A View of Christianity

[CallOfTheLoneWolf]

I am in a weird state of between in my belief in Christianity. While I do believe that God is good and the world is bettered through him. I am starting to doubt the faith that is Christianity in face of the fact that there are millions of other religions and who are the believers of Christianity to tell them they are wrong and are condemned to a fate worse than death? Well that is not why I'm writing this.


I have a view of God/Jesus and what they bring to a life if they are accepted, in the respect of being partly Christian, and want to share it so that I may be corrected if my view is skewed and/or wrong due to the core Christian beliefs.


So let's say that there is a land of people. But this land is eternally in a state of Winter. In this land everyone lives around what is their 'monument' so to speak, which is a golden flame that is on the ground, in easy access, and is incredibly warm. This flame is the size of, let's say a house, and burns continuously burns nonstop. This Flame is God. It warms the area around it enough to were they can grow food and have no need for water, but in there homes they are constantly under the threat of sickness due to the cold. People fear to walk into the fire because a long while in the past The Flame would burn all who had come to it but had done wrong in their lives. But a man was born of this fire and went through the people and those who came to him were given a small Flame of their own that would fend off the sickness and cold. This man is known as Jesus.


Upon seeing the pain and death the people were suffering Jesus then went to all the people and gave them each a small ember from the Flame inside of him, and he ended up dying when he gave the last of his Flame to the last person who hadn't received one, which was the same ember that all had gotten. As he lay dead. The people brought him back to The Flame to lay next to what birthed him, but they were to afraid to bring him into it for fear of death by its burn. The Flame then moved to cover the man on its own and he once again breathed. When he looked out to the people he was saddened by their fear of his Father. So he told them that since they each carried a piece of his Flame inside them all and so would their children and their children's children, then as long as they had faith and held no fear of the flames then they could come and be filled by it forever, to never feel the cold again. And at their hesitance he took the hand of one and asked them do they trust him. Upon their nod he took the person to the edge of The Flame and stood next to them, giving a smile of reassurance. When the person finally gained the resolve needed and banished the fear from their heart they entered, and they were filled with Flame. Feeling the warmth and Joy that overcame them.


Upon this they exited and went to tell them all. And eventually one by one many came and entered The Flame to exited renewed and filled, so they went and spread the news that The Flame would heal them. But in the passing times there were people who had forgotten what The Flame was and went their whole lives finding substitutes for it such as the inferior Fire that they could create. But those who were closest to the Flame still remembered, still went into The Flame and exited renewed, Jesus's promise never fading with passage of Time. They went to the people who no longer believed and gave them at bit of warmth, showing them the great feelings that came from it, and told them how they could get their own.


Thank You for reading this.

 

[RC1970]

I am in a weird state of between in my belief in Christianity. While I do believe that God is good and the world is bettered through him. I am starting to doubt the faith that is Christianity in face of the fact that there are millions of other religions and who are the believers of Christianity to tell them they are wrong and are condemned to a fate worse than death? Well that is not why I'm writing this.


I have a view of God/Jesus and what they bring to a life if they are accepted, in the respect of being partly Christian, and want to share it so that I may be corrected if my view is skewed and/or wrong due to the core Christian beliefs.


So let's say that there is a land of people. But this land is eternally in a state of Winter. In this land everyone lives around what is their 'monument' so to speak, which is a golden flame that is on the ground, in easy access, and is incredibly warm. This flame is the size of, let's say a house, and burns continuously burns nonstop. This Flame is God. It warms the area around it enough to were they can grow food and have no need for water, but in there homes they are constantly under the threat of sickness due to the cold. People fear to walk into the fire because a long while in the past The Flame would burn all who had come to it but had done wrong in their lives. But a man was born of this fire and went through the people and those who came to him were given a small Flame of their own that would fend off the sickness and cold. This man is known as Jesus.


Upon seeing the pain and death the people were suffering Jesus then went to all the people and gave them each a small ember from the Flame inside of him, and he ended up dying when he gave the last of his Flame to the last person who hadn't received one, which was the same ember that all had gotten. As he lay dead. The people brought him back to The Flame to lay next to what birthed him, but they were to afraid to bring him into it for fear of death by its burn. The Flame then moved to cover the man on its own and he once again breathed. When he looked out to the people he was saddened by their fear of his Father. So he told them that since they each carried a piece of his Flame inside them all and so would their children and their children's children, then as long as they had faith and held no fear of the flames then they could come and be filled by it forever, to never feel the cold again. And at their hesitance he took the hand of one and asked them do they trust him. Upon their nod he took the person to the edge of The Flame and stood next to them, giving a smile of reassurance. When the person finally gained the resolve needed and banished the fear from their heart they entered, and they were filled with Flame. Feeling the warmth and Joy that overcame them.


