Studying on Faith Alone - Education Can Often Be Hard on Religious Faith

It's probably hard to find facts if your mind is already made up. If you're trying to find information on anything, more than likely you will find exactly what you're looking for, if you look hard enough. With all the information out there, available in books, media, and of course the Internet, would we really know the honest to God truth if we ran into one.

Not something that man made up and forced our ancestors to believe in.

If you're studying on faith alone and trying to prove or disprove something, you will succeed. If you're reading the Bible and looking for answers to problems in your life, eventually you will find the answers. All you need is to believe in your God and he will show you the way. Has he truly shown you the way or are you basing your religious beliefs on faith alone.

I have studied the Bible for many years and came to the conclusion that, I was often blinded by the way I view the information and couldn't get the facts most of the time. I always enjoyed reading Proverbs and the story of Job, both of these books in the Bible inspired me to become a better person.

By studying the Bible without faith and looking for information based on facts, it wasn't long before I realized this book could be and I say could be a group of stories that man over the centuries combined into one book during the Council of Nicaea in 325A.D and became religious doctrine for Christians.

In order to study anything effectively, you need to keep an open mind, this might require you to reprogram your thinking. You have been taught for years that only your religion is correct and all other religions are wrong. You can't think like this and gather information effectively.

Studying on faith alone could close your mind and keep you on the path of spiritual resistance. You know you're on this path if only the things you believe in make sense. Nothing nobody else says can make much sense if you're studying on faith alone.

What would it hurt to read a life changing spiritual book on another religion or form of spirituality? If you can't read another religious book, because you're religious organization tells you to only read their spiritual books to gather information, you're following a path of spiritual resistance.

If you're really going to study on faith alone then I suggest studying with intention to learn instead of follow.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. Check out one of his recommended reading, Stories from the Old Testament

Greg is currently working on a religious and spiritual answers library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Lou Holtz

War Losers Are Criminals - Military Leadership and Something to Think About

How many wars have been fought over different beliefs and religions? I've been alive for less than 50 years and through the span of history this is a very small amount time but yet I noticed certain patterns by studying history and being part of it.

Why do we accept war as a necessity or a need to acquire something or instill a certain belief into someone else? Is it because we know, we are absolutely right and we know for a fact 100% that our way of living is better than theirs? What makes the winner of the war right and the looser wrong?

I was watching a movie that Robert McNamara made called The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara. I never really put two and two together but he mentioned something in the movie that got me thinking. His superior officer mentioned to him one day," You Do Realize Robert, If We Lose the War, We Are Going to Be Tried As War Criminals."

I never really thought that just because we were right and they were wrong, our military leaders could be executed. But were right aren't we and their wrong, isn't this why we were fighting World War II. The Germans and Japanese were wrong in doing horrible things. We tried their military leaders and found them guilty. After they lost the war of course.

I guess when I was a kid playing baseball and my coach told me "That the winner takes all." This also applies to real life, war, beliefs, society and what were forced to belief. If you study the wars throughout history, you will notice that most of the winning sides acquired benefits from the losers and sometimes even property. Makes sense doesn't it, winner takes all.

Losing a war doesn't make you a criminal, if you're trained as a superior leader, doesn't this involve killing people or are there specific guidelines that military leaders should follow. Are there specific rules and did the Americans and English follow these rules during World War II. Sometimes we need to study leadership books to gain knowledge and skills to become a better leader.

The concept of creating war criminals because they have killed others during the war, will probably never make sense to me. War is a horrible and cruel thing to bestowed on any country and with it comes many acts of horror, it's war and there's only one objective and that's to win, at all costs. If were going to put the losing side on trial, shouldn't we also find out more about the crimes the winning side committed during the war.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. If you've never heard Ernest Shackleton, I recommend you read the book Shackleton's Way it will give you a new perspective on leadership.

Greg is currently working on a skill development library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Awfulizing Creates Negativity

Learn Something About Time Management From the American Indians Working Four Hours a Day

I don't consider myself an expert on the American Indians but I would like to share a thought about their lifestyle. I was listening to an audio book on the American Indians eating habits, when it got me thinking about something the author said. This might not be a topic of interest for most people but I found it fascinating.

While listening to the audio book, the author made a statement about the American Indians I will never forget. He said "American Indians spend about four hours each day working, gathering and preparing food." If you think about it, that's not too bad of a lifestyle.

I would imagine that we have a better selection and larger variety of food to choose from than they had. This of course would be a benefit to living in our society instead of theirs.

American Indians often spent a lot of time outdoors and for some reason, spending time in nature seems to be a good thing. I know a lot of people that would rather be outdoors than indoors, walking, jogging, hiking, camping and even gardening. It almost seems more natural for us to be outdoors than indoors.

Now with the Indians working about four hours each day, this is a little bit different then our standard workday. Most people spend at least 9 to 12 hours each day driving to and from work and actually working. I would imagine our standard workday would actually be easier than that of the American Indian. I can't imagine some of my friends or family members chasing after a Buffalo with a spear.

Does this mean the American Indians had it right, just because they worked four hours each day and spent more time in nature were doing what they truly wanted to. Know I can't truly say that they had it right, but I can say that they seem to do just fine living with nature.

Some of these civilizations lasted for centuries.

Something to think about, on your daily travels to and from work as you desire to be at the beach or hiking in the mountains. The philosophies we often associate with a good life, could actually be better instead of progressively adding unneeded stress and frustration to it.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. Check out one of his recommended books, You Can Have It All

Ignorant Excuses Who Needs Them

Questions to Ask an Atheist - Religious Beliefs

If you have a friend or know someone that is an atheist or a nonbeliever in God, I would suggest that you e-mail this article to them. When I say the word God, I don't mean the Christian, Jewish, Hindu or Muslim God or gods. I would be referring to a universal spirit or entity and maybe this entity could be in each and every one of us. Not some supreme commander who rules the universe with a sword and sacks of gold.

