₦airaland Forum

Commandment number three

Thou shall not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain

God doesnt mess around when he says something and a young boy was just about to find out, our punshment story is taken from
leveticus 24

10 Now the son of an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father went out among the Israelites, and a fight broke out in the camp between him and an Israelite. 11 The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name with a curse; so they brought him to Moses. (His mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri the Danite.) 12 They put him in custody until the will of the LORD should be made clear to them.

13 Then the LORD said to Moses: 14 "Take the blasphemer outside the camp. All those who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to stone him. 15 Say to the Israelites: 'If anyone curses his God, he will be held responsible; 16 anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.

and true to his word as always we see the action that was taken out on the boy in verse 23

23 Then Moses spoke to the Israelites, and they took the blasphemer outside the camp and stoned him. The Israelites did as the LORD commanded Moses.
Should I go to commandment number 4?

And as I have stated before, the laws were meant for a particular people at a particular time with a particular culture. Which God are you looking for, the one who you make a covenant with and then turn against him and expect you to get away with it?
These people had a covenant with God and when the laws were broken punishment comes with it. For nomadic people at that time, this was how they handled situations.
God is a God of Justice. Don't make the mistake of having a view of how he is in your mind and then expecting him to be that way.

Maybe some people are already hoping that at least something will change in the degree of the punishments but I have got bad news for you it doesn't

You're making the mistake of taking a historical law and applying it today. Is this supposed to scare people? It should only scare those who do not understand the backgraound of the Bible and the culture and the people for which it was written. If anyone were to come up and say that these laws are applicable today, then you know something is wrong with them.

Why are these parts skipped in sunday school? oh yes I know it would definitely gross the kids out.

Because it is not applicable today.

For example, slavery was the law of the land in the U.S. until it was abolished, should we now abandon the U.S. because slavery used to be the law of the land?

From your reasoning, no black person should be living in the U.S.

Ok let me stop here it is getting too grotesque, lady I don't see how you can even stomach all this. The issue here is that the punishment was death, that is what I said initially and you said it was not true

I have stated that the punishment for breaking the sabbath law is not death. The operative there is IS. You state of the past and I state of the present.

With my knowledge of the history of the Bible, I stomach it just fine.

i never hear this kin explanation ohhh

Well now you have heard. What is it about the explanation that you don't like? The part about the laws being for a particular time and people. Are these laws practiced today?

I no go join your church o brother mazaje kai burning of children killing of even innocent animals.
They see nothing wrong in all this, until its their children.

We do see something wrong in it, that's why it has been undone. Christ undid that, or do you disagree?

tell us how jonah survived inside the inside a whale for 3 days. . . .using ur knowledge of biology and science. . . .

does it have to be with biology and science. too many people have had experiences that cannot be explained with biology or other "sciences"

and to all the animals of the land, all the birds of the air, and all the living creatures that crawl on the ground, I give all the green plants for food." And so it happened

how does this say that lions must eat grass? it only says that all creatures can eat green plants. I know of animals that eat plants. I know that human beings eat plants and meat.
I mean seriously, how does this say that lions, tigers, and hyenas must eat plants.

This verse is general.

Hey lady long time, you are an offshore nairalander

Lol, yeah these books are no joke and I have been fighting a professor for graduation. I also work with abused kids. I am basically on-call, these kids are no joke.

Lets start at the beginning with commandment number 1 and 2
1 We are to have no other god's except God
2. Worship no god but the Lord

Clearly we can see if you are breaking number 2 you are breaking number one also, these commandments look easy on the eye but if we dig just a bit deeper we will see that Gods people were instructed to kill you if you went against any of them, where you ask

Deut 13:6-9
6 If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, "Let us go and worship other gods" (gods that neither you nor your fathers have known, 7 gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), 8 do not yield to him or listen to him. Show him no pity. Do not spare him or shield him. 9 You must certainly put him to death. Your hand must be the first in putting him to death, and then the hands of all the people0 Stone him to death because he tried to turn you away from the LORD your God.

