An Open Letter to All Young Christians - Please Convince Me.

I haven't read this much since reading the menu at the Cheesecake Factory hot damn kari

 

"But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect." - 1 Peter 3:15 (ESV)

With all due respect for your beliefs, Deljikho - it sounds like you have given them a lot of reasoned thought - some of the views you describe, especially the one quoted above, are what I would consider to be "eccentric" for someone who calls himself a Christian. Christ being crucified for our sins is a core belief that defines what Christianity actually is. Gnosticism is also considered heretical - not Christian. I'm not sure how someone can say they are a member of a religion and then reject the core tenets of that same religion. Please understand, I say this not to make claims about whether you or anyone else is "saved" or going to heaven, but to make sure that the terms "Christian" and "Christianity" have actual meaning in this discussion. One can find meaning in the life and teachings of Jesus without holding the core beliefs of Christianity.

Some do... and they're told to stop ramming their beliefs down people's throats. It's refreshing to see an athiest acknowledge why Christians would be motivated to preach about Jesus to others. But generally, leading with telling people they're going to hell doesn't get a good response (though it does serve as a "wake-up call" for some). Especially here in the United States (or Western societies similar to it), most people believe they know who Jesus is, what Christianity is, and why they do or don't believe it. It tends to be more effective to lead by example, to have honest conversations, to make people WANT to follow Christ.

I agree that Christians' attitudes toward death can seem very... puzzling... and contradictory. Part of that is because many of us are still reconciling our belief with our doubt. We mourn the death of fellow believers even as we celebrate the rebirth in heaven of those we have lost. We are supposed to trust God in all things, but in many things, we're sometimes still afraid.

The thing is - this life here, that I'm living right now on earth, happens only once. The moment that it took you to read that sentence will never be here again. The existence of eternal life does not make our temporary, earthly life any less sacred or precious. To me, it's even MORE precious in the light of eternity. It is a gift. I believe we have purpose here - first of all, to enjoy that gift and treasure it (not to throw it away by not taking care of it)... and then to help others who are suffering... to learn and grow from suffering ourselves... to glorify God and help people come to know Him... to take part in God's plan and shaping a better world... bringing about His kingdom here on earth. To me, thinking about eternity doesn't take away life's meaning - it GIVES it even deeper meaning.

"O Me! O Life!" by Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass

Oh me! Oh life! of the questions of these recurring,

Of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities fill’d with the foolish,

Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)

Of eyes that vainly crave the light, of the objects mean, of the struggle ever renew’d,

Of the poor results of all, of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me,

Of the empty and useless years of the rest, with the rest me intertwined,

The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life?

(Answer.)

That you are here—that life exists and identity,

That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.

I remember, during a Bible study in college, someone said something that really struck me. He said that as Christians, we have eternal life NOW... we are with God (via the Holy Spirit) NOW... it's not some vague point in the future that we're patiently waiting for. One of my favorite bands wrote a song that touches on that idea.

 

I'm like to address something. How can God be fair and just if he does this?

Then he went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up by the way, young lads came out from the city and mocked him and said to him, "Go up, you baldhead; go up, you baldhead!" When he looked behind him and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two lads of their number.
He went from there to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.

This is the story of Elisha, who was teased by boys for being bald and when he cursed them, God sent bears to kill 42 of them.
Let me ask you, @KariStar86 @Miro995 is this really just? Can God kill 42 boys for teasing a man about baldness, but even if a man kills another man's wife, the husband cannot kill the first man?
Also, would I be a Christian if I believed in God, but resented him?

 

I think making fun of other religions is wrong ok and do not make jokes about this,this is serious stuffk just saying

 

Kari, thanks so much for taking charge. As you can tell, this is not my cup of tea.

 

What

--- Double Post Merged, Feb 22, 2015, Original Post Date: Feb 22, 2015 ---

no

 

If God is so just then believers should have no trouble throwing this quote to the side,
“Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?
Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing?
Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing?
Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing?
Then why call him God?” -philosopher Epicurus

 

As a scientist I can tell you they're not. It is people who cannot think objectively that say science and religion cannot cross and one is right and one is wrong. For example, the bible never mentions the big bang and instead suggests creationism. Although evidence stands for the big bang, science is starting to disprove its occurrence because the scientific pool of knowledge just keeps getting bigger and more facts are "known". Who knows if in 10 years we will even have a "universe". We could just be looking at different dimensions when we stare through a telescope.

 

Is this gibberish? I do not believe you are a scientist, as you just state things that have no backing. The big bang is starting to be disproven? Since when? We will most likely have a universe still 10 years from now, I have no idea why we wouldn't. We could just be looking at different dimensions through a telescope. I guess we could but who cares what could at a tiny percentile be true.

 

I believe the point builderjunkie is trying to make is that we are extremely limited in what we know about the universe.

 

Just because you don't know everything does not mean you should not still question.

 

When did I ever say we should stop questioning?

 

Most of your points deal with what justification does god have to make the decisions he does that are considered morally imperfect by human kind. I'd like to start by saying morals are man-made. You're trying to apply a human trait to an inhuman being. God's all about making people holy, not moral. Romands 9:21-24 NASB says that

"Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath, to make His power known, endured with much patience vessel of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles."

What this passage is saying is that doesn't the creator of something have the right to decide it's purpose and objective?

--- Double Post Merged, Feb 22, 2015, Original Post Date: Feb 22, 2015 ---

@KariStar86 I tl;dr most of your post, but what parts of the Bible to you disagree with? I'd love to hear your end a bit more

 

I'm like to address something. How can God be fair and just if he does this?

Then he went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up by the way, young lads came out from the city and mocked him and said to him, "Go up, you baldhead; go up, you baldhead!" When he looked behind him and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two lads of their number.
He went from there to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.

This is the story of Elisha, who was teased by boys for being bald and when he cursed them, God sent bears to kill 42 of them.
Let me ask you, @KariStar86 @Miro995 is this really just? Can God kill 42 boys for teasing a man about baldness, but even if a man kills another man's wife, the husband cannot kill the first man?
Also, would I be a Christian if I believed in God, but resented him?





*bumps post*

 

To answer your last question, no you would not be a Christian. That would make you agnostic.

 

ag·nos·tic
aɡˈnästik/
noun

1. 1.
   a person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God or of anything beyond material phenomena; a person who claims neither faith nor disbelief in God.

 

I HAVE A PLACE TO USE THIS NOW <3
thank you kari. I've been searching.

(I really just wanted to use this somewhere cause it's a great song)

 

Ok, but to answer my first question?

And no I would not be agnostic.

 

I'm surprised at how little the amount of jimmies rustled are there on this thread, I thought this was going to turn into a hate thread real fast, glad to see it's still alive.

 

Really? I am awesome about astronomy don't get me wrong here ok fun fact:VY Canis Majoris is the largest star in the universe so far discovered!