Tithing Education - Giving From Guilt

If you're part of any organized religion and donate money on a regular basis, do you know where your money is going? Have you ever asked what they are spending the money on? Are you one of those people who feels that your pastor and church leaders know best and never even ask them, because you might feel inferior to them? Have you asked in the past and were told not to worry about it but still would like to know.

Before you give your hard earned money away, whether you're doing it out of guilt or pleasure, make sure you're supporting the right organization. You should never feel the need to donate money if you don't have it to give.

I went to a church that had funds for everything, building funds, starvation funds, church funds and even funds to fund of funds if they ran out of money. Okay I just threw that last part in their but all kidding aside, there's plenty of stuff to be done in our country, to help the starving, the poor and the needy. Why do we need to go to other countries?

I want to make a suggestion to people who can't afford to give their money away but feel guilty if they don't. In the Bible it tells you to give away 10% of your earnings to the church. The part that it doesn't tell you is what to do if you can't afford to give 10% to the church. I personally have known quite a few people who give money out of guilt and fear but will tell you that this is a requirement of their religion and its okay. God will take care of us and he always does.

I don't really believe God, the all powerful all-knowing and loving creator, wants us to suffer, if we just don't make enough money to survive. If you're planning on sending your child to a Christian private school and could only afford to send them to that school, using the money that you were going to tithe to the church, what will you do? Tithe the money to the church so that they can use it to feed hungry people in other countries or build a new church somewhere or help with your child's education.

Some of these decisions are made difficult by religious doctrine and these are the parts of organized religion that I have problems with. When do we use common sense, combined with a little education to seek the truth. Does your religion ask you to seek the truth but not to gather your information beyond their religious boundaries?

Only give what you can afford to give and feel good about it. If you don't feel good about giving your money away, don't do it. Take care of yourself, so that you can take care of others, if you choose to. Living a life of fear and guilt doesn't make sense.

Question Your Religion

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Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a religious help library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

When Do We Get to Meet God's Parents?

If God is the creator of the universe, who is the creator of God? When I was born, I had a mother and a father and supposedly the two of them together had created me. One could not have created me without the other and therefore I am a product of my parents. I know who my parents are and I even know who their parents are but who is God's parents and were we made in the images of our parents or creators.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth but before that, we know very little about God. Did he have brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, grandparents and even God parents. If he did have brothers and sisters, did they create worlds like he did or she did, we don't know whether God is a man or a woman, transvestite, homosexual or a combination of all of these. We really don't know what God is, even though Michelangelo painted him on the Sistine Chapel.

In the book of revelations it mentions, Revelation 22:13 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." God says that he is the first and the last, does this mean that there was no one or no entity before him. It goes back to the chicken and the egg, what was first the chicken or the egg, no one knows. Well god knows doesn't he. I don't know why I keep referring to God as a he but bear with me on this one.

I wonder if God was disciplined as a child or even if he was a child. Maybe God was born a full grown person or even a mysterious entity in the form of a smoky cloud. That couldn't be, because God made us in his image and I'm sure that his mother and father look like us. Well, hopefully they look better than us, maybe someone like Brad Pitt or Jennifer Aniston. I hope that he wasn't an ugly person or entity. That would be discouraging.

I guess that's enough of the humor, I rarely hear anyone talk about, who created God. If God formed out of nothingness, why couldn't our earth have formed from nothingness, without God. If God did have parents, brothers and sisters, have they created other universes and what is the purpose of their creations. Are we just one big experiment, part of a big science project?

Anyone interested in using this article to make a movie, feel free to use this information at no charge, I would love to see the movie, when it's done.

Good Christian News

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Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

If you're really seeking the kingdom of heaven, the glory of God and the true vision that Jesus had, check out some great Christian articles. These articles are designed to teach and educate Christians.

Rethinking Today's Religions - Misleading Our Children

When I was a young man, my parents told me about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. Every Christmas, there would be presents underneath the tree from Santa Claus and on Easter I would get a basket full of candy and eggs. However, when I was 11 years old, my parents broke the devastating news to me, there was no Santa Claus or Easter Bunny.

As you can imagine, I cried for hours over the frustration and disappointment. For one, I thought that I wasn't going to get any more Christmas gifts, but my parents provided me with the needed psychological relief and told me that they were going to provide Christmas gifts for me, until I died. Even though I was upset, I was relieved and confused.

If my parents lied about this, could they have possibly lied about something else, anything else. Have you ever thought about this and is there a situation in your life today that could be an old habit that never got corrected. Some theme that your parents told you when you were a child that was a lie and they never told you the truth. Maybe they never told you the truth because they don't even know themselves that it's a lie.

Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny were obviously disappointments to me and most people that I've talked to about their experiences, with their parents and even their children. Why do we do this as parents to our children, even though we didn't like it when it was done to us. Hard to explain why we can't break certain habits and certain traditions.

I love Christmas and the joy of giving. Even though I am no longer a Christian, I enjoy going over to my relatives homes and spending Christmas or Christmas Eve with them. Now for the bad news, if you were raised to believe in Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism or any other large religious organization. Let me ask you this, do you think that it could be like Santa Claus, do you think the religion you believe in so strongly could be a story that has gotten out of control over the centuries.

I've spent a life time rethinking today's religions and can't find very many facts to prove any one religion is superior over another. Do your own research and find your own answers. Enlightenment could be as simple as gathering the right information.

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. Check out one of his recommended books, You Can Have It All

Greg is currently working on a self help library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

My Message From God - Christian Spirituality

This is a special article to me and I would like to share it with you. It seems like, every one that I have ever met, who refers to themselves as Christians, have received a special message from God.

I would like to share my message from God with every person in the world.

Why would God go out of his way to create evil people? To create people that wouldn't convert to his religion. To understand the true meaning of the one true religion. To have the ability to comprehend the truth and wisdom of Christianity.

I have been listening to Christians for years, talk about evil, the influence of the Bible on Christians, gifts from God, questioning their beliefs, lacking understanding for things that God doesn't give them or things that he takes away from them and excluding sinners from their lives.

I've been listening to Christians talk about love and caring, but excluding sinners, homosexuals and women from their church. Not allowing women to hold decision of authority or allowing them to perform certain tasks, inside of the Church.

I've been listening to Christians, quote from the Bible, with limited knowledge of the origins of that individual Bible verse, let alone the origins of their church or how Christianity was formed.

I've listened to them judge me for my beliefs and condemn others for theirs, while they are telling me about decision's they are making within their own lives, that don't support Christianity.

Just because you go to church, read the Bible or simply believe that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior, doesn't make you an educated Christian. It only makes you a Christian.

My message from God is simple. Learn more about Christianity and this will allow you to do one of two things. Either you will become a stronger Christian or you will relinquish your beliefs in Christianity.

Either way you will have learned more about Christianity and could consider yourself an educated Christian or simply an educated person.

Advanced Bible Study

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author and a inspiration to millions of people. He has been involved in religious research for almost 30 years, and his influence in the Christian community is growing. The Holy Bible, is the core to Christian beliefs and most Christians don't even question it. Was the Bible actually written by men?

His newest book," Did God Actually Say That?" Was written specifically for Christians who are interested in gaining additional knowledge about the Bible. This book provides Christians with advanced biblical knowledge, answer some tough questions and should be read by every faithful follower of Christ.

Click here if you're a Spiritual Chrsitian.

Optimist Or Pessimist - Self Help Tips

For myself, I am an optimist. It does not seem to be much use being anything else. -Sir Winston Churchill-

Even though most of us know the above quote is true, it is still easy to become a pessimist in the world in which we live today. We know that it generally makes things worse to always look on the negative side of things, but many times it seems much easier than the discipline it will take to think positive.

All good change has come to the world by different people who had a vision and carried it out. Most inventors are called eternal optimists because they are passionate about what they do and truly believe they can make the world a better place.

The problem with pessimism is that you confine yourself to only what you can see with your physical eyes, and much of it is negative. You then make all decisions based on that information instead of focusing on how things could be made better.

Our natural inclination is to look at what we see around us and take it at face value. We rarely think that God could use one person, namely us, as an instrument for positive change.

The Holy Spirit can give you a vision as to what you need to do for the future, and give you the faith to bring it to pass.

God has an awesome plan for the life of every Christian, because we are all part of the Body of Christ. He has given us certain gifts in order to carry out His work here. Our job is to discover those gifts and let Him use us in the areas where He sees fit. No earthly person can see the BIG PICTURE, so it is hard to imagine how everything will fit together when the work has been completed.

Some jobs will be tough and others easy, and you might never see exactly how things will fit together in the end; but you can have the assurance that God is in control and whatever He does is always perfect and good.

Perfect satisfaction, peace, and joy can only come from being in the center of Gods Will and submitting your whole life to Him. Only people who have a vision can change the world. Ask God to show you His Vision for your life; then ask Him to give you the faith to attain it.

Choose to think positive and see the great things God can do through your life.

Cathy Deaton is the author of Handbook for Victorious Christian Living, practical ways for the Christian who is seeking God to learn to live in victory in every area of their life.

