AboutJohn of AllFaith Expertise I can offer answers on a wide variety of topics about the world's religions including, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Noahide, Sikhism, Paganism, Taoism, etc. If the question is of a religious nature drop me a line! For auto maintenance look elsewhere :-)
A statement to students about plagiarism any why I answer questions:
Plagiarism is a crime.
Plagiarism can ruin reputations, end careers, lead to expulsion from school, the loss of financial aid, and can even result in fines and imprisonment in some cases. Its not worth it!
A small percentage of those who ask questions at sites like this copy and paste our replies as their own work, often without giving credit. This is plagiarism. Its not worth it!
We all know that one can google a homework question and in many cases find an easy response, but so can your teachers! Many teachers are aware that some students do this and catch their cheating students.
To read more about this issue go to the following link. Its a conversation between a teacher from a respectable institution of learning and me where she writes: ...I have had over 20 students copy your work in the past 3 months...
Understand that if you plagiarize you are cheating your instructors, your answerer, your fellow students, everyone who respects you... and ultimately yourself. Don't do it!
Please use our answers to help in your research, not to replace it.
Learn, don't cheat.
Experience Since 1969 I've been involved with many diverse spiritual and religious disciplines. I've lived in ashrams and monasteries, acquired ordinations and degrees and so on.
Education/Credentials I hold a Calvary Chapel (Christian) Ordination, an independent Missionary Baptist (Christian) ordination, an MA in Religious Studies from John F Kennedy University, an ordination in Ministry and Spiritual Counseling from the Interfaith Seminaries, an ordination from the Universal Life Church, and am Pastor Emeritus of Grace Inclusive Church.
My main work today is at AllFaith.com
To varying degrees I have worked and studied with many different groups including: the Noahide Nazarene sect, I attained the position of Vaisnava brahmana within the International Society for KRSNA Consciousness and in the Sri Gopinath Gaudiya Math (both members of the greater Brahma Madhva Gaudiya Vaisnava Sampradaya), I'm a former student of Swami Muktinanda's Sidha Yoga Foundation, an initiate of the Yoga Society (of Sri Ramamurti Mishra), was initiated as a Welsh Pagan priest, have been a Sunni Muslim, a Taoist, a member of various Buddhist sects (including the Dharmad Hatu of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche) and various diverse Hindu sects, numerous Christian denominations and movements, was a Missionary to Central America, carried a 12x6 foot wooden cross on my back from Atlanta Georgia to San Antonia Texas, and have been involved with numerous other groups and movements too numerous to mention.
Question If ive been accepted and baptized by my pastor and congregation,and accepted christ.Should my fiance who recently decided to leave Catholicism and has accepted Christ and been baptized in the same church.Now be pressured to hurry and get married,or be constantly told by the pastor that we are unsavory advocates for God's message of salvation? We are monogamous but because of extenuating circumstances are trusting in the lord to say when,not the pastor or church members.Does GOD reject us from telling other's of Jesus's sacrifice because we're not married? When i asked the pastor if we were still welcome a definitive answer was not given.What should we do?
Answer Hi Stanley,
Churches and Christians have different view on this.
Biblically speaking it is a sin to have sexual relations before marriage.
Can a person who is knowingly "living in sin" preach obedience to God to others? This is the doubtless what the pastor is thinking.
Nonetheless you stand before God on your own, as does your fiance. It really depends on how you view your relationship with God, how you understand your biblical obligations.
I think you answer can be found here:
Romans 14:1 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
2 For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.
3 Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.
4 Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.
7 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.
8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.
9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.
14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
15 But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.
16 Let not then your good be evil spoken of:
17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.
19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.
20 For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.
21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.
22 Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.
23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
