Just when I thought I had it.

[Adstar]

ah, but what of being a better person for the sake of it. I like trying to be better even tho I don't think god judges us I try and be like buhdda and jesus just for the sake of being nicer.

Our society is a mirror if your nice to people, people are generally nice to you. and if you act in a happy and good way your spirit will live on happy and good.

Peace.

Yes you try to be a nice person. But your reply to my post early in this thread (and to others) reveals that no matter what your intent is you still fall down and end up being insulting and demeaning.

Christians understand that we need Jesus not to turn us into goody goody perfect people on earth but to be forgiven for all the cutting words and acts we are guilty of saying and doing in our lives.

You also need this as well. Just as all people need the forgiveness of Jesus.

You also asked what has God done for us and pointed to all the suffering and injustice in the world.

I do not expect Jesus to keep me from troubles and suffering in this world, what Jesus does is give me the strength to face the troubles and suffering of my life and allow me to have peace of mind in a world that knows no peace.


I must also apologise to you, because i lost track of this thread and this is the first time i have found it again.



All Praise The Ancient Of Days

 

[WarEagle]

I am very confused. I fear hell in some aspects but don't believe in dogma. I follow the teachings of the bible but don't believe in black and white morality. For instance I believe murder is separate from killing and that sex before marriage is ok when approached ethically.

Then you don't follow the teachings of the Bible.

In addition, if you haven't repented of your sins and put your faith in Christ, believeing that He, the second person of the Godhead, became the unblemished lamb to be our sacrifice, then you're not following the teachings of the Bible.

I love god and jesus but I currently hate what he is doing to me.

What is it that you feel he's doing to you?

He has created so many different religons and "holy texts" it's just not clear.

The only religion God created is the religion that says that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and His atonement on the cross is the only available means of salvation.

The only "holy text" God gave us is the Bible.

I gave a prayer; I was in a field almost shouting my words to god, nearly in tears. It's been about an hour and nothing new has entered.

Did you repent and place your faith in Christ and His atonement on the cross as your only hope of salvation?

I just don't know what god wants from me

God has told you exactly what He wants from you in Acts 17:30: He wants you to repent.

It's ridiculous! why are there so many different religous paths if all of them are claiming to be the one and only way to win and telling me every other way is wrong.

You sound pretty young so this may be a little before your time, but many years ago, there was a game show on TV called "What's My Line". The premise of the show was that three people would claim to be somebody with an interesting occupation and only one of them was telling the truth.

The panel would then have to question them and examine their claims in order to determine who was telling the truth.

In the same way, we can examine Christianity and, because it is based on the Bible, which is unique among all religious texts and upon the person, claims and work or Jesus Christ, who is unique among all religious leaders, we can see that it is the only true "religious path".

Is it not likely nay probable that god IS EVERY religon. I mean it's a pluasible thought that the god who inspired bhudda was the same who sent down jesus or instructed mohammmed.

The Bible says God is not the author of confusion. If God is not the author of confusion, then He cannot be the author of contradicting religions.
Why would God, on the one hand, tell us that Christ is the only way of salvation and then, on the other tell us that all paths lead to salvation?

When you imagine hell do you see bhudda burning and screaming as he is tortured. WELL I DON'T.

Do you believe that Bhudda was sinless?

To me god is not so vain that he hates those who do not know better.

It isn’t a matter of vanity or hatred. God is righteous, which means that He must have a strict moral code. God is just, which means that He must punish violations of that moral code.

I mean there is so much death, racism, torture and war done in the name of religon.

So, does Christianity teach people to do these things? Or do they do these things in spite of what Jesus taught.

How can you judge the truthfulness of Jesus’ teachings by what others do? You need to judge Christ and His teachings on their own merits.

I would if I was black and being told that god never will accept me. I wouldn't give a crap if they misinterpretted the bible god should of stepped in to stop the hurt being done in his name.

Why? You say that you follow the teachings of the Bible. Did you read what Jesus said about those who died when the Tower of Siloam fell?

Someone tell me how god has helped us in the past 1000 years!

You have good health and food on your table. God has put people in your path to share the Gospel with you, so that you will have an opportunity to repent and put your faith in Christ so that you won’t have to go to Hell.

Every day God withholds His wrath from you is God showing mercy to you.

Look at it statistically christians are just as rich as aetheists they get the same number of mental illnesses as aethiests they get killed in accidents as much as aethiests they have the same cancer survival rate as aethiests!

