Here is a list of Religion & Spirituality Blogs ordered by Most Commented, posted by members. A Blog is a journal you may enter about your life, thoughts, interesting experiences, or lessons you've learned. Post an opinion, impart words of wisdom, or talk about something interesting in your day. Update your blog on a regular basis, or just whenever you have something to say. Creating a blog is a good way to share something of yourself with others. Reading blogs is a good way to learn more about others. Click here to post a blog.
Is there life after death? Do you know where you a
There are many articles that have been written over the years concerning the two titles. Do you believe in life after death? I know that the spirit lives on. The spirit of a person cannot die unless & until the Lord decrees it. Secondly, I believe that we are not here by chance. There is a reason why we are here. Hence, my second question, do you know where you are heading my friend?
Very truly I tell you,
John 8:51-59
51 "..., Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”
52 At this they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”
54 Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. 55 Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”
57 “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”
58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” 59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.
Thank you in advance for reading and commenting
This blog is for Catholics
Hi everybody,God bless us all Catholics or not
During Lent, pope offers handy tips for preparing for confession
Carol Glatz Catholic News Service | Feb. 27, 2015 The Francis Chronicles
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VATICAN CITY
As Catholics are encouraged to make going to confession a significant part of their lives during Lent, Pope Francis offered some quick tips to help people prepare for the sacrament of penance.
After a brief explanation of why people should go to confession -- "because we are all sinners" -- the pope listed 30 key questions to reflect on as part of making an examination of conscience and being able to "confess well."
The guide is part of a 28-page booklet in Italian released by the Vatican publishing house. Pope Francis had 50,000 free copies distributed to people attending his Angelus address Feb. 22, the first Sunday of Lent.
Titled "Safeguard your heart," the booklet is meant to help the faithful become "courageous" and prepared to battle against evil and choose the good.
The booklet contains quick introductions to Catholic basics: it has the text of the Creed, a list of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes. It explains the seven sacraments and includes Pope Francis' explanation of lectio divina, a prayerful way of reading Scripture in order to better hear "what the Lord wants to tell us in his word and to let us be transformed by his Spirit."
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The booklet's title is based on a line from one of the pope's morning Mass homilies in which he said Christians need to guard and protect their hearts, "just as you protect your home -- with a lock."
"How often do bad thoughts, bad intentions, jealousy, envy enter?" he asked. "Who opened the door? How did those things get in?"
The Oct. 10, 2014, homily, which is excerpted in the booklet, said the best way to guard one's heart is with the daily practice of an "examination of conscience," in which one quietly reviews what bad things one has done and what good things one has failed to do for God, one's neighbor and oneself.
The questions include:
- Do I only turn to God when I'm in need?
- Do I take attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation?
- Do I begin and end the day with prayer?
- Am I embarrassed to show that I am a Christian?
- Do I rebel against God's plan?
- Am I envious, hot-tempered, biased?
- Am I honest and fair with everyone or do I fuel the "throwaway culture?"
- In my marital and family relations, do I uphold morality as taught in the Gospels?
-Do I honor and respect my parents?
-Have I refused newly conceived life? Have I snuffed out the gift of life? Have I helped do so?
-Do I respect the environment?
- Am I part worldly and part believer?
- Do I overdo it with eating, drinking, smoking and amusements?
- Am I overly concerned about my physical well-being, my possessions?
- How do I use my time? Am I lazy?
- Do I want to be served?
- Do I dream of revenge, hold grudges?
- Am I meek, humble and a builder of peace?
Catholics should go to confession, the pope said, because everyone needs forgiveness for their sins, for the ways "we think and act contrary to the Gospel."
"Whoever says he is without sin is a liar or is blind," he wrote.
Confession is meant to be a sincere moment of conversion, an occasion to demonstrate trust in God's willingness to forgive his children and to help them back on the path of following Jesus, Pope Francis wrote.
Sacrament of Penance
Francis
Dating outside your faith?...
I find this article to be very interesting, for those who may feel God has forgotten them in finding a date or husband/wife.
Christian Intermingle: Can We Date Outside the Faith?
Sometimes, it feels like God doesn’t have a match for you.
Type the word "dating" into your Bible search tool, and what comes up? Nothing.
