Joshua

Obviously there's not a perfect one out there as without flaw but I think there is one that is ideal for you. However, I think because so many people do lower their standards that they make themselves people who will go after anyone, and by making themselves accessible to all they minimize what makes them unique and capable of finding that special person. And if they do find them they've become someone who won't value the relationship anyway, someone who, quite simply, can't be a part of a meaningful relationship because of who they have become. I would say because of this two people who were ideal for each other and who do remain in a state where they can have a loving, meaningful relationship, the best possible for them, is a very, very rare thing. And I believe that once you have met that special someone you will be utterly persuaded from then on that they are the right one, whether it be 7 minutes or 7 years from now, and you will have no desire to seek anyone else since you'll believe you've already found the right one. Hmm... on further retrospect, I think you have to have a certain state of heart so that when you do meet the right one you are capable of returning love as well as commitment, if you can't do that then the relationship never had a chance to be the "perfect" one since you will not treat it correctly in the first place. So many people come about with the idea that dating relationships are for merely physical pleasure and I think when you are looking primarily for the physical you are not going to find anything deeper then that... And I think there has to be a capability for love in you, or the ideal person for you will be someone who won't love you anymore then you love others.

My name is Joshua and I've looked at its meaning before. I believe it means "Jehovah is salvation" and is another form of "Jesus" which means "God with us" I'm going to try finding info on it real quick to see if I was right... According to Webster's it's "Help of Jehovah" and is an alternate spelling of both Jesus and Yehoshua. (where my id comes from ) According to this it's "Yahweh is salvation" https://www.yahoo.com/ According to this it's of Hebrew origin and means "Jehovah saves" http://www.nickelodeonparents.com/ According to this it's "Jehovah is salvation" http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/1/Joshua Oh... and I really like my name btw Particularly because of the meaning. David is my middle name and according to Webster's means "beloved", I like it also because it too is related to a great warrior who also served God. And finally my last name is Zambrano which I also like since I'm a pitcher and it's a good name for a pitcher

Fine, just don't expect me to believe any scientific evidence from sites with a theme on the religion of evolution then either If you don't want to look at the info I present you merely by what it brings to the table please do not expect me to do otherwise for yours. What other Messianic movements are there that have provided miracles as proof? Mohammed is the only one that's garnered any kind of a following and that as a prophet, not the Messiah. Furthermore, he neither claimed to do miracles nor to be sinless knowing he couldn't back such claims up. That's another thing that makes Christ unique, He claimed to be utterly without sin (according to the Old Testament Law) and even His enemies couldn't prove otherwise, even though He grew up in their midst. I don't know of anyone else in the history of the world who could make such a claim and get away with it. Members of His own family including His earthly brother James even accepted this. If anyone knows your faults and foibles it's your family... James not only accepted this and that He was God, but was one of the many to die a painful death for His sake. The thing with feet you will find anywhere with royalty, when you bend the knee or bow you obviously have to use your feet somewhere along the line, it is simply related to abasing oneself in the presence of one acknowledged as a greater. And as Christ told the Pharisees, only those without sin have the right to execute judgment according to the Old Testament Law, including stoning, meaning no one but God has that right. It is why only God has the right to forgive sins as well, since only He is sinless and the one being sinned against by sins, and why the Pharisees accused Him of blasphemy for forgiving sins. Again with the rock-throwing stuff you assume sinners have the right to execute judgment, it is that same false assumption that will bring upon such as the Catholic Church such great condemnation and punishment at the final Judgment.

Ah, so THIS is why they call it the Photoshop "Arena" !!!

I voted for love but actually the first thing that popped into my head would be wisdom, or a desire for truth. I was surprised it wasn't an option. Here's my reasoning for wisdom: If you have wisdom or a desire for truth, you will seek out truth and find it. This is the key to life and death, finding truth. As the Bible says, you can be ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. (2 Timothy 3:7) Truth and wisdom are there to be seen but if you don't have them or the desire for them within yourself you will be unable to find them. The poor often possess more wisdom and knowledge of truth precisely because they aren't blinded by material things, and vanity, and seek after the things which are unseen rather then those seen. The rich see how much they have and think themself something when they are nothing, they think they have it all yet can in reality not be as rich as someone with far less material goods. God has chosen the weak of this world to show forth His wisdom and truth to bring to nothing the things which appear most mighty, for then it is most evident it is His hand at work and not the person's. Children can be more wise and find more truth then the aged for they seek with earnesty, not thinking they know everything. They can seek the things which truly matter, not yet having been caught up in the world and the things which are finite. The humble follow it for they can admit when they are wrong, and seek truth rather then to be shown right. The uneducated seek it knowing they are in need of it rather then thinking they don't, like the privileged and learned. The privileged and learned find it to easy to grow vain and conceited, thinking they have so much and are in need of nothing. It can be most hard to find the things worthwhile if you come with the mindframe that you have already found them. I don't know about it being in the bowels of the earth or it having anything to do with some philosopher's stone however. Obviously however it does have to do with philosophy and nobility. Now why wasn't wisdom one of the answers?