You say that you’re following the teachings of the Bible, but I think you’ve missed the purpose of the Bible. The Bible points us to Christ, not so that we’ll be rich or healthy, but so that we can know how we can be saved from God’s wrath.

People go on and on about near death experience well t's been proven that your mind can pick up subconsience thoughts and after a large shock to the system like an NDE can make up memories of things that never even happened!!

NDEs are a myth. They’re not real.
If you’re serious about investigating Christianity, you need to judge Christianity based on the merits of God’s word, not some urban myth you heard about somewhere.

LOOK AT THE EVIDENCE WILL YOU. The bible was written by man (it came to us through an inperfect being) therefore it is OUR INTERPRETATION which to an extent is quite possibly wrong! Look at it the idea of hold no other god before me. THAT ISN'T AN ALL LOVING GOD THAT IS A KING FROM 200BC. That is how we veiwed god in 200bc a king not a father like jesus described.

OK. A couple of misconceptions.

The first is that while men did write the Bible, they were men inspired by the Holy Spirit.

The second is that this isn’t describing a king, it is describing God.

The third is that God is described as a king all throughout the Bible.

I love jesus but I hate the dogma of what people call "god"

If you don’t love God’s word, you don’t love God.

Maybe I will retire to agnostic bhuddism and if I am wrong then hopefully god can forgive me as "he who believes in me shall be saved"

The problem that you don’t know when you’re going to draw your last breath. You don’t know when you’re going to have that last opportunity to repent and put your faith in Christ.

You wouldn’t hold a gun to your head and play Russian Roulette, so why would you play such a game with your eternal destiny?

Fin, if you were to die today and stand before God to be judged, do you believe that you would go to Heaven or Hell? Why?

 

[Fin1234]

ok I'll answer this as calmly as possible although your post has somewhat irratated me.

God used to confuse me. But I think he would be happy with the path I have chosen.

Also I think buhdda realised he had made morale mistakes.

Also do you love and cherish the man walking across the street simply becuase he didn't pull a gun out and shoot you? If that is the way you see your god fine. But I don't love people who threaten me.

Now hang on a second. God interfere's with how the bible is written. (which spreads his word positively) But he won't interfere with someone spreading his word negatively for instance KKK. I think you inadvertadly said that god actually does in fact hate black people. I know this wasn't what you were meaning. But if you look at it thats what the evidence points too.

and "If you don't love gods word you don't love god"... ...I beg to differ.

Also the god in the bible didn't like the way the world was going at one point: so he committed the largest genocide in mankinds history. God has done loads of stuff like that and I don't want to believe in that kind of god.

If there is a hell If he doesn't accept anyone except christians, If he can't accept my path then...

even if that god was to offer me the eternity in heaven, I would gladly turn my back and walk into hell with a cigar in my right, brandy in the other and a, big, fat, smile on my face. Because I did what I think is right.

So yeah if that happens my defence is a line from a poem I once read.

Looking up to the window above:
TELL THEM I CALLED! but no one answered.

Anyhoo peace and I look forward to your reply.

 

[Digit]

Hello Fin,

I have a quick question, if you will indulge me for a moment. Something I've noted from many of your replies, is that you are quite annoyed and angry about some things, may I ask why this is?

If not, that's ok.

Cheers!
Digit

 

[Fin1234]

Various things have made me irratible over the past month or so.


I feel angered towards the chrisitan idea of god.

My story: I asked and asked and felt sorry and felt ashamed and frightened and confused then asked some more then broke down into tears, felt sorry then angry then deppressed then I asked some more, then sat in a field for a qaurter of an hour screaming my questionsto the heavens.... ....I got nothing.

As a result if the chrisitan god is exactly as they say he is; then he just doesn't want me. I wanted to change I wanted more spiritual substenance and I found nothing but fear and anger and tears.
I have no want for a religon that makes me cry with fury. So I went back to my old ways but with a more refreshing and deeper insight to the teaching's of jesus.

For the last post I was just annoyed as he had said I can't love god becuase I don't class myself as christian.
And also he went on about god withholding his wrath like he's ready to crush the world when I slip up.


You must forgive me but I have just reached a spiritual settlement, and I'm not willing to go through another three months like the previous ones. So I'm just staying firm and quelling any attempts by people telling me what I'm doing is wrong.

 

[heron]

Hi Fin, ya know what your post makes me think of? The Old Testament prophets, who were sent by God to straighten people out.

God didn't always use superbelievers to chide non-believers. He used anyone to correct anyone.

