17, confused about religion, scared of hell... Overwhelmed. Any advice?

THe only thing god wants you to do is LOVE HIM. just thank and praise and respect and love him!

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

SEE SOURCES I advise you to look into it for yourself after reading this.

Heres why I believe in God and JEsus

1. Thanks to our outstanding discovery of the DEAD SEA SCROLLS we have been able to compare our current copies of the Old Testament to our discovery. {sources for more detail} and have come to the conclusion that our copies have NOT been changed drastically. the only difference between the ancient manuscripts and the newer ones are grammar improvements.

2.{SEE SOURCES} with that being said we now have proof that the Old Testament has not been changed over time.

In the Old Testament there are many prophecies about the coming of the Messiah, which are specific claims made by many different people at different times.

a FEW are:: {SEE SOURCES FOR THE REST}

Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. (Micah 5) <-- entire chapter "biblegateway - micah 5"

Messiah would be born of a virgin (isaiah 7:14) "14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.(God with us)"

He will be a desendent of David (Jeremiah 33:15-16) "“‘In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’"

Messiah's price money would be used to buy a potter's field. (Zechariah 11:12-13) [[very specific, and fulfilled]]

Also, the entire chapter of ISAIAH 53 is about JESUS himself, even the crucifixion part.

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ATHEIST ARGUEMENTS

"any one could have wrirtten these General claims."

These claims actually point to a specific person, and reveal fulfilled details of the future. {see sources}

"They were added on later"

no, the evidence of the dead sea scrolls proves otherwise. research them yourself, there is a lot of info on them. {SOURCES}

3. Also there are various archaeological discoveries which back up the bible.

(atheists used to claim, Jesus never existed, Jesus was never CRUCIFIED [see sources] bethlehem never existed, they used to claim david and solomon never existed.. and many others which have been discovered in archaeology.)

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4. Personal experience, I have heard testimonies of broken bones being healed, by christians who witnessed them.

lying about a miracle of God is called Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit which is very serious. the reason why they are christians is because they saw this, they wouldnt lie.

5. Other christians experiences [see sources - testimonies] ^^ above explanation

6. no other Holy Book prophecies about the future, which also has the amount of evidence of it being true.

7. the big bang could not have come from nothing. What ever has a beginning has a cause, the universe had a beginning, and the cause must be transcendent. also outside our realm of time space and matter

for more information, you can read my essay which is in the sources

do your own research, and research the research! Research more research of research on the bible.

Never fear the truth, whatever it may be. Do not fear your desire to ask questions. If you believe you are moving away from religion, It can be frightening, but you will also be free. To discover that the universe is in fact intrinsically self-creating; and to actually truly LEARN the science... the raw, rock-solid science behind it all... not just know it but to UNDERSTAND it; to know why we can say we know what we know, to be able to know its accurate because you can actually demonstrate it and prove it.... and to see the universe for what we don't just ignorantly imagine it to be but rather what we have pain-stakingly sought out to discover it to be.... a universe full of unimaginable complexity and wonder, is a far more vibrant and meaningful universe to be a part of rather than the bland, all-too-human, and all to Earthly idea of this tyrannical dictator in the clouds who seems all-to-preoccupied with our sex lives and our every waking thought.

I have to tell you, the good news is that God very likely doesn't exist. If he were the superhero Christians made him out to be, if he were actually a DECENT GUY, he wouldn't send you to an eternal sentence of absolute and heartless agony for ETERNITY. Who could ever do that and be considered anything less than EVIL? If you were god, what would you do? Would you even bother with a Hell? and don't blame it on the devil. Biblically, he's just another fallen angel. Even if you believe in God and Satan, either God isn't the hero he should be and simply allowing the ETERNAL suffering of BILLIONS of souls, or he can't stop the Devil, in which case, he sure as hell didn't create the whole damn universe and everything in it if he can't handle one brat back-talking angel with a grudge.

Consider this. Christianity isn't the only religion in town. In fact, there are hundreds, maybe thousands throughout history. Listen, either Jesus is God or he isn't. If it's Allah, it CAN'T be Yahweh. What about Vishnu? Thor? Zeus? So many religions, but only one, IF ANY can be true. No matter HOW you slice it, there's one fact you just cannot get around. Almost everyone (who has a religion) is completely wrong. This only proves that billions of people all throughout history have gotten it so wrong. The moral of the story is that people make **** up. If you're a Christian, it's so easy to just believe those crazy Muslims made up all that crap in the Koran, I mean it must be so obvious. Well, how do you think Muslims view Christians? All religions are just laughing at the others, but when you look at the big picture, it's just silly.

