The Hobbit Hole III - Journey to the Cross-roads!

[HairOfTheDog]

Welcome to The Hobbit Hole!

Journey to the Cross-roads
The Two Towers Edition

Come on! Come in! -if you would like to have some seedcakes and a pint and relax a while. (If it is a special occasion, we still have a few bottles of the old wineyards left!)

Our first thread ( New Zealander builds Hobbit hole ) reached 4,100 posts, and we thought that was big. Our second thread (The New Hobbit Hole ) held us for over 48,000 posts, and we loved it dearly. We talked about moving to a new thread for the last 38,000 posts, but we are really slow to muster! Finally, the time has come. Tomorrow (at 12:01 am, to be precise!) The Two Towers comes out, and we start a new chapter.

[RMDupree]

See you later, Corin!

[ksen]

Ah, don't worry Hair I don't think anything said over there is going to get anyone bann...

[RMDupree]

I love a public flogging! Be sure to invite me when it happens! LOL!!

I've got to run. See everyone later (or tomorrow).

[Dawntreader]

:-O

ksen? *echo echo*

[HairOfTheDog]

Take care...

[Argh]

I love a public flogging!

Oooo, I knew there was a reason I'm taken with you, Miss Ruthie!

In 1960 there was a public guillotining in Belgium not far from where we lived at a Royal Canadian Air Force base in France, but my mom wouldn't take us. :^(

[ksen]

..ed.

Whoah! What happened? I think I was gone for a few minutes! Weird.

[ksen]

Hey, I saw that. Giving aid and comfort to the enemy. *sigh* tsk! tsk!

;^)

[Dawntreader]

*whew* Thought we lost ya!

[ksen]

A religion does not have to be proven wrong by you for yours to be right, nor does it have to be proven wrong for there to be interesting discussion that can strengthen your own faith. I don't understand why religions have to be proven right or wrong.

We are not trying to prove "them" wrong so we can be right. Religion has to do with people's eternal destiny.

If Mormonism, for example, is correct then my faith HAS to be false.

If Mormonism is correct, than I am not on my way to Heaven as my faith teaches.

If Mormonism is correct than the Jesus Christ of the Bible is not who He said He was.

Religion will always be more contentious than other subjects. That is its nature. We can contend without being contentious, but there will always be friction between those of different faiths who take their faith seriously.

[ksen]

Nope, I was able to make my way back.

Good thing I had a pocketful of Lembas crumbs.

[Dawntreader]

Very well said!

[JenB]

Nicely put!

Also, if we are right, then the Mormons are really, really doomed.

Yawn. I can't believe I have choir tonight, I am just too tired.

[ksen]

*blush* thanks.

Hi Jen! ;^)

Bye Jen, I gotta go now. ;^(

[HairOfTheDog]

If Mormonism, for example, is correct then my faith HAS to be false. If Mormonism is correct, than I am not on my way to Heaven as my faith teaches. If Mormonism is correct than the Jesus Christ of the Bible is not who He said He was.

Or both of you may might be underestimating the nature and purposes of God. I have tried to live a faith and a lifestyle that I believe is not contrary to God. I leave it in God's hands, not my own, to prove or disprove any particular person's faith, or to save or not save, any particular person's soul. Sorry ksen, I just don't think any of us can speak with authority of God, who is right and who is wrong here. I think all of us are following the best ideas of men, and not God, when we look to books to prove our faith against another. Many believe the Bible to be the correct faith. Find comfort in that, I do. But I for one, do not limit God to only that. I see that as putting God in a box. I don't think that God condemns good people with an honest yearning for God to an enternity of anguish in Hell because they grew up on the wrong continent, were born into the wrong family and read the wrong book; because they got the faith wrong. That is my piece. I don't presume to tell you you are wrong to argue with other God-fearing people on this or any other forum, but I do explain why I can't understand the heat and certainty in those arguments.

I have to go now.... goin' out for steaks with a friend. Take care of yourself.

[Corin Stormhands]

giving aid and comfort to the enemy. *sigh* tsk! tsk!

She only did that because of your spam attack over here this afternoon...

[HairOfTheDog]

I sorry.... I thought it was a reasonable and mellow post. I am drawn to mellow.

[RosieCotton]

The trouble is, "they" are probably just as convinced that they're right as you are convinced that YOU are right. This is why I don't really see the point of most of the religious threads...I belong to the faith I do because I firmly and utterly believe it to be the truth, and the only faith to have the fullness of the truth. Telling me that you think I'm wrong doesn't change that at all. I'm sure you feel the same about your beliefs...and they feel the same about theirs. Are they all true? No. Can't be. But calling someone's beliefs a lie...even nicely with the best intentions (because you DO think they're a lie) is going to get them riled up. For most of us, it's so much a part of us that we almost can't HELP but take it personally.

Not sure exactly what I'm trying to say here...except that I'm not sure anything get accomplished by en masse debating. I've learned a lot about my faith through defending it against / explaining it (calmy!) to an individual or a small group, but here, it just seems to divide people into factions without anyone actually learning much.

OK, I've said my piece. Now I gotta go to choir - I'm late!

[Corin Stormhands]

Sorry ksen, I just don't think any of us can speak with authority of God, who is right and who is wrong here.

We have to disagree there Hair. In fact we are compelled to disagree.

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
the Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:

Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.

He descended into hell.

The third day He arose again from the dead.

He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,
whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.

Amen.

That's what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown.

If I deny that to be the truth, if I deny that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven, then I deny my LORD.

I won't do that. No matter how nice it makes me seem.

[osagebowman]

CS: Yup, got 'em that makes noise and them that doesn't. My preference is for the silent but deadly longbow and clothyard shaft.