It makes me wonder if all these common sense tirades coming out in the forum are divine common sense thunks in the head for us Christians. I don't mean just from you, but God reminding us of the obvious truth. We are looking for the spiritual answer for everything, and not listening to the plain facts in front of us.

You have worded it nicely, taking an angle that you are not settled about the faith. But the fact is, what you have said is very similar to the words that the prophets -- and Jesus -- spoke.

 

[heron]

I like your vantage point -- that if there's a God, then more than one group can see Him. I think it's important to remember that religions aren't just about doctrines, but that very big Being that was around for a very long time. (Or the sense that there are other beings.)

It isn't the Bible that sends people to hell. It is a standard of justice in the protective heart of a Father. Would you and I want to live eternally with a child molester or Hitler? Free will used poorly, to destroy others, has to end sometime. It would be a tiring eternity, to always watch our backs.

 

[Digit]

Various things have made me irratible over the past month or so.


I feel angered towards the chrisitan idea of god.

My story: I asked and asked and felt sorry and felt ashamed and frightened and confused then asked some more then broke down into tears, felt sorry then angry then deppressed then I asked some more, then sat in a field for a qaurter of an hour screaming my questionsto the heavens.... ....I got nothing.

As a result if the chrisitan god is exactly as they say he is; then he just doesn't want me. I wanted to change I wanted more spiritual substenance and I found nothing but fear and anger and tears.
I have no want for a religon that makes me cry with fury. So I went back to my old ways but with a more refreshing and deeper insight to the teaching's of jesus.

For the last post I was just annoyed as he had said I can't love god becuase I don't class myself as christian.
And also he went on about god withholding his wrath like he's ready to crush the world when I slip up.


You must forgive me but I have just reached a spiritual settlement, and I'm not willing to go through another three months like the previous ones. So I'm just staying firm and quelling any attempts by people telling me what I'm doing is wrong.

Hello Fin,

Thanks for the information. I asked as basically one core thing I know to be hugely different about myself, since becoming a Christian, is that I no longer feel anger or frustration so often as before. In fact, I used to be angry on a daily basis back then and now something that is with me always is a real sense of calm and peace. That's not to say I never get annoyed, just ask my boss that. But it no longer has such a stranglehold over me. Anger is as much a sin as murder, if I understand my Bible reading today, so for that freedom I am quite grateful.

Just something to think on I guess.
Cheers!
Digit

 

[ChristIsTHEKing]

I understand being a young adult is difficult, especially when you feel like you can't find the truth.

First off I encourage you not to stop searching. The truth and you life is worth continuing the search right?

I'm wondering about your last statement. With that comment are you denying the issue of exclusivity? The fact is all religions and world views claim exclusivity. Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, atheism all claim truth above the others. These do not all point to the same destination because they're all distinct in their definitions. Otherwise the claims would not be the truth for there can only be one by definition.

I would also encourage you to use the ability to think that God has given you to continue your search. How does one define truth? We need to test that which is claiming to be true, right? We can test all religions and world views by answering the following questions: origin, meaning, morality, and destiny with corresponding truth by testing for logical consistency, empirical adequacy, and experiential relevance. Finally, one must study the history, supporting documents, and the prophecies to affirm this conclusion. Many scholars have tried to refute Christianity by studying the claims and have in turn become Christians because of the incredible supporting evidence for it.

We cannot blame God for the confusion when God is only the author of one belief.

It is my hope that you find the truth in Jesus Christ.

I am very confused. I fear hell in some aspects but don't believe in dogma. I follow the teachings of the bible but don't believe in black and white morality. For instance I believe murder is separate from killing and that sex before marriage is ok when approached ethically.

I have had so many different beliefs. I'm confused and I just want to stop searching. I love god and jesus but I currently hate what he is doing to me. He has created so many different religons and "holy texts" it's just not clear. I gave a prayer; I was in a field almost shouting my words to god, nearly in tears. It's been about an hour and nothing new has entered.

He has given me a strong theological mind but more and more it is becoming a curse rather than a blessing. I want to go back to being a happy agnostic/bhuddist. But that would deny myself my ability to think.

I just don't know what god wants from me, I was raised at an early age in somewhat of a christian school and more and more people portray god as a vengeful god, (which I was not taught) who created hell knowing the masses would go there.

Maybe tonight I will get an answer from god. I don't even know why I'm typing this! Am I looking for sympathy knowledge or just an easy way out?

Normally this post would be filled with swears and curses but I can see this is not the place. So you'll forgive me if the nature or content of this post seems un natural.

