I guess no one really wants to tackle this. It's hard to defend our God, The God. I guess it must be done, but how? I'll tell you why I believe. I have seen lives transformed by the grace of Christ and with there being no other alternative reasoning. Until you see that, until you witness it yourself, no, you will not believe in God. I don't know what else to say but keep searching and don't hate people automatically because of religion. I like you and you're not like me! Keep that in mind friend.

Trinitie

It may be hard to understand, if you havent been brought up Christian, but think of how the world was created, or any question that science or whatever study has never been able to answer. Place God into that missing piece of the puzzle, and eveyrhting fits together so nicely. I love science, absolutely adore it. Ask me a scientific question, and I will answer it. Ill ask you a couple of questions, such as: Why does Hydrogen, so critical to our light source and to ourselves, became larger when condensing into a solid? I cannot prove to you that God exists, you can only do that for yourself. I encourage you to ask questions.

They're not just interesting stories, and how come it is that the prophesies were being fulfilled and some still are and some are yet to be fullfilled (look at Revelation). If not for God and what the Bible teaches, where did you come from? Who/what created/made you? How did you get here? I have seen God work in my life and in so many of the lives around me, that I can't help but believe. Faith plays a huge role in my belief in God, but my relationship with God plays an even bigger role.

Someone said: why do we need to prove thje goodness in us when in the bible all he did was hang out with tax collecters and prostitutes.

That is by no means all He did; have you read the Bible lately? And the reason He did hang around them was to witness to them, that's not wrong. He never hooked up with a prostitute, and he never stole money like the tax collectors did. There is a huge difference between being "in the world" and "being of the world".

Dan's right, the issue is about free will. You make your choices, in the end you will be judged. Why have cultures all over, every culture wanted to believe in something greater than them, some god. Christianity is the only religion in which their God, the true God, loves them back. He has compassion. He's able to sympathize with us and our weaknesses because he was human too. He loves you, and it's all about free will, it's up to you to decide.

I feel God has many names, and God is only one. For me, This is the sum total of everything, how could one say it is not?

How do you know God doesn't exist?

The great thing about Christianity is that it's a system of belief based around a man, not a set of laws.

And you can argue that all you want, but the one and only thing that effects where you will go is this: Do you truly believe that Jesus is your personal savior?

The rest doesn't matter, you can participate in all the bake sales, crop walks, etc. until you're blue in the face. They're not going give you a room upgrade for it.

So if you're making those lemon bars so you'll get a nicer welcome when you get up there, you might want to reconsider why you're doing all that baking.

Honestly, the old testament is more of a history lesson, or at least I treat it as such.

It's important to understand why God chose to become a man and changed the system entirely from a system of worship to a system of faith.

If you sit back and read the old testament with a broad view of things, it's actually quite funny

"I seriously dont beleive i will be judged by anyone when i die..."

ac 17:31
ro2:16
2 tim 4:1

Unless i die when jumping out of a plane in some form of crazy landing parachute contest and i plummet to my death.

'Even' if there is a God, i am a better person than some of his 'faithful servents' - you know what i am talking about.

Judgement doesn't worry me one iota. Its how i live my live now that worries me.

In the New Testament, maybe. In the Old Testament, he's pretty much an asshole.

yeah, in the old testament, God was an asshole, and his people were whiney bitches. Stay away from people who quote Old Testament like it's the law, because unless they're Jewish, those laws really

woops, I wasn't done, I don't know how that posted. computer are stupid, sorry for the spamming!!!

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"I seriously dont beleive i will be judged by anyone when i die..."
The only one who can ultimately decide is you. It may be easier to decide that you won't be juged, but I can assure you that you will.

"For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising Him from the dead." Acts 17:31

"...This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares" Romans 2:16

"In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead..." 2 Timothy 4:1

"Now there is in store for me the crown of righteausness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day- and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing" 2 Timothy 4:8

"There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy..." James 4:12

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"Approximately nine months before my birth, my parents had sexual intercourse, at which time the genetic material from one of my father's sperm merged with that from one of my mother's eggs. Having been granted a complete set of chromosomes, I developed into an embryo and eventually into a fetus, and at the biologically appropriate time, I emerged from my mother's vagina."

Thank you for your humour. Where do you believe the human race come from, might I ask?

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"'Even' if there is a God, i am a better person than some of his 'faithful servents' - you know what i am talking about."

You're talking about hypocrites, right? You're right and it's so sad and so true that many of God's servants are such hypocrites. I don't want to use that as my excuse, though, because I know that someday I'll have to give an account for me and the things I have done, not anyone else. I want Him to say to me "well done, my good and faithful servant" And you said that you're a better person... are you talking about works? Because in God's sight they really mean nothing. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast..."Ephesians 2:8-9
You're not going to get to heaven on good works, no matter how much you compare yourself to anyone else. Faith in God and His grace is what's going to get you there. In the end only you will answer to God. Hope that helps )

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"Judgement doesn't worry me one iota. Its how i live my live now that worries me."

Don't they coincide perfectly? We're going to be judged based on how we live now.

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"In the New Testament, maybe. In the Old Testament, he's pretty much an asshole."

I would never call God an asshole; that's awful, and whoever said that the people in the OT were bitches is right. God is a God of wrath, that will never change; that's the way it has to be. Read about the people God punished in the OT, it was awful what they did. Look at Sodam and Gommorah. Look at Lot's wife, God turned her into a pilliar of salt because she disobeyed. God never changed, He always remains the same. It's only curcumstances that change. God sent His Son into the world so that He wouldn't have to judge so harshly. Now we have a way, our sins are paid for, in full. All you have to do is accept that gift.

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So why is the Old Testament still part of the Bible if it's all been superseded and invalidated by the New? When you get the second edition of a book, the errors in the first edition are gone.

yeah, in the old testament, God was an asshole, and his people were whiney bitches. Stay away from people who quote Old Testament like it's the law, because unless they're Jewish, those laws really

Big Dreamer-- I isn't that kinda harsh? God is a jealous God, jealous not in the human sense but meaning, He will not compete for the first place in our hearts and our lives. I don't understand all the books of the law, of the wisdom books or the books of the prophets yet (and never will as much as I'd like to) but I know that if I could see the Old Testament through God's eyes, then I would understand why things were as they were.

As for the people being "whiney bitches" try looking at it as human nature. Why the heck did Israel keep turning to idols and imorality again and again and again? Do you actually think people don't do that today??? I would guess, less than 2% of Christians (at least in first world countries) have truly taken up their cross and are following Christ. And most of the rest would be as you describe to be "whiney bitches."

I didn't want to have to say it, but with the 'faithful servants' i am not only talking about zealots, but the kiddy fiddlers as well... i am sorry, but i automatically associate the church with peodophiles now.... it will never remove that stigma for me.

And Big dreamer... I guess they are the same if you beleive you are going to be judged... The only difference between me and you then, is the liberties i have, because if you did alot of the stuff i did, you would be paranoid of going to Hell... i am not worried about going to a place that i dont think exists... even if it does exist, 'God' has cleverly allowed me a loop hole for entry into heaven if i repent

BAM!!!

Muggaz, I wanted to ask you this maybe this is my chance, what was it that shook you from faith or repelled you from God? I guess I might me making assumptions, sorry about that. It just doesn't seem to me that you were always an athiest or agnostic. I don't want to try to convince to believe anything otherwise, I am just honestly curious.