I want you to ask yourself one question, can you sensibly explain how the universe was created? If you can, I would love to hear from you. Does it make sense to you that, plants grow effortlessly in the soil, some with very little water and nutrients? When a child is born, how does it know how to eat and the same question could be applied to animals, fish and birds?

Does it really make sense that we evolved from nothing?

Where did we come from and where do you think we are going?

How do our bodies know when to breath? What is it that regulates our heartbeat? How is it possible for us to think about raising our arm and our legs don't raise instead? How come a poor woman can create a child with very little effort and science has great difficulties performing this task? Not to mention it's very expensive.

Where did the original molecules come from?, that created the next molecules and how were they assembled so precisely to even make a single cell animal? I'm not talking about a complicated insect or even a rodent and couldn't even fathom how a man and women were formed through this process.

How does the mind eat, breathe, talk, drink, move its arms and legs, all during the process of watching the television show, with very little conscious thought?

I've always found it hard to believe that there isn't something out there, even though it's mysterious and unexplainable. To an atheist this might sound far-fetched and stupid but can you answer these questions. I don't want to beat you up, but have you ever thought about them. Do you even want to know the answers?

Atheism without knowledge isn't any different than organized religion following books put together by men, that often are outdated and contradictory.

Overcoming Limited Beliefs

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing and personal development.

Would you still be reading this article, if you had no desire, for better life. Find out more by visiting changing life skills.

Dealing With Embarrassing Problem

Three Seperate Gods Video

Never Let Anyone Get Your Goat

Stay Happy, never let anyone get your goat.

Whether phrased as "push your buttons," "get your goat," "get you riled up," or "annoy you," it's no fun to be on the receiving end. How to cope?

1. Don't take it personally. Even when someone criticizes your actions or demeans your very nature, know that they are merely directing their inner turmoil in your direction. Someone else's opinion of you is mostly irrelevant, and basically none of your business. Don't assume that there is any validity to an accusation. Perhaps there is a valuable lesson buried inside the unkindness that merits objective consideration, but negative emotions are best quickly discarded.

2. Look to the positive people in your life for support. If you balance many positive and supportive friends against one or two negative influences, it is much easier to cope. If you don't currently have enough positive people in your life, begin a focused effort to add positive people to your inner circle. If you don't have personal connections, search for groups of positive people at MeetUp.com.

3. Remove negative people from your life. Yes you can, even if it's your boss. You don't need that job so much that it's worth your health or happiness. Everything in life is a choice. Sometimes making a change is important, while other times just knowing that you hold the power to make a different choice is enough.

4. Forgive the offender, not for their sake, but for your own sake. The act of forgiving releases your anger and provides space for rational thinking and action.

5. Be grateful for the wake-up call. Any time that someone or something grabs your attention is a good time to be grateful - even if the message is unpleasant. Something is happening that requires your conscious awareness. Perhaps you have a lesson to learn or an action to take. Perhaps it is time to remove another negative influence from your life.

6. Release any expectations that the unkind person should have acted differently. Life is not fair, and you only cause yourself unhappiness if you hold an expectation that life or any individual should be fair or kind.

Visit Jonathan's Daily Inspiration - Daily Quote blog at http://www.DreamThisDay.com, and read his article: Stop Anger Before It Stops You - 7 Secrets for more ways to cope with anger.

Jonathan Lockwood Huie is an author of self-awareness books. He has been dubbed "The Philosopher of Happiness" by those closest to him, in recognition of his on-going commitment to seeing Joy in all of life.

Today is your day to dance lightly with life. It really is. - Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Backup Plans Feel Good

Vedic Deities and Their Connection With Semitic Deities

One of the most interesting and impressive of Vedic deities is VaruGa, often invoked with a more shadowy double called Mitra. No myths or exploits are related of him but he is the omnipotent and omniscient upholder of moral and physical law. He established earth and sky: he set the sun in heaven and ordained the movements of the moon and stars: the wind is his breath and by his law the heavens and earth are kept apart. He perceives all that exists in heaven and earth or beyond, nor could a man escape him though he fled beyond the sky. The winkings of men's eyes are all numbered by him: he knows all that man does or thinks.

Sin is the infringement of his ordinances and he binds sinners in fetters. Hence they pray to him for release from sin and he is gracious to the penitent. Whereas the other deities are mainly asked to bestow material boons, the hymns addressed to VaruGa contain petitions for forgiveness. He dwells in heaven in a golden mansion. His throne is great and lofty with a thousand columns and his abode has a thousand doors. From it he looks down on the doings of men and the all-seeing sun comes to his courts to report.

There is much in these descriptions which is unlike the attributes ascribed to any other member of the Vedic pantheon. No proof of foreign influence is forthcoming, but the opinion of some scholars that the figure of VaruGa somehow reflects Semitic ideas is plausible. It has been suggested that he was originally a lunar deity, which explains his association with Mitra (the Persian Mithra) who was a sun god, and that the group of deities called dityas and including Mitra and VaruGa were the sun, moon and the five planets known to the ancients.

Yet VaruGa is not the centre of a monotheistic religion any more than Indra, and in later times he becomes a water god of no marked importance. The Aryans and Semites, while both dissatisfied with polytheism and seeking the one among the many, moved along different paths and did not reach exactly the same goal.

