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iamlost4ever Vice Captain
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 Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 6:02 pm
faithful quenga Amras Tasatir Where in the Bible does it say not to? It does not necessarily take away your time spent with God. You can pray and ask God to show you why they believe something, and what you can do about it. If we know that it's a lie, and we're still praying as we're looking into it, then what harm is there in looking into it? If you are strong in your faith, nothing can cause doubt, so what's wrong with looking at these things? Show me a verse in the Bible that specifically says you cannot look at other people's religions in an attempt to help them. I am a sinner... "1 John 1:8"
you are correct, the Bible does not say that we should not study other religions specifically.
After prayer and consideration of this all I still believe that there is no need to study other religions or beliefs. All I need to help guide a person to Jesus is the Lord Himself, the Bible, constant prayer, and my personal walk with him. If those don't work then that person has a hardened heart and no amount of conversing will change that all that's left is to pray for them as much as possible.
that is all I have to say on this matter and will not discuss it further.
...Saved by God's grace "Acts 15:11" I agree with everything you said. Amen to that.
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Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 9:15 pm
I sadly have a few loved ones who are Satanists. When Paul was reaching out to people, he addressed each community by their culture and what they could relate to. Remember the "Unknown God" (Acts 17:16-34) Paul spoke of in Athens?
Now, on a different note... It is most important to know our Lord and Savior and to only do this if this is what the Holy Spirit is leading us to do. I know Christians who have fallen down dark paths because they went out to educate themselves about other religions, and then lost their way... I know, I am one... and I am still recovering.
"It takes one to know one" Good thing that God, who lives in us, knows everyone and everything right?
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iamlost4ever Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 8:05 am
Angel of the End I sadly have a few loved ones who are Satanists. When Paul was reaching out to people, he addressed each community by their culture and what they could relate to. Remember the "Unknown God" (Acts 17:16-34) Paul spoke of in Athens? Now, on a different note... It is most important to know our Lord and Savior and to only do this if this is what the Holy Spirit is leading us to do. I know Christians who have fallen down dark paths because they went out to educate themselves about other religions, and then lost their way... I know, I am one... and I am still recovering. "It takes one to know one" Good thing that God, who lives in us, knows everyone and everything right? Thank you for sharing that with us. It is nice to have a first hand look at what can happen. I have known others who went down that path as well. They start looking with good intentions then they think they found something better because they were not solid in their faith. I am glad that you found your way back.
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Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 9:09 pm
iamlost4ever Amras Tasatir iamlost4ever Amras Tasatir iamlost4ever There is no reason to study other religions. If a person is seriously seeking God there is only one real question they need to answer: What do you think of Jesus and what are you going to do about him? A person wanting proof that the word of God is true and real is really just seeking an argument. The proof is in a person's heart. That is where the real proof that Jesus is real is found also. It is based on your personal relationship with Jesus and not something that can be seen. If that were the case then only people way evidence and seek proof and logic would come to God. You don't need to know what another person believes to show him God. That is an excuse to go searching other religions. Our soul must be cultivated like a garden pulling out all unnecessary weeds (like other beliefs that do not fit our own) and our will must be sanctified so that we are a christian through and through. Think on this thought every day "What can I do or should I do today that I may receive the benefits of the Lord Jesus Christ into my life." Your life must be like this in order to be a fulfilled christian. It should be: I must hear, I must listen, I must identify, I must admit, I must follow, I must devote and I must dedicate my life fully to follow Jesus where ever He goes and He leads me until the day I die and I join him in heaven. He will give you the words to speak when you witness so that you do not have to waste your time studying other religions, instead you can spend the time with Jesus. There is one reason to study other religions--so that you understand people better and know how to approach them when trying to spread Christ's light. Plus it gives people of other religions a reason to study Christianity. So you do not believe that Christ will give you the words to speak to them? I did not say that. True, God can give us the words to speak, but do we always listen to them? Besides, you only countered one of my two arguments. Others view Christians as hypocrites, and this is one of the reasons. If you expect others to listen, you must listen as well. When they speak to you, you listen but that does not mean you must study their religion. A person who is open, willing, and ready to receive Christ will be more interested in what you say rather then how much you know about their beliefs. The only person who should be interested in studying other religions would be a deprogramer. They have to be firmly rooted in the word of God and called to do such a task. Studying another religion really serves no purpose when witnessing and should not be studied just for kicks. If you do not hear God when witnessing well enough to give you the words you need then you need to spend more time with God before you witness or take someone more mature in the word with you. By saying that there is no purpose, you imply that you haven't even read what I typed. The thing is that it is helpful to understand other religions. For some people, it really isn't necessary. For some people, it helps a lot. Unless you show me a Bible verse that specifies, I will stand by my opinion that it is not a sin.
