Why Christianity?

Lenny3 said:

I grew up in an evangelical household and was very religious as a child. One of the main reasons I left the faith is the realization that there are other religions and even at a young age I knew that they couldn't all be right.

So my question is: Why are you a Christian and not a Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, etc? How do you know you are following the correct religion?

(Please don't site the Bible for your reasons. I don't mind if you reference aspects of the Bible, but please don't post verses. I know the Bible very well and am not interested in circular reasoning).

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I'm not aware of any other religion that preaches Jesus Christ, crucified and risen from the dead.

I believe that Gospel, that God has met us in our weakness, to share in our suffering, to bear the cross in death, meeting us in our death, rising from the dead and sharing with us that life which He has--which is for the whole world, and to set the whole world to rights in renewal and restoration.

Christianity is the religion of that Gospel, and so I choose Christianity.

-CryptoLutheran

Lenny3 said:

OK, I don't want to misinterpret you, but are you saying that you follow Christianity not necessarily because it's the correct religion, but rather because it's the religion that you feel the most comfortable with?

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I'm saying I believe it's true.

My deepest convictions lay in trust that the Gospel is true, and therefore that is the religion which I ascribe to.

I didn't play the field and pick a religion that worked for me, I have real convictions about what I believe. I would imagine the same is true of those of other religious traditions--Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, etc.

Now we could dig deeper as to why I have those convictions, but in a very real sense those convictions lay outside of reason, but rather I am consistently compelled by the Jesus I encounter in the Four Gospels, the Jesus I encounter when I hear the Gospel proclaimed, the Jesus I encounter in the Eucharist (etc).

It's not an exercise of the reason, but an exercise in trusting that which compels me in a way that I rarely am able to explain. I love and trust my parents, I love and trust my brother, and my friends. They have not betrayed me, and I am compelled by that familial bond to trust in them; and in a not entirely unsimilar way I find myself compelled to trust and believe in this Jesus I hear about and read about, the Jesus who has dinner with prostitutes, tax-collectors, lepers, and outcasts; who identifies with the lowly and the unwanted, who teaches about the least of these as the children of God, that the least is greatest, that God stands in solidarity with the suffering of the world. The Jesus in whom God reconciles the world, forgives all sin, embraces all suffering, overcomes death, and renews all things for the good and better Tomorrow of God.

I trust that Gospel. I want to believe in the sort of kingdom Jesus talks about. That subversive proclamation that the powers and potentates of this world who rule by standing upon the necks of the poor, hungry, and needy are not what get the final word--but that it is God, in Jesus, healing and mending the world with grace who gets the final word, and that final word is Love.

-CryptoLutheran

Lenny3 said:

Thank you. That was a very forthright post. I appreciate it.

As you said, there are people of other religions that are just as enthralled in their religion as you are in yours. This is something that I've never been able to reconcile.

Do you think that if you had been brought up in Saudi Arabia you'd be a fervent believer in Islam instead of Christianity? At least would it be likely?

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It's more than likely that if I weren't me, and were someone else who was born and raised in a different religious tradition that lots of things would be different.

From a purely sociological perspective I think it's safe to say yes, raised a Muslim I'd be a Muslim. That's a fairly sensible.

Theologically the question is more difficult to address. I come from a theological position faith isn't a matter of human volition, but divine grace. That coupled with the doctrine of predestination--that God has elected those to faith in Christ--complicates things. I also want to be very clear that when I talk about predestination I'm referring to the Lutheran take on predestination not the Calvinist take. There are both subtle and significant differences between the Lutheran and Calvinist doctrines of predestination. I only say that because many people are familiar with the Calvinist understanding of predestination, fewer are familiar with the Lutheran position which is markedly not Calvinist.

So would I be a Muslim if raised a Muslim? Probably? On the other hand not everyone raised in one religion stays. Could I have been raised a devout Muslim in Saudi Arabia and, through some series of events, become exposed to the Gospel and become a Christian? Such is as probable.

It is at least as probable or at least plausible as the reverse.

-CryptoLutheran

What gives us the most coherent worldview that has reasonable concepts for questions such as:
Is There and purpose and meaning for life?
What went wrong with life on planet earth?
What is the remedy for that?
What is death
What is our relationship with our cosmos - dualistic (two separate worlds), ascetic (withdrawal) interactive (exploratory and meaningfully experiential)
From where do we derive our ethics?

Then there is Jesus within history. We must assess that adequately.

I find my Christian framework gives me the most coherent framework out of which to live life. Existentially I know the reality of my relationship with Jesus.

John
NZ

Jesus. And that answer can be as simple so as a child can understand to so profound that the greatest theologian will never finish uncovering the grandness that encompasses that name.

Keep in mind there was a period in my life that I considered my self an atheist. But I kept having the nagging sense that there was something bigger behind life and all that it has to offer. Where did it all begin? Logically within my mind there had to be something outside of time and space that wasn't restricted in any means. It has to be eternal, self sufficient, all knowing, all powerful and righteous. It's like having an innate understanding of cause and effect. My believe is all humans have this knowledge at some level or another which causes them to seek out God. Keeping in mind that we humans also have a rebellious nature and deny these feelings to continue in and seek out our own desires. Not understanding that God's way will fulfill our desire well beyond anything we could imagine on our own.