I remember wishing there was an entire book of the Bible dedicated to the topic when I was single, or at least a chapter. Now, I get emails from singles across the country looking for guidance on who and how to date.
While many start off with intentions of finding a godly partner, with each passing year the waiting feels longer and the hoping gets harder. Slowly, we can find ourselves starting to second-guess our original standards, wondering if we've been too extreme or unrealistic. Within that struggle, inevitably the question comes up: Can a Christian date a non-Christian?
The Bible addresses the hardships that come with marrying a nonbeliever, so that's rather clear. But single Christians may be tempted to say, "Well, it doesn't talk about dating. Can't we just date?"
To answer, it's important to take a step back and look at some principles found in Scripture. In Corinthians, Paul writes to a new group of Christians, who've asked him what's okay and not okay for them to partake in as believers in Christ. Paul then challenges the church not to simply ask, "Is it okay?" but instead to ask, "Is it beneficial?" (1 Cor. 10:23).
When a topic isn't directly addressed in the Bible, this can be a helpful guide for us. Because yes, it's okay for us to date someone who doesn't profess Christ. But to ask Paul's question, does it benefit our walk? Does it push us closer to Jesus? God doesn't call us to simply go after the acceptable in life, but the best, most enriching, most God-glorifying. Dating a nonbeliever may not be a sin, but we can do ourselves an injustice when okay gets in the way of what is best for us.
Again, God's Word doesn't talk about dating in particular, though many of its principles can guide our relationships. 2 Corinthians 6:14 reminds us of the importance of being bound together with believers. Genesis 2:24 tells us there is no greater binding experience than the commingling of two people into one, in this thing we call marriage. God knows the difficulty that comes with making two into one, and he encourages his children to be yoked together with someone with whom they can become fully one—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We are holistic beings, and in order to truly connect, we must find someone with whom we can connect on every level.
Many Christian singles, even those considering pursuing relationships with people outside of the church, know this deep down. But waiting for love can be trying. It's easy to grow weary in waiting and attempt to jump into a relationship with someone that you may connect with physically and emotionally, but not spiritually—believing that this is as good as it gets and settling for less than best. For people who find themselves in this situation, it's important to remember the reason for the waiting.
Source:Christianity Today by Debra K. Fileta, guest writer
... agazine%29
What say you?...
Christian Intermingle: Can We Date Outside the Faith?
Sometimes, it feels like God doesn’t have a match for you.
Type the word "dating" into your Bible search tool, and what comes up? Nothing.
I remember wishing there was an entire book of the Bible dedicated to the topic when I was single, or at least a chapter. Now, I get emails from singles across the country looking for guidance on who and how to date.
While many start off with intentions of finding a godly partner, with each passing year the waiting feels longer and the hoping gets harder. Slowly, we can find ourselves starting to second-guess our original standards, wondering if we've been too extreme or unrealistic. Within that struggle, inevitably the question comes up: Can a Christian date a non-Christian?
The Bible addresses the hardships that come with marrying a nonbeliever, so that's rather clear. But single Christians may be tempted to say, "Well, it doesn't talk about dating. Can't we just date?"
To answer, it's important to take a step back and look at some principles found in Scripture. In Corinthians, Paul writes to a new group of Christians, who've asked him what's okay and not okay for them to partake in as believers in Christ. Paul then challenges the church not to simply ask, "Is it okay?" but instead to ask, "Is it beneficial?" (1 Cor. 10:23).
When a topic isn't directly addressed in the Bible, this can be a helpful guide for us. Because yes, it's okay for us to date someone who doesn't profess Christ. But to ask Paul's question, does it benefit our walk? Does it push us closer to Jesus? God doesn't call us to simply go after the acceptable in life, but the best, most enriching, most God-glorifying. Dating a nonbeliever may not be a sin, but we can do ourselves an injustice when okay gets in the way of what is best for us.
Again, God's Word doesn't talk about dating in particular, though many of its principles can guide our relationships. 2 Corinthians 6:14 reminds us of the importance of being bound together with believers. Genesis 2:24 tells us there is no greater binding experience than the commingling of two people into one, in this thing we call marriage. God knows the difficulty that comes with making two into one, and he encourages his children to be yoked together with someone with whom they can become fully one—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We are holistic beings, and in order to truly connect, we must find someone with whom we can connect on every level.
