A Question For Christians

[TStoneMBD]

A few years ago I was a highly religious person. I was going to church multiple times per week, being involved in the christian community, and pursuing a life without sin. There was a time in which I was absolutely certain that there was in fact a God. It is something that you can feel. It is not something that can be explained in a logical manner, but a certain natural high that you receive that can only be explained by the power of God. Your body tingles, and you suddenly break out into tears of faith. One experience that I have had, that is undeniable, is when my mother took me to a healer at a church we never attended. I was about 13 at the time, and was not religious by any means. The healer was speaking in tongues before the crowd, and was calling people up for him to touch their foreheads and put the power of God into them. I went up to him, he put his hand on my forehead and I immediately collapsed to the ground. I was glued onto the floor for at least 2 hours, in a state of highness that I have never been in before. I have been told that I was speaking in tongues during my time of delusional state. Even now, as I begin to write this, I feel myself struggling to deny a force trying to encumber me.

I have fallen off that path however, as I started sinning and broke apart from my fellowship. I can say with confidence that there are many christians out there that claim to be Christian, but are not on path to eternal life. Going to heaven isn't about being right about who God is, it's about sacrificing your right to free will in his honor, and living a life that he wants you to live, without arguement. In heaven, there is no sin, and you will find that many so called christians do not enter the gates of God after death, because they will not want to live a life without sin.

I have fallen off the path to righteousness because of that realization, that I do not believe I will be able to live a sinless eternal life. I do not believe it is ever too late for a person to be saved, even after death. I believe that everybody will have a choice after passing away, in what type of life they will want to live.

People of other religions that have never been informed of Christianity are not condemned into eternal damnation. It is not their fault that they are unaware. When they die, they have the same options as everybody else does. Heaven is not for everybody.

God is fair. He offers everyone the same opportunity to live in his kingdom, as long as they abide by his rules. Our life on Earth was given to us so that we could find our character. I hope that some day I go back to my original devotion to God, and find happiness in his ways. Finding happiness in his ways is not something that you can force upon yourself, by suddenly going to church or reading the bible.

As a logical person, I am no longer 100% certain that there is a God. The highs that I have experienced do not occur very often anymore, and I cannot deny the fact that the highs that I have received may just be some form of trick that my mind plays on me. The mind is a powerful organ. However, I am very close to being sure, from my past experiences.

After having said all of that, I know that I have avoided your question, but I thought you would find my story interesting nonetheless. In answer to your question, a Christian should be openminded at all times. It's not a Christian's responsibility to defend something despite overwhelming proof against it simply because he read it in a book. A person devoted to the path of God should be trying to pursue the understanding of who God really is. If I was still a Christian and found out that the Jewish beliefs were correct, and that Christian beliefs were not, I would convert to what I believed in. I would follow God no matter what form he is in, and no matter what religious title you label him as.

Christians are clueless. Jews are clueless. Muslims are clueless. Followers of God, are the enlightened.

[steamboatin]

B. If I understand it correctly, There will be no gentiles in heaven.

In the unlikely event that I am wrong, I would rather be completely wrong and end up the same place as everybody else rather than burn in hell.

[johnnybeef]

fair enough

[Stu Pidasso]

Easy, I take door number 1. I never claimed that being wrong about my religion would not make me upset. I only pointed out that eternal damnation would make me most upset.

Stu

[FrankieFish]

My point is that unlike your claim that "there is one common theme," there are actually quite a few common themes and most of them are not as warm and fuzzy as fatherly love.

I could say "all I know is that Christianity, Judaism, and Islam share a common theme: punishment for failure to adhere to dogma. So I have a 67% shot of being totally [censored]."

[FrankieFish]

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Easy, I take door number 1. I never claimed that being wrong about my religion would not make me upset. I only pointed out that eternal damnation would make me most upset.

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G-d: Thanks for meeting me behind Door Number One. I'm going to punish you. You shouldn't be upset. Time to pay.

EDIT: Didja really think I'd take it LIGHTLY that you spent your whole life believing that the true believers are condemned to eternal damnation for not recognizing your buddy as the Messiah? Pharoah offed a bunch of my people, Hitler offed a ton of my people, but YOU think ALL of my people are condemned.

[Dan Mezick]

I enjoy the questions of David Sklansky.

His objective questions generate hundreds of absolutely wrong answers.

His subjective questions generate hundreds of relatively correct answers.

Think about it. David has a sense of humor.

David, come on now, say it ain't so.

[adsman]

I follow the religion of Adism. So I guess that that makes me an adist. There's just me at the moment, but I'm hoping to attract some followers. Positions currently open for major saint-type roles. Still working on the precepts, but I've got one so far;

1. Thou shalt check raise.

I think that covers everything.

[BluffTHIS!]

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(and please don't quibble if I have my precepts a bit wrong)

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but Jesus was just a man who fooled or had followers who fooled the masses into believing he was something else.

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Sorry but I have to quibble. Regarding Jesus and who he actually was, there are only 3 possibilities:

1. He was a liar.

2. He was a lunatic.

3. He is LORD.

Read the gospels yourself and see if you can put him on #s 1 or 2. (If He was something other than what later followers made Him to be then that possibility is included in either #1 or #2.)

[FrankieFish]

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Read the gospels yourself and see if you can put him on #s 1 or 2.

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Do the Nag Hammadi texts count too?

Are there any texts written during Jesus' lifespan that refer to him that you can point me too?