It's ridiculous! why are there so many different religous paths if all of them are claiming to be the one and only way to win and telling me every other way is wrong. From what I've seen the christian based religons are the worst for this.

 

[Fin1234]

I appreciate both your statements.

But here's the honest truth.
1. Buhddism doesn't accliam overall truth.
2. The basic principalities of all religons are the same.
3. I will keep my mind open but I will stop actively searching I can't let something I don't really believe in ruin my life.
4. On the topic of searching. Loads of other people get visions messages happiness when praying to god and so on so forth... ..why didn't I, I personnaly don't like god's that favour one person over another.

5. Heron talked about protective heart. I don't want to live with someone who lets people suffer an eternity of torture + (It would be a nightmare for me to be trapped in a world where nothing bad could happen and everyone was hunky dory all the time)

6. If a parent sees his child walking into a fire. The child is burned then the father says "HEY I didn't push him in! He did it himself" thats just bad parenting not free will.
You could say we have a bible so we know the facts but truth of the matter is the universe is huge. Bigger than our minds can ever encompase. It's impossible to get all the facts straight.

7. The muslims partake in the bible they pray to the same god as we do. Same with the jews.

8. People like to fell exclusive i.e. I'm the only one allowed in.
Some poeple were so sad in those days that the only compensation for a poor life of a beggar. Was knowing that you would go to heaven and your wrong do'ers wouldn't.

9. My mind is open to jesus, buhdda, god and whatever diety wants to help me. These are my beliefs. If they're wrong and god is essentialy a dictator like in the old testament... ..I'm willing to face hell.

Peace, and blessings.

 

[ChristIsTHEKing]

I can understand your responses for they are typical of one that doesn't know truth.
Let me first respond to your points. If Buddhism doesn't claim truth then how can anyone know what is truth and what isn't? Your left with the feeling you have right now where you don't know what to believe. The fact is the principles of Buhdda are claiming the truth to life and of God just as every other belief.
I would seriously question what you mean by the words 'basic principalities'. The fact is Christianity is set apart from all other beliefs because of the cross, there is nothing else like it. Every other belief system including athiesm tells you it is your job to pull yourself up by your own boostraps an maybe you can earn your way to the top. Only the cross and Christ provides the way for man to be connected with God forever.
It's important to not base theories on whether or not you had some sort of emotional, or mystical, or some other response upon praying to God. God responds to everyone differently because everyone is different. The bible also tells us we are imparted different gifts as believers.
I would encourage you to spend more time in God's word and then find someone who knows the word of God that can explain it to you in more depth. I feel that you haven't gotten a full explanation about the WHO of God. God has revealed his glory in the creation of the world, in His word, and in the person of Jesus Christ. These are revelations to man. Through His word we know that God gives us the option to choose to follow the one who created us and gives us everything we have or not choose to follow Him.
I previously told you how to come to the truth yet you respond with the excuse that the world is this or that. Like I said, why not use the brain God gave you to read, research, study and talk to people before you begin to form criticisms?
I realize at face value the muslims, jews and christians appear to follow the same God, but that is completely false. The bible says that those who do not have the Son, do not have the Father. The Son is also God, which means muslims and jews do not follow the same God as Christians. This is a classic misconception and lie that is put out there by people who do not know the Bible and do not know God.
I'm convinced that if you really are serious about searching for the truth and you do not come at it with ideaologies then you will find that the claims of Christianity are set apart from all other beliefs. God cannot be a dictator because he gives each person what they want. The question is, in your heart do you want the love of God or do you not?

I pray you'll find the truth in Jesus Christ.

I appreciate both your statements.

But here's the honest truth.
1. Buhddism doesn't accliam overall truth.
2. The basic principalities of all religons are the same.
3. I will keep my mind open but I will stop actively searching I can't let something I don't really believe in ruin my life.
4. On the topic of searching. Loads of other people get visions messages happiness when praying to god and so on so forth... ..why didn't I, I personnaly don't like god's that favour one person over another.

5. Heron talked about protective heart. I don't want to live with someone who lets people suffer an eternity of torture + (It would be a nightmare for me to be trapped in a world where nothing bad could happen and everyone was hunky dory all the time)

6. If a parent sees his child walking into a fire. The child is burned then the father says "HEY I didn't push him in! He did it himself" thats just bad parenting not free will.
You could say we have a bible so we know the facts but truth of the matter is the universe is huge. Bigger than our minds can ever encompase. It's impossible to get all the facts straight.

