Beliefs..what do you believe?

neva_black_n_white · November 13, 2003

hey everyone

i was just wondering what everyone believes around here? there religion and why they chose?

if they believe in fate? or god or angels?

what is it that you believe or do you not believe i would like to hear your opinions.

and thanks

kel

neva_black_n_white · November 13, 2003

i wouldnt say that i was a believer but heres something that made me think. and thought youd like it if i shared it with you.

i found it on a different site:

foot prints in the sand night i had a dream,

i was walking along a beach with the lord,

and accross the skies flashed screens of my life

in each scene i noticed two sets of foot prints in the sand.

one was mine, and one was the lords.

when the last scene of my life appeared before me,

i looked back at the foot prints in the sand,

and, to my surprise,

i noticed many times along the path of my life there was onjly one set of foot prints.

and i noticed it was at all the lowest and saddest parts of my life.

i asked the lord about it:

''lord, you said that when i decided to follow you. you would walk with me all the way. but i noticed during the most troublesome times there is only one set of foot prints.i dont understand why you left my side when i needed you most''

the lord said:

''my precious child, i never left you, during the time of trial. where you see only one set of foot prints. I was carrying you''

whats your opinions and thanks.

kel

Self Discoverer · November 13, 2003

I don't believe in a God as an external force but I've always found Footprints very moving. It always helps to look at problems from a different angle if you can't see where to go next.

Personally, I'm not one for organised religion and I feel that believing in a traditional God is self-defeating. I think that the best way to achieve change is from within yourself and not relying on some benevelent force to change things for you.

Although not religious, I do think of myself as spiritual. It's spirituality which is the main thing that separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom and defines the purpose of humanity.

It's the reason why we are alone in being capable of altruism, putting the cares of others before our own. It's why we can feel emotions and those who deny thst are missing a great deal of what life can offer.

Just my opinion.

Shyguy24 · November 13, 2003

I believe in the following

LUCK

GOD

LOVE

FRIENDISHIP AND THE FACT THERE IS GOOD IN EVERY ONE

PORSCHE 911 IS THE GR8 SPORTS CARE hehe sorry i gad to put it here

DONT BELIEVE IN THE FOLLOWING

PERFECT RELATIONSHIPS

ETERNAL LOVE

THINGS WILL WORK OUT IF U LET THEM BE ; NO SIR U GOT TO WORK AT STUFF

THAT BUSH IS FROM OUR PLANET

enadevoli · November 13, 2003

i believe that every thing happens for a reason. i also believe that what's meant to happen will happen. i do believe in fate too.

simply complicated · November 13, 2003

i believe love is a trick nature plays to get us to reproduce,

i believe god was created to keep us sane, so we think theres a happy little life after this miserable one.

i believe all woman will give into temptation and cheat on their boyfriends which they share a great deal of love with.

i believe you can trust no one, your true friends will be there for you as long as you don't serpass them, if you move up in life while they stay in the same position, they will get jealous and no longer be trustworthy.

i believe i look at things to damn negatively..lol..it's pretty bad but i can't seem to help it...sorry if i brought anyones spirit down....actually no i'm not.

Nifty_Swifty1 · November 13, 2003

I believe in God the father creator of hevan and earth

I believe in Jesus christ him only som my lord

I believe he was conseved by the power of the holey spirit and was born of the virgin marr. He suffered under ponchous pilot, was crusafied, died, and was barrie. He decended into hell and on the third day rose again. He assended into hevan and is seated at the right hand of God. He will come again to juge the liveing and the dead.

I believe in the holley spirty, the comunion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the reseraction of the body, and life everlasting.

As for why I believe that, that would take a very long time to explain, but to make a long story short... with faith the size of a musterd seen you can move mountions.

I also believe most people have a bad idea of what love is. If you believe Love is an emotion, you're wrong. If you wan't to try and convince me otherwise, I always love to here other people point of view on the subject. I learn a lot from the truths others have, that I miss, but be ready to hear exactly what it is that I believe if you bring up the subject.

"God is love"... if God is love, the isn't love God? The more you understand love, the more you understand God. Thats where my obseshion with trying to understand love comes from.

buffalosoldier · November 13, 2003

a) When the sun goes, we ALL go.

b)Lycra is a privilege,not a right.

c)Fate,everything happens for a reason

d)everything has a cause and an affect

e)LOVE makes the world go round,NOT money.

And finallyi also believe that there are no real facts in this world,only opinions,there are two sides to EVERY story.

Thats my 2 pence!!!!

BS

lokagirla · November 13, 2003

i agree with all self discoverer said.

i'm an atheist, but i was raised in the roman catholic religion. i was very devoted when i was a young girl, but throughout the years i managed to not believe in God.

i don't like to say im atheist because people might think im like a total rebel or im going through a "stage of doubt and spiritual growth" as they call it. i have no affiliation and i have to say it was not easy to tell my parents i didnt believe in the concept of God. my mom cried and dad, he just said i was "crazy." although we have a good communication, religion is no longer a theme present in our conversations. sometimes i start telling my mom about the things society has imposed on us. for example, once i was like, "mom, you know, it is society that has told us to get married with the white gown and have a nice celebration... i think your husband can be the guy you're with without even having to wait for a proposal... i mean, if he loves you, he has the same purpose of being with you as if he was married to you... why the white gown and not black? why is black like not the pure color? why not beige?" my opinions seem to crack up mom's minds and she just avoid these conversations. she acts as if i was trying to convert her into something, and it gets me puzzled cause she is so open minded in most stuff.

i am no longer a roman catholic mainly because of all the contradictions and rules. you can live using only the ten commandments... you can live with only following the law of love. if you love you dont hurt, you dont get hurt. if you get hurt not on purpose, you give the other person the same opportunity you'd give yourself and forgive and go on. if it depends on what happened, then why did it happen in the first place if there was supposed to be love? some maze huh?

i study in a private catholic school and i dont go screaming around proclaiming my lack of religion. i get involved in clubs and community service and i sometimes go to mass. my beliefs are quite complicated really. people tell me that my believe in love and forgiveness is God, but then, isnt God just a name for our meaning of life? what are we here for anyways? when you do community service you learn to see that other people are just like you with your same rights and feelings.

this is going to sound freaky, but all of us have a genetic code. well, i believe each individual is like a code. we share the same numbers *emotions, abilities*. it is how they are arranged that makes us unique. if we decide to put certain digits in our codes in another order that is our decision. i like psychology... i do think humans are spiritual beings. we're going to die, and what are we going to leave behind? i really like the movie Emperor's Club. religion is never mentioned in the movie, but the meaning of most of my beliefs regarding life are there... well, at least most of them. you can be a big shot, but great ambition and conquest is insignificant without contribution.

i believe education is the key to everything also. no, it's not to go all brainy. even religion is attached to education. in the past, it was priests who had all the education, and so they could take advantage of this for their own personal benefits. religion can twist the minds of ignorant people very easily. very smart people question stuff a lot and they seek religions that give them lots of answers. christianity has lots of answers and misticism and stuff. but they are all ideas of social behavior. why get god involved? who is god? a mystery? yes, a mystery says religion. i've read documents, books... there is another really good book: The Chosen by Chaim Potok and its zequel: The Promise. they are about judaism in brooklyn during the 1960's or so. they are great books and they really open up your mind to a harsh reality.

to end this reply, and not keep on suggesting stuff, im going to tell you i think religion is one of the factors that divides society the most. i believe in mutual respect when it comes to the beliefs of people. i expect respect. but the reality is that there is an awful lot of discrimination, thats why i dont go around saying "i dont believe in God." some people take it really personal and it's they're bad if they go and follow me to "convert me." im sorry, but in my opinion, that conversion stuff is crap. if you stalk me with your religion you're losing your time. i can talk about god to you, but we're losing time. i think we should use up our moments of life to help others, and so we will be rewarded in endless ways. everything is a chain that connects happiness. my boyfriend believes in god and he admires my beliefs and i respect him for that; i admire his beliefs also. because deep inside, all people believe in the same thing.

the ten commandments are a common denominator of most religions. dont let a concept or a name separate you from someone. religion is but a name, god is but a concept... it all depends on how you look at stuff... but i think it's better to keep it all in your head and write it down like chaim potok did, than go around every corner sayind "hasids are fanatics!" you should read those books... you learn a lot about jewish religion and the consequences of religious divisions within them.

sorry for making this so long...

lokagirla.

