http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/general-religion/ en-us Sun, 3 Jan 2010 19:16:23 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2420109/posts What is the Bible About? The bible gives an overview of world history from God's own perspective, with its doxological (i.e. God-glorifying) purpose, divine superintendence, and victorious end, all minutely planned out before the creation of the world (Isa. 46:9-10; Mat. 25:34; 1 Pet. 1:20; Rev. 13:8); and according to this divine perspective on history, all things were designed to be brought together in Christ, who is the reason for world history and the one in whom all things are summed up (Eph. 1:9-12; Col. 1:13-20). Thus, when he was on the earth, Jesus taught that the entire bible, from... CPRF http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2420109/posts#comment Sun, 3 Jan 2010 19:16:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2420003/posts "But we are all like an unclean thing, and all of our righteousnesses are like filthy rags." Isaiah 64:6 The Prophet Isaiah summed up the reprobate state into which God's chosen people had sunk. Though they had the blessing of the Law given to them by Moses, when he conversed with God on Mount Sinai, they had turned from their Lawgiver and become more wretched than the people who did not have the Law. God's chosen people were worshiping false gods. Isaiah 42:17 They were reveling in idolatry so much so that the prophet called Jerusalem a harlot that... Enterprise Record Post Scripts http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2420003/posts#comment Sun, 3 Jan 2010 16:02:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2419927/posts Clouds and Darkness "Clouds and darkness surround Him . . ." —Psalm 97:2 A person who has not been born again by the Spirit of God will tell you that the teachings of Jesus are simple. But when he is baptized by the Holy Spirit, he finds that "clouds and darkness surround Him . . . ." When we come into close contact with the teachings of Jesus Christ we have our first realization of this. The only possible way to have full understanding of the teachings of Jesus is through the light of the Spirit of God shining... My Utmost for His Highest (The Golden Book of Oswald Chambers;1992) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2419927/posts#comment Sun, 3 Jan 2010 13:38:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2419829/posts January 3, 2010                               The Epiphany of the Lord     Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading IIs 60:1-6Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem!  Your light has come,the glory of the Lord shines upon you.See, darkness covers the earth,and thick clouds cover the peoples;but upon you the LORD shines,and over you appears his glory.Nations shall walk by your light,and kings by your shining radiance.Raise your eyes and look about;they all gather and come to you:your sons come from afar,and your daughters in the arms of their nurses. Then you shall be radiant at what you... USCCB.org/New American Bible http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2419829/posts#comment Sun, 3 Jan 2010 04:31:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2419725/posts Monday and Thrsday mornings, 1/4 and 7Kohen--Exodus 1:1-7Levi--vs. 8-12Yisra'el--vs. 13-17 Strday 1/9--Shabbat Parashat ShemotMORNING Kohen--Exodus 1:1-17Levi--1:18-2:10Shelishi--2:11-25Revi`i--3:1-15Chamishi--3:16-4:17Shishi--4:18-31Shevi`i--5:1-6:1Maftir--5:22-6:1Haftarah--Isaiah 27:6-28:13; 29:22,23 EVENING Kohen--Exodus 6:2-5Levi--vs. 6-9Yisra'el--vs. 10-13 Bible, prayerbooks, and calendar http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2419725/posts#comment Sat, 2 Jan 2010 23:47:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2419647/posts In the thread on General/Chat forum, Evolution caught in the act: Scientists measure how quickly genomes change, Restore discussed a interesting and recent scientific discovery, genome within certain plants are occurring more rapidly than expected, a lot faster.   As I was reading this thread, somebody asked how evolution explained how the moon got there.  Okay, evolution doesn't, as pointed out by several people on the thread, but geology has does a pretty good job of that explaination. This article got me to thinking about those who say the Bible states that God only took 6,000 years before the creation of Adam... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2419647/posts#comment Sat, 2 Jan 2010 20:02:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2419581/posts During a recent talk regarding my book, “Blessed with Bipolar,” I was stumped by the question, “How does a person get to where you are now from where you were in the psych ward?” I actually have a 380 page answer to that question. What stumped me was the question behind the question: “How do I get my bipolar daughter into treatment?” Article Alley http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2419581/posts#comment Sat, 2 Jan 2010 18:00:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2419574/posts 3.Where do we go to learn about theology? If we would learn about God, then we must ultimately go to where God revealed himself. We cannot learn about God from our own thoughts and reasoning any more than we could learn about the character of some stranger across the seas without first going to converse with him. Since God has revealed himself through creation, every human being can know him to some degree just by looking at nature. “The heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1); and “that which can be known about God is manifest among [mankind], for... CPRF http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2419574/posts#comment Sat, 2 Jan 2010 17:47:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2419513/posts I am currently an ELCA pastor of two rural congregations in western Wisconsin near the city of Menomonie in the Northwest Synod of Wisconsin. Near the time of the end of the churchwide assembly, our synodical bishop, Duane Pederson, sent out a communication to all in our synod, summarizing his observations. To my ears it sounded like a “party