Common Principals of Faith we Share

[SteveVH]

Steve,
. God bless you, brother, and I wish you a very Merry Christmas… I most sincerely do.

. For me, as a Christian, I came to know the meaning of Christmas in a different way, through meeting and getting to know the descendants of some of the survivors a couple of reservations over:

. The Hotchkiss guns opened fire, not on the braves, but on the tipi camp full of women and children. The Indian women fled, screaming as shells tracked them across the snow. The small cannon fired a 3.2 inch shell. The soldier standing (Corporal Paul Weinert) received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions at Wounded Knee.

. On December 29, 1890 at Wounded Knee, over 300 men, women and children were killed by the United States 7th Cavalry. The wounded, but surviving Sioux of that day were taken by the wagonload to Pine Ridge Agency where they were treated at the Episcopalian mission. Lying on hay spread on the mission floor, they were in plain sight of the words written above the Christian pulpit, “Peace on Earth, Good Will Towards Men”.

. "Nothing I have seen in my whole life, ever effected or depressed or haunted me like the scenes I saw that night in that church. One un-wounded old woman held a baby on her lap. I handed a cup of water to the old woman telling her ‘give it to the child’ who grabbed it as if parched with thirst, and as she swallowed it hurriedly, I saw it gush right out again, a blood stained stream through a hole in her neck. Heart sick, I went to find the surgeon. For a moment he stood there. Near the door, looking over the mass of suffering and dying women and children, and ahhh the silence, the silence they kept was so complete, it was oppressive. And then to my amazement, I saw the surgeon, who I knew had served in the Civil War, had begun to grow pale “this is the first time I have seen a lot of women and children shot to pieces,” he said “and I can’t stand it.”

~ Thomas Tibbles ~

White reporter at Wounded Knee

oneofmanyfeathers.com/massacre_at_wounded_knee.html

. All I am saying is that we need to own up to where we are at in the world, whether at Wounded Knee or My Lai. There is more to “Christ” than a Name, however great that Name. For there is a Sun behind that Name which can never be denied. That Name reflects the Light of that Sun, but people run from the Light and still cling to the Name. What’s up with that??
.

Okay.

 

[SteveVH]

Steve - To deny that the sun rises in many Zodiacs is IMHO to deny reality! God creation is beautiful because of the diversity and the different seasons.

Religion can be the same, or we can choose to live in Winter all the time!

May Christmas be good to you & all

Regards Tony

Merry Christmas to you as well. We celebrate it because the Light came into the darkness and all who submit their lives to this Light and live in it will attain eternal life and live in the New Jerusalem where no sun is needed; where God himself will be our Light.

 

[SteveVH]

And yet the whole world is going to shot…

Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world. Do not measure Christ’s success by the sins of those in the world. He offers us peace in the midst of suffering. We must take up our cross daily and follow him and he promised that we would be persecuted. Our eyes are on heaven, not on utopia.

Servant, I wish you and all your relatives in the dangerous parts of our world, peace and grace.

Merry Christmas.

Steve

 

[tonyfish58]

It’s very simple, daler. The Christian Sun, the Son of God, has risen for eternity and will never set. We do not await a new sun to rise. Our Sun perpetually shines on us.

That statement would may not be scriptural. John 16 is Christ going to the Father where we would see him no more, then the Father returning as promised by Christ to guide us to all Truth. It says we did not really know Christ of the Father!

God Bless

John 16

New International Version (NIV)

16 “All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. 3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. 4 I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, 5 but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. 7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

IMHO the passage could not be more clear when weighed against all the Holy Books and the Revelation of Baha’u’llah.

Regards Tony

 

[tonyfish58]

Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world. Do not measure Christ’s success by the sins of those in the world. He offers us peace in the midst of suffering. We must take up our cross daily and follow him and he promised that we would be persecuted. Our eyes are on heaven, not on utopia.

Servant, I wish you and all your relatives in the dangerous parts of our world, peace and grace.

Merry Christmas.

Steve

As we wish you all a continuing Christ filled love at this special time

Regards Tony

 

[Servant19]

Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world. Do not measure Christ’s success by the sins of those in the world. He offers us peace in the midst of suffering. We must take up our cross daily and follow him and he promised that we would be persecuted. Our eyes are on heaven, not on utopia.

Servant, I wish you and all your relatives in the dangerous parts of our world, peace and grace.

Merry Christmas.

Steve

God bless you Steve, wishing you and your loved ones joy, peace and grace throughout the Christmas period.

I do acknowledge that Jesus Kingdom is not of this world, however, what do we do until the other-worldly Kingdom is established? Just keep on keeping on with the same old ruinous and oppressive systems of government prevalent in the world?

Wasn’t there a vast amount of passages in the Bible relating to “government” etc? What was the relevance of these passages if this Kingdom you propose is akin to the garden of Eden? Why would there be a need to govern at all?