To learn more about Hinduism and Hindu beliefs, practices, rituals and theology; visit my new site. There you will find many free articles

Hinduism Beliefs

Introduction to Hinduism

Overcoming Difficulties Talking

Light Workers video

This video tells of the estoic wisdom between the three types of light workers and how they are going to bring the earth into a new earth full of love and light.

Life of Jesus

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a spiritual help library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Tom Butler Bowdon
Albert Einstein

Christian Ideas

Most people seem to go through life doing what others do and never seem to question much about whether the people around them are actually right or wrong. How many of us do exactly what our parents, grandparents and great grandparents do? I was raised a Christian by Christians and they were raised Christians by other Christians and so on. I don't know when or who in my family tree actually decided to become part of the Christian faith. I don't think it really matters today.

Someone had to of made the decision and I will probably never know. I do know this, I have followed Christianity as far as I possibly could and the next step in my life is going to be based somehow on a more spiritually universal world. I can't seem to follow something, that doesn't make sense to me, anymore. Christianity is more or less a religion that people throughout history have made adjustments to, whenever they felt necessary.

This is often like changing a tire on a car as it starts to wear or goes flat. In order for the car to operate and run smoothly we will need to pay a little attention to it, this will require maintenance over time as the car begins to have problems. We have to solve these problems or our car will become useless and will need to be sent to the junkyard.

Religions throughout history have done the same, as the people become more intelligent and less dependent, they need to create new things and make adjustments. If they don't make these adjustments over time, the religion will no longer be necessary and be sent to the junk heap of time. This is what happened to the Greek and Roman gods, what makes you think, that your God or gods will stand the test of time.

Do you think there's going to be any more adjustments to Christianity in the future? It seems like the last adjustments were Scientology and the Mormons or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. These religions don't exactly follow what Paul started in the Roman Catholic Church. What will the next adjustment be and why will it be necessary?

If you choose to follow Christianity, how do you know which church is right, I mean their core beliefs are right, aren't they. To love your neighbor and be compassionate. To show kindness towards others and help the needy. Do you think that we're going to have to adjust this one day and start treating certain religious followers, whose skin color is deference or speaks a different language with cruelty. I wonder what the next adjustment in Christianity is going to be.

Men Problems Christianity

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a self help library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Spiritual Dimensions of Idol Worship

Idol worship or Dilatory is one of the most controversial aspect of the religious rituals. Idolatry is usually defined as worship of any cult image, idea, or object. Hebrew Bible, the holy book of Judaism, has been most critical of the idolatry which include the worship of idols or images, the worship of polytheistic gods by use of idols or images, the worship of animals or people or the use of idols in the worship of God.

In Judaism, God prohibits idol worship in no uncertain term in The Ten Commandments (4-6) that read,

"You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments."

In Islam, Idolatry is an unforgivable sin which deserves the most severe punishment.

Idolatry is prohibited in almost every religion. Yet is a fact that the worship of idols are most popular in the world. Almost all religions worship God in some form. Even Buddha who preached against organized religion and idol worship could not prevent his followers to worship him as God incarnation. Today, the idols of Buddha are found in more number than any other God.

If idolatry has survived so long despite opposition from all religions, there must be some reasons for the existence of idolatry, which may not be logically explainable yet may have something to do with human emotion.

The Popularity of Idolatry

Hinduism is perhaps the only religion, which allows idol worship in its temple. Though, the practice of idol worship is not supported in any of the Hindu Scriptures like Vedas, Upanishads or Gita. In Upanishads, God is said to be Brahma who is Absolute i.e. beyond the conception of human imagination. Yet people started worshiping t ever Symbol of Om that was used to represent Brahma. Vedas provides for the worship of nature which are believed to be the manifestation of God. This lead to the representation of Sun, Moon, Air etc as Gods in human form, who were worshipped like any other Gods of Mythologies.

In a Hindu temple, one can see numerous idols of different Gods which are worshipped by the devotees. The Hindu Gods and Goddess are part of mythological tales or Puranas which are extremely popular amongst the masses. For example, the deities of Rama and Krishna are described in Rama-charit-manas (The Story of Ram) and Mahabharata (The Great War). Even the sects which are based on the teachings of saints could not avoid idolatry after the death of the saints. Often the statues and even pictures of the saints are worshipped like God. So you have temples of Sai Baba, Swamynarayan where the idols of these saints are worshipped as God.

In Christianity, the statues of Jesus and Mary are fond in every Church and worshipped by Christians.

In another Indian religion, Sikhism that prohibits idol worship and ask the Sikhs to follow the book (Scripture) "Guru Granth Sahib", people virtually worship the book as God. The pictures of Guru Nanak, the founder Guru of Sikhism , is considered holy and found in every home of Sikhs.

Why Idolatry is Prohibited?

It is argued that Idolatry must be avoided as God has no shape or form, and is utterly incomparable. Therefore, no idol, image, idea, or anything comparable to creation could ever capture God's essence.

The people, who bows before the idol of God, tend to believe that they are bowing before God while an idol is nothing but a statue made of stone or wood. Such people are often disappointed because their wishes are not fulfilled. Often the priests use this weakness of man and extort money from innocent devotees with the promise to fulfill their wishes.

Therefore, the scriptures ask men to shun idol worship as the idols are not God. God is formless and infinite while idols have forms and limited in time and space. Man can know the Formless (God) only when his thoughts travels beyond the form.

Idols Have Deeper Meaning

A picture is worth millions of words. The same can be said for a name. It would be wrong to see the words like Albert Einstein, Allah, God, Rama, Hitler, and Clinton made of certain alphabets of English. The mere combination of the words do not represents the reality that is hidden in the names. Every name represents the complete personality and life of the person that is associated with the name.

