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Posts: 20703
Fri, 23-Aug-13 06:02:07
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"their newfound religion had transformed their lives. They joyfully spoke of their joining this eastern sect and I could sense the elation and inner peace they felt. They were certain that what they believed was true and it was quite apparent that they were more spiritual now than they had ever been in their former lives. . ."Although each of these extraordinary stories may appear to the novice as evidence of the validity of their newly acquired faith, the fact remains that these variant religions cannot all be valid. When it comes to spiritual experiences and miraculous occurrences, things get very messy. The realm of faith would be very tidy if only one religion produced life-altering transformations and miraculous occurrences. To the dismay of the fervid believer, however, this may be the most disorganized arena of organized religion. In fact. . .life-changing experience. . . is a universal phenomenon produced by virtually all faiths, and people from just about every religion can claim “almost unbelievable change in the character and personality” of the people whom they touch, regardless of the truth of the doctrines they preach. In essence, there is no relationship between spiritual transformation which occurs in the heart of the faithful believer and the spiritual truth which he espouses."Why would God allow all religions, regardless of the theological untruths they espouse, to ignite a spiritual passion within the heart of the believer? The Bible contains a record of many individuals and nations who possessed fervent devotion to their idolatry. Nonetheless, their spiritual adultery is condemned as an utter abomination, regardless of the spirituality and transformation they derived. Why would the Almighty permit religions whose fundamental teachings have no basis in truth to produce life-transforming experiences and miraculous occurrences in the lives of their devout followers?"The answer is found in the beginning of Deuteronomy where the Torah addresses this dilemma in an even more startling scenario. In Deuteronomy 13:1-2 the Bible raises the question of what to do when a “prophet” offers to show a miracle in order to lend credibility to his message. How are we to respond if, in fact, the promised miracle comes to pass just as he predicted? Should we then follow this “prophet” even if he encourages us to worship other gods which are unknown to our people? “You must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer,” the Torah emphatically declares. G-d did not send him."
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