So you consider all other faiths as human-created?

I think the Muslims might object to that, and we don't want to get them mad. They might put a fatwa on PDM.

I just remembered an interesting story from the US 1800's days when a Missionary was headed west to work with the Indians.

It was a Sunday and he saw some of the Indians riding by, and working, etc.

He stopped them and told them that it was the Lord's day and they shouldn't be working.

The Indian replied "Ah yes, your God only comes once a week, while our God is with us all the time."

I was raised a Catholic and anyone who is a Catholic knows that guilt is laid on heavily. Some of my Jewish friends argue that it could not be as bad as the guilt put on them by their mothers. Needless to say that when I was 16 I almost went on to become a priest, however that soon went down the drain because my attraction to the girls in town was greater than my wanting to be a priest. I had begun to attend church two years prior and God had made some changes in me. However, because of the doctrine, I focused on do’s and don’ts. If I died after committing a sin and I did not get to confession fast enough, I would be off to hell. Soon after, I went back to live with my mother, however things had not improved and as soon as I turned 17, I joined the Marines. I will not list the things I did prior to going to Viet Nam and after. While in Viet Nam I felt that I was going to die and when the thought of God came to my head I would just push it away. The only exception to this was on the occasions that I was actually facing death, and then I would make a quick prayer. The guilt in me reached high proportions and I tried to convince myself that there was no God. I must say that it worked for a while, but No matter what I read against the existence of God, that nagging feeling kept tugging at me. It finally came down to confronting God and asking Him to proof Himself. I cannot stress this enough, it is not focusing on the doctrines, sin, teachings, bible, etc, it is focusing in on God. How cannot anyone accept the bible as the word of God you believe in Him and He Himself directs you to it? I tried reading the bible at the beginning, but found it boring and could not understand half of what was said. It was not until my relationship with God grew stronger that I found myself reading, understanding and enjoying the scriptures.

Mbas400 stated:

I just remembered an interesting story from the US 1800's days when a Missionary was headed west to work with the Indians................

That one was a good one.

This is a somewhat modern interpretation of what you are supposed to do, according to the teachings of the Bible. A thousand years ago, other severely dedicated groups of Christians (studying the same pages you do) saw fit to kill thousands of non-converters in God's name.

ummm Fish
re " Jesus also did not question His beliefs or the scriptures,"
He didn't? well i seem to recall that at the age of Twelve he was found in the temple debating the scriptures with the high priests whatever and that's in the BIBLE.!!!
secondly "Jesus never stopped being Jewish and neither did his followers.
Technically not true Jesus was baptised in the river Jorden ( Ithink it was) by John the Baptist, so technically he changes his religion from his birth religion to that of the teachings of John the Baptist and that's in the Bible
awaiting your reply

Vince... Mad props homie.
I figure I'm going to hell, so I might as well enjoy myself..

Jesus DID question-ALWAYS. Then he proved Himself, and the word of God by taking the scriptures and applying them to real life.

He was, indeed, Baptized, but I wonder if it was to start the trend with Christians, get followers, humor John, humore His mother or because He needed to mark Himself for God which makes no sense...

I dunno, but I do know you are right-He & the Apostles never stopped being Jewish.

Tag I'll handle this one. Yes Jesus was debating with the high priests in the temple, but simply debating an intepretation does not mean that he was calling the Jewish faith wrong.

By the time of Christ the Jewish elders had created more laws than could possibly be followed. A perfect example of this was the Sabbath. Nothing was allowed on the Sabbath. Not even healing of the sick. Jesus argued this point constantly with the priests, saying that the Sabbath was made for man, so that man could have a day of rest.

John the Baptist was a Jew, his call was for everyone to repent of their sins and turn to God. John never asked them to stop being Jews, just to be more committed Jews. Baptism was a symbolic representation of washing away sins and repentance. Only after the death and ressurection of Christ was it used as a public declaration of faith in Christ. Christ's baptism was not a turning away from his faith, being God he knew better than anyone what he said. Christ's Baptism was simply to make the declaration "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world".

In no way were either of these two events, Jesus straying from the Jewish faith. Being raised as a Jew, and being the Son of God, and God incarnate, gave him a better understanding of what he meant by giving the Jews all of those laws.

And that's in the BIBLE!

I think, to a degree, we are debating interpretation here.

I think PDM you may be right... Jesus questioned, but as a way to teach.

Believer-Thanks for the clarification on the Baptism... Makes WAY more sense than my lame suggestions!!!