Random study of alternate faiths.

[HumbleThinker]

I don't need to read, study or watch on TV about other faiths. I know the one True GOD; there is NO OTHER. Why let Satan plant seeds of doubt; not that it would cause you to lose your faith, but it can sure make you miserable and take away your joy. That is the only thing that Satan can do to a child of the Living GOD!

But is this the inevitable conclusion of studying other faiths? From my experience, it isn't.

 

~

 

The LORD's Conclusion

 

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Philippians 4:8

 

Trumps Man's Philosophies Every Time

 

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. Colossians 2:8

 

And You Are Correct, For Standing In The Truth

 

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17

 

Comes From Studying God's Holy Word

 

Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever. Psalms 119:160

 

And Not From Eating Satan's Lies

 

And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. Luke 4:4

 

You See?

 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. John 1:1-3

I don't think you're understanding what I'm saying. The claim was that studying other faiths somehow opens the door for Satan planting doubts in you about your own faith. I'm saying from my experience that that is not necessarily the case. My faith has only been strengthened from studying other faiths. You can devise reasoning from Scripture all day long, but it is all theoretical if it is only used to disqualify other's experiences out of hand. Scripture does not tell the effect of studying other faiths, so it would be wrong to pretend that it does and that it therefore disqualifies anyone's experiences that are different from it.

And by this logic, we shouldn't study anything that is not theological in nature. Perhaps that would work in an ideal world, but we don't live in one, so that's not going to happen and Christians throughout the millenia have understood how extra-Christian understandings can assist in life and faith, even in a superficial way. Also, perhaps this works for you, but that does not mean it works for others.

[OneLight]

 

I'm really searching for your opinion here actually do you think the study of other faiths is a negative impact of your own faith?

I have found faith what two years ago and this was due to searching for truth. However I stumbled across a relatives book shelf at Christmas lunch yesterday and there was almost a religious shelf with all three holy books and more. In your own opinion Is this not a negative impact on your own faith?

Not at all. Despite what a small minority of some I've encountered have warned (not speaking of here) , my faith has only been enhanced by the study of other faiths. I've read at least one major work/scripture (some faiths don't have "scripture" in the strictest sense or at least in the same sense as us) for most of the major faiths. I couldn't get through the Quaran, though, due to the massive amounts of repetition and it seems like the longest book is first which makes entry difficult. Speaking in purely objective terms, learning itself is never a bad thing as everything is part of God's Creation. From a subjective point. my faith has been enhanced by exploring different perspectives through which to view my own faith and relationship with God.

You may be interested in looking up information on Thomas Merton who actually used Buddhist ideas to rediscover a very spiritual discipline that had all but been forgotten (the meditative techniques of the Desert Fathers) that, IIRC, revitalized his faith. Hopefully I got the details right here as I'm just running off of memory.

 

 

I would be very careful what you feed your spirit and mind.  Thomas Merton was a Christian mystic.

[HumbleThinker]

I'm really searching for your opinion here actually do you think the study of other faiths is a negative impact of your own faith?

I have found faith what two years ago and this was due to searching for truth. However I stumbled across a relatives book shelf at Christmas lunch yesterday and there was almost a religious shelf with all three holy books and more. In your own opinion Is this not a negative impact on your own faith?

Not at all. Despite what a small minority of some I've encountered have warned (not speaking of here) , my faith has only been enhanced by the study of other faiths. I've read at least one major work/scripture (some faiths don't have "scripture" in the strictest sense or at least in the same sense as us) for most of the major faiths. I couldn't get through the Quaran, though, due to the massive amounts of repetition and it seems like the longest book is first which makes entry difficult. Speaking in purely objective terms, learning itself is never a bad thing as everything is part of God's Creation. From a subjective point. my faith has been enhanced by exploring different perspectives through which to view my own faith and relationship with God.

You may be interested in looking up information on Thomas Merton who actually used Buddhist ideas to rediscover a very spiritual discipline that had all but been forgotten (the meditative techniques of the Desert Fathers) that, IIRC, revitalized his faith. Hopefully I got the details right here as I'm just running off of memory.

 

I would be very careful what you feed your spirit and mind.  Thomas Merton was a Christian mystic.

Yes. And?

[OldSchool2]

 

 

 

I'm really searching for your opinion here actually do you think the study of other faiths is a negative impact of your own faith?

I have found faith what two years ago and this was due to searching for truth. However I stumbled across a relatives book shelf at Christmas lunch yesterday and there was almost a religious shelf with all three holy books and more. In your own opinion Is this not a negative impact on your own faith?

