Topic: DOES RELIGION MATTER TO YOU?
no photo
Wed 05/16/07 07:38 PM
It's irrelevant to me, I've had girlfriends who were Christians
(including some of the more bizarre and noisy denominations), Jewish,
Wiccans, agnostics, whatever.

I myself am an atheist, and I enjoy discussing different religious
beliefs with people I am close to. My best friend is about as devout a
Christian as you will find, and we love each other like brothers.

The whole issue of "what would you teach the kids?" is also irrelevant
because I have chosen never to be a parent.


Belushi's photo
Wed 05/16/07 07:38 PM
Being that religion is a hobby that many partake in, if it isnt my
hobby, then why would I want to subject myself to someone who ties
themselves to a set of rituals and beliefs that make no sense to me?

So, yes, religion matters. But only as far as not coming anywhere near
me with it!

no photo
Wed 05/16/07 08:14 PM
Redykeulous,

God doesn't care about the ethnicity of the person you fall in love
with. The prohibition against marrying a non-believer is to avoid
marital and religious issues. God supported Moses in his interracial
marriage, when Moses' own brother and sister tried to start a coup
because of Moses' Cu****e (black) wife.

no photo
Wed 05/16/07 08:19 PM
Okay...It blocked C.U.S.H.I.T.E. IE, someone from Cush.

Redykeulous's photo
Wed 05/16/07 08:52 PM
laugh laugh I laugh at what this site blocks, considering the
content of all we discuss - silly.

Anyway. This topic brought back some memories from many years ago which
is the reason for my previous question, Spider. In those memories there
were many groups that believed interracial, meant the way we define it
today. So after I posted my question I looked it up.

The truth is, Spider, that I found many places that agree, STILL today,
that interracial marriage (as we define it today) is not acceptible. In
fact one had this phenominal thesis that outlined the lineage of people
from Adam up to Christ, and that because an interracial marriage took
place did not make it acceptible, after all men do sin. It was the type
of doctrine I remember hearing as I wondered through dozens of churches
in my youth.

On the other hand, there was much more information that attempts to
change the word interracial from it current accepted definition to
something completely different. The problem I found with this were
two-fold. First both interpretaions use the same chapter and verse in
their thesis. This just enfoces the fact that Biblical doctrine is all
simply a matter of interpretation. Second that most of those writings,
accepting interracial (today's definition) have been written since the
1960's, when our own laws and our own awareness and acceptance began to
take shape.

So MG, with a gentler kind of wisdom chooses to view these issues based
of a civil code rather than to attempt to make sense in todays world, by
doctrine that men have created through their own interpretation. How
could any God fault one for such wisdom? In fact, this is just one of
the hundreds of interpretations that have created so much distinction
between fellow Christians, as MG stated.

These ever changing doctrines makes it difficult for any who choose to
follow a Christian path, to do so without fear of following 'false'
interpretation, thereby, adding more sin to their lives, when it seems
totally unnecissary.

no photo
Wed 05/16/07 08:58 PM
I agree spider lol.

Even if you don't agree, if this is someone's decision to prefer not to
be in a relationship with someone that is not a believer that's their
right.

As far the racial issue, isn't that off topic. I see no where in the
Bible where it talks about you can't date out your race. We're all his
creations.

You are a child of God if you accept His will and are connected by the
heart so race doesn't separate you..

Redykeulous's photo
Wed 05/16/07 09:07 PM
Here is a rather long winded, but typical piece of information regarding
one faction of Christian interpretation that agrees and explains why,
interracial marriage (inter-racial-today's definition)is against Gods'
law.

http://reactor-core.org/interracial-in-bible.html

In order for neo-Babelists to make their lies plausible, they scour the
Bible for examples of interracial marriage. The examples typically
offered are Rahab, Tamar, Asenath, the "Ethiopian" wife of Moses, Ruth,
the Shulamite woman, and Naamah. Most of their proofs fall flat, but the
Bible certainly does record cases in which the Shemite, Japhethite, and
Hamite lines cross. The Bible also records instances of adultery,
murder, and theft, but an instance does not justify a principle. I've
lost count of how many times I've heard that Moses married a black
woman, therefore interracial marriage is acceptable. Moses was a man,
and he sinned, and his sins kept him from entering the Promised Land. We
must ask what God requires of us. But first, let us consider the
examples presented to us.
According to Genesis 6:9, Noah was "perfect" in his generations. This is
not a reference to his moral fortitude but to his heredity and ancestry.
The Hebrew word toledoth ("generations") is defined as family history,
and the word tamim ("perfect") means without blemish, just as a
sacrificially pure animal is described as being without blemish. Noah
was unique at a time when the lines of Seth and Cain were engaged in
miscegenation that led to the destruction of the world.
The post-Flood chosen line diversified very slowly. Abraham married his
half-sister. Abraham's brother Nahor married his niece, and these were
the grandparents of Rebekah. Isaac was specifically forbidden from
marrying a Canaanite and was paired instead with Rebekah, his cousin.
Abraham commanded his chief slave, "I want you to swear by Jehovah, the
God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my
son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, but
will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son
Isaac" (Gen. 24:2-4). This was centuries before the law of Moses was
given, and Abraham did not mention a word about theological belief or
godly fidelity (his relatives were pagans), but exclusively limited the
search to kith and kin. His daughter-in-law would be chosen from no
other people. From Isaac and Rebekah came Esau and Jacob. Faithless Esau
loved the Canaanite women, but Jacob married his cousins. In Hebrews
12:16, Esau is called a fornicator, and the conventional understanding
is that his disobedience lay in wedding himself to unbelievers. But in
Romans 9:13, Paul writes that God hated Esau from the womb. The problem
was not that an unbeliever married unbelievers but that Esau was a
miscegenist.