Many Christian singles, even those considering pursuing relationships with people outside of the church, know this deep down. But waiting for love can be trying. It's easy to grow weary in waiting and attempt to jump into a relationship with someone that you may connect with physically and emotionally, but not spiritually—believing that this is as good as it gets and settling for less than best. For people who find themselves in this situation, it's important to remember the reason for the waiting.
Source:Christianity Today by Debra K. Fileta, guest writer
... agazine%29
What say you?...
The Call of Wisdom
Wisdom calls aloud outside; She raises her voice in the open squares. She cries out in the chief concourses, At the openings of the gates in the city she speaks her words: “How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? For scorners delight in their scorning, And fools hate knowledge. Turn at my rebuke; Surely I will pour out my Spirit on you; I will make my words known to you. Because I have called and you refused, I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded, Because you disdained all my counsel, and would have none of my rebuke, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your terror comes, when your terror comes like a storm, and your destruction comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, they would have none of my counsel and despised my every rebuke. Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled to the full with their own fancies. For the turning away of the simple will slay them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil.” says, the Most High Lord God of Israel.
Proverbs chapter 1
Proverbs chapter 1
online today!
Evidence that Scripture is Divine
First, I believe the Bible is the Word of God because of its scientific accuracy. The Truth of the Word of God tells us that God “hangeth the earth upon nothing” (Job 26:7). How did Job know that the earth hung in space before the age of modern astronomy and space travel? The Holy Spirit told him. The scientists of Isaiah’s day didn’t know the topography of the earth, but Isaiah said, “It is that sitteth upon the circle of the earth” (Isaiah 40:22). The word for “circle” here means a globe or sphere. How did Isaiah know that God says upon the circle of the earth? By divine inspiration.
Secondly, the Bible is affirmed through historical accuracy. Do you remember the story about the handwriting on the wall that is found in the fifth chapter of Daniel? Belshazzar hosted a feast with a thousand of his lords and ladies. Suddenly, a gruesome hand appeared out of nowhere and began to write on a wall. The king was disturbed and asked for someone to interpret the writing. Daniel was found and gave the interpretation. After the interpretation, “Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.” (Daniel 5:29). Basing their opinion on Babylonian records, the historians claim this never happened. According to the records, the last king of Babylon was not Belshazzar, but a man named Nabonidas. And so, they said, the Bible is in error. There wasn’t a record of a king named Belshazzar. Well, the spades of archeologists continued to do their work. In 1853, an inscription was found on a cornerstone of a temple built by Nabonidas, to the god Ur, which read: “May I, Nabonidas, king of Babylon, not sin against thee. And may reverence for thee dwell in the heart of Belshazzar, my first-born favorite son.” From other inscriptions, it was learned that Belshazzar and Nabonidas were co-regents. Nabonidas traveled while Belshazzar stayed home to run the kingdom. Now that we know that Belshazzar and Nabonidas were co-regents, it makes sense that Belshazzar would say that Daniel would be the third ruler. What a marvelous nugget of truth tucked away in the Word of God!
Third, from Genesis to Revelation, the Bible reads as one book. And there is incredible unity to the Bible. The Bible is one book, and yet it is made up of 66 books, was written by at least 40 different authors over a period of about 1600 years, in 13 different countries and on three different continents. It was written in at least three different languages by people in all professions. The Bible forms one beautiful temple of truth that does not contradict itself theologically, morally, ethically, doctrinally, scientifically, historically, or in any other way.
Fourth, did you know the Bible is the only book in the world that has accurate prophecy? When you read the prophecies of the Bible, you simply have to stand back in awe. There are over 300 precise prophecies that deal with the Lord Jesus Christ in the Old Testament that are fulfilled in the New Testament. To say that these are fulfilled by chance is an astronomical impossibility.
Finally, the Bible is not a book of the month, but the Book of the ages. First Peter 1:25 says: “But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the Word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” No book has ever had as much opposition as the Bible. Men have laughed at it, scorned it, burned it, ridiculed it, and made laws against it. But the Word of God has survived. And it is applicable today as much as it was yesterday and will be tomorrow.
