What is a Christian?

[RogerChristie]

Hello everyone,

Aloha. I think we now have a definitive, if partial, answer to this question. A person MUST be anointed with kaneh bosm holy oil in order to literally be a Christian.

Some say it's about loving your neighbor as yourself, but I truly think that is NOT a happening idea. I mean, really. The intent of that command might be sound, but the practice, if followed to the letter, would lead to trouble very fast.

Save money for your neighbor like you save it for yourself? Take your neighbor on holiday like you take yourself? It's easily NOT smart to do these things as much as we 'care' for people.

Food for thought,

Roger


###


DIFFERING VIEWS
The path to Christian conversion VARieS by denomination

By Howard Lachtman
Record Staff Writer
Published Saturday, April 16, 2005

Evan Artherton was a Christian at heart, but not by church.

Without a habit of adult churchgoing, Atherton had no sense of community to help him develop his spiritual nature or focus upon the teachings that exemplify Jesus Christ to his followers.

The road to Christian conversion differs by denomination. Some believe acceptance of Jesus is the sole prerequisite to conversion. Others require extensive instruction to test a convert’s willingness and intention. In some, confession is made to a priest; in others, to a group of sympathetic fellow believers.

For Artherton, 36, separation from church changed last year when his wife, Kim, began working at Trinity Lutheran Church. After attending services there, Artherton asked the Rev. Jim Zimmermann about becoming a member.

"I think it was just the right time in my life," Artherton said. "The teachings of the Lutheran Church agreed with things I’d always felt. It’s a faith led in repentance for our sins and doing good works for the church and community. It’s a more active form of Christianity."

Lutheran conversion classes teach converts the chief doctrines of salvation through faith in Christ. But four different Lutheran synods have evolved from church founder and reformist Martin Luther’s 16th-century teachings. All have adopted differing views on church doctrine, including the role of women, gays and whether to interpret the Bible literally.

A self-confessed history buff, Artherton took a double interest in the Trinity, a 123-year-old church affiliated with the conservative Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.

"I was never baptized, went to church sporadically as I grew up, and never thought about it on a regular basis," said Artherton, a miller. "I didn’t realize faith was that important in my life, but once I started attending, it gave my life purpose."

For other Christians, finding faith or converting to one can be the difference between a spiritual life and one lived in the shadows.

Hockey coach Derek Eisler said he lacked a faith foundation in his life until his wife, Renee, led him to Stockton’s First Baptist to meet Pastor Jim Dunn in 2002. Soon after that meeting, Eisler said, he turned his life over to accept Jesus Christ as his personal savior.

While there are many denominations within the Baptist faith, mostly divided among particular church practices and missions, all are unified by the central doctrine of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and savior.

"It is only by faith in Jesus Christ that we receive our salvation," said Brad Stahl, associate pastor of First Baptist. "You don’t have to be baptized to be saved. Our salvation comes from our declaring our belief and not from good works or church practices. Conversion occurs at that moment belief is expressed, and we believe that once you are saved, you are always saved."

Local Baptist churches also have great autonomy to do as they wish, Stahl said. The Bible is sole authority, according to Baptist beliefs.

Senior pastor Jim Dunn convinced Eisler to mend the error of his ways by putting Jesus into a sports context.

Today, he’s celebrating three years of sobriety after alcoholism and a secure remarriage with the wife who had divorced him because of drinking and irresponsible behavior that would have become self-destructive.

"I found the Lord at First Baptist," Eisler said. "Pastor Jim’s counseling led me there, but it’s your own personal decision to love the Lord. There’s no judgment involved. It’s your decision to do it, and they help you through that."

Eisler, who was baptized at the church on Oct. 26, 2003, now ministers to men who have problems with alcohol or drugs.

"I’m not ashamed of my testimony," Eisler said. "I will tell my testimony to anybody. It’s made a huge difference in my life. Without the Lord, I’d be drunk, alone and without work."

Jan Gerst, a civilian employee of the Stockton Police Department, was raised in a Southern Baptist Church in Idaho that had little sympathy with her youthful desire to dance, wear makeup and make her own decisions.

"The minister told my parents that if I couldn’t follow the faith as it was dictated, then I should not come to church anymore," she said. "So I didn’t."

For much of her life, Gerst, 66, stayed away from church of any kind, raised "nice, law-abiding children who believed in the Ten Commandments" and worked hard after a painful divorce.

