A few problems I have with Christianity.

[Sushimaru]

I have some problems with Christianity, which is why I'm unsure of God's existance. I'll ask some questions, get these ironed out, and hopefully I can make a decision. Keep in mind I'm only 16, so go easy on me

1. Does a good person go to hell if they don't accept God? It seems very unjust for a criminal to pray for forgiveness and go to heaven, while a good person goes to hell if they don't.

2. Why do Christians believe animals don't have souls? Just because humans are more intelligent and have an understanding of God? What if aliens are discovered, who are more intelligent and have a better understanding of God? Do we no longer have souls then?

3. Was God once evil? In the old testament he caused much death and suffering, more than any human (obviously more creation, too). How can God be all loving, caring and forgiving if he was capable of such atrocities?

4. Why is God typically a white male? Shouldn't God - who is loving of everyone, and inspires love and tolerance in everyone for everyone - be gender-less and race-less?

5. What is a miracle? A highly unlikely event caused by God, or an impossible event caused by God?

6. Why would God - who is loving, and also responsible for everything that ever has or ever will exist - create hell, or sins that lure people into hell? It sounds twisted.

7. Why do Christians believe the Bible? How do they know that it truly contains God's words, if the quill holder was a sinful man?

Those are some of the questions and concerns I have. I may have more later. Please understand that I am not hating, these are genuine questions that I wish to be answered peacefully and intelligently. I very much want God to be real, but I even more so want the truth. Also, please no "You just have to accept your lord Jesus Christ, and you'll know the truth". How can I accept him if I don't fully believe in him?

Thank you to who ever takes the time to answer my questions Peace.

 

[Simona25]

Hi,

1. What is a good person for you?

2. I believe animals have soul. I just don`t reduce the humans to the category of 'animated beings'; since God created us with His bare hands (unlike the rest of the creation) and since He incarnated in Jesus Christ (so He took a human shape), I believe that humans are the crowning of God`s creation and have intrinsic value.

3. God punishes the sin, the evil.

4. God is the Saint Trinity. Only God - the Son can be painted in icons, because only He incarnated. Since Jesus Christ (God) has a human and historical dimension apart his divine one, we can aproximatively know the colour of his skin. In the byzantine icons, He`s skin in not very white; the byzantine icons don`t portray Jesus Christ in a realistic way.

5. You are a miracle.

6. Do you agree with prisons? Is it just and fair that there are prisons?

7. I believe in the Bible because it is the only book (or, better said, the only books) that talks about a personal and real relation between God and the people and it is very actual. Also, there is not just one 'quill holder', but many; and they lived in different places and in different times.

 

[Sponge_Bob]

Believing in God requires belief. Understanding God requires belief. You being convinced that God exists requires belief. Without belief in God how can you ever be convinced He exists?

 

[Simona25]

Keep in mind I'm only 16, so go easy on me

4. Why is God typically a white male? Shouldn't God - who is loving of everyone, and inspires love and tolerance in everyone for everyone - be gender-less and race-less?

Wow...When I first answered this question I only read the beggining and only now I see ... that.
My friend, I unerstand that you are only 16 years old, but this is the most close-minded and narrow understanding of God that I ever encountered... we don`t know what God is; when He revealed to Moses on the mount Sinai, He said "I am that I am". So, God is a mystery to us. He incarnated the human nature and took the hypostatys of the man Jesus Christ, but that`s another thing.

 

[Sushimaru]

Hi,

1. What is a good person for you?

2. I believe animals have soul. I just don`t reduce the humans to the category of 'animated beings'; since God created us with His bare hands (unlike the rest of the creation) and since He incarnated in Jesus Christ (so He took a human shape), I believe that humans are the crowning of God`s creation and have intrinsic value.

