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Why Did They Put Leviticus In The Bible?

Started by Julie Marie, August 16, 2011, 05:40:08 PM

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Annah

Quote from: Julie Marie on August 19, 2011, 12:21:30 AM
Annah, you're really going to have to start your own church.  You're so "now"  8)

LOL thanks. Im interning in a United Church of Christ. Currently. We have one trans who is ordained (openly Ordained with the church's full knowledge of his Gender Identity..Malcolm Himschoot). I will be one of the first MTF, and we have another MTF at another UCC Seminary right now in Oklahoma. UCC was the first in many arenas. We founded Harvard, We were the first church to oppose slavery in 1700, the first black woman to publish a book was a congregationalist, in 1989 we were the first church that declared racism as a sin (funny how no one else did), We ordained the first American Woman in 1853, it was a UCC Pastor (Reinhold Niebuhr) who wrote the Serenity Prayer, We were the first to Ordain an openly gay person in 1972, we were the first church who officially conducted a legal and church binding same sex marriage ceremony in Massachusetts, and today we are the first to openly Ordain any person of any gender of sexual spectrum. We are also the first and only Denomination that teaches a post graduate "Queer Sexuality" course in which 70% of our content focuses mainly on Transgender people as the Church has officially recognized that the transgender population is growing threefold every ten years and the Pastors need to be properly trained as counselors when dealing with Transgender identities and sexualities attributed to them. I took the class last May and I was incredibly impressed.

With that said, I fit right in!

Also, I give credit to my professors at my Seminary. Three of them are highly sought after by Duke, Princeton, and Harvard Divinity Schools. They are truly the masters of the theological fine arts and I am honored to be taught by them.
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veronica nickie

Hi Julie

Not experienced at forums and chats, but want to learn how.

The thoughts concerning Leviticus I think needs to start with if you are a born again Christian then all of the Old Testament can still be considered God's word, but according to Paul in the New covenant or New Testament we now have a better covenant.  He also said the new replaces the old.  Back in the days of Moses God lay down initial laws for a civilized society.  Paul also says the laws were our school teacher to lead us to Christ.  We needed to realize we in our sin laden nature needed a savior.  Our religion from that point forward is based on our beliefs, not our works, or what we do, or how we live.  It is a covenant based on the commandment Jesus spoke three times in the upper room, to love one another as he did.

Veronica
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Annah

Quote from: veronica nickie on October 03, 2011, 02:20:45 PM
Our religion from that point forward is based on our beliefs, not our works, or what we do, or how we live.  It is a covenant based on the commandment Jesus spoke three times in the upper room, to love one another as he did.

Veronica

Actually, not to nit pick, but the Letter of James contradicts that Christianity is based on our beliefs and not our works. James states "faith without works is dead." The Roman Catholic loves the Letter of James while Martin Luther had nothing good to say about it.

What good is it, my brothers and sisters,* if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? 15If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, 16and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill', and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? 17So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

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JessicaH

It seems that Deuteronomy is even whackier than Leviticus

Deuteronomy
23:1 He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD. 
23:2 A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD.

22:1 Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt in any case bring them again unto thy brother.   (22:1-4) "Thou shalt surely help him."
Look out for your neighbor's animals and protect them from harm.
    (22:5)
"The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God."
Women cannot wear men's clothing and vice versa -- it's an "abomination unto the Lord."
What the Bible says about clothing and fashion

(22:8) When building a roof, make sure it is safe.

(22:10)
"Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together."


(22:11)
"Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of woollen and linen together."
What the Bible says about clothing and fashion

(22:12)
Thou shalt make fringes on your garments.

      (22:13-21) If a man marries and then decides that he hates his wife, he can claim she wasn't a virgin when they were married. If her father can't produce the "tokens of her virginity" (bloody sheets), then the woman is to be stoned to death at her father's doorstep.
Does God approve of capital punishment?
What the Bible says about stoning, capital punishment, marriage, and divorce

(22:13) "If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her."

(22:14) "And say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid:"

(22:15) "Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel's virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate:"

(22:20) "But if ... the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel,"

(22:21) "Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die."

