World Religions: Why Are There So Many? The Imposters. Update.

 

For “Scripture Sunday”:

World Religions: Why Are There So Many?

“Where did all the world religions come from? Do all good people receive the same reward, or is there only one way to eternal life?

“Many of us did not choose our religion. Most likely, we were born into a family that guided our religious understanding, or we were brought up in a country that shaped our beliefs and patterns of worship.

Yet proving that our belief is correct compared to others can be a daunting task. Factions and divisions exist within every religious group, large or small. Millions have been slaughtered over the centuries in the name of “righteous warfare,” as various religions battled any who believed differently.

Religion is supposed to be the way to peace in this life as well as the path to a peaceful afterlife. But life here on earth has not been peaceful. The history of religion confuses many, even causing them to turn away from religious beliefs altogether.

This is true of many who lived through the butchery in the name of God in World War I. Troops on both sides—many belonging to the same denominations—prayed for victory, presumably to the same God.

The attack on faith worsened with the next generation, which fought World War II. How could a religion that comes from God cause and condone such suffering? Hitler thought he was serving God by persecuting the Jews. The destruction of faith has been an unspoken fatality of war.

Do you realize that there is an evil spirit that would love to have you and everyone else stop believing in God? Evil spirits are popular themes in entertainment today, but few people realize that such spirits truly exist. If you are unaware of this invisible force working against the true faith, notice this warning:

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil [the chief evil spirit or demon] walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world” (1 Peter 5:8-9).

Hold your ground!

How do you hold your ground in this spiritual battle if you are not even sure about your faith? The first step is to determine that God truly exists. The next step is to determine whether He has provided us with any means of guidance. That is, has our Creator told us what He expects of us? Has He told us why He created us, where we are going, what our ultimate potential is? Has He revealed a way of life for the present, as well as one that prepares us for the afterlife?

If we truly seek God, we can prove to ourselves that God exists. Likewise, we can prove that the Bible is His revelation to mankind. God inspired various writers over 1,500 years to record in Scripture what He wanted us to know. The Creator miraculously caused the preservation of these inspired manuscripts, so that humankind would have the knowledge we require to fulfill the purpose of our existence.”

Complete article at: http://lifehopeandtruth.com/change/the-church/world-religions/

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The Imposters

An Amazing Fact: “The common cuckoo bird is known as a “brood parasite.” A brood parasite is a bird that will trick another bird into raising its young. For example, the female cuckoo will spy on the nest of a small bird, such as a reed warbler. At the appropriate moment, the cuckoo hen flies down to the reed warbler’s nest, pushes one of the eggs out of the nest, lays an egg, and flies off. The whole process is achieved in only about 10 seconds. Amazingly, the cuckoo egg very closely resembles the eggs of their chosen host. The dedicated reed warblers unwittingly incubate, feed, and raise the young imposter, usually at the expense of their own genuine young. A cuckoo may visit as many as 50 different nests in a breeding season, each time leaving one of its own eggs for others to hatch and care for.

The cuckoo chick typically hatches before the natural ones and then commences to push the other eggs out of the little nest. One of the tragedies of nature is when you see a pair of reed warblers working themselves to death to satisfy the voracious hunger of a fat cuckoo chick that might be three times their size. Meanwhile, if the other eggs have managed to hatch, the starving little warbler chicks are usually pushed out of the nest by the cuckoo chick!

Many people do not realize that the devil, like the cuckoo bird, has laid an egg in the Christian church that has been hatched, adopted, and fed until it has grown bigger than life. The Bible says Satan’s ministers can “transform themselves into ministers of righteousness” (2 Corinthians 11:15). And Jesus warned about “false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15).

That’s one reason it’s so important that we avoid trusting in other humans, no matter how “good” they seem. Even a person of good intentions may lead you in the wrong direction. Prominent leaders can err, and have often failed to live up to what is right. In the words of the old hymn—“I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.” Only God is worthy of our complete and total trust.
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. 2 Corinthians 11:14-15”

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Update:

Still working on the guest house bit by bit.  Roy can’t do as much as he would like because he suffers from Acid Reflux and is steadily losing weight.  He is going to have esophagus surgery next month.   Also taking my other neighbor for his doctor appointments.  There have been so many things going on around here.

My foster cats had to be taken into the next town, Conroe, to get their annual rabies shots.  They hate going anywhere and it was not easy to get them in their carriers.  A crawling dive under the bed to scruff a cat is not easy for me, especially when there are two of them.  Dropped some more things off at the consignment shop and donated more to another thrift shop.

We live in the country, but Moe, the lost dog, was picked up in the city of Willis by the dog catcher.  I found him on Petharbor.com where I have been looking for him for the last three months.  The neighbor who owns him and I went straight to Conroe and picked him up.  We never thought that we would see him again, and my prayers were answered.  Now he will be micro-chipped in case he gets stolen again.

For the Sabbath, the Bible readings were Num. 30:2-32:42, Jer. 1:1-2:3, Matt. 5.33-37, and the Teaching was about “Love is a Fullfillment of the Law”.  Then lots of good food and fellowship in the dining hall.  As I don’t really care for rice, I am so surprised when I take a crockpot full of a rice and meat dish and it is gobbled up just about right away.

It was terrible getting in the hot car afterwards, even with the sunshades up on the windsheild and both side windows, as it was a very hot day.