When you read the world "Einstein" and you know about him, your mind automatically see the picture of Albert Einstein and all the inventions he made in physical sciences like the theory of relativity, mass energy equivalence etc. However, if you have never heard the name of Albert Einstein, these words are nothing but one of the billions of names that exist in this world.

A name is, therefore, not a mere combination of words as it appears to the person who does not identify the person associated with the name but a whole concept. You can write books if you want to describe a person like Gandhi, Rama or even your father or mother. In the same way, every idol symbolizes the person whose idol or image it is. When you pray before the idol of Rama, you are not praying to the statue of Rama but the Incarnation of God as described in epic Rama-charita-manasa. When you bow before the statue of Christ, you pay respect to all that Jesus Christ lived for. Yet for a person, who does not know the personality, it is simply bowing before a stone statue.

Therefore, when a person worships an Idol, he actually worships the concept and values that is represented by the person whose statue it is. It is similar to respecting your parents or a scholarly person or a great leader or scientist. When a man bows before another person, he shows respect for the deeds and thoughts of the person and shows his desire to become like him. Hence a true worshipper of Rama would always aspire to become like Rama and follow the path shown by him in his life.

Worshipping God Brings Goodness

Since every God represents goodness in the world, a religious person who bows before God may find it extremely difficult to follow evil path. If you love God, Devil (the source of evil) can never live in you. Thus worship to an Idol of God transforms the soul of the man in the same way as a man get transformed in the company of good people or saint. Thus people may find idolatry as useful for the spiritual enlightenment of a man as any other form of complicated ritual provided in the scriptures.

Dr. Awdhesh K Singh is an Engineer by education and philosopher by passion. He holds his PhD degree in the area of E-Governance.

He has published several papers in International Journals and Conferences on the subject of E-governance and the application of Artificial Intelligence tools like Fuzzy Logic (FL) and Expert Systems (ES) for E-governance.

He has keen interest in the study and application of Religion, Spirtuality and Philosophies for solving the real-life problems of the modern world.

Many of his articles are published on the website of Aatmic Science Forum and Science of Soul.

His can be contacted on the email aksinghirs [a] yahoo.com

What Changed My Thoughts

Power Yoga: Great For Core Fitness

Do you have any previous experience in martial arts? Perhaps you once tried a little karate in high school, or checked out a tae kwon do class at your local YMCA. Anyway, you may have dabbled in martial arts a little. Thats a good thing, since most people have never had any experience in a self-defense discipline and have little understanding of what the training is like. But even if you have minor experience, you may not be prepared for the training required for a similar type of fitness discipline. That is something you must consider if you are thinking of trying out power yoga. It is a discipline that requires commitment if you are going to achieve results, and the training involved can actually be quite intense.

Yoga is not only about calmness and relaxation. When I speak of power yoga, Im talking about using yoga as a means of achieving fitness, especially core fitness--that is, exercising the central muscles of your body, as opposed to focusing on your arm and leg muscles. Power yoga has the benefit of giving you a total body workout, so that the development in all areas of your body takes place more or less simultaneously. This is an excellent way of getting fit. And the stretching, balance, and concentration involved in yoga improve your bodys regulation of your blood circulation, pumping more oxygen to your muscles and increasing your overall energy.

Power yoga is a great discipline to help you stay in good shape as you grow older. It is a physical art that teaches the body how to age gracefully, not quickly. Power yoga also requires a lot of devotion, just like a martial art or indeed any fitness program in general. You need to not only learn and master the techniques of power yoga but put them into continuous practice. It is like being a boxer or a martial artist, if you do not train your skills regularly, you will become rusty and your fitness development will suffer. If you are serious about doing power yoga, you must be devoted to a regimen that you must strive to follow every day in spite of the many distractions that life brings. That, after all, is one of the keys to this discipline. In the end, it is important that you see it not as a tool for exercise, but as a way of life.

Did you find my tips on power yoga helpful? You can get more answers to your questions about fitness and weight loss here.

Creating A Habit

The Dark Side of Golf Psychology

Traditional golf psychology techniques include positive thinking, visualization, and self-hypnosis. Many of these self-improvement methods were founded on the principles of the pioneering work in hypnosis by Milton Erickson in the mid 70s and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) by Richard Bandler and John Grinder.

Forward thinking golf psychology coaches have been using these techniques for years to eliminate tension and anxiety, increase confidence, and get golfers "into the zone". These approaches work very well, and most of the successful PGA players use some variation of them everyday.There exists, however, a darker and very devious way to use these same tools to your advantage on the course.

The same way that you can create a positive peak state in yourself, you can also sabotage your unknowing opponents by creating doubt, insecurity, and frustration within them at will. Sounds like fun, eh?

Let's take anchors for example.

Traditionally, you would create an anchor to instantly put yourself into an emotional state... say a positive state of mind. You might simply imagine yourself in the past doing something incredibly well and feeling very confident. As you reach the peak of your confident state, you would do something unique... like tap your index finger and thumb together. After doing this several times, your brain will actually link up the action of touching those fingers together with a feeling of confidence. Then all you need to do is perform that action on the course to feel confident.That's all well and good, but the really exciting thing is that you can also negatively anchor other players!

For example, when your opponent misses a short putt and berates himself, it's obvious that he is in a negative mental state. At that moment, you can do something unique, like snap your fingers, hum a song, yawn - almost anything that is unique and is easily duplicated. You've successfully set a negative anchor.

Do that each time he flubs a shot, and the anchor will become even stronger. Fire that anchor off (perform the unique action) when your opponent is feeling fine - and watch what happens.Your opponent will return to that negative feeling associated with the anchor - and his performance will suffer.

