Shaun30NotPerfectJust4given's blog: "Blogs for thought"

(I feel it's only fair to warn those reading this-This is a very very long post. So, if you don't really enjoy reading long post, just ignore it. If you  are interested in reading it, make sure you have a fair amount of time to spare, haha.And PLEASE comment if you do God bless)

I know this blog will seem extremely long to everyone.However,when you consider the fact that I'm trying to address the questions of the thousands of people who could potentially be reading this,I hope you understand and appreciate why. Besides, if you are serious about wanting to know more about the Christian faith, a long, detailed blog shouldn't stop you. In fact, I hope it will intrigue you and help you. That's why I wrote this-to help people. I don't claim to have all the answers. This blog won't have all the answers. All it is intended to do is keep your mind and perception open to RECEIVE possible answers. Because without an open mind, learning anything is impossible. I put a lot of thought and spent a long time studying,researching and taking notes of many different people's point of view so that I can be as accurate and unbiased as possible. So just bare with me and give it a chance:) And please read this entire thing very carefully before coming to any conclusions.

It's probably best to begin with the definitions of Atheism and Agnosticism. Because,otherwise, nothing I say in this blog will have any credibility.

An Atheist is one who believes that there is no deity. Whereas, Agnostics just don't believe the existence of any deity has been proven or disproven one way or the other(the exact definition is "a person who holds the view that any ultimate reality (as God) is unknown and probably unknowable; broadly : one who is not committed to believing in either the existence or the nonexistence of God or a god"). Or, to put it simply- they don't know. Which means they are open to, and sometimes even welcome, the possibility that God does exist. I admire and respect an Agnostics willingness to say "I don't know". I give them a lot of credit for that. Because, sometimes that is the most intelligent thing a person can say. I think the first step to true wisdom is admitting that we don't know everything. And it is their willingness to admit this fact that makes them much easier to talk to and more open to this subject than most Atheists are because, unlike Agnostics, most Atheists are convinced they have it all figured out. Which makes them come across as very arrogant. As if they are more educated and intellectual and Christians(or anyone who believes in a higher power,in general) are nothing but ignorant, superstitious people who rely on blind faith. And many of them usually get very angry,hostile, threatened and/or defensive when you even so much as bring up the subject of God. Some will even take their aggression and hostility so far as to insult, criticize and harass people who do believe in God or even blame the God they CLAIM they don't believe in on the evil that is in the world(usually in an attempt to justify their reasons not to believe in God and their disdain for anyone who does). I've had people who have done that on this blog in the past.The truth is, as an Atheist, it is your prerogative and your right to disagree and not believe anything in this blog. However, you relinquish/forfeit that right when you take it to the point of mockery and insults. I just have a question to those people who get hostile and defensive when the subject of God is brought up--why show hostility or defensiveness towards someone about a deity you claim you don't believe exists? If you think about it, by doing so, you only validate it's power and influence over you. Thereby, validating it's existance. So if you don't believe it exists, or if you disagree with anything in this or any of my blogs,state your opinion in a civil and appropriate manner. Otherwise, don't let it get to you. Ignore it and move on.

Now,I would like to list a few of the main reasons people have not to believe in God, oppose the Christian faith or religion in general. Let's begin with the argument that most of the greatest wars in history have been fought because of religion. Especially Christianity. I recently added this argument and placed it at the top of the list because I started to notice that this is one of the top arguments people pose against Christianity and religion, in general. I can understand why people would make that argument. However, when you really go back and think about it, those wars really weren't about religion. Religion is just the topic- a reason to hide behind to justify the root cause of war.(or to put it bluntly-An excuse) And that root cause is the greed and corruption of man. People can’t blame that on God or the Christian faith itself. We have free will to do good or evil. Wars are fought because of greed, corruption and lust for power of the people acting on their OWN FREE WILL- that is the issue, not religion. So a case that is built around the fact that most wars are fought "In the name of religion", doesn't hold water. (Besides, if you are going to use war being the result of religion, you have to include all religions. Singling out Christianity,as people too often do, just isn't right. And,frankly, just plain ignorant) God is about peace and love. And religion is one of MANY reasons people justify war. Until HUMANITY can get over itself and get over it's lust and greed for power and corruption, war will always exist.

I've said more than once--it's ironic that when terrible things happen such as war,hunger or violence, people are quick to blame God instead of holding themselves or society accountable.(Of course, those are people who at least acknowledge His existence at all. But, the only way they acknowledge Him is as a scapegoat). Yet, when something incredibly good happens that has absolutely no natural explanation, they don't give Him any credit. That's when they want to take the credit for themselves whenever possible. Or, they quickly and desperately reach for some obscure natural explanation(or create one when none is found).

