• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

more and more christians believe in karma and reincarnation

Wildswanderer

Veteran Member
So you are saying that those without the Holy Spirit speaking in their hearts, would never come to God then? Considering that they do respond and do come to God, then it must be God in their hearts that does that, right? So God is in their hearts, prior to coming to religion, right? That is my point. They already have the Spirit within them, which is what they are responding to.
No you don't understand salvation.

"The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit."

So there's plenty of people without the Spirit.
Yes he still convicts them, but they can refuse. Until they surrender to Him they are not saved.
 

Wildswanderer

Veteran Member
That is right. It is not by the ego, not by "believerism" that we are "let into heaven". All of that is an effort of our egos. But if you act in accord with Love, with a capital L, or Divine Love, then you are not acting out of the ego, seeking for the sake of the self and its own gain.

Therefore, all who act from that place of unconditional, agape Love, are in fact doing God's will. And that can come from anyone, regardless of their belief ideas, or things that they think about or imagine about God. That would include atheists. It not those who claim to believe in God, but those who act from Love that are the one's doing "the will of the Father".

Our ideas about God, are not what is measured on the scales. It's what is in our hearts.
You can't get to God by worshiping false God's

Revelation 21:27 Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty–but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.




"The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good."

Without knowing God, it's impossible to do good.
That's not just any god.

1 Timothy 2:5-6 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time.

Isaiah 43:11 I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior.

Isaiah 42:8 “I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to anyone else, nor share my praise with carved idols.

Galatians 1:8-9 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

And what gospel was that?
" Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."
 

Wildswanderer

Veteran Member
Dancing? So you do believe that saying the word "Jesus" invokes salvation? Perchance, are you a "Jesus name Pentecostal"? Just curious.


Is God's Love conditional? Does God no love someone until they meet those conditions first?

So regarding salvation, what conditions do you believe there must be? Conversion to Christianity? Belief in the Trinity? Adult Baptism? Worship on Saturdays? Can you list them for me?


Are you using faith to mean belief in the the sense of believing in a specific theological definition of God from Christian schools of thought?

In reality, when you say "a specific God", what that means is clear. You mean, "a specific idea of God". Right? Eventually, I think you'll get my point here.

"You must believe in a specific idea of God in order to be saved". Do you believe that statement is true, or not true? I would like your answer to this. If true, you've made my point. If not true, than you are in agreement with me.
God isn't an idea. He is IAM. He is Yeshua.

He isn't Zeus or Thor or Allah, etc

God loves everyone, but the requirement is still for them to accept God as Jesus, as savior, as King. Loving everyone doesn't automatically equal everyone accepting that love.
If you can honestly quote the Nicene Creed you have the basic necessary beliefs.
I lean a bit pentecostal, but that's not important. It's not about a denomination.
No I don't believe baptism saves... or any physical act.
Faith in the true God saves.
 

Windwalker

Veteran Member
Premium Member
No you don't understand salvation.

"The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit."
But what of those who do accept those things and believe in God? Clearly, they must be responding to the Spirit within them. Yet, according to you, they don't have the Spirit until after they believe. You're not getting this are you? If they didn't have the Spirit, then they wouldn't understanding and respond, would they?

So there's plenty of people without the Spirit.
But then there is the problem that whereas at one time in a person's life they may not have responded, later on they may. Since clearly they couldn't respond without the Spirit (which I've established here), and at another time earlier they didn't, which is a more reasonable understanding? That they didn't have it, then was given it later on in order to believe? Or that they've have it all along, but simply were not listening to it? And if the latter, which is more reasonable to believe, then to say they were "without the Spirit", is really just a way of saying they weren't receptive to its voice in themselves.

In other words, they were "without it in their lives", meaning they ignored it. Not, that they didn't have it. In other words, it's a figure of speech. It's the language we use to describe things, such as "God take not your Spirit from me", meaning, "don't let me become unaware of your presence". Understand?

Yes he still convicts them, but they can refuse. Until they surrender to Him they are not saved.
They may not realize his Grace, but that doesn't mean God is withholding it from them. It means they aren't accessing it due to not seeing it. Point is, they are never literally separate from God in the sense that God separates himself from them. But they experience it as such simply due to their own ignorance. But it's not the reality of it.

And yes, I do understand these things.
 

Windwalker

Veteran Member
Premium Member
You can't get to God by worshiping false God's
Sometimes you can't get to God by worshiping the right one either. :) So that really doesn't matter, does it?

