I am writing this letter to you not to argue your point against mine but to let you know that it is so sad that people argue about their beliefs instead of just letting God’s love flow thru them to those who don’t believe. I do not believe in your theory, but I would like to tell you about my experience with God. Jesus loves you Bobby. It is sad that there are many people out there who believe in God/Jesus, but do not have a personal relationship with Him. It is sad that we have to get called names and cursed when we express our beliefs.
I John 1:5-10 – This is the message which we have heard from Him (God) and decare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him (God), and walk in darkness, we lie an do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we hae fellowhsiop with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
I am a 36 year old female that believes in God the father, Jesus the son, and the Holy Spirit. I do believe that the Holy Bible is the inspired word of God. I asked Jesus to come into my heart and save me at the age of 7 and I have never regretted that decision. No one made me make that decision, it was my own decision. The fact is that I don’t just say a prayer to God at bedtime or when I need help with a problem, BUT I daily talk to Him in prayer and read the Bible. God speaks to us through the Bible. The problem is, there are so many people in this world that think because they go to church on Sunday or they say a prayer at bedtime that this makes them a christian. I am not a judge and only God knows their heart and if their name is written in the Book of Life (Revelations 21:27 ). If you only talk to your parents/spouse at bedtime, then do you have a relationship with them? Jesus is my spiritual Father and I love those times that I spend with Him. The fact is that God created the world, this includes the universe as well, God created all living things. God created man to praise Him. Adam and Eve sinned when they disobeyed God. If you have kids, do you punish them when they disobey? God punished them by throwing them out of the Garden of Eden, a perfect place where the lamb and lion would lie together. I believe everything the Bible says. God sent Jesus to die on the cross for everyone because HE LOVES EVERYONE!! Jesus loves you, Bobby. Jesus was mocked and beat and died on the cross for you and me. (Hebrews 7:22-28) Now we have the freewill to choose of deny God, we no longer have to offer sacrifices for our sins. This is Grace. God forgives us of our sin when we ask and repent. God is a god of love and mercy. God doesn’t want anyone to go to hell, but he has given us the freewill to choose. He isn’t going to make us serve Him. I know and believe that Jesus is real and I believe that one day He will blow a trumpet and those that are saved will rise to meet Him. I believe that there is a place that He has prepared for the saved called Heaven. I cannot wait to bow before my Lord and Savior and thank Him for all that He has done for me. Does He speak to me in an audible voice? No, but He does answer my prayers.
So what do I get out of believing in Jesus? I get a peace and joy that is unexplainable. Do I have trials and problems? yes, I do, but because I have Peace that only comes from Jesus and Joy that is unspeakable, and I have Jesus that I can talk to about anything anytime, I can make it through those problems. God is so awesome. I am a sinner saved by grace, the grace of God and I would die for it. If I were asked to deny Jesus or die, I would die. That is how much I believe in Him. He is so precious to me.
So why does God not like sin? He is my Heavenly Father and as my earthly father doesn’t want me to do things that are wrong because they hurt me or are bad for me, that is why Jesus doesn’t like sin and wants us to flee from it.
Do I believe in Hell? Yes.
Do I believe in Satan/Devil? Yes. He is like a roaring lion, seeking whom he can devour. He hates God and therefore, we are in constant spiritual battle because Satan likes to remind me of my past, but with God’s help and the scriptures from God’s Holy Word, I can keep him away. (1 Peter 5:6-7). Satan will be cast into Hell. Hell is not a fun place, it is a place of torment and gnashing of teeth, and I will be so sad for those who refused to believe and go there. (Revelations 20:10, 15) The way I look at it is this way:
If I am wrong and God is not real and there is no Heaven or Hell and I have spent my life believing in it, then I have lost nothing.
BUT, If I am right (and I believe I am) and you are wrong and don’t believe in Jesus , then you have everything to loose. It will be a sad day for you and all of those people you have worked so hard to be against Jesus. (Revelations 21:7-8)
Please, if you have any questions, or if you want to know more about what I believe, email me. You have the right to believe whatever you want, but wanted to let you know why I believe in Jesus.
