Serious Questions

[Burt Gummer]

First off I do not post these questions with mal intention nor is any sarcasm intended to be percieved. They are serious questions that I hope somebody has an answer to. If you don't have a serious answer to it and instead intend on preaching to me how I should just "shut up, don't worry about it and accept christ" then I most assuredly will ignore you. Here Goes.

1. Why is Christianity the right religion, I only state the macro religion and not any sects to be easier to answer. Out of all the other religions out there and the millions of people that follow other religions what makes this one right?

2. If I am generally a good person with good intentions through life but do not embrace the cross do I become damned in the afterlife? To me that doesn't seem right, as it probably isn't but please explain.

3. Why is it such a big deal to "spread the gospel", wouldn't there be a lot more peace if that one single line would be eradicated from all religions and let everybody choose themselves.

4. Did not men write the bible, and is it not the nature of man to err.

5. If there is a god, why does he allow brutal killings of innocent people everyday. Why has he allowed for society to evolve to the point where the justice system does not seem to be able to convict and punish evil violent crime convicts.

6. What are his explanations of space, the universe and the scientifically undoubtable fact that life does exist elsewhere.

7. If there truely was a monotheistic Christian god then why are other religions allowed. Especially when the majority of the other people in these religions have no exposure to christianity and thus are never even given the option to convert. Do they go to hell as well?

These are just a few I have and I want to see if anybody actually responds before I post more. Again I am not trying to appear offensive nor should it ever be taken like that. I simply want answers that I feel should be explained to me before I accept any religion as my own.

Thankyou,
Burt

 

[Morphane]

Here is how I understand things from a mystical, rather than fundamentalist perspective.

1. Christianity, along with other mystical traditions like Buddhism, Vedanta, perhaps even Sufism, teach that physical existence is illusionary. God is the true reality. I think Christianity is superior because it points to a relationship with God not as some impersonal force or a forbidding Monarch, but as a dearly beloved Father. Also, instead of the pursuit of transcending this illusionary existence, as the other religions maintain as a priority, Christianity makes a compromise. That we don't have to transcend entirely, that the world is essentially good, and it is to be enjoyed. We can make a paradise of this world if we want.

2. I don't think there is any form of eternal damnation, but to miss out on this relationship with God is a tragedy. It is a failure to live as a physical/spiritual hybrid as it was intended. It would also be a great shame if the Earth is not realised as it was intended - a paradise.

3. If the gospel as it was revealed by Jesus was spread, it could transform the world. Peace on Earth. But the world, and Christendom, have misunderstood the message. The Bible relates in graphic detail how people have always misunderstood.

4. Men wrote the Bible, and men make mistakes, or were not privy to a wider perspective that we now enjoy today.

5. God allows evil because firstly, it is only temporary. Suffering is something that can be awoken from like a bad dream. Secondly, it allows the seeking soul to discover the supremacy of goodness. For example, a white dot on a white background is indistinguisable. But a white dot on a black background truly comes into being.

Plus, for the desperate person, there is an escape from suffering, and I don't mean suicide. Stoic philosophy and the Buddhist approach show a way to become indifferent to pain - and pleasure.

6. Whose explanation? No doubt God has life on other planets. Looking at life on this planet, it is clear life has the potential of infinite diversity. The universe is the infinite platform in which life can be expressed.

7. I think the various religions provide interesting glimpses of the various aspects of God. Like a Father can beget various children who although not identical, each bear a resemblance.

 

[Burt Gummer]

Forgive me if I skip around a bit and get out of order on my replies.

1. So are you saying that we are all god, and god is all things? That seems familiar but I don't recognize it as being a christian belief.

2. What about the large sums of people that have no relationship with a god not because they do not want to, but because they do not have the ability to create one, whether it be cultural, differences or whatever, so instead they create a reason for living in their own mind. Completely different than what the bible teaches but good in nature and it keeps them happy is that not acceptable? Say in order for a person to be the most happy in their life it requires them to believe that we are all descendents of an ancient alien race, ect ect yet they still live a good kind life.

3. That is the problem, it is spread however not accepted, and the fact of the matter is, is that it will never be accepted by all people, often times leading to controversy and war throughout history.

4. I do not fully understand your answer to that question. My point was that men do make mistakes, so could there not be mistakes in the bible. Though I am not familiar with the exact details I do know that hundreds of years ago a council of "archbishops" or something similar went through and decided what scripts would actually make it into the bible, thus making it quite influenced by man and not gods true word.

5. That does make sense, however so much evil is left unpunished. Unless of course it is punished in the afterlife.

6. The bibles. Or Gods.

7. If his true creation is Christianity and he wants/expects everybody that is a follower of his to be a christian how can he expect the people with absolutely no way of having knowledge of him to become "enlightened"

Thankyou for your time and responses. I appreciate it truely.

 

[E.C.]

First off I do not post these questions with mal intention nor is any sarcasm intended to be percieved. They are serious questions that I hope somebody has an answer to. If you don't have a serious answer to it and instead intend on preaching to me how I should just "shut up, don't worry about it and accept christ" then I most assuredly will ignore you. Here Goes.

1. Why is Christianity the right religion, I only state the macro religion and not any sects to be easier to answer. Out of all the other religions out there and the millions of people that follow other religions what makes this one right?

Well, in my own journey I found that Christianity had the most answers to life's problems. I also witnessed (or heard) more experiences that bore good fruit than bad fruit than within any other religion. That and you will not find more Truth elsewhere.
Christianity is about love. As a visiting bishop once said at my church, "Sure there is this great philosophical history within Orthodox Christianity, but that is not the point. The point is relationships with people and relationship with God because He loved us enough to send His Son to destroy death so that we may have the opportunity to know Him".

2. If I am generally a good person with good intentions through life but do not embrace the cross do I become damned in the afterlife? To me that doesn't seem right, as it probably isn't but please explain.

That is God's job to decide, not ours. I would imagine that since God is all-knowing and quite loving that He would show a bit of grace and mercy, but that's just me. God alone knows our situation and spiritual struggles in life, so He's the best judge and not us mere mortals.

3. Why is it such a big deal to "spread the gospel", wouldn't there be a lot more peace if that one single line would be eradicated from all religions and let everybody choose themselves.

We were told to do so! People can choose for themselves, we have free will, but it is our job not to impose, but to answer questions when they are asked.