7. The muslims partake in the bible they pray to the same god as we do. Same with the jews.

8. People like to fell exclusive i.e. I'm the only one allowed in.
Some poeple were so sad in those days that the only compensation for a poor life of a beggar. Was knowing that you would go to heaven and your wrong do'ers wouldn't.

9. My mind is open to jesus, buhdda, god and whatever diety wants to help me. These are my beliefs. If they're wrong and god is essentialy a dictator like in the old testament... ..I'm willing to face hell.

Peace, and blessings.

 

[Fin1234]

1. Jesus was jewish.
2. Everyone is different / not everyone can be expected to rely on blind faith especially, not me.
3. Fact is no one has died come back and told us what the afterlife is like. We do not understand how the system works without getting out of the system.

If you want to prove this wrong tell me everything about heaven not just what it feels like but is there a tennis court? Is it a spiritual place? Can you come back to earth as a ghost? Do you stay with your family? If it's eternal do we have a different conception of time? Do the laws of gravity still apply? Does the alternate universe discussed in the latest physics paper have anything to do with the afterlife? Are you always happy in heaven? Is thier really a hell? In heaven do you meet jesus? Hitler believed in jesus is he in heaven? Are the KKK in heaven? Can you meet new people in heaven?

The list is endless, I despise the man who can't answer those questions but still aclaims to have "truth". Are you that man?

4. I tried to form opinions and theories and tried to decipher "the truth" I earned myself months of depression which may yet have repurcussions. I have no intention in falling into that trap again.

5. Read your old testament, then replace god with hitler/chairman mao/Benitto mousolini/der feurer.

6. I have regular discussions with a christian friend we respect eachothers views. And we get on fine he in a way is like me very sharp thinking when it comes to this sort of stuff.

7. Truth is nothing we will never have it.

Follow these steps and maybe it'll come a little clearer

1. take your right hand.
2. tap on that desk.
3. Notice how it feels solid and hard.
4. realise that science dicatates that the molecules that make that desk are made of 90% empty space.
5. Ask yourself if that desk is real and if it's "the truth"
6. notice the puzzled look on your face.

What is real or truthfull or right is nothing but a description of whether it's a lie or not. We can only hope to live our lives moraly and hope for the best.

The matrix actaully had an interesting grasp on this. Answer the question.


What defines real? Is it something you can touch? or feel? or taste? or is it something tottaly different beyond all our wildest imaginations?

This theory is called ultimate reality it isn't a religon it's just a theory a simple refreshing way to look at the world. I suggest you investigate it before you start branding things in truth or lie format.

I'll end with a qoute from the comedian andy parsons.


"There are 5 major religons in the world. That means 4 of them have got to be wrong. If you die go to meet your maker and he produces a sign which reads "BLUFF" that is going to hurt."

You see how crazy this concept of I am right you are wrong is?

 

[Digit]

Hello Fin1234,

Thanks for your post, and good to see you around here again.

1. Jesus was jewish.
Fact is no one has died come back and told us what the afterlife is like. We do not understand how the system works without getting out of the system.

My wife is looking for a link on this, but there was actually a couple of cases about someone who was dead, and in the process of embalming, an he came back to life. I think it was called something like, "Resurrected monk." but I can't recall exactly. The truth is, that we cannot know for sure, but a lot of people went to a great deal of effort to record things for us in the Bible. People are so quick to dismiss it, yet it is an incredible history book, that can be validated quite strongly if you are willing to put effort into verifying it's claims and understanding why it carries so much weight with some people. Scholars have dedicated their lives to unraveling it's secrets. They do so because they believe, not because they are kidding themselves and trying to uphold some myth that was created to control people. If anything I would say God's word sets us free.

You are right in saying that we are in a system, and like all good systems it has a manual, and the manual for this life is called the Bible.

If you want to prove this wrong tell me everything about heaven not just what it feels like but is there a tennis court? Is it a spiritual place? Can you come back to earth as a ghost? Do you stay with your family? If it's eternal do we have a different conception of time? Do the laws of gravity still apply? Does the alternate universe discussed in the latest physics paper have anything to do with the afterlife? Are you always happy in heaven? Is thier really a hell? In heaven do you meet jesus? Hitler believed in jesus is he in heaven? Are the KKK in heaven? Can you meet new people in heaven?

Why would we know this? Do you feel as Christians we have more information or are privy to insider God-secrets, that you are not? It doesn't work like that, we know what is told to us, and we can speculate, but that is all it will be. We don't need to provide these answers, as they have little bearing on our faith and this life, instead they are out of sight for now.

