faketree 0 Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 Daniel, interesting you mention in your blog about how you feel that people can have a personal relationship with God and not have to go thru priests and churches and whatnot.This is the central idea in a book of the Bible called The Gospel of St. Thomas that the church refuses to include in the Holy Bible. This isn't the only book that has been chosen to be left out but this one is along the lines of how you feel about the religion.It is a very interesting read and its even more interesting the reasons why it is not included in the bible.Here is a google link for the gospel. If you have time you should navigate through the different sites and read up. Its quite interesting.LINK Link to post Share on other sites
rsmbox 1 Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 John 3:17 supports that view as well, where Jesus Himself says "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me." Link to post Share on other sites
Batman 0 Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 John 3:17 supports that view as well, where Jesus Himself says "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me."Actually, that's John 14:6 John 3:17 gets no good press because it comes after John 3:16, which is propbably the most well known verse in the Bible; It reads as follows:For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. Link to post Share on other sites
IndyJoe 0 Posted June 17, 2005 Share Posted June 17, 2005 I wonder why Daniel is losing so badly with the almighty on his side?You should go back to the strip club, and have the ladies worship at YOUR alter! Always makes me feel much better...... Link to post Share on other sites
HangukMiguk 8 Posted June 17, 2005 Share Posted June 17, 2005 REAL SMOOTH (SW)Just because he's a Christian doesn't mean that his game, his cards, and everything else is going to be perfect.So go to the strip club and let Daniel go to his savior. Link to post Share on other sites
elkang 0 Posted June 18, 2005 Share Posted June 18, 2005 Daniel, interesting you mention in your blog about how you feel that people can have a personal relationship with God and not have to go thru priests and churches and whatnot.I couldn't find exactly where he said this. And I won't argue about what belongs in the canon of the Christian Bible. But, the ideas that the OP mentioned are quite prevalent throughout the standard New Testament and not just in apocryphal texts. It is the basis of much of the Protestant religion - some denominations go to some interesting extremes to preserve this idea of communing with God through the Christ alone and not through another intermediary.There is a counter idea (post-apostolic mostly) that there is no salvation outside the church, but the idea of church is the community of believers and not some fixed institution or building (and of course others who still say that there is no salavation outside of the Catholic church). At this point I normally throw in a bunch of German and Greek words and bore everyone - but really the whole idea of "church" is a new community of people. This fellowship is the basis of a new life, not just with God through Christ, but with your brother man. Link to post Share on other sites
BC4Jesus 0 Posted June 18, 2005 Share Posted June 18, 2005 When I was younger a run like this would have destroyed my confidence and had me negative and bitter. It probably would have also had me in some strip joint at 6:00am sulking about my bad luck. Those days are long gone for me. Having God in my life puts everything into perspective. You have to take the good with the bad. If you can only be happy when fortunes are smiling on you, what does that say about your character? I know it's tough, I'm living through it right now. I'll tell you what though, rough patches are a whole lot easier to get through when you know that you are not alone.You are right on Daniel!By the way, stay away from the Gospel of Thomas. It was not included in the Bible for many valid reasons (too in-depth to go into on this message board). All of the included books support each other and are from many different authors. The book of Thomas has many discrepancies that just do not fit in with who the Savior was/is.It's really interesting reading though to learn how each book became a part of the Scriptures and how and why some did not. I'll look for some stuff on in (books and cd's that I may have) and if you want, Daniel, I can send you some. Link to post Share on other sites
sniper6121 0 Posted June 18, 2005 Share Posted June 18, 2005 I think it is awesome that Daniel is open with his faith in God it is a very touchy subject and for him to confess Jesus as his Lord and Savior props to him. Link to post Share on other sites
avionicz 0 Posted June 18, 2005 Share Posted June 18, 2005 I'm off to go kill some small rabbits and drink some blood.And we all lived happily ever after. Link to post Share on other sites
Heyward 0 Posted June 19, 2005 Share Posted June 19, 2005 And I won't argue about what belongs in the canon of the Christian Bible. But, the ideas that the OP mentioned are quite prevalent throughout the standard New Testament and not just in apocryphal texts. It is the basis of much of the Protestant religion - some denominations go to some interesting extremes to preserve this idea of communing with God through the Christ alone and not through another intermediary.There is a counter idea (post-apostolic mostly) that there is no salvation outside the church, but the idea of church is the community of believers and not some fixed institution or building (and of course others who still say that there is no salavation outside of the Catholic church). At this point I normally throw in a bunch of German and Greek words and bore everyone -Umm........at this point you START to bore everyone? Seriously, after those two paragaphs, are you kidding? (e.g. "and not just in apochryphal texts" & "post-apostolic mostly": how many people on the Daniel Negreanu poker forum do you think are impressed by big words out of your Biblical scholarship 101 testbook? Jesus Christ...........) Link to post Share on other sites
sniper 0 Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 I think it is awesome that Daniel is open with his faith in God it is a very touchy subject and for him to confess Jesus as his Lord and Savior props to him.Hey, 6121... you stole my name!!!Anyways, I'm gonna open up a huge can of worms here and ask:Do any of you Christians (myself included) fear that poker (or gambing in general) is in no way consistent with Christian values, or a Christian lifestyle?I don't have any Biblical quotes handy at the moment, but I'll bet there is plenty of scripture to support this thought.I struggle with this... Link to post Share on other sites