Revelation 21:27 Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty–but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
Sure, but those who follow Love will. This has nothing to do with have the right ideas about God. No human being actually does, you know? We can't? Our little brains can't contain that sort of knowledge. So you think your idea is the best, and therefore the only right believe that gets you into heaven? Nonsense, of course.

"The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good."
The fool says in his heart they have God figured out, and now can tell everyone the right way to get into heaven. ;)

Without knowing God, it's impossible to do good.
That's not just any god.
But if they are doing good, then it is the right God apparently so. :)

Galatians 1:8-9 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
Yes, teaching you have to have the right idea about God, and that it's not by their fruits you shall know them but by their ideas about God, that is another Gospel indeed.

And what gospel was that?
" Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."
And this doesn't not support your ideas. You are saying that Christians who accept Jesus, but believe in reincarnation are not saved. Because it is by right beliefs you shall know them, thumbing your nose at what Jesus said about knowing them by their fruits.
 

Windwalker

Veteran Member
Premium Member
God isn't an idea. He is IAM. He is Yeshua.

He isn't Zeus or Thor or Allah, etc

God loves everyone, but the requirement is still for them to accept God as Jesus, as savior, as King. Loving everyone doesn't automatically equal everyone accepting that love.
If you can honestly quote the Nicene Creed you have the basic necessary beliefs.
I lean a bit pentecostal, but that's not important. It's not about a denomination.
No I don't believe baptism saves... or any physical act.
Faith in the true God saves.
I asked this question. You didn't answer. I'd like a direct answer to this. Yes or no.

"You must believe in a specific idea of God in order to be saved". Do you believe that statement is true, or not true? I would like your answer to this.​

Please don't skip over answering this again. I'll just ask again until you do.
 

Wildswanderer

Veteran Member
They may not realize his Grace, but that doesn't mean God is withholding it from them. It means they aren't accessing it due to not seeing it. Point is, they are never literally separate from God in the sense that God separates himself from them. But they experience it as such simply due to their own ignorance. But it's not the reality of it.
So, according to your theology, no one is ever lost....I wonder why Jesus had to sacrifice himself then?
 

Wildswanderer

Veteran Member
I asked this question. You didn't answer. I'd like a direct answer to this. Yes or no.

"You must believe in a specific idea of God in order to be saved". Do you believe that statement is true, or not true? I would like your answer to this.​

Please don't skip over answering this again. I'll just ask again until you do.
It's not an idea.. it's a truth you have to accept. Calling it an idea reduces it to just one idea in billions.
 

Windwalker

Veteran Member
Premium Member
So, according to your theology, no one is ever lost....I wonder why Jesus had to sacrifice himself then?
Again putting words in my mouth. Of course people are lost until they realize God, in whatever way that manifests for them, in however long that takes for them (possibly lifetimes, since this thread is about reincarnation ;) ). That's just the nature of being human, seeing ourselves as separate from the world or the Source, from others, and from ourselves. "Lost" is the normal human condition. Why Jesus sacrificed himself, was to show us the Way which releases us from that condition of isolation and separation from the Divine.

I guess Paul and all the apostles were fools then.
Oh good. You've found some verses then from the apostles that shows that they taught the ideas or beliefs you have about God is what you need to have right in order for God to let you into heaven? Can you share them?

No one can do good until they have God. They might do what looks good to man but not to God.
Isn't coming to God good? So in order for them to come to God, God must have been in them drawing them to himself, no?

It doesn't support your idea that people don't have to accept Jesus, just somehow be loving on their own... which is impossible according to scripture. You just run in circles.
People don't have to accept theological ideas about God. I've already said that if they follow the Way of Love, they are following Jesus, even if they know him by another name, in another religion, or no religion at all. So long as they do the will of the Father, in however they understand what that is in their thinking, they are children of God.

Supporting verse? "For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” "Whoever" would include those outside of your religion.

Want further proof? What did Jesus say of the pagan Roman centurion who recognized God in Jesus, someone who practices other religious rites and beliefs and worshipped according to you, "false gods"? "Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith." Wow. A non-Jew, a worshipper of false gods, somehow was able to see God in Jesus, and Jesus recognized his faith as greater than all of those of his own religion. Wow. Just wow. What say you to this? :)
 
Last edited:

Windwalker

Veteran Member
Premium Member
It's not an idea.. it's a truth you have to accept.
The truth you have to accept is seeing God in the world, in whatever form that takes for the person. Not the truth of a theological idea. This is the difference between beliefs as ideas of the head, and faith which is a spiritual response of the heart. Don't confuse faith and religious beliefs as one and the same. They are not.

