When is a religion a Cult

Recently news reports have come out claiming a Religious group made contributions to the Australian Federal Government Election Campaign during the last election...

This is something which most Aussies find difficult to except. The seperation of Church and State has always been something taken for granted here. However these days the divide between the two is closing. Christian groups are becoming more and more of a tool to be used within the election campaign. The growing numbers of people involved in such groups is immense.

While eager to show the country what good Christian citizens, they are Australia is fast beginning to alienate a large selection of the community. Our politicians while having beliefs in what ever faith they choose should keep it at home and religion should not have a place in Government.....

With in Parliament we have Christians, Muslims, Buddist and people from many forms of religion the difference this time around is we are being told what their faiths are....

The group which made contributions to previous election campaign has the reputation of being somewhat of Cult.... A closed door Christian Group.... who puts fences around their churches, blackened windows on their car etc. It is very secretive.

Does a Politicans Personal religious faith sway your voting, does it matter?

So is this form of Secret Worship what defines a cult or is their more to it?

I ask you What are the differences between a Cult and a Religion?

Are You God Fearing?

This post is a bit of a question more than my usually statement type posts.

I want to know are YOU GOD FEARING?

Do you really fear God and why?


I have spoken to Priests and Ministers of various faiths and the one thing they all say in response to "tell me about God" is

God is all Seeing!

He is all knowing!

God cares deeply about each and everyone of us

God answers the prayers of those who ask

And He is a Merciful God

So when I ask them about themselves in their faith the response is:

We are God Fearing men and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ

So forgive my possibly silly if not even blasphemous questions, but tell me

If God is all seeing, all knowing , cares so much for each and everyone of us, answers the prayers of those who ask and is oh! so Merciful WHY are you afraid of them?

Why DO you follow the Teachings of Jesus, who regardless was a Man yes granted he was the son of God, but we are also taught through the Bible that we are all Gods children, and why are people of faith so quick to judge the opinions of those who choose to ask questions like these?

I happen to think God or Universal spirit what ever you call them, is more of an observer.
Yes! when an occasions arises and they/he are feeling generous, they/he do answer questions and prayers, but otherwise it must be like watching a multi channeled Television.
If you want to see a beautiful place look at the Jungles or the ice capped Poles, want to watch a soap opera look at the western world, want to see a war look at the middle east, if you want to watch suffering and hardship look at the starving masses and finally to see violence and suffering and things that would make your hair stand up on end look at Africa and the cradle of civilisation.
A God who cares and takes an active role in the lives of each and everyone of us would not allow this to happen to their loved ones, would you let it happen to your family.

It is a bit like, we are given free will and the ability to choose, the rest is up to us..... from time to time we are given a helping hand or a nudge in the direction God may wish us to take, but then it is left to us to use it or not......

What do you think?

Oh and yes I understanding some of you will say "oh you will Burn for this one!"

But I think God gave us this questioning mind to use and understand the world around us and would understand I am using what I was given to do that with....

buddhist monks run wild

I recently viewed a program on ABC television station here in Australia called 'Compass', yes I watch a lot of the ABC. The program deals with religious and social issues through out the world.

The topic which caught my eye was on 'Radical Buddhist Monks' in Sri Lanka.

This statement is conundrum within itself.... Buddhism is probably the religion furthest from radical fundamentalism of any in the world today.

But they it was, Buddhist monks ransacking catholic churches, tormenting villagers, setting fire to churches, and generally causing mayhem in the communities.

Although these events have been condemned by the leaders of the Buddhist faith the events are still going on.....

So is this a sign of the times, religion and faith going horribly wrong, or is it more to do with fear and persecution that these aspects of human nature are coming to fore.....

What do you think?

I want your Ghost Stories

Do you believe in Ghosts?
Have you had a strange encounter you just cant explain?
Do you have a story you have heard
I want to hear it tell us what happened?

People believe in all sorts of things, but just because something can not be explained or scientifically proven, does not make the experience any less valid.
Heres one of mine:

I used to live in a house with a ghost, well I think it was, as I never saw it, however we heard most nights walking from the main bedroom up the hallway to the lounge room doorway, where it would stop.
The footsteps where not soft by any stretch of the imagination, they where the sound of heavy boots on timber floor boards, but the area was carpeted.
One night when we had friends staying over with their kids. During the night, one of them woke up screaming, not a nightmare scream, a terror scream parents would understand the difference, we where in the lounge room.
We settled the child, and when all was calm we asked her what had frightened her so, say replied: 'the footsteps in the hallway had woken her, she had sat up bed, then a man in a black coat and hat entered the room, stood at the foot of the bed and stared at her, then reached out to her, thats when she screamed and then he just vanished.'
Needless to say we were shocked and searched the house, yard etc, all windows where locked and no-one had entered through the door....
The footsteps have been heard on regular basis since, but no one ever saw him again.