Like right now

4. Did not men write the bible, and is it not the nature of man to err.

Eh?

5. If there is a god, why does he allow brutal killings of innocent people everyday. Why has he allowed for society to evolve to the point where the justice system does not seem to be able to convict and punish evil violent crime convicts.

My guess would be so that the rest of us could learn from it and strive to be a better example because of it.

My long time friend's sister died last year at the age of sixteen. I asked a family friend of mine who happens to be an Orthodox priest why this would happen and his response was something like, "Because God's mercy is such that if this was the best she was going to get or be in life than He should take her home to Him". Sure, it isn't an example you listed, but the principle is similar.

Yet the more important matter is that He gave mankind free will. Those who choose to do evil or allow evil will have to answer for it in the afterlife. Any evil which God allows to happen will eventually be conquered by good; though maybe not this very second which is why we need to be more patient.

6. What are his explanations of space, the universe and the scientifically undoubtable fact that life does exist elsewhere.

That's above my paygrade.

7. If there truely was a monotheistic Christian god then why are other religions allowed. Especially when the majority of the other people in these religions have no exposure to christianity and thus are never even given the option to convert. Do they go to hell as well?

For the second question regarding hell, see answer #2 above.

For the first question regarding other religions; that is why we spread the Gospel (or try to). Part of why other religions exist as they do is because 1) God allowed it and 2) demonic influence. As for why God allowed it is beyond me, but as for demonic influence that I will uphold without a doubt. Demons do exist and they do work in this world and they do lead people astray whether people realize it or not. There is a time for everything to happen and every religion can be fulfilled by Christianity. Let me use Alaska as an example. When the Russians first sent missionaries to Alaska in 1794, they sent Orthodox Christian missionaries. Well, within Orthodox Christianity we have these things called "icons" which for the sake of this thread and simplicity we'll just say icons are a specific sort of religious art found almost exclusively within Orthodoxy and are considered "windows into heaven". When the Russian missionaries first worked with the Native Alaskans they found that the Natives had these ceremonial masks with a third eye to it which the Natives called a "window to the heavens" and that they were taught to put this eye on their masks from angels. The Russian missionaries were able to easily introduce icons to the Native Alaskans and were able to more easily bring the Natives into the Orthodox Church where the Natives mostly remained until the US bought Alaska and began to send Protestant missionaries, but that's another story altogether.

The point is, God works in such a way that He helped other people to have bits of truth in their religions so that they may see truth in Christianity and eventually more truth than their own religion. Whether non-Christians accept Christianity or not when missionaries come by is still up to them thanks to free will.

These are just a few I have and I want to see if anybody actually responds before I post more. Again I am not trying to appear offensive nor should it ever be taken like that. I simply want answers that I feel should be explained to me before I accept any religion as my own.

Thankyou,
Burt

You're welcome

 

[bsd31]

First off I do not post these questions with mal intention nor is any sarcasm intended to be percieved. They are serious questions that I hope somebody has an answer to. If you don't have a serious answer to it and instead intend on preaching to me how I should just "shut up, don't worry about it and accept christ" then I most assuredly will ignore you. Here Goes.

I doubt anyone is going to tell you to shut up and just accept Christ. It doesn't work like that and would be a waste of time to tell you.

1. Why is Christianity the right religion, I only state the macro religion and not any sects to be easier to answer. Out of all the other religions out there and the millions of people that follow other religions what makes this one right?

First and foremost it's not about a right or wrong religion. It isn't about one belief being more correct than another. What it is about is that in Christianity when you cry out to God He always answers. In every other religion their "gods" are altogether silent. They never answer. So the logical mind has to say "Ok this religion's God answered but the rest didn't therefore I'll go with the obvious choice."

And to be clear when I say "answer" I don't necessarily mean audibly, but it can't always be ruled out either.

To get a clear picture in your mind about God answering while the other "gods" don't read 1 Kings 18:20-39

2. If I am generally a good person with good intentions through life but do not embrace the cross do I become damned in the afterlife? To me that doesn't seem right, as it probably isn't but please explain.

There is no such thing as a "good" person. You're comparing yourself to the rest of the world but the gold standard is God. In order to be able to rightly judge how good of a person you are you need to compare yourself to God. And I guarantee you fall miserably short. Everyone does.

You are correct. If you decide not to follow God's plan for salvation you will be damned. It might not seem fair but you'll be without excuse. It's not like you could claim you didn't know or that you didn't have time to do anything about it. Scripture says that "Today is the day of salvation" you might not get another.

3. Why is it such a big deal to "spread the gospel", wouldn't there be a lot more peace if that one single line would be eradicated from all religions and let everybody choose themselves.

Different people have different opinions on what spreading the gospel message means. The Great Commission literally says "as you go make disciples" In other words the order is to create disciples in your day to day life by demonstrating the love and power of God to people. Unfortunately we've perverted the idea to me more of a forceful conversion.

But as to why it is so important to do. What could be more important than to warn someone of eternal damnation?

4. Did not men write the bible, and is it not the nature of man to err.

No, the Holy Spirit of God working through men wrote the Bible. God does not err. Men do, but not God.

Have you ever actually read the Bible? Not a bit here and there, but have you ever read the entire thing? If you haven't then how can you ask if men wrote it?

5. If there is a god, why does he allow brutal killings of innocent people everyday. Why has he allowed for society to evolve to the point where the justice system does not seem to be able to convict and punish evil violent crime convicts.

How would any of this be God's fault?

We, members of society, make our own choices in life and are responsible for them. Don't worry God will carry out justice on the "evil violent crime convicts" you mention. As He says in Scripture

(Deuteronomy 32:35)It is mine to avenge; I will repay.
In due time their foot will slip;
their day of disaster is near
and their doom rushes upon them."

But those evil and violent men that God is going to repay are unbelievers. The most heinous criminal who has believed on Jesus Christ will be saved. That's the nature of God's love and grace.

6. What are his explanations of space, the universe and the scientifically undoubtable fact that life does exist elsewhere.

He's largely silent on the idea of extra terrestrial life. We can conclude that the silence either means there is no such thing, or that it is totally unimportant.

7. If there truely was a monotheistic Christian god then why are other religions allowed. Especially when the majority of the other people in these religions have no exposure to christianity and thus are never even given the option to convert. Do they go to hell as well?

A long time ago God decided He was going to let people do what they wanted for a season. Part of what people like to do is dream up false god's that better fit their idea of how a god should act.