Genesis · November 13, 2003

I believe in God.

I feel that a lack of religion and belief in God is the reason for the problems of the world. Poverty, addictions, depression, divorce, and crime, all come from a lack of direction from God. A person does have free will over his or her life that is the gift that God gave us. That does not mean that all your intentions are always good. When I hear a person say that they only follow their own will, that is fine for them. I however feel that a person does not have all the character to make the rigth choices all the time. The Bible is a book which gives people the direction in which they must live their life. I see so many people who lie, cheat, steal, and harm their bodies with cigars, sex ect. To some people there may not be anything wrong with these things, but our bad actions will always have a outcome. We will reap what we sow.

I know for a fact that it is a struggle for me to try to do what is rigth all the time. Sometimes I make bad choices, but with the word of God I have been able to make better choices for my life. The word of God will help me and family for generations to come. People only think of themselves but they do not think of how ther lack of faith, may affect their children and grandchildren. People do not know that the Bible speaks of generational curses that will effect their family to come. A person may be happy and wealthy now living without God, but who is to say what their future, or their childrens future will bring living a life without Christ.

Christianity does not bring people apart, it brings people together. The only reason that some people can not understand Christianity is because they do not study it to the fullest. Every question that one has can be answered in the Bible. I have read many stories of people here at Enotalone, who use to be Christians, but I think that these people did not fully study the word of God. If they knew more about the content of the Bible, then they would not have walked away from God. For those who find it hard to understand the Bible, they can go to many book stores, and find Bibles that are written in more modern English forms.

Any person can just sit in a church Sunday after Sunday for many years, but are they listening and trying to understand what is being said to them? You HAVE to actively read your Bible to become close to Chirst, if you do not then you will not. Just because one goes to church does not make them a faithful servant of God. If you are not learning anything from church, read your Bible MORE. Do you ever notice how you get more understanding of something if you read it over again? Any person can just sit in a church , Sunday after Sunday and not learn anything. People have to take a proactive role and study the BIBLE in addition to going to church.We all will have to give an account of our life to God on Judgement day. It is written in the Bible, that not all will believe in God, and not all will be with him in the kingdom of heaven. The sad thing is that this is what these people choose. God will all give us many chances to follow him.

lokagirla · November 13, 2003

I feel that a lack of religion and belief in God is the reason for the problems of the world. Poverty, addictions, depression, divorce, and crime, all come from a lack of direction from God. -genesis

you see genesis, all that you have said i've heard before, especially in the school i attend. i've had religion teachers, a new one per year. priests of my religion, how many i've met! and as i grew up i got in contact with other religious communities and realized there is something that unites us all. yes, it is God, thats how we all call it. God=love, then love=God. I totally respect your belief in God and I understand it.

I totally agree with the fact that a lack of *God= love, social conscience*, is the reason for the problems of the world. now, i dont agree with the "not knowing enough" part. i totally recommend for people to read the Bible, it is a good book indeed. yes, it is a respected book, sacred for christians, and the torah for jews and the coran, and so on so on. not the same books... ah! but quite the same message. sit down and read all these books. also, reflections made by people nowadays, prayer books, they all convey the same message of love and social conscience. we shall not reject their teachings because everyone knows they hold SOME truth. some stuff we may not agree with, like the holy wars of the muslim. but what about the other virtues that are mentioned? i DO know enough, because all you need to know is your heart.

you know, it's not only about going to mass and UNDERSTANDING. so what if you know all the doctrine and understand the reason for certain measures? you're going to die with that knowledge... did you ever share it? thats what i want to bring into view. what do you do for your community? what is a leader to you? how do you use your time up? isn't it better to be where you are most needed? i strongly believe that our most valuable prayer is in our actions.

the sacred scriptures guide us, telling us what we know in our hearts is right and wrong! they just make it more clear. some people commit crime out of necessity, lack of education, also! but... can their answer only rely in God? probably, with love, people would help each other more often, and would not even have time to think of hurting somebody else. if God lives in people, then loving people we're loving God. Prayer or service?I say service! Instead of sitting at church praying for hours... how about volunteering in community service of any sort? it helps people be better employees and employers in their daily lives. where is God? everywhere... in the concentration camps???hmm... read Night by Elie Wiesel for that one. Why did the protagonist question God's presense? Because there was no social consience!!! Love, nowhere to be found... and well, Jews saw love as God, thereforeeee God was not present. "Oh yes but he was!" Christians might say.. for crying out loud, do you know what it's like? Those who did not live through the Holocaust, it is fair to say, cannot begin to understand what it was like. And those who did cannot begin to describe it.

what i want to get to is that if a person doesn't share your beliefs that doesn't mean he/ she doesn't know enough. some people speak without knowing certain doctrines from head to toe, but they know what they feel as human beings. i for certain have studied plenty of theology all throughout my life... how many years... not that many taking in consideration my short age. but you know what? i find love and union in people when i do things of the church outside of the common stuff. when i do community service without caring if the needy believe in God or not. they see God in me, well let them call love God, that's what He is anyways. God has no gender, i know that one. i mean, of course, God has no face... could they make it any simpler??? God has no gender and no face because people see God in us whenever we do good things for them, every time we are a leader and that's what i've learned with experience. abused children, lonely elderly people, your own family! how many times do you think your children see God in you??? yeah! let's call love God. I don't believe in another life. But what if i did? if i am a good person and i observe all of the commandments i am going to achieve eternal life anyways. so, i try my best as any other person would to get into "heaven," only i don't believe in such place... i will raise my children to be good people not good christians... cause they'll see non christians as non christians see me... atheist... shes missing something... i couldn't be missing anything BUT PERFECTION. we are all humans. hope you got a little of my point now. if you need any explanations on any type of theological stuff regarding roman catholic religion you can ask me... i know. i can apply that stuff and not act like a total fanatic... not saying you are... you just exposed your point of view and i already told you what i think about it. hope others contribute also.

neva_black_n_white · November 14, 2003

wow im impressed by the responce, i think all of you have equal views and im amazed at what things i have learnt from what your saying.

i can agree with lokagirl in the sense that she is saying everything has come to stereotype, why is it that we wear a white dress? to me the quick judgement is purity but does that mean someone else who is wearing a viloet dress is unpure? no that is just a judgement of heart.

is life based all on judgement?

i asked the question of what you believe in, and the answers are so varied, i think when someone is to say they believe in god, well may i ask what is a god to you? because i am guessing there are several views on this and perceptions to it from opposite or even different religions.

i wouldnt as much say that the world is incorrect or corrupted by those who dont believe. each individual was put on this earth freely and have now got their own free choice.

i would like to say thankyou to eveveryone at this point for giving the opinions they have despite others, and i feel what some of you are bringning up is very much important.

lol to shyguy.

i like the way you made it short and simple, but i love to read things that take time as it shows dedication and a belief in what your saying.

i respect all of your views and would love to see the outcome of discussion between lokagirla and genesis.

thanks again.

kel

Genesis · November 16, 2003

lokagirla,

I respect your opinion, but you are missing the point from a Christian point of veiw. I stand strongly behind my opinion of people who do not have much knowledge of the Bible, cannot come closer to God. Yes we all have free will to think and do as we choose. Yes most religions teach the same message about good will, but there is one difference, acceptance of Christ. God does not just judge us by our actions but by our faith. It is fine for people to still have good character, but without God they are still lost. You may not believe in an after life but what if you are wrong? How can you prove that it does not exsist? Are you not taking a great gamble with your soul? I feel that your opinion of church is wrong. The Bible tells Christians to give to others, we do not sit in church all day and not help others. The job of a Christians is to help others, feed the needy, give to the poor, and help unbelievers to come to God. You may do many things for your community but that is not enough, when it comes to the fate of your soul. You can still be a good person without God , but you will not go to heaven if you do not choose accept God as you savor. The key is the acceptance of God!!

As someone else said to me: People have the right to choose what even religion they want, if they are all teaching the same principals, then why should it matter what you choose to be a member of?If you are a member of a non-Christian religion that is your choose, but what if that is not the religion that will give you favor in the after life?Jesus was a Jewish man, he converted to Christianty. This shows me that this is the only true religion. Judaism is one of the most respected and oldest religions in the world, but if the son of God, could not accept Judaism as his religion than that should tell all that Christianity is the only true religion. The Bible tells the orgins of the three( Christianity, Muslim, Judaism) major religions, but it stresses the importance of Christainity.