And please that argument that it was because of the hearts of men is stale, one because man has not changed, man is still wicked if you want to put it that way and secondly it is cruel regardless.
You asked for sources I will come up with the others.

This is why one has to understand the background of the Bible and know what is standing for a particular time and to a particular people. These laws were standing at that time to the Jewish people, and they were not the way God wanted things to go, but because of their ways and what they asked for, these laws were permitted.
Also something else is that Moses was the Prophet at that time, he had authority given by God to "govern" so there are laws that he permitted because that's the way the people wanted it. If you look at the Old Testament you will see that the laws did not just stop there. These people kept on breaking down the laws that they were becoming so detailed, right down to the tee, there may have been 10 commandments, but these people detailed the commandments and created laws dealing with each situation.

These people were also a nomadic people, their culture greatly influenced the laws of their land. These laws are no different from the laws we have today in our society. These laws were not "religious' laws they were societal laws. The Old Testament is a history book and a legal system for the Jews, and as we know legal systems are subject to change.

Why then is it regarded as "word of God?"
Because we are to know the history of how Christianity came to be. The Jews only regard the pentateuch as the word of God and everything else is the history books, the writings, and the prophets. The pentateuch is the law. Christians regard everything as the word of God, because we believe that inhis dealings with the Israelites God revealed himself to us. Whether we accept the way he did things or not or whether we allow what he permitted to happen or not, we accept it as a way in which God revealed himself to us. They are accounts of interactions with God and his people.

I think the problem is that people have created an image of what they think God is or should be, and when they see something that they don't agree with they loose faith.
Instead of seeing God as a judge or Justice they want to see God as a "hippie". You know free loving and carefree and let everyone do whatever.

Well God isn't like that and infact he is the Unknown, and his ways are not our ways.

So the question now is why then is Christianity different from Judaism?
Christianity just sets things in the right order of how they should be. So instead of seeing laws of stone your brother to death, you see laws of love those who do not love you and if you harbor evil in your heart against your brother, you might as well have killed him.

I have to run, time for class, bye.

Most Religious people especially, behave as though what they think is true, is true

Most non-religious behave as though they have the answers to life.

By the way, what I know is true, is true.

look who is talking about brain usage, please use ur brain and explain to use how the lions the biblical god created survived on plants

Ok this one caught my attention, where do you get it that they survived only on plants?

We can't prove that heaven exists (aljannah?). . . .we accept it by faith (by the grace of God), and not by reason. Whats your point? Prove that gravity exist

heaven cannot be seen just as gravity cannot be seen. Man wants to cling to an unseen that he has defined to be fact.

it is also part of the commandments

All these comes down to the 10 commandments, and in case you have missed it, I posted about how things were permitted because of the hearts of men. These laws were meant for a particular people at a particular time living a particular way. It is catered specifically for them. The commandments that are general are the ones that God himself wrote with his finger and these are the 10 commandments. Every commandment after that comes as a "detailed" commandment.

And that is cruel, to boil a kid in it's mother's milk.

The bible says the DAY nor the HOUR knoweth no man but we wil know the SEASON. Its not that hard to properly quote the bible is it?

Well the season has been there for 2000 years now hasn't it?
Lol, you're ridiculous.

Arent we all sick and tired of what the church purports to teach? Since when did the teachings of the church supercede the teachings of the bible and the words of Christ?

1) The Church doesn't teach against the Bible, you lack understanding of the Bible
2) The Bible calls the Church (not the Bible) the foundation and pillar of truth. 1 Timothy 3:15

The Bible is the Bible based on the authority of the Church. If the Bible is infallible, the Church must also be infallible. You follow the books of the Bible because the Church defined it to be scripture.
You can deny it all you want, but you very well know that the Bible didn't fall from the sky and that they writers did not write to the letters to be scripture. The Church defined it scripture. The Bible was compiled for the Church, the Church was not founded for the Bible. Don't mix it up.

So you can be tired of hearing it, but the Bible has asked you to believe it.


