Posted on 09/02/2011 9:07:47 AM PDT by marshmallow
Minneapolis, Minnesota (CNN) –Prior to 2006, few people even knew that then-Minnesota state legislator Keith Ellison was a Muslim. Because of his English name, he said, no one thought to ask.
But five years ago, when he ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives - a race he would go on to win - word of his religious affiliation began to spread.
“When I started running for Congress it actually took me by surprise that so many people were fascinated with me being the first Muslim in Congress,” said Ellison, a Democrat now serving his third term in the House.
“But someone said to me, ‘Look Keith, think of a person of Japanese origin running for Congress six years after Pearl Harbor–this might be a news story.’”
Though Ellison's status as the first Muslim elected to Congress is widely known, fewer are aware that he was born into a Catholic family in Detroit and was brought up attending Catholic schools.
But he said he was never comfortable with that faith.
“I just felt it was ritual and dogma,” Ellison said. “Of course, that’s not the reality of Catholicism, but it’s the reality I lived. So I just kind of lost interest and stopped going to Mass unless I was required to.”
It wasn’t until he was a student at Wayne State University in Detroit when Ellison began, “looking for other things.”
(Excerpt) Read more at religion.blogs.cnn.com ...
Want to refuse to believe that the Bible is the word of God and contains the truth of God's Holy word? Hey go for it.
The WORD is Jesus Christ. The word is the Bible. But don't let the truth get in the way of blindness.
The most you can claim is that the Assumption of Mary is not explicitly mentioned, but you cannot claim is it denied or impossible. It is one of those doctrines, like the Trinity, that are implicit in Scripture. God felt it important to introduce the doctrine of bodily assumption. The application of that doctrine to one already judged "Kachiratomene" is obvious to those who believe.
If entrance into heaven must be earned and God is a just God, then you must accept the terms God has revealed to accomplish that. In Leviticus 17:11, God said, "For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. This means his terms say only blood - meaning the offering of a life - atones for sin. He does not accept good deeds or works of righteousness as payment for our sins, but blood. The Jewish high priest on the Day of Atonement would enter into the Holy of Holies and make an offering of blood upon the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant. This was done after fasting, confession and prayers by the people. The blood offering was to make "atonement" for the sins of the people. It was a covering for sins but its main purpose was to point to the Messiah who was to come.
In the New Testament, Paul says to the Christians in Rome, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23). The payment God required for sin had and has not ever changed, but the Messiah now HAS come and, by Jesus' sacrifice of his life in our place, we have had our sins paid for. He is our propitiation - meaning a satisfactory payment - for all the sins of the world. God the Son came to earth, incarnated in the flesh, lived a perfect sinless life (because that was the only way an offering could be done for all) and is now our sacrifice in our place for our sins. Our sin debt has been paid in full. Jesus said, "It is finished." and eternal life is offered to us as a gift of God's grace. We receive this grace by faith, Ephesians 3:8,9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
So, yes, God is just and all holy and cannot look upon sin, but he is also merciful, full of grace and lovingkindness he does not wish that any should perish but all come to the knowledge of the truth. And this is the truth, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) Jesus affirmed this when he said, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
Salvation is a gift of grace that God gives to us when we trust in him by faith. We cannot earn it, merit it or do anything to deserve it.
“Haven’t you heard? When Christ paid for our sins He paid in full. Our sins have been removed from us as far as the East is from the West. When we go before God He sees “paid if full” for all our sins. No partial payment or interest due. Christ did not do a partial job. So He’ll say “well done my good and faithful servant”.”
Are you a OSAS? So you can dishonor His mother and say and do whatever you want and you are still going to Heaven? Is that what you believe?
I really honestly want to know.
Exactly - no one can earn forgiveness with God the Father except Jesus because of his two natures in one -
Then He became the Redeemer who atoned. I absolutely agree with you.
Because of Free will, however, It is now up to each person ou to join in on this -
This book is the Book of Revelation, not the entire Bible.
We don’t dishonor His mother. We just don’t make up things about her.
Well isn’t this an interesting train wreck we are witnessing. They cannot defend their religion using God’s word. And they know it. SO, they just deny Scripture as being God’s word and begin to just use Jesus Christ, The Word, to make their stand. Not knowing the difference, not knowing that we do know the difference, they crash and burn. Hoisted on their own petard. Once again.
The source, www.cuttingedge.org, is a lunatic "Harold Camping" like site chock full of all kinds distortions and lies. No one can claim that those acting on behalf of the Church have always been without sin or that many evil persons have used the Church as an instrument for their ends, but to claiming or repeating that the Inquisitions killed nearly as many as the Bubonic plague is idiocy.
So, God’s word is just in the Book of Revelation? You will accept that as God’s word and deny the rest of His word? Sorry to break this to you, but this applies to the whole Bible, the word of God, and not just the Book of Revelation. A person cannot change God’s eternal word and escape His judgement. A person cannot add to it or take away from it without having whiat is sated in v 18-19 literally fulfilled in his case.
We have not had our personal sins paid for yet (per se) Every sin we commit is there on the cross. Time is mystical in this situation.
Jesus opened the Gates and that was His mission - the cross, the cross - the crucifix.
We cannot earn it, merit it etc. - Christ did it for us.
Our own free will Must join in though - we are just creatures.
What proof do you have that the entities equate to 30,000+ Protestant denominations? By your own admission, you said you did not do the due diligence you are commanding me to by studying the documents and investigating affiliation. I'll remember each time you bandy about your presumed, self serving false number to re-post your very own words proving you have no idea if what you claim is true. Like the poster warned you, if you throw out that number you will get hit back with the same kind of presumption. It would not bode well for the so-called unity of your church to concede 8000 different sects, now would it.
“”For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy OF THIS BOOK, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that ARE WRITTEN IN THIS BOOK: And if any man shall take away from the words of the BOOK OF THIS PROPHECY, God shall take away his part out of the BOOK of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which ARE WRITTEN IN THIS BOOK.” Rev. 22: 18,19.”
God’s Word is everywhere. But this partcular passage is just referring to Revelation. The Bible is not one book. It is a library.
Read what you posted. Duh.
You honestly think that your works are going to indebt God to you? That the Creator of the Universe is going to be a DEBTOR to YOUR works that you think earn you entrance into HIS HEAVEN?
That is some big moxy you have going on. Yes, by all means, clear your throat and present Him with your bill of righteous works that gives you the right to enter His Kingdom.
placemarker
My identity is in Christ. It is HIS righteousness God clothed me in when I repented and came to Him asking forgiveness of my sin.
John 14:15-21 15 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
18"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him."
John 17:20-26 20"I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. 24Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them."
What difference does it make to the fidelity of YOPIS if it is only 3,000 or even 300? Where you have cause to disagree with other denomination on matters of interpretation, dogma or doctrine at least one of the denominations must be wrong. The only thing you seem to be able to agree on is a universal rejection ("protest") of all things Catholic.
I find it profoundly sad that not one of the anti-Catholics who dominate these threads can find it in themselves to even admit one good thing about anything Catholic. Even Mother Teresa is trashed.
Of course not. My works and all mere human works are futile.
Only Our Lord had the ability to atone.
The crux here is that we have free will and must attend to our own salvation to join into what He did. He paid His debt and opened the Gate - we must make our own way through the Gate.
It is not that difficult a concept.
Mercy is what you get when you throw yourself on the mercy of the court for forgiveness rather than going willingly to jail to pay off a debt that can NEVER be repaid.
I don’t know how anyone can think that total forgiveness that we didn’t earn is not mercy, but I guess it goes to show the depth of deception that some Catholics are operating under.
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