Miscellaneous Questions on Religion

[Adelheid]

I thought it would be useful to have this thread, because there are many questions that people want to satisfy, but which is not quite worth a whole discussion or thread to it. Ask it here, then, and anyone may choose to answer. There can be more than one answer too. Just don't neglect others questions to satisfy one question. ;)

Here's mine which started this idea:

I have often noticed that Catholics use a sign after praying (using the index finger to point to the head than to the 2 shoulders). Other than knowing it has something to do with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I am totally ignorant of it's significance. Could anybody enlighten me?

[kilted exile]

I believe I am correct in saying it is the sign of the cross.

[RobinHood3000]

Don't we already have a thread like this?

[woeful painter]

Yes Kilted, it is.

Adelheid,
The HEAD signifies the FATHER, so you point one finger there. The SON, implied in the Virgin Mary, can be found on the womb, and so now that's where you point next. The HOLY SPIRIT, signified by the dove, uses a symbol of wings, to be pointed on the shoulders. First one saying HOLY (for the LEFT SHOULDER) and Spirit (for the RIGHT SHOULDER). BTW, the SON, may not as always be attributed to the womb as some points on their chests (the HEART). Hope this helps! :nod:

[myself]

hello, im a muslim and im reallt interested in other religions. dunno if any one knows this film but it called constatine and i watched it. i found that in most aspect about life after death, god, hell and heaven islam and chritianity are the same. is that true and what exatly do christians beleive when it comes to hell, heaven and death?

[miss tenderness]

basiclly Islam an Christianity are all given By Allah swt.

[ugthemc]

hello, im a muslim and im reallt interested in other religions. dunno if any one knows this film but it called constatine and i watched it. i found that in most aspect about life after death, god, hell and heaven islam and chritianity are the same. is that true and what exatly do christians beleive when it comes to hell, heaven and death?


here's a discussion in the topic of hell

http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16361

[Mililalil XXIV]

I have often noticed that Catholics use a sign after praying (using the index finger to point to the head than to the 2 shoulders). Other than knowing it has something to do with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I am totally ignorant of it's significance. Could anybody enlighten me?

In addition to what Woeful Painter has said, let me add first another detail bound up with this gesture, then some other aspects to the significance, as well as some other relevant comments:

First: about the fingers:
Three fingers are often used - I say often, because the number to be used might not have been taken note of by some. These are the thumb and index and middle fingers - this trio stands for the number of PERSONS in the GODHEAD.

You may or may not have also seen a hand gesture of a Catholic (a gesture CHRIST HIMSELF has been shown to have used, in artwork through the centuries), often used by Priests giving a Benediction: the index and middle fingers are held straight up, touching against one another, side by side, with the two next fingers after the middle one bent over into the palm, with the thumb tucked inward, resting over the nearest of those two bent fingers. This represents True Peace, in Union of GOD with man - the so-called "Peace sign" of the sixties, with the two upraised fingers split wide apart, is a false "Peace", and is part of that whole thing of saying that GOD is dead, and drawing the Cross upside down in a circle, with its cross beam broken downward from the center to its two ends.

Having mentioned that true Peace Sign, let me add that to this is added the thumb extended parallel to the other two extended fingers, and this form of the hand and its fingers makes the Sign of the Cross.

Some other aspects of this Crossing oneself are:
that the Cross is a public spectacle upon Which the LORD of Glory deigned to suffer as the LAMB OF GOD for our Redemption - thus, in publicly signing ouirselves with the shape of the LORD's Cross, we return the gesture to HIM of not being ashamed of a public show of Love. Because of this, we who were publicly baptised and confirmed in the NAME of the FATHER and of the SON and of the HOLY SPIRIT, of WHICH we are proud, recall our Baptism and Confirmation without secrecy at every Mass in this public gesture, and ought to do so with careful consideration, recalling always our first Love of GOD. Since we are commanded to love GOD with all our mind, with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our strength, we seek to publicly show Devotion to HIM, including in the Sign of the Cross, starting at our head (publicly loving GOD with all our mind), then arriving at our heart or torso, wherein are organs like the heart, etc., that are affected by our emotions, and which affect them in turn (publicly loving GOD with all our heart); then we display upon the shoulders our public Love of GOD with all of our soul and strength (since the soul involves both intyellect and emotion, and the shoulder is the cross juncture between head and heart, and since it is upon the shoulders that a strength-driven yoke of labor is borne).