It's funny sha, even the Bible teaches against "Bible alone"

Matt. 28:20 - "observe ALL I have commanded," but, as we see in John 20:30; 21:25, not ALL Jesus taught is in Scripture. So there must be things outside of Scripture that we must observe. This disproves "Bible alone" theology

Mark 16:15 - Jesus commands the apostles to "preach," not write, and only three apostles wrote. The others who did not write were not less faithful to Jesus, because Jesus gave them no directive to write. There is no evidence in the Bible or elsewhere that Jesus intended the Bible to be sole authority of the Christian faith.

Luke 1:1-4 - Luke acknowledges that the faithful have already received the teachings of Christ, and is writing his Gospel only so that they "realize the certainty of the teachings you have received." Luke writes to verify the oral tradition they already received

John 20:30; 21:25 - Jesus did many other things not written in the Scriptures. These have been preserved through the oral apostolic tradition and they are equally a part of the Deposit of Faith

Acts 8:30-31; Heb. 5:12 - these verses show that we need help in interpreting the Scriptures. We cannot interpret them infallibly on our own. We need divinely appointed leadership within the Church to teach us.

Acts 15:1-14 – Peter resolves the Church’s first doctrinal issue regarding circumcision without referring to Scriptures.

1 Cor. 11:2 - Paul commends the faithful to obey apostolic tradition, and not Scripture alone

Phil. 4:9 - Paul says that what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do. There is nothing ever about obeying Scripture alone.

1 Thess. 2:13 – Paul says, “when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, ” How can the Bible be teaching first century Christians that only the Bible is their infallible source of teaching if, at the same time, oral revelation was being given to them as well? Protestants can’t claim that there is one authority (Bible) while allowing two sources of authority (Bible and oral revelation).

1 Thess. 3:10 - Paul wants to see the Thessalonians face to face and supply what is lacking. His letter is not enough

2 Peter 1:20 - interpreting Scripture is not a matter of one's own private interpretation. Therefore, it must be a matter of "public" interpretation of the Church. The Divine Word needs a Divine Interpreter. Private judgment leads to divisions, and this is why there are 30,000 different Protestant denominations

Look you better start adhering to the Bible o.

I ignored this for quite sometime now, because I haven't been reading the book. Now, I don't want to continue to agrue with you that the book is still the truest and uncorrupted gospel

First of all, how can the book be the truest and uncorrupted gospel when there's nothing to back it up. It is highly questioned by everyone. Let me get this, you're trying to say that this book which bears no resemblance to any of the gospels that resemble each other and other writings of the apostles is the truth.

Let me logically understand you. You have 99 oranges and 1 apple, and you want to call the apple the true orange?
Does that make sense to you?

Instead, of you refuting it on and on, why don't you just say the book is "dumbfounding".

I do things my way and not yours. Sorry get used to it. The book will continue to be refuted by me, it isn't dumfounding, so much can be said of it, and the truth is that it isn't the truth. You don't like it cry me a river.

Do you notice that Muslims as well could benefit and Christians who love the truth about the sayings of Christ

Christians who love the truth already have the truth.

I have not and neither as the author of this inspiring book said anything contrary to the will of God and if the author has, and if God thinks I wish to cause confusion, then to us be our crimes.

This book has contradicted the Bible, the Koran, history, geography and more. Even fictitious books get history and geography correct.

Why don't you just stop mingling that the Koran supports not the book? Has any Muslim said so. It clearly shows to me that those who claim to follow Christ, hate him but love that he himself love not- and what is that?False accusations.

You may not know it but a lot of muslims are asking other muslims not to regard the book as anything and to stay away from it. Go online and look it up and you will see it.
False accusations? For a book that contradicts itself, history, geography and every truth that has been told.

Admit it, you're desperate.

I lost an intimate friend recently, who died of kidney failure. He was an only child and could have been saved, only the mother refused to donate one of her own kidneys, owing to "religious convictions". So we all had to watch him die.

I ask you - Is christianity really against donating any of your organs to somebody in need?