I don't know where you get the idea that most people in other religions have no exposure to Christianity? It's simply not true. They might not get an indepth study of the faith, but most have heard something like-

"Jesus Christ is the only way to be saved. Now then, confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead and you will be saved"

There, now you have "heard" the gospel. That's all there is to it. That's all anyone of any faith needs to hear. It tells you who (Jesus), how(Confession and belief), and why (salvation)

 

[lutherangerman]

Dear Burt, I have been in your shoes for a long time. Sometimes I still get back to these things. But what I have come to is the thought that many of these questions cannot be resolved very well. I mean, take hell, for example. Because the NT speaks about this, I am pretty sure it exists. I don't want it to exist, I don't want anyone to end up there, but this want of mine doesn't destroy it. I still want to be a christian anyway. I know from my own experience that God indeed is love. I don't know what makes hell so necessary. I must simply confess that I don't quite understand God on that point. In the end I have to leave it at that. I find the christian promises wonderful and I find God worthy of my love and service. I also agree that I must submit myself to someone who made the whole universe with some words, who created me and you and anyone else, someone whose Son died a brutal death in order to make salvation possible.

Your questions are sensible and reasonable, imho, and maybe you can find satisfying answers. But even if you don't, or don't find them quickly, I want to reassure you that Yahveh and His Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit indeed exist, that God has a positive interest in you and only wants your best, and that rejecting God disables you from reaching your true purpose and destiny. This alone, if it were revealed to you at a point in time when you could not undo your decision anymore, would be the cause for endless grief. It's like finding out the love of your life lives on the other end of the galaxy, and you can never see her again. I hope you don't feel threatened, I don't want to throw you into guilt or anything, ... I just wish you would stay with us. The deep things of God are things theologians have debated and fought over for centuries. Salvation lies not in understanding them but in simply respecting them as deep things of God. I know God is content with such honest respect.

 

[Life2Christ]

2. If I am generally a good person with good intentions through life but do not embrace the cross do I become damned in the afterlife? To me that doesn't seem right, as it probably isn't but please explain.

Good people can only have good intentions for so long before they revert back to their naturally selfish ways. Your good deeds can carry you for a minute, but they can't carry you your whole life.

 

[fm107]

1. Why is Christianity the right religion, I only state the macro religion and not any sects to be easier to answer. Out of all the other religions out there and the millions of people that follow other religions what makes this one right?

Because Christianity is the only religion which deals with sin.

We all being sinners before a Holy God cannot just be forgiven bang just like that.

Other religions do not deal with this MASSIVE issue.

Let me try to explain.

God is just. So he cannot just forgive us our sins. Think about it. Would a judge in the courtroom be righteous for not punishing the criminal? Would it be just to just let a murderer walk free?

Of course not.

But the one true God who made the world is just. Therefore he being the perfect judge cannot just let us criminals (sinners) walk free.

A price has to be paid, Jesus became our substitute. He took what should have been my punishment and yours. He was the just who died on behalf of the unjust. The innocent for the guilty.

For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. (1 Peter 3:18)

He took our place of punishment.

That's why Christianity is the true religion. It is the only religion which can deal with the "sin question."

But as well as that there is tonnes of evidence. The bible is full of prophecies - so far there is not one of the which has not come true.

It is also historically accurate. It has been used to find certain places in the world. Remarkable.

Also, it told us of science which we did not find out until hundreds, sometimes thousands of years later!!! E.g. the bible tells us the world is round, how long did it take for Christopher Columbus to make that statement. Everyone up until that time thought the world was flat!!

Check it out...

Scientific foreknowledge in the Bible

2. If I am generally a good person with good intentions through life but do not embrace the cross do I become damned in the afterlife? To me that doesn't seem right, as it probably isn't but please explain.

Sure, you're a good person compared to Hitler may be. (No offence intended)

The fact of the matter is that we are all guilty sinners before a Holy God.

Think about you're life, are you really as good as you think you are my friend?

3. Why is it such a big deal to "spread the gospel", wouldn't there be a lot more peace if that one single line would be eradicated from all religions and let everybody choose themselves.

We don't spread the gospel for our own sakes. Do you think we want to be persecuted and laughed at? No one likes that.

But we do it out of love for our fellow man. If you knew a person was on his way to Hell, wouldn't it be loving to try and warn him, and try to persuade him to change the path he is walking on?

Or would it be more loving to just keep quite and let him continue on that path leading to Hell?

4. Did not men write the bible, and is it not the nature of man to err.

All Scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16)

God wrote the bible through Holy men who had the Holy Spirit living in them.

There are no errors in the bible, I would think it stupid to believe in something so strongly if I believed there to be errors in it.

5. If there is a god, why does he allow brutal killings of innocent people everyday. Why has he allowed for society to evolve to the point where the justice system does not seem to be able to convict and punish evil violent crime convicts.

God through his love, gave us freewill.

Would you prefer not to have freewill?

Don't worry though, the bible tells us that each person will need to stand before God one day and give an account of themselves.

Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment (Hebrews 9:27)

But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. (Matthew 12:36)

6. What are his explanations of space, the universe and the scientifically undoubtable fact that life does exist elsewhere.

If you're referring to angels then yes life does exist elsewhere.

If you're referring to aliens then where is this undoubtable evidence? Why isn't it all over the news? Come on sir.

7. If there truely was a monotheistic Christian god then why are other religions allowed. Especially when the majority of the other people in these religions have no exposure to christianity and thus are never even given the option to convert. Do they go to hell as well?

Again God has given us freewill. Satan has successfully worked through evil men in order to trick people into worshiping false God's, some of which are made of wood, metals, rocks and the like.

Everyone has been given exposure to God. Creation in itself is exposure.

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. (Romans 1:20)

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. (Psalm 19:1-4)

And...

And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. (Matthew 24:14)

Even if someone hasn't herd the gospel. They don't need to travel far to hear the name of Jesus. It is the most famous name there is. Also, there are preachers who have gone out (even deep into the Amazon) to preach the gospel.

These are just a few I have and I want to see if anybody actually responds before I post more. Again I am not trying to appear offensive nor should it ever be taken like that. I simply want answers that I feel should be explained to me before I accept any religion as my own.

Thankyou,
Burt

You're very welcome Burt. All questions welcome.

