pattygreen 5 Posted March 30, 2009 carrie, I am glad that you think that way. Jesus does want to be our friend. He said he would stick closer to you than a brother. For me, it has been wonderful to have God to rely on through every hard trial and even through the joys in my life. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pattygreen 5 Posted March 31, 2009 People claim to not believe in God because it is 'not scientific' or for 'lack of proof'. The true reason is that once people admit that there is a God, they also must realize that they are responsible to God and in need of forgiveness from him. If God exists then we are accountable for our actions to him. If God does not exist, then we can do whatever we want without having to worry about God judging us. That is why evolution is so strongly clung to by many in our society-- to give people an alternative to believing in a creator, God. God exists and ultimately in each mans heart, they know he exists. The very fact that some attempt so aggressively to disprove His existence is in fact an arguement for his existence. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cynthiak 0 Posted March 31, 2009 God is real for those who believe it. I have only a small thing to say. After looking around the world and the universe, I can find no reason not to believe in God. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
green 6 Posted March 31, 2009 God is real for those who believe it. I have only a small thing to say. After looking around the world and the universe, I can find no reason not to believe in God. I have done too much reading on this question, I suspect and I can only believe in science. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Daisalana 33 Posted March 31, 2009 People claim to not believe in God because it is 'not scientific' or for 'lack of proof'. Kind of a silly justification, when religion is based on Faith. Wouldn't really be faith if there was proof & a scientific explination, now would it? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pattygreen 5 Posted March 31, 2009 Ever heard of circumstantial evidence? There is plenty of that. One that comes to mind.....Why would the 12 apostles who witnessed Jesus' life and miracles and death and resurrection give their lives for something that was a lie? They believed Jesus was God come in the flesh for mankind and staked their very own lives on it. Not just one of them, but all of them did. They each died for bringing the gospel to the people at different times and in different ways. Their testimonies of what happened were witnessed by thousands of people. We never saw Abraham Lincoln, but we believe in his writings and what is told about him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KartMan 58 Posted March 31, 2009 Ever heard of circumstantial evidence? There is plenty of that. One that comes to mind.....Why would the 12 apostles who witnessed Jesus' life and miracles and death and resurrection give their lives for something that was a lie? They believed Jesus was God come in the flesh for mankind and staked their very own lives on it. Not just one of them, but all of them did. They each died for bringing the gospel to the people at different times and in different ways. Their testimonies of what happened were witnessed by thousands of people. We never saw Abraham Lincoln, but we believe in his writings and what is told about him. Hmmm, You should be careful with that train of thought. By that same reasoning David Koresh and Jim Jones may have been god too. They told their people that they were, and their people followed them to their deaths. In the case of Jones it was some 900 people. You can't use actions of the followers to validate the “facts” about god or jesus. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WASaBubbleButt 41 Posted March 31, 2009 Kind of a silly justification, when religion is based on Faith. Wouldn't really be faith if there was proof & a scientific explination, now would it? If theists had proof they wouldn't need faith. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Daisalana 33 Posted March 31, 2009 That's my point! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WASaBubbleButt 41 Posted April 1, 2009 That's my point! I know what you wrote, I was making it more clear for PG. ;o) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pattygreen 5 Posted April 1, 2009 Hmmm,You should be careful with that train of thought. By that same reasoning David Koresh and Jim Jones may have been god too. They told their people that they were, and their people followed them to their deaths. In the case of Jones it was some 900 people. You can't use actions of the followers to validate the “facts” about god or jesus. And after they died off ,where did they go? Are people still following them and placing their whole existence and faith in them? No. But Jesus hasn't gone anywhere. The bible speaks of men who claimed to be God, and their time came and went also. But God allowed man to keep Jesus around since the beginning of time. Time is even calculated by his coming.(AD & BC)The bible is the #1 best selling book. Is the whole country duped? Cause stats show that only 9% of Americans don't pray. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KartMan 58 Posted April 1, 2009 And after they died off ,where did they go? Are people still following them and placing their whole existence and faith in them? No. But Jesus hasn't gone anywhere. The bible speaks of men who claimed to be God, and their time came and went also. But God allowed man to keep Jesus around since the beginning of time. Time is even calculated by his coming.(AD & BC)The bible is the #1 best selling book. Is the whole country duped? Cause stats show that only 9% of Americans don't pray. Whoa now, there you go again. Time is NOT calculated by the coming of Jesus. Time is calculated by a precise scientific relation of the Earths rotation around its axis (hours and minutes) and its relative position around the sun (months). BC and AD are frames of reference on the Julian and Gregorian calendar (but not used at all on the Hebrew, Moslem, Hindu, American Indian, etc. calendars), but his birth and death have little relevance to the way time functions. In fact, BC and AD are not all that precise since the historical record doesn’t really show exactly when Jesus was born. Even the bible is conflicted on this topic. Matthew says he was born during King Herod's reign (Herod died in 4 BC) Luke says he was born during the reign of Cyrenius in Syria which began in AD 6. Which is right? Which part of the bible should we have faith in? This little example is a great illustration of the many inaccuracies and inconsistencies contained within the bible that make it hard for many of us to believe in it. The four gospels are often considered the most important part of the New Testament, yet they actually are riddled with inconsistency, omissions and historical inaccuracies such as this one. Where do all those bibles go anyway? I'm not sure people are reading them, if they did they might be even more confused than they were before they read it.:thumbdown: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
plain 12 Posted April 1, 2009 And after they died off ,where did they go? Are people still following them and placing their whole existence and faith in them? Well, to be truthful, there are still practicing Davidians. I think they still worship David Koresh. I don't think the cult of Jim Jones still exists, but I could be wrong. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Daisalana 33 Posted April 1, 2009 I bet you could find some Jim Jones followers somewhere, waiting to make the next town. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
plain 12 Posted April 2, 2009 I bet you could find some Jim Jones followers somewhere, waiting to make the next town. Bet there won't be much Kool-Aid in the new town. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites