[BTirish]

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as it is for the OP to demand an entire apologia for Christianity and a set of criticisms of Scientology in one thread.

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This is an exageration, I was asking for any reasonable distinction, just a glimmer of hope for Christians? None is forthcoming. If these Christians really held their belief rationally I'm sure a quick answer to that question would be easily accesible.

Remember I'm not asking to prove Christianity, just provide some differentiation from Scientololgy, a religion which most Christians seem to think is ridiculous.

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Fair enough. The difficulty is that few Christians are going to know enough about Scientology to make any critical comments. I'm not interested in researching Scientology just to debunk your supposition that "neither is superior until someone has proved otherwise to me." All I know about Scientology I learned from Southpark [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

As for reasons for accepting the truth of Christianity, are you saying that no one on this forum has ever made any argument in its favor? Just because no one is willing to indulge you when you demand a comparison between Christianity and Scientology, about which most Christians probably know next to nothing, doesn't mean that there aren't in fact compelling practical arguments in favor of belief in the Christian revelation, both in comparison to Scientology and absolutely speaking.

Why should you believe the Christian revelation, the essence of which is that if you repent, believe that Christ is the Son of God, and accept Baptism, you will be saved? Because you are a sinner in need of salvation. You have a longing for happiness which is unfulfilled by any natural good, and your own inability to live up to whatever ethical ideals you believe in should prompt you to realize that you are in need of assistance to become the person you know you should. Christianity offers answer to both of these needs: it offers total fulfillment in union with the God who created you for Himself, and it offers the grace to become who you are really meant to be: a child of God.

Any real and substantial reason for believing in Christianity is always offered and received on a personal level. I can no better give you, in an internet forum, a reason compelling to you than I could give a compelling reason to a random person for believing in the theory of relativity--I would have to know what that person already knows and thinks before giving a reason (or a long set of reasons, if the person doesn't know much) is even possible.

So, the reason I gave above is the most general and the most universally true. If it doesn't appeal to you as a compelling reason, it isn't because of a deficiency in the reason itself, but simply because I don't know you--I may be unable to help you to see why it is in fact good for you to become a Christian.