line” communication that had little respect for the bound consciences of those opposed to the controversial decisions at churchwide. I thought there should be a synod-wide response to this letter, but when I met the bishop on September 24, 2009 at... Lutheran Forum http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2419513/posts#comment Sat, 2 Jan 2010 15:44:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2419448/posts Will You Go Out Without Knowing? "He went out, not knowing where he was going" —Hebrews 11:8 Have you ever "gone out" in this way? If so, there is no logical answer possible when anyone asks you what you are doing. One of the most difficult questions to answer in Christian work is, "What do you expect to do?" You don’t know what you are going to do. The only thing you know is that God knows what He is doing. Continually examine your attitude toward God to see if you are willing to "go out" in every area... My Utmost for His Highest (The Golden Book of Oswald Chambers;1992) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2419448/posts#comment Sat, 2 Jan 2010 13:34:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2419363/posts January 2, 2010                                        Memorial of Saint Basil the Great                                         and Saint Gregory Nazianzen, bishops and                             doctors of the Church       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading I1 Jn 2:22-28Beloved:Who is the liar? Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Whoever denies the Father and the Son, this is the antichrist. Anyone who denies the Son does not have the Father,but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well. Let what you heard from the beginning remain in you. If what... USCCB.org/New American Bible http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2419363/posts#comment Sat, 2 Jan 2010 06:09:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2419204/posts In June of 2009 an e-mail was sent to subscribers concerning a little known Rabbinic prophesy according to Israel Today. According to this article, Rabbi Judah Ben Samuel was a top Talmudic scholar in Germany. Just before he died in the year 1217 he prophesied that the Ottoman Turks would rule over the holy city of Jerusalem for eight jubilees. That is 400 years (8 x 50). The Ottoman Turks did take control of Jerusalem 300 years after the Rabbi’s death in 1517 and as according to the prophecy, the Ottoman Turks then lost Jerusalem 400 years later in 1917.... 2010Rapture.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2419204/posts#comment Fri, 1 Jan 2010 22:51:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2419082/posts 2.Why is the study of theology important? From the dawn of human history, every people group across the world has been struggling with the great questions of human existence: “Who am I? Why am I here? What am I doing? How do I find meaning and happiness?”. Different civilizations and different persons have formulated different answers to these questions, ranging from the ultra-hedonistic principles of Cyrenaicism to the ultra-ascetic principles of the Hindu Jainists. However, both of these extremes, and every other human philosophy that lies somewhere in between, is insufficient to answer these questions. The great underlying supposition of... CPRF http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2419082/posts#comment Fri, 1 Jan 2010 19:25:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418894/posts Make Plans for the Next Victory Today's Scripture "Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day" (Joshua 14:12, NKJV) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria In the Bible, Caleb helped lead the people of Israel into their Promised Land. But I love that Caleb didn't just stop there. When he was 80 years old, he said, "God, give me another mountain." He was saying, "God, give me something else to do. Give me another assignment." Notice, he was planning on living out his life in victory. He could have said, "God, just let... Email http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418894/posts#comment Fri, 1 Jan 2010 12:37:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418890/posts Let Us Keep to the Point " ". . . my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death" " —Philippians 1:20 My Utmost for His Highest. ". . . my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed . . . ." We will all feel very much ashamed if we do not yield to Jesus the areas of our lives He has asked us to yield to Him. It’s... My Utmost for His Highest (The Golden Book of Oswald Chambers;1992) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418890/posts#comment Fri, 1 Jan 2010 12:28:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418830/posts January 1, 2010                                 The Octave Day of Christmas                               Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary,                             the Mother of God 8                 Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Nm 6:22-27The LORD said to Moses: “Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them: This is how you shall bless the Israelites.Say to them:The LORD bless you and keep you!The LORD let his face shine uponyou, and be gracious to you!The LORD look upon you kindly andgive you peace!So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites, and I will bless... USCCB.org/New American Bible http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418830/posts#comment Fri, 1 Jan 2010 06:02:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418675/posts A new -- or is it old? -- manual for Mormons After a decade of going back to Brigham, back to Joseph and back to Wilford, Mormons are going back to basics. Starting Sunday, adult Latter-day Saints will shelve their study of past Mormon prophets and return to fundamentals of their faith as spelled out in a 30-year-old book called Gospel Principles . Twice a month, Mormon men in their priesthood meetings and women in their Relief Society sessions will consider a different chapter in the book, originally published in 1978, which discusses