3. God punishes the sin, the evil.

4. God is the Saint Trinity. Only God - the Son can be painted in icons, because only He incarnated. Since Jesus Christ (God) has a human and historical dimension apart his divine one, we can aproximatively know the colour of his skin. In the byzantine icons, He`s skin in not very white; the byzantine icons don`t portray Jesus Christ in a realistic way.

5. You are a miracle.

6. Do you agree with prisons? Is it just and fair that there are prisons?

7. I believe in the Bible because it is the only book (or, better said, the only books) that talks about a personal and real relation between God and the people and it is very actual. Also, there is not just one 'quill holder', but many; and they lived in different places and in different times.

Thank you for your reply, Simona.

1. A good person, in my opinion, is someone who is kind, compassionate and giving, all unconditionally. How can a person like this suffer eternal damnation for refusing to believe in something irrational?

2. It would be very arrogant to assume that we are the only intelligent creatures in the universe. The are many garden planets in the observable universe, that are capable of sustaining life. Are these possible beings lesser because God hasn't made them in his image? It would be very self-centered to think we are the only divine beings.

3. That is not true. In the Old Testament God punished both sin, AND his children very brutally. He ordered that people be flogged and executed, he condoned rape and slavery, and even encouraged it. He also ordered that parents murder their unruly children. That is not a loving God, that is pure evil and it makes me sick just thinking about it.

4. (This is also a response to your second post, but I cannot quote it directly as I am on the mobile site) God is always reffered to as a 'he', and that 'he' is our father. I'll leave race out of this, as those lines are a bit more blurry, and people have very different ideas of what God is and what he looks like. But there is no denying that God is always represented as a male in traditional Christianity. There should be a different word for reffering to God that isn't gender based, one that doesn't assert that men are superior, and one that doesn't inspire sexism and discrimination.

5. Aw, stop it, you

6. Yes, I agree prisons are an absolute necessity. I don't, however, think that the prison warden creating criminals from thin air to fill his prison, is right or beneficial in any way. Also, criminals don't go to jail forever. Sinners go to hell forever. You must remember that infinitely punishing someone for a finite crime, is infinitely unjust.

7. So if more books were written about the personal relation between God and humans, you'd stop believing in the Bible? You shouldn't accept something as truth just because it's the only thing that's there. And I meant the 'quill holder' thing hypothetically, I understand that there wasn't only one writer. But a book that is written by flawed humans cannot be perfect.

 

[Sushimaru]

Believing in God requires belief. Understanding God requires belief. You being convinced that God exists requires belief. Without belief in God how can you ever be convinced He exists?

Like I said in my original post, saying this is pointless. It helps nothing. I refuse to accept a God who would send me to hell for not thinking irrationally, if that's who he is.

 

[Nautilus]

is australia really that boring that this is what 16 year olds do for fun? Or do you just not have any friends?

 

[Sushimaru]

is australia really that boring that this is what 16 year olds do for fun? Or do you just not have any friends?

Excuse me? This is supposed to be a civil and peaceful discussion, you don't belong here. Your post has absolutely nothing to do with this thread. First of all, last I checked, what 16 year olds do for fun is do drugs and party. If more teens were asking the questions that matter this world would be a better place. You're the most immature person I've encountered on this fine website, which is funny since you are bashing me for my young age. Grow up or get out.

 

[myfriendtiny]

Okay Sushimaru. I don't think that you have to go to hell if you don't belive in God. God is not evil, He punished because the people would not listen to what was asked of them . I really don't know the answer to your other questions. I am very sorry if this is not what you are looking for. The Bible talks about animals in heaven so I do not know if they have a soul ot not.

 

[Richie_2uk]

We are all sinners, no matter what, even if you are a good person, you are still sinners, but the difference is, that an unsaved person, whether he/she is good or not, they don't have Jesus in there hearts. Plus Jesus is all forgiving, so if a bad person decides to stop being bad and ask God to come into his/her life? and ask for forgiveness, and means it, God is going to do that.
you remember when Jesus Died at the cross and that thief asked Jesus to remember him? and Jesus replied today you will be in paradise? that explains how forgiving Jesus is. However, even if you have been good all your life, you are still a sinner, and if you are not saved, Or Christian, or born again, then you wont see heaven, and be forgiven.