Oh, but Christians have stories, right? personal experiences? That's got to be evidence right? Well, no. Muslims report the same stuff. So do Hindus, Buddhists, etc. People swear they've been on alien spacecrafts and gone on walks with Big Foot and seen ghosts in their pantry.

Trust me, just challenge the God question. If God actually existed, don't you think it'd be a little more obvious?

I have been 17 but never a girl. So in this area, I can help.

The main thing to do now is to actually learn the true teachings of the Bible. Not the blue smoke you have had blown at you so far. Think back. Did you actually read the scriptures that plainly taught you what you know, or did others tell you all that? By what you have said so far, most of it has been the lies. it is only knowing the truth that makes things better.

What you are only dimly aware of at 17 is what happens later. Point #2 is: It is always what you don't know that sneaks up and bites you the hardest. By what you have been taught, I would be scared too. Terrified even. Knowing the Truth of the Bible frees you from such fear. The God of the Bible is "according to the glorious good news of the happy God, with which I was entrusted." (1 Tim. 1:11) True, he will kill the wicked, but he has always provided a warning before doing so and time for people to choose which side they will be on.

Added to that is he never tortures. He allows free choice. If one chooses his service he will correct, he may discipline, he will warn and if the person fails to accept any correction, he will kill as part of his personality of ultimate level of Justice, Righteousness and Love. To those who are faithful, only part of the good things he gives is eternal life. It gets better from there here on Earth.

The problem with "cultural morality" is that it has no safeguards. Going only by ones own standards leads to getting lost. Mister, "I will never stop for directions!" Where does that usually wind up? Private interpretation is another name for it. That is also how we have 48,000 religions all claiming to be Christian today. (According to the latest Pew Poll.) The Bible states there is only "one Lord, one FAITH, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all [persons], who is over all and through all and in all." (Eph. 4:5-6) This means 47,999 wrong ones out there.

So before ditching religions and the Bible, perhaps it might be best to learn accurately what it teaches. You can get that for free from any of Jehovah's Witnesses. Using the book, "What Does the Bible Really Teach?" which gathers the scriptures by subjects. You will be the one looking up for yourself what those scriptures state. You will get the right understanding of them by other scriptures related to the subject. By the end of the small book, you will have learned all of the BASIC truths of the Bible. Where you go from there is entirely up to you. We all personally hope you will go further, but if not, you will not have been the first to go another direction, nor will you be the last. Although thousands each year go forward. Like I said, it is up to you whether to learn or not. But protect your rear from what you do not learn.

I do wish you well whatever you choose. Not to many at 17 can think well enough about life as you have stated.

OK, but you have to stop saying, "I believe, I believe, I believe." That doesn't really mean anything. And if you're frightened of hell, that's because you still accept what your parents told you. I don't think they're "religious." I think they're superstitious (believing in something out of fear instead from knowledge). If they scared you with hell, you need to stop & understand something: God is a loving God, isn't He? Then He loves you forever. If you love someone deeply, if you loved a little child (we're God's children, remember) and if that child did something wrong, would you punish that child by throwing it into the oven? No? Then why do you believe that God throws people into hell to "burn forever?" As long as you fearfully accept such nonsense you will never be able to get closer to God. It's impossible to truly want to get closer to someone you fear. If you fear God, you will never be able to have a holy relationship with Him. God is real, but the Christian explanation or definition of God is not real. I'm so sorry for what they've done to you. There are SO many teenagers with Christian parents and they're frightened to death of being sent to hell forever. That's religion?? No. It isn't. Religion means seeking and finding union with God. But how will you ever be able to do that if you're scared to death of Him? That doesn't make sense. You mention "happiness on Earth." There is no such thing. Yes, you can be relatively "happy" with this or that situation, but ultimately all of our situations here will come to an end. How is that "happiness??" The only happiness is found in God and if you want to seek "happiness" (distractions) here in this life, then you will, but you will never be happy, that is guaranteed. Spend your life looking for God, but stop being afraid. He doesn't want to hurt you, He isn't going to send you to "hell." That lie was invented by the Vatican centuries ago; they misinterpreted what Jesus said. They believed He was talking about being literally punished forever, but the purpose of punishment is to correct a person. What would be the point in punishing someone forever?? That doesn't make any sense at all. You need to get away from that idea NOW before it ruins your life. Good luck ...

Same age, same thoughts. I personally don't believe there's an omnipotent creator, but I do know its a possibility. To answer a few things... if your only "sin" in life, was not accepting God as your Creator, and you'd go to hell for it, wouldn't that "God" be a pretty crappy God? I mean, I would die to stand up in what I believe in, and if it took going to hell, to show God the bogus system he runs, then I would gladly do so in order to possibly save coming generations. In all honesty though, its a very unlikely thing, and you really don't have anything to worry about, as long as you're a good person. Unless God is actually Satan. Then we're all ******.