Really what is the differnce

I am sitting here looking at the picture of the week and thinking yep I totally get it.
What is the difference between a person who believes in UFO's, Aliens, Alien Abductions and all things which revolve around this subjects and a person who believes in an 'all powerful being, who creates the entire universe in 6 days, sculptured man out of clay and ash and woman out of one of his ribs, has magical powers, is immortal, can influence your every aspect of each persons lives and take control of it'.
Neither of these two beliefs can be proven, all we have is faith that Aliens exist and a reasonable idea of the Universe and its vastness and a 1500 yr old book which says this is what happened by the way it was mostly written several hundred after the events in which it speaks not eye witness accounts as most believe.
So what is the difference apart from Jesus and any and all Prophets who came and told us so..... I know a guy around the corner who tells me all about the aliens and what they have said about life the Universe and everything so in a way he too is a prophet.
Tell the real difference because all I can see at the moment is two seperate belief systems one which is excepted and one which is ridiqueled.

How to stop Religious Extremism

Ok! this is a very simple plan it only involve religious groups any and all forms of religion not the Terrorism which is government based for the solution to How to Stop Terrorism please go to :
http://coillisionofthewilling.blogspot.com/

Otherwise please continue your journey here:

It seems that the rest of the problems within the world, stem one form or another from religion, not faith and this needs to be said.... it is not faith that is the problem, it is the religion. After all I have never heard a Tree Hugging New Age Spiritual Healer say believe what I tell you, my God is better than yours and if you don't believe in the new word I am telling you, 'I am going to tie you a tree and burn you alive,' have you.... you see the the Tree Hugging New Age Spiritual Healer has faith in what they believe but no religious doctrine to base it on.... there is no good book which gives instructions and which can be blamed....

So I propose in order solve all the Religious in fighting, the radical religious groups, the reborn religious movements, religious fundamentalism and any and all forms of religions:
be BANNED..... for crimes against the rest of us.

You see if I believe what I want and what feels right to me, and you believe in whats feels right to you, and your neighbours have there own belief which feels right to them although they may be different beliefs in various ways, there can be no uniform forms of worship, no book to blame, no one to be single out as heretic and no political gain......

The Vatican would have to release all of their treasures to the various museums, the wealth of the churches would be returned to people, the holy land disputes would no longer have an argument.

The argument of God gave us this land would no longer stand because whose god would that be.... God on our side would have the same problem.... this does not mean you could not have faith but it would allow you to have unpressureded faith in what you chose to believe without church groups, minority and majority religious organisations trying to manipulate political parties to suit their own needs.....

The law of the land would be a standard moral code based on morals and not religion.

Well what do you think?

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Oh my Lord I cannot take the seriousness of it. This religion thing is way to serious to keep anyones attention for long.....
So here are words of advice and some helpful hints for us all to use in day to life and our prays enjoy:

Lord Help Me to Be The Person My Medication Wants Me to Be.

Lord Help Me to Be The Person That the Voices Tell Me to Be

Why is it when we talk to God we are praying, but when God talks to us we are put into the loony bin?

Don't think God has a sense of humor? Look at the platypus

My husband and I divorced over religious differences. He thought he was God, and I didn't

God Is Coming And Boy Is She Pissed

God is not dead. He just couldn't find a parking place

God must love stupid people, he made so many

The Big Bang theory: And God said 'Pulleth my Finger'

Heaven doesn't want me And Hell is afraid I'll take over

The more you complain, the longer God lets you live

The way I drive, I've gotta have Faith!

I'm not lazy, I'm just practicing for the here-after

I’m an agnostic dyslexic insomniac that lies awake all night wondering if there really is a dog

Church in Politics

Should there be church and religion in Politics?

In Australia we are starting to see Pentecostal Churches taking an active roll in Government with both Parties lining up to show just how faithful they are.
The claims for this upsurge in faith based politics is much the same as in America, with family values being the main component.
Can we examine this a little further and give a open eye to the family value claim of churches, no denomination in particular.

1. Family orientated: In several christian faiths, require the priest to be celebrate, not married so as to dedicate their life to God and or the faith. Others segregate men and women and children while attending mass or pray. Some of these require women to be down graded in social standings and others require women not to be priest but nuns and also remain celebrate. Therefore their family experience in today's world is based on what they see and their upbringing not experience within there own which we all understands counts for alot.