What religious convictions, certainly not Christian.

I'm not claiming to be wise. All I'm saying is that there is more than one way to look at Christianity. If you just choose one way, then how can you claim any knowledge of the subject? If you study Science do you just look at Biology, ignore Physics and then say "I know everything about Science"?

Your choice.

There are different sciences, it is not just biology, physics, and chemistry. Mathematics too is a science, and yes you have the science of Christianity. Science means "Knowing" so you can study anything and have a "science" o r"knowing" of it.
So dear you compared apples and oranges. Christianity is a science in itself. You can study it and get a knowledge of it, even without believing in it. Now Biology and Physics are not the same science. Biology deals with the body while physics deals with the physical forces, external forces, so they are different.

Why is the question "how did black people become black?'
why not" how did non-black people become non-black?'

why do we tend to portray the black man as inferior or a curse?

I know that god ordered some one to be stoned to death for breaking one of the laws. . . . . picking sticks on the sabbath. . . . please can some one tell us what the punishment is for boiling a baby goat in its mothers milk? it's also one of the commandments will jehova boil you in your mother's blood if you break that law? i know he can because he has done worse things. . . . . . .

source pls.

The catholic church had to present it has the "perfect word of God" so it could used as a instrument of control. In those days the bible was not widely in circulation since there was no printing technology then. People had to depend on what the church told them then since they didn't have access to the bible talkless of scrutinizing it. Telling people you were reading from the perfect word of God would make it easier for you to get results especially when they can't verify what they have been told.

Of course the Catholic Church is the villain yet this is the book that you regard as the word of God. Double standard much?

If you've ever been to a Catholic Church's Bible study you will see that only the Catholic Church studies the Bible in the context it is written. It's funny I just had Bible study last night and the origin of the Bible is what we talked aout. We're still on the Old Testament. We're the ones over the centuries that have not hidden anything, but because of lack of knowledge from a lot of people they make the Catholic Church the villain.

I guess the Jews were also wrong in regarding the Torah as the word of God, and well you must regard the Gospels and writings as not the word of God right?

And the punishment for failing any of the first 8 is death by stoning so you better keep your hands to yourself else you might just be stoned to death.

You know very well that this is not true.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - Judaism's only purpose was to sell Christianity. Other than that, it has no relevence. Christianity is not a fulfillment of Jewish prophesy. The prophecies were merely used to give it justification and authority over it's new market.
Islam is most certainly not "loosely based". The characteristics of Allah and Yaweh are almost identical - tribal mountain storm gods - and the laws are corresponding and almost identical. Close your eyes and swap the Jewish god for the Arab one and it's hard to tell which is which.

Amazing how fundamentalist Christians claim kinship and cohabitation with the Judaic god when it's completely at odds with the New Testament deity.
But why take my word for it? Why not study properly and not just swallow everything thrown at you like a brainwashed drone?

Who am I to argue with someone who thinks he is wise by his own right?

@ Omenuko

The problem is that people don't actually understand what they stand against. How can you stand against something you do not know?

There are several verses that talk about purgatory even though the word is not mentioned.

1 Cor. 15:29-30 - Paul mentions people being baptized on behalf of the dead, in the context of atoning for their sins (people are baptized on the dead’s behalf so the dead can be raised). These people cannot be in heaven because they are still with sin, but they also cannot be in hell because their sins can no longer be atoned for. They are in purgatory.

2 Tim. 1:16-18 - Onesiphorus is dead but Paul asks for mercy on him “on that day.” Paul’s use of “that day” demonstrates its eschatological usage (see, for example, Rom. 2.5,16; 1 Cor. 1.8; 3.13; 5.5; 2 Cor. 1.14; Phil. 1.6,10; 2.16; 1 Thess. 5.2,4,5,8; 2 Thess. 2.2,3; 2 Tim. 4.. Of course, there is no need for mercy in heaven, and there is no mercy given in hell. Where is Onesiphorus? He is in purgatory

1 Peter 3:19; 4:6 - Jesus preached to the spirits in the "prison." These are the righteous souls being purified for the beatific vision.

