Do you believe in God,Heaven or Hell?

[CREEPERBOB]

Throughout the history of mankind, there have been thousands of higher powers or Gods to appease and obey. Who's to know for certain that they picked the right one?


Yes, they are gods, little g. Of no consequences.


The annoyance isn't with the satisfied believers that live happily, quietly, and respectfully. It's with those that don't. The bible warns about false religion, including within itself, and there are many within the public and political realms that have taken up that false religion and mean to forcefully convert the world to their way of thinking.

Agreed, O.P. asked "do i" believe. Yes I do.
No more no less.
Just as the unbelievers, I want to understand thier stance.
I am very comfortable in my position and hold fast to it.

 

[StomperCrawler]

Throughout the history of mankind, there have been thousands of higher powers or Gods to appease and obey. Who's to know for certain that they picked the right one?

I am of the opinion that it's better for one to choose a religion and hope that whatever God exists will forgive my wrongdoings, rather than for one to choose against them all and find God angry with me in both this life and in the afterlife. Furthermore, a careful study of the various religions, combined with a humble and contrite heart (over one's wrongdoings) that is sincerely seeking God, would likely prove helpful.

The bible warns about false religion, including within itself.

Having read the bible through, I can't think where it warns of being led astray by reading it; but perhaps that's not what you meant?

 

[ThatJeeper2017]

Christianity is NOT an religion, It is all about the relationship with the only true God and only Savior Jesus Christ Himself. Cheers

Exactly.


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[Duuuuuuuude]

No, that's not what I meant.

In this context, it means that you aren't doing what you were taught. People can preach the Bible but be oblivious to the message. People can claim to be a follower of Christ but be walking in a different direction. People can get so wrapped up in what they think a Christian should be that they miss the point entirely, or find themselves in some horribly convoluted positions that they desperately try to reconcile with where they thought they were going.

 

[WHITE-TRASH]

Man this bullshit is worse than a politics thread. :lmao:

 

[Duuuuuuuude]

Perfect example: Christianity is not a religion.

Of course it is. By every definition of the word ever conceived it is a religion.

But somewhere, somebody felt the need to lift their belief above everybody elses and came up with a catchy phrase to make them feel special.

The phrase itself is a false choice, insisting that you can only have one, either a religion or a relationship.

If you believe that it is not a religion, you have a poor understanding of what religions and a relationships truly are.

 

[CREEPERBOB]

The Bible does say in numerous places to beware of false prophets and soothsayers etc.
It speaks of those that were changing the doctrine to make themselves comfortable or to fit in with pagan ancestry.
There are false prophets all the way from the pope to the local congregations.
Christmas, pagan for the sun god not the Son.
Easter, pagan for Ishtar which sacrificed baby to thier god Molach.
Confusion? Lies? Yep all over the place.
The great deceiver is in overtime mode right now because his time is short and sure.

 

[CREEPERBOB]

Man this bullshit is worse than a politics thread. :lmao:

And yet you are here :ror:

 

[CREEPERBOB]

Christian is a misnomer, and wasn't invented till around the 3rd century.
Even Muslims know this, the apostles and everybody else who followed Messiah new Him as Jesus the Nazarene.
And we're followers of the Nazarene.

 

[StomperCrawler]

In this context, it means that you aren't doing what you were taught. People can preach the Bible but be oblivious to the message. People can claim to be a follower of Christ but be walking in a different direction. People can get so wrapped up in what they think a Christian should be that they miss the point entirely, or find themselves in some horribly convoluted positions that they desperately try to reconcile with where they thought they were going.

I agree: people can do a LOT of stuff, misunderstand what the bible says, and believe things that are less than true, even base their lives on such things. What would you say that it means to be a Christian? What IS the point of following Christ and reading/believing the bible?

 

[WHITE-TRASH]

And yet you are here :ror:

I step into the political threads now and again too. No point in arguing a subject where there is .003% odds of either side changing the others viewpoint. I actually used to enjoy the debating, now I have more important things to do like scratch an itch or tie my shoe.

 

[Mike Flea]

There's a lot of assumptions there. Ever considered that we simply don't find religion to be sufficiently believable?

I'm ok with this

Huh. Well, looks like it's time to start taxing the shit out of Christian churches then...

