Have any of you ever considered...

(wildxx;21388)
The possibility that there might not be a God?
To suggest such a thing would mean people were lying about knowing him.:naughty:True faith is about seeing through believing. I believe God does not lie and I have seen how my Lord God has shown himself to me in ways which can only be because he is real. I would say anyone who believes such a possibility has never known him or Jesus Christ our Lord.Faith lives in expectation and hope and certainly it relies on the power of God in us to keep us and to provide for us.It is too late to think people who have tasted the goodness of the Lord could doubt him. No! for me there is no such possibility and I would urge everyone to seek him while he can still be found.

(Mighty Bear;22684)
How can the Sun, Moon and the Starscome into being? How can those without lifecreate life?Church of Love in Jesus Christhttp://christiansite.multiply.com/journal
:amen:

(Sibotash;28568)
You say you hate to sound harsh.. well, the Bible sounds harsh, God sounds harsh to say the least. As for being a good person with or without religion, then explain how over 97% of convicts in prisons are religious? Atheists don't seem to commit as many crimes, so they must be decent people? Morality doesn't come from religion, but, if anything, IN SPITE of religion. And if we took our morality from the Bible then we would approve of slavery, of rape, of selling your daughters as sexual slaves, of murder, or stoning a woman to death if she's not found to be a virgin on her wedding night, of killing your children and lots, lots more atrocities. Thankfully, we don't draw our morals from it!
Your right I there are alot of religious convicts, they go to prison for committing crime. They get a bible have plenty of time to read it and then they become religious. And I'm not saying that just because you have religion that your perfect, I'm not even saying that being religious makes you a good person, because it doesn't!! Being a good person comes from the desire to be a good person. And you said that 97% of convicts are religious, ok but are 97% of convicts christian? And the Bible doesn't tell us to allow slavery, or rape or any of the other things you mention, the bible does talk about ppl in the OT doing those things but it doesn't teach us to do those things.

Ok, just to mention a few examples where the Bibles endorses (or even actively encorages) violence and murder: Deuteronomy 13:6, 8-15 says "If your brother etc entices you secretly saying let us go and serve other gods.. you shall kill him;our hand shall be the first against him to put him to death, you shall stone him to death...etc", 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9 says "God deems it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you.." Anyone who believes that the Bible offers the best guidance for morality has some very strange ideas either about guidance or morality. Again in Leviticus 25:44 " as for your male and female slaves whom you may have:you may buy male and female slaves from among the nations that are about you. You may also buy from among the strangers who sojourn with you etc, and they may be your property". As for selling a daughter asa a sexual slave, take a look at Exodus 21:7 "When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she sall not go out as the male slaves do. If she does not please her master, who has designated her for himself, rhen he shall let her be redeemed". In Exodus again, the only real restraint God gives on the subject of slavery is that we do not beat our slaves so severely that we injure their eyes or teeth (Exodus 21). There is no place in the New Testament where Jesus objects to the practice of slavery. St Paul even admonishes slaves to serve their masters well!!! I could go on for hours, but you get the idea! And yes, as for religiosity vs crime rate, just a small example:in Italy all mafia bosses are deeply religious, go to church every week, know the Bible by heart, yet they run drug traffick, murder, prostitution, etc. Atheists, on the other hand, are on average the leas likely group to commit any crime.

I think anyone that hasn't questioned their own existence and the world around them at one time or another just isn't being truthful. It's our nature to wonder about things. But your other caring friends above have given some good food for thought. I like when anyone tells someone to get alone with the Lord, read His Word, and let His Holy Spirit speak to your heart. He is so capable of doing that. It is such a sweet time of inexpressable joy in His presence! We were made to be with Him, worship Him, and love Him. Sometimes when I realize just what He's done for me, I fall on my face and weep. How do I know He's real? Like the old song goes, "I was there when it happened, so I guess I ought to know." Also, there are so many prayers that I have prayed that only He knew and could answer and it has almost been hair-raising when He answered them. No, there's no way I could deny He's real. I love Him too much. If I'm wrong, I haven't lost out on anything. Being kind to others just brings kindness back my way.

His By Grace, I hear what you're saying and I understand it. I believe that you are in good faith in your belief in the existence of God. That alone, however, doesn't make it any truer. Never underestimate the power of wishful-thinking, it's enough to convince yourself of something that doesn't really exist, even tho it feels very real to you. What you describe as a mystical experience, is the result of many factors put together (for example upbringing, naivety, superstition, fear of death, fear of being judged, desire to belong to a community, etc). If you read "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins or even "Letter To A Christian Nation" by Sam Harris you will know what I mean. You say you love him, and I think what a pity that this love is not channelled to someone that exists (i.e. your family or friends or other humans, etc)

