Quote:
Originally Posted by Figmo Bohica
I have found that ALL organized religions have depart so far from their original foundings that all they are now is a way to control a group of people into doing the founders will.
Example: Where in the Bible any Bible does it say that you have to have a billion dollar building to worship. Just someones way of bilking you of your money.
You want to believe in the Lord, Allah, G*d or who ever that is fine. But believe in the true way not lining someone elses pockets or killing those that don't believe as you do.
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There's a big difference in concept between "faith" and "religion". Religion is usually a lot of man-made hierarchy, rules and restrictions that give power and honor to the men at the top. God has a way of dealing with people who usurp His sovereign position and give glory to themselves instead of their creator.
Faith is believing and trusting in the God who made us, trusting that He knows what He is doing, as He knew what He was doing when he created this beautiful planet and the life we have in the USA.
Faith is also trusting that He will answer our desperate cries for help. He tests our faith in Him (Abraham with Isaac on the altar is a prime example) and He blesses us many times over for our faith.
He blesses us with a nation that has true freedom to worship as we please....or not. Some of us cherish that freedom, but increasingly, many want an authoritarian central government, USSR-style, which would ban worship of God but gladly welcome servile worship of its statist dictator.
About the "billion dollar" church building....it's not always a "castle" for the money kings as implied above. Most often, the huge church is built because 3-4,000 people cannot all sit down together in a sanctuary that seats 400. There are practical reasons and not all the "megachurches" are lavish materially.
BTW, many of our founding fathers had faith in God, without getting into all the junk of man-made religion.
"In regards to this great Book (the Bible), I have but to say it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Savior gave to the world was communicated through this Book. But for it we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man's welfare, here and hereafter, are found portrayed in it.” --Abraham Lincoln