Posted by rayww on July 7, 2003, at 23:56:52
In reply to Have to admit, I agree with Dr. Bob, posted by CarrieL on July 7, 2003, at 16:13:50
I, a fellow sufferer of the religious dogma you describe, would like to write a few words on the subject of truth.
Few Words.
I don't exactly agree with Frued's analogy of religion, or Dena's description of the fall. A little lesson on genealogy here, how many 9th great grandparents do you have? By my calculation it works out to around 2,044. It has been proven that after so long this number, instead of swelling with each generation, starts to decrease. If we could work it all the way back we would end up with only two 300th or so great grandparents, possibly Adam, and Eve.
Adam and Eve were taught truth and wisdom in the Garden of Eden by God himself, being immortal. They would never have had children had they not become mortal through the fall. The fall was an essential part of the eternal plan. Most religions do not know the truth about Adam and Eve. We are actually punished for our own transgressions, not for Adam and Eve's. That's why Christ had to come to redeem us from the fall. Since it was an immortal fall, it took an immortal redemption also.
Adam and Eve taught their children the plan of salvation, as God taught them. The plan of salvation is God's plan for the happiness of man. Adam was the first "prophet" you might say. The term, "religion" wasn't known until other religions came into play. You are right in how you describe them.
God commanded the prophets to keep records. It is quite a miracle that the words of the Prophets of God have been preserved as well as they have. Though not perfect, they give us a pretty good understanding of what we must do to be happy in this life, and live eternally with our heavenly parents after we die. All truth is taught and understood by the spirit.
Religions by the thousands have been invented by man to serve man's purposes as he relates to God. Wars fought in His name, terrible autrocities committed for His sake, brutal torturing, persecution, and all because someone thought they had the corner on truth and the next guy didn't. Right so far?
I don't claim to know all truth, but I am an earnest seeker of it, and I recognize it through the spirit when I am taught it. You have made some pretty bold judgements about all religions and God. That's ok, I'm not criticizing your opinions, even though what you said came close, like Dena to offending me. Truth and wisdom is to be found everywhere. It's no wonder there are so many takes on it.
As far as there being only one plan for salvation? Sure, I believe God has that right. But I also believe God hears the sincere prayers of all people of all religions of the whole earth. If he cares for the fallen sparrow, he surely cares for you and I, the distraught, the abused, and the humble. We do all we can to wreck havoc on his plan, and yet He is there always trying to put the pieces together through people helping people.
lovingly,
rambling rayww> I always find it so amuzing that anyone could have the audacity to claim to know and understand the "truth". These people should realize that there are millions (billions?) of such so-called "truths" out there, all in some way contradicting one another, and yet, strangely, all quite similar in essence. Religion is man-made; and Man is fallible.
> There is a book by Sigmund Freud: "The Future of an Illusion". I wish it were somehow mandatory that all people suffering any kind of religious dogma read it. In it, Freud sets forth the argument that religions arose out of early man's attempts to "deal" with our helplessness against nature. From an anthropological perspective(even taking the "creation" theory into account), it is clear that all religions have "evolved" out of one another in time, and theoretically they are all, in essence, the same religion. "God" has many names... and many faces. To see the beauty in all of them, I think, is what "He" would have intended. I know that I, for one, would rather be damned to Hell than to worship a God who was so selfish and naive to demand that everyone only believe in Him and call Him by one particular name. The Bible was written by men. And, again, Man is fallible. Someday, I will get to writing this cartoon... in which "God" is looking down upon the world, thinking "You fools! You've all got it wrong... because you've all got it right!"
poster:rayww
thread:237552
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faith/20030530/msgs/240018.html