Secondly, the Bible is affirmed through historical accuracy. Do you remember the story about the handwriting on the wall that is found in the fifth chapter of Daniel? Belshazzar hosted a feast with a thousand of his lords and ladies. Suddenly, a gruesome hand appeared out of nowhere and began to write on a wall. The king was disturbed and asked for someone to interpret the writing. Daniel was found and gave the interpretation. After the interpretation, “Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.” (Daniel 5:29). Basing their opinion on Babylonian records, the historians claim this never happened. According to the records, the last king of Babylon was not Belshazzar, but a man named Nabonidas. And so, they said, the Bible is in error. There wasn’t a record of a king named Belshazzar. Well, the spades of archeologists continued to do their work. In 1853, an inscription was found on a cornerstone of a temple built by Nabonidas, to the god Ur, which read: “May I, Nabonidas, king of Babylon, not sin against thee. And may reverence for thee dwell in the heart of Belshazzar, my first-born favorite son.” From other inscriptions, it was learned that Belshazzar and Nabonidas were co-regents. Nabonidas traveled while Belshazzar stayed home to run the kingdom. Now that we know that Belshazzar and Nabonidas were co-regents, it makes sense that Belshazzar would say that Daniel would be the third ruler. What a marvelous nugget of truth tucked away in the Word of God!
Third, from Genesis to Revelation, the Bible reads as one book. And there is incredible unity to the Bible. The Bible is one book, and yet it is made up of 66 books, was written by at least 40 different authors over a period of about 1600 years, in 13 different countries and on three different continents. It was written in at least three different languages by people in all professions. The Bible forms one beautiful temple of truth that does not contradict itself theologically, morally, ethically, doctrinally, scientifically, historically, or in any other way.
Fourth, did you know the Bible is the only book in the world that has accurate prophecy? When you read the prophecies of the Bible, you simply have to stand back in awe. There are over 300 precise prophecies that deal with the Lord Jesus Christ in the Old Testament that are fulfilled in the New Testament. To say that these are fulfilled by chance is an astronomical impossibility.
Finally, the Bible is not a book of the month, but the Book of the ages. First Peter 1:25 says: “But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the Word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” No book has ever had as much opposition as the Bible. Men have laughed at it, scorned it, burned it, ridiculed it, and made laws against it. But the Word of God has survived. And it is applicable today as much as it was yesterday and will be tomorrow.
How To Love Your Enemies
“...Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you”.
(Matt. 5:44)
One of the most challenging things that God has told us to do is to “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matt. 5:44). How does one do this without appearing to be a hypocrite? I mean, really? If someone has hurt me deeply how could I love, bless, do good to and pray for him/her, when I know that all I really want is justice? And that justice can only come when I’m satisfied that he/she has suffered enough for wronging me.
So you see my dilemma. If I do what God says, I am not only depriving myself of the justice that I seek, but also, I have to do so ‘with love’. Now tell me that that isn’t hard to do.
A few years ago I heard a song by a Country Western singer about praying for your enemies (or something along that line) and in it he sang that he took the advice of the Preacher at his church, and decided to pray for his ex-girlfriend who had broken his heart. The thing was, He prayed that awful things would happen to her, and that made him feel so good that he resolved to do it again.
I laughed when I heard it, and the words made me feel good because someone understood how much easier it was to seek justice, than to offer forgiveness. Now that is being real.
Unfortunately for us, God is more concerned with our obedience to His Will, not because He’s mean and uncaring, but because He knows that the way He has prescribed is the best way for us to heal. Revenge disguised as ‘justice’ is not what God wants us to focus on. “...For the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God”, says His Holy Word (Js 1:20). So, if healing is truly what we want, then we have to do it His way, a little at a time, as sincerely as we can. And that is being obedient.
How to love your enemies? Don’t doubt the remedy. Use the formula that God has prescribed.
I've tried it, and I can testify that it works.
(Matt. 5:44)
One of the most challenging things that God has told us to do is to “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matt. 5:44). How does one do this without appearing to be a hypocrite? I mean, really? If someone has hurt me deeply how could I love, bless, do good to and pray for him/her, when I know that all I really want is justice? And that justice can only come when I’m satisfied that he/she has suffered enough for wronging me.
