I don't know about blowing off steam but the outrage of Catholic priest against gays is ironic. Just ask the ones suing the church for sexual abuse.

That's why they are called "holy rollers".

Nothing wrong with blowing off a little steam,

And $800,000 of the churches money...

Giving money to a religious organization is almost as useful as giving it to the psychic on TV

Plenty of people do good deeds while holding down another job - I can't see why "robe-wearers" don't have the divine energy to do both!

If they have this kind of extra money they obviously aren't being taxed enough!

With 400,000 churches, many of which feed the homeless, send missionaries overseas, and do many other things to help communities, perhaps you are speaking out of your arse.

Enough with the Catholic priest derision please. Statistically priest are about a third to half as likely to be pedophiles as the general population and there are thousands of priest who devote their lives to service and piety. So, can we just focus on the criminal behavior of the individuals and not condemn the whole Church? I mean you do want to be accurate don't you? Or is any excuse to tear down good enough?

Timothy1Mil - thats just the thing, most of their money ISNT going towards those things. Most churches are barely pulling in enough money to pay to keep the church open, and to pay for the pastor.

And then you've got the megachurches and you can see most of their money went into building a church so big and bold, that it's taking from actual good deeds - not to mention the leaders of those churches decked out in designer clothes and cars.

and lets just look at the catholic church, filthy stinking rich...why isnt their money going towards helping the poor, versus stockpiling their wealth?

Oh sure, thats the PREMISS that these churches are doing the good works, but if we did a true audit I think most would be shocked to find that the bulk of the money stays in the church with the leaders of the church, and very little goes back into the community or feeds the poor, or helps the homeless.

oh sure, a good chunk goes to missionary work...gotta go to foreign lands and scare people into believing, how else will one get to heaven without the necessary amount of recruits?

churches are businesses, and should be taxed as such. not to mention the fact that they continually violate the promise of not being involved in politics in order to avoid taxation.

clearly, they've crossed that line miles ago.

Bill, it's the organization that knowingly and willfully protected the criminals in their ranks. When these Buddists monks were shown to be engaging in behaviors they preach against, they were punished by their organization. When the RCC discovered pedos in their ranks they kept it quiet so not to harm their reputation. That's why the RCC is different and should be treated like a criminal enterprise.

Bill - as much as the pedophilia in the catholic church bothers me, it's actually the covering up of it - and moving priests around, that bothers me that much more. it's that clear reality that says "we dont care about the kids our priests have hurt, we care more about our church and our image"

and thats about as unholy as it can get.

and I hope the entire catholic church burns in hell over it...including the catholics who feel, like you, content to sweep it all under the rug as if there's nothing to see here.

just as this article points out - a good portion of the leadership is more concerned about the "videotaping" of it, than the actual act that occured.

Do you see a pattern here?

these arent holy people, they are corrupt leaders...and youre blindly following, as if they were god themselves.

GOD and JESUS didnt advocate for religion or church, just belief in GOD.

Churches aren't needed, GODS work isnt done by popes and priests, but by all of GODS people.

some, just appear content to toss a few bucks in the collection plate and let someone else do the good works...and if they dont, oh well...it's not YOUR problem...right?

Timothy (your Pet detective reference aside) you still did not address why they cannot do all of that and still keep a job like the rest of modern society.

Besides - churches do not feed the homeless, communities do, volunteers do - it could all be done with a gymnasium which has other uses throughout the week.

Aside from telling me which group to direct my hatred towards - I do not see a use for a religious group.

(case in point - in our local news this morning a religious school forfieted a championship game because the other team had a female player...years ago this headline could have read that the other player was black )

Religious groups do not set the example - They hold us back.

We are fighting two wars right now so that religious groups do not control a country - we should apply the same attitude at home.

The long and winding path...so it goes.

I just want to to thank the article author for using the word "abstemious".

WOW........I want to party with those guys.

Jessica-1170252...I just fell into infatuation with your brain.

Just a little thought for the day. It would be nice if all entities raking in obscene amounts of money, not just religious organizations, but sports, entertainment, even political ones, should think more about giving back to help the poor and their communities.

Ain't no party like a Buddhist Monk party. The fun doesn't even start until the Buddhists show up.

