God

[WeMadeItToAndromeda]

I feel for you brother. I do believe in God, and jesus christ. I too lost both parents at s young age. I struggle in my faith,but never go back. I've seen a guy healed physically, was crazy to see.

It's natural for people to struggle with faith sometimes and doubt.

Look at the disciples, they literally saw Jesus feed thousands of people, heal blindness, cast out demons, raise a man and girl from the dead and walk on water and they still doubted.

When Jesus was crucified, what did they all do? They ran away. Peter literally walked on water with Jesus and STILL doubted and began to sink into the water because he heard the wind pick up and started to doubt that he would be okay while standing on water with Jesus.

 

[johntt44]

If you can't understand or refuse to understand it any other way, look at it like this:

If I choose to do what God says, then I've lived my life a disciplined, good person who love their neighbor as they love themselves and I've done my best to bring peace and understanding to those around me. I've lived (to the best of my abilities, we all fall short sometimes, but that's where repentance and forgiveness comes in), as someone who doesn't lie, murder, cheat on my spouse, steal, hate etc.

If I live that way, and I die and I'm wrong about God, then I've lived my life as a good human being. I lose nothing.

If I'm right, I go to heaven for eternity.

If I live according to the world, doing what I want, how I want, mocking God and essentially spitting in God's face and you're right about there not being a God, then I've lived a life doing whatever I wanted, sometimes at the detriment of others.

If you live doing whatever, regardless of what God says and not believing and you're wrong though....woe is you, for you'll be spending your eternity tormented in hellfire and darkness where you won't even be given a drop of water.

I have nothing to lose and everything to gain by following God. Unbelievers are simply playing Russian Roulette with their souls.

You're 100% correct and I cant argue with that. I dont mock God or religious people. I live a good life too, treat people well, dont steal, murder, etc. I cant MAKE myself believe, I'd be lying to myself and if there was a God, he'd know it. So my choices are resting in peace or going to hell because I cant believe even though I led a good life? Scare me into lying to myself. God doesnt love unconditionally I guess, right? The fear thing is what I dont like about it. A child killer can get into heaven because he asks for forgiveness but a person who lives a good life but cant believe wont? That big bang theory sounds better to me.

 

[WeMadeItToAndromeda]

You're 100% correct and I cant argue with that. I dont mock God or religious people. I live a good life too, treat people well, dont steal, murder, etc. I cant MAKE myself believe, I'd be lying to myself and if there was a God, he'd know it. So my choices are resting in peace or going to hell because I cant believe even though I led a good life? Scare me into lying to myself. God doesnt love unconditionally I guess, right? The fear thing is what I dont like about it. A child killer can get into heaven because he asks for forgiveness but a person who lives a good life but cant believe wont? That big bang theory sounds better to me.

God loves unconditionally in that his arm is ALWAYS out there for you to grab onto. The stipulation is that you must accept him as your Lord and Savior, and live according to his will.

People want to shout that God is a God of love, and he is, but he also has other sides to him. He is a God of justice, and a jealous God. When you're living in sin, and living according to the world, you are putting your will before his.

We should fear God, and fear what he can do. Jesus Christ told us not to fear what man can do to our bodies but fear the Father who has the power to cast our souls into Hell. God would still be swallowing people up into the Earth I'm sure had he not of sent Jesus Christ to us as a buffer and as a way to seek forgiveness.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,

Philippians 2:12

Your unwillingness to accept God as your Lord and Savior out of fear is your pride controlling you. You don't think anything or anyone can scare you into doing anything. That's pride. We are to be humble before the Lord, and that's the hardest thing to do. I know, I have been there.

Think of it like this also, why would God let you into his house if you never knew him? Would you let someone you don't even know, or someone who never wanted anything to do with you just come live with you?

God is giving us all directions to his house, most of us just choose to ignore the directions and try and get their our own way. Unfortunately that leads to people getting lost.

 

[Uglyrichie]

Personally people can be who ever they want to be In not dissing on God. But which one is right there are older religions than the Abrahamic religions. Some of the most happiest people I know are deeply religious. He'll my daughter converted to Islam completely diffrent person today and I'm proud of her.my auntie would do anything for you doent try to push things on me just hugs me and says she is praying for me. One thing I don't do is push my children into religion I tell them when you are older you can make your own sessions I won't stop them from going to church with their friends. Organized religion the way they handle themselves always wanting more and the atrious acts that some do against children under the guise of God. Make people question and not believe should a pastor have a yatch when his petitioners go to food banks I don't know it's all about blind faith and to each their own in their beliefs. Thing is thou when a pastor molest a new born till they are 15 which also molested his daughter and sister people give up. That guy was my stepdad who will die in prison he got 18 years. He told the judge only God can judge me That he didn't accept the authority of man. My mom who to this day is very active in her church was deviated ostracized and got death threats but she still believes personally I don't know why maybe comfort I don't know sorry about the rant and my spelling and no offence to anyone you are your own man

 

[TenPin]

I think some smart people came up with religion to establish some kind of moral code for mankind.

I think you are quite close there

In times gone past religion was used in the absence of law to control the people. The crown and the church worked hand in glove to control the people for their own ends and hence it’s no coincidence that the church is one of the richest institutions on the planet.

In more enlightened times the grip of religion on people is weakening and within two or three generations in many parts of the developed world will have almost disappeared.

Again I don’t think it a coincidence that religion currently has its strongest grip in regions that least developed and least educated.

In two or three hundred years people will look back at religious belief in the same way we look at how people believed the earth was flat - sorta
“ they didn’t know any better “

 

[WeMadeItToAndromeda]

I think you are quite close there

In times gone past religion was used in the absence of law to control the people. The crown and the church worked hand in glove to control the people for their own ends and hence it’s no coincidence that the church is one of the richest institutions on the planet.

