Do we practice religion according to the desires of God? Or according to the desires of men?

[Soph0571]

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. James 1:26-27

A women needs to be veiled according to religious Muslims. Nope. No she does not, that is a cultural imposition based on the geographical location of the start of Islam. There is nothing in the Koran to instruct women to cover her face.

Men need to go to confession and talk to a man in a box to get their sins forgiven. Nope. No he doesn’t. That is a ritual that developed over the Catholic Churches unrelenting march across the freedom and psyche of a whole bunch of people. There is nothing in the Bible to support confessions to a Priest as a route to having a chat with God.

Leviticus is a great read, but is not the law for Christians today. Day of Pentecost anyone? So using ancient text to support a bigoted and outdated perversion of Gods views is unlikely to be Gods desire. Maybe it is mans desire though. By putting people under the law, as a Christian you are in direct contravention to the teachings of the New Testament:

who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” (Galatians 3:10)
If we rely on following the Law (the Torah, the first five books of the Bible) we are under a curse. The passage above, Galatians 3:10, contains a quote from the Law itself, Deuteronomy 27:26. According to Paul’s statement below, things have changed.
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us. (Galatians 3:13)
It was Jesus’ death on the cross that rescued us from the curse of the Law. If we insist on following the Law and imposing the Law on others, we negate the cross of Christ, and repudiate Christ’s death on the cross.
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)

So again, the question for evangelicals. What does it say in the New Testament about Homosexuality? Or are you ignoring the covenant made by the New Testament because you are more comfortable with practising your religion in the way you see fit, rather than within the teachings of Christ. Seems that you might be practising in accordance with the desires of men?

And to the old dudes who slut shame young women in religious communities. Reporting on their desired level of dress code. Show me the verse? Can’t happen can it? Again, religion being run according to the desires of men rather than the desires of God.
State Religion
Organised Religion
Created by man for man
Power, Control and Authority is the aim here, not the love of or for God.

Just sayin'

[Major Nikon]

1. Was man created in god's image, or ....

[Karadeniz]

3. The creation story has been sorely represented, not that I advocate using it as a substitute for

Science. But just to play with it....

There are obviously two versions which "experts" will explain away by saying they represent two separate subcultures. So we're to believe that whoever compiled the material included everything he could get his hands on to be on the safe side.

Much more fun to take them at face value. We have two gods (maybe more:place no other gods before me)with different names. The first god is sight unseen, mind. It thinks creation and everything it thinks is as perfect as it probably is. This is obviously not the world we experience. But perhaps it is the soul, which is commonly thought of as a chip off the divine block. Or Plato's patterns. Philo said that Moses out-Plato'd Plato; maybe this is what Philo meant.

Then we get to the world of the second god, but it's still a
lot better than what we experience, so is that planet earth?

Apparently not. When Cain is expelled, he wears a mark to protect him from the heathens who dwell outside Eden. He finds a city. This, finally, sounds like earth!

So, God's image would be the soul.

[Major Nikon]

4. With metaphor, all things are possible.

Jesus said that, metaphorically.

[MineralMan]

2. Religions are creations of men, I believe.

If deities are needed, men create them, as well.

Men do it, because women are too busy for such fantasies.

[trotsky]

5. Let's start one step further back.

Is it possible for ANY human being to truly know "the desires of God"?

[uriel1972]

6. Franklin Graham and all the others?

They say they do and they wouldn't lie, being preachers and all.

[Major Nikon]

7. Anyone who manages to convince others they do gets to control them

It also conveniently allows others to promote their intolerance, ironically citing tolerance as justification.

Funny how all that works.