Now that's the dark side of golf psychology!

Bill Gladwell of http://www.BlackOpsGolfer.com is a hypnotist and mind control expert based in Columbus, Ohio, USA. Black Ops Golfer is his new book released to the golfing public for the first time based on years of training in hypnosis, NLP, Energy Psychology, and mind control techniques. Visit his website for a free report - "The Art of Intimidation".

Learning From The Four Agreement

Are You Saved? - What Do You Mean by That?

Ask any Protestant "Are you Saved?" and he will say either yes
or no with an outside chance he would say "Yes but I am in a
backslided condition". Ask any Catholic if he is saved he
always says "I do not know."

To the Protestant, an answer of "I don't know" is absolute
proof that he is not saved.

Of all the very learned Catholic experts on justification and
the Catholic faith, they all seem to miss what "saved" means
to Protestants when they ask "Are you saved?"

I have been a "saved" Protestant since I asked Jesus to save
me when I was just a child of about five, some fifty plus
years ago. I may not have known any of the Catholic theology
of justification but I know what the question means, "Are you
saved?".

When I grew up, there was no classification as "Evangelical
Christians". Even though I first went to an Evangelical Free
Church, it was the name of the denomination coming from
Norway.

In fact the specific church was first called the Vroom Street
Norwegian Evangelical Free Church. "Vroom" was the name of the
street the church was on in Jersey City, NJ. The church
eventually dropped the word "Norwegian" from the name. The
word "free" had to do with not being a state church rather
than any theological meaning.

Back in 1957, I participated in the Billy Graham New York City
meeting where new converts came forward to get "saved".

I have recently started reading the Catholic Catechism and
have completed reading it through. I have also read a few
other Catholic books including Rome Sweet Home and Journeys
Home and some others.

I have difficulty understanding why Catholics cannot seem to
get the meaning of the Protestant's question of "Are you
saved?". It is quite clear that the Bible uses the word
"saved" to mean a number of different things depending on the
context. If you are sick and need to be healed, the phrase
"save the sick" clearly means to get healed of the sickness.
If your town is surrounded by enemy soldiers and friendly army
comes to "save you", that has nothing to do with the
Protestant question.

Salvation is like a train ride to heaven. The Catholic
doctrines hold that you are not saved until the train arrives
in heaven. The Protestants also agree that ultimate salvation
occurs when we arrive in heaven. Protestants hold that you
are saved when you first get on the train, at that point when
you first make your commitment.

Catholics do not use the word "saved" when you get on the
train because you can get off the train and never get to
heaven. The Protestants have three different concepts (held
by different groups) about getting off the train. The first
is that if you ever get off the train, that is evidence that
you were never on the train. That theory is called the
"perseverence of the saints". The second is that if you
"backslide", you still get to heaven but "by the skin of your
teeth" because they believe "once saved, always saved". The
third is that if you get off the train, you have to get back
on to either get saved again or restored to fellowship (again
different groups hold differently.)

In all cases, the Protestants hold that getting on the train
is a specific spiritual act which they call getting "saved".
The Protestant question of "Are you saved?" simply means "Did
you get on that train that will take you to heaven if you do
not get off it?".

The Catholic Catechism says that if you are not baptized, you
cannot pray the "Our Father" because God is not your father.
According to the Catholic Catechism, getting baptized is
becoming a child of God. That is being "born again". You are
born out of your mother's womb as your first birth and being
baptized is being spiritually born into God's family so you
can then call God your Father.

Protestants hold baptism to be an outward act that signifies
an inward experience. The Catholic doctrine does not separate
the outward act from the inward experience but combines them
using the term of "Sacrament" to indicate that the two
aspects, outward and inward, are both inseparable.

The Catholic Catechism states that the words said at baptism
must be "I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost." When I was baptized, some forty
plus years ago, the words said were: "Upon your statement of
faith, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost." The statement of faith was an
informal personal testimony that was given be each candidate
for baptism as he entered the baptismal.

The Catholic Catechism states that the Apostle's Creed is the
baptismal creed that all adult candidates must both affirm and
honestly believe in order for their baptism to be valid in the
sight of God.

While the Protestants consider the moment you first believe as
the point of salvation, when anyone affirms the Apostle's
Creed and honestly believes it, he cannot help but be "saved"
according to the Protestant's definition of the term "saved".

Thus when a Catholic is asked by a Protestant, "Are you
saved?" the answer must be a resounding "yes, definitely" and
then further affirm that salvation be reciting the Apostle's
Creed and tell the Protestant that you firmly believe every
word and you are no question a child of God and that God is
truly your Father.

Then feel free to wonder whether that Protestant will "stay on
the train" and make it to heaven and be ultimately saved
himself. Wonder it to yourself but do not say it out loud.

Doug Johnson has been writing and online publishing Christian and Social Conservative articles since the 1990's on http://www.IndependentChristian.org/

Doug has been a Bible believing Evangelical Christian since childhood. He has been received into fellowship with the Evangelical Free Church, the Plymouth Brethern, the Assembly of God, the American Baptist, and the Southern Baptist.

In the early 2000's, he was received into full communion with the Catholic Church after careful study of the Catholic Catechism and the Bible. He believes Catholics and Bible believing Protestants should build on what they have in common rather than looking at what is different.

He is presently helping to establish the Independent Christian On-Line Academy at: http://www.ICOLA.us

Doug has an online retail wallpaper business at: http://www.TheWallpaperPirate.com/

Doug is available as a consultant and or speaker. To reach him, use the Contact Us page at any of the above websites.