It does not matter how good or kind of a person you are, if you do not believe in God you will not have his favor for your after life. Your lack of faith, may also cause you pain and troubles in this life also. You are gambling with your soul. If there is not an after life then nothing will happen, but if there is ( which there is) you are putting your soul in at risk. I would rather be a Christian and not know my future, or fate than to be without God, and not know my fate and have a lost soul for eternity. Your life here on this earth is very short but your after life is forever. Religion is like a gamble, you gamble by choosing the wrong religion or not believing in God at all. If there is not an afterlife you have nothing to loose but if there is , then you have made the worst bet of your life.

I would rather bet on the right religion, than nothing at all and be wrong. With your bet you only win if what you think is true is right, but if your wrong you are taking a great loss( loss of yur soul). If I am wrong then I have nothing to lose, but if I am right then I have gained a great gift! I am sure you have been wrong when making decisions at times, how do you know that you are not wrong about God? I know that man can not make the right choices all the time. A good decision today may be a bad decision another day. My decision to worship God is not a bad decision, because the outcome is always in my favor. When you talk about other religions, I feel as if it is a personal choice, but is it the right choice? I do not worry about the beliefs of Jews or Muslims because I feel that if they worship God with all their heart, on the day of Judgement when they find out that their religion was false, then they will summit to God and become saved and honor his son Jesus Christ. My worry is for those who have no religion at all, or those who are members of Satanic religions.

The option that everyone has is

1. If you believe in God and there is an after life you will go to heaven.

2. If you do not believe in God and live a "good" life filled with good deeds , you still will not go to heaven due to your lack of faith, unless this person chooses to accept and worship God.

3. If you have a different religion, and see that God does exsist, you will go to heaven if you change your mind and choose believe in him and Jesus.

God gives us many chances to give our lifes to him, if you live long enough you may change your mind as well. When you die, when the day of Judgment comes and God ask you to account for your life, will you believe in him then? I feel you are taking a gamble on something that no one knows. You can be a Christian do good deeds, die and go to heaven or die and just be dead. The option you have choosen does not have positive outcomes all around, if you are wrong about God you made a bad decision. If you become a Christian and do good deeds and there is not a God you still lived a good life.

What will you teach your children if you have not given them any direction in life? If you do not listen to your parents, what makes you think your children willl listen to you? Your childrens lack of faith and guidance from a Godless mother may cause them to act out, maybe even worse. Do you really think that they will obtain character from your teachings alone? If you teach them to only rely on humans then you will expose your children to the negative wills of others. They will have peer pressure from others to do drugs have sex, which may have negative outcomes in their lives. By teaching your children the word of God they have a path to follow, even when the pressures of others tells them to do other wise.

If you die you will know that your children will have a reliable path and guidance for their lives. My mother died when I was 11 years old, I knew as a young child to obey your parents and rely in God. You can not always count on yourself or others to be able to teach your children right from wrong. If you and your husband die who will teach your children the morals and character that you want them the have? You can not count on a aunt or uncle, grandmother ect., who knows what someone is really like behind closed doors. The only way you can be sure that your children are being taught what is right is by following the words of God. If I die I can be at ease that my children have the word of God in their heart. So who ever they may be exposed to good or bad, they still can live a life with character and integrity and most of all THEY WILL BE SAVED AND THEY WILL GO TO HEAVEN.

swift44 · January 1, 2004

I believe in God and that God saves those who work hard to be saved, i believe that life is wat u make it and that pain is inevitable but without it the good things in life wouldnt be so good. Good things come to those who are good even if it takes a lifetime

neva_black_n_white · January 1, 2004

i like the way you phrased that swift44, so in what your saying, the good things wouldnt be as pleasurable if we hadnt experianced the bad, and in itself that is a trate that we learn to live with and grow from.

genesis you have some great points in what you are writing, but the views on afterlife, and why people go to heaven and hell may vary.i personally do not read the bible but that isnt a downfall in myself, you may see that but to me this is personal and something ive lived to. i have yet to see the true light in what may be learnt and what is the right thing to believe for me

i like your views lokagirl.

and thanks everyone.

kel

one thing though, do some people believe that if your not dedicated to say one religion you cannot be passed on to an after life that is so pure?

thanks

x

Genesis · January 5, 2004

NBW-

People believe in many things these days there are many religions out there. I belief in only one religion which is Christianity. I do think there is only one way to have an after life. Since you do not read the Bible, one way for you to find more information is to read the Gospels- Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Also read the book of Revelation.

In my religion a person cannot worship another God or not accept his son Jesus, and expect to go to the kingdom of God "Heaven". One must accept Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and believe that Jesus died on the cross to forgive all people of their sins. In addition one must be baptized and give their life to God.

The Bible explains why other religions will not be accepted in heaven. The Bible explains the orgins of all the other main religions Judaism and the Muslim religion.While these religions are well respected, the Bible also explains why they are not the true religion of God.-- Another good Book to read is Romans 10, this explains your question in detail.

The answers to all your questions are in the Bible. In my opinion, I do not think a person can go to "heaven" by being a part of many secular groups.

I have not found any other religion that explains all the questions to the past, present, and future as well as the Holly Bible. Every question I have ever had in life I found the answer in the Bible.

neva_black_n_white · January 7, 2004

hey,

thanks for that, obviously you have high opinions on your choice of faith and reliong, i guess in some ways i wish i had something like that, only for me i can sometimes see it as a set of roles, things to obide, yet we were put here to learn and to follow our own course, so in my eyes we shouldnt have limits.

so in order for me to be passed off as a person good enough to go in heaven i would have to read all of what you have said? only to me thats not correct, ts a rule, i havent read the book, but ive got the knowledge, i dont know the answers but i have my opinions, does that not count enough to have a fair chance later on?

you say you got the answers to your questions, but do you stand for one person of for several, are all questions anwered or do they just provide you with the answers you desire?

i love though the way you can write about your beliefs, its very inspiring.

i ahve one question that i hope you dont take the wrong way. do you feel that the bible or any of these holy books providing your answers feel they are superior to any other religiong, because thats how it sounds.

i respect your views and thankyou for replying to my question.

kel

Genesis · January 14, 2004

Never black - n- white (Kel),

Since I do not know if you know much about Christianity, I will tell you some things about my religion. I will also tell you what I know about other religions , and why they follow laws that are against my religion even though they do give guidance to many people. If you already know these things I hope you wil make the right choice when picking your religion.

John 3:16- For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemed already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. --- Jesus Christ

Nothing in life comes easy, and many people take the easy way out, by practicing religions that do not hold truth. The reason that feel I that Christianity holds more truth than other religions is because it is based on prophecy. Prophecy is a declaration of something to come: prediction. All prophecies that were given in the Bible have come true and are still being fulfilled. The Bible holds the truths for many scientific areas of life from, biology, antropology, and linguistics. In order for you to understand the Bible you must also understand the people,politics, culture, and social issues of that time. Every person is welcomed to be a Christian. A person must read about Gods plan for his Son Jesus, and be baptized in the name of the Father , the Son , and the Holy Spirit. There are Christians on every continent in this world. Christianity is the largest religion, of any other religion.

If you study the Gospels and Read about the life of Jesus, you do not have to worry about the ways men may have corrupted the church. This is the direct message that God wants you to hear, from the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Finding a good church home is very hard to do. You may have to visit many Christian churches before you find the one that it best for you. The Prophecies of Jesus are true!! They are coming true as each day passes. The wars that you see on TV, are all derived from the events that take place in the Bible. Fighting over the Holy Land (Jews and Muslims), Wars, earthquakes, famine, the fall of empires, all theses prophecies made by Jesus are coming true. Do you not think that it is strange that we have had 5 earthquakes since Dec. 24?

There was an earthquake that killed over 40,000 Muslims( Islam A religion that does not believe in Jesus as Christ), in Bam the day after December 25 Jesus Christ's birthday. These maybe warnings from God to come to Christ his Son, whom we celebrate his birth on Dec. 25 each year. No one knows when the end of time will be, not even the Angels of heaven. Jesus states in the Bible that the end of the world will happen during the time of tribulation. During this time the Antichrist will create a huge war in Isreal that will destroy all men. With many countries having and looking for nucleolar weapons this is very possiable, it just takes one man to push the button. The way things are now in the Middle East, things for the future do not look well. Jesus is coming back for his followers, no one knows when maybe today or 5,000 years from now ,but when he does you will want your name to be in the book of life. If you are not saved "Non-Christian", your name WILL NOT be in the book of life. You cannot go to heaven alone just by "actions", you can only go their by your faith.

