My feeble attempt at the explanation of Christianity., You ask questions, and I'll try to answer. Rating Options

[*Steven*]

Could you explain to me why God loves us so much that he gave us his one and only child? To me, it doesn't make any sense what "giving out an only child" have to do with loving somebody else.

Obviously he evaluated the economic benefits and realized that by trading Jesus for humans, he could spread Christianity and get more money from the collection pot.

[smashedcodes]

i have another problem as well with the whole God thing. I just didn't want to forget it. ok so how did god become him. he couldn't have been around since the beginning of time. Something had to have made him. He couldn't have just gone poof and appeared knowing everthing he did. I don't believe b/c I just don't understand of how he came to be.

[brooklyneast05]

he's infinite

[EddieV]

Religion confuses me.

[monster]

So thanks to god I can have hardships? um thanks? If my family didn't go through the hardships, I will tell you what I would be today. If my parents could have started college right after high school, today, we would be millionaires.
You say that hardships could make me a successful young man. Growing up poor, I know that there were many people in worse of conditions than I was in, and that directly hits my heart. I have decided that I will try to improve the world the best I can through my charity work. Now if you say that is what god meant for me to do, that's bull, because that's what I choose to do. For everything, you can make up a crap reason of what god meant. This is a favorite one I heard, "oh I broke a leg, god is telling me to spend more time at home with my family".
sorry but you are completely wrong.
our family "poverty" did not come from bad money management, laziness, or gamboling.
in fact, all my family has been the COMPLETE opposite.
one side of my family were countryside farmers and the other fishermen... in China.
so that's the problem, the society and environment.
This is true, any Chinese person with parents from the countryside can back me, our parents work harder than 99.99% of American. The stories I hear of hardships are scary.
if you are gonna argue that the actions of my pervious ancestors affect the like god had for me, then I should have a great life. My family has done, what you would call "gods work" for many people.

Back on topic.. I just don't understand how some people can believe in god. I fully agree with an idea that sprouted in the 1920's that god is the best advertiser. I see religion as too political and a means to control people.

That brings me to another question: missionaires.
Do Christians seriously believe it's right to change what other people believe? Imagine if I tried to convert you. Why, trough out history, were so many groups of people FORCED to convert?

In Chinua Achebe's famous novel, Things Fall Apart, he wrote exactly what religion/missionaries are about:
"The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.”

The Boxer Rebellion that put China back was caused by the diaspora of religion.

Religion kills, go flood the world again god, go plague the Egyptians.

I seen very negative, because it's the easiest way to get my point out. However, I do respect people who believe in their religion, as long as they don't preach it. Religion is good for the morals and ethics.

The way I see it, I'm not a bad person, if there is a god and if god is the fair person that he is, I should be fine. You die, I die, We all die.

Just because you're a Christian doesn't mean you're going to have a happy life. In fact, we're taught that we're going to have a shitty life. Life is going to be horrible, and especially more since we're followers of Christ. The Bible teaches the world is unfair.

God doesn't have bad things happen to you, but he allows them to happen. If God intervened at every person's misfailings and mishaps, then he wouldn't be God. He would be our personal slave. God only intervenes at times where his Glory would have been upheld. If all those bad things didn't happen, you probably wouldn't have honestly thanked God. You would have probably thanked luck, perhaps.

Also, we don't force anyone to believe our religion. We talk to people about them, but that's no different than when me trying to get you to see my side of the fence. If you don't want me to preach my religion, then we might as well not have this discussion, because I am preaching to you. Right now.

We don't force indegenious people. We give them food, shelter, education. Their acceptance of Christ is completly voluntary.

Anyways, I'm technically banned. I'll be back in a month or so.


BTW, Just by going to college doesn't ensure an education. Look at Bill Gates, he dropped out of college.

[*Steven*]

Just because you're a Christian doesn't mean you're going to have a happy life. In fact, we're taught that we're going to have a shitty life. Life is going to be horrible, and especially more since we're followers of Christ. The Bible teaches the world is unfair.

God doesn't have bad things happen to you, but he allows them to happen. If God intervened at every person's misfailings and mishaps, then he wouldn't be God. He would be our personal slave. God only intervenes at times where his Glory would have been upheld. If all those bad things didn't happen, you probably wouldn't have honestly thanked God. You would have probably thanked luck, perhaps.

Also, we don't force anyone to believe our religion. We talk to people about them, but that's no different than when me trying to get you to see my side of the fence. If you don't want me to preach my religion, then we might as well not have this discussion, because I am preaching to you. Right now.

We don't force indegenious people. We give them food, shelter, education. Their acceptance of Christ is completly voluntary.

Anyways, I'm technically banned. I'll be back in a month or so.
BTW, Just by going to college doesn't ensure an education. Look at Bill Gates, he dropped out of college.

hai podo

[saintsaens]

Revival.

Continue.

[saintsaens]

Could you explain to me why God loves us so much that he gave us his one and only child? To me, it doesn't make any sense what "giving out an only child" have to do with loving somebody else.

