Who Here Believes In God?

[ensabrenoir]

Yes there is a God! I could fill volumes of all the things he's done for me! All my abilities, knowledge and inspiration comes from him. I dare not imagine what I would be without him in my life. I read the posts of many hurt, broken and lost souls who are angry and lashing out or disconnected. I pray for you all. Do u know the definiton of believe? I ask that all who don't believe just. Read the Bible. A verse at a time if u have to. God will reveal himself

[dr_bowtie]

if we lived our lives fully according to the bible we would be in trouble ourselves...just to show that times have changed and the Bible hasnt...here is a little fun excerpt I found...

 

now it doesnt start off pertaining but then actual passages get referenced...if we still lived this archaic way today...well we'd kill alot more for less trivial things than we currently do...

 

 

 

In her radio show, Dr Laura Schlesinger said that, as an observant Orthodox Jew, homosexuality is an abomination according to Leviticus 18:22, and cannot be condoned under any circumstance. The following response is an open letter to Dr. Laura, penned by a US resident, which was posted on the Internet. It's funny, as well as informative:

 

 

Dear Dr. Laura:

 

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination ... End of debate.

 

I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other elements of God's Laws and how to follow them.

 

1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

 

2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

 

3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of Menstrual uncleanliness - Lev.15: 19-24. The problem is how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

 

4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

 

5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it?

 

6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination, Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this? Are there 'degrees' of abomination?

 

7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle-room here?

 

8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die?

 

9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

 

10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev.19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? Lev.24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair, like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

 

I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy considerable expertise in such matters, so I'm confident you can help.

 

Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.

 

Your adoring fan.

 

 

James M. Kauffman, Ed.D. Professor Emeritus, Dept. Of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education University of Virginia

 

 

 

 

(It would be a damn shame if we couldn't own a Canadian. )

[El_Capitan]

This debate cannot be won, and is pointless. The belief in God is not logical, and those using logic to point to a religion's horrible side of history and fallacies are deemed unreasonable because they just don't understand God and it's teachings and are misinterpreting everything (God should have had a better editor). You can't be logical and still believe in God, you end up contradicting yourself. At the most, you can believe in a God, but not a God within a religious organization because there are restrictions that don't make sense to our feeble minds (and to add to most of our arguments, those that believe in God believe God made us with feeble minds - though in His image, but with feeble minds. Thus, we cannot use logic to disprove Him because our logic is faulty because He created us that way).

 

The war on terror = radical Muslim fundamentalists who want to kill Christians (a.k.a. most Americans) and want to die in battle to be with 7 virgins in heaven.

 

What are you going to do with 7 virgins? Not have intercourse with them? See? No logic, doesn't make sense.

[wevsspot]

Two things I want to get off my chest first;

 

1. LoArm - you're previous post is one of the most profound I've read in the thread

2. Doc Bowtie - you know we are great friends and I hope that someday you will acknowledge that there is a God and that Jesus was his son and suffered and died on the cross for your sins and mine

 

Required reading - The Religions of Man by Huston Smith. A very objective, informative and yet readable explanation of the history of the major world religions. Unbiased, fairly short and to the point.

 

Religion IS NOT the deadliest killer of man. Many wars have been fought that didn't involve religion at all. Early wars were fought for land, title, access to trade routes or coastal ports, natural resources and just plain riches. Wars in more recent times have also been fought for land, title and wealth - but also to exterminate certain socio-economic classes and the attempted genocide of entire human races.

 

Dr. R.J. Rummel at the University of Hawaii did an exhaustive paper on the deadliest killers of man in the 20th century. Even with the inclusion of natural disasters, plagues and other unforeseen "Acts of God" or nature - governments and wars are still the deadliest killers of man.

