My visit to a Messianic service yesterday

[shazeep]

nice. the "eternal," evident truths; mercy, grace, humility, etc--what "bears fruit," in our lexicon--are the defining elements of God for us, i think. It is limiting God to restrict Him to our definitions of Him. And exclusive.

[KeptByTheWord]

Originally Posted by Antipas

I believe that religion in general is a divine revelation that is filtered through the veil of human perception in each individual culture. Each culture attaches the cultural and ethnocentric interests to the faith. They rewrite their history to show their "exceptional" divine favor.

For the initiates of spirituality, there is religion and dogma. A near idolatrous fascination with the "word for word" divine revelation of texts that have been translated and retranslated, modified, corrected, and sometimes outright changed, over and over again. Yet in their spiritual immaturity, they will deny this reality and fundamentally cling to their texts. This causes the divide between all faiths. This is the root of all religious wars. The fruit of this approach is historically rotten to the core.

While the initiates are focused on fundamental "word for word" interpretations, the masters often graduate and are elevated in their reasoning as it relates to religion and spirituality. These individuals are discerning and become quickly aware of the common spiritual threads that are found throughout all faiths. They can also recognize associations that connect what might be considered alien ideas. These individuals see God, not a text. These individuals move beyond merely knowing a text into the realm of literally, knowing GOD.

So, how do I know what is an eternal truth and what is not? I don't. It requires continuous study and searching. What might not have appeared as an eternal truth in a given text today might prove itself to be of eternal value tomorrow. It's a constant searching, seeking, finding. And it isn't limited to the Bible. One can study the texts of many other religions and glean divine understanding from them also.

I disagree. The Bible is the only authentic word that fulfills itself with prophecies in the OT, being fulfilled in the NT. The collection of writings that we call the Bible has been proven through time to be the only authentic trustworthy pieces of writing that help us understand God. All other religions are simply offerings of man's understanding, but the collection of scriptures we call the Bible is the only authentic, verified writings that are God's words to us.

[shazeep]

as this is meant for personal application, i see no problem with holding this view, if one prefers; it is also fairly universal, if restricted to more religious models. It is the one i am partial to; but i also recognize the Unknown God of the Ninevites, and our Father's "many mansions." I find that it does not change our walk, so much as our level of judgement of others, so, i find it limiting now, but that doesn't mean wrong.

[Pressing-On]

Kept,
You are reminding me of a friend who just got back from Israel. She said that when she went to the Wailing Wall, she couldn't stop crying. She said that a Jewish woman looked at her like, "What in the world are you crying about?"

I told her, "She is there waiting for the Messiah, and you were there crying because He has already come."

[KeptByTheWord]

Originally Posted by Pressing-On

Kept,
You are reminding me of a friend who just got back from Israel. She said that when she went to the Wailing Wall, she couldn't stop crying. She said that a Jewish woman looked at her like, "What in the world are you crying about?"

I told her, "She is there waiting for the Messiah, and you were there crying because He has already come."

Which makes me think - two very sincere hearts as well! One, who has found the Prince of Peace, and one who thinks she must still wait for Him.

[KeptByTheWord]

Originally Posted by shazeep

as this is meant for personal application, i see no problem with holding this view, if one prefers; it is also fairly universal, if restricted to more religious models. It is the one i am partial to; but i also recognize the Unknown God of the Ninevites, and our Father's "many mansions." I find that it does not change our walk, so much as our level of judgement of others, so, i find it limiting now, but that doesn't mean wrong.

I don't know what you mean about the unknown god of the ninevites, but this view that I hold is one of faith, that brings great peace. My faith is in the work on Calvary, which cannot be disputed - even our calendars are based on this event. My faith is in a divine intelligent being that I know as Jesus who formed this world into existence. My faith is in His character, and while I may not understand all of who HE is, or all of what HE has done, my faith remains in Him alone, and there is great peace in that faith.

[shazeep]

the Unknown God is God, who saved the unbelieving, but repentant Ninevites, who did not know God, but allowed for the concept; to Jonah's dismay also, one must note. I have to confess that i have many more grenades for anyone who might think to dispute your model, lol; but i see that that is mostly because it is the one i grew up with too. The universal truths are just that, however; universal, and as adequately expressed in other dogmas, regardless of whether we accept them or not. God judges one's heart.

[shazeep]

for what it's worth, when i talk to those who worship an Unknown God, i sound just like you i hope

[KeptByTheWord]

Originally Posted by shazeep

for what it's worth, when i talk to those who worship an Unknown God, i sound just like you i hope

Well, good!