    (22:22)
"If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die."

      (22:23-24)
City Rape
"If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city."
If a woman is raped in the city and doesn't cry out loud enough, the men of the city must stone her to death.
Does God approve of capital punishment?
What the Bible says about rape, stoning, and capital punishment

  (25:27) Country Rape
"If a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die ... For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her."
If a woman is raped in the country, then only the man shall die (since there was no one to hear her if she cried out.)

    (22:28-29)
"If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife."
If a man rapes an unbetrothed virgin, he must pay her father 50 shekels of silver and then marry her.

(22:30)
"A man shall not take his father's wife, nor discover his father's skirt."

22:2 And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or if thou know him not, then thou shalt bring it unto thine own house, and it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, and thou shalt restore it to him again. 
22:3 In like manner shalt thou do with his ass; and so shalt thou do with his raiment; and with all lost thing of thy brother's, which he hath lost, and thou hast found, shalt thou do likewise: thou mayest not hide thyself. 
22:4 Thou shalt not see thy brother's ass or his ox fall down by the way, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again. 
22:5 The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God. 
22:6 If a bird's nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be young ones, or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young: 
22:7 But thou shalt in any wise let the dam go, and take the young to thee; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days. 
22:8 When thou buildest a new house, then thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thine house, if any man fall from thence. 
22:9 Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled. 
22:10 Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together. 
22:11 Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of woollen and linen together. 
22:12 Thou shalt make thee fringes upon the four quarters of thy vesture, wherewith thou coverest thyself. 
22:13 If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her, 
22:14 And give occasions of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid: 
22:15 Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel's virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate: 
22:16 And the damsel's father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her; 
22:17 And, lo, he hath given occasions of speech against her, saying, I found not thy daughter a maid; and yet these are the tokens of my daughter's virginity. And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city. 
22:18 And the elders of that city shall take that man and chastise him; 
22:19 And they shall amerce him in an hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel: and she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days. 
22:20 But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel: 
22:21 Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father's house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you. 
22:22 If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel. 
22:23 If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; 
22:24 Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour's wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you. 
22:25 But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die. 
22:26 But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him, even so is this matter: 
22:27 For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her. 
22:28 If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; 
22:29 Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days. 
22:30 A man shall not take his father's wife, nor discover his father's skirt.
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Julie Marie

Quote from: JessicaH on October 05, 2011, 10:33:33 AM
It seems that Deuteronomy is even whackier than Leviticus

Deuteronomy
23:2 A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD.

Geez, that means all those politicians can't go to church.

One of my favorites, when it comes to the Bible's wacky bits, is a letter written to radio talk host, Dr. Laura.  It was at the time when she was speaking against homosexuality.

May 2007

Dear Dr. Laura,

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and I try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind him that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate.

I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the specific laws and how to best follow them.

   1. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odour for the Lord (Lev. 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odour is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?
   2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?
   3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness (Lev. 15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.
   4. Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?
   5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?
   6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination (Lev. 11:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this?
   7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?
   8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev.19:27. How should they die?
   9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?
  10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? (Lev.24:10-16) Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev.20:14)

I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help. Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.

Your devoted disciple and adoring fan,

J. Kent Ashcraft

When you judge others, you do not define them, you define yourself.
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tekla

And any of this - all of this - is relevant to life in the 21st century how (in any sane, reasonable, rational landscape)?
FIGHT APATHY!, or don't...
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Annah

Quote from: tekla on October 07, 2011, 04:34:09 AM
And any of this - all of this - is relevant to life in the 21st century how (in any sane, reasonable, rational landscape)?

There are some scriptures that are not relevant to 21st century and there are scriptures that are. That's just the effects that scriptures written so long ago will have. It is the church's decision to decide whether to enforce old laws that has no bearing on today's society and then slowly die out or to embrace the scriptures that is relevant to today's society and then see their church flourish.

For example, the Sermon on the Mount is very applicable to society throughout the ages, including today. Jesus stressed upon the merits of love, respect, and the courage and willingness to minister to those who are struggling. He talked about sacrifices, giving, and the ability to press on even during insurmountable odds.

