Fellow Christians.......

[Vergil'sBitch]

All I do is shoot those bunnies...I'll see you in hell, I guess...

...where WE will be pixels and the bunnies will have the guns! OHS NOES!

*GULP!*

At times, I must admit, I don't understand religion. (Plus for some unknown reason, it scares me.)

I know I'm gonna sound small minded but we get alot of door-to-door visits with Jehovah's Witnesses... I think people should respect other's beliefs, and not ram their own personal beliefs down other people's throats
(I'm not sure that made sense). Also apologies if i offended anyone.

I did have a conversation with a couple of mormons once. Nice guys. They thought it was great that i shared their ideas in the afterlife... they pretty much turned up on the doorstep a couple of weeks after i lost someone close to me. In a way, what they said kind of made me feel better.

 

[Angel]

Religion is confusing because a lot of it is man-made in order to make regular people do as they are told. When you look at it biblically (if you are ever so inclined to do so), religion is the stuff that held people in check until Jesus turned up and then he basically wanted to do away with a lot of it because it was restricting people and making them sad rather than free and happy. Religion is the "do nots" whereas faith is the "how are you?". It should be about forging relationships with people, not making them feel like crap and tying them into spiritual knots over the tiniest thing.

I personally don't do religion - I do faith, relationships, getting to know people and how to give them a hand. Bible says there's no point in saying "hey, go and be warm, well fed and happy" to a homeless, starving sick person - that's not helpful. It's crap. It should be an outworking of your faith first before the explanation of why you do what you do - real faith is obvious from the inside out, not the other way around. If your life has been changed for the better, it will show without any striving on your part. If all you do is preach and preach and preach, people will rightfully get sick of you and be turned off. I don't go around telling people what I believe in - I crack on with life, help where I can and people ask me. Never the other way around. A lot of people around where I live know I used to be a cripple and now I'm not. Some are curious, some aren't - but I'll answer whomsoever has questions to the best of my ability and if they want to know more then I'll tell 'em. If they don't, I respect that.

 

[echoey]

In hell you make up for your sins, And a life time is along time. It's pretty much etternal. To be honest, yeah I **** people off, but I'm not a bad person. I just have a f**ked up opinion on things, and sometimes my attitude stinks, pff you live and learn.

 

[wesker_awesome]

I have to say though, the Bible says some pretty wild things. The Tower of Babel story still astounds me to this day, and not in a good way.

Nop the p[eople were retarded to try and reach heaven that way, they never did.

 

[wesker_awesome]

the day i need a youtube video to inspire me about my creator, is the day i seek help.

Tremor, you be right, i believe that the word of god is his word, but man being man, it is hard to figure out which bits he's edited and which he's kept....when the race is run, i believe and feel, that he is interested in two things,
1, how you are ?
2, What lays in your heart
i don't belive him to be sitting there with a big feather pen scratching into his book daming you like,

'' never done this, nope never done that, can't believe you did this.o0o0o00oo you're going to hell for that ''
I simply refuse to believe god, would damn someone who commits suicide. I've seen and heard Christians blast people who have known someone who took their own lives, with fire in their eyes and venom spewing from the mouth, and i simply refuse to believe that the creator of this mighty awesome universe, would attack a young girl who in her darkest hours of her young life was alone,scared,in fear and desperate! i wouldn't expect the creator to come down in a bolt of lightning, but i would expect him to pick her up when she's made her choice and vanish all her troubles and put her by his side.
and i'd also like to think he'd have a stern stern word with those who preach hell, i'd expect him to ask them what it is, they know of this hell they preach, '' Good enough for the goose, good enough for the gander.''
Brimstone stone preachers are like those Uni students you get who say '' so what you're saying is *********** '' then they try and tell YOU what your Opinions are.....i trust that, not even god likes being spoken to like that.

Femme,
interesting how you had a religious up bringing with a boarding school and rejected god, yet i had no such education, but only the Scottish Highlands, and i went freely to him.... i think this means god is more of an artist, than an administrator. Crossing the T's and dotting the I's is something he'll reserve for those who insist on using their free will for evil in the world, and i think this is his endeavour, to show mankind that in all their brilliance, they still need him, but you will have the opertunity to refuse his vision for you. man may be made in his image, but it's an image man can't live upto, and one glance at the world confirms that.

You don't wake up and walk into the highlands, and lay your eyes on all that resides in the heather filled highlands and fail to understand you are looking at the best portrait ever known to man, no 3-d glasses needed, or admission fee, you don't even need eyesight or your hearing, the very fact you are alive, will give you access to the second grandest exhibition of them all.... the 1st, being the one he will unvail when we've shot our ammo.

just my thoughts....

ps,
The book of revelations is probably the best climactic ending to a book i've ever read lol.

man that is awesome.

 

[La Femme Fatale]

Nop the p[eople were retarded to try and reach heaven that way, they never did.

That I disagree with. What got to me about that story was that humanity, for perhaps what was the first and only time in history, united and worked together to achieve something. As a result, God was 'threatened' - to whatever extent God can be threatened - and created language divisions among the people. Look at the state of the world because of these kind of divisions. We kill each other and start wars over them. Whether it's true or not is up to question, but it's not particularly the brightest point in Biblical history for me.

