Religion: What is the one true faith?

[PLATO]

Re: Religion: What is the one true faith?

Christianity.

[Lincoln]

Originally posted by Proteus_MST


Same holds true for Buddhism

Just keep on living on and on in this world all the while tryng to become perfect in a certain sense

A TOUR OF THE BUDDHIST HELL

@

The Tibetans and Egyptians arenft the only ones with a eBook of the Deadf. The Japanese Ojoyoshu (The Essentials of Pure Land Rebirth) is a story about a traveler passing through the next world that makes Dantefs Inferno look like a walk in the park. It describes six different worlds, ranging from hell to the world of humans to the Pure Land in the west, and was so influential that the famous temple of Byodo-in near Kyoto was modeled on its descriptions of the Great Western Paradise. The Ojoyoshu was written by a monk named Genshin in 985 AD and is based on Chinese Buddhist teachings. Herefs what you umbrella stealers, meat eaters and pervy school-girl fanciers are in for.
The first hell, known as the gHell of Retributive Justiceh, is 8000 kilometres below the human world and is a place where people who have destroyed any form of life, or eaten meat are sent. Here, sinners hack at one another with iron claws until there is nothing left of them but bone or are beaten by devils from head to foot with iron bars until they are the consistency of mincemeat. Less severe punishments include being covered in mud and excrement and being stung by millions of insects while being made to eat boiling hot fecal matter. The shortest of the Ojoyoshufs hells, it lasts a mere 12,500,000 years.
In the second level, the gHell of the Black Ropeh, murderers and thieves are lashed with whips of fire and hewed with burning axes. Next time someone steals your umbrella, instead of getting angry, just picture them being eaten by the dog with burning teeth that devours people in this region of hell.
The third hell is reserved for rapists, spouse beaters and people who watch tentacle anime. Although it sounds more than a little unfair, if you have sex with children, your own children will be tortured here while you watch.
Genshin must have been a guy who liked his sake because the fourth hell, or gHell of Screamingh has a special section for merchants who watered down the sake that they sold. They are afflicted with 404 diseases and thousands of insects enter their bodies to eat their skin, bones and flesh from the inside.


The fifth level, the gGreat Hell of Screamingh is exactly the same except that your suffering will be ten times worse. The people here are guilty of the same crimes as those in the fourth hell, but they have compounded their suffering by lying or deceiving others about their crimes. The next hell is the Hell of Burning, which as the name suggests, involves turning people into human yakitori.
The gGreat Hell of Burningh, the gdeluxe editionh of the sixth hell. People here are going to get a burning stick up the butt, just like those in the sixth, but the fire is twice as hot and lasts for half of eternity (whatever that means).
The eighth level, or gGreat Hell of Unlimited Sufferingh is so far down that the fall to its bottom takes 2000 years, an experience not unlike being squashed on the Yamanote Line next to a tooth-sucking ojisan with garlic

breath. Sinners here are burned with unimaginably hot fires, eaten alive, and dropped repeatedly off the top of 80km high mountains. This hell is reserved for poisoners, Buddhist priests who burned altars, people who let others die of thirst when they had water, and children who killed their parents. Careful consideration is also being given to including NHK bull collectors and eikawa owners in this select group.
Oddly, the Ojoyoshu does not mention anything about the living death also known as NOVAna.
@

http://www3.tky.3web.ne.jp/~edjacob/ojoyoshu.htm

[Dr Strangelove]

Originally posted by Elok


Have you ever heard the phrase, "god is in the details"?

Yes. Whcih book of the Bible is it found in?

Also, why do there have to be separate churches?

Beats me.

Has anything changed to justify the split of the church into such a ridiculous number of factions?

People, they did it. Correct me if I'm wrong, but haven't there been times through the ages when various Eastern factions have persecuted each other? I'm thinking particularily of the Coptic and Ethiopean churches which have had at times a view of the basic principles different from the other Orthodox centers.

As I have said, we've been doing things the same since before the time of Constantine. While I realize that we live in a time that automatically reviles tradition and permanence, what has really happened in the intervening years that made the old ways wrong?

Last year we did a series of services using liturgies from different eras in the past, starting with the 5th century AD. The continuity of the service was really quite striking. Reverence for tradition of course doesn't have to prevent one from responding to the times on lives in

Apostolic succession is more than just a set of hand-me-down titles, it's a record of who has really tried to shoulder the burden carried by our forefathers.

I'm not certain that Christ was all that concerned about keeping that kind of record, since after all He seemed to think that He was going to shoulder the burdens.

As to Ben's question, think about what the word "communion" really means. It is supposed to be the full participation in the spiritual life of the church. If you do that with heretics it's a sign of approval waaaay beyond just attending the service.