Our prayer is that you too will come to know that God loves you dearly and wants you to realise that you, just like the rest of us are guilty before him and that all you need do is ask Jesus to be your substitute!

God bless.

 

[AlexBP]

Burt, welcome to the forums and we're glad you're here. I hope you can find some good answers to your questions that will help you on your spiritual quest.

1. Why is Christianity the right religion, I only state the macro religion and not any sects to be easier to answer. Out of all the other religions out there and the millions of people that follow other religions what makes this one right?

For this, I can only answer for myself. I've read the Gospels. I've read texts from other religions, such as the Koran and the Book of Mormon. When I read the Koran, I find it to be hateful and vindictive, with virtually every page seeming to make clear that God takes pleasure in causing suffering and that we should too. When I read the Book of Mormon, I found it, well, dull, for lack of a better word. Not evil, not good either. It doesn't urge people to kill or hate, nor does it urge people to love or heal. When I read the Gospels, I found a message of universal love. I found commands to love unconditionally, to forgive, to reach out to other people, to feed the hungry, to tend the sick, to assist the poor, to work for peace. And I agreed with it. So that is why I am a Christian. Now it is, of course, possible that someday I'll find a text from another religion that I find to be even more convincing and agreeable, but frankly I doubt it, because I have the testimony of billions who came before and billions who are with me on earth now, testifying for Jesus as the God of love.

2. If I am generally a good person with good intentions through life but do not embrace the cross do I become damned in the afterlife? To me that doesn't seem right, as it probably isn't but please explain.

Concerning damnation, the popular concept is not the one advanced by the word of God. A person can either be in a state of Grace or not. If in a state of Grace, they have a connection to God, otherwise they do not. God desires that all people be in a state of Grace, but God will not maintain a connection against a person's will. In other words, those who choose to live follow God will receive His Grace in this life and the next. Those who choose to reject God will be seperate from Him in this life and the next. Whether that seperation involves annihilation or continued existence is not completely clear in the Gospels, but certainly most images of Hell with people being burned and stabbed by devils with pitchforks, etc..., comes from the imagination of people, not from Jesus Christ.

. What are his explanations of space, the universe and the scientifically undoubtable fact that life does exist elsewhere.

Scientifically undoubtable? Maybe there's life elsewhere in the universe, maybe not. All we can say for sure is that no extraterrestrial has ever gotten in touch with us. If you read the book The Privileged Planet, you'll see that in many ways Earth is uniquely well fitted for life, and there's not much chance that life could appear on any other planet by chance alone. However, if there were other intelligent civilizations out there, it would not affect my faith in Jesus at all.

 

[heron]

Lots of good answers. I will add a little.

1. Why is Christianity the right religion, I only state the macro religion and not any sects to be easier to answer. Out of all the other religions out there and the millions of people that follow other religions what makes this one right?
If there is a likelihood that the world was created by and intelligent Being, then that Being has been recognized by people all over the world. The most important issue for any human, is what will you do with this awareness? What will you do if you face Him?

There are differences in denominations of Christianity, but there is one premise -- that God looks out for us, and has made a way for us to be welcomed into His family. (That's two, sorry.)

The life and sacrifice of Jesus provided that way -- that hope, that forgiveness, that redemption from our waywardness and stubbornness. (I'm not stubborn! It's those other people.)


2. If I am generally a good person with good intentions through life but do not embrace the cross do I become damned in the afterlife? To me that doesn't seem right, as it probably isn't but please explain.

The offer of heaven was a gift, an add-on. It was an invitation to anyone who wanted to accept it. Adam and Eve were not born with an expectation that they would go to Heaven when they were done with the Garden. The teaching started much later. Jesus offered the invitation to be with Him in paradise... he would go to the Father, and we could also be with the Father.

If a person does not want to connect with that amazing family relationship, then that is their choice.

There are admittedly teachings about forgiveness, that make it sound like God doesn't care about people living righteous lives. That is not taught in the Bible at all. God does respect the conscientious living... but it is not a guarantee of salvation. The terms offered were faith, belief, following, repentance, accepting Jesus' sacrifice to make us righteous in God's sight.

I have heard of a lot of people who turned to God in their last hours. The last shall be first.

3. Why is it such a big deal to "spread the gospel", wouldn't there be a lot more peace if that one single line would be eradicated from all religions and let everybody choose themselves.

Have you seen how Jesus sent out His disciples? The focus was on setting people free from oppression and illness... very practical things that made their lives less painful.

The first listeners were already Jews, but had not heard that God was willing to forgive sins under different terms. That was the new covenant, the good news, the gospel -- that like with Abraham, faith would be considered for righteousness.

The messiah had come in a different form -- to rescue us from the oppression of spiritual forces and condemnation, instead of appearing as a political hero. He still came to save people, but from much more powerful forces... ones that impacted eternal consequences.

4. Did not men write the bible, and is it not the nature of man to err.

It sure is. Have you ever had an intuitive hunch or premonition? Many people who hear from God hear in similar ways.

There were certainly more dramatic ways that God worked, but often it was through an inner knowing, a conviction that could not be mistaken. Yes, believers erred, even patriarchs in the Bible.

Much of the Old Testament is a record of historical events, of poetry and songs written, of advice and written musings, and reactions to prophetic words. These writings were treasured and preserved, then later collected into one volume.

The Bible was not written as the Bible. The Torah is self-contained, but not the other books. The letters of the New Testament were written as real mail to believers in other cities. People were writing with the intention of serving and glorifying God, and allowing Him to work through them.

God's power inhabits the praises of His people -- written or spoken. His Word is a creative force, alive and interactive.

He has chosen to work through His people. We fumble and wish He would just do miraculous things without us taking those risks, but He prefers to exhibit His power through us. That is an important part of the faith.

If you are having problems with the infallibility/inerrancy arguments, then just start with the fact that the Book has been highly respected through many centuries, and records how God intervened in peoples' lives... then go from there.

Ask God to speak to you through it, while you read. He will... in His own way. The main objective is to connect with Him -- the Living Word.

5. If there is a god, why does he allow brutal killings of innocent people everyday.

I just swatted three mosquitoes. We live in a world of things that die. That was really heartless of me, but I have some science background, and see a lot of our world as cyclical.

Death (autumn, forest fire) makes room for new life. It is not so horrible... it is just hard to face our temporary existence.

As for brutal killings and oppression, I agree that it is horrible and should not be tolerated. But what are each of us doing to stop that?