 

[wesker_awesome]

That I disagree with. What got to me about that story was that humanity, for perhaps what was the first and only time in history, united and worked together to achieve something. As a result, God was 'threatened' - to whatever extent God can be threatened - and created language divisions among the people. Look at the state of the world because of these kind of divisions. We kill each other and start wars over them. Whether it's true or not is up to question, but it's not particularly the brightest point in Biblical history for me.

God was never threatened, the dust under his fingernails could destroy the earth.
They never reached their goal. They failed.

 

[La Femme Fatale]

And it appears my point went over your head.

 

[resevil80]

God loves us all...and I'm pretty sure he would rock some Resident Evil....if he isn't already.

 

[VP-70]

And it appears my point went over your head.

From my knowledge of that, i think the people were said to have angered him because, after telling them he'd never cause another flood and gave his word, the people built babel with water proofing material. this is off the top of my head though, could be wrong.

 

[Genie]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2w2b033DXCw

I'm a christian too, but sorry, I laughed to this song... hard XDDDDD

 

[Mr Sunshine]

Well, I don't consider myself a "fellow christian" but since you don't mind I'll say my thoughts as well..

For me, the easy part is to deny a specific religion. It's obvious to me that many of those holy texts are man made. Take for example Christianity. Only a man would come up with a religion in which the Father(not the mother) had a son and not a daughter. Seriously, I know that God is supposed to not have a gender but when people think of him they consider him a male. There's no way that the society in which Cristianity was founded would accept a female God. Second Christianity and Judaism are affected by greek mythology and other previous religions. Deucalion in greek mythology is the equivalent of Noah's Ark.

So, the actual question for me is to deny god as a general idea - a God who cares about his creations. However, with all this evil in the world a doubt that a God like that exists. Of course one could claim that evil exists because of our free will and that the natural disasters exist to test us but I don't think that's the case. You see a 2 year old african kid whose organs were removed didn't have any choice nor it became stronger, it died! The people of Nagashaki and Hirosima didn't have a choice either. It seems to me that god makes discriminations and gives free will to some people only.. Again one could say that God kills some people to test their families e.t.c but that is sadistic not merciful!

To me god is two things, luck and my conscience. I try living my life according to certain standards. When I fail to do so, I feel bad and I know I'm wrong. I don't need neither heaven nor hell to do good deeds. Doing something good only and only to go to heaven would be like sucking the god up. Also, I do aknowledge that human power has its limits. For example I'm gald that I was born in a non-starving country. What I've become is to a degree a result of factors that I could not control.

But the fact that religion is false doesn't mean that it is not useful as well. Hell, it exists since the beginning of human history. That says something. Most of the time it works for weak people, people who have lost all hope. I even have found myself praying to god when I'm desperate, but when i think of it without any sentiments I know that it's not true.

The only question that I don't have an answer is who or how was the universe created. There are theories created by scientists but nothing is proven yet. it could be nature, big bangs, black holes or god but I know whatever it was it left the world living on its own.

 

[VP-70]

 

[wesker_awesome]

God loves us all...and I'm pretty sure he would rock some Resident Evil....if he isn't already.

Nice man

 

[wesker_awesome]

I'm a christian too, but sorry, I laughed to this song... hard XDDDDD

I liked it.

 

[Mr Sunshine]

Right, right. Next time I'll talk about god, I'll try to guess where exactly I am stupid. -.-

 

[sadistic_greyfox]

Growing up I was part of the typical (well maybe not that typical) Pentecostal Christian family. Saw quite a few "exorcisms" in church that scared the CRAP outta me as a kid. Getting older I lost faith through very particular events in my life and spiritual research of all the World's religions BUT this is a song I used to like, I can still hear it and remember my mom singing it with eyes closed and face turned up to the heavens but it's more of a nostalgic song for me just because I remember her first.

 

[Vergil'sBitch]

I agree with FalleN.
Several things stood out, which I agreed with.

Had Jehovah's on the door again this morning. I could've facepalmed, but my brains would've leaked out of my ears. (Sorry, but I have my own beliefs)

 

[AgentZero]

i am not sure what empowerment means but i thought i was the only christian who was in to things like this

 

[La Femme Fatale]

So, the actual question for me is to deny god as a general idea - a God who cares about his creations. However, with all this evil in the world a doubt that a God like that exists. Of course one could claim that evil exists because of our free will and that the natural disasters exist to test us but I don't think that's the case. You see a 2 year old african kid whose organs were removed didn't have any choice nor it became stronger, it died! The people of Nagashaki and Hirosima didn't have a choice either. It seems to me that god makes discriminations and gives free will to some people only.. Again one could say that God kills some people to test their families e.t.c but that is sadistic not merciful!

This is perhaps what I struggle with the most. Many people cite 'free will' as the reason why there's so much suffering (we commit sin because of our free will) and that we have 'free will' to choose whether or not to accept Jesus Christ. My biggest 'beef' with the whole concept is that, in many circumstances, 'free will' is ONLY granted to people in positions of power and influence and the oppressors, NOT the oppressed nor the victims. What is just about that?

It doesn't make much sense to me, but I don't think it's supposed to anyway.