Quote Originally Posted by Tojo
I believe if there is a God, he (or she) would want us to be good to each other, good to ourselves & try & forgive our own imperfections, & those of others.
Matthew 19: 16-19: Someone came to Jesus with this question: "Teacher, what good things must I do to have eternal life?"

*** "Why ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "Only God is good. But to answer your question, you can receive eternal life if you keep the commandments."

*** "Which ones?" the man asked.

***And Jesus replied: " `Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

Mark 12: 28-31: One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the discussion. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"

*** Jesus replied, "The most important commandment is this: `Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.' The second is equally important: `Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these."

Hard to put it much more plainly, yet far too many people who say they are Christian forget it. (Not looking at anybody here with that. Fred Phelps and Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell might do well to remember it, though.)

It seems to me that a significant problem facing people trying to live a good, Christian life is that there's far too many different ideas of what that life is supposed to be like. And religion has become too intricately woven with power and wealth, has grown over the centuries to focus not on the heart of Jesus' message, but on the details. Arguments over things that really don't matter abound, while people lose sight of the simplicity of Jesus' message.