Did Jesus visit the Americas?

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Tai,
By "back to topic" do you mean your original question of what some of the KD Christians think of the book about did Jesus walk the Americas?
 
Yes.

I think some of the side topics and questions are very good and deserve their own threads. I also think some of it is very personal and might be better in private. A little thread wander is no big deal though on this or any thread.
 
Well,I've stated my thoughts on the original question.
I'll wander a little.
In the Bible we have more factual information about Jesus Christ than we'll ever be able to completely digest and understand.
I know some old men who have been studying the New Testament many years and they tell me that they are still discovering new truths about Christ and the will of God. I'm sure that we will not be able to know and understand it all until we get to heaven.
Having said that,I say,don't waste your time speculating about things that don't matter,spend your time learning things that matter the most.
To paraphrase C.S. Lewis. If Christianity is untrue it is of little consequence,if true,it is the most important thing in the world.
 
goldsmithy said:
Geprge. thank you very much for your simple answer to my questions. It helped me put some order to my thinking. I appreciate the information.

Of course, some of the replies led to other questions for me. For example, Calvin wrote..."Salvation through Jesus Christ!" The word salvation implies 'saving'. Saving from what? Are we talking about saving man's soul? The concept of heaven and hell?

When things slow down for me, I plan on reading the 'New Testament'. Maybe I can learn something :). ...Teddy
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It is always good to go back to the source for definitions...
The greek word translated as 'salvation' is sōtēria, which means welfare, prosperity, deliverance, preservation, salvation, safety.
Saves us from the curse (fallen man's slavery to the enemy and sin) into the blessing (God's favor and mercy). It applies as much to this life as the next one. When I accepted Jesus as my savior, I was delivered from a lifelong state of depression and despair and given peace and joy in its place. My life changed, and so did I. My motive to leading others to salvation is not only for them to go to heaven, but for them to enjoy that release from bondage in this life.
 
goldsmithy said:
I can see that I will have a lot of reading to do to catch up to you guys...that's why I am asking questions. So, my next one is: Can man lead a 'Godly' life, leading to salvation of the soul, without an organized religion? Is it possible for man to lead a 'Godly' life so that salvation in not required?

The reason I ask is that, in collage, I took a course in comparative religions. It seemed that the religions I studied all led to the same result,i.e. directions to lead a 'Godly life". Unfortunately, all the sermons in my religion seemed to deal with how much $ I should contribute to the building fund, the education fund, or some other $ based fund. I was looking for how to lead a good life, so I never went back and just made God my best friend. When I walk outside on a sunny morning, I say 'Thank you God". When I am in a financial crunch and something happens to alleviate it, I say "Thank you God". I look around and am thankful for everything He has given me and I thank Him often---just not in a church. ...Teddy
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Yes, it is possible to be saved without organized religion. The problem is, none of us can live as Godly as we should live, it is impossible to meet God's standard of righteousness, we all fall short. We all are sinners, therefore we all deserve the wages of sin, which is death. Even under the old covenant, when a man sinned, blood was required, and a sacrifice was demanded. The truth is, no amount of animal sacrifice was sufficient. A better sacrifice was required, and we were not up to it. The good news is (btw, 'gospel' means good news), God loves us so much that he gave us a perfect sacrifice which, if we will believe it and accept it, is able to once for all cleanse us from sin and make us right with Him. Is organized religion necessary, no. Is accepting the sacrifice of Jesus, absolutely.

All other religions teach that if you follow these basic rules and live as good a life as you can, God will 'make up the difference'. The truth is, good as you can is not good enough. We need a savior. The primary purpose of the law of Moses was to teach us this, that man cannot save himself. We need a savior. The good news is, God has supplied, and invites us all to to be reconciled to him through Jesus Christ. He took the punishment we deserved, paid the price for sin in full, and all we have to do is believe it and accept it. Then, He comes in and makes us live better by accident than we ever could on purpose...:)

That's the book of Romans in a nutshell, the first 8 chapters anyway....

We come together as a church to learn, to build up and be built up, and to celebrate this wonderful thing God has done for us. Religion doesn't really describe true christianity very well.

I apologize Tai for getting off track of the original subject, but the questions needed to be answered.
 
I agree with One. This discussion could go on for years. I want to thank you gentleman for your welcome responses. Now, back to the topic at hand. ...Teddy
 
I appreciate the civility among all of you.
however...
This is not a forum for theological debate and while a thread like this isn't a problem to me or any of you, it is going to attract those that bash religion for their own amusement or agenda.

We are a knife forum that has set aside a small area to allow Christian Fellowship and celebration among its members.

Thanks for your understanding.
T
 
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