Do you know that many people that go to church every week have never read the Bible from cover to cover?

They have faith in some one to tell them what it says. That isn't faith in God.

I think you should get a Bible and read some each night before you go to sleep.

I like the King James Version the best, but the New International Version is easier to read.

Best to you, Brian.

Katsy,

It's GOOD to listen to that "adamant NO!" inside!! And you're correct, GOD himself did NOT give us a list of do's & do nots.

It was several hundred years after Christ walked the face of the earth and died, that the same exact church that insisted He be crucified decided they couldn't wipe out Christianity & the teaching of Christ...and THEN decided to gather up all the scraps and testimonies and writings that His followers had written and put them into a New Testament that would suit their purposes and unite all the myriads of factions of believers in Christ...which they decided were the holy scriptures of God himself. (The only record we have of Christ writing anything down, is when He wrote in the sand when the woman was being stoned for adultery).

Think on it; ponder on it; use the brain & discernment that God gifted you with...decide how serious you truly are about learning the truths of Christianity & the teaching of Christ (and how willing you are to search for the truth)...and ponder on the following:

Remember when you played "telephone" when you were young? One sentence or statement whispered through a line of people? 'Remember how different it came out at the end, than it was at the start? Well, imagine sects and groups of people arguing for over 300 years (longer than this country has 'been') about what Christ had meant, what He'd said, and what He'd instructed...and all of them writing various creeds, doctrines and beliefs based on...so & so said, that so & so said, that so & so said, etc. etc. and passing them around, not just for decades, but for hundreds of years.

Then study the intents/purposes/creeds & nature of the Roman Christian Church at the time they gathered up all the bits & pieces of writings, and decided which ones were actually inspired by the Almighty God and which ones were not...and then created the New Testament. The Roman Christian Church at the time (which was later to become the Catholic Church...after Martin Luther's rebellion & separation much later) was riddled with corruption, dissent, and was extremely power hungry. This is the church that was responsible for the Inquisition; the Church that imprisoned and tortured Galileo because he said the earth was round; the church that actually SOLD forgiveness...the church sold relics to the devout, like bones of the saints and pieces of the True Cross which were known as "indulgences". There were a limited number of authentic relics to go around, so the clergy resorted to fraud when the supply ran low. They claimed that the wood in the original "True Cross" was alive, so that when they removed a splinter of wood it would grow back, meaning there was enough for everyone. These "indulgences" could then be used as remissions (or forgiveness) for the punishment of sins!

It seems to most historians (and to me!) that the writings that WERE included in the New Testament clearly reflect the nature of the Church at the time of the compiling of the New Testament. There are included scriptures about women being silent in churches, Pauls admonintions against homosexuals, rules upon rules and threats upon threats...yet all of those things are totally contrary to Jesus's teachings (as we now know them). Strange, eh? Jesus himself dined and socialized with prostitutes, money-handlers, thieves and what the "holy men" considered the 'dregs of society' at the time. He preached and taught of God's love and His infinite power to forgive. Christ spoke of health, wealth and powerful living...yet the text of the majority of the New Testament reflects the opposite. Mary Magdalene wrote a gospel...the "Church" left it out. The disciple Thomas wrote the gospel of Thomas that was much more indepth and insightful about the peaceful teachings of Christ, but it was left out, too! Christ wanted Christians to have power and peace and forgiveness; He was the Bridge that connected man to God Almighty..without a church or priest. But the church at the time wanted ANYTHING but powerful, strong individuals...the church wanted CONTROL!

Katsy, there are a LOT of strict "bible believing Christians" out there that will bash these truths & insights that I'm sharing with tons of rhetoric & beliefs that they've been inundated with over the centuries...and most truly have a good heart - and a heart for God...but even a child can tell they're full of fear & anger. (I can say this because for the majority of my life, I was a fundamental, bible believing Christian). They would say that if you don't "accept Jesus into your heart and be 'born again" that you cannot see heaven" But that would mean that millions & billions of people throughout the world that have never seen a bible, would be sentenced to hell eternally. Now...does that jive with Christ's teachings in your heart? Does that seem like a forgiving God? "Sorry there, but when I created you, I put you in the wrong country, so you'll have to suffer eternity in hell" C'MON!

When Christ told his disciples that he was going to be killed, they cried out, "Lord, Lord, where will we turn? Who will guide us?" And Jesus responded that He would send His Spirit to our hearts. HE DID NOT REPLY: "in a few hundred years, the Roman Christian/Catholic church will gather up all the miscellaneous writings and put them into a book...and that book will be the absolute 100% "word of God"..but until then, I can't say".

Hmmm, methinks that if Jesus Christ, the living son of the Almighty God, said that He would send HIS spirit to guide our hearts, then He did!

And me also thinks that the very words of Christ are so surrounded with blasphemy, lies, corruptions and incorrect teachings...that the followers of Christ spend all of their lives & energy fighting horrendously amongst themselves about what is "right" and "wrong"...and so nobody has the time, energy, power or love they should have -- the very love & power & forgiveness for which Christ gave up His life.

Christ never told people to "go after" sinners...He told them to clean off their own doorstep before looking for wrong in others ("don't pick the splinters out of your brothers eye, when you have a board in your own!") He admonished us to live our lives purely and full of love...and that then our light (His light) would shine and draw people to Him. But again, everybody's so busy fighting about who is right and who is wrong, that nobody's is letting ANY light shine.

...and the power of evil continues to win the battle :( Wars are still being fought; millions are still starving; our own government is torturing & killing thousands. But christians are so busy fighting and blaming and telling everybody else what they should be doing...that they're not doing anything Christ-like themselves. Sigh.

Katsy, it's my discernment that if you stick to the words of Christ, you can't go wrong :)

In love & peace,

Unyquity

Well, In, the Bible, John 3:16 THe Lord Jesus SAys of Himself, I am the way, the Truth ,and the Life. So if you rally want to Know God you shjould read the bible, Don't care about what men say if it doesnt't line up with what you read in there. And I say also just go in your room close your door and say God, show me yourself and see for yourself Who God is. that will hel[p your faITH MORE THATN ANYTHING AND ESTABISH FAITH IN YOU.Also I pray for tou right now that God, The Living God would touch you right now, where you are at and show himself to you , I feel Like The Lord He just Gave me a verse out of the bilble of a man that was searching for faith named Abraham and one day He heard a voice caling his name and asked who it was and The LOrd Spoke to him and revealed Himself to him. and that in turn, put faith in him.and I beleive you have been searching for God as well, and God is the one who has put this hunger for truth in you and that He is going to reveal himself to you as Jesus Christ the Son of God.Im praying right Now the The Lord Jesus would visit yuou right now and show you the truth that He is God. In Jessus Name!!!