Anti-Semitism In France!

[lisah25 3]

I guess I would define it as believing in something unseen and without definitive proof. With Christianity, there is not definitive proof by scientific standards, but I believe there is enough convincing evidence of it's authenticity to establish believing faith.

Fair enough. I've been wondering for a while reading your posts about proof of God and Jesus, and to me God isn't really interested in proving His existence. It's about faith, believing in something without proof.

Thanks.

[BJean 16]

lisah: I didn't want to talk about it too much and make you all think I was exaggerating, but my mother shared in our communication, sight and sound unseen. It was really fun at the time. But it makes me miss them so much more than if we hadn't been so tuned into each other.

[BJean 16]

Ron: After all that has been said here, I appreciate your statement about Christian faith.

[lisah25 3]

lisah: I didn't want to talk about it too much and make you all think I was exaggerating, but my mother shared in our communication, sight and sound unseen. It was really fun at the time. But it makes me miss them so much more than if we hadn't been so tuned into each other.

I saw a production of "Shadowlands" this last weekend. One theme was about how when we really love someone, we know that pain is part of the deal. And the closer we are, the more the pain. So what you say makes sense.

We used to laugh at them because at family gatherings, the three sisters and their mom would more often then not be dress much alike, same colors. And they all had different style for the most part otherwise. It stopped being so funny when I realized I was doing it too! :faint:

And it's not just genetic, I'm adopted!

[Ron Cusano 0]

Jesus did many things to prove his messianiac credentials, including performing miracles and raising the dead. You can't get more evidence and proof than that. God also provided fulfillment of Bible prophecy, among other things, as proof of His existance and the credibility of the scriptures. I believe that the faith part comes in when we accept God and His Word after considering all of the evidence. We "come to believe"!! Jesus said "these things have I given unto you that you may KNOW that you have eternal life", and the New Testament say's "the scriptures are given by inspiritation of God and are profitable for doctrine and reproof"! To believe without any reason is like believing in fairytales, which many unbelievers accuse us of, and I don't believe that God ever intended that for us.

Fair enough. I've been wondering for a while reading your posts about proof of God and Jesus, and to me God isn't really interested in proving His existence. It's about faith, believing in something without proof.

Thanks.

[Ron Cusano 0]

Thank-you! I appriciate that!

Ron: After all that has been said here, I appreciate your statement about Christian faith.

[BJean 16]

lisah: I love that you are adopted and are so tuned into the sisters and mother in your family. It doesn't have to be about genetics. You can even have a good friend with whom you share that kind of closeness and communication.

[TommyO 5]

I also do not fear being ubducted by aliens because I do not beleive they exist, secondly if I am wrong I still have no fear because I assume they have no reason to abduct me and Finally if they did have a reason to abduct me I assume it would be based on good intentions.

So I do not fear the "loss of heaven or the pains of hell" beacause I do not beleive they exist, If I am wrong however I still have no fear because I am confident any being that is omnipotent would not consider torture a reasonable response to my life.

That was the point I was driving at, it makes no sense to me that there is a God, but if I am wrong I can't imagine that a being with that intellect would come to the conclusions that most religions say they have.

I assume that if you are "all knowing" you would conclude that sending people off to hell and damnation makes little sense.

What if for example I was born in some backwards place 500 years ago that had not yet been lucky enough to be conquered by those wonderful christian empires looking for slaves. I doubt God is going to send me off to hell because I didn't have a personal relationship with Jesus.

I may be sounding sarcastic but it is not my intention, I have been told on this thread that the only way to heaven is through Jesus, sorry but I refuse to beleive in such an unwise God.

I prefer to beleive in no God rather than beleive in the one I hear described by many people of religion. Please do not take this as an attack on Christianity, I feel the same way about all religions, I have yet to find one that does not come up short on reason at some point.

[Ron Cusano 0]

Tommy,

There is a big difference between "foreknowing" and "causing"! You know your kids are going to do bad things, but you don't cause it. That is where the free will part comes in. God gives us a choice, and we make wrong choices. He doesn't condemn us to "torture", we choose it by rejecting His free gift of salvation.

The Bibles tells us that all humanity is "without excuse" about the knowledge of God because even His creation provides proof of His existance to those willing to accept it. That includes all people of all time. Remote tribes that have never been exposed to "religion" have been found that had an understanding of God.

I think you are sincere in your conviction, but I believe you are sincerely wrong.

I also do not fear being ubducted by aliens because I do not beleive they exist, secondly if I am wrong I still have no fear because I assume they have no reason to abduct me and Finally if they did have a reason to abduct me I assume it would be based on good intentions.