@Jessica

Although you seem a little high-strung, I like your post and agree with you.

@Steve2570999

The power of Kirk Cameron compels you! The power of Kirk Cameron compels you!

The ability to record anyone anytime anywhere with ease and many times without those knowing they're being recorded has changed our lives forever, and many times, not for the better. We have become 21st century electronic peeping tom's.

I think it will be a few years before we really know what we should be doing with all of the recording technology. In the meantime, it is a complete dilemma between catching criminals faster; and giving other criminals more tools.

Wet Willy - I don't see your point since it is almost always that the bad guys are found due to these cameras.

They just I.D.'d that guy in Tennessee who killed the mom and daughter and kidnapped the other two thanks to a convenience store camera

If you are doing nothing wrong the camera will record nothing

Playing poker? Must be the Chip Monks.

Jessica: Yes, there are religious leaders who are more interested in lining their own pockets instead of leading their congregation as they are supposed to be led. But, the vast majority of them are truly answering a calling that they felt to lead people as they are to be led. My father is a prime example. He left a very good paying job to go back to seminary and become a minister. He certainly isn't living the high life and for several years worked another job to make ends meet for our family. He is now retired, but he still reaches out to those in the community to lead and support them.

You state that Jesus and God do not advocate church, but it is stated in the Bible that it is good to gather together in worship. Gathering together helps the congregation learn and grow as TRUE disciples, be held accountable for their actions, and have support as they try to reach others for Christ. You are also correct that God's work should be done by His people, but I believe the ministers and churches are there to be leaders in these areas.

Unfortunately, there are those who have lost the true meaning of what it means to be a leader for Christ.

I don't know Steve-2570999, I just read an article about to HS t who had did an upskirt video of their teacher and then posted it to YouTube. The are facing charges as we speak. Plenty of incidences where landlords had placed hidden video cameras in their rental apartments bathroom/bedrooms, an x put a camera on his x's front door to find out who she was dating now, and then beat the guy up, several incidences of hidden video capturing people passwords and such at ATM's and even some hackers hi-jacking laptop camera's and spying of the owners in their bedrooms. The list goes on and on.

As far as the monks go, it wasn't my money, and not my religeon ( I outgrew that a long while ago), so I think it's funny! Go for it guys!

How about that! Buddhist equivalents of Jimmy Swaggert and Jim Baker!

K Man, unless you can cite a source for this expose other than your memory, you are just rumor mongering.

We are, every one of us, hypocritical at some time or another. Error is human, forgiveness is......... also human.

I guess corruption isn't just for polititions.

Last year prior to the Thai National elections, there were several high profile arrest concerning Monks in the Isan area. This was a political strong hold of the 'Red Shirts', who were challenging the Abhisit/Democrat Leadership, who later lost - big time, after over 80% of the Thais voted...

The Monks were politically active and had became pawns in dirty POLITICS. Two years prior, numerous Monks were shot & killed while protesting, even when they & others had sought refuge in a BKK Temple...

Funny these charges were dropped after the elections. And the Democrats never brought charges against any of the Military/POLICE snipers, 2+year earlier...

Were they doing something wrong??? Probably, but the average Monk lives near poverty levels and when they leave the Temple, they leave the Wat with what they arrived with, their Robes and Bowl...

When you play Monopoly, how much did you get to keep when you WON???

galactic,

To err may be human but when you stake yourself out as some form of holy person, especially one such as a Buddhist monk supposedly that much more above such mundane distractions as cigars, cards, booze...then I find myself on a lower enough plane where forgivness for that kind of hypocracy is not a virtue readily given.

http://www.secularsrilanka.com/discussions/hemantha-s-rants/pedophila-among-the-clergy

So you're OK with their actions? Glad I don't know you.

@4.1

Are you perfect? Or did your mom raise someone who is fooling themselfe?

Since sin is a religious decree, Atheists are without sin. So we get to chuck the first stone.

Cute. But you are open to an equally cute counterattack. I deflect your stone (regardless of the substance of the attack) by likewise refusing to recognize your moral code. Ad extensio, I can steal all of your stuff and murder you without any moral consequence because I don't believe in religion, the law, or any objective morality. But I wager that, even as an Athiest, you have some objective moral code. And, if you've never violated your own moral code, you may fire when ready.

factcheckero

Wow. Very well put. I'm impressed.