Some care more about the heart than about the mind, or vise versa, but the Gospel must first be heard - otherwise even the best prepared heart doean't know what to set its affections upon. The mind, for this reason, is where Doctrine/Knowledge begins to take root - but it is a Light for seeing one's steps, so as to walk intelligently in accord with what the heart ought rightly to treasure. Thus, in meditating on a Truth mentally, one needs to open the heart to recieve the digested nutrients of Wisdom, so that Love can be concieved with Light to fulfill all good. Only after this correlation of mind and heart with WISDOM and LOVE is one able to operate whole-souled, and put to full practice one's Faith with all of his/her might.

GOD came down to us as a SON from the FATHER, and the HOLY SPIRIT recieved by us as a result, unites man to GOD and all such as are united with GOD, each Christian to his/her brother/sister. Thus we not only use the same gesture apart from one another, but together as well.

I have much more to say about the Cross Itself, but in staying on topic with the signing of oneself with Its shape:
In Ezekiel Chapter 9 foretells the use of the Cross-shape in anointing the baptised in Confirmation. The mark mentioned in this chapter, as upon the foreheads of the Elect, is "Tau" in the original Hebrew. The original form of the letter Tau was the shape of the Cross. Thus, this original crossing of one's forehead with the Anointing mentioned in the First Epistle of John is a most important thing for a Christian to regularly recall while crossing him/herself.

If any one has questions about other details I brought up in answering the matter of crossing oneself, feel free to bring it up, and I'll be happy to answer that as well.

[woeful painter]

Thank you Mil (mind if I shorten your name?) That was very comprehensive! I'm not much into religion, though I am a Catholic(?) or Christian(?), is there really any differerence? But I was told my church was Catholic. Anyway, I just told what I saw and heard. Again thank you for the very useful insight! :nod:

[Mililalil XXIV]

Thank you Mil (mind if I shorten your name?) That was very comprehensive! I'm not much into religion, though I am a Catholic(?) or Christian(?), is there really any differerence? But I was told my church was Catholic. Anyway, I just told what I saw and heard. Again thank you for the very useful insight! :nod:
Thank you, W.P.
What you posted was the best thing to open up a reply with - nothing outdoes the aspect you pointed out about the TRINITY, of WHOM all Christians are proud.

Treating your (perhaps rhetorical) question as a question, I promise to comment on that when I have sufficient computer time. Until then, let me say without qualification that to be Catholic and and to be Christian are really one thing.

[PaisteN'Pearl]

If the bible was edited and not all texts available to all, why and to what purpose was this done?

[Redzeppelin]

If the bible was edited and not all texts available to all, why and to what purpose was this done?

Could you sharpen this question a bit? As it is, I'm afraid that answering it in its present form may be inaccurate. "Edited" by whom? When? What "texts" weren't "available" to all?

Thanks

[kilted exile]

Could you sharpen this question a bit? As it is, I'm afraid that answering it in its present form may be inaccurate. "Edited" by whom? When? What "texts" weren't "available" to all?

Thanks

Think it is referring to the Apocrypha. The reason is that whilst it is recognised by Catholics it is not recognised by Protestants. Kind of similar to the way that Shi'ites & Sunni muslims have different opinions on the teachings of a previous person (sorry my brain is not working today & I cant remember the persons name or the exact details)

[uncc49er06]

Just taking all the questions and answers in over a cup o' joe and wanted to say to Redzepplin...I just LOVE your sig!!! :) good call!

[Dark Star]

Think it is referring to the Apocrypha. The reason is that whilst it is recognised by Catholics it is not recognised by Protestants. Kind of similar to the way that Shi'ites & Sunni muslims have different opinions on the teachings of a previous person (sorry my brain is not working today & I cant remember the persons name or the exact details)

It could also be referring to the Gnostic gospels which are often actually from an earlier time than the canonical ones. This is a book that deals directly with the huge variety of texts that were left in and left out of the NT: The Pre-Nicene New Testament (http://www.amazon.com/Pre-Nicene-New-Testament-Fifty-four-Formative/dp/1560851945/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201531373&sr=8-1).