Jesus embodies all of this. Not to mention all of the biblical prophesies pointing to and secular history testifying to His amazing life.

No other historical world religious figure can claim a sinless life. Not Mohamed, Joseph Smith, Buddha, Gandhi ect...

I spent a lot of time reading about a lot of things. The things that grabbed my attention in religion were non-dual vedanta (in the Upanishads), the Buddhist practice of metta (lovingkindness) and the life of Anandamayi Ma. I read philosophy. I like what Sartre said about freedom and facticity. I still consider myself a Stoic, if only in an aspirant sense.

And nothing compares to Jesus. I cannot convey to you how this is simply known. There was one wonderful day when I knew that He loved me, and the conviction that He is real, when reading the Bible or simply thinking of Him, has never left me. My restlessness is over. But hopefully I am still learning.

Heres my answer, please don't ask any questions. There is a reason that its called faith, sometimes it doesn't make sense..

I just don't understand other religions. Christianity is the only that makes sense and in my opinion, all the other religions just seem impossible. None of the stuff even sounds believable. I read the bible and it actually makes complete sense and relates exactly to my life, which is truly genuine.

God Bless

Lenny3 said:

I grew up in an evangelical household and was very religious as a child. One of the main reasons I left the faith is the realization that there are other religions and even at a young age I knew that they couldn't all be right.

So my question is: Why are you a Christian and not a Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, etc? How do you know you are following the correct religion?

(Please don't site the Bible for your reasons. I don't mind if you reference aspects of the Bible, but please don't post verses. I know the Bible very well and am not interested in circular reasoning).

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That is a very fair question.
I grew up in the 60s...an original "Flower Child". We were very "spiritual", and there was a great deal of freedom in the way we sought God.

Once you decide that there must be a God, the next logical question would be, "Who is He?"...at least, it was for me. As I am a female, I totally rejected the idea that God must be a male...however, I realized that She couldn't be wholly female, either. Obviously, or at least it seemed to me, gender could not have existed at all until God created it...therefore God is neither gender...and He is both.
After some searching I realized what "religion" actually is. Religion has been around for as long as there have been humans developed enough to worship. I totally rejected the idea that every primitive religion was looking for answers to such questions as "why is there thunder" etc. A god or gods is only one possible explanation...I can think of a half dozen others without even trying hard...and I'm sure most people could. Yet, it was never monsters living in the mountains, or some underground creature, or dragons, or giants, or any such thing...it was always a god, or gods. Religion, then, is man, reaching out for the God he instinctively knows is there.
Oh, but did that God ever reach down to man? I mean, like...in Person?
Yes, in one very special religion, He did. And His visit with His creation changed the history of the world.
I found my God in the Man, Jesus Christ.
And I have been His ever since...

I haven't read about that many religions. I don't believe in Buddhism because they believe that at some point the earth will be surrounded by 7 suns, and I just don't think that that will ever happen. I don't believe in Islam, because Mohammad even said himself that he wasn't sure whether he was hearing God talking to him or the devil. I also really doubt we would ever see the sun rising in the west, and if it did, I don't think there would be enough time for the end time prophecies to be fulfilled afterwards, cuz it would cause the earth to spin out of orbit. I also just really respect Jesus because he was perfect. I know that Jesus performed miracles that are hard to believe, but I figure that if he really is God, then he would be able to do that. I do wonder if he just used light energy to perform miracles that we don't know about how to use yet, since it seems when he was communicating with heaven and walking on water, he glowed. But anyways, I also have a hard time believing that there is an afterlife, let alone reincarnation. I just simply don't buy reincarnation, which rules out a lot of religions. I don't believe the Mormons because if I remember correctly they believe they are their own gods, which i just find absolutely preposterous. When it comes to the Hindu faith, I sometimes wonder if their gods are actually just different angels, but anyways in the Hindu faith you can follow any god you want, so why not Christ? Lastly, I believe in Christianity because if there is a paradise or heaven, I think he provides the easiest way to get there. I can be a bad person and still make it, and because I know I've sinned a lot already I'd rather put my trust in Jesus. Lastly I don't believe in atheism because even the DNA in our bodies is so intricate and complex, just like the universe, that it seems very unlikely to just be an accident.

I was raised to believe in Jesus, though I rejected it when I left home. My mom has had many spiritual experiences, and I trust in her testimonies. I saw a healing happen in the name Jesus. Also, I believe in what the Christian historians have discovered. And the testimonies of the persecuted church has also played a role.

My friend tells me that I have blind faith. I just don't know how to prove to people that the gospel is truth. If anyone tries to debate me, I will lose.

Also, I believe there is a hell. So my main reason for choosing Christ is that I believe he is the only one who can save me from hell.

Lenny3 said:

I grew up in an evangelical household and was very religious as a child. One of the main reasons I left the faith is the realization that there are other religions and even at a young age I knew that they couldn't all be right.

