There are two common misconceptions about hell. The first is that a loving God wouldn't let anyone go there, and the second is that God uses it to punish people. I think that both theories are actually attempts to diminish our view of God.
Yeah, I know...I'm going straight to Hell. Do not pass Go, do not collect $200. Before you start forming your lynch mob, listen closely: Jesus is NOT in your heart.
Christians start out pretty much like everyone else. We're sometimes nice, at other times surly. We're often selfish, angry, and egotistical...sometimes kind and generous.
We exercise Faith every day whether we are at home, in the car, or on the job. Just think: you and countless strangers drive way too fast and pass within a handshake of each other without a second thought!
One of the identifying marks of a particular brand of Pentecostalism is a list of do's and don'ts known as "Standards". Note the capital S. This list of restrictions includes things like long hair for men, women in pants, adult beverages, cosmetics, wedding bands, movies, and so on.
One problem: I don't understand prayer. I'm not sure that anyone really does. Questions about prayer begin with "why pray?" and continue through "does God really wait for us to pray before acting?" and I will readily admit that I don't have an answer for either.
Who's your favorite pontiff? Let me know if you find any errors, or if anyone is missing.
The "Rule of Faith" as recorded by Irenaeus: "...this faith: in one God, the Father Almighty, who made the heaven and the earth and the seas and all the things that are in them..."
Hippolytus's account of the baptismal service (early third century): "When the person being baptized goes down into the water, he who baptizes him, putting his hand on him, shall say: "Do you believe in..."
A number of books are mentioned in the Bible, but not included in the Bible. Here's a list of the ones I know about.
CANON 1: If anyone denies that it is the whole man, that is, both body and soul, that was "changed for the worse" through the offense of Adam's sin, but believes that the freedom of the soul remains unimpaired...
Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper was painted to show the reaction of each apostle after Jesus said that one of them would betray him. The men in the painting were identified using the notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, which were found in the 1800's.
