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#61
10-10-2005, 04:53 PM
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Re: How I Became a Christian (LONG)
[ QUOTE ]
A step AWAY from God compared to ATHEISM? [/ QUOTE ] It COULD be. We're speculating here, right? So my thinking is that God seems to be much harder on idolators than atheists in the Bible, but that's off the top of my head. But the emotional attachment to a false religion could be a bigger obstacle to overcome than atheism. Again, just speculating. [ QUOTE ] Meanwhile what fits your definition of a "false religion"? [/ QUOTE ] I would distinguish between a false religion and a false Christian. A false religion is one that has incorrect doctrine that is of importance to salvation. All religions, even all Christian religions, have errors or have had them in the past. [ QUOTE ] What about the guy (if such a person exists) who believes that Jesus is the son of God who died for our sins but specifically stays away from worrying about the specifics that Christians squabble about [/ QUOTE ] There may be quite a few people like this. I try to avoid doctrinal disputes myself unless it's fundamentally central doctrine. I don't argue with a RC for instance on transubstantiation. But Mormonism is fundamentally false because they don't accept many Scriptural doctrines and have clearly added many writings and prophecies that are not inspired but which they treat as equal to Scripture. [ QUOTE ] Are members of this hypothetical, no name, religion OK in your book? [/ QUOTE ] No one needs to be concerned about my book. I don't even have one. The book you want to think about is the Lamb's Book of Life. 
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#62
10-10-2005, 04:58 PM
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Re: How I Became a Christian (LONG)
[ QUOTE ]
Hearing someone base their believe system on a warm, peachy feeling they had while rock-bottom does absolutely nothing to sway my opinion. [/ QUOTE ] There's nothing wrong with that feeling. But we don't base our life commitment on a feeling. Feelings come and go. The Word of God abides forever. It is that which forms the basis of our commitment. That's why the 3 you mention should be rejected. None of them preached or taught according to Scripture. Paul said "If anyone preaches a Gospel contrary to what I have preached, let him be accursed".
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#63
10-10-2005, 05:08 PM
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Simple question
Forget everything else. What I want to know is:
How is it you can be so sure that YOUR religion is the correct one? No offense, but it is this type of hard headedness that has caused more wars, death, and hatred, than anything else in history. Most amazing of all, is how such stubborness can stem from not a single shred of factual evidence. It's sad really.
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#64
10-10-2005, 05:09 PM
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Re: How I Became a Christian (LONG)
[ QUOTE ]
[ There's nothing wrong with that feeling. But we don't base our life commitment on a feeling. [/ QUOTE ] But people DO. People stayed for years with them, and even gave their lives up in the end for them. You are right, none of them preached or taught according to your interpretation of Scripture, but they had a large following that felt just as strongly and were just as devoted and commited as you. Obviously The Word is not the only thing that can cause euphoric feeling and long term commitment.
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#65
10-10-2005, 05:09 PM
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Re: How I Became a Christian (LONG)
[ QUOTE ]
Paul said "If anyone preaches a Gospel contrary to what I have preached, let him be accursed". [/ QUOTE ] Paul ... now there's a great model of a man to live by.
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#66
10-10-2005, 05:19 PM
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Re: How I Became a Christian (LONG)
[ QUOTE ]
I just don't understand the mindset of someone who steadfastly denies reality in the face of scientific fact. [/ QUOTE ] I don't deny any scientific fact. [ QUOTE ] My question to you is what happens to your line of thinking as these miracles become solved one by one? [/ QUOTE ] What miracle has been solved? There is also the distinction between primary and secondary causes. God says not a sparrow falls to the ground apart from His will. That doesn't mean shotguns don't exist. It means God is in control of whether that sparrow will die at that moment in that way. No matter what explanations science has for something they can't prove that God wasn't involved. The Bible never says that the only reason the sparrow died was because of God. It simply affirms that God is soverign over the small things as well as the large. If He wants that sparrow to live, and if He has to accomplish it by miraculously protecting the sparrow, that bird is in good shape even if you nuke it. And if He wants it to die, it is doomed. The Bible has poetical language as well. When it says "sunrise" it means the same thing you do. It's our perspective in view. It's not a scientific statement. So far as I know, the Bible never makes any purely scientific assertion. Also as far as I know, no historical event recorded in the Bible has been shown to be false, many once thought to be wrong have been verified and some have not yet been proven either way. What scientific fact do you think contradicts the Bible? If your answer is evolution, please define what you mean by that word.