How many of us in grade school watched a kid get beat up, and stood by feeling helpless? And as adults, told a friend to dump an abusive partner but didn't offer transitional housing for them.

Why has he allowed for society to evolve to the point where the justice system does not seem to be able to convict and punish evil violent crime convicts.

That was a problem, even in the earliest stories in Genesis. God gave Moses laws that would help us prevent these injustices. Then we complain about the laws feeling restrictive.

As with other things, God wants us to have authority and influence in our world, allowing His power to work through us.

6. What are his explanations of space, the universe and the scientifically undoubtable fact that life does exist elsewhere.

You might enjoy reading the writings of Enoch, who had a good understanding of the solar system. Hmm.. I am not finding links I used to use. www.VirtualQumran.com -- The UCLA Qumran Visualization Project

 

[fm107]

Whichever moderator moved this thread from Christian advice didn't leave a link to the thread now here.

This has to be done as the OP will wonder where his thread has gone.

 

[Criada]

First off I do not post these questions with mal intention nor is any sarcasm intended to be percieved. They are serious questions that I hope somebody has an answer to. If you don't have a serious answer to it and instead intend on preaching to me how I should just "shut up, don't worry about it and accept christ" then I most assuredly will ignore you. Here Goes.
I hope that no-one here would tell you that - the forum is called 'Exploring Christianity, and that is exactly what you are doing Welcome. You have received some good replies - I will try not to repeat too much that has already been said .

1. Why is Christianity the right religion, I only state the macro religion and not any sects to be easier to answer. Out of all the other religions out there and the millions of people that follow other religions what makes this one right?

I wondered that for a long time. Before becoming a Christian, I studied many religions. All of them told me where I fail, what I should do, that I need to become 'good', 'enlightened', selfless, etc. But only one showed me how that was possible - only one showed how my sins could be removed and I could live God's way. All the others told me to do it myself, to make myself worthy of God's acceptance - and I couldn't do that. Only Christianity showed me a Saviour who could actually change things, and make me righteous.

2. If I am generally a good person with good intentions through life but do not embrace the cross do I become damned in the afterlife? To me that doesn't seem right, as it probably isn't but please explain.

God doesn't want you to be 'good' , he wants you to be perfect. Only Jesus gives us a way to get there! As for the afterlife, I don't know - but I do know God, and He is loving and merciful - so I trust Him to work things out

3. Why is it such a big deal to "spread the gospel", wouldn't there be a lot more peace if that one single line would be eradicated from all religions and let everybody choose themselves.

The gospel isn't just about getting to heaven though -it's about having a full and meaningful life now. And that is something we want to share, because, it's good!

4. Did not men write the bible, and is it not the nature of man to err.

Yes, and yes. There are different views amongst Christians as to whether every word is dictated by God, or whether it is men to whom God gave revelation expressing it in their own, sometimes flawed way.. But even if there are some 'human errors' - it hangs together incredibly well for something written by dozens of authors over thousands of years.

5. If there is a god, why does he allow brutal killings of innocent people everyday. Why has he allowed for society to evolve to the point where the justice system does not seem to be able to convict and punish evil violent crime convicts.

We are not robots - God doesn't force anyone to do his will - and sadly, our own will often leads to evil, because we tend to be selfish. God gave us a blueprint to follow - sadly we have not done so, and the evil in the world is a result of that.

6. What are his explanations of space, the universe and the scientifically undoubtable fact that life does exist elsewhere.

The Bible deals with the relationship between God and man. It is silent on the things you mention...
I would not be surprised to know that God created life in many places - it is His nature to create, and why leave the entire universe bar one planet barren.
If there are other life forms out there, then I would imagine that God communes with them as He does with us

7. If there truely was a monotheistic Christian god then why are other religions allowed. Especially when the majority of the other people in these religions have no exposure to christianity and thus are never even given the option to convert. Do they go to hell as well?

I personally don't think that those who sincerely follow other religions will be condemned - the Bible says that God judges according to our knowledge, and I cannot believe that he would condemn for lack of knowledge. Others will disagree, though - and we won't truly know until after we are dead.


These are just a few I have and I want to see if anybody actually responds before I post more. Again I am not trying to appear offensive nor should it ever be taken like that. I simply want answers that I feel should be explained to me before I accept any religion as my own.

Thankyou,
Burt

I hope that some of the answers here help you on your journey. I will be praying for you.

 

[Burt Gummer]

I thank all of you for your thoughtful responses, except for Envida Issac because he has horrible sentence structure, makes no sense and essentially added nothing to the thread.

I was overwhelmed with the responses and each of you had a little bit different view on each question I asked. Which leads me to believe that there is NOT one solid answer. Except for Gods, however we do not know what that answer is except for what the bible says. Obviously the bibles words are open for interpertation hence the number of answers being infinite.

I will just reply to a few questions that were directed back at me and again I truely appreciate the time you took to reply, as I have learned a great deal on what christains tend to believe on these sensitive matters.


1. I was using the example of a person who does good, but is not christain not as myself but as a general statement. I know many a kind people that either accept a different spirituality or have not accepted christ. To say that they will be judged because of it. I absolutely do not agree with and never will.

2. To the person that took my "life elsewhere" bit as I meant that we have currently discovered life, I don't even know what to say to you. In an infinite universe with an infinte amount of solar systems there is no doubt an infinite possibility of life, logic superscedes this and sense the bible fails to mention it that mean's the bible does has no opinion and logic must be used.

3. The consensus over many of you is that you rationalized spreading the gospel is good because we want to "spread the goodness of christianity and save them". Thats all and good, however many people have an extreme hate towards christains and the west in particular and want nothing to do with it, infact it more than often leads to controversy and violence.

4. If you have a sufficient world experience I.E been out of the states, particularly to a third world country you will realize that they couldn't care less about christains, most often times their cultural uprising leads either to a different religion, or to none at all. And to attempt to colonoize them and missionize them like we saw with apartheid most definetly doesn't work.

5. " Men wrote the bible, and to be man is to err" What is there to not understand about that. I am implying that if men wrote it, and then afterwords picked and chose what would be in the new testament. How in any way can you say it is Gods word.