Goal Planning For Success

Education That Increases Human Misery

Human religions were started by charismatic or saintly personalities. They are perpetuated by other humans who are usually not as saintly as the founders. Since humans propagate all religions, they must contain errors. Further, even the primary percepts of the greatest of religions such as God, the soul and an afterlife cannot be proved through the scientific method. This too can lead a modern human to turn away from established religions. When a human moves away from beliefs of a religion, he or she may continue to believe in God in his own personal way or he may become an atheist. Deprived of reinforcements that a community can provide to its members, many who turn away from a religion become atheists or do not think of God often.

If a religion is full of poor practices moving away from it should be a good thing. However, along with that goes away a source of moral education. Thus we end up with more of the sort of behavior that produces misery in society. There is another reason for a weakening of morality in modern times. Many nations contain individuals of many different religious backgrounds. Therefore most modern governments are secular. In the past religion received support from governments but such support may be absent or peripheral in a secular government.

Modern educated persons may not believe in any religion but in public they often support moral and ethical behavior. Such a stance might be hypocritical because it does seem that without a belief in the principle of retribution by an all knowing Supreme Intelligence a human will commit an immoral act if it produces gain or pleasure provided he or she is assured of not being found out, if such a human does not believe in the punishment that God might deliver. He or she would be foolish not to. However, publicly such a person may continue to support moral behavior. Thus the sin of hypocrisy is added to other misery producing acts, increasing human misery even further. It does seem that unless a human believes, loves or fears a Supreme Intelligence from Whom nothing is hidden, not even thoughts, it will be impossible for a human to become a fully moral being.

Thus modern human society is faced with the dilemma of either conforming to a religion that appears to be ridden with defects or to live with immoral and selfish behavior that leads to an increase of human misery. Both are undesirable alternatives. Perhaps the solution lies in secular spiritualism. By secular spiritualism is meant a belief in some of the most fundamental and essential beliefs of spirituality that are common in most religions. These are the belief in the existence of a Universal Intelligence or God, The belief in a soul and afterlife and belief in retribution.

Secular Spiritualism can then be incorporated in educational curriculums so as to promote good behavior in society. The various other beliefs, rituals and practices of religions can be left to the individual and his family. Thus a Christian need not believe in reincarnation and a Hindu or Buddhist can continue to do so. Secular Spiritualism can be a sound basis for developing moral education curriculums in education institutions in order to produce societies that lead to an increase of human happiness. It must be included at all levels of education from the lowest to the highest. Higher education grants a human enhanced capability. If these enhanced capabilities are not combined with moral and responsible behavior then the capacity to undermine human happiness can increase greatly. As an example, it can result in a nuclear scientist who will go around selling nuclear technology to all and sundry that pays for it, endangering the security of mankind as a whole. Probably, it is something that has already happened.

Dr. Ashok Malhotra holds a doctoral degree in engineering from the University of British Columbia canada. For other articles by him related to secular spiritualism follow the link http://someitemshave.blogspot.com

My Alien Penfriend - Book Review - Children's

My Alien Penfriend by Faiz Kermani is a fun and unique science fiction fantasy book about a young boy on earth and his pen-pal on another planet. After joining a youth group that connects people across the universe, the boys write letters to each other and send them through spacemail, a futuristic version of email. These letters are used for a majority of the story telling technique employed by Mr. Kermani.

Life on the planet Bartoch is about to undergo huge changes. Governments refusing the advice of a controversial scientist pay for this mistake with many lives and utter destruction of communities. Worry for his friend sets in during a communication shutdown with the planet and the depth of their friendship takes on a whole new meaning for both boys.

My Alien Penfriend is an interesting tale of two boys ranging in age from 11-15 who learn from each other by comparing differences and similarities of each other's planets and in the process, they develop a strong intergalactic friendship that will last a lifetime.

Author Faiz Kermani is a scientist by trade, and My Alien Penfriend is his first children's book. A fan of Roald Dahl, George Orwell and John Steinbeck, his style certainly reflects a love for space and children. This illustrated children's book is tidy package at 94 pages and retails for under $12 (US).

Many parents may find themselves reminiscing about their own childhood pen-pals and the excitement they felt waiting for each letter. Educators can use the book to encourage pen-pal writing with youth in other countries and improve creative writing skills.

Author: Faiz Kermani
Publisher: Author House
ISBN: 1-4208-5860-2

~ Book Reviewer: Lillian Brummet - Co-author of the book Trash Talk, a guide for anyone concerned about his or her impact on the environment - Author of Towards Understanding, a collection of poetry. (http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit)

~ Lillian Brummet: co-author of the books Trash Talk and Purple Snowflake Marketing, author of Towards Understanding; host of the Conscious Discussions radio show (http://www.brummet.ca)

What if We Ask an Artificially Intelligent Computer to Create a Religion for Mankind?

So many humans find fault with their religion or other peoples chosen religion? Wars are often fought over nothing more than religion. Silly culture wars over religious tradition and perception often arguing over what is morally right to think, say eat, wear, believe or do. Yes human wars are fought over many things, but what if we prevented religious wars?

For the sake of philosophical argument; What if We Ask an Artificial Intelligent Computer to Create a Religion for Mankind? How could this be done you ask? Oh so now you are intrigued by the latest philosophical conversation at the Online Think Tank are you?

Well first so many religions have contradictions in them. For instance live a life of peace but join in battle against an enemy? All religions have at least some contradictions, perhaps they are not so well thought out? In the future Artificial Intelligent Computers will surpass human thinking and reasoning skills, could we then ask our AI computer to design us a religion everyone could get along with and adopt Planet Wide?

