Question for Christians?

This question is so broad that it is impossible to answer it here, and that is a fact, not a cop-out.

Very few people come to understand our Creator and what He wants and what He actually has in store for us. Very few. Hopefully, my wife and I are two of the fortunate ones who are coming to know a little bit. The Scriptures call us the Chosen Ones, or the Elect, signifying that this accumulation of knowledge and faith really has nothing to do with us at all, but has to do with God's will.

The challenges you make about the bad things that happen in the Bible are difficult for everyone on several levels. First, it conflicts with their concept of a loving God (Which He IS!). Secondly, they have not studied enough of the OT to understand what the New Testament is really talking about. God's will for all is so evident, and both the New and Old Testaments agree on this:

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 ESV (13) The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. (14) For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

God wants obedience, something that the vast majority of people, and especially most professing Christians have no concept of. God, who defines Himself as love, defines love for Himself in the following manner:

1 John 5:1-3 GNB Whoever believes that Jesus is the Messiah is a child of God; and whoever loves a father loves his child also. (2) This is how we know that we love God's children: it is by loving God and obeying his commands. (3) For our love for God means that we obey his commands. And his commands are not too hard for us,

My human father had rules, and I loved him, but I still messed up a lot and broke his rules. Was I punished? Yes. Did he stop loving me or I him? No. So it is with our Heavenly Father.

2 Peter 3:8-9 KJV But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (9) The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Because of the workings of Satan in sinful men, and the blindness of mankind to the truth of God, there are so many misconceptions about the Truth that it takes years of study and prayer to answer a question such as yours. Perhaps you would like to start. True Christianity is nothing like you think.

Here's a couple places to start. Mind you, the word is "start", not end. There's a lot more out there.

http://www.coghomeschool.org/site/cog_archives/boo...

http://www.cbcg.org/franklin/Who_and_What_Is_a_Tru...

It depends who you talk to. I can't really answer the question unless i know what challenges to the Bible you are referring to. I believe completely in God, not just because i was brought up in the Church but because it just makes sense to me. People read the Bible and try to understand but the truth is we can never fully know. Just like a person can never fully understand how another person feels because they are not that person. No one is 100% sure on everything that happens but if you look at the core beliefs you will find that a life following the Bible or a religion is a good life and a happy life. I have a question for you too, why is it that you feel the need to ask? It seems that athiests are usually bothered by other people's beliefs. Are you trying to understand why people believe? Hope this helped.

Some of the things you mentioned, sexual practices of humans and how to get into heaven are specifically dealt with in the Bible. Regarding things you can and can not eat, based on the New Testament there is no food that is forbidden. Colossians 2:16 "Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath."

When in a discussion regarding Biblical things or the things of God, I am careful to properly refer to chapter and verse as an answer. I do not use "Well, I don't know, it's a mystery." or even express my personal opinion. That is a bogus answer and is a good indicator that the individual has not studied to correctly answer.

I know there is a lot of banter back and forth between Christians and atheists here and I find that healthy. I enjoy a good discussion and exchange of intelligent ideas and views. Some of the problems that atheists have with Christians, churches, denominations etc. I can agree with. The Christian church at times has not done a very good job of performing what Christ asked us to do in the Great Commission. God doesn't need me to defend Him or the Bible. They do not need defending, they can stand on their own. Christ told us to Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

That is what we have been instructed to do. Personally I believe we first need to model Christ and love the ones he sends us to minister to. We are called to be servants (the greek word means slaves}. We should develop relationships with people and serve them. We need to earn the right to speak, not invade their space. We need to take the time to love them.

Matthew 22:36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ 38 “This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 “The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ 40 “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

As Christians very often we are great at receiving God's love and Grace but not very good about sharing it with others. As a Christian, I first must love my neighbor and then share the Gospel.

Do you really want to know?

It's because it's usually too tough of a ministry to only handle the nasty questions atheists want to focus on.

The same way atheists accuse Christians of focusing on the good of the Bible, which is far more prevalent, atheists are bound to only asking questions about things that they find morally deplorable and then clinging to answers they like best, rather than the answers that the Bible professes.