As for animals, they have a soul, but not the kind we have, they can make desicions to ask for forgiveness, or worship God, as they were created for us, to take care of them. were as our soul, we can have that choice to be close to God, we can make choices at our free will, we can worship God, we can have that direct contact with our creator. were as an animal, they can do that. so that make us more highly inteligent.

god is an all loving God, he is just and righteous. What he allowed to happen in the old testament, was to save his people, those who believed and worshiped him. He is not an evil God, as evil will not be a home in heaven. hence why God kicked Lucifer now called Satan, out of heaven. God is the creator of us, he can give and take away at his own will. you are against him or with him?

 

[Sushimaru]

Okay Sushimaru. I don't think that you have to go to hell if you don't belive in God. God is not evil, He punished because the people would not listen to what was asked of them . I really don't know the answer to your other questions. I am very sorry if this is not what you are looking for. The Bible talks about animals in heaven so I do not know if they have a soul ot not.

Thank you for the post. I thought that you had to believe in God to go to heaven. That you have to pray to Jesus to forgive you for your sins, otherwise you'll die a sinner and go to hell.

 

[Simona25]

1. A good person, in my opinion, is someone who is kind, compassionate and giving, all unconditionally. How can a person like this suffer eternal damnation for refusing to believe in something irrational?

We are called by God to become ontologically good persons, to renew our own being (feeling compassion is normal, is nothing extraordinary about it, we are humans, not beast, but we are asked to be more than that; God embraced the human nature (trough incarnation) so that we, in return, can become Godlike (by allowing Jesus Christ in our hearts). You don`t 'buy' Heaven with good works; we don`t make business with God.

2. It would be very arrogant to assume that we are the only intelligent creatures in the universe. The are many garden planets in the observable universe, that are capable of sustaining life. Are these possible beings lesser because God hasn't made them in his image? It would be very self-centered to think we are the only divine beings.

Interesting that in your previous response you find believing in God 'irrational', but you don`t find irrational believing in a higher intelligence (which is like believing in God)... am I missing something?

3. That is not true. In the Old Testament God punished both sin, AND his children very brutally. He ordered that people be flogged and executed, he condoned rape and slavery, and even encouraged it. He also ordered that parents murder their unruly children. That is not a loving God, that is pure evil and it makes me sick just thinking about it.

Why do I keep on hearing this lie about God condoning rape?
Anyway, God punishes so that people weak up from their sleep of ignorance and so they change their ways.
I am not the best person to guide you to understand the OT. Maybe someone else will explain you. Sorry.

4. (This is also a response to your second post, but I cannot quote it directly as I am on the mobile site) God is always reffered to as a 'he', and that 'he' is our father. I'll leave race out of this, as those lines are a bit more blurry, and people have very different ideas of what God is and what he looks like. But there is no denying that God is always represented as a male in traditional Christianity. There should be a different word for reffering to God that isn't gender based, one that doesn't assert that men are superior, and one that doesn't inspire sexism and discrimination.

There are no pictural representations of God the Father (at least, not in my church); the only icon that revolutionaried the byzantin tradition was that of the Saint Trinity (painted by the russian monk Andrei Rubliov) which is represented by three young men (the Saint Trinity under the image of three angels) that came in the house of Abraham. The church had to make a reunion in order to decide whether such representation of God is permitted or not. If God sais about himself "I am that I am" or "I am the alpha and the omega" etc., than how could you possibly represent that? This is why God forbidden people to make idols from the sky (like stars, moon) or from below, because people have no idea what God is.

People weren`t that hysterical (and also weren`t familiar with the political correctness) back then and weren`t insulted by words like "father" or "he" in order to refer to God. And I am not talking only about the jews, but I am talking about the common archaical religious man that had much more important things to do than a profane modern man who moves in a pointless, industrialised society and asks insolently God "why are you who you are and not who I want you to be?".

