Faith or Religion, Which is More Important?

Faith outranks Religion, any day of the week.

Hey folks,

OK. Back on Sunday, September 04, 2011 I Posted THIS, OPNTalk - It Is NOT a Crime To Be a Christian Politician I said this.

Getting really tired of the complete BS and outright attacks from the Left on Christians. I really am. It is ALWAYS an Open Season on Christians. The Press openly attack us. The Left attack us. Jokes are made at our expense. Our President calls us Bitter Clingers. We are called Stupid. We are called Racists. We are called Chauvinistic, Homophobes. Jews are not too far behind us.

Yet? Ask a question about Islam? Can't do that. There are laws against it. There are laws against attacking ANYONE'S Religious Views. Ask questions about ANY Religion, other than Christianity, you will be held accountable. Christianity? ALWAYS Open Season. Forget the laws. Forget even imagined decorum. Just let it rip. Question them about their Faith and why they feel they do. Denounce their beliefs. Quiz them on what you may INCORRECTLY see as Biblical Inconsistencies or Contradictions. There are none. I repeat, NONE. Simply a lack of understanding. However, ask a Muslim why they feel it necessary to strap a bomb to themselves and blow up innocent people? COMPLETELY OFF LIMITS. YOU RACIST! How dare you ask that question. Right?

Why do Catholic worship Mary, kneel before the Pope, and have IDOLS, when the Bible says there is but ONE mediator between you and God, and he is IN you. Have no other Gods before God, and do not worship IDOLS. Yet? Just asking those questions, I will be called Anti-Catholic. A Sinner and a heathen. Right?

If I asks why Jews do not believe in Jesus, who was a Jew, called King of the Jews, HONESTLY asking why, I'm called an Anti-Semite. If I ask how anyone can believe in Reincarnation, I must be Racist. I do not accept Hinduism, Jainism, or Sikhism. I must HATE Indian people. Right?

Hell, if I tell the TRUTH, that Evolution MINUS God, is Scientifically IMPOSSIBLE, I'm called stupid, hateful, and closed minded. Something can not come from Nothing. It really is just that simple. Then if you get past that, how can Cold Blooded, Warm Blooded, everything from Trees to Mosquitoes all come from ONE Cell? They CAN'T. But yet, I'm stupid. I'm Insane. Yet, there are some who spend their ENTIRE Life fighting against something they do not even believes Exists, God. Who's Crazy?

Now I'm not advocating the denouncing of, or the attacking of, ANYONE'S Religion. I do not advocate the RESTRICTION on ANYONE'S First Amendment RIGHT of Freedom OF Religion. As long, of course, that does not include MURDERING Innocent People. There is NO WALL. We ALL have a RIGHT to Practice our Faith ANYWHERE and at any time we choose to. To this day, Congress is started with a Prayer. The Ten Commandments hang on the Wall of the Supreme Court, this is NOT a Secular Nation. We are a Nation to begin with for Religious Freedom. Now Atheists have done a pretty good job at rewriting the First Amendment, and American History, but that doesn't make it true.

It went on a bit, but it initiated a few Emails and three comments on the Comment section. One, and some similar in the Emails, I want to deal with here today. I have talked about this before, actually a few times, but it is one of those things that need to be repeated from time to time for those that may be new here, or just getting to know me. I do this in the attempt to help you understand better my perspective on these matters.

Some of you know that in the early years of my life I was on a quest. A quest for the Truth. Still am. Always. In my late Teens and early Twenties, I started looking into Faith and Religion. Back then, I examined in detail Judaism, Catholicism, Christianity, Many different denominations of all three. Hinduism, Buddhism, some of the more the mystical Faiths.

Some I can conceive. Some are a bit out there for me. I understand that there is Truth in many. Problem with many, is that you have to wade through a bunch of man-made Traditions, which in some cases, nullifies the Truth, to get to the Truth. Jesus himself warned us of this.