 

Interestingly enough Dr. Rummel's findings indicate that the dealiest killer of humans is not war, or natural disasters, or plagues or even unforeseen "Acts of God". The deadliest killer of man are governments. Governments that sponsored state approved murder and genocide. And of those, the number of people slaughtered by Absolutist, Authoritarian, Communist and Socialist Governments in comparison to "free" or democratic governments/societies is staggering. Here are his numbers (credit to R.J. Rummel)

 

20TH CENTURY KILLED, BY CAUSE

 

CAUSE TOTALS AVERAGES

(in millions) PER 10,000

POPULATION

GOVERNMENT 119.4 349

Communist 95.2 477

Other non-free 20.3 495

" " omitting Indonesia 397

Partially free 3.1 48

Free .8 22

 

WAR 35.7 22

International 29.7 17

Civil 6.0 26

Note: all figures are rounded

 

Note the one thing that almost all Absolutist, Authoritarian, Totalitarian and Communist governments have in common is no acknowledgment of higher authority outside of mankind (i.e. the government, the despot, the dictator etc.) If these governments do allow religion it must be the religion approved by the ruling government - and there is one and only one.

 

Wars aren't fought because of religion or even a God. Wars are fought because of mankind's sinful nature - sure some wars have been fought in the name of one God or another, one religion or another, but the truth is that those governments/men waged war because of mankind's twisted, unrational, delusional and sinful nature. Also note that the worst wars of the 20th century generally involved democratic societies pitted against Absolutist, Authoritarian and Communist governments. Why would a generally peaceful democratic society wage a war(s) against another country(s) if it didn't directly affect our safety or boarders? There is only one answer - because it was the right thing to do. So if it were the "right thing to do" where do we get that moral compass? Whom or what impresses on us what the right thing is? What is our moral duty? Those convictions and belief systems cannot come from one man to another.

[El_Capitan]

Does religion provide anything other than insurance for the afterlife that a normal club/organization could provide? Why does believing in a God have to influence a person or society's behavior? Wevsspot, Hitler and Nazi Germany held to the religious belief that they were God's chosen race which influenced their government view. Religion has been the forefront of controlling large populations for centuries. When the poor have nothing to live for in this life, the promise of believing in a God gives them hope for a better life in the next. Not to mention fear of living in eternal hell makes them not do things such as cause riots and rebelling, etc.

 

There are probably many books on the subject, too.

 

General Question:

If your church/mosque/whatever burns down, then it's rebuilt, then an earthquake or tornado tears it down again, what do you believe?

A. Your God is trying to send you a message and you still haven't understood what He's trying to say (which gets down to the point, you're doing something wrong).

B. The True God is trying to send you a message that you're worshiping the wrong God (which means you're doing something wrong).

C. The Devil or the evil entity did it (which means your God is doing a bad job of protecting His worshipers).

D. You're being tested (which means you're constantly failing).

E. It's His will (which means what, exactly? He's a sadist?)

F. It's just some person that caused the fire, or was a natural event (which means either God did it, or God didn't do it).

 

I loved the idea of champions in war times. The Christian champion vs the Muslim champion in a duel. Imagine what the winning side thinks when they end up still losing the battle.

[LoArmistead]

 

Note the one thing that almost all Absolutist, Authoritarian, Totalitarian and Communist governments have in common is no acknowledgment of higher authority outside of mankind (i.e. the government, the despot, the dictator etc.) If these governments do allow religion it must be the religion approved by the ruling government - and there is one and only one.

 

 

I think we're on to something

[HoLoDreaM]

There is no real God. It is but only a symbol.

[InCrYsIs]

I don't remember who said it but I remember reading it. It may have been 2 different people or groups.

 

1. god put dinosaur bones here to test our faith

2. The Earth is only 60,000 years old

 

 

These two statements are what really get me stewed. Why couldn't this god have tried different things before settleing on crappy humans? Why can't there be science included with religion. If god created humans than he also created science. Just because scientist say a big bang happened that started the universe doesn't mean that a god couldn't have chosen to start things that way.

 

I just hate that religion dismisses science.