There are endless contradictions in the Bible I agree and it is too bad they did not use the Future; Microsoft Professional MS Word 55.0 (with Contradiction Checker and other AI features). But alas they were merely men trying to write the best air-tight case they could to enslave the minds of the masses for control. I'd say they did an excellent job, the trickery verbiage has worked for some 2000 years and from what I see here appears to be going strong still today.

Isnt it time to use technology to upgrade human religion? After all soon man will become God and create artificial intelligence that will surpass him. I certainly hope this article is of interest and that is has propelled thought. The goal is simple; to help you in your quest to be the best in 2007. I thank you for reading my many articles on diverse subjects, which interest you.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is an online writer in retirement.

Women in Midlife - How to Get the Love You Think You Want, or Anything Else - the Spiritual Answer

It's so easy to think that love has to come from somewhere outside ourselves.

In midlife, I finally discovered that I have to BE the person that I think I want to attract

To find out if this is an issue for you. See if you relate to what one woman over 40 once said:
"At 46 I've got three kids and four grandchildren. I also have three ex-husbands. Looking back, I realize I wasn't in love with any of these men. After my third divorce, many self-help books and some therapy, I now live by the motto, To thine own self be true. When I meet a new man, I review my list of qualities I'd like in a mate: Is he honest? Does he have a good relationship with his mother? Is he spiritual? Loyal? A good provider? I'm not interested in looks or money, but in where he's coming from. I don't have time to waste, and I don't want to grow old alone. What can I do to attract the love I desire and deserve?"

YOUR WORDS ARE IMPORTANT

It is possible that, like many other women in midlife, you are putting too much energy into not being alone. I suspect that the woman speaking above went into three relationships running from what she did not want, rather than claiming and creating what she desired. In the process, because she was focused on her fears, she proved them right. Whether you tell yourself, I'll never experience love, or wonder. Will I ever experience love? your words may lock you in to the very thing you desperately want to avoid. It's so important to move from fear to faith - starting with what you tell yourself.

I know a lot of people tell you that it's important to create a list of the characteristics you want in a partner. I disagree.

YOUR HEART ALREADY KNOWS

Yes, you should have expectations. But rather than an ink-and-paper list, create a vision that keeps you clear about what you want to experience in a relationship and what you are willing to give. Even though you may have a picture of the attributes you desire in a mate, when you meet a new man, these do not become the topic of dinner conversation. Never measure a man based on what he says. Open your heart, and observe your inner responses to him and his outer responses to you. When something is right for you, your heart will let you know.

If, your belief system is filled with fear, doubt and specifications, no man will measure up. Expectations always equal results and our expectations are often hidden.

THE BIGGER CHALLENGE

The bigger challenge comes when you expect to find love in a relationship. Relationships are not the breeding ground of love. They are experiences that allow us to share the love we have within. Loving yourself is always the key to experiencing love with another person. What will attract a partner - for all aspects of our lives - is the level and quality of love you exude to the world.

LOVE IS WHO YOU ARE

Love is a state of being. It's not a reward for being good or selfless or for becoming spiritually adept. Love is who and what you are, whether or not you have a mate.

Put your search on hold and take some time to grow into the experience of your own love. Ilyana Van zant once gave this advice about self- love. "It may be time for you to give yourself all the things you are looking for in a relationship: Spend time with you. Have long, endearing conversations with yourself. Send yourself cards and love letters. Get dressed in your finest, compliment yourself, and take yourself for a night on the town. Affirm and encourage yourself daily. As you begin to love, cherish and adore yourself, the universe will multiply your energy. In that process, men who love themselves will be attracted to your loving energy. In the meantime, I will hold you in the light of love. Be blessed!"

IT'S ALREADY YOURS

I'd like to urge you all to consider that whatever it is you think you want -- What you REALLY want are QUALITIES OF BEING - I refer to them as GOD qualities. We think we want something outside ourselves, when really we are longing to experience the qualities we actually already possess, whether its a mate, a new job or more financial security. We already possess : Abundance, Balance, Beauty, Freedom, Joy, Love, Order, Peace, Power, Unity, Wholeness and Wisdom.

And so, I would like to offer a support system for getting and keeping clear in your life an of focusing on the Qualities you already possess. When you subscribe to my free Women Reinvent Midlife newsletter, you'll receive a special report called, "7 Secrets for Reinventing Midlife from the Inside-Out" and lots of other wonderful support. You can get your copy right now at http://www.reinventmidlife.com

From Dr. Toni LaMotta, Midlife Reinvention Specialist and Spiritual Life Clarity Coach

Living With Limited Beliefs video for inspiration

Get off your butt and start your life in motion today.

Question Your Religion

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a motivation help library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Getting Up Earlier

Mark Twain's View on Christianity - Changing Christian Thinking

There is a popular saying from Mark Twain about Christianity. Mark Twain - "If Christ Were Here Now, There Is One Thing He Would Not Be, a Christian."

Giving this some thought and looking around at the people that view themselves as Christians got me to thinking. Do you think, if Mark Twain were alive today, he would have the same view towards Christians and Christianity as a whole? I wonder if Christ's vision of a better world or society is what's going on today. I read somewhere, where this over 33,000 different types of Christian religions, is this what Jesus had in mind over 2000 years ago.

I don't think Mark Twain was referring to Jesus as being a bad person and Christians not wanting to associate with him. I believe it's the other way around, Jesus was an exceptional person and believed in living a life as an example towards others with kindness, forgiveness and love.

Sometimes Christians get a little carried away when they start talking about loving their neighbors like they would themselves or asking for forgiveness while choosing not to forgive others. It's hard to imagine what Jesus would actually think of modern day Christians or even what he would think about Christianity over a hundred years ago.

