I came to this forum for one reason and one reason only: To get answers.
That's wonderful that you want answers. There's no need for fear of the hard questions. However I would suggest that a much better place to find such answers is in the Bible, not an anonymous forum full of mostly unbelievers. Some of us here may be able to offer some helpful tips. But you want big answers, and they're found in the word of God.
As a human being whose love and compassion are infinitesimal compared to God, the idea of bringing a single child into the world knowing it would suffer the agony of eternal torment is incomprehensible to me. Now, if I, a human being, wouldn't commit such an act, why would God?
This issue could probably be its own thread as it is quite a big topic. I would like to suggest that to understand the purpose of Hell, consider studying more about God's nature, in particular His holiness. That may help shed some light on the bigger picture. We are all sinners, worthy of Hell. All of us. By our very nature, we hate God, and His truth. That He would sacrifice His own son to save any of us is infinitely merciful.
I have prayed about this often I want the Lord to work in me so that I can come to the conclusions He/She/I AM wants me to.
Well, first, He's definitely a "He", not a "She", so that's easy enough to clear up
. Secondly, keep on praying. And when you pray, pray for the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to the glory of His truth and the depth of your sinful nature.
Therefore, like any child, I am not satisfied with the stock, "Because I said so," response. This seems to threaten many people on this site.
No need for it to. If your questions are asked with a genuine desire to understand, then questions are great. However people tend to sense when there's attitude or accusation behind a question. Is it possible that any of your questions may have come across that way, even if you did not mean them to?
It makes me wonder why. If I brought a thirteen year old girl nine months pregnant to your average church, she would more than likely be shunned, scorned, and whispered about in hallways and corners.
There are a lot of churches around these days that I suspect are not really Christian anymore. However, even then, I don't think
most churches would behave as you suggest. I know most I've been to would welcome her and offer her help with her baby in a variety of practical ways.
If she tried to tell you that it was not a man but an angel who had made her a mother, in all seriousness, you would probably suggest she was delusional. Yet, we hear the story at Christmas and we take it as a matter of course.
Fair question. Keep in mind that at the time of Christ's birth the Jewish people were waiting for the Messiah and knew that the prophesies pointed directly to that time. Yet, even so, she was shunned for being unwed and pregnant by those who did not believe. (Note, being pregnant that young was far more standard than in our culture now. People grew up and started families much sooner). Joseph was well within his right to break off their engagement publicly, which would have meant she would be stoned to death for (what they believed to be) her infidelity by the law. However, even before the angel came to him, he had planned to divorce her quietly so that she would not be harmed. Here, we see compassion even before he knew she was carrying the Messiah. Had he handed her to the authorities, they would have been much worse than you feel most churches would today.
As far as taking this account in history as just standard and not examining it for the incredible miracle it was is indeed a danger of being complacent in the church. And we must be careful not to be like that. It's not just a fanciful fairytale to sing songs about. It's a historical event worthy of our study and examination. So it's great that you want to look further into this.
I wish I could put it a better way, but I want to know why this particular story for want of a better word, is the truth. I am not asking these questions to be 'smart' or instigate arguments, I do believe in Jesus Christ, but I am trying to figure out why I believe in Jesus Christ because if it's just because I happened to be born in a family who had those particular beliefs, what is my walk with Jesus worth?
Good for you. These are absolutely vital questions. Never just accept doctrine because it's what you were taught. We must each examine these things to see if they're true. If you have faith, it is
your faith, a gift from God, not some extension of your family background. So, keep on asking questions, and don't stop! But again, like I mentioned above, the best place to find them is the God's word itself. There are some fantastic commentaries around as well to help you understand the fuller meanings of the context, such as word definitions and cultures, etc. I'd be happy to recommend some. In the end, no one on a forum is going to be able to perfectly answer all your questions (though we can try to answer as much as possible in our own limited ways, of course). You need to take the time and effort to start prayerfully studying for yourself. It is my prayer that you are doing exactly that.
A bit of an aside... if you would like to hear from someone else who asks (and answers) the hard questions, check out Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias. He has lots of free podcasts that you can listen to on iTunes.
A quote that comes to mind:
He that complies against his Will,
Is of his own Opinion still; - Samuel Butler