2. Safe and Nurturing environment: The various faiths have long preached a safe environment in which children can be placed to learn the values instilled within the holy books all faiths follow.....
We are increasingly becoming aware of children being manipulated within these groups into hard line fanatics, each one taught to believe the other is evil..... Although the children within the groups appear safe from physical harm the mental issues as they grow are becoming more and evident.

3. Moral Standings: This is big, As anyone who has attended a church meeting would tell you. All Holy books are full of stories which give guidelines to live your life by. Having been to Sunday school and read a few of these books in my search, I must say the Ten Commandments and others to me are common sense.... we all understand you should kill someone, you shouldn't haven't an affair with someone Else's partner, you should treat people as you want to be treated etc.... these lessons have been around longer than any Holy book discovered so far.
The issue of moral values also comes into question in a big way with the allegation of child abuse by faithful members of most denominations....

4. Understand of differences: This one takes into account understanding towards.... cultural, Social, economic, gender, sexuality and general beliefs. So here goes:

Cultural: Most faiths regard there purpose while on earth as one of conversion. Converting people, societies and country into one united faith ... theirs....most faiths do not take into account the peoples cultural background. For evidence of these just look at the crusades, Inquisitions, and the Catholic - Prodestants battles of recent times.

Social: This one the faiths do seem to help with and several of the long recognised faiths doing a terrific job in helping those less fortunate.... in countries with extreme poverty they play a major part in helping the population.... however in the same countries the conversion rate in also quite high.

Economic: Apart from the faiths above there is a growing number of religious groups which hold money and its pursuit, high on their ladder with people from high economic backgrounds being sort after. These also preach that God wishes them to be rich, accumilating wealth is among his teaching, send money to the church to show your faith etc....
examples of these can be seen in everyday Evangelists, the Pentecostal Churches and various others.

Gender: Well in most faiths if your a male you seem to have more rights than if your female, your social standing and place within the group can be far more advanced if you a male.
A womens place is with the children and looking after her husbands needs.

Sexuality: There is in almost all faiths an intolerance to people who are homosexual. This seems to be an issue more based on fear than fact. The christian churches stance on this subject has been more than unsympathetic in all areas. In the other faiths you very rarely hear of the subject as it is frowned upon and punishments can be quite severe.
This form of intolerance in this day and age should be unheard off.

Given the fact that more people are pulling away from mainstream churches and religions is it relevant to have such groups penitrating our very government with their own views on how the rest should live our lives. I do feel the subjects of religion and politics should be kept quite separate, introduce religion into the political arena and you open a hornets nest of issues and problems which really shouldn't be there.

So given the above thoughts and understandings how can any government regardless of the country or the majority faith contemplate bringing any form of faith into politics.....
If a government is to be Fair and Just to all its people makes it impossible to be either fair just our importial this thought of this happening in any country should be to say the least a frightening prospect to all...
What if it isn't your faith that wins government.

Ned Flanders would be Proud

Has Christianity gone mad or is this just clever marketing. It seems that some people will do anything to make a dollar. Would you buy these products or are you (like me) stunned to think these products actually sell?

If you want the girl version here it is

And for those who like to know what accessories are available

and the most interesting if not worrying one

AK47 Jesus

Would you buy these for your kids....?

Waiting to be Converted

Over the years I have found myself in a place of uncertainty. Wondering If there are so many reigions and beliefs in the world, How does someone work out which one is the true religion.

If God was the one and only true God and creator of all human kind, why do people believe have so many varied opinions of his word?

For example: christianity updated the bible from the Old Testament to the New Testament and then they edit out chapters which now seem inappropriate for our times, then they do the very things which in the bible it tells them not to do....Take the revivalist churches throughout southern states of America and also a few in Australia which sell all manner of religious tokens for rediculas prices in the name God...I do remember reading in this book 'do not worship false idles' or something along those lines yet the very people preaching to the believers about the good news are the very people selling them falsehoods, not to mention the money is the root of evil clause in there, how rich is the catholic church......and the vatican on its own....

but christians are not the only religion which to an outsider has a double standard of do as say not as I do attitude......all around the world we see it....in all the mainstream religions judaism, islam, hindu, budhism, new age, paganism, spirituality...... yes everywhere....

I have found contradiction after contradiction.....so I have decided to see start a blog and get you the people who believe in something to tell me why.....what makes your religion your beliefs the one right way....why with your belief will you go to a better place than your neighbour....and how why if I take on what you believe will I be saved....If there is one true religion outthere which does not contridict itself, have a double standard, treat one gender, race, age better than another I really want to know.....

So people of the internet here I am convert me know and get to that better place knowing you have saved a soul along the way