"For all have sinnned and come short of the glory of God."

But not everone has the TRUTH.

I think factcheckero might have played a little D&D back in the day.

Hmm. I'm not sure if that is a compliment or an insult. But I'm sure I could find an old 20-sider somewhere in my stuff if I looked hard enough.

You mean like those against all gambling except bingo at the church?

Yep, those "R" peoples' Senators.

Where did the Catholic Church get the $2 billion they have paid in defense and settlement of law suits? Why are they still getting it? And they're buying the stairway to heaven?

Yes, they are human, and nobody believed otherwise. However, they are really bad, corrupt, hypocritical, lying, thieving humans, and that does not put them in a better light.

I agree mymom! I can't believe that someone would play poker and drink alcohol......and OMG! smoke! What is this world coming to?!

Get off your highhorse. This is nothing more than an opportunity for ridiculoids to act as if these guys are sooooo bad.

I don't know. Drinking, smoking, playing cards, I've heard worse. I'd be interesting to find out where they got all that dough, but other than that it's a matter for their monastery.

Nice to know you approve of the thievery of church money, and consider it innocent fun. Hiding the silverware and locking up the jewelry would be advisable for whoever lets you into their homes.

When did it become fun for a religious person to drink excessive, gamble, and smoke? Maybe a non-religious person would call it fun but a religious person would call it submitting to the devil's temptation.

These are fun activities to atheists.

Not all Atheist timmy. Perhaps you are speaking out of your arse.

Jack K let us know 55 years ago that the Dharma Bums love to drink their saki

Sunny here today, but I could use some Rainy Day Women

NotfiveO - you crack me up!

Don't know anything about Buddhism do you?

Not sure, but I don't think Buddhists acknowledge the Devil - or sin for that matter. They strive to eliminate dualist thinking, i.e., god/devil, good/evil, being/nothingness, etc..efc. . .

I wonder if Tibetan Hold 'Em is any different from the Texas variety. . .

IDK. If a priest told me to do 50 "Hail Marys", then confess after I committed adultery. The last thing I'd want to see is the guy doing a nun in a hotel room later that night.

When you put yourself in the position to give moral advice to others it's generally assumed that you are on some level of moral high ground when you do it.

The above is truth regarding the romanticism of eastern religion by the west and Americans in particular (although I disagree entirely with the last sentence that socialism is the solution - but there is room for legitimate disagreement as to the solution I will concede). See also, the strange justification for all manner of WWII atrocities advanced by the Japanese Rinzai Zen as well as the several sexually bizarre American Zen scandals. Snake oil is snake oil, but we're all the more willing to accept that exotic varieties are actually the real thing. I bet Occidental religions held similar allure when first presented to Oriental cultures.

Daniel Greco,

I'm assuming you have never talked to someone from Tibet or visited/lived in Asia...

Unless they were Han and you are Chinese...

Your writing style identifies you as just another '50-cent warrior'...

Seems every culture needs to "borrow" from one another. The Chinese were very upset over the Tibetan Monks power and riches over the people you are right! Americans rarely know history.

LOL... I disagree... I think there are many religious figures, in particular Jesus, who were much better humans than the rest of us. Of course, I happen to believe that Jesus was the son of God. But even Jesus was tempted and in the Garden asked God to have the cup of death pass from him. He didn't want to leave his loved ones and family either. But he submitted himself to death for our sakes. Now, I'm sure I'll be ridiculed for that belief, but I think ultimately my point is that there are large parts of human existence - all the joy and love - that is far from sinful. What is sinful in this situation is the hypocrisy. Because publically, Buddhist monks of this order are supposed to be abstaining from earthly pleasures and living simply and in relative poverty. For Buddhists this will cause the same pain that the sex-abuse scandal caused Catholics. It's telling us you are doing one thing, when you are openly and consciously doing another. But humans, priests and monks are frail. We will always be dissappointed by our fellow human beings. If you faith is founded on the perfection of another human, then you will surely fall away. Put your faith not in the men and women who supposedly serve God, but in God himself. When his servants stumble, that way your faith will not stumble too.

