Christianity
What can I say about it? It has a bad rep and I can't blame anyone for thinking poorly of this religion. After watching people like Pat Robertson and all those televangelists I would hate what I am too. Frankly when I see them on TV I feel embarrassed that I am even loosely associated with them through our common belief in Jesus. I have argued with other Christians about this but some of them seem to think the work these people are doing is good. Granted from their point of view it might be seen as that because I will admit that they do bring people to God. At the same time though I have to ask myself how many people they turn away from God with their words. Let me also say that I am still a relatively young Christian myself and I am still learning about what it all means. But this is what I have figured out so far.
What does being a Christian mean to me? It means being a follower of Jesus Christ. Some people don't know it but we have our roots in Judaism. Jesus was the promised Messiah that God told about when the Jews fled Egypt. The old covenant that He made with Moses was to hold until the Messiah came.
I'll stop there. Lets take a step back to the Garden of Eden. People don't understand why we are separated from God. It wasn't always the case. In the beginning we were with God in paradise, a choice was made by one of us and it opened us up to sin and in that one moment separated us from God. People talk about original sin as something we inherited from Adam and Eve and I think they are right to a point. We aren't responsible for the sin that was committed there because that would be just as silly as me being responsible for something my father did. What happened in the Garden of Eden is that when Adam and Eve were separated from God any children they had inherited that same knowledge and in the same way were separated from God. It wasn't the apple, it was the sin of disobeying God that separated us.
In the Old Testament you can read in various places about how people used to make sacrifices at the temple for any sins they committed. This was supposed to please God. But man being imperfect got to the point where the sacrifices being made were not cutting it anymore. A sacrifice had to be made that would clean the slate between God and Man. This is when Jesus came into the picture. He lived his life preaching about love and God and heaven and was put to death by his own people in fear that the Romans would take out their anger against any rebellion Jesus might stir in the temple. So for no reason other than fear and ignorance Jesus died. While he was on the cross he took upon himself every sin that was ever committed and every sin that will ever be committed. When he died, what most people don't know, is that he went to hell to be cleansed of that sin and when he rose from the dead he broke the bonds of death forever. What he did was open a door for us so that we could be back in God's presence.
The other thing most people don't know is that Jesus didn't want to die. He was scared out of his wits about the whole deal. He didn't grunt stoically when they pounded those spikes into his flesh, he screamed out in agony with each hammer strike. He was a man and he faced death as a man. His death was slow and agonizing and when I think about that and what he went through it makes me want to cry because he was up there on that cross because of me and how I am. The story of his death goes a bit deeper than that but I think what was said was good enough for what I am trying to say here.
Christianity is very simple. All you have to do is just accept that Jesus died for your sins and you are in. A lot of people think that you have to do good deeds in order to prove yourself worthy but if you really weigh the good that you do with the sins you commit you will, if you are lucky, cancel out anything bad you did. The bible says that there is nothing we can do here on earth to be made worthy of being in God's presence. He knew that and He sent Jesus down here for that very reason.
The term bible thumper was used on this board about the same time I wrote this. Let me talk about that. Can I just say what a thrill it is to be saved. How good it feels to have God and Jesus in my life. When I finally accepted it all I felt so incredibly good that I wanted to share that feeling with everyone. Once I felt God's love I thought "If everyone could feel this there would be no doubt at all." So I went out and start preaching to people, and in reality I had no clue what I was talking about.
I mentor a youth group at my church and over the last two years I have learned more with these kids about God and my faith than I ever could on my own. I saw the same things in them that I found in myself when I was first saved.
What most Christians overlook, what I overlooked, was what Christian means. It means follower of Christ. People thump the bible yet I think they really don't know what it really says. Sure the stories Jesus told were very important and are the blueprint for the new covenant that He made with us. They tell us how we should act as Christians and they try and explain it in a way that we can understand. Lets face it, that is what the bible is all about. God speaking to us in baby talk about what we should be doing. All of that aside, all you have to do is look at Jesus and how he lived and that should give you a pretty good idea of what it is all about. It is about loving one another. That is really what it comes down to. We are all in the same boat here guys, and we are all in it together. Not one of us from the pope down to some poor schmuck on death row is any better than the next man.