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Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 9:12 pm
Angel of the End I sadly have a few loved ones who are Satanists. When Paul was reaching out to people, he addressed each community by their culture and what they could relate to. Remember the "Unknown God" (Acts 17:16-34) Paul spoke of in Athens? Now, on a different note... It is most important to know our Lord and Savior and to only do this if this is what the Holy Spirit is leading us to do. I know Christians who have fallen down dark paths because they went out to educate themselves about other religions, and then lost their way... I know, I am one... and I am still recovering. "It takes one to know one" Good thing that God, who lives in us, knows everyone and everything right? You know, I think you're one of the few people who is getting at the same point I'm trying to get at. It's not wrong to know other beliefs, but you have to make sure you're strong with God. Is that what you're saying?
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Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 9:14 pm
That's exactly what I'm saying ^-^
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iamlost4ever Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2011 4:03 pm
How much time do you spend studying another religion verses studying your own Bible?
2Timothy2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
It would be a problem if you spent more time studying a false religion than you did studying the Bible. How we spend our time is indicative of our priorities. God tells us to study to show ourselves approved and that we should grow in our knowledge, so we can teach others Jesus’ message (Heb 5:12). It is useful to know what false religions practice (even Paul had studied the pagan poets of his day – Acts 17:2 cool , but not nearly as useful as knowing what the Bible says. The best way to prepare yourself to “give an answer for the hope that is within you” (1 Pet 3:15) is to make sure to study your Bible diligently. You should never do anything against your conscience. It is also important to consider your influence and how studying another religion might influence you. Do you believe that studying another religion would show that you approve of their religious views? God tells us to never become partners with idolatry (2 Cor 6:14-16).
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Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 9:30 am
iamlost4ever How much time do you spend studying another religion verses studying your own Bible? 2Timothy2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. It would be a problem if you spent more time studying a false religion than you did studying the Bible. How we spend our time is indicative of our priorities. God tells us to study to show ourselves approved and that we should grow in our knowledge, so we can teach others Jesus’ message (Heb 5:12). It is useful to know what false religions practice (even Paul had studied the pagan poets of his day – Acts 17:2 cool , but not nearly as useful as knowing what the Bible says. The best way to prepare yourself to “give an answer for the hope that is within you” (1 Pet 3:15) is to make sure to study your Bible diligently. You should never do anything against your conscience. It is also important to consider your influence and how studying another religion might influence you. Do you believe that studying another religion would show that you approve of their religious views? God tells us to never become partners with idolatry (2 Cor 6:14-16). You do have one point--you need to study your Bible MORE than anything else. However, studying another religion is just trying to understand it--it's not showing approval. After all, how can you approve of something you don't understand? In my experience, the best evangelists are often people who have been converted recently, so they have an understanding of other religions. It's something you need to be careful with, but that does not make it wrong. For example, if you're going to another country, India for example, you have to know their culture so that you don't offend them, but you can still minister to them while you're there. Does that mean it's wrong to know about their religion? I say it's better to get an opportunity to minister to them then to be shut out of their lives because of ignorance.
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Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 11:12 am
I did ask that question to living waters and you can view on what they had to say about it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DyXWqc4-q0&feature=feeduQuestion: Someone asked me if it was a sin to study other religions., like Hinduism, Mormonism, or Islam? Is it a sin to study them so that we know what to say when we are witnessing to them?" The question is from 4:14 - 6:40.
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Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2012 12:26 am
I believe the study of other religions is good because we must know how others look apon the world. As long as you are strong in your faith. I have studied Greek and roman mythology and Jewish religion. To tell the trutch Judaism and Muslim are quit similar to the Christian faith the Jews just don't believe in Jesus and the Muslims believe in a different god. All in all just stay strong with god, Jesus, and the holy spirit because this would be a time when demons would attack the most at your faith. M prayers a with you in this struggle. But to answer your question again this is not a sin because you are just trying to understand what other people believe in.
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