Those who live a christian life, how do you feel?


One major aspect of Jesus' teachings was humility: keep your prayers to yourself; don't show off; sacrifice your own comfort to make others comfortable. Practitioners of the prosperity gospel are fundamentally against this.

Of all US presidents, Jimmy Carter displayed that aspect of Christianity the most, and he is considered the worst of them by Americans who are most likely to identify as Christian.
 
There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, "Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire." But Abraham replied, "Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us." He answered
From Luke.
No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. -John 3:13

Problem with using the Bible as evidence is that event X can be true and false, depending on which pages one decided to study and who the leader of your denomination is (some believe the story really happened, and others believe it's only a parable)...
 

Nearly 500 years after papal decrees were used to rationalize Europe's colonial conquests, the Vatican repudiated those decrees on Thursday, saying the "Doctrine of Discovery" that was used to justify snuffing out Indigenous people's culture and livelihoods is not part of the Catholic faith.


The doctrine was invoked as a legal and religious standing by Europeans who "discovered" new lands and violently seized it from people who had been living there for generations. It has been cited in different arenas for centuries, including by the U.S. Supreme Court — as early as 1823 and as recently as 2005.
 
From Luke.


Problem with using the Bible as evidence is that event X can be true and false, depending on which pages one decided to study and who the leader of your denomination is (some believe the story really happened, and others believe it's only a parable)...
Its a parable, which was a common teaching style of Christ. It also references Abrahams side/bossom which is not linked to heaven in the text. People can have different interpretations of scripture but there are some thing which are clear in the greater and micro context of the Word.
 
Its a parable, which was a common teaching style of Christ.
This isn't an unanimous interpretation across all christian denominations. Regardless, the story does suggest that people get judged and separated in the afterlife.
It also references Abrahams side/bossom which is not linked to heaven in the text. People can have different interpretations of scripture but there are some thing which are clear in the greater and micro context of the Word.
It's gonna be a tall order for you to show that "Abraham's side", which is where the angels carried Lazarus to, isn't synonymous with heaven. The rich man ain't trying to escape hell to go back to purgatory...

One thing that is consistent about the interpretation of religious texts is how the rules directing when the language goes from figurative to literal are very much dependent on the point one is trying to prove...
 
Catholicism is a poor reflection of true christianity

there are horrible people.. and there are horrible people who use religion as a mechanism to accomplish their horrible goals and/or as a shield from consequences of their actions

i wouldn’t fault a whole religion for flawed men, although many of flawed men have used that religion as a means to abuse others

but I do wish the overwhelming attention that has been placed on certain things was channeled in to preventing the abuses of religion and gun violence
 
there are horrible people.. and there are horrible people who use religion as a mechanism to accomplish their horrible goals and/or as a shield from consequences of their actions

i wouldn’t fault a whole religion for flawed men, although many of flawed men have used that religion as a means to abuse others

but I do wish the overwhelming attention that has been placed on certain things was channeled in to preventing the abuses of religion and gun violence
I agree with everything you said. But the call to celibacy isnt biblically commanded. To keep earthly possessions in the power of the church is why they do this. They dont have to worry about heirs and family... But even outside of that, they hold many beliefs and practices that are unbiblical. This coming from a kid who went to catholic school. If they dont claim the Bible as their sacred text, then I have no problem. But since they do, when you read it, they doing a lot, in the worst way.
 
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