You might say "What the pope and some guy on death row?" That's right. Lets talk about sin. The basic fact is in the bible God pretty much states that at this point if we do something wrong all we have to do is ask for his forgiveness and it will be forgotten. So going with that we can see someone who, for example, steals a stick of gum. This person realizes what he did was wrong and asks God to forgive him. God does. Then we have someone who kills a person. This person after killing a man realizes that what he did was wrong and goes before God and asks for forgiveness. God forgives him no questions asked. So going by that, in God's eyes a sin is a sin. If he will forgive someone for stealing a piece of gum as quickly as he will forgive someone for murder then that pretty much tells me that in God's eyes those two transgressions aren't any different. I guarantee you that the pope sins on a daily basis so how does that make him any different from me?
I think most also Christians overlook that while they are up on their soapbox preaching and feeling good about the fact that they saved, they are also in broad view of everyone looking. That means that person is a direct example of what a Christian is, and frankly, I don't blame other people for being turned off from Christianity by how those people act. The only way to lead is by example and if you truly take a Christian way of life you aren't as loud as those people on their soapboxes.
The last thing I believe is that what someone does in their life is between them and God. In the end they will have to deal with Him just like I will too. No one else belongs in there and I believe any Christian who sticks his head in that area is doing themselves and that person a great disservice.
I think in the end all we as Christians should be doing is spreading the word of God. That doesn't mean telling someone he is going to hell, or that he is a sinner because he is gay, or any of that. I think the basic message we as Christians should be spreading is "Hey did you know God loves you? Do you know what He did for you and for me? You're not going to believe it."
Well Written DK, You explained things well. I'm saved, and I'll be the first to admit I'm not perfect, not even close to perfect, I sin all the time, but as you said so well, its OK, becasue God Forgives us. I prayed for the first time in a long time last night, for Retro, and it felt good, really good. I guess that's all I can say right now.
I'm a saved ex-Catholic. I appreciate the time and effort you put into it Dk. Alot of the time I don't show the best of Christianity and thanks, Dk, for writing this. I'll come back to it when I need guidance.
WOW. I must say that was inspirational. I am a christian as well, but Roman Catholic. You said before that the pope is no different from a man on death row because they both sin everyday, and any transgression is the same is the eyes of God. I think you're right that all sins, and people are equal to God, but the Pope is probably one of the most important people on Earth, because everything he does is Gods will. The sacrifices he and the priests give up, make them purer than most other people, and in that way they have more of a right to tell God our sins, and ask for our forgiveness. That was my little speel..
Oh and I wanted to say that when I started to really believe in God, the feeling is so incredible that............. you want to spread it to everybody so they don't miss out. But when you do that people become scared, and think your wierd, like those televangilists for example
and right now I'm in the process of converting a teacher.. buahahahahahaha
Holy crap, your a new Christian you say?? Well your doing pretty good I'd say, that's a whole lot of writing.Unfortunately, I did not read it all, zoned out after around the 3rd paragraph(short attention span
) but sounded like your on the right path. Me, I was raised in a Christian home, not a hardcore religious family, but the basic beliefs and morals of Christianity is what I try to live by to this day, and you know what else....it's really frickin hard too in this day and age.
Well what if there waz no such thing as christ. if u look at most the research it shows that there's no such thing, i mean there waz a man named "Jesus" who waz crusafied, but that's basically the only thing about him that's true.
And you have undisputable proof that Jesus isn't the Son of God, the Savior, the King of David, sour?
Do you realize what "Christ" means even?
I am not a Christian. But I was at one point in time. One of the main reasons that I was turned off by Christianity was basically because of Catholisim. I wasn't raised in a hardcore religious family and that might be the reason. No one else besides my great aunt really was what defines a "Christian." I didn't get confirmed because I didn't want to commit myself to a religion at 14. If I'm going to do something that deals with my immortal soul, I want to be sure that I really believe it. I never really got fired up about Christianity. I never had that feeling that there was a God or that Jesus was the son of God. Sure I was told that in Sunday school, but I never believed it.
Currently I have been exploring other religions. I've done Christianity, and I felt that I didn't belong with Christians. My honest belief is that there can't be ONE god. It would be too much. The Greeks and Romans I think I a good idea when they vested their belief in multiple human like immortals. The reasoning that there is one perfect god seems kind of gullible to me. We don't think of anything else as perfect so I guess I can see the reasoning why someone would put their belief in a perfect being.