The Bible says that all will know Jesus' teachings by the time Jesus comes again( the end of the world), so no one can use the excuse I never heard of Jesus or about him. You cannot go to heaven if you do not believe in God or his son Jesus, they are ONE. You cannot get to the after life from Muhammad, Budda, Wicca, or any other religion. They may teach people good values, but the Bible was teaching those same moral values, that can be dated 1,000 years before any of those religions were created. You want to be in a religion that insures good things for not only what you do in life , but also what happens to you after death. God's religion was the first religion before any thing secular you hear about today, and it will be the last one too.

If you want to pick a religion that bests fits your life style, all other religions objectives are based off of theories that are already given in the Bible which is the oldest religion to date. The five major religions of that time from creation or 2166(B.C.) B.C.E to 632(A.D.) C.E are Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam.

1. Judaism- is the religion in which Christianity and Islam are based from. Their holy book the Torah, is also known as the Old Testament of the Bible. Some Jews do not believe that Jesus is God's Son, but many Jews accept him as God's Son and also still practice their old traditions. In the Bible God blessed a man named Abraham because he was a man of good character and faith. Abraham's wife Sarai could not have children, so she gave him her maid Hagar to sleep with to produce a child. Even though Abraham and Sarai were old (in there 70's), God had already promised them their own child before, Hagar slept with Abraham. Hagar gave birth to a son named Ishmael- (his desendants are the Arab nations which the Islam religion comes from). Sarai also gave birth to a Son named Isaac- The Son in which God made an everlasting covenant, the descendants of this son are the Jews. A covenant is a binding promise, or agreement. (This story is in Genesis 17:19). God promised to bless Ishmael with many nations, but his covenant was with Isaac. (Read 17:20-21).

If you read the Old Testament, God's covenant was made to the Jewish people from the family line of Abraham, Issac, Jacob, and David. In the book Exodus, the Hebrews/Jews were slaves to the Egyptians. As a result, God choose Moses to be his prophet. Moses was a Hebrew, who as a baby floated down the river in a basket and was found by an Egyptian princess, she raised him as her son. Moses was the prophet whom God choose to help free the slaves. The Pharaoh/King would not let the slaves go free, so God sent many plagues to Egypt. When the last plague came, The plague on the first born, where all the first born sons of Egypt die, the Pharaoh let all the slaves go free, because his son died also. After they were set free, God sent the Hebrews/Jews on a journey to the Promise Land ( The land that the Muslims and Jews fight over today in 2004).

On the way there, God gave Moses the 10 commandments to give to the people. The 10 commandments are moral codes that all older and modern laws are based from. The People did not follow God's laws. They continued to worship pagan god's, and built a golden idol of a cow to worship. God punished them for breaking commandment 1 worshipping other gods/idols, and instead of it taking the short time that was required to reach the promise land, the journey took them 40 years to complete. Only two people from the original group from Egypt made it to the promise land. Due to their sins many died on the way there, the others who made it there were born on the way there. During the journey to the promise land, God told Moses that he would send the people a great prophet known as the Messiah(Great King) from among the Hebrews/Jews. The Jews took this as meaning a man who would make the Jews greater than all other nations (rulers of the world). They expected a great king or military leader. However God had a different plan than what the Jews expected. His plan was to send a human sacrifice for sin, his son Jesus. God's son was an heavenly king not a earthly one. ( Read: Isaiah 53)

In the Old Testment there are 39 books. After Moses, there where many great prophets Jonah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah, and many more. During this time many many years after Moses, The Jewish people became laid back and were not following Gods laws, so God kicked them out of the promise Land, and spread them all over into many nations. God was very angry with the Jewish people, because he chose them above all other people to give his Holy laws to, and they were not obeying it at all. The Jews all waited for the prophet called the Messiah which means , (the great King), who would bring them back to their promise land, and make them the rulers of the world. However God's plan was to bring salvation to the Jews not power over anyone. In the book of Ezekiel 34, God expresses his anger at his prophets and Kings for doing such a poor job, at guiding the people away from sin. This is were God plans is to watch over his people himself. He does this by sending his son to the earth as a man.

The many books after Exodus gave Jewish laws, and told about the lives of many people through out History up until the birth of Christ in the New Testament. In the books of Psalms, Isaiah 53, Zechariah, and Ezekiel, gave more details about the mission of the Messiah to come, what would happen in his life, where he would come from ect. The Jews ignored all the prophecies in the Old Testment about the Messiah.

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2. Christianity- When Jesus came 2,000 some years later many Jews did not believe he was the Messiah. Jesus was born from a virgin woman named Mary and God was Jesus' father. God sent an angel down to Mary and told her she would have a child, but she said I cannot have a child because i am a virgin? The angel told her , that her child was of Holy Spirit and not from a man. When Jesus was born, everyone heard that the King of the Jews was born. The word spread so fast that King Herod plotted to kill Jesus, because he was afraid of losing his throne. As as Adult, Jesus went around from city to city preaching his new message from God. Jesus had powers from God, that let him heal the sick, and take out deamons from the possessed.

During the time between the 2,000 some years, there were also many who claimed to be the Messiah , who were not, thereforeeee many Jews did not believe in anything Jesus said. Jesus' main goal was to teach his message to the Jews and later let that message spead to others. Many of Jesus' own people did not accpect him, thereforeeee not accepting salvation in the process. However many people did accept his message and told others. Jesus taught his message in the 4 Gospels , Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. They are written by some of his disciple who went with him to preach his new message.

Jesus' had a new message to teach the Jews about God. His message was full of love, peace, acceptance of women, tolerance of your enemy, and other moral issues. Jesus batized people giving them new life, freeing them from sin, and promising them a place in heaven for those who obey God's laws and believed he is God's only begotten son. What the Jews did not like about Jesus is that he said he was God's Son, they felt Jesus was breaking against the 1st commandment. Since God is of Holy Spirit, He and Jesus are One. You cannot accept God the father and not accept Jesus the Son. However, the Old Testament already forewarned the Jews of the coming of the Messiah Jesus, and God's new plan in ( Isaiah 53), but they did not want to listen. Jesus told them that the only way to come to the Father was through the Son. You had to believe in Jesus as God's son in order to go to heaven. Jesus performed many miracles during his short life. He healed the sick, feed 5,000 people from just a few loafs of bread and a couple of fish.

Jesus also raised a man from the dead, walked on water and turned water in to wine. He gave prophecies of what would happen at the end of the world. Some of which are coming true today. The proof that separated Jesus from all the others, was that he was resurrected from the dead. Jesus was put on the cross to die, after his death he rose from the dead.The witnesses to his death on the cross were Mary his mother and Mary Magdalene who is known for following Jesus and his disciples every where. When the woman went to dress his body for his funeral his body was missing. Later he appeared to Mary Magdalene first and then his disciples, He truly was God's son. He told them to go baptize all nations in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, that whoever believes in him will have everlasting life, then he rose up into heaven to be with his Father God before their eyes

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3. Islam- Islam is a religion that was started by Muhammad 600 years after the death of Jesus. Muhammad was a man who lived in a city called Mecca know for its trade rout during that time. Many feel that Muhammad may have heard about the Bible by the many men who traveled in and out of Mecca. Muhammad claims that he was given the word of God from an angel. Muhammad was a man who had many wifes, and he even married two 9 year old girls. The Bible only accepts one man having one wife. All the men in the Bible who had more than one wife suffered.

This brings many to believe that since his lifestyle, did not change he was a false prophet. The Bible warns about many false prophets, and the way to check to see if they are fake is to see if their prophecies come true, and also by scripture. By this time the Bible was complete, and no more prophets were expected to come. Other prophets in the Bible had a extream lifestyle changes once they were choosen to be prophets by God, thereforeeee many doubted Muhammad as a prophet, since he married little girls.

Muhammad's holy book is called the Quran. The Quran is filled with accounts from the Old and New Testaments. Muslims believe that Jesus was a prophet , but not God's son. They claim that Muhammad was the last and greatest prophets. However the Quran contains many contradictions in it some 200 errors. For example, how man was made, they give at least 6 different theories that are non-conclusive, that lead one to believe that the writter was a false prophet. The Islam religion not only contradicts what is in the Old Testament and the New Testament, but it also gives it followers the right to KILL PEOPLE in the name of God. Which contridicts the 6th commandment, thou shall not murder. All Religions have made wrong actions ( By Men not GOD), but to say you can kill a person and put it in writing is wrong.