Upon this they exited and went to tell them all. And eventually one by one many came and entered The Flame to exited renewed and filled, so they went and spread the news that The Flame would heal them. But in the passing times there were people who had forgotten what The Flame was and went their whole lives finding substitutes for it such as the inferior Fire that they could create. But those who were closest to the Flame still remembered, still went into The Flame and exited renewed, Jesus's promise never fading with passage of Time. They went to the people who no longer believed and gave them at bit of warmth, showing them the great feelings that came from it, and told them how they could get their own.


<Staff Edit>

"For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began..." ~ 2 Timothy 1:6-9

Welcome to CF.

 

[Hearingheart]

LoneWolf, if you see this, you may want to read Eternity in their Hearts by Don Richardson. Interesting book about many other cultures (other than just the Jewish culture) that have folk tales and remnants from their history about One God, the Creator and some even prophesy about the Son of God bringing a way of redemption back to God.
Some of these cultures were waiting for someone to tell them the Son had come and they could now be close to God again after turning away. I found it amazing that God revealed himself in other lands, without the Bible, without the Jewish people. He is faithful and loving and I truly believe that He wants to draw His children in. Jesus made this possible.

Please don't blame God for humanities many woes caused by arrogance, greed and fear. I have a hard time with other Christians and have found a few peppered in now and then that know how to love, but most I can't relate to.

I, too, have had some serious doubts and questions that I needed answers to and truth be told, I don't always step to the same doctrine or theology that a lot of Christians do, but I've been on this journey for more than 40 years, sometimes taking detours and always being drawn back to the Father's love. He can be trusted. Keep searching and learn to listen to the Holy Spirit. God's truth is always available, you just have to sometimes sift through a lot of garbage to find the gold nuggets of truth.

 

[Celticroots]

LoneWolf, if you see this, you may want to read Eternity in their Hearts by Don Richardson. Interesting book about many other cultures (other than just the Jewish culture) that have folk tales and remnants from their history about One God, the Creator and some even prophesy about the Son of God bringing a way of redemption back to God.
Some of these cultures were waiting for someone to tell them the Son had come and they could now be close to God again after turning away. I found it amazing that God revealed himself in other lands, without the Bible, without the Jewish people. He is faithful and loving and I truly believe that He wants to draw His children in. Jesus made this possible.

Please don't blame God for humanities many woes caused by arrogance, greed and fear. I have a hard time with other Christians and have found a few peppered in now and then that know how to love, but most I can't relate to.

I, too, have had some serious doubts and questions that I needed answers to and truth be told, I don't always step to the same doctrine or theology that a lot of Christians do, but I've been on this journey for more than 40 years, sometimes taking detours and always being drawn back to the Father's love. He can be trusted. Keep searching and learn to listen to the Holy Spirit. God's truth is always available, you just have to sometimes sift through a lot of garbage to find the gold nuggets of truth.

I am relieved I am not the only one who has a hard time relating to other Christians.

 

[xianghua]

hi. you may also find this argument interesting:

My favorite argument for the existence of God

 

[Tolworth John]

that there are millions of other religions and who are the believers of Christianity to tell them they are wrong and are condemned to a fate worse than death?

It isn't the Christians who say other religiopns are wrong but Jesus himself.
He said that 'He was the Way, the Truth and the Life and that NoOne got to God except by him.

 

[Tayla]

I am in a weird state of between in my belief in Christianity.

The allegory you present is interesting and worthy of consideration. As I'm sure you know, it does not reflect the story of Jesus actually in the minds of those living in those days. Theirs was based on Old Testament Israel and their priestly and ritualistic practice of monotheism. There are hints of a religion like Christianity scattered about, especially in the prophets. But only finally with John the Baptist and then Jesus himself, does the true story emerge.

 

[GeorgeJ]

It isn't the Christians who say other religiopns are wrong but Jesus himself.
He said that 'He was the Way, the Truth and the Life and that NoOne got to God except by him.

Well, at least whoever wrote John said he said that.

 

[.Mikha'el.]

ON!

Thread moved from Christian Apologetics to Exploring Christianity!

OFF!

 

[redleghunter]

being partly Christian

What does that mean?

 

[Sketcher]

I don't see how that is a good allegory for Christianity, theologically speaking.

 

[ToBeLoved]

I don’t understand the OP post at all and the idea that people build their own flame sounds more like atheism where the individual is the main focus.

Christianity is about Christ and God.