So I do not fear the "loss of heaven or the pains of hell" beacause I do not beleive they exist, If I am wrong however I still have no fear because I am confident any being that is omnipotent would not consider torture a reasonable response to my life.

That was the point I was driving at, it makes no sense to me that there is a God, but if I am wrong I can't imagine that a being with that intellect would come to the conclusions that most religions say they have.

I assume that if you are "all knowing" you would conclude that sending people off to hell and damnation makes little sense.

What if for example I was born in some backwards place 500 years ago that had not yet been lucky enough to be conquered by those wonderful christian empires looking for slaves. I doubt God is going to send me off to hell because I didn't have a personal relationship with Jesus.

I may be sounding sarcastic but it is not my intention, I have been told on this thread that the only way to heaven is through Jesus, sorry but I refuse to beleive in such an unwise God.

I prefer to beleive in no God rather than beleive in the one I hear described by many people of religion. Please do not take this as an attack on Christianity, I feel the same way about all religions, I have yet to find one that does not come up short on reason at some point.

[Wheetsin 714]

I may be sounding sarcastic but it is not my intention

This is a difficult balance. A lot of times what we say comes across as sarcastic or mockery, because - who knows - maybe because mockery is expected and read into it, or maybe because one man's common sense is another's complete unknown. Case in point - the earlier discussion about needing healthcare. Perfectly reasonable and valid questions from my perspective, but seen as mockery from another. When I was young I asked my mother, "Why do churches collect money from the people who go there?" and she answered, "Because churches cost money, there are electric bills and heating bills and maintenance costs" and I then asked, " If god cared whether or not people went to church, wouldn't it provide?" I remember she got a little upset because she thought I was mocking her faith, but in reality - I really just wanted to know what her answer was. Another time I asked her (after hearing about a very religious person in our family who was resuscitated), "...but if he died, and everything happens because it's god's will, wouldn't it be against god to bring him back to life?" Again - honest question (asked perhaps with the naivete of the 13 year old I was at the time), but taken much differently than it was meant.

I see your point, Tommy. No being with that rationale could be (from some people's perspective) every be considered "perfect".

[Ron Cusano 0]

I think the answers to those questions would be that, YES, God does provide for the churches, through the people that go to the churches.

And, if a person is "resuscitated", they were obviously not dead in the sense that their soul left their body. Human and medical definations of death are very different than the Biblical understanding.

This is a difficult balance. A lot of times what we say comes across as sarcastic or mockery, because - who knows - maybe because mockery is expected and read into it, or maybe because one's man's common sense is another's complete unknown. Case in point - the earlier discussion about needing healthcare. Perfectly reasonable and valid questions from my perspective, but seen as mockery from another. When I was young I asked my mother, "Why do churches collect money from the people who go there?" and she answered, "Because churches cost money, there are electric bills and heating bills and maintenance costs" and I then asked, " If god cared whether or not people went to church, wouldn't it provide?" I remember she got a little upset because she thought I was mocking her faith, but in reality - I really just wanted to know what her answer was. Another time I asked her (after hearing about a very religious person in our family who was resuscitated), "...but if he died, and everything happens because it's god's will, wouldn't it be against god to bring him back to life?" Again - honest question (asked perhaps with the naivete of the 13 year old I was at the time), but taken much differently than it was meant.

I see your point, Tommy. No being with that rationale could be (from some people's perspective) every be considered "perfect".

[Wheetsin 714]

Sorry, should have clarified. I wasn't asking the questions to get answers, I was citing examples of times that legitimate curiosity was perceived as something quite different.

[Ron Cusano 0]

Sorry I misunderstood!!

[Victoriana 10]

Many of you responded to my question about coping skills in hardship and the thread moved to the loss of close loved ones. It seems that this is undoubtedly the greatest pain anyone can encounter. What I appreciate is the level of transparency you have given.

What I love about my my faith and belief in Christ is that I have the gift of the reunion of my relationships in the resurrection. I have recieved this comfort and I also can leave this legacy to my children and grandchildren. I can understand that others belief that death is final and thats all there is to it so make the best in the here and now. I just cant understand how fear of the end does not seem to overwhelm you when confronted with it.

I again thank you for your responses, I dont take them lightly.

[anonemouse 1]

I just cant understand how fear of the end does not seem to overwhelm you when confronted with it.

It's not that it doesn't affect us, but in my case, I just consider death to be part of life. It is something we all have to experience as human beings. To me, there just isn't any point in allowing it to overwhelm me, because that won't change the fact that it is an experience that I have to go through as a human being that loves other people.