Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: jrossi@jato.jpl.nasa.gov (Joe "Bart" Rossi) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: We really can pray together (gulf crisis, spiritual help for peace) Message-ID: Date: 18 Sep 90 08:48:51 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Jet Propelled Lab - Pasadena CA Lines: 56 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article johnw@stew.ssl.berkeley.edu (John Warren) writes: >As for other theists or new-agers or agnostics or deists or whatever: it >may be ironically and tragically true that they live in God's presence as >much as the average Christian does. However, the Christian who lives by >faith (i.e., faith as a working principle, not just a belief) has the >promise of the Holy Spirit, the comforter. Jesus promised that to no >one else. That, however, is not to say that no one else can receive >the Holy Spirit: I don't know, and I wouldn't rule out the possibility >of a *few* non-Christians receiving Him. But the only guarantee of >being able to be close to God, and feeling and knowing that closeness, >is by going through the narrow door, i.e., following Jesus Christ. If God loves us so much why does he make it so hard for us to come to him. Why isn't he more accessible? >I don't judge you or belittle your experience. In fact, I praise >God you have it. But my purpose is to point people to the only sure way. I would argue our purpose is to let God's Love flow through us, to let God live in us, and thus draw people to God's Love by living it. Pointing out the only sure way is tricky. Do you point to Catholic Church and its emphasis on ritual, or do you point to John Calvin? Do you point to Luther, or just to your favorite charismatic church. Do you point to the Bible, and if you do, do you point to the Apocrypha? Problem is, pointing to Christ in this context ends up a direction to a set of beliefs, and not necessarily to Christ. IMHO, of course. One of way of pointing to Christ is to live Christ i.e. 1) eat and drink with sinners 2) be forgiving 3) be loving 4) be grateful to God 5) verbally attack judgementalism and religious hypocrisy 6) be a peacemaker 7) be willing to be killed for what you believe and if you can swing a miracle or too, it might add to your credibility, but then again you may accused and/or attacked as a false prophet or anti-Christ, and if things get really hairy, you'll end up having to do #7. You'll have to get used to being called a heretic, a blashphemer and other nasty words. Incidentally, I am now of the persecuted. There is a certain police chief who thinks that my type out to be taken and shot. I don't make this statement lightly, but it is an errie feeling knowing that there are some who just as soon kill you. love, Joe -- "The affirmation of one's own life-the acceptance of one's destiny as it manifests itself in each moment-is the supreme act of faith."