The list is endless, I despise the man who can't answer those questions but still aclaims to have "truth". Are you that man?

You despire someone who can't answer unreasonable questions? If that's the case, I'm happy to be that man Fin.

In addition, I would ask do you know everything there is to know about your country? I certainly don't. In fact as a race, mankind doesn't even know everything about our world or universe, and yet somehow we have convinced ourselves that based on our ignorance, there cannot possibly be a God. If, lets say, mankind knows a total of 2% of all the knowledge in the known universe (which I think is generous considering our own planet is largely unexplored, there are still many places we have not set foot) why is it so logical to assume that in the remaining 98% of total knowledge in the universe, that somewhere is knowledge that will prove God's existence to us. We live in a tiny window of time, 70 years if we are lucky, and that taken out of the history of mankind is miniscule. Are we so arrogant to assume that in that tiny window, armed with our tiny knowledge we know it all? It makes me shake my head incredulously.

4. I tried to form opinions and theories and tried to decipher "the truth" I earned myself months of depression which may yet have repurcussions. I have no intention in falling into that trap again.

I can understand this, and I've seen it from other members here on the forum too, where they ping-pong from one belief to another and end up confused and angry. The only thing I can say here is to take things slower, and focus on particular aspects only, before moving on to the next. Else it all gets too much.

The matrix actaully had an interesting grasp on this. Answer the question.

What defines real? Is it something you can touch? or feel? or taste? or is it something tottaly different beyond all our wildest imaginations?

This had me puzzled, as it actually supports my position quite well. Is truth what you can see in front of you, or something else, hinted at, felt, but not quite understood. I think you can see where this leads.

This theory is called ultimate reality it isn't a religon it's just a theory a simple refreshing way to look at the world. I suggest you investigate it before you start branding things in truth or lie format.

This is like saying that it's not called a crosshair, it's an aiming-reticule. It's the same thing, but in a different colour.

"There are 5 major religons in the world. That means 4 of them have got to be wrong. If you die go to meet your maker and he produces a sign which reads "BLUFF" that is going to hurt."

You see how crazy this concept of I am right you are wrong is?

That is just an appeal to ignorance. It basically says, "Oh man, there is so much information and so little time and I'm so confused, what if I pick the wrong one and it's all in vain." so instead people sit on the fence and do nothing, when they should be taking an interest in their lives and finding out what is true for them.

You may not be able to find out everything and satisfy your quest for answers, but you can form a pretty complete and appealing picture of things, and that's all I suggest to do. Once you have this, life becomes really good.

Cheers!
Digit

 

[ralangley]

Hey Fin -

I think I'm gaining an insight to some of your concerns. If I may, I'd like to respond in a general, observational way.

I wonder if perhaps you're attempting to place God into your own preconceived notions of who that God should be. In a sense, you're creating your own God out of your image of what the perfect God would be. That God would allow multiple approaches to attaining access to Him, that God would have lesser standards for behavior, and that God would never punish those who failed to live up to that standard.

I'm with you there. In fact all of us (if truth be told) would rather create our own God than follow another. That struggle is as old as the hills....perhaps even older. Pride, rebellion, it goes by many names. And you will struggle against that tendency the rest of your life.

I think your questions are good.....God loves those who are either hot or cold, and not lukewarm. Its good to question, but there is great wisdom in sitting back, and listening for the answers. No, not from those around you, because we will all disappoint you. We too, are limited and searching. But go to Jesus who lives within you. Seek him first, and all these questions will lose their pull.

Through our intellect alone, we can't come to know the answers to your questions. But through our spirits we can. We can also learn to accept, surrender, and humbly serve the Lord.

Peace my friend.

 

[Fin1234]

Hey digit I missed our conversations hahaha!

but eh here's my reply.

1. By reality I mean it is wrong to say your religon won't get you into the afterlife but mine will becuase mine ahs so and so in it.

2.There once though was an intriuging theory involving the idea that jesus was given an antiseptic some form of opium. However he got knocked by it and it brought the symptoms of death jesus then snapped out of it in his tomb.

3. The bible also has sections which condon rape and racism and slavery and bigotry and war. Is this how we are supposed to live. Maybe the manual needs to be sent back to be corrected?

4. He suggested that I would be lost becuase I had no fixed idea on afterlife known to common religon. I was just pointing out that in terms of the afterlife no one of us know what is going on, and therefore it would be foolish for any of us to make a claim to "the truth".

