SUNDAY SERMON

Now really??
Don't you just love the creativity & dramatic touch by manipulating the text to emphasize a more powerful message.
Is this really how it works just take one excerpt from one story or message add it or piece it together with another until it means what YOU want it to mean or explain?
GODfearers@gmail.com for ?'s or COMMENTS

Where is the outrage from the mainstream Christians with such blasphemy taking place right in the faces of 40 million people each year just in Las Vegas?

I read a book "Dianetics" by L.Ron Hubbard maybe 16 years ago and it was clearly a mockery of the organized dogmatic religions of the world. By creating this pseudo-psyco reference book for the enlightened ones to better their chances for eternal life. Scientologists openly express brain-washing is part of the process. Oh how very true it is.

I guess it all depends which hate-mongering society you are fortunate or unfortunate enough to be born in, determines the odds YOU have of getting the right RELIGION,huh?

Christianity #1-2.1 Billion people

general consensus core beliefs

The Trinity,
The deity of Jesus
Jesus' bodily resurrection,
The atonement as a result of the life, and particularly the death, of Jesus,
Personal salvation by grace,
The inerrancy of the Bible
God's inspiration of the Bible's authors,
The virgin birth
The anticipated second coming of Jesus.

Islam #2-1.5 Billion people

Islam considers six fundamental beliefs to be the foundation of their faith:

A single, indivisible God. (God, the creator, is just, omnipotent and merciful. "Allah" is often used to refer to God; it is the Arabic word for God.)

The angels.

The divine scriptures, which include the Torah, the Psalms, the rest of the Bible, (as they were originally revealed) and the Qur'an (which is composed of God's words, dictated by the Archangel Gabriel to Muhammad).

The Messengers of God, including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus and Muhammad -- the last prophet; (peace be upon them). Muhammad's message is considered the final, universal message for all of humanity.

The Day of Judgment when people will be judged on the basis of their deeds while on earth, and will either attain reward of Heaven or punishment in Hell. They do not believe that Jesus or any other individual can atone for another person's sin. Hell is where unbelievers and sinners spend eternity. One translation of the Qur'an, 98:1-8, states: "The unbelievers among the People of the Book and the pagans shall burn for ever in the fire of Hell. They are the vilest of all creatures." ("People of the Book" refers to Christians, Jews and Muslims). Paradise is a place of physical and spiritual pleasure where the sinless go after death

The supremacy of God's will.

Other beliefs include:

God did not have a son.
Jesus is a prophet, born of the Virgin Mary.
Jesus was not executed on the cross.

The existence of Satan drives people to sin.
Muslims who sincerely repent and submit to God return to a state of sinlessness.
All people are considered children of Adam.

Alcohol, Gambling ,illegal drugs, eating of pork, etc. are to be avoided.

When a child reaches puberty an account of their deeds is opened in Paradise. When the person dies, their eventual destination (Paradise or Hell) depends on the balance of their good deeds (helping others, testifying to the truth of God, leading a virtuous life) and their bad deeds.

Hinduism #3 in the world-850-900 million people

These people recognize only one supreme God: the panentheistic principle of Brahman, that all reality is a unity. The entire universe is seen as one divine entity who is simultaneously at one with the universe and who transcends it as well.HOWEVER many denominations worship multiple deities: gods and goddesses too.

Hindus believe in the repetitious Transmigration of the Soul. This is the transfer of one's soul after death into another body. This produces a continuing cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth through their many lifetimes. It is called samsara.

Karma is the accumulated sum of ones good and bad deeds. Karma determines how you will live your next life. Through pure acts, thoughts and devotion, one can be reborn at a higher level. Eventually, one can escape samsara and achieve enlightenment. Bad deeds can cause a person to be reborn as a lower level, or even as an animal. The unequal distribution of wealth, prestige, suffering are thus seen as natural consequences for one's previous acts, both in this life and in previous lives.

Buddhism #4 in world-375-400 million people

These people follow the teachings of BUDDHA

and believe in reincarnation -- the concept that people are reborn after dying
Follow a path to enlightenment :

The four noble truths are:
There is suffering.
There is cause for suffering.
There is cessation of suffering.
There is path leading to the cessation of suffering

Various Chinese Religions #5-400 million people

Then there is the group NOT counted NON religious/Atheists -1.1 Billion People

This group believes in the natural process of creation and that there is NO evidence of any gods or divine messages. They generally feel that ethical and moral systems governing human behavior can be developed without reference to any code of behavior of allegedly divine origin.

Mormons, Jews, Jehovah's Witnesses, and 100's of other minority religions from different segments of society to continue to grow throughout the world. You can argue one is right and the others are wrong but really does it matter, isn't the only thing any of can do is control the here and now. What actions we take to make the world a better place.

HERE'S A FEW OF MY FAVORITE QUOTES!!!

"IN working towards a culture that is free of discrimination and oppression on the basis of religion, race, gender, sexual orientation, etc, All people are worthy of respect, support, and caring simply because they are human. I believe that people are not truly educated unless they have studied the world's major religions and ethical systems and learn of the good and bad impacts they have had on society."........Gandhi

"Buddhism has the characteristics of what would be expected in a cosmic religion for the future: it transcends a personal God, avoids dogmas and theology; it covers both the natural & spiritual, and it is based on a religious sense aspiring from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual, as a meaningful unity" ..................Albert Einstein

"Christianity started out in Palestine as a fellowship; it moved to Greece and became a philosophy; it moved to Italy and became an institution; it moved to Europe and became a culture; it came to America and became an enterprise."..................... Sam Pascoe