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“Your daily life is your temple and your religion. Whenever you enter into it take with you your all. Take the plough and the forge and the mallet and the lute, the things you have fashioned in necessity or for delight. For in reverie you cannot rise above your achievements nor fall lower than your failures. And take with you all men: For in adoration you cannot fly higher than their hopes nor humble yourself lower than despair.
And if you would know God, be not therefore a solver of riddles. Rather look about you and you shall see Him walking in the cloud, outstretching His arms in the lighting and descending in the rain. You shall see Him smiling in flowers, then rising and waving His hands in the trees.”
Kahlil Gibran – The Prophet
Folks, "The Prophet" refers to a book he wrote containing poetic essays and therefore does not refer to Mr. Gibran as being a prophet. This is for all folks, like myself, that never heard of him. He is surprisingly well read. I must be living in a cave.
While this excerpt is very beautiful in it's intention, is however, not in full agreement with Jesus Christ's teaching and therefore just pretty poetic essays. Something to ponder, but not a definition of church or religion.
Do you not know that you people are God's temple..
Quote:
Originally Posted by juj
While this excerpt is very beautiful in it's intention, is however, not in full agreement with Jesus Christ's teaching and therefore just pretty poetic essays. Something to ponder, but not a definition of church or religion.
How about this definition then.. ?
It's in full agreement with Jesus Christ's teaching..:-)
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“However, Solomon built a house for him. Nevertheless, the Most High does not dwell in houses made with hands, just as the prophet says, `The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What sort of house will you build for me? God says.”
“Do you not know that you people are God's temple, and that the spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him; for the temple of God is holy, which temple you people are.
What! Do you not know that the body of you people is the temple of the holy spirit within you, which you have from God? Also, you do not belong to yourselves, for you were bought with a price. By all means glorify God in the body of you people.”
For we are the temple of a living God; just as God said: "I shall reside among them and walk among them, and I shall be their God and they will be my people."
Folks, "The Prophet" refers to a book he wrote containing poetic essays and therefore does not refer to Mr. Gibran as being a prophet. This is for all folks, like myself, that never heard of him. He is surprisingly well read. I must be living in a cave.
While this excerpt is very beautiful in it's intention, is however, not in full agreement with Jesus Christ's teaching and therefore just pretty poetic essays. Something to ponder, but not a definition of church or religion.
Still, this passage is very beautiful, and is much akin to what I think, myself.
It's in full agreement with Jesus Christ's teaching..:-)
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“However, Solomon built a house for him. Nevertheless, the Most High does not dwell in houses made with hands, just as the prophet says, `The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What sort of house will you build for me? God says.”
“Do you not know that you people are God's temple, and that the spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him; for the temple of God is holy, which temple you people are.
What! Do you not know that the body of you people is the temple of the holy spirit within you, which you have from God? Also, you do not belong to yourselves, for you were bought with a price. By all means glorify God in the body of you people.”
For we are the temple of a living God; just as God said: "I shall reside among them and walk among them, and I shall be their God and they will be my people."
"FORSAKE NOT THE ASSEMBLING OF YOURSELVES TOGETHER", Hebrews 10:25. The church building is merely a convenient place to do this. It is roomier than most homes, and doesn't have to be rented ( as the "upper room" probably was.) If a religious group thinks they have to spend umpteen dollors to build a fancy structure, that will be between them and God. I do not find the need!
It's in full agreement with Jesus Christ's teaching..:-)
----------
“However, Solomon built a house for him. Nevertheless, the Most High does not dwell in houses made with hands, just as the prophet says, `The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What sort of house will you build for me? God says.”
“Do you not know that you people are God's temple, and that the spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him; for the temple of God is holy, which temple you people are.
What! Do you not know that the body of you people is the temple of the holy spirit within you, which you have from God? Also, you do not belong to yourselves, for you were bought with a price. By all means glorify God in the body of you people.”
For we are the temple of a living God; just as God said: "I shall reside among them and walk among them, and I shall be their God and they will be my people."
First paragraph is new testament talking about old testement. I don't think a modern church is built for the same reasons that they built buildings for their God in those times as they do today. Still, it is a valid argument.