But my favorite and the one that clearly implies purgatory is this:

1 Corinthians 3: 13-15
13 Every man's work shall be manifest; for the day of the Lord shall declare it, because it shall be revealed in fire; and the fire shall try every man's work, of what sort it is. 14 If any man's work abide, which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man's work burn, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire

These verses clearly show that there are those who are still in grace but are still attached to sin or are still prone to sin, he will be saved but he still has to atone for those sins or he still has to be separated from the inclination to sin.

what is the differnce between christian & muslim.

i am directing this question to the christian but muslims too can rspond.

when a christian person wants to preach to, after too much discussion, the conclusion will be accept jesus to be ur lord and ur savior.

as for a muslim, every muslim have already accept jesus as we are thought in the holy qur'an what what else do u need.

but if a muslim will preach to a christian, its more than jesus issue.

he or she will tell u to testify that there is nothin worth worshipping than Allah and prophet mohamed is his messenger.

u as a christian, do u believe (there is nothin worth worshipping than Allah and prophet mohamed is his messenger.
) no. who have something to believe now?

This is quite untrue, and I take it that you're a muslim. But just so you know, I really don't care to start any squabble, so I'm going to put that out there.

Islam does not believe in Jesus in the same way as Christianity does. In Islam Jesus is nothing but a mere prophet, even though he is without sin and has a virgin birth, he is regarded as second to Muhammad. It doesn't add up if you ask me.
In Christianity, Christ is the messiah, and not just for the Jews but for all people. It has always been prophecied to be that way, the prophecy may have been misinterpreted by the Jews, but that didn't change the actual message of the prophecies.
The messiah that is to come will be LORD over all the earth, he is to be a PRIEST, A PROPHET, and A KING. He is a king in that he has his own kingdom and as he said his kingdom is not of this earth. In that he means heaven, only those who know him and his message are his people in his kingdom. That is why a Christian's battle is not with the physical but with the Spiritual. He is a Prophet in that he prophecied of the things that will come, for example the persecution of his Church, it is still evident today, and not just in the physical where people are being killed for being Christians, but in the spiritual too. The belief of Christians are being attacked everyday. He also prophecied of the destruction of the Jewish temple, well in 70 AD it was destroyed.
He is a priest in that he will make a sacrifice. He sacrificed his life for the salvation of all, he sacrificed his life for the cleansing of sins. No longer was a lamb needed to make a sacrifice at the altar as was done by the Jews, the ultimate and last sacrifice has been made. He also left this sacrifice for us to continue to partake in when he instituted the eucharist (Holy Communion, you can look it up) he gave us his body and blood in the form of bread and wine for us, to sustain us in this battle with the devil and principalities.

He is the eternal Word of God, therefore making him God. He is the law that was spoken through the prophets made flesh. He is God. The only one that cannot sin and is without sin is God, then it only makes sense that Jesus is God if he is without sin and cannot sin.

So you see simply saying that I believe in Jesus does not mean you have a relation with Christians. If your belief in Jesus is that he is not God, that he is not the messiah of all people, that he was not crucified (which he really was crucified and is historically true and noted by non-christian sources), that he did not rise from the dead, and that muhammad is the last of the prophet, then you are very different from Christians.

Christianity is very loosely based on Judaism.

Christianity is highly based on Judaism, it only sets things in the right perspective. If it isn't then Chrisitanity can't be. Christianity is the fulfillment of the Jewish prophecies. If anythig Islam is the one that is loosely based on Judaism.

there is no difference between the two. . . they are both for control and domination of the human race like any other religion. . . mohammed stole his idea from the christains and the jews. the christains also stole from their ideas jews,roman, greeks and ancient egyptians. . . . there is no god but allah and mohammed is his prophet. . . . .allahuak bar. . . . . lol . . . . .men created all the gods in their own image and according to their own traditions and beliefs.