In more enlightened times the grip of religion on people is weakening and within two or three generations in many parts of the developed world will have almost disappeared.

Again I don’t think it a coincidence that religion currently has its strongest grip in regions that least developed and least educated.

In two or three hundred years people will look back at religious belief in the same way we look at how people believed the earth was flat - sorta
“ they didn’t know any better “

Christianity alone is over 2000 years old, some religions are even older than that. You think in two or three hundred years, the majority of the world will have forgotten about them?

 

[TenPin]

Christianity alone is over 2000 years old, some religions are even older than that. You think in two or three hundred years, the majority of the world will have forgotten about them?

I think the difference is the acceleration of education and progress of society in that time.

If you plot the developed of the human race it’s been gradually accelerating like a ball rolling down a hill.

To compare the progress made say for instance from 200-400ad to the progress from 1819-2019ad is simply not the same

 

[WeMadeItToAndromeda]

I think the difference is the acceleration of education and progress of society in that time.

If you plot the developed of the human race it’s been gradually accelerating like a ball rolling down a hill.

To compare the progress made say for instance from 200-400ad to the progress from 1819-2019ad is simply not the same

And I'd argue that technological and scientific progress has slowed down considerably since the first race to the moon.

Religion will always be around simply because,

1.) You would have to be able to provide irrefutable evidence that there is no divine creator. You'll have to prove something that cannot be proven by science due to the fact that God is eternal, and exists outside of the boundaries of space and time.

2.) Like it or not, the vast majority of our morality comes from religion. Why is stealing bad? Why is killing another human bad? Why is lying bad? Etc., that morality comes from somewhere. The Bible says the word of God is written on the hearts of every man. Sounds about right doesn't it?

 

[Uglyrichie]

If you go by the bible and the flood that cleansed the earth we really don't know how old civilisation was around before than there was a complete reset. Also look martan Luther the Roman Catholic church wasn't to happy when he taught the masses to read the Bible for themselves

 

[Uglyrichie]

Actually the church hindered scientific discoveries. Any belief but their own was heresey

 

[WeMadeItToAndromeda]

If you go by the bible and the flood that cleansed the earth we really don't know how old civilisation was around before than there was a complete reset. Also look martan Luther the Roman Catholic church wasn't to happy when he taught the masses to read the Bible for themselves

I said Christianity because we know Christianity has been around for at least 2000 years. Judaism has been around long before that, and a monotheistic belief of God even before that.

There are many references to a Great Flood in other religions of the world, not just The Bible.

 

[T-Bagger]

If you go by the bible and the flood that cleansed the earth we really don't know how old civilisation was around before than there was a complete reset. Also look martan Luther the Roman Catholic church wasn't to happy when he taught the masses to read the Bible for themselves

While I find it hard to believe in a 6000 year old earth, I also don’t buy that it’s billions of years old. Everyone talks about the fossil records and how dinosaurs lived before man, but what about the professor who discovered soft tissue on dinosaur remains? That alone disproves the “dinosaurs lived billions of years ago” theory because soft tissue doesn’t survive billions of years.

 

[WeMadeItToAndromeda]

Here's the thing when it comes to science and religion; you cannot combine the two of them.

Science is based off of evidence, things that can be proven with math or other evidence.

Religion is based off of belief and faith. Something abstract that you cannot quantify.

It is futile to try and compare the two.

 

[T-Bagger]

I said Christianity because we know Christianity has been around for at least 2000 years. Judaism has been around long before that, and a monotheistic belief of God even before that.

There are many references to a Great Flood in other religions of the world, not just The Bible.

Actually, most of not all of the pagan religions were all polytheistic and that’s what made Judaism distinct that they were monotheistic.

 

[WeMadeItToAndromeda]

While I find it hard to believe in a 6000 year old earth, I also don’t buy that it’s billions of years old. Everyone talks about the fossil records and how dinosaurs lived before man, but what about the professor who discovered soft tissue on dinosaur remains? That alone disproves the “dinosaurs lived billions of years ago” theory because soft tissue doesn’t survive billions of years.

I was just thinking about this. I've struggled about the earth being 6000 years old as well, but we don't technically know what time is according to the Lord.

It says he created the earth in seven days. What is a day to God. Is it 24 hours? Is it a million years in our time? God doesn't operate on our view of time because we as humans have created "time".

 

[T-Bagger]

Actually the church hindered scientific discoveries. Any belief but their own was heresey

Let’s clarify this when you say “the church.” You’re referring to the RCC, which Protestants don’t even hold them as accurate representatives of Jesus Christ or his teachings.

 

[WeMadeItToAndromeda]

Actually, most of not all of the pagan religions were all polytheistic and that’s what made Judaism distinct that they were monotheistic.

You are correct, I was meaning a belief in a singular deity during the time of Adam and Eve, Noah etc., I would argue Judaism wasn't an actual thing until Abraham came along.

 

[T-Bagger]

You are correct, I was meaning a belief in a singular deity during the time of Adam and Eve, Noah etc., I would argue Judaism wasn't an actual thing until Abraham came along.

Correct, Judaism didn’t exist until Abraham and technically it was not called Judaism until centuries later.

 

[Uglyrichie]

I had a boss that didn't believe in dinasors great guy one of the best bosses I had we would rib him all the time about it but he stood firm

 

[TenPin]

Let’s clarify this when you say “the church.” You’re referring to the RCC, which Protestants don’t even hold them as accurate representatives of Jesus Christ or his teachings.

I think in the context of history you can use the term “the church “ interchangeably for both the RC and CoE faiths