Not at all. Despite what a small minority of some I've encountered have warned (not speaking of here) , my faith has only been enhanced by the study of other faiths. I've read at least one major work/scripture (some faiths don't have "scripture" in the strictest sense or at least in the same sense as us) for most of the major faiths. I couldn't get through the Quaran, though, due to the massive amounts of repetition and it seems like the longest book is first which makes entry difficult. Speaking in purely objective terms, learning itself is never a bad thing as everything is part of God's Creation. From a subjective point. my faith has been enhanced by exploring different perspectives through which to view my own faith and relationship with God.

You may be interested in looking up information on Thomas Merton who actually used Buddhist ideas to rediscover a very spiritual discipline that had all but been forgotten (the meditative techniques of the Desert Fathers) that, IIRC, revitalized his faith. Hopefully I got the details right here as I'm just running off of memory.

 

 

I would be very careful what you feed your spirit and mind.  Thomas Merton was a Christian mystic.

 

Yes. And?

 

And make sure all your electrical appliances are up to code.

[OneLight]

 

I would be very careful what you feed your spirit and mind.  Thomas Merton was a Christian mystic.

Yes. And?

 

 

Mysticism has always been rebuked, starting with Gnosticism and Hellenism.  If it was bad then, why would you think it would be good now?

When you eat junk food, your body reflects what was eaten and become unhealthy. Feed yourself spiritual junk and your spirit become unhealthy. It really is that simple. Study the bible and you will know when something does not line up with scripture. There is no need to study all religions. That is what the Emergent Church is doing, taking what is agreeable amongst all religions and discarding what is not, creating themselves another religion.

John 14:6

 

"Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

[HumbleThinker]

I'm really searching for your opinion here actually do you think the study of other faiths is a negative impact of your own faith?

I have found faith what two years ago and this was due to searching for truth. However I stumbled across a relatives book shelf at Christmas lunch yesterday and there was almost a religious shelf with all three holy books and more. In your own opinion Is this not a negative impact on your own faith?

Not at all. Despite what a small minority of some I've encountered have warned (not speaking of here) , my faith has only been enhanced by the study of other faiths. I've read at least one major work/scripture (some faiths don't have "scripture" in the strictest sense or at least in the same sense as us) for most of the major faiths. I couldn't get through the Quaran, though, due to the massive amounts of repetition and it seems like the longest book is first which makes entry difficult. Speaking in purely objective terms, learning itself is never a bad thing as everything is part of God's Creation. From a subjective point. my faith has been enhanced by exploring different perspectives through which to view my own faith and relationship with God.

You may be interested in looking up information on Thomas Merton who actually used Buddhist ideas to rediscover a very spiritual discipline that had all but been forgotten (the meditative techniques of the Desert Fathers) that, IIRC, revitalized his faith. Hopefully I got the details right here as I'm just running off of memory.

 

I would be very careful what you feed your spirit and mind.  Thomas Merton was a Christian mystic.

Yes. And?

And make sure all your electrical appliances are up to code.

If you are wanting me to derive something from the fact that he is a Christian mystic, then I'm afraid you are going to have to be more blunt for me to grasp it.

[HumbleThinker]

I would be very careful what you feed your spirit and mind.  Thomas Merton was a Christian mystic.

Yes. And?

 

Mysticism has always been rebuked, starting with Gnosticism and Hellenism.  If it was bad then, why would you think it would be good now?

When you eat junk food, your body reflects what was eaten and become unhealthy. Feed yourself spiritual junk and your spirit become unhealthy. It really is that simple. Study the bible and you will know when something does not line up with scripture. There is no need to study all religions. That is what the Emergent Church is doing, taking what is agreeable amongst all religions and discarding what is not, creating themselves another religion.

John 14:6

 

"Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

a) Just because some folk rebuked it in the past doesn't mean mysticism or mystics are "bad."

b) I have no idea what you are talking about when you say "Mysticism has always been rebuked." I see no evidence for this, particularly when you consider than there were many Church Fathers who were mystics (they were called Desert Fathers), many seem to have been held in high esteem, and were canonized.

c) Mysticism is distinct from both gnosticism and hellenism, so this likely explains the issue with b.

d) In my experience, knowledge is distinct from food in that there is not a clear cause-and-effect relationship between gaining a specific sort of knowledge and it having a specific effect. The entire digestive process is effectively outside of our control and predetermined, yet we can train our mind to react differently to the same stimulus. Your position ignores this and oversimplifies what one is doing when they are gaining knowledge of other faiths, especially when you bring up the Emergent Church as if you are assuming that I am doing what they are doing. Besides enabling you to accurately interact with those of different faiths, learning about different faiths can give you insight into spiritual (as opposed to religious/dogmatic) aspects of the spiritual life that Scripture does not touch on or does not go into much detail.