FYI, rainer, the word Allah MEANS God. I think you are thinking about Muhammed the Prophet.

To rainer: You are as right as rain.

If we have our eyes on man we will always be let down.

EXCEPT Buddha, Allah, are still in their graves.

beck, so is Jesus. No reason why one religion should get special treatment right?

Any way you slice it, I'm pretty sure Allah's not in his grave.

It's obvious you are referring to the child abuse scandal dogging the Catholic Church. But ask yourself what else do Catholic priests do? Give counseling and comfort to troubled people, lead churches for the betterment of communities, offer solace and help to the sick, the dying, the imprisoned, the lonely. Provide Christian mercy to our soldiers, administer hospitals, teach in universities, perform marriages and baptisms and funerals. I could go on and on. And yes, a very few of them have done atrocious things. But let's not paint them all with the same brush shall we?

"Your Leader Is One, the Christ"
"Do not . . . be called 'leaders,' for your Leader is one, the Christ."—MATT. 23:9, 10.
CHRISTENDOM'S churches have human leaders, such as the pope of Rome, the patriarchs and metropolitans of the Eastern Orthodox churches, and the heads of other religions. Jehovah's Witnesses recognize no human as their leader. They are not disciples or followers of any man. This is in line with Jehovah's prophetic utterance concerning his Son: "Look! As a witness to the national groups I have given him, as a leader and commander to the national groups." (Isa. 55:4) The international congregation of anointed Christians and their "other sheep" companions want no leader other than the one Jehovah has given them. (John 10:16) They subscribe to Jesus' statement: "Your Leader is one, the Christ."—Matt. 23:10.

Alan do you know what Gospel means? Good News. And it has nothing to do with humans or our hypocrisy which most believers of Christ (Jesus was not a Christian) are guilty of. The direct quote in Greek (the language the New Testament was written in) is "TEACH the Good News of Christ). If believers would just stick with that all would be well. But then religion comes in and every thing gets all screwed up.

And BTW, these were not Christians they were Buddhists.

Thank you for proving my point. Yes this article is about Buddha or Buddhists. It is also about Religion as a whole. Which has probably started more Wars and Killed more people then just about anything else. Used to control the masses. Church Law was the Law at the time for a thousand years or more. It is about belief in one of a hundred different Religions. It is an Organization(s) and a business to fund certain peoples thoughts on how their God is the Only God. It is about the trust that People as a whole put into these sects and get stomped on.

Can You Believe in a Paradise Earth?
FEW people believe that the earth will ever be a paradise. Many think that it will not continue to exist at all. According to the book The Sacred Earth, by Brian Leigh Molyneaux, this globe came into existence because of 'a great cosmic explosion' millions of years ago. And if man himself does not destroy the earth, many believe that it and the whole universe may eventually "collapse back into a fiery, imploding ball."
The 17th-century English poet John Milton had no such pessimistic thoughts. In his epic poem Paradise Lost, he wrote that God created the earth to be a paradise home for the human family. That original Paradise was lost. However, Milton believed that it would be restored—that a redeemer in the person of Jesus Christ would one day "reward his faithful, and receive them into bliss . . . in Heaven or Earth." Milton confidently declared: "For then the Earth shall all be Paradise."
Paradise—In Heaven or on Earth?
Many religious people share Milton's view that they will eventually receive some kind of compensation for the horrors and pain that they have had to endure here on earth. But where will they enjoy that reward? Will it be "in Heaven or Earth"? For some, the earth hardly enters the picture. They say that people will enjoy "bliss" only after they leave the earth and live in a spirit realm in heaven.
In the book Heaven—A History, authors C. McDannell and B. Lang say that second-century theologian Irenaeus believed that life in a restored paradise "would not take place in some distant heavenly realm, but on earth." According to that book, although such religious leaders as John Calvin and Martin Luther hoped to go to heaven, they also believed that "God would renew the earth." Members of other religions have held similar beliefs. McDannell and Lang also say that some Jewish people believed that in God's due time, all human hardships "will be erased and a full life will be lived on earth." According to ancient Persian belief, "the pristine state of the earth will be restored and people will live in peace once more," says The Encyclopaedia of Middle Eastern Mythology and Religion.
What happened to the hope of a paradise earth? Is our earthly existence meant to be only a passing phase? As the first-century Jewish philosopher Philo held, is it to be just "a brief, often unfortunate, episode" in a journey to a spirit realm? Or did God have something else in mind when he created the earth and put humans on it in paradise conditions? Can mankind find genuine spiritual fulfillment and bliss right here on earth? Why not examine what the Bible says about this subject? You may well conclude, as millions already have, that to hope for a restored earthly paradise is reasonable indeed.