God cannot be reached by man, and because God, in his infinite grace and mercy, reached us through a medium very well known as Jesus Christ.

We call this hypo-static union, meaning fully man, and fully God. Jesus was perfect in all ways, and because of his death, we are able to reach God through Christ.

His death is not simply a giving out, it is a gift to us so that we may spend eternity with our Creator, Lord, and Savior.

That's the basic jist of it, if you want, I'll try to go in depth with it. (Though I don't know much about it, it's a huge topic)

[saintsaens]

i have another problem as well with the whole God thing. I just didn't want to forget it. ok so how did god become him. he couldn't have been around since the beginning of time. Something had to have made him. He couldn't have just gone poof and appeared knowing everthing he did. I don't believe b/c I just don't understand of how he came to be.

We are taught that God is the Alpha and the Omega, beginning and end. He was and is. He was here before the beginning of time. God works outside of our three-dimensional world, time is of no concern to him. (Physics majors don't talk to me about 3D/4D. I don't want to hear it!)

[saintsaens]

Religion confuses me.

cool story bro

[saintsaens]

mkay. i don't know if this was already answered. But if god knew humans would sin why did he create it? cuz i mean if he's this all powerful being can't he prevent us from sinning and I know you say that he did it so humans can learn from their mistakes and yada yada. But why would God not prevent us from sinning? does he want us to go to hell?

also. so far I have lived a good life. i don't do anything terribly sinnful but just b/c I have doubt in god and don't read the bible and go to church, does that mean i'm condemned to hell?

The problem with people is that we have a sense of pride. We are taught that as Christians, we are the same decaying, organic matter as the rest of the world. Our bodies will fade away like the grass, and one day; we will die.

God's greatest gift to us was giving us decision and the ability to choose right and wrong. He does not want us to go to Hell. God's arms are always outstretched to us. However, it's up to us to actually choose to reach him through Jesus Christ.

We are also taught that everyone deserves to die. Babies are not innocent, and everyone has commited sin and "fallen short of the Glory of God."

You may think you have not sinned a great deal, or done anything really bad, but one small lie, or small hint of jealousy and you're already a sinner.

You need Jesus Christ in order for your sins to be forgiven and for you to reach salvation. Nobody is every condemned to Hell, that is reserved for Satan himself. You always have a chance to reach to God.

[saintsaens]

Mebbe I asked it already, but, what if a child is born into an atheist family? What if he isn't educated on "god's will". It would seem like a pretty shitty god to send them to hell when they had no chance or opportunity to learn about Christianity (assuming the Christian god exists).

God is always there for people. You hear about Christ everyday. It's their choice to listen!

[saintsaens]

Also, if there are any brothers and sisters out there who need words of encouragement, please do tell.

ib4trolls.

[brooklyneast05]

i need encouragement

[Tramatize]

I've looked at this thread for the first time today, i've seen it around, and its kind of an old thread, but all i have to say is, a lot of people laugh in the faces of Gods people believed in hundreds of years ago, so hundreds of years from now, if not sooner, and if the earth is still a life holding planet, people will laugh at our god(s) and Jesus.

[heyo-captain-jac...]

Paganism FTW.

[brooklyneast05]

Paganism FTW.

why?

[heyo-captain-jac...]

Because I can, and it's free.

Just like Maplestory.

[saintsaens]

I've looked at this thread for the first time today, i've seen it around, and its kind of an old thread, but all i have to say is, a lot of people laugh in the faces of Gods people believed in hundreds of years ago, so hundreds of years from now, if not sooner, and if the earth is still a life holding planet, people will laugh at our god(s) and Jesus.

God isn't going to destroy Earth just because people hate him.

[saintsaens]

Paganism FTW.

Cool.

[emberfly]

well i think that's extremely messed up. slavery is not right no matter where it is. slavery is wrong, it's always been wrong. god surely knows this, and any god that teaches how to treat slaves rather than that we shouldn't have them isn't a god that i want to worship.

wow, yeah, i don't know. things like this are things i can't just ignore.

Amen.

[Tramatize]

God isn't going to destroy Earth just because people hate him.

Who said "God" would?

[saintsaens]

Who said "God" would?

You did. Your post was pretty incoherent, so I tried to understand it best I could.

[saintsaens]

Amen.

The Bible doesn't support slavery. There is no actual verse in the Bible that explicitly promotes slavery.

At the most, the Bible talks about being submissive to authority, i.e government, masters.

Early Christians such as Paul knew we're in the end, slaves to God. He even starts off most of his letters and addresses himself as a slave.

Anti-slavery was first thought of by the Puritans who were indeed, Christian.

[Reidar]

The Bible doesn't support slavery. There is no actual verse in the Bible that explicitly promotes slavery.

"Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven." (Coll 4:1)

My copy of the King James Bible also calls them "servants". I see no reason for them not being synonymous.

And that's just the New Testament.