Christianity is simpler

[jaggin]

Yes, nonsense. I agree with you. Perhaps you and jaggin are from different schools of thought in christianity? Where he believes that souls are unholy you don't seem to agree with him. Perfectly okay by me.



Well, see this sort of contradiction doesn't make any sense to me.

Allow me to explain, if we are not unholy as you said then that implies that we are 'holy'. In that case then there is no such thing as 'salvation' and there is no need of anyone's blood or sacrifice, especially the one you call 'sinless'. If we are not unholy and thus holy therefore, we must all be 'sinless' so therefore, there is no need for redemption from one who was sinless.

Anyhow, let's keep this simple eh?

Christianity although fundamentally simple can be very complex when one goes beyond the fundamentals. The Roman Catholic Church tried to insure an orthodox path by keeping people from reading the Bible and only allowing people to follow the teachings of the church. Now due to the Reformation anyone can read the BIble and have a different view from other believers.

He is talking about the essential nature of the spirit. God created it and said it was good. However at some point evil emerged and some followed after that evil.

On earth it is a different story. Usually a person doesn't remember much from past lives but tendencies towards good or evil do survive. However a child will grow up in this world learning evil because the knowledge of good and evil is present in the people surrounding the child. Children do not have any knowledge of good and evil. They will touch a hot stove until they learn that it is not a good thing to do. Once the child knows that something bad will happen when he touches a hot stove, his essential nature will determine whether he does it anyway.

When the Kingdom of God comes on earth, the knowledge of evil will be removed and only those who love what is good will be allowed in the Kingdom.

[caleb]

If Hindus are interested in the Christians own ideas of this and not working it through Hindu philosophy terms and catagories, the most influential philosopher for these issues who set the course of Christian thought on this subject is the Catholic Saint and Doctor of the Church Augustine. Martin Luthor adapted his theology from St Augustine

Although i find that Hindu and pagan ideas do a better job of explaining Christianity, it is always good to look at the internals of the tradition and look to the best within them.

Ofcourse, in the heart of Augustinism you will find the East-born philosophy of Plotinus. That man at one time was a real Western guru, but his lineage just did not survive unbroken. It was through Augustine that his ideas really can into the Christian mind.

[jaggin]

Yes, nonsense. I agree with you. Perhaps you and jaggin are from different schools of thought in christianity? Where he believes that souls are unholy you don't seem to agree with him. Perfectly okay by me.



Well, see this sort of contradiction doesn't make any sense to me.

Allow me to explain, if we are not unholy as you said then that implies that we are 'holy'. In that case then there is no such thing as 'salvation' and there is no need of anyone's blood or sacrifice, especially the one you call 'sinless'. If we are not unholy and thus holy therefore, we must all be 'sinless' so therefore, there is no need for redemption from one who was sinless.

Anyhow, let's keep this simple eh?

It is a question of temporality. At one time we were without sin but Satan rebelled against God and has managed to deceive everyone to do the same. The Bible says that everyone is a sinner except God and the reason that Jesus is without sin is that He is God in the flesh.

Since everyone is a sinner, everyone needs the Savior who only can be God because He is the only one without sin. Sinners don't want to save anyone; they would like everyone to sin like them so they can feel good about their sin.

[satay]

namaskar Jaggin,

At one time we were without sin but Satan rebelled against God and has managed to deceive everyone to do the same.

I have often wondered about this 'satan'.

In christian mythology clearly it seems that satan is more powerful than God so much so that he was not only able to rebel himself but influence the whole man kind to the point that the bible god becomes so helpless that he has to sacrifice his own son to save mankind.

Does christian mythology talk about how was it that satan became more powerful than God?

[indianx]

Tell that to the more than 38,000 denominations that exist, each with their own differing interpretation of your bible.

I would contend your proposition that Christianity is simpler. I think it is more dogmatic, that is, there is more room to label views as 'heretic' and burn the people who espouse them at the stake, but I wouldn't say that it's simpler.

[dhruva023]

I also want to know who this satan is.

I seems more famous then god.

[Sagefrakrobatik]

Tell that to the more than 38,000 denominations that exist, each with their own differing interpretation of your bible.

I would contend your proposition that Christianity is simpler. I think it is more dogmatic, that is, there is more room to label views as 'heretic' and burn the people who espouse them at the stake, but I wouldn't say that it's simpler.

I dont know how you can say Hinduism is simpler than Christianity with all of your Puruanas Vedas and Upainshads. There is one book we use its called the Bible.

[indianx]

It seems to me that in this context, what you mean by simplicity is more accurately characterized by the word 'sparsity'. There's a sparsity of thought in Christianity, compared to Hinduism. Hinduism encourages an individual to take the seeds of truth he finds in the Vedas and Upanishads and to grow them, in a manner that allows him to progress spiritually. Christianity sets a rigid line which has to be followed and if an individual deviates from that line, he is labeled as a heretic. That is not simplicity.

Hinduism to me can be characterized with the statement 'Tat Tvam Asi'. There's no need for an original sin, there's no need for an everlasting hell, there's no need for some divine presence to appear on earth as a human in order to be killed and thereby, fantastically excusing all the sins that were ever committed and will be committed. It might demand less of you. You might murder, pillage, rape, but, of course, as long as you redeem yourself by dropping the standard campaign lines in your prayers, you'll float to that magical abode, when you die.

Now, as for your comment regarding the "Puruanas Vedas and Upainshads", they serve the purpose of providing a number of paths to understand and apply the meaning of that statement provided above. That does not necessarily make Hinduism more complicated. It provides the essential theology more depth.

[jaggin]

I also want to know who this satan is.

I seems more famous then god.

Satan is a title and means adversary. He is called that because he is the adversary of God. His name is Lucifer and he was created as an angel and held the highest position after God. He was not saitisfied with second place and rebelled against God convincing a number of angels to follow him. He has as much power as any other angel but most of his power comes from lies. All thoughts have power. Beliefs have even more power. The war between Satan and God is largely one between Satan's falsehoods and God's truth.

There is no doubt that God is more powerful than Satan but God is not committed to eradicating the rebellion by fiat or destruction. It is my belief that it is His desire to return everyone to the truth by persuasion.

[Znanna]

How can one "know" Godz except by exception ... which seems to be by definition "satan."

????



ZN/simpler than what