Your favorite verses of the Bible!

[the happy heathen]

we are to put God, even before our own relatives.

I'm sorry, but that is ****** up.

It's statements like yours above that make me so thankful I'm not religious and am free to be truly ethical. Hallelujah!!

<font color="#a62a2a"><font size="1">[ January 13, 2007 09:26 PM: Message edited by: the happy heathen ]</font></font>

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ January 13, 2007 09:26 PM: Message edited by: the happy heathen ]</font>

[Emmalina]

I found some more of my favorite Bible passages:

Philippians 1:21 "To live is Christ and to die is gain."

I love how this verse illustrates how when we are alive we are "in Christ" but when we die, as Christians, we gain eternal life in Heaven.

John 6:27 "Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the son of man will give you."

This is such a good reminder to me about how I need to work for eternal life, not just for this world, but for the one to come. I need to feast my body on the Bible, the Word of God, and not focus so much on things of this world that will be gone when I get to Heaven.

John 6:35 "Then Jesus declared, 'I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty."

This just reinforces John 6:27, and how we need to feed of the Word of the Lord, and we will never be hungry or thirsty, but will be satisfied in the Lord.

John 10:14 "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me"

This is an excellent reminder to me that God knows each of his sheep(children) and knows us by name, and we in part know him.

John 14:6 "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

This is a reminder for me, that in order to be saved, we must first accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

John 15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

This verse reminds me that without God, I am nothing, and that I need him in my life.

~Emma

[the happy heathen]

These aren't quote from the bible, but they are some of my favorite religion related quotes:

"Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too"

-John Lennon

"I believe there is no god.
Believing there is no god gives me more room for belief in family, sex, Jell-o and all the other things I can prove and that make this the best life I will ever have."

-Penn Jillette

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ January 13, 2007 09:31 PM: Message edited by: the happy heathen ]</font>

[Emmalina]

Here is another one.

Jeremiah 29:11, 13 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to give you hope and a future... you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

This is such an encouragement to know that though trials arise, they are all part of God's marvelous plan, and I rejoice that the Lord has my life planned out for me. It is also a good reminder that we must always be seeking the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength!

~Emma

[the happy heathen]

I was just reading the story of Abraham and Isaac today, and was yet again reminded how God truly cares for his people. If you start at the beginning of the story, you will note that Abraham and his wife Sarah were barren, but God blessed them with a child Isaac in their old age. God was not being a "total **** " by having Abraham sacrifice his son, but he was testing his servant Abraham, to see if he truly loved the Lord his God.

Oh, I get it. So God was benevolent enough to bless Abe and Sally with a kid. But then--ZOINKS!--"just kidding, you have to give him back now!" And then once again--ZOINKS!--"just testin' ya there. You can keep him some more, I guess."

Didn't God have anything better to do than act like a 7 yr old on the playground, testing his servant's loyalty and showing off how big he was? Maybe he could have gone back to his magical creation lab and created indoor plumbing or painless childbirth--that would have been a better use of his time.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ January 13, 2007 09:40 PM: Message edited by: the happy heathen ]</font>

[Emmalina]

Originally posted by the happy heathen:
These aren't quote from the bible, but they are some of my favorite religion related quotes:

"Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too"

-John Lennon

"I believe there is no god.
Believing there is no god gives me more room for belief in family, sex, Jell-o and all the other things I can prove and that make this the best life I will ever have."

-Penn Jillette

<font color="#a62a2a"><font size="1">[ January 13, 2007 09:31 PM: Message edited by: the happy heathen ]</font></font>

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">In quoting John Lennon, are you saying wouldn't life be great, if there was no life? If there were no countries, you and I wouldn't be here today. If there was no religion in this world, there would be no world. The world was created by God. If there was no religion, there wouldn't be a world. How can you call that your "favorite religious quote?" One that shows that maybe you wouldn't even exist!? That Jillette quote makes no sense! Maybe you are able to "prove" jello and other things, but you can prove God is there. Read the Bible and there is plenty of proof. You can still love and have a family if you believe in God, nothing says you can't.

[Emmalina]

Originally posted by the happy heathen:
I was just reading the story of Abraham and Isaac today, and was yet again reminded how God truly cares for his people. If you start at the beginning of the story, you will note that Abraham and his wife Sarah were barren, but God blessed them with a child Isaac in their old age. God was not being a "total **** " by having Abraham sacrifice his son, but he was testing his servant Abraham, to see if he truly loved the Lord his God.

Oh, I get it. So God was benevolent enough to bless Abe and Sally with a kid. But then--ZOINKS!--"just kidding, you have to give him back now!" And then once again--ZOINKS!--"just testin' ya there. You can keep him some more, I guess."

Didn't God have anything better to do than act like a 7 yr old on the playground, testing his servant's loyalty and showing off how big he was? Maybe he could have gone back to his magical creation lab and created indoor plumbing or painless childbirth--that would have been a better use of his time.

<font color="#a62a2a"><font size="1">[ January 13, 2007 09:40 PM: Message edited by: the happy heathen ]</font></font>

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">God was not acting like a 7 year old at the playground. He was testing his servant, and he was not showing "how big he is" but testing him. In Genesis 22:12 it states, "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." and verses 17-18 state:I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring [b] all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me." He did this to test Abraham's faithfulness, and though I'm sure it was hard for Abraham, he still willingly did it.

[the happy heathen]

In quoting John Lennon, are you saying wouldn't life be great, if there was no life?

No, I'm saying wouldn't life be great if utter nonsense (aka religion) wasn't around to cause huge rifts between people, if it wasn't around to cause people to burn witches at the stake and fly planes into buildings. I'm saying wouldn't it be great if people believed in ethics based on what works for society and made decisions based on what makes sense, rather than what some "sacred" but senseless ancient books dictate.

If there were no countries, you and I wouldn't be here today.

Uh, no, actually if my parents hadn't conceived me, I wouldn't be here today.

How can you call that your "favorite religious quote?"

Because, fortunately, those parents who conceived me didn't fill my head with religious claptrap, and I grew up able to think for myself.


That Jillette quote makes no sense!

Well, let me explain it. The idea is, if you don't waste your life obsessing about religion(s), god(s), and potential afterlives, you are free to truly enjoy and appreciate this one life on earth you're guaranteed. When you believe this is the only life you get, you are less likely to squander it.

You can still love and have a family if you believe in God, nothing says you can't.

Yeah, but you said before you have to put God before your family, even your children. And who knows--God might ask you to kill them to prove your loyalty! That is way ****** up, and not the way I would ever choose to live.

[the happy heathen]

He did this to test Abraham's faithfulness, and though I'm sure it was hard for Abraham, he still willingly did it

And that is why I still hold that Abraham was a spineless twit. If anyone, even God, ever commanded me to harm my child, I would refuse, and yes, protecting my child would be worth it for me to suffer an eternity in h-e-l-l.

Now THAT is love.

[Emmalina]

But I don't squander my life just living as a Christian, but it is quite the opposite, and I live my life thinking each day may be my last, and wanting to live it for God's glory!!