[sweetbilly]

Exactly zero times

Absolutly right Vautrin, however i will quote myself from an earlier post on this one

what would make a religion any different than a cult?


I think i have a pretty good answer for this one: a cult is based mostly in unsubstantiated, non-provable evidence. Some religions, for the most part, like to believe they have been based on provable historical, scientific evidence that can be corroborated. I feel most religions in the world are mostly just cults in disguise, there are very few in the world that would stand up to any real scientific/historical scrutiny. However, there are some that could and do stand up under that type of scrutiny.

Like i said there have been many people to claim the end of the world is just right around the corner, they have done this for their own reasons and as far as i'm concerned they do no service to their faith or to God and i'm sure they will have to pay a price for the souls God lost because they acted on their own behalf. God said NO man would know either the day or the hour of christs return but he did say you would know the signs and the age in which he would return. That is what i am discussing here. If you are looking for a date and an hour ...forget it cause it will never happen, NO ONE can tell you that!! So once again the bible was right.

I think it self evident the world is already in an utter state of moral decay today, i don't think anyone would disagree with that. So i don't think i get your point. However, once again the bible was right concerning this issue as well.

You simply can read almost anything in some parts of scripture.

You can't read it at all if you have misinterpreted previous parts of the bible simply because that book is totally dependant on every word in it. And some people simply just don't want to read it the way it was meant to be read, this is a pride issue not an interpretation issue.

There are so many versions of Christianity condemning all non-believers (of that particular version) to eternal damnation, because of scripture, that any Christian who is trying to make an argument on the basis of scripture has to overcome a lot of issues related to that.

Your right there are many versions of my faith, but none of them are my faith. And as far as i'm concerned if they do not read the bible correctly they are a cult. Being in a cult is technically worshiping another God, and we all know worshiping another God is condimned in the bible. However, their beliefs aren't confirmed by fullfilment's of ancient prophices, mine have been!! That is the difference in this case. As for issues i do not know what you are talking about, elaborate on something specific please?

Every religion carries its past with it. Christianity in a lot of versions has provided justifications for slavery. Christianity in a lot of versions has provided justifications for wars, for the oppression of women (and still does in parts of the Netherlands).

I can't say i agree with either of those, but i will tell you that God himself commanded the slavery in this country to happen all the way back in Genesis. When Canan did something after the flood to bring sin back into the world.

18 The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) 19 These were the three sons of Noah, and from them came the people who were scattered over the earth.

20 Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded [a] to plant a vineyard. 21 When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father's nakedness and told his two brothers outside. 23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father's nakedness. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father's nakedness.

24 When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said,
"Cursed be Canaan!
The lowest of slaves
will he be to his brothers."

26 He also said,
"Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem!
May Canaan be the slave of Shem.

27 May God extend the territory of Japheth;
may Japheth live in the tents of Shem,
and may Canaan be his slave."

I don't approve of slavery but if God wants those people to go into slavery for crucifying his son after their ancestor brought sin back into the world i'm not going to argue with him. You know that the people being spoke of in this prophecy are also the decendants of the jews that allowed christ to be crucified don't you? I don't know anything about the Netherlands, but i'm sure they do not represent my faith as i do not believe in slavery or oppression of any human being. However, i'm not going to interfere either if God commands that someone should go into slavery for punishment for killing his son and bringing sin back into the earth. Isn't it funny how if you don't read every word of the bible it dosen't make much sence?

Christianity, or more specific Roman Catholic

I am not a Roman Catholic, and i would just like to state that i reject their religon almost totally, the only thing we would agree on is that Jesus is the son of God. I reguard the Roman Catholics as a cult. Sorry if that offends anyone it's just the way i see it.

You can't simply say that someone is interpreting scripture rightly or wrongly

This would probably be our biggest point of contention, i don't agree at all with that statement. I know alot of people claim their version is the correctly interpreted version however once again they don't have the gift of prophecy, and my faith does! However, no matter how many times i prove it if you don't want to see it you won't believe it anyway.

Other than a few of the Ten Commandments (!) there would not be much agreement. It depends on how you interpret "killing" "honoring your Lord", or "Loving your Neighbor." The first could result in a religious conviction to refuse to kill, even if it is for one's country.

I recall several times in the bible where God himself commanded his children to kill the inhabitants of a city for what ever reason, and several times where he killed them himself. If you did not kill them wouldn't it be considered NOT honoring your lord? If you did kill them wouldn't it be considered murder? So could it actually be that killing in particular situations is ok? I would venture to say yes it's just in certain cases. If you think that doing Gods will is just simply not kiling anyone you are wrong. Like God said "there is a time to love and there is a time to kill, there is a time for everything under heaven" That's not just a 1960's song, there can at times be extenuating circumstances which allows you to kill someone. If that weren't true then i guess God himself is a murderer. Seeing that God is perfect and never changing i don't suppose he murdered anyone.

This holds for all religious doctrines.

Your right, it holds true for ALL religous doctrines, good thing i'm NOT religous. I'm faithful.

Arguments relating to the fact how many people believe in a proposition does not tell us anything about the truth value of said proposition.

Right again, however this time if the interpertation is correct it makes it a fact and not a proposition dosen't it? If we all made it to haven by democratic rule i guess hell would be a lonely place wouldn't it? Too bad God says that's not going to happen.

If you believe in any God, whether you call him Alah, Jesus or whatever, only half of the people of this earth are even going to make it to any type of heaven and that is agreed upon by all sides involved. The other half are going to suffer very badly no matter who they are or what they believe, and if you are an athiest your screwed either way. My proof with be in the pudding, so to speak. If you wnat to wait that long to find out the truth that's your own perogative.