From: rpitts@emperor.gatech.edu (Richard Pitts)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc
Subject: Re: You should be a Christian because (30 words max):
Date: 17 Dec 92 14:27:57 GMT
Organization: CERL-EE, Georgia Institue of Technology

In article <1gmgb2INNof8@cascade.ens.tek.com> davidh@cascade.ens.tek.com (David Hatcher) writes:
|In article <78395@hydra.gatech.EDU> rpitts@emperor.gatech.edu (Richard Pitts) writes:
|>In article <1glgcdINNiis@cascade.ens.tek.com> davidh@cascade.ens.tek.com (David Hatcher) writes:
|>>In article <77785@hydra.gatech.EDU> rpitts@emperor.gatech.edu (Richard Pitts) writes:
|>|>'sin' via _The Scribnew-Bantam Engish Dictionary_ is defined as:
|>|>n.      1. willful breaking of a divine law or violation of the
|>|>           principles of morality;
|>|>        2. any serious fault or offense;
|>|>vi.     3. to commit a sin.
|>|>
|>|>Which of these do you believe do not exist (the first or second
|>|>part of 1, number 2, or number 3) ?  Depending on how you answer,
|>|>do the others exist?
|>|
|>|  In the same breath I'd say all of them and at the same time, 
|>|none of them. At any rate "we" are the ones who needs to be 
|>|forgiving others. If we can get to a place where we can do that,
|>|miracles will freely flow.
|>
|>David, you don't think there is any serious fault or offense being
|>committed or possible to be committed?  
|
|  Yes, I can see what to me are serious faults being committed all
|of the time.
|
|  Still, we need to find that forgiving place within ourself where we 
|can forgive those who have wronged us. I feel that Jesus was suggesting
|prayer as of way of finding that place. (Matthew 6:14-15). 

I think the above prayer you referenced is understood as a model for
communication with God.  Forgiveness is a part of it, for we are forgiven
by God, but that is not all of it.

|                                                           So what is the
|point you are wanting to make by your question?            ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The point was to see if you believed sin exists - it is still not clear,
but my response was toward your 'all of them and at the same time none 
of them' statement above.  I still don't understand what you mean.

|>Do you believe this 
|>physical body we live in can be hurt or cause hurt?  
|
|  I feel that the physical body in and of itself can not cause hurt. Though
|it can be hurt. I feel that there is a deeper essence of our being that
|resides within the body. When that deeper essence of the self is more focused
|upon the ego than the soul, than I feel that the ego causes the body to act in
|a different way than if it were the soul that was being listened to by the 
|self. When that deeper essence of the self becomes more focused upon the soul, 
|than the body causes love, harmony and beauty to happen. Forgiveness of others
|like in Matthew 6:14-15 is able to happen in most creative ways.

I think we are able to forgive because of the forgiveness we have been
given by the physical death and physcial resurrection of Jesus the Christ,
the fullness of God in bodily form.

Could you define your terms: self, ego, soul, body, love, harmony, beauty,
                             forgivenss, creative ways, deeper essence.

|>Does the physcial body we live in exist to you?
|
|  Yes, it does.

Are any actions that are expressed externally via the body actions or 
internally via one's desires subject to any absolute judgment - either 
reward or punishment?

Sincerely,
Richard Pitts
-- 
rpitts@cerl.gatech.edu      |  Love and Worship God, the Creator of the Earth. 
                          --|--   
Pro-Life!              -|-  |  -|-    Come bow down in worship, let us kneel
Pro-Responsibility!     |   |   |     before the Lord Our Maker.  Psalm 95:6