The most important factor is that In the Old Testament God's, covanant was made with Isaac. The entire Old Testament states that the everlasting covenant is from the house of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David. Jesus is called the son of David, because David was a great king like Jesus. Jesus was a Jew and his mother Mary and stepfather Joseph are from the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David. God's holy plan was throught the descendants of Issac. God's "prophets" were all Jews, however the word of God can be taught by anyone. A prophet was a man who God spoke to directly. Muhammad however is from the blood line of Ishmeal, Issac's half brother. God said that he would make a great nation of Ishmeals descendants, but his covenant is with Issac. (Read Genesis 17:20-21). When Jesus spoke from heaven, he talked to Paul who was his choosen instrument, his job was to teach to the Gentiles (non- Jews), Gods message is for everyone of all races, and nations. Anyone can become a Christian.

The Muslims think that Muhammad was the last prophet. There are no prophecies of him to come in the Bible at all. The Bible was written from the beginning of time to the end, so there is no room in between for another prophet unless there was something written about one. Since the Muslims do not believe Jesus is God's Son, that contridicts the message

that Jesus gave that he was God's Son, and he was the Chirst in Matthew 16:13-20. God will send Jesus to judge us on jugement day, (John 5:22-23). Jesus was free from sin, he never lied, or did anything thing wrong, because he was of God his Son, thereforeeee for the Muslims to not believe Jesus is Gods Son, but accept him as a prophet is odd. In the Old Testament anytime a prophet did something that God did not like , he reprimanded them. If Jesus was lying about being God's son, God would have reprimanded him also.

PAGAN RELIGIONS

4.Hinduism - the oldest scriptures were found around 1000 B.C.E. this is the religion in which yoga comes from. They believe in multiple gods, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. They believe in reincarnation or being reborn after death into an animal or person based on karma. This religion goes aganist the first commandment( Thou shall not worship other gods or idols) of the oldest religion of God Judaism which Christianity comes from. 1st commandmane is thou shall not believe in other gods, or worship Idols, which is in Hinduism.

5. Buddhism- is derived from Hinduism, found in sixth and fifth century B.C.E. They believe in the 8 steps to Nirvana which is already the same thing that was taught in the Old Testament before this religions time, and in the New Testament after.

Wicca-Other religions such as Wicca is also considered a pagan religion. Witch craft goes against the Laws of God. It is also forbidden in the Old Testament. (Leviticus 19:31.) (Revelation 21:8). According to the Bible if a persons power does not come from God it comes from Satan. God does not give people the power to cast spells so no witch craft comes from him, however Satan does give people these powers to do his evil work.

There are stories in the Old Testament where people tried to use their witch craft powers against Gods prophets Moses and Elijah, but witch craft is nothing compared to Gods powers. Gods power always overuled the powers of witches and sorcerers. Wicca promotes false truth from Satan, those who are members are doomed if they do not get out. Satan was an angel of God once called Lucifer- Angel of Light. He disobeyed God, and God kicked him out of heaven. Satan said that he would rather rule in Hell than to be a servant of God. Satans mission is to lie, kill and destroy.

Satan once was an angel so as a result, he knows the scriptures very well in the Bible. He made Adam and Eve sin, and he tried to tempt Jesus in the wilderness by using scripture. Satans job is to make you think that something that is bad for you is good. He wants one to think that they can go to heaven by being a witch , or have an after life. The Wiccan's maybe peaceful people, but they are what the Bible calls lost sheep. They are following a pagan religion, which only leads to death, ( Not having an after life) or Hell according to Revelation 21:8. They claim that their is no such thing as Satan, which is just another tool that Satan uses to fool them into staying with their religion. Satan and his deamons are real, there have been records of exorcism given by the Catholic Church, the most famous one was based of the movie the Exorcist. Satan's main objective is to steal as many souls away from Christ as he can, and by not being saved you are doomed to being without God and possibly go to hell.

This is the reason I choose my religion, I did not just go by what was the fad of the time, or what was the easist to do. Nothing in life comes easy. You have to read God's words in order to understand it. I read about what else was out there ( other religions). I tried to prove my religion wrong, to see if it was right, I found out that it was right. Many have tried to prove it wrong, but each time they were proven wrong by scripture. The Holy Bible proves every thing by scripture! Every religion follows the basic moral guidlines which come from the Bible, why buy the generic when you can get the real thing in the Bible!!

The most important things is your after life, because that will be much longer than the time you spend here on earth. If you gamble with a religion that is not Christian then you are gambling with your soul. If you want to take that chance that is your choice. Like in Genesis 2:17, we have the knowledge of Good and Evil. It is YOUR choice if you want to go to heaven or hell. That is black and white.

neva_black_n_white · January 18, 2004

hey.

wow i needed some time to read the whole of that, so thankyou for taking the time to read it.

i have a few points regarding your post:

i hope you wil make the right choice when picking your religion.

but do people truly need a religion, i mean when you say this its ike i have to believe isnt that forcing something that possibly i may not want, despite any rules do we HAVE to have a religion? can we not believe in such things as fate or variety?

but whoever does not believe stands condemed already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. --- Jesus Christ

isnt this a choice we should make on our own? i mean this isnt leaving much for choice, what if we believe in this for half oiur lives and either loose or gain faith? are we ever given the benefit of the doubt? i mean why condemned it is a very ending word isnt it?

by practicing religions that do not hold truth

yes but this is the truth to them, isnt that right? i mean where does personal opinion come into this? or is this i mean your particular religion all about rules? i have a friend who very much believes in the same faith as you but if he believes in some things that arent in the bible or what have you he doesnt change for this it is a belief he holds!

In order for you to understand the Bible you must also understand the people,politics, culture, and social issues of that time.

i understand these as i am well educated within religious education but i dont believe anything as yet, i mean its just knowledge.

You may have to visit many Christian churches before you find the one that it best for you

.

do you truly have to go to a church? i mean by going to one particulat place doesnt tend to change a state of mind, if you are already a strong believer can it not be that you dont need or require the aspect of going to church?

Do you not think that it is strange that we have had 5 earthquakes since Dec. 24?

this may be strange but this can also do with nature and the earths natural course, i mean the whole techtonic plates etc, we cant ASSUME things to be something we have to look at all the options, just as you did with the religions.

If you are not saved "Non-Christian", your name WILL NOT be in the book of life. You cannot go to heaven alone just by "actions", you can only go their by your faith.

but wat is a person was going to opt for this relion, but this day comes too soon i mean you did say ''every person is welcomed to be a christian'' more than once.

besides i couold be killed for my own beliefs? just something i had decided just as you, i mean thats what everything is right? beliefs? i could say i believe in, i dont know aliens, just because of some sightings, or something else. because you talk of these prediction, are they actually happening like these sightings or are they just near misses and close things that you can say are actually relevent?

The Bible says that all will know Jesus' teachings by the time Jesus comes again( the end of the world), so no one can use the excuse I never heard of Jesus or about him. You cannot go to heaven if you do not believe in God or his son Jesus, they are ONE. You cannot get to the after life from Muhammad, Budda, Wicca, or any other religion. They may teach people good values, but the Bible was teaching those same moral values, that can be dated 1,000 years before any of those religions were created.

yes but they were created werent they? and i mean if god is seen as the creator of all things isnt it so that he created these other religions also, isnt he giving us variety isnt he giving us the option? if so why punish us for something he created and led us to believe?

God's religion was the first religion before any thing secular you hear about today, and it will be the last one too.

being the first and last things to happen dont actually mean they are real. for example if i was to say right now the grass is purple and you argue its green, but i get the last word thats its purple. am i right? no. so how can you prove this to me that this is correct and the true religion?

God sent the Hebrews/Jews on a journey to the Promise Land ( The land that the Muslims and Jews fight over today in 2004).

how can you fight over something that possibly wont come true till the end, you could kill yourself trying yet never succeed.

God punished them for breaking commandment 1 worshipping other gods/idols,

he punished them for something that he first created?

The Bible only accepts one man having one wife. All the men in the Bible who had more than one wife suffered.

how does this act upon divorce then?

but to say you can kill a person and put it in writing is wrong.

well said but i dont believe that the majority of us need religion to believe this its something that comes to mind in the belief or rights and what is essentially right or wrong.