Calling it an idea reduces it to just one idea in billions.
Yes, and that is my very point. People can conceive of God in billions of different ways, so it is not possible to claim that you have to have the right belief or idea in order to be saved. It's can't about beliefs as ideas about God because those are as plentiful as there are people, be they believers in God or not.

But you are still avoiding answering directly my question. "You must believe in a specific idea of God in order to be saved". Do you believe that statement is true, or not true? It's a yes or no answer.

Do you have to believe specific ideas about God, in order to be called a Christian and to be saved by God? Or can you see and believe with the heart in the reality of God while having other mental ideas about God, while having different symbolic representations of the Divine? Or must those specifically be the images of God you hold theologically? Must those ideas and images be "church approved" ideas and images that your salvation depends upon?

I'm making my question very direct, and very clear. I hope you can answer that directly for me. If not, I'll continue to ask.
 
Last edited:

Wildswanderer

Veteran Member
Supporting verse? "For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” "Whoever" would include those outside of your religion.
God's will is becoming like Jesus which is impossible without knowing Jesus.
You cherry pick verses in order to misuse them.
 

Wildswanderer

Veteran Member
Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith." Wow. A non-Jew, a worshipper of false gods, somehow was able to see God in Jesus, and Jesus recognized his faith as greater than all of those of his own religion. Wow. Just wow. What say you to this? :)
The centurion wasn't a pagan once he believed in Jesus. And what Jesus said here isn't about those of a religion per say but those who were Jewish but not true believers.
The centurion is commended for his faith. Faith in who? Not in some idol. Didn't you notice that he accepted Jesus as his Lord? As I said before we are responsible for what we know. Once he knew who Jesus was, he was responsible for responding to that knowledge. He wasn't saved as a pagan.
 

Wildswanderer

Veteran Member
The truth you have to accept is seeing God in the world, in whatever form that takes for the person. Not the truth of a theological idea. This is the difference between beliefs as ideas of the head, and faith which is a spiritual response of the heart. Don't confuse faith and religious beliefs as one and the same. They are not.


Yes, and that is my very point. People can conceive of God in billions of different ways, so it is not possible to claim that you have to have the right belief or idea in order to be saved. It's can't about beliefs as ideas about God because those are as plentiful as there are people, be they believers in God or not.

But you are still avoiding answering directly my question. "You must believe in a specific idea of God in order to be saved". Do you believe that statement is true, or not true? It's a yes or no answer.

Do you have to believe specific ideas about God, in order to be called a Christian and to be saved by God? Or can you see and believe with the heart in the reality of God while having other mental ideas about God, while having different symbolic representations of the Divine? Or must those specifically be the images of God you hold theologically? Must those ideas and images be "church approved" ideas and images that your salvation depends upon?

I'm making my question very direct, and very clear. I hope you can answer that directly for me. If not, I'll continue to ask.
Of course you have to believe in specific " ideas" about God. You can't believe on someone if you don't know who they are. You can't have a relationship with someone who doesn't exist. So you have to believe in the real Jesus not one you invented in your mind.
 

Windwalker

Veteran Member
Premium Member
Not. According. To. Scripture.
Yes, according to scripture. What I said, that you say is not in scripture, is "The truth you have to accept is seeing God in the world, in whatever form that takes for the person."

Scripture says, "For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."

Seeing God in the world, is exactly what this says. But that is just one verse of countless others. "Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember?" It's all about seeing God in the world, don't you know?

You just made up your own religion.
You just made this up, by ignoring scripture. ;)
 

Windwalker

Veteran Member
Premium Member
God's will is becoming like Jesus which is impossible without knowing Jesus.
You cherry pick verses in order to misuse them.
God will is to Love. Those that love are following God's will. This is what Jesus taught. And those who Love, are "knowing Jesus". It doesn't matter how they conceive of God. It matters how they Love, don't you know? God is Love, according to scripture. You make up you own religion by saying "God is theology".
 

Wildswanderer

Veteran Member
Yes, according to scripture. What I said, that you say is not in scripture, is "The truth you have to accept is seeing God in the world, in whatever form that takes for the person."

Scripture says, "For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."

Seeing God in the world, is exactly what this says. But that is just one verse of countless others. "Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember?" It's all about seeing God in the world, don't you know?


You just made this up, by ignoring scripture. ;)
You just quoted a verse that condemns people for not believing! Thanks for agreeing with me.
 
Top