All the analogies in the world will not do away with the effects one sees as a result of their actions. So you can claim that learning about other faiths will have negative consequence Y for reasons A, B, and C, but if it is contrary to my experience, then there is no reason to ignore my experience and take your word for things. This would be like telling someone they will burn their hand if they touch ice for theoretical reasons A, B, and C, despite the fact that the person has never burned their hand when touching ice.

Edited January 5, 2014 by HumbleThinker

[Guest]

I don't think you're understanding what I'm saying. The claim was that studying other faiths somehow opens the door for Satan planting doubts in you about your own faith. I'm saying from my experience that that is not necessarily the case. My faith has only been strengthened from studying other faiths. You can devise reasoning from Scripture all day long, but it is all theoretical if it is only used to disqualify other's experiences out of hand. Scripture does not tell the effect of studying other faiths, so it would be wrong to pretend that it does and that it therefore disqualifies anyone's experiences that are different from it.

And by this logic, we shouldn't study anything that is not theological in nature. Perhaps that would work in an ideal world, but we don't live in one, so that's not going to happen and Christians throughout the millenia have understood how extra-Christian understandings can assist in life and faith, even in a superficial way. Also, perhaps this works for you, but that does not mean it works for others.

 

~

 

Beloved

 

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17

 

I Do Thank You For Your Patience

 

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. John 3:3

 

And I Think I May Now Understand The Issue

 

Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. 1 Peter 1:23

 

For At The Core Of Our Faith Stands The LORD Jesus Who Against All Logic Will Turn A Diseased Rotten Apple

 

And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. Acts 8:1-3

 

Into A Nutritious Source Of Life Transforming

 

And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

 

And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

 

And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

 

And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

 

And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink. Acts 9:1-9

 

Life Saving Truth

 

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

 

~

 

Be Blessed Beloved

 

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:

The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:

The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

 

And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them. Numbers 6:24-27

 

Love, Your Brother Joe

 

~

 

Beloved, The High Esteem That God Puts In His Holy Word

 

I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. Psalms 138:2

 

Is Reflected In The Hungry Hearts Of His Children

 

And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. Luke 4:3-4

 

You See

 

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Psalms 119:11

 

The Bible  contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers.

 

Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions immutable.

 

Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy.

 

It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you.

 

It is the traveler's map, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier's sword, and the Christian's charter.

 

Here Paradise is restored, Heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed.

 

Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end.

 

It should fill the memory, rule the heart and guide the feet.

 

Read it slowly, frequently and prayerfully.

 

It is a mine of wealth, a Paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure.

 

It is given to you in life, will be open in the judgment, and be remembered forever.

 

It involves the highest responsibility, rewards the greatest labor, and condemns all who trifle with its holy precepts.

 

From The Front Of My Gideon New Testament

[HumbleThinker]

I don't think you're understanding what I'm saying. The claim was that studying other faiths somehow opens the door for Satan planting doubts in you about your own faith. I'm saying from my experience that that is not necessarily the case. My faith has only been strengthened from studying other faiths. You can devise reasoning from Scripture all day long, but it is all theoretical if it is only used to disqualify other's experiences out of hand. Scripture does not tell the effect of studying other faiths, so it would be wrong to pretend that it does and that it therefore disqualifies anyone's experiences that are different from it.

And by this logic, we shouldn't study anything that is not theological in nature. Perhaps that would work in an ideal world, but we don't live in one, so that's not going to happen and Christians throughout the millenia have understood how extra-Christian understandings can assist in life and faith, even in a superficial way. Also, perhaps this works for you, but that does not mean it works for others.