Well it's been a long time since we held any heresy trials. What is the harm if it is the heretic whio sits through and accepts our services? It's not as if he were asking us to sit through his services is it? Services exist for the sake of the congregant. If a non-believer joins with us for services he may be committing a hypocrisy, but thee is always the chance that he might be moved. If he stayed away the result would certainly be no better would it? You also have to consider that just because a person has gone through the right rituals and is in good standing with the church he might not really be a believer. It happens a lot.

Actually that's true of any sacrament, with the important exception of marriage to a non-Orthodox, which is tolerated and possibly even officially recognized, though I'm not sure. I think there's a verification ceremony or some such to make it official with us, though I never checked since I don't plan to get married any time soon.

Actually Episcopals are permitted to participate in Orthodox services by virtue of an agreement reached recently.

[Drake Tungsten]

Careful consideration is also being given to including NHK bull collectors and eikawa owners in this select group.

[Shi Huangdi]

Jesus said that Peter was the rock upon which he built his Church and that the Gates of Hell would not prevail against it. I guess Elok feels that Jesus is wrong.

[Vince278]

Religion: What is the one true faith?

The one in your heart.

[Ben Kenobi]

Actually Episcopals are permitted to participate in Orthodox services by virtue of an agreement reached recently.

Cool

And I'm going to challenge Elok's statement about the communion differences.

The Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches disagree on some matters. Many of the problems have been solved, but some issues still remain. As far as the Catholic Church is concerned, members of the Eastern Orthodox Churches may legally receive Communion in Catholic Churches. However, this question has not been settled universally among the Orthodox Churches, so if you belong to one of these churches, check with your clergy first. Some of the Orthodox Churches are represented in Rome, and it would be more appropriate to celebrate the Eucharist there.

http://www.google.ca/search?q=cache:imciwm-9-1UJ:home.online.no/~cnyborg/worship.html+churches+in++communion+with+Catholic&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

[Proteus_MST]

Originally posted by Lincoln


A TOUR OF THE BUDDHIST HELL

@

The Tibetans and Egyptians arenft the only ones with a eBook of the Deadf. The Japanese Ojoyoshu (The Essentials of Pure Land Rebirth) is a story about a traveler passing through the next world that makes Dantefs Inferno look like a walk in the park. It describes six different worlds, ranging from hell to the world of humans to the Pure Land in the west, and was so influential that the famous temple of Byodo-in near Kyoto was modeled on its descriptions of the Great Western Paradise. The Ojoyoshu was written by a monk named Genshin in 985 AD and is based on Chinese Buddhist teachings. Herefs what you umbrella stealers, meat eaters and pervy school-girl fanciers are in for.
The first hell, known as the gHell of Retributive Justiceh, is 8000 kilometres below the human world and is a place where people who have destroyed any form of life, or eaten meat are sent. Here, sinners hack at one another with iron claws until there is nothing left of them but bone or are beaten by devils from head to foot with iron bars until they are the consistency of mincemeat. Less severe punishments include being covered in mud and excrement and being stung by millions of insects while being made to eat boiling hot fecal matter. The shortest of the Ojoyoshufs hells, it lasts a mere 12,500,000 years.
In the second level, the gHell of the Black Ropeh, murderers and thieves are lashed with whips of fire and hewed with burning axes. Next time someone steals your umbrella, instead of getting angry, just picture them being eaten by the dog with burning teeth that devours people in this region of hell.
The third hell is reserved for rapists, spouse beaters and people who watch tentacle anime. Although it sounds more than a little unfair, if you have sex with children, your own children will be tortured here while you watch.
Genshin must have been a guy who liked his sake because the fourth hell, or gHell of Screamingh has a special section for merchants who watered down the sake that they sold. They are afflicted with 404 diseases and thousands of insects enter their bodies to eat their skin, bones and flesh from the inside.


The fifth level, the gGreat Hell of Screamingh is exactly the same except that your suffering will be ten times worse. The people here are guilty of the same crimes as those in the fourth hell, but they have compounded their suffering by lying or deceiving others about their crimes. The next hell is the Hell of Burning, which as the name suggests, involves turning people into human yakitori.
The gGreat Hell of Burningh, the gdeluxe editionh of the sixth hell. People here are going to get a burning stick up the butt, just like those in the sixth, but the fire is twice as hot and lasts for half of eternity (whatever that means).
The eighth level, or gGreat Hell of Unlimited Sufferingh is so far down that the fall to its bottom takes 2000 years, an experience not unlike being squashed on the Yamanote Line next to a tooth-sucking ojisan with garlic

breath. Sinners here are burned with unimaginably hot fires, eaten alive, and dropped repeatedly off the top of 80km high mountains. This hell is reserved for poisoners, Buddhist priests who burned altars, people who let others die of thirst when they had water, and children who killed their parents. Careful consideration is also being given to including NHK bull collectors and eikawa owners in this select group.
Oddly, the Ojoyoshu does not mention anything about the living death also known as NOVAna.
@

http://www3.tky.3web.ne.jp/~edjacob/ojoyoshu.htm

You got me very surprised there.
Never thought that Buddhism has something like Hell.

