I agree... if "god" knows everything anyway then doesn't he know if we are going to go to hell or heaven already. 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.

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

The issue is one of free will. The reason not everybody believes in God (He could easily make himself known in some fashion that could not be denied) is that if we were all robots that He controlled, and love for him would only be self-gratifying. It's like the difference between masturbation and sex... part of the fun of sex is that somebody is, of their own volition, doing it with you. If you want to ask questions, I'm pretty well-read on these issues... so go ahead and ask and I'll do my best.

And btw I don't believe it because of a collection of nice stories. Frankly, my belief in the bible is not something I feel firm enough about to argue. However, suffice it to say that it's a scientific marvel in terms of genetic engineering and foreseeing future technologies. The reason I believe is because I have a person relationship with a Lord and Savior who loves me dearly, and it's simply not within the bounds of sanity to deny the existance of somebody that you interact with. You may question me on that, and I understand why of course, but that's why I believe.

~Dan

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.

I know God exists just from looking at his creation. I heard some scientists said it would be easier for a tornado to go through a junkyard and make a Boeing 747 than 1 single human cell to evolve. Put that with all the stuff in the Bible talking about things that men had not discovered until a couple hundred years ago, like in the Bible it says that the earth is round and that was thousands of years before Colombus discovered it. I just think there is a lot of evidence for the Bible.

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.

Dan's right, the issue is about free will. You make your choices, in the end you will be judged

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

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.

Peace.

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?

If not for God and what the Bible teaches, where did you come from? Who/what created/made you? How did you get here?

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.

Christianity is the only religion in which their God, the true God, loves them back. He has compassion.

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

How do you know God doesn't exist?

MidOrbit - I believe because I choose to believe. that's why they call it "Faith"

Nichole Mcgarey - That's why he gave us free will, it's up to us where we go through our actions. Noone ever said Destiny only had one possible outcome.

nomad, dan - amen

TARSIER - I'm the same way, and I wasn't even brought up christian! w00t for that!

Muggaz - believe me, the "faithful servants" kill it for me too. The most important part though isn't about going to church, it's about having a personal relationship with God. We're a civilized people, we dont' need zealots, they're the ones causing the most problems in the world today.

BulbousHead - 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 don't apply.

Brad - I hate that question.

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.

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.

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