The media is just people like you and I. They make mistakes like anyone else. People do not put their heart and soul into them like Religion. The media does not threaten you "To Burn In Hell" if you do not follow them in the exact manner they state. Religion has rules and regulations on how you MUST act to get into the Highest Kingdom. Believe in us, pay us, pray and live your life how we tell you and you shall see the light. These same Priests that wag their fingers and preach the Gospel break their own rules prescribed to the masses. It is a joke. Media scandals and Bad Cops are on a long list. Way behind Religion Rhetoric.

Alan,

you do not know much about other religions other then christian is what I am lead to understand from your comment, So we will skip religion.

The media destroys peoples lives. Destroying a persons life, or burn in hell to me is the same thing.

At times we find that the media reported the story falsely or inaccurately. The damage to the persons reputation is still there to haunt them for life, so no, the media as well must be held to the same standards as politicians, or religious leaders, or teachers. They are all just people,but people with the ability to influence the thoughts of a society. Therefore reporters and the media should be held to higher standards.

Good post Reality!

And per whose morality are the monks criticized?

Is it really horrible and unforgiveable that these monks were smoking, drinking and gambling?

Really?

By whose standards???

Who among us has not done the same?

Life is for living and if the monks lived a little then are they to be condemned? Or does such an incident make them more real?

The crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Rothschild/Rockeffeller/Kissinger/Soros/ etc. bankster cult and covered up by their mouthpiece controlled "mainstream" propaganda machines like MSNBC, FOX. CNN, BBC, etc. are enormous - millions salughtered in the last 10 years alone since the 9/11 false flag psyop.

Yet a few monks smoking and drinking is front page news????

Or is this another propaganda piece in the current bankster campaign against religion and anything spiritual?

Have You Found the Right Religion?
"The form of worship that is clean and undefiled from the standpoint of our God and Father is this."—JAMES 1:27.
WE LIVE in an era when many people are content to give religion a relatively small corner of their lives. They may attend some religious services, but few do so regularly. Most people do not hold the view that all other religions are wrong and that theirs is right. They may simply feel that their religion is right for them.
2 In view of this, does the question, Have you found the right religion? simply mean, Have you found a religion that you like? What determines what you like? Your family? Your associates? Your own feelings? How seriously have you considered God's view of the matter?