The Bible was written from the beginning of time to the end

did i miss someting or is it yet to be the end of time? how does this work, i would like to understand this.

later on you go to say how he kicked sata out well through other aspects i here this also and its all about being kicked out, is there no such thing as a second chance, i mean he watched them rebel? was that right? where were they going to go what were they going to do, to rebel was to regain strength he must have noticed what and where this action was going to take him.

you also commented on lieing, is it not so that we all lie meaning no harm?

and arent we all lost sheep at some point?

how can you prove that you will have a longer time than you will do on earth i mean this is what we have to live by we are here now what happens if you loose all oppotunities and waste this life on nothing to come? what will you gain?

but is it black and white only i found grey patches where i got lost?

please dont take any of this wrong, im doing the same as you testing the religion before knowing its true. i need to be abl to understand all aspects. ok?

thankyou genesis for bringing all the other factors up within your post they are very enlightening.

kel

Genesis · January 19, 2004

Never Black and White,

I urge you to do more studying about Christianity. Forgive me If I am wrong, but you claim to have a lot of knowledge about Christianity. However, by your response it shows some areas where you are misinformed about the nature of God words and works. Learning about God's plan is not something to take lightly, or is something that one can obtain from a few brief lessons from pastors, friends, and family. This is a life long process of learing and growing spiritually.

but do people truly need a religion, i mean when you say this its ike i have to believe isnt that forcing something that possibly i may not want, despite any rules do we HAVE to have a religion? can we not believe in such things as fate or variety?

Yes, your right it is your choice, to believe or not believe. The right to chose was given to you by God in Genesis 3. When Adam and Eve sinned, they where tempted by Satan to eat the forbidden fruit, which gave a person the knowledge of good and evil. Satan told Adam and Eve they would know as much as God, if they ate the fruit. They wanted to know as much as God, but they should have known no one knows as much as God does, not even the angels. God told them not to eat the fruit even before Satan tempted them. They MADE A CHOICE , to disobey God. [/b]

When they ate the forbidden fruit, they obtainded the knowledge of good and evil, then they realized they were naked. Before this, they could care less if they did not have any clothes on. Because of their sin we are like them( prone to sin), we have the ability to chose what is right from wrong. God created us, he knows everything that we do not. Every discovery that we make as each year passes God already knows these things. The couple gave up all their rights to have everlasting life, and protection by God from the results of sin, because of their choice to eat the fruit.

So now we have to work and tole for every thing we get , when we all could have been living in paradise. Because of Adam and Eve, we all die( when we could of had everlasting life as the angels do), when we die, we go back to the earth where we came from ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Our bodies decay and turn back into the dust that we are made from. ( Scientist say we are made of carbon based compounds, which is dirt. So what took us thousands of years to find out through science, the writters of the Bible already knew this)

God wants you to chose his word, he is not forcing you to. All people will know him at Judgment Day. If you make the choice to not obey him, that is your choice. However, if you are wrong in your choice to not obey, then you must aslo accept the consequences which is condemnation.

isnt this a choice we should make on our own? i mean this isnt leaving much for choice, what if we believe in this for half oiur lives and either loose or gain faith? are we ever given the benefit of the doubt? i mean why condemned it is a very ending word isnt it?

That is your choice, you chose that for your life. That is why one must read the Bible and study, fellowship with others to retain your faith. Many of the prophets lost faith at times, but they always found their way back to God. No one said life was easy. By studying the Bible fully you can see why this is the truth. Prophecy does not LIE! I do not know what God's will is, so if he saves some that is his will. Not every one will be saved that is a fact! No, you will not be given the benefit of the doubt, if you already have been informed of his plan and still reject him. God can only call those who want to be his children his own. If you do not want to be God's child, then he will not call you his child. If you are not his child/follower then you will not be in the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus Teaches about Entering the Kingdom of Heaven

Luke 13:24-30

24. "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25. Once the owner of the house ( The Father-God, the Son-Jesus, and Holy Spirit) gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, Sir open the door for us. But he will answer, I do not know you or where you come from. 26.-Then you will say, we ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets .( 26 talks about Jesus when he was preaching as a man)

But he will reply, I do not know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you workers of iniquity. 28. There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Issac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29. People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30. Indeed there are those who are last will be first, and first who will be last."

Luke 24-30 explains it. No, if you have heard Gods word and still reject him, no you do not go to heaven by default.

yes but this is the truth to them, isnt that right? i mean where does personal opinion come into this? or is this i mean your particular religion all about rules? i have a friend who very much believes in the same faith as you but if he believes in some things that arent in the bible or what have you he doesnt change for this it is a belief he holds!

You already have the right for personal opinion, that was never taken away from you. If you study the Bible and all it's hundreds of prophecies then you will know it is true. The fall of Egypt, Babylonian, Medo-Persin, Grecian, and Roman empires. They all were predicted in the Bible some hundreds of years before the fulfillment of these events took place. All the propechies of the coming of Christ that were given at the latest 1,500 years before his birth. The last prophecy of the coming of Christ/Messiah was given 400 years before his birth. Jesus Christ is a real person who lived on this earth, he is not made up! There are records of him on scrolls , during the times in which he lived.

Life is all based on rules- The "rules" of the Bible are not taking away anything from your life! They are not rules just common laws of decency or oderliness. If people did not follow these types of rules then things would be out of order, just as many places are today. As for your friend, who believes in other things- Ask him if he knows about the parable/ analogy for "leaven bread" in the Old Testament and in the New Testament.

If you start to expose your life to sin by practicing other religions or exposing "leaven/yeast" to unleaven bread, then your entire life may be tainted by this exposer. basically saying: if you put one drop of yeast in a bowl of un-leaven dough, the entire batch will turn into yeast filled bread. So a small exposer to a sinful life can ruin a person into creating more sin in their life. Just as the old saying goes you are the company that you keep. If all your friends are doing something that is bad, you are more likely to join in just to fit in.

So, I can read about other religions, visit other countries, help, and love people who are not of my faith. I can do all these things as a form of learning about other cultures, but to practice another religion is unwise. There is a differance between tolerance and acceptance. Tolerance is like empathy. Acceptance is agreeing and promoting something to be right. I can tolerate others beliefs, but I do not have to accept them as my own.

i

understand these as i am well educated within religious education but i dont believe anything as yet, i mean its just knowledge.

Everyone can learn something new. I am still on a journey to learn as much as possiable about the meaning of the Bible. I still do not know all that I need to know, but as I read compare and contrast text, I have a better understanding. I am not so sure if you know as much as claim to about the Bible. If you understood the meaning of the Bible in more detail, then you may not be having the misconceptions that you are giving.

No one is above learning new things.

.

do you truly have to go to a church? i mean by going to one particulat place doesnt tend to change a state of mind, if you are already a strong believer can it not be that you dont need or require the aspect of going to church?

Yes, you have to go to church. Church is the way you expand you knowledge, from teachings from the church leaders. People go to church to take communion. Church is a place where people go to discuss Biblical topics and be around peers who try to live a Holy life the best they can. I mean there can always be problems in the church, (we are human) that is why it is important to be very careful when picking the right church. Above all You have to read your BIBLE, you cannot learn anything if you do not study. The reason people go to church is to stay strong in their beliefs. "Man" is prone to sin, if you stop going to church then you are making yourself a target to " Sin/Satan" to get off track, and start living a un Godly life.

We cannot do this alone, when we fall we need help to get back up. If you are by yourself in your faith, you are more likly to get off track. Your pastor can lead you to areas of the Bible you may have never studied, or concepts you never thought to address in your life. I learn something new from every sermon, that I never thought of. Also your are more likely to be exposed to false doctrine, when you do not go to a good church. There are plenty of church programs that come on TV.

Some people are sick and cannot go to church, so they watch sermons on TV. My church has a TV program so , if I miss church I will just watch it at home. TBN and EWTN are great TV networks that shows many churches from around the world! That maybe a good place to start for you. It all depends on the type of worship service you like, that keeps your interest. Some worships services are very traditional and mellow. Others worship services are full of excitment, comedy, and energy! You can see a variety of sermon styles just by watching the different preachers and shows. Your main objective should be to find a church that teaches the Bible correctly, and the only way you can know if they are doing that is by reading the Bible.

this may be strange but this can also do with nature and the earths natural course, i mean the whole techtonic plates etc, we cant ASSUME things to be something we have to look at all the options, just as you did with the religions.

