Religion and Spirituality Go Open Source

desertcat?

Agreed. What on earth does "authentic teachings" mean? Authentic? According to who?

The Bible's contents were not the result of God's Direction, but of the negotiations (ordered by a still pagan Emperor) within an arbitrary committee of religious bureaucrats, called the "Council of Nicaea."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Council_of_Nicaea

"The First Council of Nicaea was a council of Christian bishops convened in Nicaea in Bithynia (present-day İznik in Turkey) by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in AD 325. The Council was historically significant as the first effort to attain consensus in the church through an assembly representing all of Christendom. "

Point 2.

Absolutely right.

"One must remember the current bibles are all recopying of the King James or another version. They are not done based on the original transcripts. To do that one must not only be fluent in the language they were written but knowledge of whats the words meant at the time it was happening, since definitions change on words as the years passing."

It is amazing that, after 2000 years of revision and message tweaking, that anyone can claim to know what is and isn't "original" or translated as the first authors intended.

That the Christian Bible itself is used to promote murder, greed, hatred, pride, covetousness, hoarding, theft, war, torture, empire, and basically everything Jesus supposedly despised, says more about contemporary human credulity and corruption, than what God may actually have intended.

Too much of Christian politics comes down to one item - False Witness.

I don't think that it is so much the difference of a word or two, but whole sentences and the events occurring at the time. One must remember the current bibles are all recopying of the King James or another version. They are not done based on the original transcripts. To do that one must not only be fluent in the language they were written but knowledge of whats the words meant at the time it was happening, since definitions change on words as the years passing. In telling the story of Noah and the ark did 2 of each species board or 7 clean and 2 other board? Was this due to misreading Moses words or two authors. Too bad so many take this book as law and not just what it is, folk tales of the ancients.

UncleCharlie: Just because the Gnostics etc were not authentic teachings does not make them less important. Not all he letters of Paul and the others were put in the bible nor the teachings of many of the apostles. The authorities probably decided all would be too many or what ever reason. Noone knows for fact whether the Gospels of Jesus are his or not and probably will never know unless another Rosetta Stone or something to that effect is discovered. But how could they put the letters of Jesus into the bible when he asked that no church be built in his name. Even the apostles who were at his death cannot agree on his last words. There is but one God and about 8,000 prophets, more than one claim to be the son of God. And Christ is nothing more than the word savior used by countless other prophet/Gods. It is nice to read your beliefs are so strong, I know had we not moved from the first church and school I attended, I would never left the church. May peace be your goal and love your guide.

Matthew 16:23 --

American King James Version
But he turned, and said to Peter, Get you behind me, Satan: you are an offense to me: for you mind not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

American Standard Version
But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art a stumbling-block unto me: for thou mindest not the things of God, but the things of men.

Bible in Basic English
But he, turning to Peter, said, Get out of my way, Satan: you are a danger to me because your mind is not on the things of God, but on the things of men.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Who turning, said to Peter: Go behind me, Satan, thou art a scandal unto me: because thou savourest not the things that are of God, but the things that are of men.

Darby Bible Translation
But turning round, he said to Peter, Get away behind me, Satan; thou art an offence to me, for thy mind is not on the things that are of God, but on the things that are of men.

English Revised Version
But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art a stumbling-block unto me: for thou mindest not the things of God, but the things of men.

desertcat, you sadly had some clergy and religious that ddin't know catholic doctrine from their a**hole, just like Catholic chaplains I met in the military. I've come across this before. Poor catechesis in younger folks, and priests and nuns who really don't have a clue, being poorly educated themselves. Poor slobs probably have never read the catechism, and certainly not any of the encyclicals, both of which thoroughly refute these false beliefs. And re: the gnostic bible, is not considered an authentic teaching, just like the Shepherd of Hermas, the Epistle of Thomas, etc. etc. "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

Uncle Charlie I did not read what I wrote, I was told it by Sister Vernon in 7th grade andl Sister Mary Michael and Father Flately, all good standing members of the Catholic Church, teachers and pastor of my church.

If you read the letters of Jesus Christ, gnostic bible, you wil read where he says "build no church in my honor"

Catholic Church, founded 33 AD, Jerusalem, by Jesus Christ. I rest my case. "Where Christ is, there is the Catholic Church." - St. Ignatius of Antioch.

While we understand that religion and spirituality are very different things, like matter and gravity.

No matter if the bricks think they respond to gravity better than the pillows, They both respond equally.

Much the same with religious training -- Bricks tend to say that rocks are inferior and wont make strong buildings. And the rocks think that they alone support the continents. But they both do just what they do quite nicely. And gravity treats them quite fairly. The brick attracts the earth just as much as the pillow or the rock.

So what if you, my friend rocks, pillows and bricks, had the ability to decide for yourself what allegiances you might favor, and how you would create wisdom thereby.

I agree w/desertcat

I see where you are coming from, and admire your independent attitude.
Meanwhile, I think we have to choose God before church........................I still believe in God, but church is sometimes more like a political party.....into rules, regulations and collecting money.....for their own benefit.
That said I love the ritual when I am in the mood for it and would not be without it.
I believe we must all be praying to the one God.

religion and spirituality are two different things. One you are told and taught how to believe and the other is how you feel inside. I don't have a church and left the Catholic Church when I was 18 and never looked back. When I was in 7th grade we were told the people of India were not going to heaven due their worship of animals. In 8the grade was told the non_Catholic Christians were not going to heaven for rejecting the Pope, Many times told the Jews were not going because they killed God. After another couple years of being subjected to who's who in the getting into heaven I decided that since I had many friends on the list of none invitees I wanted to go where they were going.How can there be a heaven with animals, diversity and if Jews and gays are excluded I thought , heck how I am ever going to get a chance than to talk to Einstein, ALexander the Great, Hadrian, Rock Hudson etc.The Catholic Church will never accept others as it has always been their way or the highway.