I'm sure I missed a few things that I wanted to say or ask but looking forward to hearing your new answers.
Burt

 

[razeontherock]

Hi Burt! First of all, thank you for your service to our Country, and also welcome to CF! You've gotten good responses so far, and I don't mind saying "heron" is one of my favorite posters; that content is rich with goodness. Moving on:

each of you had a little bit different view on each question I asked. Which leads me to believe that there is NOT one solid answer. Except for Gods, however we do not know what that answer is except for what the bible says. Obviously the bibles words are open for interpertation hence the number of answers being infinite.

There is much wisdom here! Look at it this way:

take a diamond and put it in bright light. You can stare quite some time at just ONE facet, and see quite a bit of different things in there, and then even more if you turn it very slightly. Someone else will, of necessity, see something entirely different if they're looking at the same diamond at the same time, because they have a different vantage point. Hopefully you can follow my analogy, that none of us have the WHOLE picture and we need each other? I will state from experience that just ONE "facet" of G-d Himself, and/or His Truth on any subject, is more than enough to blow our mind when we get even a glimpse. And to think we're going to retain that?

Nope. We leak, by design. If any of us try to take that living water and bottle it up, it quickly stinks just like any other stagnant water. So you'll see us sharing fresh insights instead. And yes, some people prefer to bicker over it rather than try to expand their perspective. Their loss.

I will tell you Scripture interprets itself. The only way to approach it (IMHO) is w/ the humility to reserve judgment on anything that isn't immediately clear, and also to realize there's likely a LOT more within even the portions that at first seem crystal clear. As we take in more of it w/ this attitude, we're given "keys" to understanding more. The best sermon I ever heard preached was by a little no-name preacher in his 90's, who was reading his way through the whole Bible for something close to the 1,000th time. Yeah, it showed!

1. I was using the example of a person who does good, but is not christain not as myself but as a general statement. I know many a kind people that either accept a different spirituality or have not accepted christ. To say that they will be judged because of it. I absolutely do not agree with and never will.

Again, you're displaying some wisdom and I posit that the barrier is more linguistics than anything else. Let me ask a question to try to highlight where I'm going with this: what does it mean to "believe on the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ?" What does it mean to follow Him? I've shared this vantage point with a good many Christians here from many different denominations, all agreeing with me that someone who's never heard the Gospel can indeed follow Jesus the same way I can. The Father seeks such as will worship Him in Spirit and in Truth, not those that say "Lord Lord."

Make sense? Also, there's only one Judge, and He is Faithful. Us pretending to be Him is simply not part of Christianity, especially when it comes to the condemnation part of Judging. So if you find this distasteful, I agree.

2. In an infinite universe with an infinte amount of solar systems there is no doubt an infinite possibility of life, logic superscedes this and sense the bible fails to mention it that mean's the bible does has no opinion and logic must be used.

What the Bible doesn't say is just as important as what it does say. Even so, our Universe is not infinite. G-d does say He'll "plant the heavens." Future tense.

3. The consensus over many of you is that you rationalized spreading the gospel is good because we want to "spread the goodness of christianity and save them". Thats all and good, however many people have an extreme hate towards christains and the west in particular and want nothing to do with it, infact it more than often leads to controversy and violence.

Not only does the west not have any monopoly on Christianity, but India has been sending missionaries here to the US! How's that for G-d slapping us upside the head?!? It's not really following Jesus that people object to, unless they're a self-professed satan-worshiper. Still the Gospel is to be spread in such a way that a person who rejects it is to be left alone. Hard for that to incite violence, isn't it?

The real point of Evangelism is that those G-d has been preparing, will respond. Those that don't, might just be "being prepared" by the very same effort. We just don't know about all that.

5. " Men wrote the bible, and to be man is to err" What is there to not understand about that. I am implying that if men wrote it, and then afterwords picked and chose what would be in the new testament. How in any way can you say it is Gods word.

This is a topic that you see such a wide array of answers from christians that I find it really disturbing. Men were inspired by G-d. That still happens today you know, but Scripture is an entirely different level. There was never any controversy about any of the books in the Bible except for Revelation. There are a lot of other books excluded from the Bible there was controversy over. Personally, I find those to have some value, but the word count to value ratio goes WAY down. (Tons more words, very little value by comparison to Scripture) One way of looking at the NT is, the Gospels are what we are to do, the rest of it is examples of what happens when we do.

Any reading of the NT that isn't firmly founded upon a deep understanding of the OT, is missing a lot. That's ok, there's still a "lot" to the NT on it's own, and it's the place to start. The point is, it's not the individual words or language that is significant. G-d Himself transcends human language. The same underlying points are made over and over again throughout the Bible, in the hopes that sooner or later we'll "get it." The ones that appear MOST? A coming day of Judgment, resurrection of the dead, forgiveness of sins, and incomprehensible Blessing to G-d's chosen.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

1. Why is Christianity the right religion, I only state the macro religion and not any sects to be easier to answer. Out of all the other religions out there and the millions of people that follow other religions what makes this one right?

The only thing I can say on this point is that only God can make a person aware of him being the true God. Jesus said false prophets could do miracles, just as true prophets of God can perform miracles. So even the thing that can define God as being real "the miraculous", can be imitated. Regardless of this I will share with you stories of the miraculous that have occured in my life, so you can at least get past the point of never hearing of God being involved in a persons life.

One morning I got up and walked into the hall and I heard a voice that I believed was God say "How would you like to be stabbed in the Valley". The Valley was known as the rough end of town, and the voice scared me a little, I wondered if I had done something to offend God. I had planned to go down to the Valley to ask people out to church as was my habit at the time. In the end I went anyway regardless of the fear. I walked up to the first person I met and asked him if he would like to go out to church. He said to me "I am an atheist, I don't believe in God". I just said "fine", but hoped to change his mind. He then proceeded to unbutton his shirt and showed me scar marks up and down his chest and stomach. He said to me, "I was attacked by a knife wielding man in the Valley some time ago and spent months recovering in hospital, How could God allow that to happen to me". Then I knew why God had said in the morning "How would I like to be stabbed?". God understood this man, but had a good plan for him. Some weeks latter this man came out to church and became a Christian.

