.... leads up to the cross and everything after the cross points back to the cross. Christ was the ultimate and final atonement for us. In the Old Testament their atonement to God was to always be unblemished for the sake of perfection (Morris, 147). They believed that the perfect atonement would set them free from all their sins and thus make them clean in God's eyes. The Hebrew word for atone is. It is used frequently for the process of sacrifice. It was thought that a man must make and atonement to God that was adequate to give to Him to pay for his sin. In Ezekiel 16:63 atonement is translated to mean "forgive". Words in .....

.... The Sacrament of Penance has it's roots even as far back as the day of resurrection when Christ breathed out the spirit on the disciples and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven; if you retain anyone's sins, they are retained.' (John 20:22-23). In Paul's second letter to the Corinthians we see Paul developing this teaching of Christ, when he says 'All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting .....

.... these people who give their good deeds away are known as dervishes (this is quite different from the belief in Islam). Sufi's also stress the remembrance of God, which is called Zikr. They try to get close to God, to be one with God. They define God as something that is close to you but you can't see it. That God is all around us, but His presence is too overwhelming to see. An example is like fish who is in water. The fish can't really see the water, even though it is all around the fish. Once a person realizes the presence of God, he or she will feel closer to God. (Frager 27) Sufi's believe that God remains hidden, so that p .....

.... purity in North America. Literal interpretation of the Bible limited many sexual behaviours. Since the middle-ages, the church had outlawed masturbation, anal, oral and external-martial sex. Sex was for procreation only. Many passages in the Bible were used to support this belief and moral system. Then Judah told Onan to sleep with his brother's wife, to do his duty as the husband's brother and raise up issue for his brother. But Onan knew that the issue would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother's wife, he spilled his seed on the ground. So as not to raise up issue for his brother. What he did was wicked in .....

.... general, has used the phrase “separation of church and state” when referring to the religion clause of the 1st Amendment. The 1st amendment's actual wording is “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” (Barton, America: To… p.15) But, because of the Supreme Court's continuous citing of a “ wall of separation” and “separation of church and state”, the public's idea of the 1st amendment's religion clause has been shaped by phrases which do not appear anywhere in the Constitution. The First Congress, which passed this Amendment in 1789, intended .....

.... causes of our future happiness and misery. Karma is entirely focused upon individuals -- group karma is impossible as it must relate to one person. Christians believe that the efforts of another person or being (eg. Jesus, Virgin Mary, Saints, etc) can progress the spiritual condition of a single individual, and thus be the cause of their salvation, whereas Buddhists believe this is not possible and that only through personal effort can good be produced and bad reduced in the life of an individual. 'We save ourselves' is very much the message of Buddhism. In any case, Christians actually say no-one can be saved except through Chri .....

.... an afflicted state, to liberty and peace; 3. The resurrection of the body at the great day, especially the bodies of the believers to life eternal. [Wesley] As Ezekial prophesied to the dead and dry bones, he heard a rattling of bones in their motion. A shaking, trembling or commotion among the bones, enough to manifest a divine presence, working among them. They came nearer and nearer, till each bone met the bone to which it to be joined. Of all the bones of all the numerous slain, not one was missing, not one missed its way, not one missed its place, but each knew and found its fellow. Thus is the resurrection of the dead, .....

.... Jews in Palestine tried to revolt. Were crushed by Titus. 69 AD - 79 AD Vespasia Roman Emperor. He continued the persecution. 70 AD Jewish temple destroyed. Small part of the wall left standing. 79 AD Titus Roman Emperor. Detailed analysis of major Jewish groups of the time Pharisees The Pharisees were a group of Jews, that believed strongly against the adoption of Greek ways. They wanted to uphold and protect their fragile Jewish culture, from the Greek influence that was flooding into Israel at the time. They developed as haters o .....

.... (equinox^Òs and solstices) and the cross-quarters (midpoints between the equinox^Òs and solstices). They are called: Yule (Dec 21) Tmbolc (Feb2), Lady Day (March 21), Beltaine (May 1), Midsummer (June 21), Lugnassed (Aug 1), Mabon (Sept 21), and Samhain (Oct 31). Actual dates vary slightly from year to year, as they are based upon actual celestial events. Many Wiccans also celebrate the Full Moon, of which we have 13 per year. The basis for Wiccans moral conduct is found in the statement "An Ye Harm None, Do What Thou Wilt." This is a mock archaic phrase, suggesting that any behavior that harms none, is morally acceptable. Ha .....

.... after death. Hindu people believed the action of the people in their life were rewarded or punished in their next life. The Social affect this religion had on its people was that the caste system and its believes provided an organized society in which people believed social mobility comes only through reincarnation. Christianity believes that there is only one true God, Jesus, the Son of God and redeemer of human kind. They also believed in the Ten Commandments which were the love of God and thy neighbor, preaching of brotherhood and equality which attracted the support of poor slaves, and the refusal to worship the emperor. This .....