I have a friend who is a pastor. Back in the early 90s she was a hospital chaplain and she received a call from the hospital saying there is a young man in pain but it isn't the kind of pain that can be helped through medicine or psychiatric means. The young man was in his early 20s and he was dying of AIDs.

This was back in the time where anyone who would be near an AIDs patient in the hospital had to wear gloves, a full length set of scrubs, gloves that went to the elbow, and a splatter guard mask.....something from the movie "Outbreak."

She went in the room wearing only what she had on. She didn't wear the full suit or the gloves. There was no danger...he wasn't bleeding. He was in bed crying because he was dying and his parents or family would not visit him because he was an embarrassment to his family.

She sat down next to him and hugged him. He broke down and started to weep saying no one has hugged me or touched me without gloves on in months. Just that physical touch and affirmation that someone loved and cared for him gave him the peace he needed to die. Before that, he was telling people he was not ready to die....there was no one to be with him or to hold him. My friend held him.

These are actions that someone may say "well, that's just common sense" anyone should be able to figure that out" but she learned from reading Jesus' messages in his Sermon on the Mount. No condemnation. No judging. Just loving your neighbor as yourself. It is relevant to the 21st century as it was certainly relevant to the dying man.

Churches all across the globe has chaplains just for occasions such as these. Chaplains has the ability to heal someone's soul where a Medical Doctor has the ability to heal someone's body and a Psychiatrist has the ability to heal someone's mind. Some may say a soul does not exist, but when someone is alone in a bed and dying it is a completely different argument than trying to convince someone on the merits of theology on a forum through the internet.

If these scriptures (of any religion) was not relevant to today, then there would be no need for chaplains in these hospitals. Or shelters or food kitchens. Everyone who do these things as their ministry find the ways they do it rooted in the scriptures they read; be it Buddhism, Wicca, Christianity, Judaism, etc.

I've seen scriptures be very relevant to society. One just cannot dismiss all the workings of chaplains and one cannot dismiss the fact that there are churches that has over 10,000 attendees every weekend. One may argue the merits of mega churches but the fact is there....to all those people who do attend it is certainly relevant to them.

And many denominations force Seminarians (mine included) to take an extensive three day psychiatric examination by a third party non religious office so the issue of this being relative to the 21st century only through the eyes of the insane is not tangible or relevant.
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tekla

Actually, if eternal truths are not in fact eternal - if it's up to us to pick and choose, then we're headed (and I think we're pretty much most of the way there as it is) to be a nation of 300 million people, with 300 million religions.

In this case are you not just shaping religion to fit your values, instead of it being the other way around?  It's cobbling something together, and not accepting it as a whole cloth.  Is that why polls that ask about religion have Americans in an 80% religious belief group, but fewer than 40% actually go to, or belong to a church?  (40% is the oft cited Gallup Poll number, but we know that people lie to polls all the time.  If that number were right that would be 70 million people going to church every week, and no one thinks that's anywhere close to an accurate count, real numbers seem to be far less than that - around 20%.)  In that we become more like Europe all the time, where if it wasn't for tourists doing church tours lots of the great cathedrals would be pretty vacant. I was in a church in Europe once where the tourists were 10:1 over the people there for mass.  And not some obscure place, Notre Dame in Paris.

That's set off by other statistics, among which is that currently the fastest growing religious belief is 'None.'  Particularly in the under 35, where current polling numbers have 25-30% of that age group claiming no religious affiliation, a figure 4X higher than it's ever been polled before.  And I'm sure you're talking about that in divinity school, and church classes, it has to be pretty obvious that the congregation is getting older, and the numbers of young people are not coming in and taking their places.

I mean even in the marriage business (long a staple for churches, and a lucrative source of income) the fastest growing trend is to be married by friends, about 1 in 3 weddings now are held outside of a religious setting.