elkang 0 Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 Anyways, I'm gonna open up a huge can of worms here and ask:Do any of you Christians (myself included) fear that poker (or gambing in general) is in no way consistent with Christian values, or a Christian lifestyle?I don't have any Biblical quotes handy at the moment, but I'll bet there is plenty of scripture to support this thought.I struggle with this...This has been discussed before in a number of threads without result.There are a number of Christian Pros. They seem on the evanglical side. As an ex-pastor (Protestant) I have no problems with poker in itself, but do see why many would object. I think it is best to see on a case by case situation as there are many poker players who should not play.Otherwise, I hope to see further social acceptance and legitimacy attached to the poker profession. Link to post Share on other sites
GamblinLeaf 0 Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 Do any of you Christians (myself included) fear that poker (or gambing in general) is in no way consistent with Christian values, or a Christian lifestyle?I don't have any Biblical quotes handy at the moment, but I'll bet there is plenty of scripture to support this thought.I struggle with this...Rest easy, my friend, there is nothing scripturally wrong with playing poker. In fact, you won't find even one verse in the Bible which suggests that wagering, or games of chance are verbotten. It wasn't until 1363 when the Church of Rome (followed by Charles V of France in 1369) declared the playing of dice and games of chance (along with some sports and pasttimes) prohibited. It has no basis in the scriptures.As for the scriptures themselves, when it comes to any endeavor, especially skill-based endeavors, whether it be poker, academics, other forms of business, or refinishing my hardwood floors, I like to draw on the following verses:"The LORD will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand." - Deut. 28:8"Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: 'I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go." - Isaiah 48:17And since both of those were from the Old Testament, we should throw in this one:"For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us." - 2 Cor. 1:20Personally, I believe that God wants us to succeed in all our endeavors, as long as we keep Him first in our list of priorities.Hope this is helpful. Link to post Share on other sites
avionicz 0 Posted June 21, 2005 Share Posted June 21, 2005 I think it is awesome that Daniel is open with his faith in God it is a very touchy subject and for him to confess Jesus as his Lord and Savior props to him.Hey, 6121... you stole my name!!!Anyways, I'm gonna open up a huge can of worms here and ask:Do any of you Christians (myself included) fear that poker (or gambing in general) is in no way consistent with Christian values, or a Christian lifestyle?I don't have any Biblical quotes handy at the moment, but I'll bet there is plenty of scripture to support this thought.I struggle with this...I read the Davinci Code and from what I gathered: The hidden bibles that weren't selected by Alexander the Great, that you people have no idea about... hidden in the basement of the Vatican... They definitely had a dog track where the Louvre is now. And when you see the hidden words in APOSTLES: The hidden words tells it all: SLOTS POTSThis is only scratching the surface- Jesus loved a good cribbage tourney every now and then. And the boy can toss the bones like nobody's biz. The MGM in VEGAS --- Mary Gina Magdaline-- No lie. Link to post Share on other sites
HangukMiguk 8 Posted June 21, 2005 Share Posted June 21, 2005 In fact, you won't find even one verse in the Bible which suggests that wagering, or games of chance are verbotten.Well, to tack on to this statement, this comes from acts, when the disciples are choosing a replacement for Judas:1:23 So they proposed two candidates: Joseph called Barsabbas (also called Justus) and Matthias. 1:24 Then they prayed, “Lord, you know the hearts of all. Show us which one of these two you have chosen 1:25 to assume the task of this service and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” 1:26 Then they cast lots for them, and the one chosen was Matthias; so he was counted with the eleven apostles.Casting lots was a game of chance back in those days, and was even used for gambling purposes.I say, why would God allow for such decisions such as the above be decided by casting lots (there are others too, there's one in Jonah that comes to mind) if gambling was biblically wrong? For that to be included, as well as other instances, says that there is nothing biblically wrong with it. Just like there is no proof that alcohol consumption is biblically wrong. However, just like alcohol, gambling can become an addiction that ends up destroying your life, and that's when it becomes a problem. Link to post Share on other sites
IndyJoe 0 Posted June 30, 2005 Share Posted June 30, 2005 I think it's funny how people of faith are always able to construe the word of god so that it appears to agree with their beliefs. In fact, almost all the people that I've met that are born again, or "saved", often pick and choose the "parts" that agree with their beliefs, or what's convenient for them at the time. :roll: Link to post Share on other sites
HangukMiguk 8 Posted June 30, 2005 Share Posted June 30, 2005 I think it's funny how people of faith are always able to construe the word of god so that it appears to agree with their beliefs. In fact, almost all the people that I've met that are born again, or "saved", often pick and choose the "parts" that agree with their beliefs, or what's convenient for them at the time. :roll:i am not construing the word of God to agree with what I do. I am only stating scripture as it is told. Once again, read Jonah, read Acts, and you will see biblical recounts of gambles.Even well-known Christian author and financial specialist Larry Birquette (sp?) cannot show anything in the Bible that states that Gambling is a sin, and even says that there are scriptures to prove that is not a sin (the exact same scriptures I stated above). He did say that it was his personal preference not to gamble, as it would ruin his financial planning, and advised against it, as most people do end up all in all as losing players. But once again stressed that there is no proof on the claim that gambling is a sin. Link to post Share on other sites
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