In Jesus love and service,
Sherry
Sherry, I don’t believe in Jesus. To me the bible is a silly fantasy-book, not even a very consistent one at that. I’d feel a lot happier if folks would stop telling me someone called jesus and/or god has a personal relationship with them and they love me because of that.
*
Oh and that last part is a very calculating thing to do. I think I’ll take my chances (haha) and keep on not believing in your god. If there are only preaching I-know-i-am-rights-and-therefore-you-should-listen-to-me’s around i’d rather not join you there Sherry.
*
Oh and PLEASE stop qouting pieces of the bible. As if that proves anything. It doesnt.
It’s quite simple to explain our beliefs, really. If all the available evidence we have is correct, well, it is we athiests, agnostics and secular humanists who have lost nothing.
.
If however, against all probability (long list of the self-contradicting arguments against Yahweh can be found all over the place, I like the Annotated Skeptic’s Bible, myself) we are wrong, then what have we lost? We used our own eyes, our own ears, and most importantly our own brains to construct how WE viewed the world. We didn’t blindly follow some preacher, but made our own minds up.
.
I would also like to add in at this point, that given the many varied religions out there, simple probability dictates that if one human belief system is correct, it is unlikely to be yours. Even if you weigh the probability of you having the correct faith with the number of current adherents around the world, again, a simple statistical test would indicate it more likely to be incorrect than correct.
.
By logical process, the existance of an Abrahamic god (as popularily conceived) is impossible. If some other form of god exists, and assuming it is a rational & compassionate being, and above all, assuming we don’t just end when we die, then surely that god would accept why we behaved as we did. If it is an unreasonable being, then what point is there even trying?
.
So, in terms of the Final Outcome, it is win-win for the athiest & co. We are either faced with a rational god, who can understand our decision, or an irrational one, in which case we would be screwed anyway. So, when you get right down to it, the only deciding factor in whether or not to worship, is how we live our life.
.
So, let’s look at some of the outcomes shall we?
.
Well let’s have your religion first. You can argue that you have unified cultures, provided the source of authority with which to weld together disparate tribes under a single banner.
.
I could just as easily counter with examples where it has done the opposite. The Crusades, responisble for the militarization of what was previously one of the most scientifically and mathematically advanced culture of its time, the fallout from which we experience to this very day. Or where it has lead to the victimisation of homsexuals, firebombing of abortion clinics, such charmng little cults as the Westboro Baptists (of God Hates Fags fame), and far far more.
.
You could argue it leads people to do great things, and would point to figures such as Mother Teresa, or even Christ himself.
.
Again, I should have to point no further than the crusades, but that only scratches the surface. How about the elimination of much of the histories and traditions of the aboriginal peoples of Australia? Or of the Americas? How about the current debacle in Africa and South East Asia, where the lobbying of religious groups is preventing the effective use of international aid to fight the HIV epidemic? Until recently, they wouldn’t allow ANY treatment, now they are trying to push a method proven scientifically to be inferior (abstinence) to condom promotion.
.
You could say it provides hope to the masses.
.
How about the untold psychological damage it does to guilty teens? Ask around here at venganza, there are several ex-catholics, and those of other denominations, who can and will testify to this. How many have languished in guilt because they felt they did not, COULD NOT measure up to your god? How about those poor homosexuals who believe they are doomed no matter what they do, for acting as god made them?
.
.
… and so it would go on. As the church is supposed to be god’s representitave on Earth, god is ultimately responsible. Just as Saddam may not have pulled the trigger, or pushed the button, yet was still held accountable for the evil done in his name, so is your god. Your god is accountable, and it is for this reason I could not worship him, nor even justify his existence.
.
.
I will not deny that faith has been responsible for some good. However, this is far outweighed by all the harm it has caused.
.