First of all, I think there's a basic misunderstanding here of how hate is wrong. Hating others is wrong, hating things other than people is not. If we don't hate ideas, institutions, etc... then do we really believe there is anything good if we don't believe there is anything bad? The Bible says hating people is wrong, and sin, it says hating evil is a good thing. If we are talking about hate in the sense of hating other people only then yes, that is wrong, and unnecessary for man's existence. If people never hated anyone else, this life would actually be a lot nicer. You say it's necessary for population control but this world still has a lot of space for people, it's mostly just that we build too many individual homes rather then mass living spaces because we want personal space and not have to put up with other people. If everyone cared about everyone else... this world might just be perfect! I think hatred of others is being used as an excuse here, that we need it to be protected from others, self-defense, but if you take it out of the equation then what do you need to be protected from for the safety of man's existence?

Well, I was referring to one specific ancestor I recall reading about that has been used as proof recently that actually had a larger skull, particularly the back area, then that of humans. However, most of the supposed human ancestors do in fact have smaller cranial cavities which is against them and does suggest they are only apes: http://www.godrules.net/evolutioncruncher/2evlch18a.htm As for the time frame used, that again is assuming the Bible is incorrect, something no one has ever been able to prove, since the Bible states that man was made a mature being not gradually formed over a long process, and that it was done in our 24 hour day. The Israelites referred to Jehovah-God as "Yahweh", the Father-mother God. God is simply a Spirit and I see no reason to believe He has a gender. However, He did come in the form of man so I guess maybe that's why He's referred to as such? Christ said He is the way, the truth, and the life, and the only way to the Father, He did not make allowances for any other way to be right. It is recognized that some of the greatest teachings in the world's history have come from Christ, including the Sermon on the Mount, but because of things He has said, that He is the Son of God, that He existed before Abraham, that He and the Father are one, we are left with only 3 choices, as C.S. Lewis says. (I don't quote the following because it's only as I recall it, not the exact wording, only general ideas along with my reasoning) 1) We can call Him a liar -Yet what liar ever died for His lies? Again there are both the teachings and the miracles which even His greatest opponents, some of the most learned men of their time and rulers of one of the greatest world empires if not the greatest to have ever existed, could not refute. 2) We can call Him a lunatic, on the level of a man who says He's a poached egg -Yet again, there is the witness of His teachings and miracles, as well as the hundreds of fulfilled prophecies. 3) We can fall at His feet and worship Him as Thomas did, as Lord and God. But as C.S. Lewis says, let us not come about with this nonsense about Him being a great teacher, for He hasn't left us that option. As for offending people, if no one ever gets offended by us then we're not standing up for what we believe in. If we just try to agree with everyone then we stand up for nothing. It's not my job to not offend people, it's my job to speak the truth in Christ and the Gospel. If people don't want to hear it then they can just ignore the topic. Also, I didn't create this topic a new one, I did simply reply to it, which is what I try to do whenever possible.

New Balance is the best :PI'm a sprinter and New Balance is about as good as it gets for running shoes. They're very comfortable, durable, and ideal for sprinters. An interesting side note about them, in all boxes I've seen with them before they have this note attached to the shoes about how they support US jobs and all their jobs are in the US. Pretty cool B)I don't know of any other industry that makes such a conscious effort to protect US jobs, so... if you're mad at all the jobs going overseas, there finally is at least this one thing you can do, supporting New Balance. Anyway, I love wearing my New Balance shoes, 410 models btw. I've had several pairs of New Balance shoes before, used to wear Everlast brand ones before finding out about New Balance and greatly prefer New Balance. I can really fly in them and the balance is really good in them, I like to have very good balance at all times *shrugs* If I'm just going out in the yard or taking out the trash, or running some errand to a store or something, I'll more and more frequently just slip on some sandals since they don't take much time to put on or take off.