The Bible talks about nasty stuff, like war and murder and rape and slavery. And it reflects on both modern and past cultural times, which means that it is going to have laws and lawful instruction for things that modern people would find entirely unlawful, ignorantly forgetting people of an ancient (and possibly future) time might not be able to see the unlawfulness of such things through their culture and understanding of the world.

It's far easier for a Christian to focus on things that are relevant than to be dragged into pointless discussions that both harm the ministry and focus on concepts that are blatantly taken out of context and /or are completely irrelevant because the elements discussed depend on historical knowledge that atheists do not care to address because their questions are disguised traps.

Answering such drivel doesn't help the ministry. It just creates a chain of circular logic, infuriating Christians who are stuck in a cycle of an atheist claiming that non-Biblical nonsense is the basis of the Bible.

The relevant things are the gospel, the teachings of Jesus and the understanding of the mission that God has assigned.

These are things that most atheists ignore, preferring to demand explanations about talking donkeys and shellfish, miracles and ancient social laws that are kept to teach us lessons and were relevant in different ways in other times.

But you knew that already didn't you?

Did you think I didn't know?

Dear Katherine... it is all available to know in books... all you have to do is read and want to learn. If you have a drive to know God... a person does not let anything deter the process of learning all that is written about God... in ALL subjects. You can read about Ancient Cultures and learn how they conducted their religions... how they approached their God(s) and you can read Archeology books to learn what diggers are finding in buried areas... that show how people who lived centuries ago approached their belief in God... Read the Jewish Bible, The Muslim Bible and the Christian BIble... you can read about Eastern Religions to learn how the Chinese, Japanese, and people in India practice their religions and what they believe about God... YOU LEARN BY READING and then you start thinking like God would think... The "rules" that have been given to us to follow... and if humans are doing so... would God be pleased or not... There is much in all the different religions... and there is a natural moral code... have you ever heard about a "natural moral code?" You need to LEARN... to READ... to SEARCH out KNOWLEDGE about GOD... It is not something that you do like high school and graduate and are finished... IT IS A LIFETIME PROJECT... you never STOP LEARNING and reading and STUDYING... This takes years and that is why it is the older persons who have more knowledge to share and wisdom to offer. This is the one purpose of your life... to get to know all you can learn about God during this life and to live a daily life according to a MORAL CODE... hope this helps...:-)

As a burgeoning Christian I don't ever put it it down to God's will. I don't claim to understand how God thinks, feels and wants. Neither do I know how to get into heaven although i have hope that if i follow the 10 commandments and treat my fellow neighbour the way I want to be treated I just might, I don't know how God feels about our sexual practices of humans or anything else.

Don't put me into a box titled "all you Christians". It's as rabbity and unoriginal as "all those Christians" you keep burbling about.

Humble-Desire, Effort,(Action) Humble-Maturity, (being willing to subjugate oneself to being the lesser, the one who seeks understanding, because of a recognized lack of it.)

These characteristics, are those that open the door to 1.Knowledge, 2. Understanding.

Some evidence is unavailable by text or peer-review, some evidence is only experienced on an individual level.

Personal experience and understanding is the only way to success, so too, personal experience and a desire to understand from humility, is the Only way to find evidence for God.

It's an individual thing, no one can have "personal experiences for another.

How to find completeness and contentment *and know God and his son Jesus Christ, is real without a doubt:

The Instructions:

Dan 10:12

Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.

Chronicles 7:14

if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

.Action:

Be Humble.

Pray

Seek

Turn

The promise for those who do, is God's revealing Spirit.

http://www.deeptruths.com/bible-basics/s%E2%80%A6

Also, here is a Great site that can help you with questions, Bible studies and much more.