1. The teaching of 'eternal torment' is a *pagan myth* that was adopted by *apostate Christianity* long ago. It is *no-where* taught in the Bible. *True* Christianity exposes it for the lie that it is:

"For he who has died has been *ACQUITTED* from his sin."---Romans 6:7

"For The wages sin pays is DEATH / *cessation of life* ..."---Romans 6:23a

"Far be it from the true God to act wickedly, and the Almighty to act unjustly!"---Job 34:10

The *FUTURE* of *WICKED* people will indeed be CUT OFF."---Psalm 37:38b

2. The belief that heaven is the destination for everyone who faithfully follows our Creator is *also* of *pagan origin*, as Christ himself repeated prior prophecy about the majority remaining on *earth*:

"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the *earth*."—Matthew 5:5

"The righteous themselves will possess the *earth,*

And *they will reside forever* upon it."---Psalm 37:29

"As regards the heavens, to Jehovah/God the heavens belong,

But the *earth* he has given to the sons of men."---Psalms 115:16

"...Evildoers themselves will be cut off,

But those hoping in Jehovah are the ones that will possess the earth...

The meek ones themselves will possess the *earth,*

And they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace."---Psalm 37:9,11

The churches have long misrepresented Our Loving Creator, the Basis of True Christianity, and what God's Word the Bible actually teaches . . .

"Six *Myths* About Christianity Exposed:"

- #1: 'The Soul Is Immortal'

- #2: 'The Wicked Suffer in Hell'

- #3: 'All Good People Go to Heaven'

http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2009810

"What Does It Mean to Be a Christian?"

- Early Christianity---A Way of Life

- True Christianity Today

http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/102007130

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Even though belonging to an organized religion is not necessary to live a good life, it is helpful because you have people to help you make moral decisions and counsel you when you are in your dark spots. Have you considered joining a different church or denomination with a less negative view or spirituality and God?

Why not just maintain an open mind ... and rather than believing in a creator, just believe that we appear to have been created and leave it at that.

Detach from all the definitions ... we know that we don't know what we don't know. And that's important no matter what anyone says. Indeed, when you really think about it, why does anything at all exist? Even if there is no purpose in it all ... it's rather odd that reality even exists in the first place.

Live you life, enjoy the wonder.

You sound like an Agonist Theist, I am as well... lately I've come to realize almost of Christianity makes no sense - except the ethical/philosophical side, which is better described as Jesusism, and I'm 15 and I go to a Catholic School

I will give you a simple solution to yor problems that I have been meaning to give to other people as well.

Follow what is common between the major religions.In that way you are most likely to be safe cause believers in god would not suffer 'eternal hell' (unless they did something really wrong)

Here are some of the rules-

1.Worship only one god(Monotheism)

2.Do not pray to god through anyone else(like a priest or a saint or a dead person etc.)

3.Do not at all commit Murder,theft,adultery,gambling ,indulging in intoxicants(like drugs ,alchohol etc.),unprovoked retaliation etc.

4.Do not have an image of god even in your mind

Even in hiduism there are religious texts proclaiming one god but says that idol worship is okay but only for people of lower level of connectedness with god.But in other religions this is one of the biggest sins.

Don't ever look to Atheism for an answer.Coz,what if you die and then it turns out that there is a god.Better safe than eternally sorry.

Peace

[Also(I'm not exactly sure) if you follow what is common between Christians and Muslims (these guys are the most misunderstood people in the world :( ,anyways if you follow what is common your safe in judaism and hinduism and buddhism as well -this is my conclusion from the research i've done in my life]

There is more to it than meets the eye.

Truly some atheists say that religious people are illogical and blind.BUt it is they who are blind.Some believe in aliens having DNA as well without realising the fact that if evolution is all a mistake ,how did the same mistake on another planet also give rise to the same thing -DNA.Many atheist clearly miss out on a lot of things regarding evolution.For if indeed an organism was born out of an accident then no descendants would arise from it since it did not evolve the capability to reproduce(the evolution process itself requires reproduction).The same applies for eating,breathing,excreting etc. all of which would have to have come into existence at the same time else the creature could not exist for long.Therefore all this could not have come by chance.Ponder over this.

Moses says; 'Think about love. True Christianity is love,..love of God and Jesus and neighbor. You should go on your knees and pray to our loving Heavenly Father and tell Him how you feel about hell. Repent of sins and pray for Holy Spirit then the Spirit will help you. Best wishes.'

A message from Yahweh/Jehovah God, Jesus God, Moses the angel and Zipporah the prophetess who is the reincarnated Christine Anne.