"C3" aol.com> wrote in message
news:27c73917-0a1c-4c24-9dcf-3f13efa73a5e@x41g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
On Aug 15, 12:55�pm, "Kan" goodnessknowswhere.com> wrote:

I don't believe in evil, I believe there is evil, distinction there.
Jesus talked about the Devil so I believe there is an Evil One. Jesus
also instructs us to pray for a change of heart in our enemies, so
should we pray for a change of heart in the Devil? He actually
doesn't have a heart, he's just a spirit with no body. I've met many
Christians who insist it's wrong to pray for a change of heart in the
Devil and that puzzles me. It's a dilemna. The Saints are almost
always portrayed in movies as emphasizing the forgiveness aspect of
Christianity. In a movie about Saint Francis, "Brother Sun, Sister
Moon" the Pope tells him to believe in original innocence and not
original sin. Yet many theologians and Christians believe Jesus is
the Redeemer (some also believe Mary is Coredemptrix) and that
wihthout His redeeming love and grace we would all be doomed. It is
the biblical belief that we have original sin. In the Middle Ages,
the Catholic culture was such that most believed there was a Hell and
quite a few believed they were going there, but they also believed or
knew there was a God and a Heaven. Nowadays many people doubt there
is a God, even to the point of Atheism, but they are not afriad of
burning in Hell because they seriously doubt there is an Inferno. It
seems that because so many people doubt there is really a Hell they
are more likely to sin and less likely to be held accountable for
their actions. If a priest delivers a sermon about Hell you always
have the danger of the good parishoners fearing they will go there and
the more evil listeners brushing the Hell theory off as though it were
nonsense. I've seen that it is very difficult to deliver a sermon that
all will understand unless you talk in tongues of fire like the Holy
Ghost at Pentecost. It's astounding that someone like LeFevre was
excommunicated from the Catholic Church (id est Hell?) because he
supported the Latin Tridentine Mass and yet someone like Ted Kennedy
or John Kerry can still receive Holy Communion. The politics and
communication of the Church are kind of a mess these days.

C3

It depends on who you are as a person as to what you believe.
Remember that the Bible is only one account or story - same as the Greek,
Norse, Hindus and others also have these.
They say that at the time of "choosing" Jesus - the Romans had several Gods,
Sons of Gods and many stories to choose from - why they "chose" Jesus - who
knows? But it was to give the people "someone to believe in" as they had
become disillusioned with other Gods and Goddesses and Sons and Daughters of
Gods. This was another God and another story.
So this story is not the only story and you should put into perspective.

Some people view Jesus as Lucifer - so there are interpretations to this
story also.
Some view Jesus as an alien - who had more powers than a human.
Some view the story as a complete fabrication.
Some see the story very much as exaggeration and possible even
falsification - which is born witness by two supposed Testaments from John
the Baptist and Mary Magdalene which "disagreed" with the other four and
were rejected. If the six testaments were true - then they should all have
agreed. And you know how people do exaggerate stories.

I personally am inclined to take the view I learnt from the Borg - in that
real Truth or Universal Truth is perfect and beautiful in nature. That
there should be no doubts or questions.
And that although Jesus may have existed - that the ultimate answer would be
more and beyond. That the image of the crucified man is not the nature of
the absolute perfect and absolute beauty that I have come to believe in
since speaking with the Borg.

As for talking in tongues - anyone can do this - it is not exclusive to any
religion or Bible or Holy Ghost.

I personally believe religion and religions are "part" of the journey -
"part" of the quest - but a passion for music - a passion for perfection and
beauty - a passion for what is right and true - seem to me to be more what
it is all about than one story of many - in a world of many different Gods,
and Goddesses and demi Gods and offspring thereof and stories of this
nature.
And that your own personal religion with the bad and hell and none
forgiveness and devil and evil and all this stuff - does not really equate
on a "perfect" basis with what I personally consider is my own journey and
my quest.
Kan