I mean your chaplain, he could be any chaplain right?  Have not chaplains of various faiths done the same thing?  If so, it's not the faith that is relevant, it's just the desire to help others.  So the belief is interchangeable, it's the action that counts?
FIGHT APATHY!, or don't...
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Annah

Quote from: tekla on October 07, 2011, 01:02:11 PM
Actually, if eternal truths are not in fact eternal - if it's up to us to pick and choose, then we're headed (and I think we're pretty much most of the way there as it is) to be a nation of 300 million people, with 300 million religions.

In this case are you not just shaping religion to fit your values, instead of it being the other way around?  It's cobbling something together, and not accepting it as a whole cloth.  Is that why polls that ask about religion have Americans in an 80% religious belief group, but fewer than 40% actually go to, or belong to a church?  (40% is the oft cited Gallup Poll number, but we know that people lie to polls all the time.  If that number were right that would be 70 million people going to church every week, and no one thinks that's anywhere close to an accurate count, real numbers seem to be far less than that - around 20%.)  In that we become more like Europe all the time, where if it wasn't for tourists doing church tours lots of the great cathedrals would be pretty vacant. I was in a church in Europe once where the tourists were 10:1 over the people there for mass.  And not some obscure place, Notre Dame in Paris.

That's set off by other statistics, among which is that currently the fastest growing religious belief is 'None.'  Particularly in the under 35, where current polling numbers have 25-30% of that age group claiming no religious affiliation, a figure 4X higher than it's ever been polled before.  And I'm sure you're talking about that in divinity school, and church classes, it has to be pretty obvious that the congregation is getting older, and the numbers of young people are not coming in and taking their places.

I mean even in the marriage business (long a staple for churches, and a lucrative source of income) the fastest growing trend is to be married by friends, about 1 in 3 weddings now are held outside of a religious setting.

I mean your chaplain, he could be any chaplain right?  Have not chaplains of various faiths done the same thing?  If so, it's not the faith that is relevant, it's just the desire to help others.  So the belief is interchangeable, it's the action that counts?

I do not believe in an Absolute truth but I do believe eternal truths. One eternal truth, for example,  I believe in is that I believe in a Creator. Who that is, why he/she/it created us, for what divine reason then becomes and branches out to various truths. This is only my own personal faith belief.

If we become a nation of 300  million people with 300 million different beliefs then that, in my opinion, is fine. Although, it is highly unlikely that will ever happen. Many people with many diverse religions still do converge under one roof. The Unitarian Universalist Church is one example of this. Chances are very likely that the person you are sitting next to in this church does not believe in the same thing you do. I go to a UU church for Coven Worship on Mondays. On Sundays, I intern at another church (United Church of Christ). They have Buddhist, Wiccans, Hindus, Christians, Jews, Agnostics, and Atheists who all worship under one roof. The Order of Worship isn't to worship one way of religion but to recognize we each have our own journey and the commonalities of each other, even tho diverse, is the fact that we can come together and worship together and at the same time, worship differently. They even come to together to talk about Social Justices, Human Equality, Helping the poor.....universal commonalities that they all embrace together...from the Atheist to the Christian.

So if this country did have 300 million people with 300 million different religions, there will still be a tangible common factor that can pull us in together as human beings.

And many of us do not fit our religion around our values. Many fits their values around their religion. It all depends on where one stand in their own theological walk. When a chaplain visits a dying man it is because they are moved to do this out of the kindness of their own hearts and the convictions of their souls (which prompted them in a calling to ministry in the first place). If a Chaplain does it just for the paycheck then that is another story (and it does happen.....just like any other calling).

Because European Churches that you know of or because statistics shows a decline does not mean religion and spirituality is no longer relevant. A dying church is dying because they chose not to be relevant. Scriptures were never meant to be set in stone to follow one theological way or liturgical order and then that's it. The church evolves just as everything else does. If a Church does not evolve then it dies. It's like everything else. technology evolves, media evolves, medicine evolves; the church should evolve as well...and many churches do. Germany is experiencing a growth in churches right now.

