Why does it seem that Christians fear inquiry?

[DarkProphet]

This may well be the case sometimes, yes. But what of those who have witnessed physical healings? There in front of us, seen it with our own eyes - not talked about on God TV, or told about, but actually seen.

Crazy would be denying it, not acknowledeging it.

Crazier would be never questioning it.

But, can I ask you a question? Do you know that even now, as you read this, He wants you to get to know Him? I know it can often seem like some abstract idea, but here and now, He is a real Being and He's waiting for you and wanting you to know Him.

If that's the case then He knows what it would take for me to believe in him. That he does nothing speaks volumes.

No, I understand that, but why would He be obligated? He doesn't need for us to worship Him. He doesn't need us at all. So why would He need an out?

The simplest reason would be that he doesn't exist.

So said Nietzsche. But there's that famous piece of graffiti:

"God is dead" - Nietzsche
"Nietzsche is dead" - God

God being dead would change absolutely everything. Everything that's good in this world comes from Him.

"Everything that's good", what is that even supposed to mean? Besides wasn't God supposed to have created EVERYTHING and not just some lame cop out definition of what is "good"?

 

[GreenMunchkin]

Crazier would be never questioning it.

If you witness something first-hand, what's to question? I understand your questioning it as someone who doesn't yet believe, but the person who witnessed it, what should they analyse?

If that's the case then He knows what it would take for me to believe in him. That he does nothing speaks volumes.

I understand. But I also know that He is trying to reach you, and He will never force Himself on anyone. I actively rejected Him for 3 years and chose not to believe, so I really do understand.

The thing is, if you're wanting for Him to somehow prove Himself, while He can do that, I don't know if He works that way. It makes me think of John the Baptist, when he was in prison. He sent his messenger to Jesus, to ask whether He really was the Messiah, because he was losing hope and he needed to believe he was suffering for a reason.

Jesus could have sent back flowery promises and flattering comments and temporarily assuaged John's feelings that way. Instead He reminded him of the prophesies; He essentially asked John to re-discover for himself who Jesus was. Not because He didn't care - He cared. As soon as John's messenger had left, Jesus told the crowds how extraordinary John was. But John needed to rediscover it and believe it on his own terms - that way his belief was genuine and rooted.

Just as children need to work through a math problem to learn the principle; giving them the answer is of no value if they can't also work it out for themselves. Equally, there are Christians whose faith is in a constant state of flux because they constantly need to be reminded of His truth. They bounce from spiritual high to spiritual high and go through dreadful dry periods in between. All because they need Him to feed them their faith externally, as opposed to allowing Him to feed them spiritually.

I really believe that Jesus will meet you more than half way when you're ready, but He will always need us to take that first step, and to take that step in faith. I once described it as stepping through a waterfall, and the image stuck very much. When you're on the outside, all you see is a curtain of water tumbling down a rock-face. But once you step through it, you discover there's an entire world you always had access to, but simply couldn't see.

The simplest reason would be that he doesn't exist.

If He doesn't exist, then He certainly doesn't need an out.

"Everything that's good", what is that even supposed to mean? Besides wasn't God supposed to have created EVERYTHING and not just some lame cop out definition of what is "good"?

I can't wrap my head around the concept of evil... I don't know why so many bad things happen. But I do know that Christ is the One that allows us to forgive people who are cruel, and to love those everyone loathes, and He changes us and makes us new - kinder, more honest, more gentle, more humble, more loving.

It's the waterfall again - abiding in Christ changes everything, and it completely changes both you, and your world.

 

[synger]

The GA forum being closed is one sign of this but overall I've found that Christians both here and in person fear inquiry into their beliefs. Why is this?

I think humans who are content in their culture and beliefs will naturally become defensive when they are challenged for the first time. I think that works for religious beliefs, daily habits, cultural practices, etc. If someone comes along and questions them in such a way that they feel threatened, they may very well fear further inquiry.

Most Christians who fear inquiry will not be found in this particular forum. There are many who live day-to-day with their beliefs, living out the calling God has given them, without opportunity nor need to question their beliefs.

Others of us have found our beliefs questioned, and subsequently learned a great deal about them and had them deepened because of that inquiry. We are the ones whom God has called to try to explain our faith to those who question it.

All CHristians are called to "be ready to give an answer to every man as to the hope within you", but that doesn't always mean getting into the nitty-gritty of every doctrine and world-view.

I've found it similar with non-theists I know. I am fascinated by the idea that some folks are just fine believing that there is no purpose for their lives other than what they make of it, and nothing after death. It seems so sad and wasteful to me, somehow, especially in the contrasting light of Christian hope. Some of my friends are very interested in discussing such issues, and we talk for hours. I've learned a great deal about atheism and other faiths through such discussions. Others feel very uncomfortable with such inquiry, and don't want to explain their beliefs further.

I'm okay either way. It really depends on the person.

 

[AnneSally]

The GA forum being closed is one sign of this but overall I've found that Christians both here and in person fear inquiry into their beliefs. Why is this?

Who was "inquiring" on the GA forum? From what I saw there were just a few hardcore atheists and fallen away ex-Christians not interested in "inquiring" but just outright opposing Christianity.

Why is that? Why do atheists and ex-Christians (apostates) feel the need to camp out on a Christian site and fight with Christians over what they consider to be a non-existent entity? Atheists sure do put in a lot of energy to oppose what they reckon doesn't exist!

 

[AnneSally]

It's hard to take the GA closer as anything other then a sign of fear but beyond that there have been times where Christians in person have been reluctant to talk about their faith.

Hardly! There were those camped out on that forum who weren't interested in anyone's faith, they just wanted to find anything they could to try and disprove it or instill doubt.....

I actually did share a detailed account of what happened to me when the Holy Spirit revealed that Jesus was the Son of God. I wasn't reluctant, but I should have been, because all the hard-core atheists cared to do was rip my experience to shreds. They had no interest in understanding or accepting anything as being real, so why would we care to share our faith with such types whose only desire is to ridicule and mock?