Simply put, god doesn’t love us. If he did, he wouldn’t have given us religion. As your god is held to be a loving one, he logically cannot exist in the manner as he is held. Hence, god, as you believe in him cannot exist. Quod erat demonstrandum, your god does not exist.
.
.
This is what I believe. I know it won’t change your mind, just as what you spout will not change mine, but that is my justification. IF I die, and arrive at the pearly gates, that will be my argument.
Btw, @ Bobby, what is her email? I would like to send that to her, or at the very least have you do it for me (in which case, sign it by me, I want to talk to her if she comes back).
.
Help would be mucho appreciated.
RAmen Jingles…eloquent and focused as always.
.
@Sherry
“It is sad that there are many people out there who believe in God/Jesus”
Yes I have to agree with you there.
RAmen
Hi Sherry!
You poor deluded fool. I am sure you DO feel better having your God there all the time to double check what you are doing and tell you if it is right or not – most people call that “Conscience” though – everybody has it – not just the “saved”. We just call it something different.
So…you believe the Bible huh? Nice book – have you read all the nasty bits about giving your daughters up to be raped and leaving girls outside to die after they’ve been raped? Oh, and all the stuff about if a girl is raped in the City she should be put to death, but not if she is in the country – and there’s loads of stuff about how women are virtually worthless too.
And the dashing kids against the rocks bit is particularly nice.
Your nice caring “Father” openly admits he is a “jealous God” and boy, doesn’t he show it!
He’s a nasty piece of work if you ask me, and I believe he is a product of an emerging civilisation trying to understand the world, elay fears of death (that bit works well, huh?) and control the population.
Nice one – carry on by all means, but don’t expect us to fall for your fairy tales!
“I asked Jesus to come into my heart and save me at the age of 7 and I have never regretted that decision. No one made me make that decision, it was my own decision.”
.
How is it that you were aware of Jesus at the age of seven? Did he appear, introduce himself and lay out his philosophy to you personally?
I wonder how much Sherry pays to be saved? I’ve heard the going rate for the average range of “saved” is 10%, directly debited from ones pay packet weekly.
Then again, at 36 after all that dedication, maybe Sherry gets paid to “save” others.
Care to share some of that info Sherry?
Jingles, your argument is well put and I wholly respect your beliefs However, I feel like I should attempt to speak up for the reasonable side of religion.
I have had many deep, spiritual experiences in my life. Some of them in church, others in a monastery, others with my lover, others simply driving down the road in my Jeep. Each time I felt a strong sense of connection to something greater than myself… something I would call the Divine. I don’t believe those experiences were contrived or synthesized in any way, so I believe that there is truly something more to this world than we can understand with our five senses.
I don’t necessarily believe that I’m made in this presence’s image or that it’s even conscious (in fact I’m rather sure it’s not). However, I do believe that the goal of every religion should be to get closer to that Divine sense, to come closer to it and let it transform you into a better person in this lifetime. After all, no one has ever been dead and back to tell us what happens, so I consider what we do here all that really matters.
I am a religious pluralist. However, I keep close the principle stated above that EVERYTHING you do in the name of religion must be aimed to bring you closer to the Divine. No religion is completely perfect, but in this way I sift out the good from the bad religions, as well as the good from the bad stuff within good religions.
Does believing that women are unequal to men bring you closer to the Divine? I’d say not. Does believing that homosexuality is wrong bring you closer to a personal transformation towards the Divine in this lifetime? Not in my opinion. Does believing in a literal heaven and hell bring you closer in touch with the Divine today? I don’t believe so. Does inflicting suffering on another human being because they believe in different words than you do help you one step closer to the Divine? Nearly certainly not I think.
Does praying erode the distance between you and the Divine? Does singing create another “thin place” between you and that presence? Does studying a text historically, critically, and metaphorically have the potential to guide you closer to the Divine? I firmly believe so.
You see, I believe religion is to spirituality like formal education is to knowledge, it allows us to give traction to ideas through time instead of reinventing the wheel every generation. As such, though I don’t believe any one scripture as literal truth, I call myself a very spiritual and religious person.