everything from the nature of God... Salt Lake Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418675/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 23:47:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418430/posts POMONA, Calif. | There's no steeple out front, no rows of pews inside, not even so much as a crucifix on display. Still, this cramped little art studio in the middle of what, until not very long ago, was a street with as many broken dreams as it has potholes, is the closest thing to paradise that the Rev. Bill Moore has found. It's the place where the 60-year-old Catholic priest serves God by creating abstract paintings that he sells by the hundreds. No ordinary preacher, the man known as Father Bill throughout Pomona's fledgling arts district long ago... The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418430/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:02:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418390/posts 1. What is theology? The term “theology” comes from the Greek words for “God” (theos) and “word,” or “body of knowledge” (logos); hence, it means, literally, “the body of knowledge about God,” or, more simply, “the study of God”. Therefore, in its strict sense, theology has to do only with the knowledge of the Godhead, and not with the other doctrines found in the bible. However, for many centuries, the term “theology” has had a broader connotation, and is often used to refer to the entire body of knowledge related to the Christian worldview, including all the various truths that... CPRF http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418390/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:04:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418307/posts He is Strong in You Today's Scripture "And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness…" (Romans 8:26 NLT) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria Sometimes, people get distracted by what they consider to be a disadvantage or weakness in their lives. It may be something about their personality or looks that they don't like. Or maybe they've been through an unfair situation: a divorce, a bad business deal, or a bad break. We all have things that can feel like disadvantages; things that make it harder on us. It may even be a physical handicap where you can't... Email http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418307/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:53:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418294/posts Yesterday "You shall not go out with haste, . . . for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard" —Isaiah 52:12 Security from Yesterday. ". . . God requires an account of what is past" ( Ecclesiastes 3:15 ). At the end of the year we turn with eagerness to all that God has for the future, and yet anxiety is apt to arise when we remember our yesterdays. Our present enjoyment of God’s grace tends to be lessened by the memory of yesterday’s sins and blunders. But God is... My Utmost for His Highest (The Golden Book of Oswald Chambers;1992) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418294/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:44:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418264/posts Many Americans today look out the windows of their self-centered, narcissistic lives and say, “How did we get to this point in our country?” To ask the question is to answer it. Because of our day’s stormy and dreary moral and social climate, people begin to look for scapegoats for all their ills. They rarely start by looking in the mirror. Americans today - more so than at any other time - are mostly oblivious and ignorant of history and the changing philosophies of what brought us to this point. They are stuck in the mire of today’s social climate... The Ignorant Fishermen Blog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418264/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 12:48:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418166/posts December 31, 2009                                   The Seventh Day                                     in the Octave of Christmas         Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 11 Jn 2:18-21Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that the antichrist was coming,so now many antichrists have appeared. Thus we know this is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not really of our number;if they had been, they would have remained with us. Their desertion shows that none of them was of our number. But you have the anointing that... USCCB.org/New American Bible http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418166/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 05:21:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417965/posts In the 6000+ years of man’s history, the “pinnacle moment” is the Abomination of Desolation, the key event that will occur in the midst of the Tribulation (a terrible seven-year period that will mark the end of this age). It will be the time when the Man of Lawlessness (i.e., The Anti-Christ) will break his covenant with Israel (Daniel 9:27) and establish himself as Almighty God (Daniel 11:36-37, 2 Thess. 2:2-4, Rev. 13:14-15). He will demand total, absolute allegiance and worship (Rev. 13:16-18). This master politician of Europe's Socialistic European Community (Daniel 9:26) will rise to power, but it isn't... The Ignorant Fishermen Blog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417965/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 23:14:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417911/posts It is mind-boggling to think that our generation alone is uniquely standing on the precipice of time and where no generation has ever stood. We are living in the days spoken of by the ancient prophets. These prophets spoke of the Israelites being gathered back into their own land, in passages such as Ezekiel 37:21: This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. This began in 1948. The “dry bones” of Ezekiel 37... CBN News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417911/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 21:51:07 GMT