6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

10 For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:

11 But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.

12 And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;

13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye. Mark 7:6-13

Many other places Jesus points out the Difference between Faith and Traditions of Men, Matthew 7:21-23, John 8:31&32 /37-59, Romans 8, Just to name a few. I found this to be true, by actually spending time in various forms of Religion.

Now I know that I'm trying to cram a Lifetime of reasoning into a couple of paragraphs here, but I'm doing this for a reason. I want you to understand that the ONLY thing God cares about, is YOU. Your one on one relationship with HIM. He doesn't care if you eat meat on Fridays, wash your hands, abstain from Alcohol, or how many feet you walk on the Sabbath {2,000 cubits or about 1,000 yards} He doesn't care how many Sundays you miss of Church. He cares about YOU and HIM. He also Condemns NO ONE to Hell.

Not kidding. Hell first comes into being for Lucifer and a third of the Angels that chose to follow him. Hell, was never intended for Mankind. "But what about the story of the Rich Man?" I'll get to that in a second.

So you have God. Creates the Heavens and the Earth. Creates all that is on the Earth. Creates Mankind. Gives the Earth TO Mankind. Mankind chose to follow the works of Lucifer, and the Heart of man becomes evil continuously. God nearly wipes out all his creation save one Man found favor. Because of Noah, Mankind is spared. Then God so loved the World, Mankind, that he gave us his only begotten Son so that we may cry Abba Father. Translated? Daddy. Through the adoption of the Spirit. That's it? It really is that simple.

You ask. You receive. Accept what Jesus did for you. You are washed clean. You are saved. But the CHOICE is yours. You see. THAT is the key. You CHOOSE. We are all Sinners. We all are worthy of death. We can NEVER be good enough to go to Heaven on our own. God knows that. Jesus is the answer to this. His blood for your blood. His death for your death. His Resurrection for your eternal life. Nowhere in the Bible, including the Rich Man, does it say God simply condemns you. As a matter of fact, Romans 8:33 & 34

33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.

34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

God is not some hate filled old fart sitting on a throne waiting to throw you in Hell if you disobey him. He tells us this. He is not one that keeps a tally of the Rules and Regulations you may violate of YOUR Chosen Religion. Traditions of men matter not to Him.

Then the Word, or Bible, also tells us about the White Throne Judgement. This tells us that those that are in Hell, the unbelievers, are then cast out and placed before God. Hell is temporary. He will then Judge those. I feel, MY OPINION, is that you will have one last chance at this time to accept Christ's Sacrifice. God told us the truth.

“… I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days …” Deuteronomy 30:19.

The Rich man chose Money. He chose the best worldly things in life over God. The Poor man had nothing more than Faith. The Rich Man stored up his treasures here. The poor Man his treasures in Heaven. He got the reward. All a matter of choice.

You can CHOOSE to reject God. You can CHOOSE to not believe in Him. But none of that matters. Like Gravity, God IS. You can choose to accept Gravity, or reject it. You can choose not to believe it exists. But Gravity doesn't care who you are. It doesn't care WHAT you are. It doesn't care where you come from, how much money you got. It treats EVERYONE equally. Go up to a high place and step off? You will fall to your death. Did Gravity kill you because you rejected it? No. YOU did. You condemned yourself for not believing in it.

God is the same. He doesn't care who you are. He doesn't care WHAT you are. He doesn't care where you come from, how much money you got. He treats EVERYONE equally. It's all up to you. YOU have the key. It is FAITH. YOU have to have faith in Him and His Word, Faith in the Truth. Faith that it IS the Truth.

Religion is GREAT. Do not get me wrong here. The Hungry get fed. The Homeless find Shelter. The Naked get Clothed. People of like Mind and Faith come together and strengthen each other. I have no problem with any of that. But if you ask me which is more important, Faith or Religion, Faith outranks Religion, any day of the Week.
Peter

Sources:
OPNTalk - It Is NOT a Crime To Be a Christian Politician
OPNTalk - Mayflower Compact and Other Founding Documents
OPNTalk - IWA For Sunday 051610