But after joining a friend at a three-day Catholic retreat in 2000, she felt "something stir my heart." She called Linda Henkel, director of Christian Initiation for the Catholic Diocese of Stockton, and asked, "What does it take to become a Catholic?"

It required attending workshops, a commitment to living according Gospel values, embracing Church traditions such as papal authority, and understanding seven sacraments (baptism, confirmation, holy communion, confession, marriage, anointing of the sick and holy orders).

Henkel invited Gerst to attend the Rite of Christian Initiation workshop, and her education began. Of the 33 Catholic parishes in the diocese, 30 have weekly RCIA workshops.

"I learned, for example, that we don’t worship Mary or the pope, but we pray through them to God; they are our intermediaries," Gerst said.

After a year of training in the faith, she was presented at St. Luke’s Church, her forehead touched with blessed oil, signifying her conversion. For Gerst, it was not the end, but the beginning of her spiritual journey.

Gerst now has a secure sense of faith that eluded her throughout her life. More than 300 adults were baptized into the faith at Easter, and an additional 80 from the Protestant faith tradition were received into full communion in the Church.

"I never miss Mass now," Gerst said. "I like the peace it gives me. And I don’t worry anymore. I just turn my worries over to God. Other people say they notice the peace in me."

For some Catholics, however, the Catholic Church is not always the answer. Stockton office manager Shantelle Buethe was raised as a Seventh-day Adventist and later confirmed as a Catholic, though she said she "didn’t really attend church often."

That changed when her husband, Paul, invited her to attend Trinity Lutheran with him late in 2003.

"I’ve been going nearly every Sunday now," said Buethe, 26. "I found a sense of community in the church, so much that I really enjoy coming."

After a year of attending the church, she began taking classes to better understand what Lutherans believe.

In October, she became a member of the Trinity Lutheran family.

Artherton and son Miles, 10, were baptized in October. He was confirmed in December and became a member of the church at that time.

"Your life doesn’t automatically become milk and honey, but for me, it’s really a positive thing," he said. "Being a member of a faith gives me more of a purpose than just being here for myself."

For all converts, however, one truth is constant.

"The journey in faith involves delving deep into the Gospel and incorporating Gospel values into your heart," Henkel said. "It’s about living the faith. You have to live your faith. ... That’s a challenge not just for people joining the church, but for every one of us."

To reach reporter Howard Lachtman, phone (209) 546-8269 or e-mail lachtman@recordnet.com


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[Freeman]

So Roger, your suggesting that we should replace loving thy neighbor with getting anointed with Holy oil. I'll go along with that.
_________________
'I','You','He','This','That', have always been illusory and delusive. Attain wisdom of the self and live in harmony with all. Ignorance is the root of the tree of egoism. The ego is a false non-entity. I am roger the prophet

[Freeman]

So Roger, your suggesting that we should replace loving thy neighbor with getting anointed with Holy oil. I'll go along with that.
_________________
'I','You','He','This','That', have always been illusory and delusive. Attain wisdom of the self and live in harmony with all. Ignorance is the root of the tree of egoism. The ego is a false non-entity. I am roger the prophet

[zero]

[The GCW]

Roger,

Aloha,



Roger says, “A person MUST be anointed with kaneh bosm holy oil in order to literally be a Christian.”

We have been bought and paid for by Christ God Our Father.

We are His.

All of Us.

There are then only 2 kinds of Christians:

Obedient Christians

&

Disobedient Christians.

THCU

The anointing of cannabis helps Us realize How We are Him and He is Us. We are Gods; We merely must learn how to realize it and cannabis helps with that realization. The tree of life / cannabis, used as an obedient Christian, enables Us spiritual comprehension beyond what We are presently aware of.

He is in Us and that reality is serious and strong enough to allow Us to feel like We are Him: GOD.

You are what is inside You.

Accepting Christ God Our Father inside You replaces a lot of evil to begin with and works from there…

(I’d like to go on, but want to be brief.)

We are all Christians; We are all able to “overcome” (see Rev. 2:7) and be granted the full spiritual and physical gifts of the tree of life.

THCU


A problem exists when there are forces trying to stop people from making that connection of man and the tree of life.

Part of My work involves destroying the work of the devil, of which is cannabis prohibition.

Christ God Our Father does not intend to allow devil work to seperate Us from Him. He will remove cannabis prohibition and protect Us who choose to use cannabis and further use it for Him.