Not something humans created

 

[CallOfTheLoneWolf]

I don’t understand the OP post at all and the idea that people build their own flame sounds more like atheism where the individual is the main focus.

Christianity is about Christ and God.

Not something humans created

The 'flame' they created is a metaphor for the things in life that people idolize, such as money or power. But as i look over this I see that I forgot to include the fact that the flame that they created was inadequate/unfulfilling, and constantly went out. My apologies for making this error.

 

[CallOfTheLoneWolf]

What does that mean?

I am contemplating my beliefs right now, not really knowing where I stand. But I know that I am 'partly' Christian due to the specifics of what I believe.

 

[CallOfTheLoneWolf]

I don't see how that is a good allegory for Christianity, theologically speaking.

Could you elaborate please?

 

[redleghunter]

I am contemplating my beliefs right now, not really knowing where I stand. But I know that I am 'partly' Christian due to the specifics of what I believe.

Here's a good reference:


Basic Christianity

Amazon has a Kindle edition for $4 and change.

Edit: WTS books has a free Pdf file too. Just Google it.

Edit here's the file.

 

[Sketcher]

Could you elaborate please?

It's a poor model for Christianity's theology and Christology. It doesn't tell anything like the Resurrection at all. This isn't to say that one can never tell parables about the Gospel itself, but this does not have enough parallels with these key elements to qualify as one.

 

[wernalip]

The bible is full of symbolism but in order to understand a certain religion, it is important to live on its virtue and faith.

 

[Kristen Davis]

"For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began..." ~ 2 Timothy 1:6-9

Welcome to CF.

Your reply is also similar to proverbs in which God created heaven and earth before we began and held the first fist fulls of dust. He also inscribed the first circle upon the ground and these were considered his works of old. Basically God set the foundation for life upon Earth before sin became a thing upon creating Adam and Eve.

 

[aiki]

So let's say that there is a land of people. But this land is eternally in a state of Winter. In this land everyone lives around what is their 'monument' so to speak, which is a golden flame that is on the ground, in easy access, and is incredibly warm. This flame is the size of, let's say a house, and burns continuously burns nonstop. This Flame is God.

It is impossible for us to speak of God except in a context and in terms we understand, but whenever we do, we must inevitably diverge from the real thing. Flame (heat energy) is something God created. But God is not what He has created; He is transcendent to His Creation, He is above and beyond it. When you speak of God as a flame, then, you reduce Him to a part of the physical universe and thus make Him not God.

People fear to walk into the fire because a long while in the past The Flame would burn all who had come to it but had done wrong in their lives.

This is not the story of Scripture. God prescribed blood sacrifices as a means of atoning for sin in the Old Testament. He made a way for sinners to avoid being "burnt" by their sin.

But a man was born of this fire

Jesus was not "born" of God. He is not God's creation. He is God in the flesh, the "image of the invisible God," pre-existing Creation and the Author of it. Jesus was born of the virgin Mary but not merely as a man, but as the God-man.

those who came to him were given a small Flame of their own

What is this "small flame," exactly? And what does it mean to "come to Jesus"? Some who came to Jesus were his enemies.

Upon seeing the pain and death the people were suffering Jesus then went to all the people and gave them each a small ember from the Flame inside of him, and he ended up dying when he gave the last of his Flame to the last person who hadn't received one, which was the same ember that all had gotten.

??? This is entirely unbiblical. We are all God's creatures, His creations, but we are not all His children. That is, not everybody possesses the Holy Spirit of God by whom the new life in Christ is given to the born-again. In fact, Jesus said:

Matthew 7:14
14 ...narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Jesus died to atone for sin. He was the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. But that atonement is only efficacious to those who choose to receive it by faith. All others stand under the jeopardy of God's holy justice and wrath.

As he lay dead. The people brought him back to The Flame to lay next to what birthed him, but they were to afraid to bring him into it for fear of death by its burn.

This isn't anything like what the Bible describes.

When he looked out to the people he was saddened by their fear of his Father.

Scripture doesn't say this. In fact, much of Christ's teaching was scary. He warned constantly of God's judgment and being unprepared for it, of failing to enter into the kingdom of God, and of the eternal danger of sin. He went a bit fierce in the temple when he overthrew the tables of the moneychangers and chased them out. Christ isn't presented as a weepy, sentimental sort of person in the Bible.

Unfortunately, the rest of your story is likewise filled with theological and doctrinal errors. It strays widely from the truth of the Bible.

Why are you trying to reframe the eternal wisdom and truth of God's word this way? How can you think it would represent God's truth better? And if you don't think this, why are you bothering?