God isn't just omnipotent, He's also just. By all rights He should let us suffer the consequences of our disobedience, because He is loving He has come already and paid the price for our sins. He did work miracles, He did teach the world, and He even rose from the dead, yet still people didn't believe, any more then they will today. This period of human history is one in which God has given mankind a chance to choose Him or refuse Him. It's like a guy who loves a girl very much, but even still if she will refuse him unless he begs and goes down to her level he won't do it. He wants her to love her because she chooses to, not because she has to. And if she won't love him then he can walk away knowing he left it up to her, one way or another he can be resolved. This is how it is with God. He's done enough already to "make the relationship work" and ultimately it's simply our choice to choose Him or refuse Him. This is the crossroads for every human being, we choose Him or reject Him. He allows these things to happen in the world because if He didn't we wouldn't be choosing Him out of love but because we have to and know His awesome power. He will change the world and make it perfect, but He is first giving us the chance to choose Him. If we don't then He will reject us as we have rejected Him, and if we choose Him we become His children who may spend eternity with Him. As for how the universe was created, where did the building blocks for it come from? The Law of Biogenesis says all life must start with life. I think some of the most crucial answers are being avoided here. As for your closing comments, I guess there's yet another distinct differences between what we both believe: You believe man is getting smarter and "evolving", I believe man is getting less intelligent and weaker. We only lose 10% of our brains now, is it possible that those skeletons of supposed human ancestors had larger cranial cavities because they were actually more intelligent, not less? A slightly bulkier body could also explain longer life spans to an extent. Interesting to think about. Notice from BuffaloHELP: Merged double posts. You MUST report it to moderators to merge/edit your post when you double post. Click on REPORT and write detailed entry to add/edit your post. This is a MUST! Warning will be given next time. Hmm... it should be "difference" not "differences" and I meant to say "use" pertaining to our brains, not "lose".... No edit function.... *sigh*

When you say there are no good or bad religions you automatically assume that religion is about what "works" for you... By that standard then, Christianity is not a religion. It is not about helping you cope with life or making life easier, it's not about becoming a better person or more spiritual. Christianity is about getting in a right relationship with God and growing in that relationship, and escaping the penalties for our sins through God's infinite mercy. I always looked at religion as simply a philosophy on which way holds the truth about eternity and the things that really matter. Obviously not all views or philosophies can be correct. Again however, Christianity is not based around a philosophy, it is based around a person, Jesus Christ, and where our relationship stands with Him.

I guess that's the difference between religion in general and God, period. Religion changes; we change. God does not change.

Umm... what's this have to do with the Bible? Btw, if you want free Bible software you can get this awesome online Bible software that has a great search feature, commentaries, and lets you go into the Greek and Hebrew original texts, among other things: The free demo can be downloaded here and having the full version (bought it at a summer camp a few years ago) I know that it's the exact same thing but with only a few of the many commentaries and topics that the full version has, but otherwise the essential features are the same. Very, very good! Hmm... I should start a topic in the freebies section on this http://powerbible.com/

Reminds me of this:

I think essentially the whole point isn't about whether the Matrix is real but rather talking about the feelings of paranoia concerning whether we can trust our perceptions and what is real. I remember thinking before I got saved (8 years ago or so now) that life just seemed like a dream and that sometimes you couldn't tell dreams from reality. Sometimes it feels like the line between what is real and what isn't seems to blur, I remember thinking, and I think this topic is more about pondering why that could be the case.

A religion is what you live your life by. I live my life by my personal relationship with Jesus Christ and His Word, the Bible. I guess that's the technical definition for a Christian. I do read the Bible, often... Yes, I know that human beings exist, I have it from a very reliable source... I believe God created man in a literal 24 hour period and that if there have been any changes it has simply been minor adaptations over the years which do not change the species. I believe what the Bible says that there is a life after death and know the Holy Spirit since He dwells within me. I think most people would admit there is such a thing as a soul even as I do, and yes I do believe in demons. As for reading the Bible without understanding, if you are making that statement to the born again believer as well as the unsaved, then you are dead wrong. Jesus Christ is not a false prophet, He is a true one, and more then that, He is the only begotten Son of God, the Messiah and Saviour of all who come to Him, Alpha and Omega, He who existed in the beginning with the Father, who is in the sense we think of : Now I have some questions for you, my friend. Do you believe that Jesus is the only person you need to know to reach Heaven? That if someone didn't know about Mary or popes or priests or anything else but Jesus Christ that they could find eternal life? Do you believe that anyone else but Jesus can be perfect in this life? And finally, do you believe that it is faith in Christ's finished payment on the cross that saves you and not anything you can do, such as baptism, good works, saying certain prayers, or performing certain rituals?

I'm just pointing out that ultimately you have to believe something or someone always existed. If there was never anything how could anything ever exist? Nothing would mean there could never be anything since there would be nothing to make anything with.