I have to disagree with you ons ome issues but there is one that I agree with although not in the sense that you take it.
Christianity is not for control and domination, unfortunately some people use it to their advantage, but the Lord is their judge. The Christians didn't steal from Jews, infact it is a continuation of Jews, hence the New Jerusalem, New Israel. Everything in the Old Testament was leading up to this pivotal point in history where humanity will be redeemed and a new creation will be. The pivotal point is with Jesus, and now the way things were supposed to be from the beginning can be, we just have to make the choice to make it so. That's why things seem so upside down in the New Testament from the Old Testament. What was up ended up being down, and what was doing ended up being up. Jesus put things in the order they were supposed to be.

As for the men created God in their own image, this is true in a sense. The problem, and I only speak on Christianity, is that we have an idea of what we think God is supposed to be. So the other qualities in God that we think he shouldn't have we toss it out and pay no attention to it. That's why you have so many denominations in Christianity. People have an idea of the God they want and when they hear something that doesn't fall in line with that idea they leave and go found another church. Instead of letting themselves be in God's image, they are 'creating' God in their image.

So you're right in a sense but terribly wrong in others.

thanks carlosein.
am putting your recipe into practice and i think it's working.
thumbs up,my nigga.i appreciate

Hi s4d
Hope you're doing well.

I know you mean well but do you have to call Carl "ur nigga." It doesn't seem like a word that should be used by a Christian or anyone, since it is derogatory.

@all

How are you?
Jesus loves you, Mary loves you, I love you.

Larrymccoy, I see Carl answered your questions well, I second that answer. Hope you are blessed.

So these people who were born into other religions are condemned because they are not Christians? Personally i have a problem with that because not everybody has come in contact with Christianity and not all of them are certainly going to hell.

Even people who quote the Bible left and right won't make it to heaven. Quoting the Bible and misinterpreting it does more harm than good.

The Church teaches that it is by God's grace that we will make it to heaven, so if a muslim dies and God grants him grace, he will enter heaven, same for a taoist. It is not up to us to decide, so I don't know what Pastor David is yarning about.

there are hundreds of millions that have never heard the word jesus. . . i have meet so many of them when i visited thailand about 2 years ago. . . .

Pastor David is very ignorant of this you know, but that won't stop him from running his mouth and spreading his ignorance.

i think your denial is your own wrong interpretation of the bible. It couldnt be any clearer than this - John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God

This does not apply to those who have not heard of Christ. If they have heard of him and deny him, then this may apply, but even at that it is still by God's grace. It is not by your power or might that you believe that Jesus is Lord, it is by God's grace. It is also by God's grace that you stay believing.

hopefully this wont be replied with a 500,000 words hence putting the reader to sleep by sentence 1.

If I wish to reply with a billion words, it is up to me and not you. If you wish to read then so be it, if not equally fine. I do not force you to read.

Forgive me to for trying to be detailed, it's the accountant in me.

That the end did not come in Paul's time does not mean we shld now live as if the end is another 2000 years away. The bible says we wont know the time but it says we shall see the signs, it also says to "gird up our loins" . . .

True however it is not up to us to determine when the end time is, no one knows but the FATHER. So stop going about making statements as if you know the end days.

and in case you wish to know . . . this indeed are the last days.

Lol, let me guess you received a "revelation"
for someone who screams BIBLE everytime, you certainly do not follow it. No one knows the end except the FATHER. So stop judging.

hey congratulations!!!

you are packing them left, right and centre o

take good care of you and them.

Dominus Vobiscum

Lol, thank you. I think I am done for now. No more pikins.
I certainly will.

et cum spiritu tuo

hi Carl, I am very well blessed. I am on high right now. My Godson arrived planet earth on November 13, 2008 @ 9:03pm, so I am very happy. No lows for me today, I no go gree let devil o.

@viee

odinma

@ all

Hello.

then the most liberal society will seek death penalty on his life!

Ok seriously this is very untrue.
Liberal societies don't condone murder, infact they're the ones that try to fight against it.
Liberals are the ones that pretty much say let all do what they want, let freedom ring.