5. Aw, stop it, you

I said it as a challenge, not as a flattery. Life is a miracle. Think about that.

6. Yes, I agree prisons are an absolute necessity. I don't, however, think that the prison warden creating criminals from thin air to fill his prison, is right or beneficial in any way. Also, criminals don't go to jail forever. Sinners go to hell forever. You must remember that infinitely punishing someone for a finite crime, is infinitely unjust.

The man, from the most ancient times, knew that this earthly life is only shadow and dream and was struggling to place himself into the real life, the ultimate reality (which the profane man fails to aknowledge and it should be no wonder for anyone, that the profane man will get exactly what he is getting himself into: the hell of non-sense, chaos and frustration). In christianity, Hell is a consequence of Lucifer`s rebellion aganist God. People create their own prisons when they refuse to open their eyes and hearts to God (the truth).

7. So if more books were written about the personal relation between God and humans, you'd stop believing in the Bible? You shouldn't accept something as truth just because it's the only thing that's there. And I meant the 'quill holder' thing hypothetically, I understand that there wasn't only one writer. But a book that is written by flawed humans cannot be perfect.

Well, that`s the point; there is no other sacred book that talks about the relation between God and people.
Also, the authors of the Bible may not have been perfect, like you say, but they have been inspired by the Holy Spirit; they write about things that God revealed to them (truths that they could have never penetrate with their carnal minds if it wasn`t God that spoke to them and through them).

 

[myfriendtiny]

At least I don't think so. Because their have been lots of people that went to heaven that truley believed in God.

Thank you for the post. I thought that you had to believe in God to go to heaven. That you have to pray to Jesus to forgive you for your sins, otherwise you'll die a sinner and go to hell.

 

[Richie_2uk]

Thank you for the post. I thought that you had to believe in God to go to heaven. That you have to pray to Jesus to forgive you for your sins, otherwise you'll die a sinner and go to hell.

Hell is a place for Satan and his followers. If you do want to go to heaven, if you do want to be forgiven, and if you do want to believe? that's all God asks of you. You do have to believe, you do have to ask God for forgiveness, and most important, you do have to believe. thats if you want to be saved? the choice is there for everyone. if you don't then im sorry for the outcome of God judgment on you and the world. But you remind me of a child when its fussy about eating food, no no i dont like that, yet the child has yet not tried it, how can a child know they dont like something if they not tried it? so I'm adapting that question to you? For you to get all the answers to your question, Try trusting God enough to ask him, Hence the scripture Matthew 7: 7. Try believing in God, your eyes will open more wider than your disbelief.

 

[myfriendtiny]

I didn't think that you had to fully belive in God to go to heaven .

Hell is a place for Satan and his followers. If you do want to go to heaven, if you do want to be forgiven, and if you do want to believe? that's all God asks of you. You do have to believe, you do have to ask God for forgiveness, and most important, you do have to believe. thats if you want to be saved? the choice is there for everyone. if you don't then im sorry for the outcome of God judgment on you and the world. But you remind me of a child when its fussy about eating food, no no i dont like that, yet the child has yet not tried it, how can a child know they dont like something if they not tried it? so I'm adapting that question to you? For you to get all the answers to your question, Try trusting God enough to ask him, Hence the scripture Matthew 7: 7. Try believing in God, your eyes will open more wider than your disbelief.

 

[Richie_2uk]

I didn't think that you had to fully belive in God to go to heaven .

Whats better to say? is it better to believe in faith? or have faith to believe? Jesus says,

John 5:24
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

and the very famous verse many would of heard. is:

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

just a few quotes.

 

[wwjd_kilden]

Do good people go to hell?
- Hell was made for the devil, as stated before
- Good by whose definition? Yours? Mine? That of a saint? That of a serial killer?