Two is all true, but what does that have to do about assembling in a church. Yes, we are metaphorical body of the Church, but my point is about assembling to a building church and going to it. Jesus appointed Peter the head of his Church with full authority to run it as he saw fit. Peter and the other Apostles created the system of appointing Bishops and how to select successors to the Bishop of Rome, then Peter. Yes, early Christians hid in fear of death from the hands of the Romans, but as soon as they could they started assembling and were told to assemble. These good folks knew Christ himself. They knew everything he said. There was no Bible quotes since there was no Bible. The Catholics didn't put it together until the late 4th century. Assembling together gives us a pathway for the truth as determined by the Pope and his Apostles trickle down to his followers accurately instead of everyone just hiding away and creating their own truth. Remember, there was no Bible at that time and very few people could probably read anyway. If you wanted the hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, you HAD to assemble. As the Catholic Church still does today.
The third paragraph is similar to the second. All true, but irrelevent if you need to hear truth. It's not all in the Bible. The last paragraph of John says so. There was only tradition at the beginning and that tradition still exists today in a Church that Jesus Christ found himself 2000 years ago.
So I have to say that in a metaphorical sense, what you stated earlier is accurate and that this poet of yours was merely paraphrasing. But Jesus's real Church that He built is a completely different matter. To use these texts out the Bible to back your position of not going to Church has only read those parts of the Bible. Of course this completely consistent with Protestant philosophy of - Pick a verse and build a religion around it.
The early Church Father who knew the apostles who walked with Jesus himself, told folks to assemble. I figure they knew more than a person living 2000 years later of what Christianity was supposed to be. That's good enough for me.
"FORSAKE NOT THE ASSEMBLING OF YOURSELVES TOGETHER", Hebrews 10:25. The church building is merely a convenient place to do this. It is roomier than most homes, and doesn't have to be rented ( as the "upper room" probably was.) If a religious group thinks they have to spend umpteen dollors to build a fancy structure, that will be between them and God. I do not find the need!
The early church would be OFFENDED at modern church buildings and clergy nonesence.
Paul would chastise them all for twisting the simplicity of what church is, into some pagan temple and idol worship crap.
The early church would be OFFENDED at modern church buildings and clergy nonesence.
Paul would chastise them all for twisting the simplicity of what church is, into some pagan temple and idol worship crap.
That would appear true, however since Jesus gave full authority Peter and his Apostles to run the Church as they see fit, then what they did was according to Jesus's wishes. Jesus said that gates of hell would not prevail against it and what you just stated would be considered a "little hell". Churches are beautiful to show glory to God and to make God's house special. It's a place you can come and see God's work first hand in the beauty and skills that he gave man. The beautiful cathedrals are not built not to show their wealth in arrogance. That is a false assumption. Besides, a vast number of Catholic Churches are relatively plain as mine is.
Jesus through the Holy Spirit will not allow false teachings to come from his Church since God is perfect and without error. Jesus made one Church, not the chaos of 32,000+ Protestant churches. So I will continue to go to the Church that Jesus, himself, began 2000 years ago, and worship God in a manner consistent with the comprehensive tearchings of Jesus Christ himself.
Sorry for the typos:
1)The beautiful cathedrals are not built not to show their wealth in arrogance=The beautiful cathedrals are not built to show their wealth in arrogance
2)tearchings=teachings,
I often wrestle with feeling compelled to attend church.
It is a beautiful structure, complete with Tiffany stained glass windows, priceless for INS purposes, Gothic by design. I am proud it has been my family's church since its inception, and the family paid for one of the beautiful windows. My family is SO dysfunctional until its membership in this specific church is one of the very few things I am proud of. I never miss a family-related event held at the church -- weddings, celebration of a marriage, christenings, funerals.
However, I have never sat in a pew in the church, without having my mind wander away from the sermon, and the goings-on, to staring at the windows, admiring them for 'art,' and being mesmerized for their beauty.
I leave, after Sunday services, having been gladdened by the fellowship, seeing the pastor, but leave feeling rather 'empty.' I don't buy into the rhetoric, but enjoy the 'tradition' if you can understand that, and the songs, especially at specific times throughout the Christian calendar. I like seeing the 'colors' in the church change, even down to the minister's vestments.
But aside from all of that, the church is a building, and I feel more in commune with some greater thing than what I am, sitting outdoors and admiring nature, much akin to admiring those stained-glass windows.
Yeah, I feel pretty much the same as you. I love our church - over 100 years old, gothic, seats around 1000. The people are wonderful and accepting, the pastors inspiring, and even though I'm not sure I believe the whole heaven and hell, Jesus saves us thing, every sermon has something positive and inspirational in it.
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Do you not know that you people are God's temple..
