A true church - yes or no?
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I believe that currently there is no such thing as a "true" religion or church. Those who claim to be the have the "truth" exclusively may merely be wolves in sheeps clothing since the truth is available to all - thru the bible. According to revelation the last book in the bible, before Jesus' coming there will be many earth-shaking signs and wonders. Those that heed the signs and wonders and believe in God* will be the ones that will be saved irregardless of their race or religion.
*e.g a Bhuddist may think of God as Bhudda not Jesus. -
its.. Buddha....
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he take wat busOriginally posted by Skibi:I believe that currently there is no such thing as a "true" religion or church. Those who claim to be the have the "truth" exclusively may merely be wolves in sheeps clothing since the truth is available to all - thru the bible. According to revelation the last book in the bible, before Jesus' coming there will be many earth-shaking signs and wonders. Those that heed the signs and wonders and believe in God* will be the ones that will be saved irregardless of their race or religion.
*e.g a Bhuddist may think of God as Bhudda not Jesus.
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1) From a Christian perspective, without receiving the salvation that is brought for us through the Blood of Christ, there can be no redemption.Originally posted by Skibi:I believe that currently there is no such thing as a "true" religion or church. Those who claim to be the have the "truth" exclusively may merely be wolves in sheeps clothing since the truth is available to all - thru the bible. According to revelation the last book in the bible, before Jesus' coming there will be many earth-shaking signs and wonders. Those that heed the signs and wonders and believe in God* will be the ones that will be saved irregardless of their race or religion.
*e.g a Bhuddist may think of God as Bhudda not Jesus.
(with only one exception, that is if the person's own righteousness/deeds/perfection can equals or exceed that of Christ, then maybe can be saved through his own merits)
2) Buddhist do not think God as Buddha, Buddha to them is one who is enlightened. -
Can you explain more? I am curious because if you want to use the bible as a reference, Jesus plainly claims that He is the only way to truth. So it should not be regardless of religion.Originally posted by Skibi:I believe that currently there is no such thing as a "true" religion or church. Those who claim to be the have the "truth" exclusively may merely be wolves in sheeps clothing since the truth is available to all - thru the bible. According to revelation the last book in the bible, before Jesus' coming there will be many earth-shaking signs and wonders. Those that heed the signs and wonders and believe in God* will be the ones that will be saved irregardless of their race or religion.
*e.g a Bhuddist may think of God as Bhudda not Jesus. -
and Buddhists had never think of Buddha as a god..
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What i believe is that all those that acknowledge God as their savior will be saved. The common link between true believers will be the acknowledgement of the existance of a one true God. It doesn't matter what name they call God by (as long as it is reverent). Simply put a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.Originally posted by sillyme:Can you explain more? I am curious because if you want to use the bible as a reference, Jesus plainly claims that He is the only way to truth. So it should not be regardless of religion.
Jesus = God...thus the bible is true. -
No true Church? Then don't read the Bible. It could be a conspiracy to trick everybody.Originally posted by Skibi:I believe that currently there is no such thing as a "true" religion or church. Those who claim to be the have the "truth" exclusively may merely be wolves in sheeps clothing since the truth is available to all - thru the bible. According to revelation the last book in the bible, before Jesus' coming there will be many earth-shaking signs and wonders. Those that heed the signs and wonders and believe in God* will be the ones that will be saved irregardless of their race or religion.
*e.g a Bhuddist may think of God as Bhudda not Jesus. -
If you mean John 14:6, then it is worth to take a closer look.Originally posted by sillyme:Can you explain more? I am curious because if you want to use the bible as a reference, Jesus plainly claims that He is the only way to truth. So it should not be regardless of religion.
I urge you to read the context, to whom was the verse addressed to?
I bet 80% of the readers, if they have not read John 14, will assume the verse was addressed to an unbelieving audience, probably gentiles or pharisees.
well .. the likes of Ironside will come and say the verse is expressing a principle .. yada yada .. but the fact is Christians do not have a strong case when they use John 14:6 to argue for exclusive salvation. -
He is addressing the disciples, isn't He?
And after His resurrection, He appeared to the disciples and said this, “... All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-19)
Though everyone may experience God's creation and nature in many ways, but God has chosen revealed the work of salvation through Christ only. -
Yah .. He was addressing the disciples .. I bet 80% of the readers wouldn't believe that, if they have not read John 14.
It is ironical when Christians use this verse to preach exclusive salvation to non believers when Jesus used it on His disciples.