Animals having souls?
The bible says man was made in Gods image. It does not say this about animals. The bible is clear though, that God cares for and sustains all creation.

God being evil?
- Again: Who is to make the definition of good and evil?
- I disagree with much of what happened in the OT, but that does not have to mean God is evil. He made us, he can end us.

God being male?
God is spirit, the bible is clear on this.

Why make hell?
As said, it was made for the devil

Trusting the bible?
Do you trust your history and science books to tell you the truth? If not, how do you know that the ideas you hold are true?

 

[myfriendtiny]

YES, I but still do you have to befully christian to be able to go to heaven? that is something i don't think that you have to be a full christian to go to heaven.

Whats better to say? is it better to believe in faith? or have faith to believe? Jesus says,

John 5:24
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

and the very famous verse many would of heard. is:

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

just a few quotes.

 

[Sushimaru]

We are all sinners, no matter what, even if you are a good person, you are still sinners, but the difference is, that an unsaved person, whether he/she is good or not, they don't have Jesus in there hearts. Plus Jesus is all forgiving, so if a bad person decides to stop being bad and ask God to come into his/her life? and ask for forgiveness, and means it, God is going to do that.
you remember when Jesus Died at the cross and that thief asked Jesus to remember him? and Jesus replied today you will be in paradise? that explains how forgiving Jesus is. However, even if you have been good all your life, you are still a sinner, and if you are not saved, Or Christian, or born again, then you wont see heaven, and be forgiven.
As for animals, they have a soul, but not the kind we have, they can make desicions to ask for forgiveness, or worship God, as they were created for us, to take care of them. were as our soul, we can have that choice to be close to God, we can make choices at our free will, we can worship God, we can have that direct contact with our creator. were as an animal, they can do that. so that make us more highly inteligent.

god is an all loving God, he is just and righteous. What he allowed to happen in the old testament, was to save his people, those who believed and worshiped him. He is not an evil God, as evil will not be a home in heaven. hence why God kicked Lucifer now called Satan, out of heaven. God is the creator of us, he can give and take away at his own will. you are against him or with him?

Thank you for your post, I appreciate it.

I am unsure. I wan't to be convinced that there is a God, as that would be wonderful. But if it's untrue I do not want to live my life in delusion.

So if I understood your post correctly, you're saying that it doesn't matter how good or bad of a person you are, as long as you pray to Jesus for forgiveness in the end? That a person who gives to charity lives a wonderfully gracious life, is actually a terrible sinner, and will spend an eternity burning in hell? It seems so very wrong to me. That asking Jesus for forgiveness (and genuinely meaning it)is the only thing that truly matters, and everything else ultimately doesn't.

As for the animals, you say that they were made for us to care for them. What humans are actually doing is butchering over 50 billion (no exaggeration) every year. And I suppose none of that adds up to a single human life?

 

[myfriendtiny]

There is a God. That is the only way you made to this place that you are at now. Yes God will forgive any thing that you have done no matter what you have done Jesus has such a forgiving spirit you just have to ask and you will recieve.
[h=3]Matthew 7:7[/h]
[h=3]Ask, Seek, Knock[/h][SUP]7 [/SUP]“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

Thank you for your post, I appreciate it.

I am unsure. I wan't to be convinced that there is a God, as that would be wonderful. But if it's untrue I do not want to live my life in delusion.

So if I understood your post correctly, you're saying that it doesn't matter how good or bad of a person you are, as long as you pray to Jesus for forgiveness in the end? That a person who gives to charity lives a wonderfully gracious life, is actually a terrible sinner, and will spend an eternity burning in hell? It seems so very wrong to me. That asking Jesus for forgiveness (and genuinely meaning it)is the only thing that truly matters, and everything else ultimately doesn't.

As for the animals, you say that they were made for us to care for them. What humans are actually doing is butchering over 50 billion (no exaggeration) every year. And I suppose none of that adds up to a single human life?