Great post, MOS. Btw, the administration here wants us to start putting even Bible verses in quotes (kind of weird, I know), just so you know for future notice. There are some things I would add for the born again Christian (that's assuming you are no longer an enemy of God and are reconciled to Him through Christ's finished payment on the cross): -For Others: Sometimes trials happen to further the Gospel and prove an encouragement and blessing for others. As you can see below, Paul rejoices that trials have come upon him since they mean the Gospel goes forward and more souls are won. Trials aren't always for our benefit only. -Privilege: Suffering for Christ as He suffered for us to show our love for Him is a privilege we will have only in this life and not the next. And also, it can bring Him glory. -Reward: The sufferings in this finite life can mean eternal rewards in the infinite life. Note also that temptations (not problems in general) do not come from God since God can't be tempted with evil and doesn't tempt anyone, but people are tempted through their own lusts. Sin or the rebellion/disobedience towards God's laws is not something God wants anyone to do, and He doesn't want anyone to perish or not find eternal life. -Chastening: This goes along with perfecting, and is done to make us "partakers of His holiness" and for our "profit." -Comfort: While it may not be a reason for trials coming upon us, God does comfort us in them and so we know how to comfort others as well. In other words, enduring trials helps us better to able to help others through their trials as well. -Disobedience: Trials and sufferings came into the world through the willful disobedience and rejection of God's plan by mankind. Dwelling in sins will have consequences, if you touch a stove you will get burned. Also, with the Christian, God will not suffer their temptations to be more then they can bear, and will basically monitor things so that they never get more then they can handle. Again however, until we repent of our sins, ask God for forgiveness, and trust solely in His payment to be enough rather then any other anyone else can make, we are His enemies, and under His wrath. (Romans 5:10) Notice from serverph: fixed quote tags missed. removed blank lines. please use the preview button to review post before posting. directive to include bible verses in code is made because we don't want to give other members the impression that we are giving you, jzyehoshua, undue advantage over the hosting credits system because you are lifting bible quotes without putting them in quote tags. this i have explained to you in private message (copy-furnished to admins nilsc and opaque), but i'm making it public for making it appear that it is something we shouldn't be implementing. as per forum rules, quoted text MUST be placed in quote tags. just to remind everyone.

That's one of the things about the Big Bang Theory, it's an attempt to say everything could could come from nothing, but ultimately you have to start from something. It starts supposedly with some "primeval atom" but where does the atom come from? You keep taking it further and further back and ultimately you are believing "in the beginning,..." something. There has to be that starting point, that trigger, and ultimately it simply comes down to what you believe existed first, in the beginning, what you call "God."

I've spent a lot of time discussing the carbon 14 dating methods in the past and have seen them dropped as evidence, carbon dating and potassium argon dating are so far gone now you could call them dinosaurs. As for Christ's coming, that will also mean the end of this world and universe as we know it and the bringing in of a new one, so... As for salvation, it's through faith in Christ, not guilt, not sure what you're thinking of there... And the KJV reads thus, not sure what version you're using but usually there's at least some similarity in the translations... Not here however. What version IS that?

All the webdesign controls for the site are so different from what I'm used to with other site hosts with a simple input spot for html and then a file upload thing that I haven't really done ANY work at all for my site. I'm almost kind of in awe of what's there so much that I don't want to start on it yet I'm sure I'll get to it eventually but for now I'm all too happy to occupy myself with the posting. When I first came here I mentioned the posting requirement didn't bother me since I love forum posting. I wasn't kidding. Matter of fact I might've stayed just for the posting if a free site wasn't included, lol I'm maintaining a 12+ posts a day average so far and with all the old posts I've got a lot I can go into. You know... now that I think about it, maybe Xisto could use a games section like some forums have. https://www.godaddy.com/ had one but it's down right now for some updating and I'm not sure when it will be back up. I haven't been active on that forum for a while now for certain reasons but am still ranked 2nd in posts with nearly 1000 there