Some time after the second Gulf War an Australian man Douglas Wood was captured by terrorists in Iraq, who made demands for a ransom or he would be executed. I set about fasting and praying for his release, I said to God "You know where he is....tell me". Three words entered my mind ABC, Bizaar and "A-meal". I thought "I am going crazy what has all that got to do with him. Bizaar I though "this is Bizarre". I thought maybe "A-meal" is a town so I searched a map of Iraq for a town of that name, but found nothing that really matched. Some time latter Douglas Wood was freed by US troops who came across his captors. It was not until latter that I actually discovered what the three words meant. I was on a forum libertyunites.us and came across a post by a user called ABC in the post she appealed to the captors to release Douglas Wood because he had gone to a/or the Bazaar and bought food for homeless people and had provided them with "A-meal". I believe God saw this action too and blessed Douglas Wood with an escape from his captors.

One time I thought about suing some one but felt bad about it because I did not want to give a bad impression about what a Christian is like. So I prayed and asked God to show me clearly what to do. Latter that day I opened my bible at random, selecting a random verse and it opened to 1Co 6:7 "Nay, already it is altogether a defect in you, that ye have lawsuits one with another. Why not rather take wrong? why not rather be defrauded?" So I knew what God was thinking, no lawsuit. From this I do not believe God was saying all law suits are wrong just this one was.

At one point in my life I was praying for scientific cures for illnesses like cancer. Because I was on a science kick I thought would it not be fun to create a real life dinosaur. I wanted Jesus just for fun to show me how to create a Real Live Dinosaur, he can show us anything you know if he wants, but when I asked him how to start recreating a Dinosaur. Jesus spoke into my head the sentence "bood, a term I had never heard before. I decided to look it up on the Internet and I found out the following: You see, the children of Semai are taught from an early age, the concept of "bood." If a parent asks a child to do something and the child replies " bood," it means in other words, "I don't feel like doing that," and the matter is closed. Bood means gently No.

One day I was witnessing to a Muslim and he asked me why we ate pork. I used the verse out of the bible which says "It is not what enters the mouth that defiles a man but what comes out of the mouth". After some general discussion I finished for the night. I asked God to give me a verse from the bible to encourage me. I opened the bible at random and selected a random verse. It opened to the exact same verse that I had used with the Muslim. The one about food not defiling. So I knew that God was approving of what I had been talking about.
"What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him "unclean.'"- Mat 15:11

Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing and benefits those who see the sun. - Ecc 7:11 I have always considered it wise to seek God for every thing in life. By this I do not mean “God, what should I eat” or “what should I wear”. Not small insignificant things but things that matter. God cares about the things that we see as significant, things that are important to us. There was a point in my life where I was single, unmarried and constantly bombarded by the worlds system of doing things, a system to which I was diametrically opposed. I wanted to find a partner, but was not really sure how to go about it. By trade I am a computer programmer so the Internet was very familia to me. So I tried internet dating. I remember getting to a point of meeting quite a few people but not really fully clicking with any of them. So I prayed and said out of all the thousands of people that are online in the world there must be some one who could make a good partner for me. So I deliberately listened for God’s voice, and prayed once. The word “Grace” entered my mind. So I typed “Grace” into the search box (that was used to search for profiles). The first profile to come up was of Ru Chen. I had been contacted by Ru Chen once, but we were unable to send messages to one another over the site for some unknown reason. So I tried to contact her again, but again with no success. Some time latter Ru was able to contact me using an email I had sent to her when she had first contacted me, after chatting online for some weeks we decided to meet. We went out together to the movies and just eating out, and seeing each other for some time. Eventually we decided to marry. We went out and bought a ring. Some months latter we got married.

2. If I am generally a good person with good intentions through life but do not embrace the cross do I become damned in the afterlife? To me that doesn't seem right, as it probably isn't but please explain.

Even God does not delight in hell, but he has made it for those who are truely wicked.

Eze 18:23 Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?

Eze 18:32 For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!

My wife is calling, will answer latter if I have time.

 

[oi_antz]

I was overwhelmed with the responses and each of you had a little bit different view on each question I asked. Which leads me to believe that there is NOT one solid answer. Except for Gods, however we do not know what that answer is except for what the bible says. Obviously the bibles words are open for interpertation hence the number of answers being infinite.

Hi Burt,

I think you raised some very good questions here, I feel that you're not really considering the morsels of truth in the replies, I have personally found from reading them they all speak the same sort of advice I would have given, but because of the vast variety of words we can put together it is highly unlikely anyone would ever choose to answer a question with the same answers. So you would be best to re-read them, seeking to understand exactly what the author is trying to say, and perhaps you might get even a slight glimpse of that person's understanding.

I won't bother to answer all your questions because IMO they have been answered very well already, and perhaps what you should do is take them one at a time and pick them to bits, making sure you do ultimately get your head around what we are telling you.

I have chosen to reply to this question though, because I want to add something that hasn't been mentioned yet:

2. If I am generally a good person with good intentions through life but do not embrace the cross do I become damned in the afterlife? To me that doesn't seem right, as it probably isn't but please explain.

Jesus said He had come to bring a sword (Matthew 10:34), His purpose was to make a clear distinction between those who belong to God and those who don't.

How does one make this distinction, and how do you switch sides supposing that we are all born not belonging to God and at some point in our lives we might desire to do so? It's actually rather simple. Read all the gospels, seek to learn exactly what happened during Jesus' testimony to earth. If you can find any fault in Him then you have discovered your bone of contention.

If you can't find any fault in Him then you have no other reason not to accept Him, because He has said clearly "I am the way, the truth and the life, no-one comes to the father except through me". If you read the entire testimony of His life, it becomes obvious that He truly is the messiah.

If on the other hand you find He was somehow at fault and deserved to be condemned, then you have identified exactly the problem you face and THAT is what you should bring to discussion, not just some wild ideas you came up with by thinking without the supervision of the Holy Spirit, that is certainly the best way to get confused

Why not take up the challenge, read the gospels and see if you can find a fault in Jesus?

 

[E.C.]

3. The consensus over many of you is that you rationalized spreading the gospel is good because we want to "spread the goodness of christianity and save them". Thats all and good, however many people have an extreme hate towards christains and the west in particular and want nothing to do with it, infact it more than often leads to controversy and violence.

The stance that I've taken in life, which seems to work well, is quite simple: when asked a question I'll answer, but until then I keep my mouth shut about religion. I find that approach works well since there is no imposing of beliefs and answers are given to questions instead of being just, well, given.

Besides, not all people are to be missionaries. I know for a fact that I'm not one. Too many sins.

4. If you have a sufficient world experience I.E been out of the states, particularly to a third world country you will realize that they couldn't care less about christains, most often times their cultural uprising leads either to a different religion, or to none at all. And to attempt to colonoize them and missionize them like we saw with apartheid most definetly doesn't work.

