...hahaha

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I feel like a celebrity.

All these questions about my faith and what not. :sad3:
 
Of course, I could just cut this whole thing short and just ask how you would like me to answer your question? :hmmm:
 
im just curious like i said. i dont want to attack just discuss :hmmm:

thats reasonably well thought out. but our universe is massive and supposing there was something outside of it that created it all, logically would it really be all that concerned with us? we don't build little worlds for ants and care about how they feel etc i use that as an example because to think of a being that could create an entire universe (possibly more) thats bound to contain more intelligent life than just humans and care about us all and be as powerful as believers think him to be our known world would be about the size of an ant compared to god.

and of course thats just one religion. how are you so confident your god is the right one (assuming there is one/are any)? and even just within that one religion there are so many different views of god. some say he's loving. others say he isnt.

also im assuming that in order to accept evolution and much of the science that contradicts things the bible might say you have to take parts of the bible with a pinch of salt ie not take them literally?

which leads me to the bible. is there a "right" interpretation of it, or do you think theyre all equally valid in which case how can you determine the actual message that certain books/verses are trying to get across?

serious post 4 spam section! :gasp:
 
Who says I'm saying my God is the right one? It's the right one for me. But to say it's the right one for everyone else would just be asinine of me to say. They have to choose to love God themselves. I don't think I have to speak on what makes me follow my god, due to the fact that I've stated it multiple times in many different threads. But I just think that too much adds up for this religion to just be some big game of lies. :hmmm:

The God I follow is one of love, yes. :lew:

Well, honestly, Evolution is still just a theory... a widely accepted theory but still just a theory until its proven 100% right. Sure it makes a lot of sense but there are pieces missing from that puzzle that people cannot explain. For example the missing link. Do you see people putting aside evolution just because ONE thing is missing? No. Instead, they widely accept the theory of evolution. But the moment religion doesn't explain every tiny detail or make sense (to them) it automatically means it's not real. It's a bit of a double standard when you think about it.

Religion, for me, is the same thing. People might say there's things missing or they don't add up but when looking at the wider picture of it all, it does make sense(for me). Just as I wouldn't throw evolution out the window due to the fact that it's still a theory I won't give up my faith because people say it has holes in it.

It's hard to say which translation of the bible has the "right" translation or even the right interpretation... I won't even begin to try and argue for one translation over an other.
 
ok. the right one as far as youre concerned. but you cant believe in other gods right? i remember youve said before that as far as youre concerned the islamic god is not the same as the christian god, so presumably that means allah to you is just a made up character. quite a violent one? :hmmm:

youve already accepted evolution. you said so. dont change your mind now :mokken: im not going to argue "oh but the evidence" blah blah because im not trying to debate. just trying to understand what you believe. the issue is that its comparing apples to oranges. science is evidence based and is a professional "i don't know"er and religion is a faith based, all knowing package that explains things through god. you could argue from either side til you were blue in the face but you cant really compare the two.

if god, and interpretation of the bible is allowed to be so personal how do you know the god you follow is the same god as anyone else in the church you go to and moreover how do you know its the right one. and by right i mean...lets assume theres only one - i know you do anyway, but stick with me here - there can be only one (to quote a wonderful film :wacky:) how do you know or what makes you so confident in your faith of your version of god?

again not trying to attack or even argue the side of whatever it is i believe. another thing i wanted to ask is (i suppose it might be too personal) :hmmm: when you pray do you believe that god talks to you or sends you messages afterwards to answer your prayers. messages could be anything i dont necessarily mean the skies open and a big booming voice shouts down at you "CAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLI. DO THE COURSSSSSSE ON FIIIIIIIINE ARRRRRRRT". feel free to tell me to fuck off as a reply to any of these questions, but i am genuinely curious.
 
I don't mind your questions about it Jim. I don't mind questions about anything as long as their not alongside a hidden agenda. :hmmm:

You're right when you recall me saying the Islamic God is not the same as the God I follow. The bible calls God one of love and truth. The Islamic God proudly states that its a god of lies... that (to me) proves they're not the same God. Allah might be real and right for others but in my opinion he's nothing. I'm fine and dandy with people who choose to think he's the right god and that MY god is nothing, but I'm not really going around to my local muslims instigating about why my God is the right one. Although... I'm not too sure why my opinion on Islam works into this. I don't understand why I have to explain why every other religion isn't the one for me. :hmmm:

I'm not changing my mind. :lew: I know the difference between both. But there's just as much a chance of evolution being proven wrong as there is for religion being proven wrong. Scientist don't have all the answers but when they continue to go off of their theories that means they are including some sort of faith while doing so--Faith that it has to be correct because of so and so reasons. The way I see it, there's historians and people that are without a doubt real and they recall Jesus and his workings (some even mocked Jesus and the people that followed him as their lord).