How Can We Know God's Viewpoint?
3 If we are to know what God himself thinks, then there must be some revelation from him. The Bible is the most ancient book claiming to be inspired of God. (2 Timothy 3:16, 17) But can it truthfully be said that this book, in contrast with all others, contains God's message for all humankind? How would you answer that question, and why? Is it because your parents held that view? Is it because of the attitude of your associates? Have you examined the evidence yourself? Why not do that now, using the following four lines of evidence?
4 Availability: A message that is truly from God and that is for the entire human family should be available to them. Is that true of the Bible? Consider this: The Bible, the whole or some part, is now published in upwards of 2,000 languages. According to the American Bible Society, nearly a decade ago the languages in which the Bible was printed made it available to some 98 percent of the world's population. As pointed out by the Guinness Book of World Records, the Bible is by far "the world's most widely distributed book." This is what we would expect of a message from God that is meant for people of all races and nations and language groups. (Compare Revelation 14:6.) There is no other book in the world that has a record anything like it.
5 Historicity: Careful examination of Biblical narratives brings to light another way in which the Bible is distinct from other books that claim to be holy. The Bible contains historical facts, not unprovable legends. Irwin Linton, who as a lawyer was accustomed to analyzing what was required as proof in a court of law, wrote: "While romances, legends and false testimony are careful to place the events related in some distant place and some indefinite time, . . . the Bible narratives give us the date and place of the things related with the utmost precision." (For examples, see 1 Kings 14:25; Isaiah 36:1; Luke 3:1, 2.) To people who turn to religion not for escape from reality but for truth, this is an important consideration.
6 Practicality: Those who seriously examine the Bible soon realize that its commands and principles are not designed to exploit them. Instead, these outline a way of life that brings benefit to those who closely adhere to them. (Isaiah 48:17, 18) The comfort that it offers to those in distress is not hollow, based on empty philosophies. Rather, it helps people to cope with the harsh realities of life. How? In three ways: (1) by giving sound counsel on how to deal with difficulties, (2) by explaining how to receive the loving support that God gives to his servants now, and (3) by revealing the marvelous future that God has in store for those who serve him, giving them sound reasons for confidence in his promises.
7 Though the Bible's counsel is frequently not popular among those who reject authority and pursue a life of self-indulgence, many have come to realize that such a life has not brought them genuine happiness. (Galatians 6:7, 8) The Bible gives straightforward answers to questions about abortion, divorce, and homosexuality. Its counsel is a safeguard against drug and alcohol abuse and against contracting AIDS through contaminated blood or sexual promiscuity. It shows us how to have happy families. It provides answers that enable a person to cope with the most stressful situations in life, including rejection by close family members, catastrophic illness, and the death of a loved one. It helps us to discern our priorities so that our lives are filled with meaning instead of regret.
8 Prophecy: The Bible is unique as a book of prophecy, a book that tells what will occur in the future, and it does so in detail. It foretold the destruction of ancient Tyre, the fall of Babylon, the rebuilding of Jerusalem, the rise and fall of the kings of Medo-Persia and Greece, and numerous events in the life of Jesus Christ. It also foretold in detail world conditions that have developed in this century, and it explains their significance. It shows how the problems that overwhelm human rulers will be solved, and it identifies the Ruler who will bring lasting peace and true security to humankind.—Isaiah 9:6, 7; 11:1-5, 9; 53:4-6.
9 Significantly, the Bible presents the ability to foretell the future accurately as a test of Godship. (Isaiah 41:1–46:13) The One who can do it or who can inspire others to do it is not a mere lifeless idol. He is not simply a devout human. He is the true God, and the book that contains such prophecy is his Word.—1 Thessalonians 2:13.

Are All Who Use the Bible Right?
10 Is it reasonable—more important, is it Scriptural—to conclude, then, that all religious groups that profess to use the Bible teach the true religion? Is everyone who carries or quotes the Bible practicing the right religion?
11 Many of the clergy, although they have the Bible, use religion as a means to glorify themselves. They dilute pure truths with traditions and human philosophies. Is their worship acceptable to God? To religious leaders in first-century Jerusalem who were doing just that, Jesus Christ aptly applied God's declaration through the prophet Isaiah, saying: "This people honors me with their lips, yet their heart is far removed from me. It is in vain that they keep worshiping me, because they teach commands of men as doctrines." (Matthew 15:8, 9; 23:5-10) Clearly, religion of that sort is not the true religion.
12 What if the fruitage produced by the teachings of certain religions, as manifest in the lives of their members who are in good standing, is rotten? In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warned: "Be on the watch for the false prophets . . . By their fruits you will recognize them. . . . Every good tree produces fine fruit, but every rotten tree produces worthless fruit." (Matthew 7:15-17) It is true that individuals may do wrong and need correction. But the situation is different when church members, even the clergy, indulge in fornication and adultery, fighting, drunkenness, greediness, lying, spiritism, worship of idols—any or all of these things—yet no discipline is administered, and those who continue in this course are not excluded from the congregation. The Bible clearly states that those who practice such things should be expelled from the congregation; they will have no place in God's Kingdom. (Galatians 5:19-21) Their worship is not pleasing to God, nor will our worship please God if we choose as associates those whom he rejects.—1 Corinthians 5:11-13; 6:9, 10; Revelation 21:8.
13 It is clear that not all groups that claim to use the Bible practice the true religion that it describes. What, then, does the Bible set out as identifying marks of the true religion?