As of right now I am actively persuing a branch of witchcraft. Not Wicca. Wicca tends to get a bad rap. Like it's all satanic and animal sacarfice when in reality it's anything but.
I don't know, let me know your thoughts.
I will admit, I didnt read your entire post, DK, but I just would like to say that I am a Christian and I dont like Christianity either. I really dislike people who use the word of God to control others (entire Catholic history) and make money (modern televangelists), but I do believe that most people who believe in what they do and believe it is true and right have what it takes to be christian. Im more into spirituality (I was appalled to find that the spirituality section of my local Borders only contained tarot and zen teachings) and getting into touch with God. I dislike the rules and rigidity of religion; that arent for me, but I do admit most christians like this aspect. I fully think that religion in general is like philosophy for the masses, so that everyone can come together and believe that they have found answers. But I think true spirituality comes from believing in yourself and God and realizing what actually transpires in your life.
this religion has become so mechanized, its morals and beliefs are scattered all over in the forms of branching religions, and society's rumors.
And hear lies the problem for me...."Christianity is very simple. All you have to do is just accept that Jesus died for your sins and you are in."
I don't believe he died for my sins and I certainly don't believe he died and came back to life. This is the best selling job in the history of the world. Christianity is all about money and the hell with the people's souls.
i guess i'm the middle man here. we have devout Christians in this discussion, and an atheist(i'm presuming).
i am an Agnostic. A form of Atheism, yes, but, by definition, a lighter, more understanding form.
I believe that there is not a god. For the sole fact that historical facts do not line up with your beliefs. there are some coincidences but not enough to make a believer out of me.
Being Agnostic means that i don't necessarily believe there is a god, but if you Christians/Muslims/Jews/Buddhists can prove there is a god, i'll do whatever it takes to repent and worship.
With offending as few people as possible, i believe the bible, both old and new testament, was a story. Just a story. A story to entertain people. Writing was a fairly new invention at the time, people were exploring the possibilities and writing the first thing that came to mind. What did people think of back then? Most likely, their existence, like people STILL do today. we have physical evidence that man wasn't the first creation. We can trace back the universe's existence back to milliseconds before the Big Bang.
1/2 of all doctors believe that medical miracles happen everyday. His cancer just disappeared, he just randomly woke out of his coma, what have you. Pretty powerful stuff right? Well, if medical miracles happen, or any miracles in general, why wouldn't God heal amputees? It's a very simple question. Read into your bible and tell me what you can gather.
I looked into it and this is what i gathered as a non-biased viewpoint.:
God is all-powerful. Therefore, God can do anything, and regenerating a leg is trivial.
God is perfect, and he created the Bible, which is his perfect book. In the Bible, Jesus makes very specific statements about the power of prayer. Since Jesus is God, and God and the Bible are perfect, those statements should be true and accurate.
God is all-knowing and all-loving. He certainly knows about the plight of the amputee, and he loves this amputee very much.
God is ready and willing to answer your prayers no matter how big or small. All that you have to do is believe. He says it in multiple places in the Bible. Surely, with millions of people in the prayer circle, at least one of them will believe and the prayer will be answered.
God has no reason to discriminate against amputees. If he is answering millions of other prayers like Jeanna's every day, God should be answering the prayers of amputees too.
Nonetheless, the amputated legs are not going to regenerate.
Why is this? Why would a loving, caring good let someone, who is a devout Christian of all people, suffer?
The foundation of "Why Won't God Heal Amputees?" put the nail in the coffin for any chance of me being self-converted to any religion. If you can convert me, do it. I WANT to believe. But there's to much evidence supporting the negative side of the argument.
Maybe God's not a christian?Originally Posted by thatsstupid95
That aside, suffering is a state of mind. That's under the control of the individual, not God.
i think that there is a bigger picture at play, and we don't really know what role our personal suffering plays in that.
Perhaps that amputee was placed among us so us full limbed mofuckas can fully appreciate. Not all amputees suffer some in fact are very blessed. Maybe When you die it's not your belongings, your skin, your limbs, your eyeball or any decaying matter but your spirit/soul when pure and accomplished will transfer to the next life/level a little easier. Then who knows I don't have any scientific proof if this is the case. But trying or believing shouldn't have to hurt anyone. Plus what do you got to lose?
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