To Gunbound: You are right, God doesn't punish you for not believing in Him. He punishes you for your evils which go against the perfectly just Law He has created with which to judge the universe. Think of an accountant's 'T' tables with debits and credits. Our debts or evil deeds will always outweigh our good deeds so that we are exempt from any rewards and instead subject to punishments, this is the case for every person on this planet. With Christ it's a matter of the debts falling on Him so that the debt side has "Paid In Full" written on it and the only thing left for the table is the rewards side. To no9t9: The defining mark of Christians, or Christ's disciples, is their love for others. In other words, you can know someone is Christ's disciple if they love, and thus do not hurt others. Please give me some reasons why you think those which committed wars and past atrocities were Christians. To Clagnol: If Evolution is so carefully formed out of given facts, then answer me one thing. Why does it directly contradict the Law of Biogenesis which says all life must come from life? You're saying Evolution is so carefully created and so wonderfully supported but it contradicts one of the few scientific laws... To Shoobi: Depending on the version, it says here God is not the author of confusion, or of chaos. Also, evolution relies on long periods of time to form anything. But in Genesis on the 3rd day the sun and moon are created and the period of light which is called the morning and the period of darkness which is called the night is said to be the 3rd day... So after that 4th day when plants, animals, and people were created you're looking at a 72 hour time span in which they could all be created, nothing more. To adriantc:Suffering is in the world because of mankind's disobedience to God, God came to die in our place so that whoever trusts in His payment to save them might be a part of the world to come which will be perfect and without suffering. To midnightvamp: One thing that you're missing out on is that God isn't the one who made us evil, God is not the author of sin. God made us perfect to live in a perfect relationship with Him and when we willingly rebelled against Him and walked away from that relationship we brought sin and its punishments, including death, into this world. God out of mercy for us not only did not destroy us as a failed creation but did what He could to redeem us from His perfect justice, but if we continue to rebel even against His mercy then there is no hope left us, and we must suffer the penalties for our rebellion ourselves. To C2C: Yes, faith is involved. But simply faith that there is one God is not the saving faith which Paul speaks about, but the faith James speaks about which even the devils have, and is dead without works. And since we can never be justified by works it is not enough. To jose_a1:Science guesses at how we were created. The Bible tells how we were created. It tells us what is right, what is wrong, what the problem is, and how to fix it and get in a right relationship with God. To ejohn: Read this carefully and tell me what you think the Bible says about blind faith: To rvalkass:God has told us about His existence, people just don't listen and seek after Him. One aspect of Him people rarely notice is His artistic nature, He built this universe an artistic masterpiece which in itself should be enough evidence to convince people of what kind of person He is. He then left us the Bible, divinely inspired by Him, it has been protected for thousands of years by the most long-lived nation on the face of the planet and the mere fact of Israel's existence after all its enemies and times it's been conquered is another testimony to God. Some of the greatest poetry in the world is in the Bible, some of the greatest wisdom and philosophy about life is in the Bible, and historical facts and knowledge within the Bible have made it reliable for archaeologists and historians as a reference tool. Oh God has told us about His existence, and if we seek we'll find, the people who haven't found truth are the ones who've never truly sought after it. To cumar11: God did come and say "here I am" and millions if not billions of people now have followed Him wholeheartedly to face persecution and trials of all kinds for His sake. That single event of His coming has done exactly what He said it would, it has drawn all men unto Him and left it's imprint on the very face of history. We judge our system of keeping time based on that moment when He first came, THAT is how important it was. Christ said to Thomas, "be not faithless but believing", He presented marvelous evidences to people, miracles, casting out demons, wisdom and knowledge shocking in their scope to the leaders of a nation who specialized in knowing such things, and then He rose from the dead despite soldiers from the greatest empire the world has ever known trying to stop it, even though the Roman Law had death as the penalty for a soldier who failed to protect their post. The Roman legions which guarded Christ's tomb were part of one of the greatest fighting forces of all time and death was their penalty if they failed... For all that though many people still refused to believe in Christ. What I'm saying is that even if you lived in the time of Christ there might still be no evidence great enough to convince you. People want to see miracles and sure evidence yet others were seen such and still didn't believe. Here is the key: Notice from BuffaloHELP: Removed 5 blank space lines between intended replies. Entered tags to make the emphasis. Please refrain from using unnecessary blank lines. Thank you

Native Americans is probably best. If you want to call them "Indians" better call everyone who isn't one an "Indian giver" then

At the same time the flip side of that is an increased potential for corruption. Just look at all the police officers and prosecutors abusing their power as it is! We're seeing crooked judges left and right, mayors lining their own pockets, etc... We can't even ensure that it's guilty people going to death row right now, how many innocent people have been taken off death row in the last 5 years, 30 or so? Giving more power to those who aren't properly using what they already have might not be the greatest idea. If you could fix the corruption increased penalties could be a good idea however.

So since the reverse of this and thusly the solution is humility, that means we can also use this topic to talk about how to become more humble?

Hmm... maybe you're confusing me with someone else who chained you to a wall and using a combination of torture and instructional videos forced you to adhere to their beliefs? I don't recall saying directly or indirectly that everyone not believing what I do is an idiot, I've simply told you my beliefs, that everyone not trusting in the righteousness of Christ to pay for their sins will have to depend on what they or others can do to get them to Heaven, and it will not be enough.