So this is where my comparison came in; just like there's evidence for the theories in science I see evidence of Jesus' existence--

To answer your question, all that defines a Christian and whether or not the God remains the same amongst all followers is whether or not they accept Jesus Christ as their savior and that he died on the cross so we could be forgiven for our sins and if they strive to follow the ten commandments (as best they can) and ask forgiveness when they mess up... but also if they love and respect others... those are the major points that anyone really needs to know how to determine if they're following the "same" God.

I'm confident with the God I believe in for a lot of different reasons, most of it has to do with the (spiritual) refugee I personally take in the religion. On top of how it feels on a spiritual level, the historical proof of Jesus' existence is what makes me feel it's right as well. But before I learned of all the historical proof, I just read passages and learned what Jesus taught and it just felt right. Nothing I say can ever make anyone understand what I mean, but when you know... you know. If I had cold hard proof that God was real it'd defeat the purpose of faith. All I know is I feel it's right.

I wish I had a better way to explain why I trust in God so greatly but I just feel his presence in my life... I really can't say anything to make you or anyone else understand why I trust in God. And if I had the option of being able to provide such proof I still probably wouldn't say because trusting in God when you don't have it gives you a feeling like no other.

And it really depends what I'm praying for. But when I pray the "messages" don't come out the way you think they do. You feel it. I see the answers from God throughout my life. What I should do or not do, etc. God works in mysterious ways and all that.


Sorry for any typos or jumbled up sentences, I've got a cold.

Why did we choose to do this tl;dr in a spam section? :lew:
 
Yes...? :hmmm: Since I'm a Christian I follow the teachings of Christ. :lew:

But I'm not entirely sure what you mean so I hope I answered that right? :wacky:
 
Yes, then. Sorry, my heads in a haze today. :lew: But yes it is.
 
I am going to ask a few questions out of curiosity, just keep in mind I'm not trying to trick you, or catch you out, I am genuinely curious.

In the old testament God wipes out all of humanity with a flood, tortures Jobe to prove a point to Satan, and some other very cruel things. Well at least to me they seem cruel. They don't seem like very loving things to me, what do you think about it?

If you base your beliefs in the bible, do you think people should stoned for breaking rules in it, or that slavery is acceptable?

I don't mean to be accusatory, and say that you must believe in these things or you are not Christian etc. I am just curious what you as a believer thinks about them
 
About the OT and the "cruel" things that happens in it, I think God did it for a reason. Again, I can't explain why God did/does the things he does... they're reasons I can't explain because I'm not nearly as all knowing. But the example about Job was to see if Satan was right with his accusation that Job only followed him when things in his life were great and grand and not when things were tough or sad. Job at the end did not blame God for his terrible outcomes, proving Satan wrong, and in the end Job's life was more blessed than ever after enduring it.

That said, God did things in the bible for specific reasons, it might seem cruel or unfair (which it was for Job) but he does things for reasons greater than our understanding. I mean, just look at what God made his only son endure? You don't think God suffered for that? but he did it for us, so we could get forgiveness for our mistakes. So, while there are some cruel things in the Bible the outcomes are usually greater or done for an important reason.

No, I don't think people should be stoned for their sins nor should there be slavery. In the New Testament Jesus' teachings tell us to let he who is sinless cast the first stone. See, Jesus didn't abolish the law but he fulfilled it so you and I or anyone else wouldn't have to suffer the ultimate price for our sins. And the bit about slavery isn't what you think.

"He who kidnaps a man, whether he sells him or he is found in his possession, shall surely be put to death." (Exodus 21:16)

Voluntary slavery was widely practiced during biblical times and the Bible proscribed laws to protect the lives and health of those slaves--which people usually misconstrue to mean the Bible supports slavery when really it's not.

