Dating outside your religion

Are you implying that people who are not church goers are more likely to lie and cheat than people who do? If so, I think you should likely reexamine that particular thought process. I attend church, however that doesn't make me blind to the fact that you're more likely to find more hypocrites in church than you will find walking the street on any given Sunday. I don't agree with hypocrisy personally, but I see it all around me on Sunday morning. I go to church for my relationship with God, but that's not the case for everyone. Some go to be seen as 'good Christians', some go because their families or spouses expect it of them, and some go because they feel guilty if they don't. IMO if you're sitting in church for any reason other than worshiping God with an open and willing heart, you're lying to yourself and everyone else. Religion, and church attendance is not evidence or guarantee of moral conviction. Religious hypocrisy is one of the reasons a lot of people are suspicious of, or adverse to religion in general. People who don't practice what they preach are annoying and they reflect badly on the people who do.

 

Espy, did you ever attend Higher Dimensions in Tulsa?

 

Espy, I wanted to give you rep for this, but have to spread the love first. I agree completely with what you've written. The hypocrisy I witness in self-labelled Christians (or whatever religion) is one of the major reasons I refuse to attend church. Not to mention the historical church sanctioned violence that permeates human history. Great post!

 

No I haven't Fly. Heard a lot about them, and they have some really good ministries that they are committed to. However they are evangelical, and though I have no issue with people worshiping any way they like, a lot of evangelical churches around here embrace speaking in tongues and I do not. I attend your basic Christian church.

I understand where that comes from Athena, and I regret that people give religion a bad reputation because that's really not what it's about. But you will always have people who will manipulate anything possible to work in their favor, and religion is perhaps one of the easier to twist around. I have always known there was a God, and I've felt His presence several times in my life and have no question it was Him. That's not something that I was taught, my father was agnostic and my mother put no effort into religious teachings. My grandparents were what you'd call religious, but I don't recall my grandfather ever attending church services, but he knew the Bible word for word and he practiced what he preached. How I developed such strong conviction, I don't honestly know, but I've got it. Despite that, I in no way think my beliefs are the only ones that hold merit. I think it's good to believe in something, it's the people that believe in nothing that concern me.

 

on the surface I agree with that . I tend to believe that if you say you believe in G-d and you are a follower then you adhere to certian codes that G-d prescribes. also spiritual can tie into that . I do agree with you for the most part.

people are into the church more than they are into the G-d they dont see but claim to be following. better stated the church is their G-d not the G-d they profess to be following .

 

I dont think they exist anymore. Their pastor started preaching what he calls the gospel of inclusion and most left the church. I asked becuase it was a very diverse group for a church group and I was curious how that gospel of inclusion was going.

One of these days I would like to sit in on a sermon to hear what he has to say.

 

It is very obvious you did not read the whole statement and then thought thoroughly the backslap I had for so-called people of G-d

 

I read the whole statement, and understood it. However the question you replied to was if you could marry a woman who didn't go to church. Your reply was that you would have to make sure she wasn't a liar and a cheat, which I read as you thinking a higher proportion of non-church goers are liars and cheats.

So on the subject of religion, is there a specific reason why you don't spell out God? It's not like it's f**k, it's not a curse word, at least not for Christians, so I'm curious why you can't spell it out?

 

http://judaism.about.com/od/reformjudaismfaq/f/god_spelling.htm

 

Thank you Fly! That was bugging me and now I have the answer. Though that's a little along the lines of 'He who must not be named', which seems odd since I think God would prefer people talk about Him.

 

how so? please explain

 

well let me restate that it could also have other meanings. BUT let me state the out of context maybe..

1) I BELIEVE ( could be wrong) it has been taken out of context in that some people say if you are of different religions then you should not get married or date.

I dont think that is the case in all accounts because there are people who are jewish and christian that are married and do fine from what I have heard. I have met 7th day adventist and baptist married and been married for a very long time. being of the same religion doesnt necessarily means you are evenly yoked.

2) unevenly youked could mean you may have the same principles but different values. some people just dont have any principles and that is a dangerous person to be with.

 

the verse has nothing to do with if people do fine or not, its about not being married or dating, believers with unbelievers(that is what God has commanded) not what i think or interpret, just what he said.

 

wise words..