Anyone who has had formal public speaking classes have been taught that it is always good to start off with a joke.

 A Priest, a Pastor and a Rabbi were walking along the beach.

 The came across a large trashbag that had washed upon the shore.  Curious to what was inside, they opend the bag and discovered a vast sum of cash!  

  What were they to do?  They sat next to the bag and pondered thier situation.  "It wouldn't be right", Said the Priest to the Pastor," if we kept all of this for ourselves."
 
 "Of course not,"said the Pastor to the Priest,"we would be branded hippocrites if we didn't give a portion to God."

To this , the Rabbi asked,"So how do you propose to do this?"

"Well"' Offered the Priest, ," why don't we draw a cirlce in the saned. Then we throw the money into the air. What lands in the Circle , we give to God."

 "No, no,no," replied the pastor," we draw the circle in the sand. Throw the money into the air and whatever lands outside the circle we give to God."

 The pastor and the Priest argue this for quite a time, the Rabbi watching with amusement in his eyes.  "Gentlemen!" He shouts,"I know how to settle this argument!"

 The Priest and the Pastor fall silent and stare at the Rabbi.  

 "Here is what we do",says the smiling Rabbi,"We draw the circle. We throw the money in the air and whatever God wants, He keeps!"

 So many people really miss the point of this joke. They think it is anti-semitic.  It is not. The truth behind this joke is that the Christian leaders who claim that "God Needs Your Money" are fools. God has no need for money, so why tell thier flocks such a thing?  

 Truely, God has no need for money, it is the CHURCHES that need your money.  Yes, the Bible does say that it was the will of God that his followers offer 10% of thier wealth to the temples. But this is not for GOD, this is so that the Church can continue to do what they feel is God's will.

Perhaps another proof that the bible is not the voice of God after all?  The churches sure got their message included.

On the word of God many times.  The Creation of the Apocryph, the books of the Bible that the Church did not want the masses to see.  The Omission of Lillith from Genesis.  Can't have an independant woman on top.

King James is juust a VERSION of the Bible.  I want to lay hands upon a PRE-James bible.  I'll learn latin if I must.

There are so many ways that the origibnal words of God could be tainted.  In the translation from greek to latin, form monks changing words, or mis writing the words, Religious leaders making changes to maintain thier positions of pwer, ect.  

this could be a thread all its own.

The books Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John also have things left out by their authors for what ever reason, so going to the origional is not going to help you with that one . These books are not ment to be complete.

Mysticvirgo your "possible thread of its own" could also have another dimension to it .

love you!

sunmystic

Ack! Threads ! Dimensions!  AAARRGGHH!! String theory ACCKKK!! <finger crucifix>   Only train of thought that makes my mind ache worde than philosophy!