So you see my dilemma. If I do what God says, I am not only depriving myself of the justice that I seek, but also, I have to do so ‘with love’. Now tell me that that isn’t hard to do.
A few years ago I heard a song by a Country Western singer about praying for your enemies (or something along that line) and in it he sang that he took the advice of the Preacher at his church, and decided to pray for his ex-girlfriend who had broken his heart. The thing was, He prayed that awful things would happen to her, and that made him feel so good that he resolved to do it again.
I laughed when I heard it, and the words made me feel good because someone understood how much easier it was to seek justice, than to offer forgiveness. Now that is being real.
Unfortunately for us, God is more concerned with our obedience to His Will, not because He’s mean and uncaring, but because He knows that the way He has prescribed is the best way for us to heal. Revenge disguised as ‘justice’ is not what God wants us to focus on. “...For the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God”, says His Holy Word (Js 1:20). So, if healing is truly what we want, then we have to do it His way, a little at a time, as sincerely as we can. And that is being obedient.
How to love your enemies? Don’t doubt the remedy. Use the formula that God has prescribed.
I've tried it, and I can testify that it works.
online today!
Is it me, or now that politics here.....
...have undergone a bit of a vanilla transformation, (Allah be praised), now have the Christian Goddess-squaders, begun to come out of the woodwork? Don't get me wrong, we should all respect their views. And the rare one has always been here. And these few were not the more typical brow beating Bible thumpers, we now see more of. But a little Vierk an*l-ysis, might be in order.
Apart from the fact that the tedious evangelical proselytizing tends to come from one relatively small wing of Christanity, namely, the hot coal walking/snake handling, tent revival crowd,--- what gives, peebles?
This propaganda is valid, for believers. but so are the beliefs of dozens of other religious traditions. Yet only a tiny minority of traditions feel the need, and that's what it really is, to take the liberty to plaster it all over God's good earth. Sure, we hear from the over scrubbed pairs of White LDS robots knocking on doors world wide. And in the misogynistic religion of peace, a form of evangelical schtick sometimes comes out of the barrel of the gun. But when do we see Catholics (of all varieties), Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, and so many others, including Animists and Voodoo princesses, doing the same? But then, there were the Crusades---truly cautionary tales.
What can explain this? Well for starters, it is strident and compulsive behavior. Which often is multisourced. From the nuclear family, religious schooling, unconscious influences, and so on.
But of course, I have my own ideas on what really drives these decent, but often closed-minded, folks on their endlessly annoying life quests.
In each chapter of the memoirs, I begin with a quote. One of my favorites is from an old French saying.
She who is closest to the Church, is often farthest away from God. Who else gets it?
Apart from the fact that the tedious evangelical proselytizing tends to come from one relatively small wing of Christanity, namely, the hot coal walking/snake handling, tent revival crowd,--- what gives, peebles?
This propaganda is valid, for believers. but so are the beliefs of dozens of other religious traditions. Yet only a tiny minority of traditions feel the need, and that's what it really is, to take the liberty to plaster it all over God's good earth. Sure, we hear from the over scrubbed pairs of White LDS robots knocking on doors world wide. And in the misogynistic religion of peace, a form of evangelical schtick sometimes comes out of the barrel of the gun. But when do we see Catholics (of all varieties), Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, and so many others, including Animists and Voodoo princesses, doing the same? But then, there were the Crusades---truly cautionary tales.
What can explain this? Well for starters, it is strident and compulsive behavior. Which often is multisourced. From the nuclear family, religious schooling, unconscious influences, and so on.
But of course, I have my own ideas on what really drives these decent, but often closed-minded, folks on their endlessly annoying life quests.
In each chapter of the memoirs, I begin with a quote. One of my favorites is from an old French saying.
She who is closest to the Church, is often farthest away from God. Who else gets it?
GOD AND DIFFERENT RACES
When god created the human race, do you think he intended that there be differences in colour, physical structure of the body, variation in hair, small humans, large humans etc. If he did plan for this, is it right that this creation of his should inter mingle and inevitably change the appearance of the races that he originally designed?
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