The Colonial overlords of any nation will kill off those who embank on treasonious activities.
Go back to history and face reality. Jesus, from the Bible was "killed off," because his
actions, the Jews thought was treasonious. The Roman emperor went along withit realising
that if he does not, it is a recipe of civil agitation in the territory

It was not a liberal society, liberal societies didn't take form until recently

And when was the last time that the US sentenced someone to death for treason?

The US is not liberal, there are liberals in the US. but the US. is not liberal.

Huxley: Please ask "Bastage," if anyone have been convicted for "treason," in the past 30 years and have not be sentenced to be executed? This guy takes the charge of treason to be as its like stealing a love of bread. It isa serious crime and its not everyday a person is charged.

Its a crime that the society as a whole frowns upon, and the harshest of all sentences are metered for it!

apostacy is not treason that you speak of. one is of religious belief the other is of government, those two are to be separate. that's apples and oranges.

calling for the death of apostates leads one to believe that the islamic religion is compulsory. if you want to leave you should die, that is compulsory, just as islam was spread by the sword so are muslims kept by the sword.
"choose islam or choose death" is not a choice and "if you leave you will die" is also not a choice.

Hello all.

How's everyone? Hope your week is moving along smoothly and you are all well.

There are over a billion catholics today . . . if indeed the catholic church is the "body of Christ" spoken of in the bible, it would be at odds with several bible passages that clearly indicate that the body of Christ at the end time will be a minority in number

So are you now able to tell when the end time is?
Last time I checked no one knows when the end time is, the apostles believed they were living in the end times, it has been 2000 years.
So David do you now say we are in the end time?

IS THIS THE END TIME?

Please let's not even go there again. You say Christianity is a sect and Christ founded it? Christ never claimed to "found" any "sect". Speak where the Bible speaks. Also, we already talked about the RCC not having "one belief" like you claim. Go google Catholic charismatics

Then what did he do when he instituted the Church? Did he not do that?

As for the Catholic Charismatics I have stated that if they are not in belief iwith the Church they are not of US. They can call themselves Catholic if they want, it does not mean that they are in Union with the Church. Now there are some Charismatics that are in Union with the Church and only those who hold to the Church's beliefs are in Union with the Church.
Just because you hear the term Charismatic does not mean that it can have nothing to do with the Catholic Church, we too are Charismatic, so please let your stereotypical idea of Catholics die.
We do speak in tongues and the Church has never condemned speaking in tongues, infact the Church is the only one that does not ridicule speaking in tongues, it is a gift from the Holy Spirit that does not need to be ridiculed, we don't have to start shouting from the mountain tops to speak and interpret tongues, and there are Catholics that do speak in tongues that are not "Charismatics" but they don't see the need to go on T.V. and braodcast it so that everyone can think they are "holier than thou." You will do well to actually stop thinking stereotypically of the Catholic Church, then you will actually understand our teachings.

Take care.

The major problem with Christianity and many other religions is the absolute lack of independent confirmation of the stories, if independent accounts exists, believers are asked to disregard any story in conflict with the story presented within the holy book, so the holy book, becomes the source and proof of itself, an authority unto itself.

This is your personal opinion and unfortunately very untrue.
There are independenct confirmation of the stories, all you have to do is check with history, and I mean non-christian sources. The Romans documented well the dealings of that time, and so did the Jews, the proof is there, you just have to let go of laziness and get the right sources. You will find it. Truth is never false and it has no reason to hide itself.

Believers are not asked to disregard anything, the Holy Book is not the only source, infact the Church is the authority and the Holy Book receives its authority from the Church, as the Holy Book calls the Church the "pillar and foundation of truth" and upon this the Church compiled the book, because of the authority of the Church the book came to be, so sir if you want to challenge the authority of the book, you will have to challenge the authority of the Church. Seeing that the Church is made up of people who are of themselves independent, and that the writings of independent witnesses during the time of Jesus are well kept by the Church, your claim of lack of independent witnesses goes out the window.

Please do your research properly before you make claim. THANK YOU!!