420

1 Corinthians 9:4, “Do we not have a right to eat and drink?

1 Corinthians 9:7, “…Who plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it?”

1 Corinthians 9:12, “…cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ.”
!Cannabis prohibition causes a hindrance to the gospel of Christ.

Again:

Cannabis prohibition causes a hindrance to the gospel of Christ.

[meek_mike]

[Fyrefly1]

[Fyrefly1]

[meek_mike]

I appoligize if I gave off a false impression that I was ticked or anything like that. At times I do wish I was more like my name. I read what Roger wrote and decieded not post anything cause of the whole food for thought part. However the more it repeated in my head the more it was sounding like Roger was saying that what Jesus asked us to do was not correct. Although I didn't look for guidance before posting like I normaly do (which I'm wishing I did since th whole part of me being one mentionable)(darn guilt trips they get me every time) I felt I didn't jump to any conclutions about what Roger was saying I just couldn't understand why he would want to or even think about changing something so drastic in my (christian) faith. I'll admit that I at times can be a little zeolus (if thats the right word to use) on this topic. Look at it through my eyes though. I minister as much as I can on the weekends on mnay different cannabis boards. Every weekend it seems I am having to defend my Christian faith so out of habit I did get defencive. Also I know there are more Christians that are members of the THC-MINISTRY and one's that might not have studied as much (or as little) as I have. I don't want those younger Christian brothers and sisters to be swayed so easily. Much love to Roger and everyone else but when dealing with Christians everything about our religion can be touchy. Even touchier when it's something Jesus himself told us to do. I meant no disrespect Roger or anyone that might be offended by what I wrote but I was uncomfortable with what was said.

(because of lack of sleep I feel I'm not making sence today so please do forgive me if I'm not. I'm very tired.)

Rev. Michael T
Soldier for Christ and Cannabis God's gift

[Romadon]

[meek_mike]

I find thinsg like this very funny cause usually like this one the lies are right at the begining and just keep going from there. Let me show you why I feel the above post is a lie. The first question:

Did Jesus, like the ancient sages and masters of the East, teach meditation as the way to enter "the kingdom of heaven"?

In the above post it says the answer is YES. Which makes me think this person is an idiot cause what did Jesus himself say:

"I am the way, the truth, and the light no man comes to the father accept through me."

One of more commanly known scriptures from the Bible. Did that at all say "Meditaion is the way, I am the truth and I am the light." Hell no, it didn't proving my point that the above post is a lie. Well I guess I couldn't say it's a lie. I could say in my opinion it is a lie placed there to distract people that don't know much about the Christian religion. Not to mention I didn't see how that played any role in the conversation that was already in progress. But hey, people post things for certain reason and only the poster knows the real reason they posted it.

Rev. Michael T
Soldier for Christ and Cannabis God's gift

[Romadon]

[Romadon]

[sara]

I'm learning here something today.



_________________
“When one is connected above,’’ he said
quietly, “he does not fall below.”
OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK...

[Romadon]

Also it is my experience at least, that the use of Cannabis serves to help one focus upon these chakras and withdraw there attention from the physical realm of the senses much more easily than without the help of such sacraments. Not that it cannot be done otherwise but I find it much easier to enter into serious meditation (or prayer if you prefer) with the help of some kind of serious sacrament such as Cannabis.
_________________
"The world's religions have done more to harm humankind than to help it."

('ELOHIM 'AH_VAH)




Last edited by Romadon on Mon Apr 18, 2005 12:07 am; edited 1 time in total

[Fyrefly1]

[Fyrefly1]

[Romadon]

It is also my belief that the Hebrew/Christian scriptures when rightly divided and put into practice will lead one into a life of fervent prayer (mediation) wherein the falsely perceived need to satisfy one's lust for material and fleshly pleasures are greatly diminished as one finds ever increasing joy and fulfillment in the things of God. As is written, "The Kingdom of God is neither meat nor drink, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost".

Is this scripture given to bring condemnation upon us for enjoying earthly pleasures which should only serve to intensify our love and devotion to the Great Creator. Not in my opinion. Let's party brother's and sisters! Joy to the world!

Thank you ~~~(((*)))~~~ for all we are and hope to become and thank you brother Jesus for who you are and all you have done and continue to do. YOUR THE MAN, JESUS, God bless you, dude. And God bless God.
_________________
"The world's religions have done more to harm humankind than to help it."

('ELOHIM 'AH_VAH)




Last edited by Romadon on Mon Apr 18, 2005 1:10 am; edited 1 time in total