Wah .. you quote Matthew for what? -
I quoted Matthew because He commissioned the disciples to teach all His teachings mah. Therefore, this truth is addressed to all also.
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Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave,[e] to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.
-Revelation 13:16-17 ESV"
Since there is no in-between, those that refuse the mark of the beast on pain of death will be automatically on Gods side irregardless of what religion they practise. -
Is Jesus Bodhisattva?Originally posted by vince69:1) From a Christian perspective, without receiving the salvation that is brought for us through the Blood of Christ, there can be no redemption.
(with only one exception, that is if the person's own righteousness/deeds/perfection can equals or exceed that of Christ, then maybe can be saved through his own merits)
2) Buddhist do not think God as Buddha, Buddha to them is one who is enlightened.
Jesus is an enlightened person, as I mentioned in other topics recently, my master (Master Shen Kai), and other famous masters like the Dalai Lama, Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh, and many more, commended that Jesus is a Bodhisattva. Meaning that he is a highly enlightened being on the path to Buddhahood. However, due to the conditions and the capacity of the people, Jesus could not teach higher truths that people would not understand.
However Jesus did teach higher teachings to his disciples (i.e Apostles), however not many people understood his higher teachings and very often his teachings in the bible was being misinterpreted by those who do not understand and distorted as I have mentioned in the previous topic.
p.s fyi, my Buddhist Master was once an active pastor who wrote Christian books, and my local dharma teacher was also a devoted Christian.. as for my master, on the day he attained enlightenment at 12, he received divine signs telling him to bring bliss to humanity (see the second last post here: Curious - Any Christian-turned-Buddhist converts here?)
http://sgforums.com/?action=thread_display&thread_id=214825&page=2 -
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Actually everyone, every sentient being in the universe will eventually become enlightened. But if you want to become enlightened it is important that you hear the teachings and practises that leads to liberation, enlightenment. As I have mentioned, Jesus taught many teachings out of skillful means that is the practise of virtuous qualities -
...He argued that the Buddha knew people were not always ready for the higher truth because it "wouldn't suit, wouldn't help." Therefore, lesser truths are sometimes taught because of the person's ignorance or condition. This is known in Buddhist dharma as the doctrine of uppayah, or skillful means. The Dalai Lama then applied this to the question about Jesus.
"Jesus Christ also lived previous lives," he said. "So, you see, he reached a high state, either as a Bodhisattva, or an enlightened person, through Buddhist practice or something like that. Then, at a certain period, certain era, he appeared as a new master, and then because of circumstances, he taught certain views different from Buddhism, but he also taught the same religious values as I mentioned earlier: Be patient, tolerant, compassionate. This is, you see, the real message in order to become a better human being." He said that there was absolutely no lying involved since Jesus' motivation was to help people....
According to Buddhism, by practising all these one will gain the blessings and ability in rebirth in virtuous realms. However to be totally liberated is not just a matter of practising these virtuous qualities. And the higher teachings of Jesus are often not taught, or misinterpreted, and as I mentioned, many of the teachings of Jesus are misinterpreted nowadays.
http://sgforums.com/?action=thread_display&thread_id=214825&page=2 -
Quest* .. I sniff gnosticism in your post.
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Quest* .. I have one question to ask you.
How do Buddhists understand the Cross? -
I'm not buddhist but "On the journey of Quest*!* as A:ll ", an atheist, I amOriginally posted by Icemoon:Quest* .. I have one question to ask you.
How do Buddhists understand the Cross? -
wait a minute .. how come you mentioned my Buddhist master in your post?Originally posted by Quest*:I'm not buddhist but "On the journey of Quest*!* as A:ll ", an atheist, I am -
This original thread is link to ~ Buddhism: Wisdom Bliss ~Originally posted by Icemoon:wait a minute .. how come you mentioned my Buddhist master in your post? -
wait a minute .. you mean you are not the author of that post from Buddhism forum?Originally posted by Quest*:This original thread is link to ~ Buddhism: Wisdom Bliss ~ 
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I never said i am...there's a link...you did't notice it...
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you from the stone age issit?Originally posted by Quest*:I never said i am...there's a link...you did't notice it...
When you never say who is the author .. it is implicit that you are the author!!
It is written from a first person perspective right? -
Ice age...i guessOriginally posted by Icemoon:you from the stone age issit?
When you never say who is the author .. it is implicit that you are the author!!
It is written from a first person perspective right?
*nite..out 4 movie