( http://www.intouch.org/ )

Hear the Bible taught and learn like you never have before here:

http://www.shepherdschapel.com/

http://www.jesusfilm.org/

A messianic Jew is a Jew that believes that Jesus is the Messiah. Christians and Messianic Jews suppose that Jesus is the Messiah. They are Jews. The factor of view of the anti Messianice Jews is excellent summed up by means of Mark JPAS whilst he stated "it's appropriate to combination a few measure of overseas religious factors with Judaism. The one exception is Christianity, that's seemed to be incompatible with any variety of Jewishness. This is the double normal that's implemented to Christianity despite the fact that Jesus is viewed the Jewish Messiah in Christianity. Messianic Jews are checked out with even larger disdain. Why? its a canopy for there possess deviations from Judaism. Some Jews have to preserve a connection to Jewish household for the reason that they've deviated such a lot from conventional Judaism that many Orthodox query their Jewishness. They want discover a few technique to distract concentration for the reason that of there deviation from the Torah. This is completed by means of pointing their finger at others to direct concentration clear of their possess movements. You can not supply your self a identify and count on that it makes you some thing. This is the argument that has been used towards Jews that come to a decision that Jesus is the Messiah. We are advised that the mere perception of an additional nature of God instantly invalidated a Jews Jewishness. At the equal time Jews that come to be atheists, pantheists or quit training any detail in their faith we're advised are nonetheless Jews. They say that you'll suppose in whatever however Jesus. Jews name conversion "becoming a member of the tribe". Things that might by no means fly in Orthodox or for that subject Messianic Judaism will also be observed within the Reform and Reconstructionist pursuits. A well illustration of this can be a prior query requested right here. The character asking worshiped the God Ferris however didn't suppose in him or the Jewish God. The attention of the query was once" ...might you PERSONALLY think at ease welcoming me now not simply as a fellow congregant at your Synagogue, however as a member of the Tribe?" (so he was once evidently asking approximately changing to Judaism). The reaction was once "Reform Judaism covers a extensive swath of ideals and practices and I am certain you are going to be thoroughly approved. ... I individually might take delivery of you complete heartily as a fellow Jew." So a few Jews will take delivery of a wide variety of deviations from the Torah however now not perception in "Jesus". Let's now not fail to remember the Reform motion desired to difference the sabbath to Sunday to be extra like Christianity. Most Messianic Jews are Torah observant but you'll come to be an atheist, quit training their religion, come to be a Buddhist, become a member of a Unitarian Church and nonetheless be a Jew within the eyes of Reform/Reconstructionist Jews. Most Orthodox whilst requested approximately different Jews will say they do not know what non Orthodox Jews are. The equal applies to the opposite sects. Speaking of sects Jews will let you know there are not any sects however its now not precise. Rabbinical Jews comply with an expertise in their religion that was once headquartered one million,900 years in the past. They have their possess canon of Scripture. There also are non Rabbinical Jews such because the Ethiopian Jews that follows the sample of the Christian Old Testament and they've many extra books that they recollect to be scripture. A organization known as the Karaites is the reverse of the Ethiopian and most effective suppose within the five Books of Moses. Rabbinical Jews name Karaites "a sect of Judaism". You can goggle it and spot for your self. Don't permit anybody let you know that there are not any sects in Judaism. They say the the lessons of Jesus are very special from Judaism. They additionally declare that Jesus taught not anything new from the rabbis earlier than him. Then they we let you know that there have been no rabbis till 100 years after the time of Jesus. Its all approximately profitable the argument to them now not approximately what is precise. The crisis isn't variations however similarities. You will have to understand ALL the writers of the Christian Bible had been Jews however one. Much of our Scriptures are shared. The titanic majority of early believers in Jesus had been Jews. So whilst you listen the unique reverse you have to maintain that during brain. A Jew can suppose in Jesus and nonetheless be a Jew. Edit: those who make private accusations will have to comprise hyperlinks or close up.

The two standard answers you'll get when a question can't be answered by a Xian are;

1) You don't/can't understand

2) A personal attack against the one asking the question.

Either way, they show their intellectual dishonesty by answering the question with a non-answer.

You know, when a few Christians say things like this, it doesn't give you the right to make them the face of Christianity.