 

~

 

Beloved

 

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17

 

I Do Thank You For Your Patience

 

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. John 3:3

 

And I Think I May Now Understand The Issue

 

Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. 1 Peter 1:23

 

For At The Core Of Our Faith Stands The LORD Jesus Who Against All Logic Will Turn A Diseased Rotten Apple

 

And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. Acts 8:1-3

 

Into A Nutritious Source Of Life Transforming

 

And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

 

And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

 

And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

 

And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

 

And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink. Acts 9:1-9

 

Life Saving Truth

 

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

 

~

 

Be Blessed Beloved

 

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:

The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:

The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

 

And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them. Numbers 6:24-27

 

Love, Your Brother Joe

 

~

 

Beloved, The High Esteem That God Puts In His Holy Word

 

I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. Psalms 138:2

 

Is Reflected In The Hungry Hearts Of His Children

 

And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. Luke 4:3-4

 

You See

 

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Psalms 119:11

 

The Bible  contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers.

 

Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions immutable.

 

Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy.

 

It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you.

 

It is the traveler's map, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier's sword, and the Christian's charter.

 

Here Paradise is restored, Heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed.

 

Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end.

 

It should fill the memory, rule the heart and guide the feet.

 

Read it slowly, frequently and prayerfully.

 

It is a mine of wealth, a Paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure.

 

It is given to you in life, will be open in the judgment, and be remembered forever.

 

It involves the highest responsibility, rewards the greatest labor, and condemns all who trifle with its holy precepts.

 

From The Front Of My Gideon New Testament

You seem to be judging other faiths and knowledge about them in a manner that is neither warranted nor necessary. Just because something is not Christian does not make it rotten, evil, icky, or any other negative adjective you wish to impose upon it; it is simply not Christian. And if a learning about, practicing, or otherwise interacting with a faith either produces negative results, no results, or positive results that are inferior to Christianity and its practices, then, again, no negative adjectives are necessary. To describe something as it is instead of how it makes us feel based on how much we like is generally seen as a positive behavior by most or all religious and secular institutions. Specific claims that can be backed up with Scripture or can be discussed through your personal experience is much more informative and IMO interesting to discuss than simply saying what can be summed up as "it's not Christian therefore it's bad."

[ayin jade]

 

 

 

 

 

I'm really searching for your opinion here actually do you think the study of other faiths is a negative impact of your own faith?

I have found faith what two years ago and this was due to searching for truth. However I stumbled across a relatives book shelf at Christmas lunch yesterday and there was almost a religious shelf with all three holy books and more. In your own opinion Is this not a negative impact on your own faith?

Not at all. Despite what a small minority of some I've encountered have warned (not speaking of here) , my faith has only been enhanced by the study of other faiths. I've read at least one major work/scripture (some faiths don't have "scripture" in the strictest sense or at least in the same sense as us) for most of the major faiths. I couldn't get through the Quaran, though, due to the massive amounts of repetition and it seems like the longest book is first which makes entry difficult. Speaking in purely objective terms, learning itself is never a bad thing as everything is part of God's Creation. From a subjective point. my faith has been enhanced by exploring different perspectives through which to view my own faith and relationship with God.

You may be interested in looking up information on Thomas Merton who actually used Buddhist ideas to rediscover a very spiritual discipline that had all but been forgotten (the meditative techniques of the Desert Fathers) that, IIRC, revitalized his faith. Hopefully I got the details right here as I'm just running off of memory.

 

 

I would be very careful what you feed your spirit and mind.  Thomas Merton was a Christian mystic.

 

Yes. And?

 

And make sure all your electrical appliances are up to code.

 

If you are wanting me to derive something from the fact that he is a Christian mystic, then I'm afraid you are going to have to be more blunt for me to grasp it.

 

 

 

Thomas Merton believed and promoted things that are not of God. He was into the occult and alternative religions. He regularly practiced various buddhist acts in order to attain a "connection" to God. All of this is against what the Lord tells us Christians should do and believe.

 

Merton was a Roman Catholic Trappist monk and a anti-war peace activist during the Vietnam war. He was a prolific writer who coined the term "centering prayer" to describe the style of mind-emptying meditation that seeks to empty oneself and lose oneself into the void he interchangeably calls "the life of the spirit" and Nirvana. He held to the belief that all religions had the same basic truth and Christianity could not lay claim to the whole counsel of God. This put him on shaky ground in his own religion that professes to be the "one true church."

 

(snip)

 

Merton believed that the Sufi, Zen, and Vedanta monks all shared in the same light as he did 

 

Merton actually believed that these men who worshiped false gods were given some great wisdom by God and that Pentecost is a holy day to celebrate a feast of wisdom given to all men irregardless of what God one puts faith in.

 

 

 

 

The whole article, and its just one of many on the internet that show the false beliefs of merton, cites the letters and publications of merton in which he claims these heretical views.

 

http://www.apostasyalert.org/Merton.htm