God created the techtonic plates, thereforeeee he also controls when they shift as well. Just as the earth rumbled after the death of Christ, these maybe signs also. The prophecies of Christ clearly talks about many events that will happen years before Judgment Day. The formula that is given in the Bible is starting to take place right before our eyes. I feel that these earthquakes, ( many earthquakes) which are also described in the Bible( Luke 21:11) by Jesus, is a warning.

If God can make there be an earthquake the day before and the day after we celebrate the Birth of Christ, I just find that too errie. If 40,000 people die who practice a false doctrine which disrespects the identity of Jesus, I find that errie as well. God spared many peoples lifes in Bam who were feared dead, so his love is still apparent. No one knows when the end of times will be but, before a person eats they must buy and prepare the ingredients for a meal. The ingredients for the end of times are being bought right now.

but wat is a person was going to opt for this relion, but this day comes too soon i mean you did say ''every person is welcomed to be a christian'' more than once.

Yes, every one is welcomed to Christianity with a full heart!! The old saying goes do not put off what you can do today for tomorrow. No one is guaranteed tomorrow, many people will not wake up to see tomorrow. The Bible says that the people who will be alive during the time of Judgment Day will be judged just as the dead. I do not know Gods true plan but, I do know that we are not judged by our deeds but by our faith. Any person can do good deeds just to go to heaven. It takes an even greater person to obey God's laws, and worship him with a whole heart. Faith is obeying even when you do not know the outcome. All I know is that if your name is not in the book because of being: Revelation 21:8 cowardly, unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars-their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.

Revelation 20:15 If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

besides i couold be killed for my own beliefs? just something i had decided just as you, i mean thats what everything is right? beliefs? i could say i believe in, i dont know aliens, just because of some sightings, or something else. because you talk of these prediction, are they actually happening like these sightings or are they just near misses and close things that you can say are actually relevent?

Well there are many people who die for their beliefs in God in the Bible( Queen Jezebel exicuted 1,000 prophets), and many other people through out history have died for being a Christian, Jew, ect. Jesus also "says many will persecute you because of me".

However many religions do not promote killing! So if you think it is ok to kill people just because of your beliefs then that is wrong. You cannot compare the culture civil law of the past to civil law today.

If all people took History class in school we all can see for ourselves the fall of the Baylonian, Egyptian, Persian, Grecian, Roman empires. We can look at the TV and see that there has been 5 earthquakes in the last month all over the world. We can see the distress in the Holy Land. The prophecy in the Bible of the last world war is in Isreal, not any other place that we have been at war with in the past. Things will end where they began. We can see the morals of the entire world at an all time low. We can see divorce and families falling apart. AIDS is killing millions of people around the world. We see men and women having affairs, and making children out of wedlock. The crime rate is up in many places. We all see this right before our eyes. It does not take a rocket scientist to see that we are degressing rather than progressing.

As I said before , no one knows when things will end. However, the stress in our world going on can only get worse. Nuclear weapons are being made in North Korea, terrorist, the failing American economy. America is in billions of dollars of debt. The greed of corporate America, debt, added on to the strife around the world does not help. My guess would be things will be over in the next 100-1,000 years. However, I do not know, it is only a guess, only God knows when the end of the world will be here.

yes but they were created werent they? and i mean if god is seen as the creator of all things isnt it so that he created these other religions also, isnt he giving us variety isnt he giving us the option? if so why punish us for something he created and led us to believe?

No, God did not create other religions! When Adam and Eve sinned all our successes and failures are all on us! Without the grace and will of God, he lets things happen as they be. All things( good or bad) work together for good for those who love God. Men created pagan religions before the Ten Commandments were given to Moses. You can see this written in the Bible when it tells about all the people who came after Adam and Eve.

Noah's Ark is a prime example of that!

The people who did not obey God all died in the flood except for Noah and his family. Archaeologist are looking for that Ark until this day, some think that they may have found it in a mountain in that region. God is not giving us a "variety", man created a "variety" of other religions. If you did not know, Satan/ Devil (Devil worshipping) has his own religion too! I'm sure many people love to worship Satan so they can burn in hell, (why they do I do not know). Many killers (Manson) sitting in jail, claim to be a part of this religion. You have not read the Bible. God has killed people through out time because of worshipping other idols or religions. The only reason we are still alive is because some people are lost, and do not know any better. God is slow to anger, he is very patient with us. Dispite what has happened in the past, God Loves us and is willing to give us many chances to get our lives together. There are not many people who are good, but just lost in Christ.

In Genesis 19 God, killed every one in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because of sin, except for Lot and his family. However, Abraham pleaded to God to save these people. God told Abraham if there are at least 10 good people in that city, I will save it. This shows Gods mercy he does not show his wrath, for just any reason. There was only one good person in the city, that was Lot. So God saved Lot and his family, but the others died. Today Archaelogist have found two buried cities that were destroyed at the same time( around 2050 B.C.), in that region. They found the cities were distroyed at the same time by using carbon dating, these two cities could be Sodom and Gomorrah. The diggers look at the remains of these people from both cities and found out that they experienced the same type of death. They however have not found any writings from this city, so they can only give the two cities a made up name. No one really knows the names of these two lost cities found by Archaelogist.

GOD would never lead us to believe that he wants us to be parts of other religions!! People have the choice of what they believe in just as people have the choice to worship other gods. God gave us the option to chose. If every one knew for a fact that God was real then every one would believe in him, you would be a fool not to! However God does not make things so easy! If you make the wrong choice of religion, then that is YOUR FAULT not his! If a person is too lazy to read and reaserch all the religions then that is their fault. If your read and research , a person can find that Christianity is the only religion in which prophecy has been fulfilled.

If a person says I want to be a Buddhist because it seems fun, they do not have to read a book, and there are no rules. Then that is just picking something based on laziness because it is easy. Or I want to be a Hindu because they do yoga and that is fun, then that also is just picking something based on external factors. The point is if you want the most proof of one religion being "true" over another then Christianity has the "truth" to make you believe. If you want to go to heaven, I am sorry but you cannot do that by not accepting Christ as your savior.

being the first and last things to happen dont actually mean they are real. for example if i was to say right now the grass is purple and you argue its green, but i get the last word thats its purple. am i right? no. so how can you prove this to me that this is correct and the true religion?

I cannot prove anything to you. Just like no other religion can prove they are right 100% Faith means to believe without proof. If there was proof then it would not be called faith or belief, it would be called a fact.

I already have my salvation, It is your job to find yours. Not every one will go to heaven point blank. My job as a Christian is to share what I know to those who want to listen. I cannot make anyone listen to me. If they want to hear fine, if they do not fine.

Matthew 7: 6 Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs, If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then tear you to pieces.

This quote from Jesus just says, be wise and discerning in what you teach unbelievers, do not waste your time with people who do not want to hear God's words. It is futile to try to teach holy concepts to people who do not want to listen and will only tear apart what we Christians say.

I try to share my religion with others, but if they do not want to listen so be it. I will not lose any sleep or worry if they go to Hell for their unbelief in Jesus, because at least I tried to tell them something.

how can you fight over something that possibly wont come true till the end, you could kill yourself trying yet never succeed. (About Jew and Muslim conflict in the Holy Land).

I do not know, I am not a Jew or a Muslim? They fight over that land because they both think it belongs to them. When God kicked the Jews out of the Promise Land other people took over, Muslims. Now they fight over it. The Jews have bombs killing them, they cannot live in peace, they have to watch their back every where they go. They live in a country of stress and turmoil. Muslims are killing themselves, they want to die for their religion and land. The modern Jew and Christian, worships God, but does not want to kill others or die for their religion. As the Bible says Jesus is peace! Jesus is the prince of Peace. Until Jesus comes there will never be peace in the Holy Land, as long as the Muslims are willing to die and fight for their land back. No man, President, or King is going to stop a war against a group who are not afraid to die for Allah.

God punished them for breaking commandment 1 worshipping other gods/idols,

he punished them for something that he first created?

God did not create idols. People created Idols and other religions. God does not control our choices. Do you know how many fallen religions there have been? From the gods of the Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians they all had religions, which today are just a part of the past. People today do not expect to go heaven from King Zeus. Remember Adam and Eve their choice was to sin, thereforeeee spreading in all mans genes/DNA the nature to sin. God did not tell people to build a golden calf and represent that calf as him. I would also be insulted if people built a cow and said it was to worship me.