So my question is: Why are you a Christian and not a Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, etc? How do you know you are following the correct religion?

(Please don't site the Bible for your reasons. I don't mind if you reference aspects of the Bible, but please don't post verses. I know the Bible very well and am not interested in circular reasoning).

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I understand the concern, but if you follow this approach consistently it’s going to lead you into a black hole.

If I were born in different environments I would likely believe that science is the work of Satan, or that I should attack and behead everyone who disagrees with me. There is, unfortunately, no viewpoint on which all human traditions agree.

I’m afraid we have to start with where we are and follow the best evidence we have. The fact that other people aren’t able to do that isn’t a reason why we shouldn’t.

I grew up in an evangelical household and was very religious as a child. One of the main reasons I left the faith is the realization that there are other religions and even at a young age I knew that they couldn't all be right.

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Why would knowing this be cause enough to propel you out of your faith? Your faith seems to have been very tenuous.

So my question is: Why are you a Christian and not a Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, etc? How do you know you are following the correct religion?

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Because Christianity corresponds better to reality than any other religion and makes better sense of it than any other religion.
Because it has a concrete and verifiable historical basis.
Because the Bible bears the marks of the supernatural upon it.
Because I encounter the God of the Bible in the course of my daily living.


Selah.

Lenny3 said:

I grew up in an evangelical household and was very religious as a child. One of the main reasons I left the faith is the realization that there are other religions and even at a young age I knew that they couldn't all be right.

So my question is: Why are you a Christian and not a Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, etc? How do you know you are following the correct religion?

(Please don't site the Bible for your reasons. I don't mind if you reference aspects of the Bible, but please don't post verses. I know the Bible very well and am not interested in circular reasoning).

Click to expand...

I am a Christ Follower because of the sufficient and abundant evidence by way of the internal / eye witness testimony / external / non-Christian Historian testimonies from the first century, and archeological historical realities that show Jesus Christ lived, died, and rose from the dead . I am a Christ Follower because based on the modern scientific evidences without any religious persuasion, it can be shown that the Biblical Creator best matches the reality of the scientific evidence we have today ; a thumbnail sketch of this is as follows :

1. A universe that exploded into being from nothing whos effects include great personal, intelligent , and information-laden entities .
2. A Universe with over 150 fine tuned , life enabling constants for this tiny, remote planet called Earth which is incredibly suitable for our sustenance in addition to many Physics Constants all working in delicate unison ...some to the 120th decimal point critical tolerance otherwise we arent here and most are at least to a 37th decimal point all working collaboratively .
3. Life that has been observed to arise only from existing life and which has never been observed to arise spontaneously (to which even world reknown atheist Biologists calculate having occured at a faith busting 1 in 10^40,000 probability). LIfe that consists of thousands and even millions of volumes of empirically detectable specified complexity and is therefore, more than just the nonliving chemicals it contains. Life that changes cyclically and only within a limited range. Life which cannot be built or modified gradually (ie: irreducible complexity) . Life that is molecularly isolated between basic types (theres no ancestoral progression at the molecular level). And life that leaves a fossil record of fully formed creatures that appear suddenly, do not change, and then disappear suddenly.

Finally, Im a Christ Follower because ever since I genuinely surrendered my life to Jesus making him King of my life and asking daily for his transforming power to change me from how I was .... he has done so and has radically changed my views, motives, desires, purpose, meaning in life, and has provided me a very fulfilling and hopefilled existence . No psychology book could ever change me so radically within .

Lastly, no other world religious Leader claimed to be God in the flesh then went about proving it ; the closest any of them came was to profess to be a spokesperson for God yet none of them provided any supportive evidence by way of miracles , fulfilled prophecies made hundreds of years earlier , some lived a confirmed immoral life, none of them had greater teachings than Jesus , and some believe an impersonal Force was responsible for the personal, intelligent designed, razor edge precise engineered Cosmos we have ... when it didn't have to exist. An impersonal Force or Accident is incapable of occupying a Will, Intellect, and Power to bring something as intriquite as our Universe is from a state of total nothingness. In closing, no other world religious Leader ever came close to predicting then accomplishing an event that Jesus did : his own resurrection.

When One chooses to willfully investigate the Christian Faith without a prior personal bias , they soon discover the enormous degree of reason, rationale, logic, and evidence for it . The only thing left is for that Person to go where the evidence is pointing with a total life commitment and surrender (but this is the place where a good many choose to stop because of pride).

This used book for $5 details why atheism is completely false and the last half of the book gives all the evidence for our theistic Creator, Christ being real, miracles being possible, the New Testament being absolutely true, including the evidences from modern science and historical sources using the same historical testing that all secular literary works are subjected to showing that the N.T. leads the way for reliable evidence. http://www.amazon.com/Enough-Faith-...rds=i+dont+have+enough+faith+to+be+an+atheist

Regards.

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Because all other religions out there you have to strive for spiritual enlightenment or favoritism. You have to be better than others. In Christianity, God loves you, he came to seek you out, he can make you holy.