5. Apparantly you have to believe the bible jesus and god 100% to be a christian. For me that removes any chance of going step by step.

6. Do you consider string theory a relgon?
It's the same with ultimate reality, it's just an idea we don't need to base our belief system on it.

7. To be honest some people are happy without religon, and still live their lives in a morale way. But there are others who have no religon but are unhappy and un-moral those are the people we should be converting.

thanks digit

blessings and peace.

 

[Fin1234]

I appreciate your comment. But I asked for god and got no reply, the god in the bible doesn't make sense normally my launguage would be much worse but it would be something along the lines. "Hypocritical, dictating, fear mongering , torturing, murderer!"

He just deosn't make sense, and if he is right and I am wrong then I burn forever. I'm willing to risk that but knowing that I would be greater than god himself I would have more compassion that the one who invented it.

I'm sorry, I feel anger towards you slightly, but it is your belief not you.You have approached me with kindness and honesty and I will not scald you for that.

But people don't seem to realise that when I asked for love and compassion from god. He gave me fear, anger confusion and despair. So there is no point asking me to pray for my souls and open my heart to jesus.

Becuase I opened my heart to jesus and he just slapped me in the face. It was the first time in my life I really felt unwanted when I asked god for help.


All our decisions are based on outside influences involving our character, who's with us, are we hungry, are we sleepy, what film did we last watch, what music did we last listen to, How something was said to you, where it was said. Ultimately we are slaves to external influences.

Look at my posts look at them very carefully. You'll see a story about an insane man. And bam! There is the loophole a situation where the bible says one thing but ethics morality society and everyone else probably including god says another.

How do you answer that ralangley?

 

[ralangley]

I appreciate your comment. But I asked for god and got no reply, the god in the bible doesn't make sense normally my launguage would be much worse but it would be something along the lines. "Hypocritical, dictating, fear mongering , torturing, murderer!"

He just deosn't make sense, and if he is right and I am wrong then I burn forever. I'm willing to risk that but knowing that I would be greater than god himself I would have more compassion that the one who invented it.

I'm sorry, I feel anger towards you slightly, but it is your belief not you.You have approached me with kindness and honesty and I will not scald you for that.

But people don't seem to realise that when I asked for love and compassion from god. He gave me fear, anger confusion and despair. So there is no point asking me to pray for my souls and open my heart to jesus.

Becuase I opened my heart to jesus and he just slapped me in the face. It was the first time in my life I really felt unwanted when I asked god for help.

Its very painful where you are. I know, I've been there. God's timing and ours seldom coincides. We want answers now, and God, well, God lets us stumble around a lot before an answer comes. But it will come. I know. I stumbled around for 25 years....25 years of searching and crying out to God....and in my frustration, I walked down many, many spiritual paths. Eventually, when I was really humble and contrite, Jesus found me and pulled me from my darkness. But I had to be ready to surrender myself fully first. Not everyone has this level of struggle. Some seem to put on the coat of Christianity with ease. It never fit for me....until I was ready.

I'm sorry I triggered anger in you. It was never my intent. I feel called to pray for you. Is that okay? I'd like to pray for your peace, and patience. I feel that God has a great purpose for you and will use your great passion for ....greatness. Peace my friend. I wish I could offer you more.

 

[Fin1234]

Thank you but my anger has been put aside. I still love jesus how he taught us to love everyone, and he wallowed in our murk and our wrong doings and still kept on loving. But I made in known to god that he had a choice when I was sitting in that field either he gave me an answer or I walk my own path. There was no answer but my path concerns the love and peace in all religons including christianity.

It is all very well for us to talk about sin and morality but there are people in the world who have died without ever hearing the words "jesus christ" spoken in conversation. Many people are so deprived all they know is sin, and I nor god has any right to punish someone to eternal pain.

I thank you from the bottom of my heart but buhdda and jesus taught a lot more to me about love than the so called "god" ever has.

 

[Digit]

Heya Fin1234,

Thanks for your reply!

Hey digit I missed our conversations hahaha!

The way I read that, I imagined a maniacle laugh at the end, like an evil genius.

By reality I mean it is wrong to say your religon won't get you into the afterlife but mine will becuase mine ahs so and so in it.

