BCPaolo

quick and tasty christmas dessert!! Get a bunch of whole dates. slice them open and pit them. Stuff a slice of manderine orange in each date. coat in chocolate drizzle and sprinkle with coconut shavings. Done! No cooking at all!

Doesn't it seem like God is very vengeful and angry in the OT, always threatening destroy his people and start fresh, etc, and then when Jesus comes, he teaches a very different method... turning the other cheek instead of eye for an eye. Why does God change his ways?

as is most science behind creation. How was THAT for opening a can of worms?

I have quite a bit of experience with situations like this, and one thing I have learned is when trying to give constructive criticism, don't focus on your disagreement with the person you're talking with, focus on their behaviour. For example, if this topic gets brought up in conversation, agree that the girl should be punished, and ask what the punishment is. WIthout saying she's wrong, ask the mom why she feels keeping her kid from church would be appropriate punishment. Get her to explain her reasoning without coming off as hostile or judgemental. SUGGEST that maybe going to church would HELP her daughter and not hinder her, maybe a grounding would be a more suitable punishment? Nobody likes to be told how to do things, let alone how to raise their kids, so being humble and constructive is key in these situations! Best of luck!

So... picture Jesus meeting a homosexual. How do you think He would react? What would he say to him? I'm not saying homosexuality isn't a sin, but lets remember out job: to love God, and to love one another. I don't remember judging to be among our tasks, we leave that for the big guy upstairs .

Wow, why crack down on that? RA's, at least the ones at my university, regularly get up to a lot worse things with their rezzies then talking about the bible... maybe they should crack down on other activities instead.

Yes, of course Christians should go into mosques. How can you ever witness to someone if you can't relate to them? Christians should go into bars too. Not to get hammered and go home with a stranger, but to bring light into dark places. How much darkness does it take to put out a candle?? Maybe that's just me, but I'm not the type of Christian to hide behind my Bible and only leave the house for food and to go to Church. It feels like living with one's head in the sand.

Thanks! You do make a good point. I never thought of it that way. Me neither.It's a good start. But won't it be agreeing with their religeon, though? Not at all, like I said, if you do your research, ask tough questions, etc, then you'll only be left with one option: christianity. It's not about agreeing with one religion or the next. If you're continually seeking truth throughout your life, it doesn't matter which religion you start out with, you'll end up in the arms of Christ.

But pornography is one of many corruptions of something God made - the sexual relationship between man and wife. Sex is a wonderful thing which God created - and it was good. Sin has corrupted that by exploiting the desire and offering other ways of fulfilling it. Likewise slavery is a corruption of a relationship of submission and obedience. Jesus showed how such a relationship was designed to work when he washed his disciples' feet. Those with power are supposed to wield it for the benefit of those without. Slavery exploited that by saying "why not use that power for yourself?" that's very true. Only only that, but back to Eden... so Adam had no evil present in him. What about Satan? The snake? I thought everything god created in eden was good? What's this evil snake doing tempting Adam and Eve?

You can agree with him! All reglions DO lead to God. If you take the time to delve into every religion, and thoroughly scrutinize them, ask the tough questions, and thoroughly exhaust yourself seeking answers, you'll only be left with Christianity. So, in a round about way, he was right!

1) Should we really blame the devil for everything? What is our fault for being sinners, and what's Satan's fault? To me it seems like some people can use Satan as a scape goat ie "I didn't mean to do that, but I gave in to Satan" or something to that effect. I personally think we should fess up and take the blame for our mistakes in life. If I go out and kill someone, that's me killing another person, not satan! 2) I'm familiar with the concept of Evil being the corruption of something good, but if the world and everything in it was good before the fall of man, why did the snake in the garden of eden tempt Adam and Eve? It seems like evil was present in him before Adam and Eve screwed things up for everyone . How could the snake talk anyways?!?

Jealous!!! Spent some time travelling around Italy last year... went pretty much everywhere EXCEPT the amalfi coast... I don't know what I was thinking... time (and cash) was limited... but I regret not going now. On a lighter note, on my visit I came within feet of the Pope himself! Did you see Sorrento? Did you do the drive (or bus ride) down the coast line? It must've been pretty hot this time of year!

What happened to people who died before Jesus' time? were they all condemed to hell? If no one gets to the Father except through the Son, what happened before the Son?

I think they meant Pentecostal. Off the top of my head, I don't know of any web sites with that kind of information. I own a great book on the subject, but that does not help anyone else. Sorry. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> It would help others here if you revealed the name of this wonderful book.

Excuse my ignorance, but what's a penecost? I really don't know a whole lot about the different Christian denominations... can anyone recommend a good book or website so I can learn a little?