religion vs faith

[DanielNegreanu 141]

I was on the phone today for an hour and a half talking about the term religion and what it really means. The one thing I took from the conversation that I wanted to share with you all is that Christianity isn't about rules, it's about a PERSONAL relationship with God. It's about loving your neighbor as you do yourself, not about what you "should" or "shouldn't" be doing. It's about loving God and sharing with him. Religion often lends itself to "rigidity." Too many people who follow the "rules of Religion" are preoccupied with what others "shouldn't" be doing rather than worrying about their personal convictions and their personal relationship with God. Now that's not to say you shouldn't help out a friend who you see doing things you think are wrong, but you need to be careful not to be judgemental or that you are not trying to take the place of the Holy Spirit. Not everyone will be convicted by the same things either. If you do something and don't feel at all like what you are doing is wrong, then obviously you aren't pesonally convicted by it. You may be down the road, but you aren't now. On a personal level, I have never felt bad about having a few drinks with friends. It's not something I've ever done and thought, "I really shouldn't be doing this." On the other hand, I have caught myself saying bad things about other people and felt like, "This is wrong, I shouldn't be doing this." My personal convictions deal with trying to be less judgemental of others, jealousy, boastfullness, lust, and pride. That's just me, and those are my personal stuggles that I try to work on everyday. If I were an alcoholic I imagine that I might have a different set of things to feel convicted about. For others alcohol can be a real beast of a problem and around them I personally wouldn't drink.

[Project 2501 0]

Christianity isn't about rules, it's about a PERSONAL relationship with God.

as an ex-christian who has lots of struggles with the 'establishment' part of religion; i commend people who take that approach to it. my gf has a deep personal relationship with christ; and although i don't share her belief i respect it because it is a personal one and not one validated by an organization.

[Eclypse 0]

I was on the phone today for an hour and a half talking about the term religion and what it really means. The one thing I took from the conversation that I wanted to share with you all is that Christianity isn't about rules, it's about a PERSONAL relationship with God. It's about loving your neighbor as you do yourself, not about what you "should" or "shouldn't" be doing. It's about loving God and sharing with him. Religion often lends itself to "rigidity." Too many people who follow the "rules of Religion" are preoccupied with what others "shouldn't" be doing rather than worrying about their personal convictions and their personal relationship with God. Now that's not to say you shouldn't help out a friend who you see doing things you think are wrong, but you need to be careful not to be judgemental or that you are not trying to take the place of the Holy Spirit. Not everyone will be convicted by the same things either. If you do something and don't feel at all like what you are doing is wrong, then obviously you aren't pesonally convicted by it. You may be down the road, but you aren't now. On a personal level, I have never felt bad about having a few drinks with friends. It's not something I've ever done and thought, "I really shouldn't be doing this." On the other hand, I have caught myself saying bad things about other people and felt like, "This is wrong, I shouldn't be doing this." My personal convictions deal with trying to be less judgemental of others, jealousy, boastfullness, lust, and pride. That's just me, and those are my personal stuggles that I try to work on everyday. If I were an alcoholic I imagine that I might have a different set of things to feel convicted about. For others alcohol can be a real beast of a problem and around them I personally wouldn't drink.

This is so EXACTLY in line with my feelings on the subject that I had to print it out.GREAT POST!

[redster 0]

project, how'd you get to be an ex-christian???dan, great post, im glad somebody in the limelight has the balls to talk about their beliefs. hopefully it catches on and you keep doing good things for poker, cause im tired of what i see these days. i must say that im no where near christian but i do have some faith and lots of morals. sometimes i feel like as a poker player the last thing i need is bad karma, so i try to be the best i can. needless to say it doesnt always work for me...looks like it is working for you, keep up the good work.by the way, will you be at the wsop circut in new orleans? id love to meet you if you found the time.red

[mellofello 0]

I whole-heartedly agree ! I once tried to live the "sin-free" life. My motivation was just to foll0w the rules and avoid going to hell. For real !! I failed miserably, I viewed everything as a temptation. Graded myself pass-fail on every aspect of my life. What a depressing way to live.Now I am motivated by kindness, I am not perfect, but I try to be a good friend and neighbor to everyone. I have found true thankfulness and appreciation for what I have. I think if you have an "attitude of gratitude" and focus on what you can do for others your "sinfulness" fades away as a side-effect. If you focus on "What is wrong with me ??" or "What is wrong with others ??" and try to fix it, you will likely fail."A diamond is a diamond, a stone is a stone, but man is both good and bad."