The one thing that is unique about Christianity, which makes me consider it above all else, is Jesus. Not just a central figure, but one that pointed to Himself as the way to salvation. He never said, do this, or that, or whatever. He said that He can forgive sins. This is a man, that proclaimed to forgive you for treading on your friends foot, when He was not involved at all. He forgave sins. He had the key to salvation. He can break the bonds of sin. He offered a way to live eternally. Religions around the world all proffer similar things, yet it's all through deeds, a state of mind, or a way of life. Not one of them has a central figure, that points directly at Himself and tells us that He is the key. They all point elsewhere.

There once though was an intriuging theory involving the idea that jesus was given an antiseptic some form of opium. However he got knocked by it and it brought the symptoms of death jesus then snapped out of it in his tomb.

This is after His muscles and sinew were laid bare, that His bones exposed by the flogging and the soldier had stabbed Him with a spear to produce a flow of liquid, a sign of death accepted by medical science today? What actually happened is he took a drug and woke up Romeo/Juliet style in perfect health? Sorry, this seems the most unplausable alternative explanation I've heard so far. I don't mean to be mean, but it satisfies just one aspect of His resurrection, which is the resurrection part, and nothing else.

The bible also has sections which condon rape and racism and slavery and bigotry and war. Is this how we are supposed to live. Maybe the manual needs to be sent back to be corrected?

Actually it doesn't condone these things. It mentions them, which is not the same as actively condoning and promoting them. We see this claim all the time, and it has no Biblical backing. If you can provide passages to support this I would be most interested.

He suggested that I would be lost becuase I had no fixed idea on afterlife known to common religon. I was just pointing out that in terms of the afterlife no one of us know what is going on, and therefore it would be foolish for any of us to make a claim to "the truth".

The only way that I see foolishness in this, is that we have so much evidence that talks about us, our lives, why we are here, what awaits us and so on, and yet we seem content to shrug and adopt a greater stance of neutrality and apathy to the whole affair.

Apparantly you have to believe the bible jesus and god 100% to be a christian. For me that removes any chance of going step by step.

Being a Christian, is a lot like walking along a path. Hence why it's often called the Christian walk. As you go along, you see and find out new things, there are twists and turns and sometimes the path is hard to find. The important thing is that you as an individual have a desire to be on that path, that through faith, you want to walk down it and navigate it's turns and so forth.

Do you consider string theory a relgon?
It's the same with ultimate reality, it's just an idea we don't need to base our belief system on it.

I am not sure what string theory is. So I don't know.

To be honest some people are happy without religon, and still live their lives in a morale way. But there are others who have no religon but are unhappy and un-moral those are the people we should be converting.

First about the morals. I think the 'good moral lives' that these people lead, are good and moral accoring to a man-made standard. When compared to Jesus, they are nothing but dirty rags. The Bible says that all fall short of the glory of God. All of us. You. Me. Mother Teresa. All of us. The standard we have for good, that we so often live by, is not God's. It's ours. His standard, God's, is such much higher, as to be unreachable. He knows we cannot attain it, and that's why Christ died for us, in order to provide a way for us to live, even though we cannot do anything but sin day in and day out. We may think our lives are great, but I put forward it's simply because we have isolated ourselves from the bad in the world. We, the lucky that live happy lives, in good homes, in comfort are blessed, and we can help those who are not, yet we often don't. As long as the bad isn't too close to home, we can happily walk by, just like we walk by the beggar on the street without doing anything.

Thanks again for your reply, always good talking to you.

Cheers,
Digit

 

[Fin1234]

1. I am an evil genious

2. The fact that it is different doesn't make it right. For instance bhuddism has no god but it's a religon. No one goes running around proclaiming bhudda as a saviour. Buhdda was a teacher of compassion nothing more nothing less.

3. Christianity like a lot of other religons developed in the middle east state "if you don't believe, then sucks to be you"

4. The evidence against the opium theory is flimsy. As it is from the bible as apposed to the actual medical records kept by the romans that say otherwise. The bible however holy is a christian biased source written at a time when political propaganda was at it's peak.

5. "Go forth slaughter all the men and take the women for yourselves" that endorses it in my opinion.

6. I had a three month path and admitted either I'm not strong enough for the christian rules or I'm to logical to just fall into blind faith.

7. String theory ties in with the concepts of anti matter and what time and space is made up of.

A theory is something to be thoughtover and considered. It isn't an officially accepted and proven fact.

We can't see the difference between an uber moral athiest and a moral christian. Yet you proffess that we have full knowledge of the universe so as to sitting on the sideline is a crime? The path to any spiritual enlightenment is to first admitt that you will never have a clue as to what the hell is going on.


thanks digit. looking forward to your reply.