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#67
10-10-2005, 05:31 PM
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Re: Simple question
[ QUOTE ]
No offense, but it is this type of hard headedness that has caused more wars, death, and hatred, than anything else in history. [/ QUOTE ] I don't know that it's caused more. Hitler, Stalin, Mao,Napoleon, Caesar, Alexander, Genghis Khan - to name a few. But much wrong has been done in the name of Christ. And it was wrong. Sometimes it was done by people who were not really Christians. Sometimes it was done by Christians who were acting unbiblically. Christians sin, we aren't perfect. But none of the evil to which you refer was done in accordance with Scripture. [ QUOTE ] Most amazing of all, is how such stubborness can stem from not a single shred of factual evidence. It's sad really. [/ QUOTE ] The evidence for Christianity is overwhelming. Factual and logical. [ QUOTE ] How is it you can be so sure that YOUR religion is the correct one? [/ QUOTE ] It's clear that if Christianity is true, no other religion can be (ignore Judaism as a special case - it's true as far as it goes and to that extent the same as Christianity). This isn't hardheadedness. It's a case of being mutually exclusive. For all other religions there may be many that are similar. I'm no expert, but Buddhism may have no significant difference from Hiduism, for instance. But the difference between Christianity and everything else is enormous. Just one example, perhaps the most important. Christ claimed, not to represent or speak for God, but to BE God, and to be the sacrifice for sins, and to be the ONLY way to the Father. Buddha, Confucious, Mohammed, Smith, Nietszche never made this claim.
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#68
10-10-2005, 05:34 PM
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Re: How I Became a Christian (LONG)
[ QUOTE ]
But people DO. People stayed for years with them, and even gave their lives up in the end for them. [/ QUOTE ] If you're referring to the cultists, that kind of makes my point. To be more clear, we should not base our life commitment on an emotion. Those who do will probably not remain as Christians. The feelings are valid but should not be the basis.
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#69
10-10-2005, 05:57 PM
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Re: Simple question
[ QUOTE ]
It's clear that if Christianity is true, no other religion can be (ignore Judaism as a special case - it's true as far as it goes and to that extent the same as Christianity). This isn't hardheadedness. It's a case of being mutually exclusive. For all other religions there may be many that are similar. I'm no expert, but Buddhism may have no significant difference from Hiduism, for instance. But the difference between Christianity and everything else is enormous. Just one example, perhaps the most important. Christ claimed, not to represent or speak for God, but to BE God, and to be the sacrifice for sins, and to be the ONLY way to the Father. Buddha, Confucious, Mohammed, Smith, Nietszche never made this claim. [/ QUOTE ] So 5 blindfolded men walked up to an animal, and try to figure out what it is. One of them touches its flank, feels the short fur, tail, hind quarters and legs and thinks it is a moose. The other touches its front quarter, neck and the base of its antlers, and says its a white-tail deer. the third hears its trot, feels its hoofprints and assumes its an Alaskan carrabu. The forth feels its head and full set of antlers, and guesses its a North American Rocky Mountain elk. The fifth smells its dung, and says "Hey, that smells just like elephant crap, that must be an elephant!". So by your reasoning the fifth guy is correct, because how could his answer be so different from the rest unless it was the truth?
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#70
10-10-2005, 06:23 PM
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Re: Simple question
"The evidence for Christianity is overwhelming. Factual and logical."
You realize of course that at least 95% of the world disagrees with you. Including most Christians.
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