Thank you for your kindness. Oh, but my love for the Lord does come out toward others. It helps me to love my husband, even when he may do unlovely things. (Ex. Scripture says, "A soft answer turns away wrath.") It helps me to love my family because I can better see their needs as I pray for the Lord to give me wisdom. (John15:5,15,16) I can teach with more compassion toward my classroom children because I see them as little Christs. (Matthew 25:40) And when I fail, I have an assurance of forgiveness in 1 John1:9 with confession to Christ alone. I can also tell you of a true story my pastor has shared about when he was visiting in a hospital. He kept witnessing to this older gentleman named Bob. Bob's wife was sick over the fact that he was about to die and wouldn't accept Christ. Bro. Dennis talked with him day after day.As Bob began to die they quickly called for Bro. D. because he was screaming, "Get them off of me! I'm burning! Help!" And he died, teeth clinched, body drawn, with trauma on his face. He has also seen people die (Christians) that actually hear and see angels singing before they leave earth. A good book I read was by Don Piper called 90 minutes in Heaven. I don't usually buy into the life after death experiences, but I really believe this one.I'm not afraid to read the books you named, but I know it wouldn't matter, because I have spent my whole life getting to know Christ and I also know how scheming the devil is. That's why I won't open up my mind to that spiritual warfare. He is much too cunning. I sure hope you will choose Christ- not to prove I'm right-but because I care and I really do believe in what I'm saying because He has proved Himself over and over again. I also have so many friends that could attest to that fact as well

(Sibotash;28678)
Ok, just to mention a few examples where the Bibles endorses (or even actively encorages) violence and murder: Deuteronomy 13:6, 8-15 says "If your brother etc entices you secretly saying let us go and serve other gods.. you shall kill him;our hand shall be the first against him to put him to death, you shall stone him to death...etc", 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9 says "God deems it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you.." Anyone who believes that the Bible offers the best guidance for morality has some very strange ideas either about guidance or morality. Again in Leviticus 25:44 " as for your male and female slaves whom you may have:you may buy male and female slaves from among the nations that are about you. You may also buy from among the strangers who sojourn with you etc, and they may be your property". As for selling a daughter asa a sexual slave, take a look at Exodus 21:7 "When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she sall not go out as the male slaves do. If she does not please her master, who has designated her for himself, rhen he shall let her be redeemed". In Exodus again, the only real restraint God gives on the subject of slavery is that we do not beat our slaves so severely that we injure their eyes or teeth (Exodus 21). There is no place in the New Testament where Jesus objects to the practice of slavery. St Paul even admonishes slaves to serve their masters well!!! I could go on for hours, but you get the idea! And yes, as for religiosity vs crime rate, just a small example:in Italy all mafia bosses are deeply religious, go to church every week, know the Bible by heart, yet they run drug traffick, murder, prostitution, etc. Atheists, on the other hand, are on average the leas likely group to commit any crime.
As far as I know, your right about it not DIRECTLY speaking against slavery in the NT but it does tell us how to treat our fellow man."But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;..." Matthew 5:44"...Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." Matthew 19:19"By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." John 13:35

(Sibotash;28572)
Thunder, belief in God is not a matter of choice: you either do or don't. You can't make yourself believe in God if you really don't. So you believe in God because you're scared of going to Hell? (well, anyone would be scared of Hell, but you're not considering the possibility that Hell might not exist, that Heaven might not exist, that the life we are so lucky to have here on earth is the only one). I prefer the Truth, for better or for worse! And the reason why Im a good person is not because I want to go to Heaven but because I want to be a good person! That, I think, is far more "moral" than being good out of fear.
Dear Sibotash,Actually,I did not become a born again Cristian because of fearing hell. I could and should have , because hell is eternal. But for me it was about God starting to show me His love, when I was still a non-believer.

(followerofchrist;28561)
Well of course you can be a good person (by mens standards of 'good') without religion. And I hate to sound harsh but you can be a good person and go to hell too!! You have to be saved through Jesus Christ, and then you will WANT to be good. You can go anywhere in the world and find a great person that isn't religious but being good means ABSOLUTELY NOTHING without faith!!
Amen to that followerofchrist !

(Mighty Bear;22684)
How can the Sun, Moon and the Starscome into being? How can those without lifecreate life?Church of Love in Jesus Christhttp://christiansite.multiply.com/journal
AMEN to that brother!

(Sibotash;28572)
Thunder, belief in God is not a matter of choice: you either do or don't. You can't make yourself believe in God if you really don't. So you believe in God because you're scared of going to Hell? (well, anyone would be scared of Hell, but you're not considering the possibility that Hell might not exist, that Heaven might not exist, that the life we are so lucky to have here on earth is the only one). I prefer the Truth, for better or for worse! And the reason why Im a good person is not because I want to go to Heaven but because I want to be a good person! That, I think, is far more "moral" than being good out of fear.
Belief in God is most certainly a choice! That is the whole reason God gave us free will!

Sibotash I am sure you have heard of the author C.S. Lewis and he once said something that I think you should spend some time thinking about."I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen. Not only because I see it, but because I see everything by it." ~C.S. Lewis

Thanks Followerofchrist, I'll look it up!

I think it is the things we do not question that shows God is most present in the world and in our lives.The universe is vast but we are the only planet which is self-contained with everything for life. Why? We are in the same solar system as other planets so what affected this planet that did not effect the others?So many things are perfect, the day and night continuing since the dawn of time in rotation and the seasons which bring rest to the earth and fruit to yeild in the seasons. Why our planet and why are we the only life forms known to us on the planet? Animals and insects have life but the source of life did not make us all the same.No the things I see teach me to trust the creator for the things I do not see.We are too perfect an existence to be an accidental one.Faithful.

(Sibotash;29161)
Thanks Followerofchrist, I'll look it up!
?? you don't have to look it up. I already posted it for you.