my life is messed up because of religion

Thanks everyone. Have any of you read the Jesus Papers?

[psychoslice]

Christianity and the bible are not the truth, you are the truth, you only need to find who you truly are, drop everything that you have been told and be naked, there, you are now back in Eden, you never left, it was all a lie, a lie made by religion.

Are you ready to toss out these corrosive beliefs & move past this fear stuff?

Many have moved into a position of God being love-based & hell being a construct of organized religion to scare the flock into being faithful. Even in my religiously conservative part of the US (Bible Belt) many of the televangelist preachers have moved out of this negative view of God into one of a God of love. Many Christians don’t believe in the extreme fear business the fundys promote, so you have allot of options to choose from in organized religion, should you wish to stay w/ organized religion, that are less extreme.

Jesus isn’t ‘going to send other religions to Hell.’ This our way of the highway absolutist approach some religions have about spirituality is absurd. Christianity & the Bible aren’t the only real truths. TRUST your gut feelings that are telling you that these beliefs based in fear are bogus. Former Episcopalian Bishop John Shelby Spong (Has a site.) has some useful work on having a positive view of the Bible’s teachings. Visiting some non-fundy church services might be useful to explore other religions.

Many have found that moving to a more flexible position about religion is very useful. One can choose from various belief systems what resonates w/ them as the truth.

[BlueSky]

Originally Posted by donnnn1

Fundamentalist Christians have really messed my head up big time. Im am worried about going to hell and have a sickening fear of death.

They have also told me that Jesus will come and send all other religions to Hell.

I hate this fear, is Christianity and the bible the only real truth?

A little humor to brighten your day Donnnn1:

This guy dies suddenly and finds himself face to face with Peter at the gates of heaven.
He asks Peter if he is dead and Peter says yes and then proceeds to show him around heaven.
The first thing the man notices is many rooms so he asks Peter “what’s with all the rooms?”
Peter says this is how we keep peace up here.
We keep those who follow Judaism in that room right there and we keep those who follow Buddhism in that room down the way. As they continue walking the man notices another room with the door locked so he asks “what is that room for?”
Peter says “Shhhhhhhhh! We have to be quiet going by that room. It is where we keep the fundamental Christians. They think they are the only ones up here”

Good fundy joke.

Saturday Night Live’s spoof on religion w/ ‘Church Chat’ w/ Dana Carvey doing his famous ‘Church Lady.’ At the time Sean Penn was married to Madonna. Hilarious conversation where Sean Penn & Church Lady get in a fight about Madonna. Church Lady does her famous mincing strut at the end of the first one. 'That's Special' & 'Saaaaaaatan' follow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX8jo8wIIaU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmwqnqL3Hbg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62Qfb...eature=related

[BlueSky]

I'll be sure to watch those later. Saturday night live was one of my all time favorite shows!

Originally Posted by donnnn1

Thanks everyone. Have any of you read the Jesus Papers?

Is this a new publication? I will have to look it up....want to share a little on what it covers?

This is what i hate about fundamentalist Christians. They terrify people! My mum has had to cross over so many poor Catholic souls who are terrified they they cannot go into the light because they've been preached hell and damnation.

The people who did this to you are no Christians. Christianity preaches love, acceptance and forgiveness. Does that sound like a wrathful God to you?
You are NOT going to Hell!

[BlueSky]

Funny thing, the hebrew translation of Sheol in the bible, which we know as hell, actually means "grave" and the concept of hell as torment and damnation came from a play by Dante called "The Divine Comedy" in the 1300's.
It's all rather rediculous.....................and outdated

Thanks everyone!

The jesus papers is a book by Michael Baigent, its quite large and tries to discover the truth about Jesus and the origins of Christianity and what we have been told for centuries is lies. It also aims to bring Islam, Judiasm and Christianity together and that none of them have the real truth and there are many paths to God.

But I still cant get over the Catholic miracles, do they not prove it is the truth?