I hope I answered your questions. :lew:
 
c a l i l i l y said:
I don't mind your questions about it Jim. I don't mind questions about anything as long as their not alongside a hidden agenda. :hmmm:

You're right when you recall me saying the Islamic God is not the same as the God I follow. The bible calls God one of love and truth. The Islamic God proudly states that its a god of lies... that (to me) proves they're not the same God. Allah might be real and right for others but in my opinion he's nothing. I'm fine and dandy with people who choose to think he's the right god and that MY god is nothing, but I'm not really going around to my local muslims instigating about why my God is the right one. Although... I'm not too sure why my opinion on Islam works into this. I don't understand why I have to explain why every other religion isn't the one for me. :hmmm:

I'm not changing my mind. :lew: I know the difference between both. But there's just as much a chance of evolution being proven wrong as there is for religion being proven wrong. Scientist don't have all the answers but when they continue to go off of their theories that means they are including some sort of faith while doing so--Faith that it has to be correct because of so and so reasons. The way I see it, there's historians and people that are without a doubt real and they recall Jesus and his workings (some even mocked Jesus and the people that followed him as their lord).

So this is where my comparison came in; just like there's evidence for the theories in science I see evidence of Jesus' existence--

To answer your question, all that defines a Christian and whether or not the God remains the same amongst all followers is whether or not they accept Jesus Christ as their savior and that he died on the cross so we could be forgiven for our sins and if they strive to follow the ten commandments (as best they can) and ask forgiveness when they mess up... but also if they love and respect others... those are the major points that anyone really needs to know how to determine if they're following the "same" God.

I'm confident with the God I believe in for a lot of different reasons, most of it has to do with the (spiritual) refugee I personally take in the religion. On top of how it feels on a spiritual level, the historical proof of Jesus' existence is what makes me feel it's right as well. But before I learned of all the historical proof, I just read passages and learned what Jesus taught and it just felt right. Nothing I say can ever make anyone understand what I mean, but when you know... you know. If I had cold hard proof that God was real it'd defeat the purpose of faith. All I know is I feel it's right.

I wish I had a better way to explain why I trust in God so greatly but I just feel his presence in my life... I really can't say anything to make you or anyone else understand why I trust in God. And if I had the option of being able to provide such proof I still probably wouldn't say because trusting in God when you don't have it gives you a feeling like no other.

And it really depends what I'm praying for. But when I pray the "messages" don't come out the way you think they do. You feel it. I see the answers from God throughout my life. What I should do or not do, etc. God works in mysterious ways and all that.


Sorry for any typos or jumbled up sentences, I've got a cold.

Why did we choose to do this tl;dr in a spam section? :lew:
Click to expand...

im not demanding that you explain or justify. just trying to understand your belief a bit better :hmmm: the way youre explaining what you believe is that god is very personal and that every one can have a different "right" god.

much of the evidence that suggests a man named jesus did exist a couple of thousand years ago was written long after he's said to have died so i think thats the issue a lot of non-christians would have. and no, scientists definitely dont have all the answers. their theories require faith in the observable evidence, if the evidence agrees with their theory then thats a good reason to consider that theory to be correct. but obviously they cant just have one piece of evidence they have to have fairly large result sets for their theory to be considered even close to the truth. a bit like a questionaire.

just imagine you ask 10 people "do you like apples?" and 8 say "yes". would it be feasible to assume that from your test data 80% of the world like apples? definitely not. ask 100 and 80 say "yes", 1000 and 800 say "yes" and so on. the more people you cover the closer you get to the truth. so suppose you could ask everyone in the world if they liked apples and only half of them said "yes". you're theory would be disproved. but if previous to asking everyone you'd ask say...a billion (american billion) and 800 million said "yes" your theory would be fairly credible. it would be logical to assume that around 80% of the world liked apples. not quite sure where i was going with that :wacky: not trying to argue on behalf of science, just trying to show you how i consider (and think science does too) a theory to work and what science considers to be evidence.

the faith that religion requires is that you believe what ancient scrolls say, and that you believe in a higher being and just for instance that you believe the feelings you get when you pray are real and that youre not just mad, im not suggesting you are if it comes across that way :lew:

i think what i was trying to get at in my last post is that (i think) you're supposed to believe in a single, absolute higher being, so if thats the case do you consider other gods such as allah just to be fairy tales?

and another thing is that some religious people claim to know indefinitely that god exists, do you think this is something you can know? not on a personal level, on the same level that we "know" that 1 + 1 = 2.

if there are allowed to be so many gods, ones that love us all and ones that hate us all and ones that love some of us but hate the rest dont they all cancel each other out?

do you believe that jesus will "rise again"? and if so how will you know who he is. if i said i was jesus what (apart from the fact that you know me to not take things seriously very much) would convince you that i wasnt.

annnnnnnnd last thing is that the topic was sort of semi inspired by the original video i posted but i didnt want to make a thread and call you out on it. if you want to troll or tell me to fuck off you can do so here but in a more serious section you couldnt. thats the only reason :hmmm:
 
I'm not sure, but it is interesting to watch. :O
 
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