Set in stone

Project Panda said:

I used to believe in Jesus, and talk to him like he was real.

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And then what happened?

Project Panda said:

This may sound strange, but I'm a better Christian when I'm not trying to be one.

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Doesnt sound strange at all....actually sounds about right.

Project Panda said:

Faith couldn't sustain itself in the light of reason.

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There are more than one type of faith......There is the blind faith.....and the faith that contains evidence and substance... I guess you had the former.

I would encourage you to continue to seek....knowing that The kingdom of God cometh not with observation.

Project Panda said:

Why does Jesus need Christian's to prove to me that he is real? Isn't he real enough to make his existence known to me? He knows exactly what evidence I need to know he's real, so using his underlings who don't know what evidence I require is a poor decision.

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The reality of Jesus is a matter of historical fact. He lived, was crucified and died, and then three days later appeared alive to his disciples. Again, this is a matter of historical record. Now, you may not want to accept the record, but that doesn't somehow negate that it exists.

Why should Jesus give you any more evidence than already exists to persuade you of the reality of his existence? Why should he jump through your particular set of evidentiary hoops to convince you he is real? There is evidence enough. You may reject it if you like, but you are the only one who will pay a price for doing so. God is not diminished one iota by your refusal to believe in Him.

Project Panda said:

Since every Christian I've met has very different idea's about God, and that they construct different theories about Gods existence, I'm left in continual doubt. I need more that a mixed bag of ideas here, I need something concrete, but this God of yours has never given me concrete evidence of his existence.

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I've lived among Christians all my life. I haven't encountered this "mixed bag" you're talking about when it comes to God. In my experience, there is a near-universally held set of ideas about God among Christians: omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, timelessness, necessarily existent, the uncaused First Cause, etc. In any case, the best revelation of God you can find is in the Bible. If you want to know who God is, read it.

Project Panda said:

Which makes me think, what kind of evidence did you receive from Jesus himself that was concrete enough to base your whole life around Christianity?

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In terms of personal experience, I have the work of God's Spirit, called the spirit of Christ in the Bible, that assures me of the reality of my relationship with God and the truth of His word. God's Spirit convicts me of sin, illuminates my mind to divine truth, comforts me in troubled times, strengthens me in the midst of temptation and weakness - all as the Bible says He will.

There are other reasons, more academic and philosophical reasons, for my faith, but my direct experience of God in my life gives me the same certainty about God that my daily experience of my wife gives me about her.

RaymondG said:

He is right to not go by what others believe. Do you have advice for ways that He can Know that what you saying is truth? Do you want him to believe in your words and your relationship with your God, or have a relationship himself?

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I gave him advice and he mocked it... doesn't strike me as a seeker.

Project Panda said:

Only Christian's recorded the specific events around Jesus resurrection & ascension.

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Not true but if you don't look at the material given, you'll never know. Lee Strobel was an avowed atheist who set out to prove that Jesus was a fairy tale so his wife would stop being a Christian. He was a journalist for the Chicago Tribune and used his journalistic training and skills to prove Christianity wrong... what he found was the exact opposite of his original intent. When confronted by such overwhelming evidence from the secular world of the veracity of Christ as a literal figure in history and the likelihood of a group of men that were willing to go to their death for their belief in Him as the Messiah, he had to accept Jesus as real.

Would you accept Jesus as real if the secular world confirmed it, independent from religious sources?

Project Panda said:

Sorry, I was a little drunk when I posted that comment.

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Thanx for the apology...

Project Panda said:

Only Christian's recorded the specific events around Jesus resurrection & ascension.

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So what?

There are significant ancient, extra-biblical references to Jesus, so it isn't solely on the basis of the testimony of the writers of the New Testament that we know Jesus existed, was a religious leader and was crucified.