I agree, but at the same time an interest does happen.

An example would be the Russian Orthodox St. Nicholas of Japan who lived in the later days of the Russian Empire. He was originally sent to Japan to be the chaplain for the Russian embassy, but some of the local populace were interested and consequently a large number later on became Orthodox Christians. He learned the language and started to translate things into Japanese until he died. He did not impose Christianity upon the people whom he ministered to, rather they came to him.

I agree that imposed upon missionary work, as seen in India by the British, does not work, but it does not mean that I'll stop supporting those who are missionaries.

5. " Men wrote the bible, and to be man is to err" What is there to not understand about that. I am implying that if men wrote it, and then afterwords picked and chose what would be in the new testament. How in any way can you say it is Gods word.

Well, when posting at 1:30 or so in the morning the ole noggin tends to skip once in a while

The Bible was compiled during the 5th-6th centuries because of false Gospels being spread by the Gnostics. As for the authors who wrote various parts of the Bible in the space of a few thousand years; they were godly men and holy men. The folks who eventually put the Bible together lived lives of praying about 18/24 hours in the day and to pray is to know God, so you do the math there. Besides, the Bible is the word of God about the Word of God. Capitalization is important because per the word, Jesus Christ is the Word, not the word

 

[Burt Gummer]

Thankyou to the many of you that provided sincere un arrogant posts, and well no thankyou to the few passive aggressive old testament followers that do nothing but give your religion a bad name who posted.

After spending the last few days of doing research I came to a realization. That no matter what question I may ask, in someway you will be able to rationalize it to be associated with God and Christianity. No matter what scientifical fact I bring up, there is always an answer for it. "because god wanted it that way"

Perhaps someday I will see an error in my thinking, but science gives me solid calculated facts whereas in religion I am supposed to believe blindly out of "faith" and no the bible does not constitute as proof.

Christianity is just as guilty as brutal violence in the past as anyother religion is. Though if you still follow the text in a modern way without taking it too serious it can no doubt lead to a great life.

This one fact I had a big problem with. If christianity is the correct religion then you would assume that our prayers be answered more often than anyother religion, hence there being an anomaly that may be measured and used, however this most certainly is not the case.


So a rough Theory: Maybe, and I do say this loosely, just maybe there perhaps was a god who planted the seeds for life, and eventually the human was evolved out of it, but the best explanation for religion is that Man is at the top of the food chain, man fears nothing but the unknown. So we rationalize and seek comfort out of various theories aka religions. It is our carnal instinct. Because we are but animals. To think that we are any different than an ape or a dog in the big picture is self righteous. We are all created out of star dust at the molecular level. Atoms and elements. Which has been proven.

Im not saying that I do not believe that there is some spirtual being but I have a scientific, analytical mind. Part of that is natural, part of it is trained. I simply cannot base my whole life on a complete whim/faith.

There is just as much if not more evidence that there is no monotheistic christain god than there isn't.


You need to watch this, and if you are infact educated and have a realistic mind then I quite simply see no way that you can buy into this without at least DEMANDING the true answers from God himself.


YouTube - 10 questions that every intelligent Christian must answer

 

[razeontherock]

Burt, any mature Christian has already found answers to this.

 

[A_maize]

Welcome to our forums! I think your questions are always, always welcome, and I hope you have a very fruitful time here.

After spending the last few days of doing research I came to a realization. That no matter what question I may ask, in someway you will be able to rationalize it to be associated with God and Christianity. No matter what scientifical fact I bring up, there is always an answer for it. "because god wanted it that way"

Yep, guilty as charged for some Christians, especially if they're eager enough to post in these forums! But honestly, some Christians have turned away after asking those questions, and some have found answers that satisfied themselves. I guess many folks here are the latter. However, if you are willing to give some answers the benefit of the doubt, there are some answers that won't be as far fetching as you might think.

Perhaps someday I will see an error in my thinking, but science gives me solid calculated facts whereas in religion I am supposed to believe blindly out of "faith" and no the bible does not constitute as proof.

Well, contrary to some beliefs, faith is not always blind faith, nor a huge [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] 'stop thinking and believe' belief. Consider a cookbook about cake. If you follow the directions the right way, you should have a pretty good cake. But if the cake turned out weird, than you have a pretty bad book. Same with the Bible. Read it substantially, give the directions in it a shot, and if nothing happens to you or your life, than its obviously wrong. If you do find something... interesting... however... that can lead to more study of the Bible and God.

Christianity is just as guilty as brutal violence in the past as anyother religion is.

No doubt about that. Sadly it is still happening in smaller ways to this day.

This one fact I had a big problem with. If christianity is the correct religion then you would assume that our prayers be answered more often than anyother religion, hence there being an anomaly that may be measured and used, however this most certainly is not the case.

God actually answers prayers whether you are a Christian or not, as it says in the Bible itself. If prayers were actually measurable, that could potentially lead to proof of God, which is whole new set of questions.

So a rough Theory: Maybe, and I do say this loosely, just maybe there perhaps was a god who planted the seeds for life, and eventually the human was evolved out of it, but the best explanation for religion is that Man is at the top of the food chain, man fears nothing but the unknown. So we rationalize and seek comfort out of various theories aka religions. It is our carnal instinct. Because we are but animals. To think that we are any different than an ape or a dog in the big picture is self righteous. We are all created out of star dust at the molecular level. Atoms and elements. Which has been proven.

Unlike opium, which drains your time, life, and mind, believing and following the teachings of Jesus and the Bible in my life made a big positive impact in my life. And I have seen this countless times in my life. Lives changed, personalities changed for the better.

Im not saying that I do not believe that there is some spirtual being but I have a scientific, analytical mind. Part of that is natural, part of it is trained. I simply cannot base my whole life on a complete whim/faith.

Then you should not blindly believe, nor would it make you at all happy. I can't think of many things that brings a person down more than having to believe something against their own thoughts. However, rather than blindly believe, wouldn't giving something an honest shot be OK to anyones conscience?

You need to watch this, and if you are infact educated and have a realistic mind then I quite simply see no way that you can buy into this without at least DEMANDING the true answers from God himself.

That video has been posted and debated about quite a bit on our boards. It raises some very interesting questions... and answers.

Look forward to your thoughts, thanks!