Christianity, in all its aspects, are that we live in a world made by God, but that we fell from harmony with him. Jesus is our bridge between God and humanity. There is one all-good god, who created the world and humans. At then end of time we are to be judged and the world will be remade into a paradise by God. We are expected to seek and worship God, and practice love and ethics. Christianity has many incarnations, including Calvinism, Lutherans, Anglicanism, Quakers, Catholicism, and Protestantism, each of which I really should define separately, but not right now.
Now to Islam, which says that the world is for humans, but only under the absolute rule of God. There is one sovereign, personal God who guides humanity. God created humans and the world, which will be destroyed on the day of judgment. Humans will be judged on the Last Day, and be rewarded or punished in the Second Creation. Islam follows the Quran. One who follows Islam is expected to worship and serve God and observe the five pillars of Islam (statement of faith, prayer, almsgiving, fast of Ramadan, pilgrimage to Mecca).
I could go on, but I think that's good for now.
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Hello everyone. I am, currently, a strong agnostic. However, I am always interested in improving what I know, do and believe in order that I might adopt the most reasonable philosophy possible. Therefore, I ask you if you have a really good reason why I might reconsider what I believe. I would love to hear reasons for changing my mind - it is something that, perversely, I take much pleasure in doing!
To help you along, here are my current beliefs summarised (but badly!):
1. I am a materialist. That is, I do not believe that there is anything other than the material world. I do not believe in the supernatural or the spiritual, nor in gods, magic or souls.
2. My ethics are broadly utilitarian. That is, I judge my actions according to the level of harm and benefit derived from performing them. I also use (and I think the idea was first put forward formally by Kant) the principle that I call "if everyone did it". When we perform some actions, the harm done is so minor that it does not really matter if one person does it (so utilitarianism fails to stop you doing it), but "if everyone did it" then the world would be harmed very greatly. So I do not perform such actions as littering, shoplifting, wasting water etc. My ethics are also partly informed by the sense of morality hammered into me by parents, teachers, and (IMO) the rigours and necessities of survival (ie evolution).
3. Because I am a materialist (see #1), I accept the latest scientific theories as the best possible explanations for the way the world works and its origins. Questions unanswered (or unanswerable) by science I either answer with pure reason or mark as "unknowable". Note that I do not "believe" scientific theories, but am merely *convinced* by them.
4. My general philosophy as regards other people's behaviour is, "live and let live"; ie I am a libertarian. So long as no-one is harmed by your actions and you are capable of making rational decisions, you should be free to do as you wish. It would be nice if everyone were as morally upright as me (see #2), but human nature seems to dictate that most people will not think so hard about their ethics as I do.
And those are all the salient points as regard my belief system. I now make a request of you when you proselytise for your various beliefs:
If you are an evangelical, Protestant, fundamentalist Christian, please think your answers through VERY carefully. I have been arguing with fundamentalists for a very long time on the Internet and am well versed in (and indifferent to) most of the standard arguments from that group. I am quite tired of people trashing evolution because "it is just a theory", or telling me that Christianity is ONLY about having a personal relationship with Jesus, and everything else that is promulgated by poorly-educated and immature Christian fundamentalist debaters. Everyone should think their answers through carefully, of course, and be sure that they are well-structured and properly written, but this group IN PARTICULAR should take care.
Thankyou for your time. Please respond!
Hey, what's up. I'm a pagan (not wiccan, just pagan). I think that a person would have a very hard time changing your mind, since you understand your beliefs so well, and since your rationalism is so well thought out.
I disagree with you on one point only. I believe in spiritual experiences, a god, and possibly other spiritual beings. But my god is not the Christian God, because I do not feel that the Christian God is possible. Simplified, the Christian beliefs turn on four principals: 1) God is all-good (or god is love), 2) God is all seeing, 3) God is all powerful, 4) Evil exists. These four prinicpas CANNOT exist at the same time. An all-good, all-seeing, all-knowing God could not allow all of the evil that exists in the world today. It would hurt him too much to see so much undeserved suffering. I also find it hard for an all-good god to say that suffering is deserved because of a sin in a garden thousands of years ago.
Someone cannot say that evil does not exists, because its presence is so obvious in so many ways. Therefore, one of the principals of god must be untrue. I choose to believe that god is not all-powerful, which makes me a very bad Christian, indeed...Which is why I'm not one.
Can you see that there is even a slim possibilty that an all-good, all-knowing, but not all-powerful God might exist? Have you ever researched the Zoroastrian god? Because it was when I researched Zoroastrianism for a school paper that I acutally completely gave up my Christianity (after years of questioning why it didn't make sense).
I won't try to change your beliefs, and I don't want to, because it's against what I believe. However, if you really want to challenge your beliefs, think on those four things with an open mind. With how well your understand your beliefs though, I doubt that you will find any more truth in what I've said. But it is interesting to think about, isn't it?
...Other than that, I can find no argument for your other three listed beliefs. I hope that was at least mildly interesting to read, lol.
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I have 2 kids no husband. I have made alot of mistakes in the past escpecially being premiscuous. I have compltly turned my life around now. Is it too late for or will God forgive me and except me into Heaven. Please someone who belives in God or is a Pastor or something help me.
I think that you a preacher could answer a lot of your questions. They are all very caring and very sensitive about such situations. Even if you are not a member of a church, call one and see if you can get some time to talk to the reverend. I believe that he/she would be able to answer all of your questions, and really help you out.
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