I agree with this 100%, all religious centers should be taxed, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, and any other gathering place for religious zealots, etc.

My life does not suck. Bored, maybe Anyway, I hope you realise that you believe in that 'supreme being' simply because of your upbringing and cultural background and not because that being exists. As long as you can admit that, we're fine

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Yes, I can admit that. I came from a very strict religious upbringing.

To be honest, I was raised a Christian. And I was happy with that. But in adult age I realised that fellow Christians around me actually believed in many of the stories I had taken to be fairytales, comparisons and symbolic. I liked the teachings of Jesus, but Christians around me seemed to me to be more interested in money and religious politics than in Jesus' actual teachings. So in the end I just accepted that my religion was just an illusion. I had no evidence for it. Just hope and a lot of excuses. So I finally embraced what I already knew. Science and good ethics are what we need, not religion.

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I agree with this too, I noticed that it was all about the collection plate and the donations that our church kept asking for. In later years, there were/are the abuse scandals, none that I know of in my parish. Yes, I had a strict religious upbringing, and while I lived in my parents house, I followed their rules, including attending mass on Sundays, but as I mentioned earlier, I haven't set foot in a church since I got married. If God is all around us, I shouldn't need to go to a building to pray and "donate" my hard earned money to a church that's more lavish than my house, or that corrupt men take advantage of little boys, which is then swept under the rug by other corrupt men in robes.

Do I believe in God, yes. Do I believe in the teachings of Jesus and the writings in the Bible, yes. Am I going to try to convert anyone over to my beliefs, no.

Everybody believes in something, real or not, all we can do, as men and women, is make life as bearable as reasonably possible, while we exist here in this life.


On a side note, thanks WT for making me spit up my OJ this morning, for your post 405 above, started laughing my ass off:lmao:

 

[Duuuuuuuude]

What would you say that it means to be a Christian? What IS the point of following Christ and reading/believing the bible?

In basic terms, to follow the teachings of Christ.

Apart from the obvious reward/punishment, that's not something I can answer. Everybody has their own reasons.

 

[soilwork]

No I don't! Religion is nothing but a brainwashing money making machine!

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[CREEPERBOB]

Christian is a misnomer, and wasn't invented till around the 3rd century.
Even Muslims know this, the apostles and everybody else who followed Messiah new Him as Jesus the Nazarene.
And we're followers of the Nazarene.

Just to add a little tid bit to this.
In Mosul and other cities in Iraq Isis went around and if the found a home that believers lived in they would paint an Arabic "N" over thier door to mark them for death. The "N" was for followers of the Nazarene.

 

[indybama]

You dont have to go to a 'church' to worship God or our Lord Jesus Christ. It says 'where few gather to worship in my name gather'. A church is a building, a congregation is the people praising Gods holy name and Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. My wife n i dont go to church, but we do believe in God and all he can do. God has blessed us in soooooo many ways!!!!!! I thank God for all that we have and all thats hes blessed us with

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[CREEPERBOB]

Amen /\
He does tell us to not forsake the assembling together of the believers that we may lift one another up, but says nothing about a building "thumbsup".

 

[indybama]

My parents used to make me go to church as a kid and i hated it, i cant sit still... So when i got old enuf they let me choose, i quit going but i never stopped believing. My wife and i got together 7 yrs ago, married 6 yrs now. She knows the bible front to back and we talk about it quite often. Our kids know and believe in God and Jesus Christ. Our 3 yr old talks to Jesus all the time. Ask him who he was talkin to and he'll point at Jesus picture and say 'i was talking to him, Jesus'. Just because we dont go doesnt mean we dont believe and praise him.

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[DavidH]

Hey Dave, by "accountability" I mean the idea that we could have to answer (be held responsible) for our choices by a higher power, or more simply, God. That is, if we were created by an all-powerful being, said being would be within his rights to judge us,

I don't see how that follows, but let's go with your hypothetical...

and provide justice/consequences for our actions.

In the context of your religion, are we to be held responsible for what we believe (in regards to gods)?

 

[QuesoDelDiablo]

Without reading the entire thread I'll just in to say no.

There's no way you could convince me to believe in an imaginary carpenter in the sky that created everything.

I believe in science.