Re: this is a debate?

So Trapper, what exactly are you looking to debate. You posted a bunch of scriptures but you didn't say what you thought they meant. I think you and I would probably agree on a lot of points but I'll stir up the pot a little.

My personal opinion of what the scriptures you posted means is that people that twist the truth of any sacred teachings are worse than people that are just regular old sinners. I think modern Christianity as a whole fits perfectly into this description. Modern Christianity has taken the teachings of love and non-judgement and turned it into a reason to judge and condemn, repress and control. As those scriptures also state, we have tried to make the infinite God in our own image, we give him characteristics like he is man-like, he judges people for this or for that, utter nonsense. The word God itself and Christianity has been warped and twisted until now people are just turned off by the whole idea of religion, when really, religion can be such a good thing if it is pure and unselfish.

When Christ came to this earth, he knew that his teachings would be warped and twisted, that's why he said it so many times that you can read in the New Testament that none of you can understand a word of what I am really trying to teach you. You will take it and twist it into your own version that is pleasing to you and that is worse than people that are just regular sinners because all you false believers ruin it for everyone else.

How else have we created God in our own image? The concept of creationism has to be exactly like it says in the Old testament. We paint a picture in our mind of an old man with white hair zapping things into existence with lightning bolts and if anyone says anything against this cartoon picture in their head, they are blasphemous. The real blasphemy is not created by those outside of Christianity but those inside of it. Bible thumpers, dogmatic Christians, God-fearing people of all types, they are the real blasphemers. Saying that you should fear God, when in actuality the realization of truth removes all fear. Fear is a creation of man, sin is a creation of man, hell is also a creation of man, and so man holds all of these concepts very dear to his heart in all his religions. Christ came to remove fear, to remove sin and suffering.

I have been sitting on the sidelines and just observing for a while. For a while I was thinking that we just need to destroy all religions and start over with something more pure but now I think we actually need to take the fight into the belly of the beast. I do believe in Christ. I do believe he is the redeemer, so I should be able to worship him in a Christian church and I don't think that I have to believe all the dogmatic nonsense that most Christians believe to do so. But then again, I have a lot of work to do on myself until I could be any kind of positive influence on this world or any one in it. That is really the only way to dispel darkness, to become a light yourself and in this world, that is a very difficult thing indeed.