I have been to many churches that are thriving and growing by leaps and bounds because they are relevant to today. And I see churches die because they aren't relevant. Because some churches die does not mean it is absolute truth that religion is no longer relevant. It's simply a sign that they did not work with the people in their community by providing what they need. Churches that do flourish right now is because they are relevant to the 21st century. And there are scriptures that are relevant no matter the century. One gets in trouble when they use old law and try to make it relevant. Even Jesus said he came to fulfill the Law. Paul stated that Grace succeeds the Law. If one is a Christian church and trying to employ actual practical methods of Deuteronomy and Leviticus then they will suffer because those were laws for a long ago era. The Sermon on the Mount preached on love that will never be outdated. Buddha and his teachings are universal as well.

And Churches do not make a lot of money marrying people. I charged 100 dollars for the wedding ceremony and the use of the building, candles, etc to non members and free of charge for members of the church. Same for funerals. The churches that charges 500 dollars also has a pastor who is licensed to counsel to provide pre marital counseling as part of the package.

Most judges charge 60 dollars. So it's not that much of a difference.
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tekla

More than I've ever charged back in Iowa where I was registered to so such things., but I figure them getting married in the first place is punishment enough, why hit them with a bill too.
FIGHT APATHY!, or don't...
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Annah

Quote from: tekla on October 07, 2011, 01:30:11 PM
More than I've ever charged back in Iowa where I was registered to so such things., but I figure them getting married in the first place is punishment enough, why hit them with a bill too.

LOL! Too true!
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Julie Marie

But isn't the general attitude of most organized religions "ours is the only one"?  So the 300 million religions, while perfectly okay with some, would not work for most of the followers of organized religions.  And then we're back to square one where someone is poking their nose in your business and telling you how to live your life.

To me, that's the biggest problem with christianity; the most vocal believe they have a right and a duty to hound anyone who doesn't live their life the way they believe is right.
When you judge others, you do not define them, you define yourself.
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Annah

Quote from: Julie Marie on October 07, 2011, 01:59:06 PM
But isn't the general attitude of most organized religions "ours is the only one"?  So the 300 million religions, while perfectly okay with some, would not work for most of the followers of organized religions.  And then we're back to square one where someone is poking their nose in your business and telling you how to live your life.

To me, that's the biggest problem with christianity; the most vocal believe they have a right and a duty to hound anyone who doesn't live their life the way they believe is right.

Actually it is a smaller number than you think (when compared to the whole world).

The Sects of religion who says "ours is the only one" in regards to Islam is Shia and Sunni. Sufi Muslims and some Ahmadiya and Kharjiite believe in many truths. Even some schools under Shia and Sunni (depending on the region are more inclusive too).

In Christianity, Conservative Evangelical denominations believes "ours is the only one" such as Southern Baptists, Pentecostals, some Methodists, Roman Catholics, some Eastern Orthodox and Coptic churches, some Presbyterians and some Lutherans.  The denominations in Christianity that are inclusive (many ways to God(dess) are United Church of Christ, Episcopal, many United Methodist, many Presbyterian USA, Evangelical Lutheran Churches of America, Metropolitan Community Church, Various Mennonites, Church of the Brethren, Quakers, American Baptist, Catholic Church of Antioch, Community of Christ, Disciples of Christ, The Emerging (postmodern) Church, The Liberal Catholic Church, Liberal Catholic International, Reformed Catholic Church, Progressive Seventh-Day Adventists , Unitarian Universalist Association, and the Unity Church.

In Judaism, Reformed Judaism, Humanist, Kaballah, and Progressive Judaism are both inclusive where they believe there are other ways to God. Orthodox Jews believe "only one way."

So you can see that there are more sects of each organized religion that believes there are many different paths. The reason why some do not think this is the case is because you got people such as Oral Roberts and Pat Roberston who stands on a HUGE soapbox and pretends to speak on behalf of Christianity. 

You even have some pagans who believe their way is the only way. I get more witches asking how in the world I can practice witchcraft and then preach in a church far more than I have Christians saying it. I ran into quite a few "fundamentalist witches" in my day. But then again, I ran into a bunch more who were more open.

Even Billy Graham believes there are more ways to God than just Christianity. You should google that one. Conservative Christians like to hide that little fact about Billy Graham ;)


skip to 1:18 to avoid the fundamentalist crying out in blood red letters ;)

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