Check out her site at http://handbook-victorious-christian-living.com

Also check out her blog at http://who-god-is.com

God has done remarkable things in her life and she has found that He is truly a God of wonder and amazement, and wants to bless His children in more ways than they could ever imagine.

Her site Blueprint for Victorious Christian Living takes passages from the Bible and gives the meaning of key words in the Greek or Hebrew. The articles are short and can be printed out easily for study, or be read online in about 5 minutes.

The Different Types of Buddhism

Just like there are many different denominations of Christianity including Protestant churches and Catholicism, the different types of Buddhism reflect the way that this religion is practiced.

Buddhism is a dharmic religion and form of spirituality that revolves around certain beliefs and practices all of which are aimed at bringing the participant closer to Buddhahood the highest level of spiritual awareness. However, because the religion has gained followers in several different parts of the world (mostly in Asia), the way that Buddhism is practiced has split into several different sects. All of the Buddhist sects believe certain things in common: all accept Buddha as their teacher, use the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path in their teachings, and believe that Buddhahood is the highest attainment.

Most scholars divide the different types of Buddhism into three sections. The first of these is Southern Buddhism, or Theraveda Buddhism. The word Theraveda is a word in the Pali language (thought to be spoken by the Buddha) that means the Doctrine of the Elders. The biggest aim in the Theraveda practice is to use meditation to train the mind, and to encourage freedom of the mind from suffering. This freedom from suffering will allow you to reach the greatest spiritual goal Nirvana. Theraveda Buddhism is the only surviving school from the earliest years of Buddhism, and it is mostly practiced today in Sri Lanka, Laos and Cambodia.

The second type of Buddhism that is mentioned is Eastern Buddhism, also known as Mahayana Buddhism. This sect not only teaches the Pali Canon (which is the religious text of Theraveda Buddhism) but also includes additional texts and beliefs. In order to reach Nirvana, Mahayana Buddhists believe that a person must practice universal compassion, which is the altruistic quest of the Bodhisattva to attain the Awakened Mind of Buddhahood. Mahayana Buddhism also has a level of mysticism involved. This type of Buddhism is practiced in China, Korea and Japan, as well as parts of other Asian countries.

The third of the different types of Buddhism is Northern or Tibetan Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhism is also considered to be a type of Mahayana Buddhism, but it also embraces other teachings, texts and practices that are not seen in the Eastern type of Mahayana Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhism is also sometimes called Tantric Buddhism or Vajrayana. This type of Buddhism uses both the Mahayana and Theraveda scriptures, as well as a number of Buddhist Tantras all of which are aimed at attaining Buddhahood in just one lifetime instead of requiring many reincarnations.

While all of the different types of Buddhism have the same goal and same basis for their beliefs, the way that Buddhahood is obtained varies from sect to sect. It is important to understand the way that each sect works before choosing to practice a type of Buddhism.

Read free dahli lama quotes daily for peace and enlightenment at DahliLamaQuotesDaily.com

Marriage Fitness Can Fix Your Relationship

Mort Fertel is an authority on the psychology of relationships and has an international reputation for saving marriages from ending in divorce. In addition to working with couples, he teaches individuals how to transform their marital situation. Mort Fertel is known when you talk about marriage counseling. He is the one who will give you advice what to do to fix your problems.

Mort has developed an innovative way and proven method to restore marriages and bring back to a normal life. He will give you counsels, advices and solutions that you need. He is a world authority on the psychology of relationships and has an international reputation for helping people renew their marriage. In addition to working with couples, he teaches individuals how to single-handedly transform their marital situation.

Mort's Marriage Fitness is an innovative step-by-step relationship-changing system that will save and restore your marriage. You'll learn to neutralize your problems and put into practice a system of positive relationship habits that will shift the momentum of your marriage. They learn to neutralize your problems and the practical implementation of a system of positive habits, by the impetus for your marriage. Marriage fitness addresses the idea that if you and your spouse are having problems with each other as well as being stressed, you cannot tackle your problems effectively.

Marriage Fitness with Mort Fertel is a step-by-step relationship-changing self-help system that saves and restores marriages. Using CD's, DVD's, workbooks, and teleconferences, you learn to neutralize your problems and put into practice a system of positive relationship habits that shift the momentum of your marriage.

Marriage Fitness is designed to encounter any potential marriage problem and to save marriage effectively no matter how serious it is. In addition, Marriage Fitness is a proven system having worked well in saving many married couples being on the brink of divorce. The program is based on the universal laws of love. Just as diet and exercise determine your health, certain behaviors determine the level of love and intimacy in your marriage.

Mort Fertel is the author of the book/cd series, Marriage Fitness.