But on the other Hand in my past I was rather occupid with Zen-Buddhism, not the traditional Buddhism Belief, so I don´t know much Details of it (just as I don´t know much about the many Buddhas which you can pray to)

[Drake Tungsten]

Never thought that Buddhism has something like Hell.

Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism both have pretty elaborate theological systems, which include well-thought out hells. Therevada Buddhism, the most traditional of the schools, does not have a hell to my knowledge. Zen is more similar to Therevada than most other Mahayana sects, which would probably explain why it doesn't have a hell. Or maybe it does, but doesn't stress it much. I really don't know too much about Zen theology.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Dr Strangelove


But not necessarily for long. The Protestant Episcopal Church may not survive the latest controversy. There are those for both the left wing and the right gunning for our demise. Something I've learned, and I must admit I'm not certain if its truth or propaganda, is that the election of Robertson as bishop of New Hampshire may have been contrived. New Hampshire is a small diocese. Episcopalian bishops are elected, serve a set term, and can not be re-elected. Candidates have to meet certain requirements in terms of age and length of service. Robertson had just moved into the New Hampshire diocese before openly coming out of the closet. He met the requirements to become a bishop and in fact he was the only qualified candidate in the diocese. His move to New Hampshire appears to have been strongly backed by bishop Spong shortly before his retirement, and it now appears that Spong knew about Robinson's oreintation but kept it a secret. Moving Robinson to New Hampshire may have been intended as a strategic move to force the Episcopal Church to elect a gay bishop. The problem is that the Protestant Episcopal Church now appears to be unraveling. Some parishes are voting to join the Roman Catholic Church, others are joining the renegade "Anglican Chuch of the USA" which hopes to displace the Episcopal Church from the Anglican Communion.

I think it will be a great tragedy if the church that was literally the "Faith of our Fathers" becomes the fatal victim of a struggle between two polar factions, each of which are under the influence of external forces that falsely claim to reflect the philosophy of those very same founding fathers.

interesting thoughts . . .

[Dis]

I can't help but think Islam is a superior religion.

I don't see christianity and the western world surviving much longer.

Eventually Islam will conquer the whole world. This may take a while though.

Why? because they aren't afraid to break the rules to get what they want.

There is something to be said about a religion born out of warfare and spread by warfare.

It is destined to win out in the end.

I would convert to Islam myself. I think it's a pretty cool religion. But I don't like the restrictions on my lifestyle (alchohol and pork)

[Ben Kenobi]

There is something to be said about a religion born out of warfare and spread by warfare.

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy."

Those who sow violence and destrution, will reap the same.

Why? because they aren't afraid to break the rules to get what they want.

"For those who do not gather with me, scatter."

What profit is their in violence, when all your allies divide themselves into factions?

[Elok]

Ngh. Please show me some kind of official statement that says Episcopals are allowed to take our communion. I'm not saying it's impossible, it's just highly improbable. If by "participate" you mean singing along and crossing yourself, we let anybody do that, not just Episcopalians. We aren't Mormons. And yes, Ben, the restriction is on our end. The Catholics regard us as schismatics, but we see them as heretics.
And Strangelove, we never "persecuted" the Copts or Ethiopians to my knowledge. No whippings or burnings or inquisitions. I'm pretty sure they're both within our communion. We permit people to believe what they want; we just don't let them do it in our churches, and make it clear that their beliefs aren't ours.
I'm not arguing against letting people go to services of a different faith-that's fine by us, if not exactly encouraged. We just don't want people partaking of the sacraments of another church. The only services we're forbidden to attend (again, AFAIK) are interfaith services, because we see the modern virtue of spiritual indifference prettied up as "tolerance" as pure ideological poison.
And, Shi.....enough sanctimony, 'kay?

[Drake Tungsten]

Barbarians! I'd condemn you all to an eternity in Shinto hell, if only such a place existed!

[Panag]

Originally posted by Dissident
I can't help but think Islam is a superior religion.

I don't see christianity and the western world surviving much longer.

Eventually Islam will conquer the whole world. This may take a while though.

Why? because they aren't afraid to break the rules to get what they want.

There is something to be said about a religion born out of warfare and spread by warfare.

It is destined to win out in the end.

I would convert to Islam myself. I think it's a pretty cool religion. But I don't like the restrictions on my lifestyle (alchohol and pork)

hi ,

every religion had its high peaks , .....

and its lows , ......

have a nice day