I wonder what Jesus would have thought a thousand years ago about Christians. Mark Twain brings up a very good point, if Christ was here today, would he be happy. If you're living a life as a Christian and following in the footsteps of Jesus, you should be proud of yourself. If not, maybe you should start thinking about changing your ways.

If you are following the path of Christ, are you following a path that has been changed and manipulated to benefit organized religion and the advancement of Christianity, or are you following the true path of Jesus. Something to think about if you're planning on spending the rest of your life in the Christian religion.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing, marketing, and personal development. Check out one of his latest articles, What Is The Secret Of Life

Greg is currently working on a self help video library filled with great movies on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Neil Donald Walsch

Religious Fundamentalism Can Create Problems

Religious groups can easily justify their actions by using religious text to benefit and promote their beliefs. The Muslims can sling quotes out of the Quran to justify their treatment towards women as second-class or even third class citizens in society, often removing certain rights from them because they weren't born men.

Shouldn't these women be treated equally. This is where religious fundamentalism evolves into religious fanaticism.

Christians can often use the same tactics to justify their beliefs and Christianity. This list goes on and on and has created hardships in the past on some people in our civilizations and will continue to do so in the future. As long as people continue to turn a blind eye to evil religious and government leaders, atrocities will take place and some of them will even be supported by those who eventually will become accused are victims of their own wrongdoings.

Does anyone remember the Ku Klux Klan? If you live in the south eastern part of the United States, there is a very good chance that you have heard of them or even know someone who belongs to this organization. The Ku Klux Klan was responsible for hanging African Americans throughout the early 1900s to prove that the white race was superior to the race of black people. Their religious beliefs fueled them with righteousness.

If this going on anywhere in the world today, may be issues about abortion or gay marriage. It seems like an oxymoron, if we allow gay people to get married, we won't have to worry about the abortion issue.

Some Christians, but most Americans look at this as a shameful part of our American heritage. It's not something that most Americans would ever support today. I would like to point something out about the Ku Klux Klan, they started out as a Christian organization and made examples out of other white people who weren't conforming to their ideal Christian society.

There are stories of people that abused their wives and the Ku Klux Klan set them straight, one way or another. If it required beating the crap out of them or killing them, something needed to be done and they are morally obligated to perform the task as Christians. These people took their Christian beliefs to an extreme.

When are we as a country and the world going to start fighting religious fundamentalism at its core and stop the atrocities that are going on today, using religion to justify their wrongdoings.

Create Personal Power

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a self help library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Diy Bathroom Remodeling
Marianne Williamson

The Writer's Affirmation

All beginning writers dream of someday being published. It's the ultimate affirmation that says, "My work is good; I was right to believe in it!" However, many good writers give up too soon.

Did you know that J.K. Rowling's first Harry Potter book was rejected 10 times before finally being accepted by a publisher? Canfield and Hansen's Chicken Soup for the Soul was rejected (according to Canfield) more than 130 times before being picked up by a small Florida publisher, and we all know what happened after that! Dr. Seuss's first book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, was rejected by 27 publishing houses, and Seuss (Theodor Geisel) considered burning the manuscript. Fortunately, he didn't. Jane Austen's first novel, First Impressions, was rejected in 1797. She revised and retitled it (Pride and Prejudice) and finally sold it to a publisher who printed it in 1813.

If you've tried and tried, and don't want to wait 16 years, as Jane Austen did, self-publishing is a viable alternative. Many famous authors self-published their first books, including Tom Clancy, Zane Grey, D.H. Lawrence, Mark Twain, and Richard Nixon. Richard Nelson Bolles, author of What Color Is Your Parachute?, was a self-publisher.

Does "self-publishing" mean that an author writes, designs, prints, and promotes his book all by himself? No, of course not. It means that the author pays a publisher to design and print his book. He writes it and must promote it himself, sometimes with the help of a "promotion package," which he can purchase from the publisher. Self-publishing is often, but not always, a last resort for authors who have had numerous rejections from publishers who pay royalties. These authors believe their work is worthy of publication.

Vicki Lansky submitted Feed Me! I'm Yours to 49 publishers who turned it down. So she self-published it and sold 300,000 comb-bound copies. Bantam Publishing-attracted by success-then bought the paperback rights and sold another 500,000 books! That book was worthy, and the author knew it.

Karen E. Quinones Miller wrote Satin Doll, a book that was rejected by publishers 35 times. Quinones Miller decided to self-publish her book because she was convinced it was good. Through smart marketing and promotion, she personally sold 28,000 copies. That attracted Simon & Schuster Publishers, who then bought the rights - for six figures! - and republished it. Following that, Quinones Miller wrote four more novels for Simon & Schuster, all best-sellers.

M.J. Rose self-published her first novel, Lip Service, in 1998 after many rejections. She knew she was a good writer. Ten years later she is the celebrated author of 10 novels, including the acclaimed The Reincarnationist and, more recently, The Memorist.

When faced with multiple rejections, self-publishing can be an effective and satisfying option; and, as in the cases of Lansky, Quinones Miller, and Rose, an in-your-face affirmation! Don't give up.

Janet Litherland is the author of the novels, Song of the Heart, Vanished, Chain of Deception and Discovery In Time, as well as 10 nonfiction books, several collections of music/drama-related scripts, and numerous articles and stories for national publications. As former associate editor of Florida Hotel & Motel Journal, she contributed 78 feature articles to that magazine. She also has taught college extension courses in creative writing and has served as a seminar leader for writers' conferences. For more information, please visit http://www.janetlitherland.com