Identifying Marks of the True Religion
14 Its teachings are based firmly on the inspired Scriptures. "All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight." (2 Timothy 3:16) But where does the Holy Bible speak of Christendom's Trinity? And where does the Bible teach, as the clergy do, that humans have a soul that survives the death of the physical body? Have you ever asked a clergyman to show you those teachings in your Bible? The New Encyclopædia Britannica states: "Neither the word Trinity nor the explicit doctrine appears in the New Testament." (1992, Micropædia, Volume 11, page 928) And the New Catholic Encyclopedia admits: "Among the Apostolic Fathers, there had been nothing even remotely approaching such a mentality or perspective." (1967, Volume XIV, page 299) As for Christendom's concept of a soul that separates from the body at death, church scholars admit that they borrowed the idea from Greek philosophy. However, true religion does not set aside Bible truth for human philosophy.—Genesis 2:7; Deuteronomy 6:4; Ezekiel 18:4; John 14:28.
15 The true religion advocates worship of only the one true God, Jehovah. (Deuteronomy 4:35; John 17:3) Paraphrasing Deuteronomy 5:9 and 6:13, Jesus Christ firmly stated: "It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service." (Matthew 4:10) Consistent with that, Jesus made his Father's name known to his disciples. (John 17:26) Has your religion taught you to worship Jehovah? Have you come to know the Person identified by that name—his purposes, his activities, his qualities—so that you feel you can confidently draw close to him? If yours is the true religion, the answer is yes.—Luke 10:22; 1 John 5:14.
16 An important part of worship that is pleasing to God is faith in his Son, Jesus Christ. (John 3:36; Acts 4:12) This does not mean simply believing that he lived or that he was an outstanding person. It includes appreciation of what the Bible teaches regarding the value of the sacrifice of Jesus' perfect human life and recognition of his position today as heavenly King. (Psalm 2:6-8; John 3:16; Revelation 12:10) If you are associated with those who practice the true religion, you know that in everyday life they put forth a conscientious effort to obey Jesus, to imitate his example, and to share personally and zealously in the work that he assigned to his disciples. (Matthew 28:19, 20; John 15:14; 1 Peter 2:21) If that is not true of those with whom you worship, you need to look elsewhere.
17 True worship is not tainted by involvement in politics and worldly conflicts. (James 1:27) Why not? Because Jesus said regarding his followers: "They are no part of the world, just as I am no part of the world." (John 17:16) Jesus did not meddle in politics, and he restrained his followers from resorting to carnal weapons. (Matthew 26:52) Those who take to heart what God's Word says 'do not learn war anymore.' (Isaiah 2:2-4) If any religion with which you have even a nominal affiliation does not fit that description, it is time to break off ties with it.—James 4:4; Revelation 18:4, 5.
18 The true religion teaches and practices unselfish love. (John 13:35; 1 John 3:10-12) Such love is not just spoken about in sermons. It actually draws together in genuine brotherhood people of all races, all economic groups, all languages, all nations. (Revelation 7:9, 10) It sets true Christians apart from the world around them. If you have not already done so, attend meetings at a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, as well as their larger conventions. Watch them as they work together to build one of their Kingdom Halls. Observe how they treat both elderly ones (including widows) and young people (including those who have only one parent or none at all). (James 1:27) Compare what you observe with what you have seen in any other religion. Then ask yourself, 'Who practices the true religion?'
19 The true religion advocates God's Kingdom as the lasting solution to the problems of humankind. (Daniel 2:44; 7:13, 14; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:4, 5) Do any of Christendom's churches do that? When is the last time that you heard a clergyman explain God's Kingdom and what the Scriptures show that it will accomplish? Does the organization to which you belong encourage you to talk to others about God's Kingdom, and if so, does the membership as a whole share in doing it? Jesus did such witnessing; his early disciples did. You too can have the privilege of sharing in this activity. It is the most important work being done on the face of the earth today.—Matthew 24:14.
20 Though there are thousands of religions, the Bible quickly helps us to cut through the confusion in order to identify the true one. But we need to do more than identify it. It is vital that we practice it. What this involves will be considered at greater length in our next article.