To read more visit the website above.

no photo
Wed 05/16/07 09:10 PM
I'm not reading all that basically because your first sentences
summarized it for me right there lol.

What does it say boys and girls?

"Interpretations"

Do we all interpret EXACTLY the same? NO

You can't say every single Christian thinks alike. We are supposed to be
like-minded. Unfortunately that is not the case.

Just so you know you can copy & paste sources all day, it doesn't mean a
thing. People take the context out of scriptures ALL THE TIME and
manipulate the scriptures for their own motives.

I'm sorry I'm moving on..

no photo
Wed 05/16/07 09:11 PM
Redykeulous,

A very common misconception is that God opposed the Israelites marrying
non-Jews, because of their race. Being Jewish isn't about race, it's a
religion. So when God commanded the Israelites to never marry
non-Israelites, he was stating that they shouldn't marry someone who
didn't belong to their religion. There were provisions that stated what
a gentile had to do to become a Jew, so if a gentile loved a Jew, they
could get married after the conversion.

The Bible is unchanging, it's always been the same solid rock of moral
values. Just like any book, it can be misinterpreted. Only by learning
and loving the Bible and history, can the Bible be understood properly.
It's common for someone to use their already existing beliefs and
prejudices to color the Bible, which is exactly what those websites you
mentioned did.

Redykeulous's photo
Wed 05/16/07 09:11 PM
So you see board, this does have to do with the topic. You wonder about
the choice of dating and marrying outside your religion, in fact
according to some Christian doctrine, it is against Gods law to date or
marry outside one's race, even if they are of your religion. Which, by
the way, marriage outside your religion, seems to be pretty much agreed
on to be a sin, so seems like there's little choice for good Christians
here.

no photo
Wed 05/16/07 09:12 PM
LOL I wish there was a block or ignore button. OR even a delete button
like myspace lol

no photo
Wed 05/16/07 09:16 PM
Red,

That website isn't Christian... They are some sort of cult that mixes
Celtic mythology and the Bible. They call themselves "Child of God" and
they have some very strange ideas.

Redykeulous's photo
Wed 05/16/07 09:20 PM
Board you can move on from any topic for the rest of your life. That
will never gain you any knowledge. You seem to have a clearly defined
belief system, yet you ignore anything that might show you that your
path is faulty. Do you as a Christian believe that, choosing not to see
truth, excuses you from a transgression?

Spider, Your example is exactly the other side of the coin that I saw in
my research. As I stated in my post, those that had some kind of date
of writing, were written since the 1960's. That's pretty good timing
for the 'interracial' change of definition.

Again, I have to quesiton, just because you believe something does not
make it right except to you and to anyone who you can get to agree with
you. Which is exactly why there is so much about doctrine that is
unclear, and as I asked board - as a Christian how can one decide which
doctrine to follow, as the wrong one could be leading you into more
needless sin.

2mtg34's photo
Wed 05/16/07 09:20 PM
I dont think religion is that big of a deal. I mean they are your
beliefs why do they have to be your partners views.

no photo
Wed 05/16/07 09:21 PM
One of the articles that they present to learn from was written by Anton
Szandor LaVey. He's the founder of the Church of Satan. That website
should be ignored or at least ignored when discussing Christian
doctrine.

Redykeulous's photo
Wed 05/16/07 09:23 PM
Sorry Spider, no disrespect, but to me all religions are strange and a
cult who quotes and interprets Bible verses, is just another religion to
me.

no photo
Wed 05/16/07 09:28 PM
Numbers 12:1
------------------------------------------------------------
Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cu****e woman
whom he had married (for he had married a Cu****e woman);
------------------------------------------------------------

Numbers 12:8
------------------------------------------------------------
With him I speak mouth to mouth,
Even openly, and not in dark sayings,
And he beholds the form of the LORD.
Why then were you not afraid
To speak against My servant, against Moses?"
------------------------------------------------------------

You can't any more clear than that. God got extremely angry with Miriam
and Aaron, because they badmouthed Moses for having an Ethiopian wife.
This is a dead horse and I'm done beating it.

no photo
Wed 05/16/07 09:29 PM
but your missing that they misquote and misinterpret.

Ofcourse she is going to defend her views with the most negative thing
she can find.

Redykeulous's photo
Wed 05/16/07 09:30 PM
Spider, you wrote,
"""One of the articles that they present to learn from was written by
Anton Szandor LaVey. He's the founder of the Church of Satan. That
website should be ignored or at least ignored when discussing Christian
doctrine.

If one has to be inspired by God before they read and interpret the
Bible , how is one searching for truth and answeres going to decide if
this if what they will believe?

To ask a non-believer to pray for guidence or inspiration, before they
can read the Bible, is definately a method of indoctrination, and not a
friendly one at that.

no photo
Wed 05/16/07 09:33 PM
Spider check this out. Think of it this way.

She's an Atheist and you're a Christian. You see how there already is a
HUGE clash. This is an example of how a relationship with an atheist or
agnostic wouldn't work.

If you can't even communicate, why take it further. Just a thought
Spider lol!