Religion???????????????????

[purplehaze]

There is no doubt in my mind that there is a God and that God is the God of the Bible. My faith is in Jesus Christ who I believe(was fully God and fully man) came to be with us and then died on the cross, in our place, so that those who believe in Him WILL have eternal life.

Faith is a belief. So when I talk about faith I talk about a belief in Jesus Christ and not a religion. The reason for this is, a person can be religious but yet have no faith.

There is little if any doubt that Jesus Christ walked on this planet, even the great minds of past and present accept this. What people have trouble accepting is that, the Jesus of the Bible is who he says he was and that is,Jesus claimed to be God.

I like this link

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=EduKNY...eature=related

[eeyorelover]

Not sure that I should reply but I'd like to address the passages that you quoted Ozzy just to give my take on it.
The Psalms are all songs or poems, kind of an Ode to God Himself. It wasn't meant literally that the Earth doesn't move but that God is in control. It also states that God created the flood and the waters to recede. Basically it's showing the power of God.

Ecclesiastes 1:5 was not about God but were the words of King David's son and he was basically saying life is meaningless. He was kind of a philosopher and very melodramatic but wasn't speaking directly about God but of the fact that regardless of what any person does the sun will still rise and set and then rise again.

I tend to believe that faith is just as it sounds. It's the ability to believe in something even tho it can not be seen at the moment. I haven't physically seen God but I know He is real. It's the same basic concept as I can't physically see the wind but I can feel the breeze and I know that it's real.
I have seen the impossible happen and there is no other answer except that it was a miracle from God.

Last semester I read a philosopher and for the life of me I can't remember who it was but he said, and I'm paraphrasing here, 'we are imperfect beings. For us to be able to imagine a perfect being is impossible. The simple fact that we have an understanding of a being who is perfect must come from the being Himself because only a perfect being could conceive of perfection. Because we are flawed, without someone to give us such a concept we would not be able to come up with it on our own.

I'm not trying to start an argument because personally I believe that everyone needs to discover what is true for them as an individual.
Just my thoughts on the subject
xxx
Sandy

[purplehaze]

Ozzy I always find your posts to be intelligent and again this is one of these times and its good to ask questions. I am not one for blind faith, so I am also someone that asks questions.

quote ozzy Is there any historical proof Jesus existed? any hard facts? any?
zero
zilcho
nada...

Well there are facts that Jesus existed and this is no longer even a debate. As I said in my previous post, "even the great minds of past and present accept Jesus Christ existed" What most folk find hard to believe is the claims that He was devine/God.
This is the very reason Christ was nailed to the cross. Not because He had commited a crime because He was without sin.

The Bible is self-attesting, that is, there is no higer power we can call on to prove the Bible is true, other than the Bible itself.

Every christian has a relationship with God through Christ. When we pray we speak to God and we know that God hears our prayers.

Can I prove God exists?

As a Christian I can speak about God and share what he has done in my life and share His word with others but the choice is up to the individual to accept God or deny God.

I would encourage anyone to read the Bible because I believe if your heart is seeking God then He will answer you

[bab]

I am enjoying this thread as I find the subject of religion so fascinating. There must be so many people on here with different religions and faiths and its so interesting to see what everyones take on religion is

[Franz]

I tend to believe that faith is just as it sounds. It's the ability to believe in something even tho it can not be seen at the moment.

I agree. It is possible to believe in something even if you "know" rationally it can't be true.

It's how people walk across hot coals: they focus on the belief that they can do it, and ignore what science and experience tell them they can and can't do.

If you believe in God, God can be real - I'm sure it says somewhere in the Bible, "Without faith, I am nothing". That is quite profound IMO.

Faith can also be a way of looking at neurosis. On one level, I get anxious because I believe I will get anxious. Theoretically it should be possible to acquire faith that you can overcome neurosis, but in my experience it's not easy, precisely because it's competing with your negative faith that you can't.

[decca]

quote ozzy Is there any historical proof Jesus existed? any hard facts? any?
zero
zilcho
nada...

In Jewish Antiquities 18:63 Flavius Josephus wrote –
About this time lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was the achiever of extraordinary deeds and was a teacher of those who accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks.


Decca.

[ade]

im sorry but to me religious texts can not be cited as proof.
i cannot believe in a god that is credited with compassion......compassion?
all over the world today religion is causing the unnecessary suffering of many hunam beings, eg suicide bombers,in the name of god,ruthlessly destroying precious light of life,so much historical suffering in gods name.if one is to sing 'all things bright and beautiful the lord god made them all,' well ipso facto
were created cancer,pain, bile,agony, hate.the religious view on gays verges on volcanic hatred.i just believe that goodness for goodness sake is more altruistic than when done for spiritual reward.i love this world and i believe the universe hosts a form far far in advance of any god that has been described to me.
'the garden is beautiful enough without having to believe there are fairies at the bottom of it'

good debate this!

[eeyorelover]

Well the word 'religion' is a definite hot button topic.
I've spoke of believing in God as a deity not religion.
If you look thruout history, all the long lasting wars have been over differences in religion.
It's odd that people of different faiths can believe in God and still find reasons to want to kill one another over semantics IMHO.

The simple truth is that religion itself is man made and was not instituted by God.
Of course He laid out rules that should be followed but look at what he said...
Love Thy Neighbor
Honor Thy father and mother
Thou Shalt not steal
and so on.

Not bad rules to live by if you ask me.
And never does he say if a man doesn't believe as you do to harm him. Instead He says that the meek shall inherit the Earth.

As I've said it's a personal choice to believe or not.
I choose to believe and walk in faith.

I find comfort in knowing that there is a everlasting life waiting for me after my time is done on Earth. One with no sickness or disease.
Not everyone's cup of tea I know but for me it is a comfort
xxx
Sandy

[london]

I think anything that we believe in that gives us comfort can only be a good thing.
How strange that in times of extreme anxiety most of us ask for Gods help.

100% right

[sappling]

Looks like i started an exciting debate lol