The Bible only accepts one man having one wife. All the men in the Bible who had more than one wife suffered.
how does this act upon divorce then?

Divorce can be pointed to men and woman not following God's Laws. There would be less divorces, If men and women did not lust in their hearts, look at porn, go to strip clubs, buy sex on the street corner. Many people think the grass will be greener on the other side, but the new relationship falls into the same routine as the old one. If men and women would get to know each other better before marriage instead of fornicating, and instead of basing a relationship on sex, then maybe marriages would last longer. Many people get married because while dating their relationship was based just on sex, instead of character traits.

Then when they get married and the sex slows down some go out and cheat. Many marriages end because of adultery. Adultery is a sin based of selfishness, pride, and greed. You want to be with a person who you know will be there for you through thick and thin. Not a person who will leave you as soon as the next best thing walks by. If men and woman managed their money better, and followed Gods laws about work, and ethics. That would save marriages as well. Studies shows that couples who go the church have a better marriage than those who do not. Men and Women will know that marriage is a covenant, that takes a lot of work, it is not something that you just give up on when you hit a rocky spot. Most marriages end because of money problems and adultery.

In Malachi 2:10-16, it speaks about divorce and why so many 2nd marriages fail. Men try to "do right" by the second wife, but they are not successful. The men wonder why things are not going their way, God tells them it is because you sinned by leaving( commiting adultery on) your first wife. God Hates Divorce, and in Malachi 2:10-16 he says that he speaks for the first wife, when the marriage with the second wife fails. A relationship derived in sin ( adultery- cheating), on the most part does not last.

Jeus says, if divorce cannot be helped, except for extreme reasons like abuse, or excessive adultery, then it is best to stay together. Divorce breaks up families. When one of the parents is gone, then the house hold makes less money leadin to poverty. The children are often misguided by peers, because the other parents has to work and spends less time with the child who is exposed to peer presure. The children then results to crime which is sin. Children are often hurt because of divorce, they are in therapy as adults trying to figure out what went wrong in their childhood.

A good example of this is all the sad stories you see in 3rd world countries. It breaks my heart, I pray for a better life for those people often. Many men there have many wifes, and make lots of children that they do not take care of. The country then is just filled with children without fathers to love them. They live in poverty, because their are too many children and not enough parents to raise them. However, their are some children who have both parents, and they tend to do better in life, than the ones who do not. God made the family to be a unit. when you break that family unit , you expose the children to sin. The only cause for divorce in the Bible, that Jesus permits is abuse , when a person keeps committing adultery, and the couple has tried to work on their marriage for a long time.

well said but i dont believe that the majority of us need religion to believe this its something that comes to mind in the belief or rights and what is essentially right or wrong.

Quote:

Well the religion of Islam makes it ok to kill people in the name of Allah. Is that right? Religion is about salvation. You cannot prove that God exsist and YOU ALSO cannot prove that he does not exsist. It is hard to believe that all the things in this world just came out of no where. All the laws of science, mathmatics, and nature where not made by someone. How do you explain things that cannot be explained. How do you explain people with terminal illness who live when doctors and science tell them they are going to die. Not everything can be explained. Salvation or Heaven is the goal of most, if most do not want to be there then they do not need to believe.

The Bible was written from the beginning of time to the end
did i miss someting or is it yet to be the end of time? how does this work, i would like to understand this.

Yes, It is not the end yet. The Bible is about PROPHECY WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE. The Bible is written from creation from what will happen to when the world ends. It is not the end of time, we are still here. It is like if I wrote book about today, and then wrote then last chapter about what will happen 10,000 years from now. The Bible is like that what is written in the book of Revelation is about the future. That book is about what will happen at the end of the world.

Just like stars only have a certain life span when they die, they stop giving light. When the Sun reaches its point when it is ready to die it will stop giving light. When the end of the world happens what is written in the Book of Revelation will happen. Even thought Revelation was written in 95 A.D, it is about the future. Just as Jesus Christ was written about 1,500 years before he was born. This book Revelation is about the future. Revelation could be written for the year 2150. No one knows when it is written for.

later on you go to say how he kicked satan out well through other aspects i here this also and its all about being kicked out, is there no such thing as a second chance, i mean he watched them rebel? was that right? where were they going to go what were they going to do, to rebel was to regain strength he must have noticed what and where this action was going to take him.

Lucifer (Satan/Devil) wanted to be in control he wanted to have more power than God. He was selfish greedy and full of pride. I am sure God gave him a chance, but Lucifer said " I would rather rule in Hell than the serve God". If Lucifer and his rebel angels won the battle, I am sure Lucifer promised them some type of great postion in his new kingdom. Lucifer was arrogant, no one can over come God's will.

After God kicked Lucifer and the other angels out of Heaven, they had no where to go but Hell and Earth. Lucifer and his demons roam the earth trying to tempt people to sin. He tells them it is ok to be a part of pagan religions. It is ok to have sex with as many people as you want, it is ok to do drugs, murder, steal , lie. Satan feel like, a little bit of these things will not hurt you, but it does. When you are a part of a pagan religion you lose your salvation and your soul belongs Satan at death. When you sleep around you may get an STD, condoms are not 100% safe. When you do drugs you become addicted and you are living for getting a high instead of living a healthly life. One little lie may turn into many huge lies! The Bibles says when a person lies to much, they will start believing their lies. Just the way a murder lies to themself so much it gets to a point where they do not think they killed someone.

you also commented on lieing, is it not so that we all lie meaning no harm?
and arent we all lost sheep at some point?
how can you prove that you will have a longer time than you will do on earth i mean this is what we have to live by we are here now what happens if you loose all oppotunities and waste this life on nothing to come? what will you gain?

ALL PEOPLE SIN, there is no stopping that. That is why we are saved by grace and faith not by are deeds, because all have sinned.

I have a wonderful blessed life, I am not loosing out on any thing. My family has been blessed. I do everything that I want to do. I have a wonderful career, family, and friends. I am blessed to have more than the average person due to hard work and faith. There is nothing that I am missing out on. Being a Christian does not make you loose out in life. If you mean loose out from secular things such as by sleeping around, that is not missing out. I will also be missing out on HIV and an unwanted baby, by following Gods laws there is nothing wrong with that. Those are things I do not want, but living in sin can cause a person to get these things.

I have gained many blessings. Life does not pass you by just because you spend 1 hour in church, and maybe 2 hour reading a Bible every week. I still do all the things I love to do. Shopping, cooking, going on vacations, sking, and parties have nothing to do with religion. God never said you cannot have fun, and enjoy life!! Life without sin can be fun. Christian probally have more fun than anyone, because we receive the love and blessings from God. Have you noticed all the lottery winners have been Christians, even a nun has won!! Life passes you by when you let it , it has nothing to do with religion.

The question YOU should be asking is what will I miss If I am not a Christian and this religion is TRUE? If God is not real I do not miss out on anything, I still lived a good happy life and I die, R.I.P. However if God IS REAL, and you are a Buddhist or in some other false religion, when you heard the Christian doctrine and you DIE, you will go to hell for you unbelief. Sorry to sound so harsh but it is true, there is no point in beating around the bush. It is that simple. On Judgement Day you will believe, all will be bowned down before Jesus.

but is it black and white only i found grey patches where i got lost?
please dont take any of this wrong, im doing the same as you testing the religion before knowing its true. i need to be abl to understand all aspects. ok?

It is your job to find the truth. I wish you luck. Most people are lost searching to fill their souls. They try to fill it with sex, drugs, alcohol, but what they really need is God. Many people do not know Gods words, because they are searching for something that is easy. They want the quick fix. Anything worth having is working for. If all religions are based on faith, I would bet on the one that has historical prophecy facts to back it up.

Many find the Bible Hard to read and understand. The Best Bibles to buy are ones that are written in modern English. You can also buy an King James version Bible at the Dollar Store! So if you can buy a Bible for a dollar there are no excuses to not try! Do you own a Bible Kel? I have a Life Application Study Bible, New International Version, that I got for 25$ at Wal-Mart. It has maps, graphs, charts, timelines, personality profiles, and definitions. It is one of the best Bibles on the market. There are 1,000's of different kinds of Bibles for different needs. I hope you find the Holy Spirit and your salvation. I will pray that God speaks to your heart to show you the truth.

thankyou genesis for bringing all the other factors up within your post they are very enlightening.
kel

You are welcome, God Bless

Genesis

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