[Nerm]

As for the beginning I have trouble with both theories. I have trouble believing that a God created everything in existence for reference I give you the Platypus. What God would create that thing?...I also have trouble believing that a big bang created everything in existence for reference I give you Jessica Alba. Something that hot doesn't just boom into existence

[El_Capitan]

Jessica Alba is the reason that there is no God?

[dr_bowtie]

Doc Bowtie - you know we are great friends and I hope that someday you will acknowledge that there is a God and that Jesus was his son and suffered and died on the cross for your sins and mine

 

LOL I never said I didnt believe...I just asked a simple question...

 

even the wars you talk of that were over trade, riches and other things were by some sort of religious people no....? there are many who tote religion and preach to be faithful but yet are head of the killing and wars and all sorts of things...

 

I personally believe in many religions...there are a great many who have had great impact in and on our lives...but Christianity and the religion it follows is in everyday life whether we like it or not...the founding fathers of America the United States wrote the Constitution based on their religious beliefs...

 

Marriage is centered around religion..that act of Marriage itself is a religious ceremony...even if done by a JoP....

 

everything in one way or another is tied to religion....

 

 

I personally believe before you can put 100% faith or belief into something you MUST know everything there is about it...

 

I do my fair share of research....

 

and to the poster that said life contradicts religion....lol read the Bible....MANY things in there contradict itself...

 

 

I don't remember who said it but I remember reading it. It may have been 2 different people or groups.

 

1. god put dinosaur bones here to test our faith

2. The Earth is only 60,000 years old

 

 

These two statements are what really get me stewed. Why couldn't this god have tried different things before settleing on crappy humans? Why can't there be science included with religion. If god created humans than he also created science. Just because scientist say a big bang happened that started the universe doesn't mean that a god couldn't have chosen to start things that way.

 

I just hate that religion dismisses science.

 

 

there are many things like that...namely Christmas....Christmas is NOT originally a Christian Holiday...as Santa and giving gifts has nothing to do with Jesus...thats actually another religion that celebrates the Winter Soltice....these were the Sun worshipers...the Sun was their God and thats who they worshiped...

 

this was around long before Christ came...Jesus wasnt born on Christmas day either...truth is NO ONE knows what day he was exactly born on...it does NOT say in the Bible either...Some forms of the Christians actually believe it to be in January sometime others think October...But December is when its celebrated as thats a day thats honored by several religions...the Pegans, the Jewish and the Christians all celebrate different things on and around the same day....

 

Christmas is a Universal holiday...

 

oh and by the way...when I was younger I went to many different churches and studied many forms of Christianity...plus other religions....

[ej25lvr]

i wish i had more time to discuss every viewpoint made here namely the negative ones towards God but i dont.

 

for all those who say it isnt logical for God to exist are arguing the logic of the very existence of their own self.

 

Proverbs 3:5 5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

 

6In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

 

7Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

 

but being far from perfect as we are there are many factors to why some dont,believe,used to believe but now dont or maybe they simply have been raised in this generation where governments are taking God out of the picture altogether so some simply grow up not even having a chance to learn the truth......

 

2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires.

 

now i can quote the bible as it applies to things but then there are those who say what the bible says isnt true and that is because men wrote it. it is true that men wrote it, but they were divinely inspired.

 

i can hear many of you thinking yea ok prove it..... heres the deal so i know some are actually paying attention and honestly want to learn something.... i want a few to in this forum to just post and say ok i want to see the proof. the proof shows that what the bible says is true,that the God of the bible is the only one and was only able to be proven in the last 50 years due to advancement in technology. yet thousands of years ago God put the knowledge in the bible through divinely inspiring certain men to write it and there is no way possible those men or any man could have known.

 

so ill check back later and if enough are interested i will post back with it and after a while and people have had time to comprehend it, it i will see how some if any try to argue against it. really you cant but i know some will try to do so. im pretty sure its something none of you have ever thought of or seen.