.... Egyptians, Greeks and Romans have been well-documented. All three of these ancient societies believed in numerous Gods, who each held domain over certain aspects of that particular culture. These Beings were represented as being somewhat human, extremely powerful, and sometimes at odds with one another - even to the point of warring between themselves. The rise of Christianity led to many new ideas about the nature of God. The Christians developed an off-shoot version of Judaism, which popularized the belief in only one God, who was more powerful than the combined strength of all of the Roman Gods put together. This new God was als .....

.... the people. I find some conflict in Jesus' actions, however. Jesus never (as far as I know) says to ignore to commandments of God in the Hebrew Scriptures; however, constantly breaks the Sabbath (Matt 12:13 and others), and gives VERY flimsy and unconvincing explanations for it. I am not sure what his message was in those actions. Perhaps he didn't care? In general, Matthew was a good, entertaining story to read, with a very dramatic ending, and great character development (a little sarcastic humor here)! I was very surprised to find much of the Book of Mark a repeat of what was written in Matthew, but with a l .....

.... disputes such common sense, until it is applied to religion. I've never seen or talked to a god, or seen a god do anything unmistakably godlike. People insist they know one exists, but most of them really say they only feel it, and don't offer any other proof. Indeed, it is odd that those few who honestly offer the more genuine proof of actually hearing god talk are branded insane even by the believers. Believers are probably right about that, but their own "feeling" that a god exists isn't any more convincing to me. Anyone might "feel" that fish could talk, but that wouldn't mean it was so, nor would that be a very reliable way .....

.... stated that God determines a mans' destiny, whether it be redemption or condemnation, regardless of any worth or merit on the person's part. It could be compared to the failures of Communism in that no matter how hard a person worked, how devout a person was, how often a person went to church, there was no way to get into Heaven unless they were chosen. Aside from the doctrine of elect, the Puritans had other outrageous beliefs including the degradation of one's self, the utter and total dependence on divine grace for salvation, and the wrath of an angry God. The God worshipped by the Puritans was not a forgiving God, .....

.... fate who believed in one god. The Jewish god does not have an emblem that which it is represented by. The belief is that the god is represented by everything. For example, members of the Jewish religion believe god is everywhere, in everything, and represented by everything they do. Another example of the religious differences is how Ancient Egyptians believed in idol gods which are gods represented in statues. Ancient Greek beliefs are different from those of other societies because of differences between how gods are represented in Judaism and Ancient Egyptian beliefs. Equally important are the Ancient Greek views of de .....

.... his argument by saying that even a fool can grasp or understand the concept of “a being than of which nothing greater can be conceived.” He continues to state that a fool would say that the concept of this being’s existence is only in his mind and in the mind of others but not in reality. However he also admits to the possibility of this being existing in reality. Whatever is understood by the fool is argued that than which nothing is greater can be conceived cannot solely exist in the mind but also in reality, hence, God exists. This personally sounds like a salesperson's pitch to confuse and conquer for a sale. Gaunilo .....

.... anymore. Traditions have drastically changed. It almost seems as if religion is a dying tradition all together. “The signs of death are seen in the declining membership of the mainline Protestant traditions and in both the declining attendance and declining authority now seen in the Catholic and Orthodox churches” (Rollins). People are just not going to church anymore. There are probably various reasons for this new trend, but it is very sad and discouraging. People naturally have a need for faith but often don't make time for faith anymore, a necessity that would help people with many of their problems and issues of .....

.... sought after on the physical, mental, and spiritual levels. Gaining knowledge that others do not posses is another aspect of the occult. When an individual has more knowledge it allows them a degree of power over those who do not have access to that knowledge. The Ouija Board has proven particularly useful. The Ouija Board is an instrument for communication with the spirits of the dead. The Ouija Board is an open door into the world of the occult and demonic activity. Disembodied speak to the living through the medium of the Ouija Board. This information is believed to be truth from the other side; Lucifer's delusion to gain ou .....

.... for All Sinners! We are all sinners so his death was for all. When Jesus says that "It is finished", he can also be reffering to the older predictions of Christs' life. There is one in particular that it might have been talking about in Isaiah. That is the one in which Isaiah talks of the life of Jesus and the crusifiction, in very short and brief detail. The suffering in which Jesus took for us lasted all through the night, and then in the morning the thrusted a sword into His side to see if he was alive. After the water poored out of His side, you can say that it is officially over. In my heart it is not completel .....

.... of the small kingdom near the Indian/Nepal border. As a child, his future was foretold by sages. They believed that he would someday be a fellow sage or leader of a great empire. He led a very pampered and sheltered life until the age of twenty-nine. It was at that time that he realized that he had led an empty life. He renounced his wealth and embarked on a journey to seek truth, enlightenment, and the cycle of rebirths. In the first years of his journey, Siddhartha Guatama practiced yoga and became involved in radical asceticism. After a short time, he gave up that life for one of a middle path between indulgence and self-d .....