Brook wrote:
Dang! Tony Spanked me again!
But seriously Tony...I was not referring to the living Christ.
I was very serious however when I said they are worshiping a dead guy on a cross.
If they truly believed in the Living Christ would they actually behave as they do?
Now of course I'm not speaking of all parishioners and generalizing. But how many people go to church on Sunday only to do those sins that they are there to be forgiven for? Christ died for our sins right?
Now of course you are well aware I cannot quote the Bible like you can.
But when somebody...anybody...goes to church and gives testimony/or confession depending on their church and claims savior in Christ then the very next day goes out and commits the same or worse crime or sin. Do you honestly believe they are worshiping the living Christ? No...they are not. They are worshiping a dead guy on the cross.
This is all I meant by that. While I say this there are multitudes of those parishioners that do just that every single day. So their faith is a moot point and of course this is something I've often witnessed and I'm certain others have too.
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This I do know an alter is meant for sacrifice anyway you put it. In fact I just found this and will share it. But I'm certain you know this and am putting this up for the other interested readers.
altar Hebrew: “mizbe'ah,” “mizbeach” (prononced: miz-bay'-akh), meaning “an altar” from a word meaning “to slay;” Greek: “thusiasterion,” (pronounced: thoo-see-as-tay'-ree-on) meaning a place of sacrifice, i.e., an altar
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Biblical altars were generally structures of earth (Exodus 20:24) or of stones that had not been hewn (20:25). Sacrifices were offered on them. Altars were generally erected in conspicuous places (Genesis 22:9; Ezek. 6:3; 2 Kings 23:12; 16:4; 23:8; Acts 14:13).
The word altar is used in Hebrews 13:10 for the sacrifice offered upon it—the sacrifice Christ offered.
Paul found among the many altars erected in Athens one bearing the inscription, “To the unknown God” (Acts 17:23), or rather “to an [i.e., some] unknown God.” The reason for this inscription cannot now be accurately determined. However, it offered the apostle the opportunity to proclaim the gospel to the “men of Athens.”
THE FIRST BLOOD SACRIFICES are mentioned in connection with Adam and Eve (God's shedding of animal blood to make coverings for them) and their son Abel’s offerings (Genesis 3-4).
THE FIRST ALTAR specifically mentioned in the Bible is the one erected by Noah (Genesis 8:20), although we assume that Adam and the pre-Flood patriarchs also used altars for their sacrifices. Altars were erected by Abraham (Genesis 12:7; 13:4; 22:9), by Isaac (Genesis 26:25), by Jacob (33:20; 35:1, 3), and by Moses (Exodus 17:15, “Jehovah-nissi”).
From here:
http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/altar.htmlBut this is my point....When those priests attacked the children and got caught...did they worship a living Christ? I have a very hard time believing they did. Mind you...these were priests and not simply parishioners.
Now radical Islam is a great concern and I completely agree with you that this goes way beyond moderate Muslims and we'd better take notice NOW and not later given the trends. France, San Bernardino were and are a ritual sacrifice if ever there was one. I agree we'd better hope something intervenes real soon...what that may be will certainly test ones faith that is for certain.