God bless you and a merry Christmas

Kambiz (that’s my real name . )

 

[SteveVH]

That statement would may not be scriptural. John 16 is Christ going to the Father where we would see him no more, then the Father returning as promised by Christ to guide us to all Truth. It says we did not really know Christ of the Father!

God Bless

John 16

New International Version (NIV)

16 “All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. 3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. 4 I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, 5 but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. 7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

IMHO the passage could not be more clear when weighed against all the Holy Books and the Revelation of Baha’u’llah.

Regards Tony

Ah, the fruits of private interpretation. How many have been led astray by placing confidence in their own authority and ability rather than that of the Church Christ founded?

Yes, Jesus ascended into heaven where he would be seen no more, that is, until he comes again. Yet he remains with his Church in the sacraments and in through Holy Spirit whom he sent to guide the Church. We have never been left orphans. He is always with us, regardless of whether or not we can physically see him. Nowhere does the Scripture say that the Father will return. That is a Baha’i fallacy.

As to those who do not know the Father, it is those who have rejected the Son, as have the Baha’i. You cannot know the Father except through the Son who has revealed him. And just to be clear, it is the acceptance of Jesus Christ as “God with us”, Emmanuel, not a glorified prophet or manifestation, but God himself. It is in obedience to the commands of Christ (“those who love me will keep my commands”) that we attain eternal life.

My prayer for you and for all Baha’i this Christmas season is that you will recognize the Light that has come into the world and follow Him and only Him. There is no need to turn your gaze toward another. We have no need for candles when we are standing in the rays of sun.

God bless.

 

[SteveVH]

God bless you Steve, wishing you and your loved ones joy, peace and grace throughout the Christmas period.

I do acknowledge that Jesus Kingdom is not of this world, however, what do we do until the other-worldly Kingdom is established? Just keep on keeping on with the same old ruinous and oppressive systems of government prevalent in the world?

We must become Christ to all those around us. We must relieve suffering wherever we find it. We must have compassion and be willing to forgive. We must show the world that all people have dignity simply by the fact that they are created in God’s image and likeness.

It is not a system of government that will save us. As long as human beings are in charge of running things they will fail and evil will be a part of this world until Christ comes again. As you are aware, the Catholic Church is the last entity anyone could accuse of just going along with the status quo. We change and enrich lives every single day and provide temporal care to those who suffer. We make a difference in the world for the better. No government has ever accomplished what the Catholic Church has accomplished in changing the world for good.

Wasn’t there a vast amount of passages in the Bible relating to “government” etc? What was the relevance of these passages if this Kingdom you propose is akin to the garden of Eden? Why would there be a need to govern at all?

God bless you and a merry Christmas

Kambiz (that’s my real name . )

You would have to cite the passages to which you refer before I could comment. Nowhere, however, does the Bible even hint that we will be saved by a new form of government, other than the kingdom of God when Jesus comes again to rule for eternity. Only then will we have a perfect ruler; all just; all loving; all forgiving; all powerful. Every tear will be wiped away.

God bless, Kambiz.

Steve

 

[tonyfish58]

Ah, the fruits of private interpretation. God bless.

God Bless you Steve - You know it is not my Private Interpretation

But on that note I will leave you too a Love filled Christmas Break

God Bless Regards Tony

 

[daler]

Hi all

In the spirit of Service to God and Fellowship between all Humans that live and share this planet, how about a post that explores all the Common Ground we Share.

This post being about the Virtues we must live as inspired by the writings of the Faith we Follow.

Lets Start with one which is all important - the Goden Rule as it is called, a Rule shared by all Faiths.

THE GOLDEN RULE

Hindu Faith
When a man sees that the God in himself is the same God in all that is, he hurts not himnself by hurting others: then he goes to the highest Path.
Bhagavad Gita (13.28)

Buddhist Faith
Hurt not others with that which pains yourself.
Udana-Varga (15:8)

Jewish Faith
What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow men. That is the entire Law; all the rest is commentary.
The Talmud (Shabbat 3’a)

Zoroastrian Faith
Do not unto others all that which is not well for oneself.
Shayast-na-Shayast

Christian Faith
All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
The Gospel of Matthew (7:12)

Muslim Faith
No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself.
Hadith of Bukhari
(quoted in "Prophet Muhammad
and His Mission_, p. 106)

Babi Faith
Become a source of comfort to one another.
Writings of the Bab, p. 129

Baha’i Faith
And if thine eyes be turned towards justice, choose thou for thy neighbor that which thou choosest for thyself.
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 30

There is also a great Golden Rule Poster at this link - scarboromissions.ca/Interfaith_dialogue/what_we_do.php

God Bless all Regards Tony

. ““Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” Matthew 18

. It really is that simple…
.