I admit, there are some legitimate reasons for some people to have some hostility and resentment towards Christians and the Christian faith. Such as, being mistreated in the past in some way by someone who calls themselves Christian but misinterprets,corrupts and/or twists God's teachings in order to run their own personal selfish agendas.(people like Warren Jeffs, David Koresh, Marshall Applewhite, Jim Jones and Doug Perry-leader of "Fellowship of the Martyrs" who I recently found on Youtube. He basically tells you that if you are not willing to martyr yourself for Christ or do things they tell you to do, you are not a true Christian. Which is a defining characteristic of a cult. And any True Christian knows is completely contradictory to God's word because Christ already paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we wouldn't have to. The only thing we are required to do to be saved is repent and ask forgiveness and accept what Jesus Christ ALREADY did FOR us.) But some people like to use God's word in order to manipulate vulnerable, hurting people who are willing to follow ANYTHING or ANYONE in an attempt to have a closer relationship with God. And that is how extremist groups and cults get their power. But that is NOT Christianity. I can't stress that enough to those who see that and use it as a reason to oppose the Christian faith. As it says in 1st John 4:1(as well as other verses in the bible) "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world."

To make my next point,I'm going to look at Christianity from an Atheists point of view for a second.(Just playing "Devil's Advocate" here haha) I know there are concepts and parts in the bible that seem extremely fantastic, irrational and illogical. I'm not a Creationist or a Biblical Literalist- I don't take everything in the bible literally. But, put the Bible aside for a minute and think of all the things we accept as fact. Things we once thought were impossible or preposterous but have now learned to be true through science. But it took someone's faith to believe something was true or possible in order to take the steps to prove it--flight, space exploration, etc. Even the fact that the earth was round sounded fantastic and illogical at one time(and this was a time when people thought we were at the peek of human knowledge). But, it was eventually proven and is now accepted without question. In fact, now, what we find illogical and ridiculous is that we once believed the earth was flat lol. The point I am trying to make is that there are many things, aside from the bible and Christianity, that we accept and know to be true because someone, somewhere once had the faith to take the steps needed to prove it. Just "what if" Jonah from the bible was, in fact, inside a whale for 3 days?(actually, in the original Hebrew texts of the bible, it was just called "a great fish". But, over time, people started to refer to it as a whale.) Scientist and theologians have now theorized that the "great fish" spoken of in the book of Jonah may have not been a whale, or even a fish at all. But, in fact, a type of submarine. Because the original Greek and Hebrew texts of the bible describe many surfaces such as brass and metal within "the great fish" that suggest that it was really some sort of underwater craft. Think about it, in biblical times, people described things the only way they knew how at the time. So "a great fish" was probably the best way they knew to describe what they saw. And God is the source of ideas and insights that are needed for science to progress. So it makes sense that He would possess technology that would be needed to create something like that long before we did. Science means knowledge, and true science always agrees with the observable evidence. As I mentioned in my blog "The Bible is not outdated"-Scientific foreknowledge found only in the Bible offers one more piece to the collective proof that the Bible is truly the inspired Word of the Creator. Scientific research continues to unfold the wonders and mysteries of our universe. Interestingly, there is one book that has anticipated many of these scientific facts. That book is the Bible. Many of these facts were penned centuries before they were discovered.All I am saying is that, before you make it up in your mind that everything in the bible is rubbish, do some digging. You just might find out that what seemed impossible and illogical at first glance was, in fact, entirely possible after taking a closer look.

Then there are REAL Christians who have pure intentions but they focus more on WHAT Jesus taught than HOW He taught it, and that only turns people away. And this question is for my fellow Christians- where in the bible did Jesus ever judge, persecute or even raise His voice during His ministry? the only time He ever raised His voice and got angry was when He caught the money changers defiling the Temple. But, for some reason, some of us Christians tend to get very aggressive in our ministry right away before we even get to know the person. I think one of the first things we need to be taught as Christians is-"Know your audience". In order to effectually minister to someone, you have to evaluate and figure out the type of person you are talking to before you begin to minister to them. Because, if you come across a person who is even REMOTELY open and receptive to the message you are trying to send them and you immediately begin with the whole "Hellfire and Brimstone" approach, you are just going to scare that person off. Or, like I said, they will turn on you. That is how many Christians immediately begin talking to people. Which, again, I think is a VERY legitimate reason for that person to be bitter and hostile towards Christianity. I totally understand. Because I would probably react the same way if I were not a Christian already and was treated the way a lot of so-called "Christians" treated non-Christians. And on behalf of those people-I apologize.But, we have to remember-every group of people(Including Christianity) whether it's a faith,a club or any other organization- has a few bad members( some more than others. I mean,look at Congress. And don't get me started on Obama lol) And to judge an entire group of people based on a few bad ones is the very definition of discrimination. Some of these people don't intentionally mean to hurt or offend anyone. But it happens. Christians are human too and make mistakes. Which is why our salvation depends not on how good WE are.But how merciful GOD is by sending His son to die for us.

Which brings me to another group of "so called" Christians- those self righteous, holier than thou morons who think that being a Christian makes them better than everyone else and gives them the right to judge. Let me just get one straight- we are ALL sinners and ALL fall short of the glory and grace of God. Including Christians. No one is perfect. The only thing that makes us worthy of God's grace is the blood of Christ that was shed on a cross 2000 yrs ago. So, again to those who have been mistreated and judged by those type of so-called Christians, I apologize.

Also, there are those who are quick to debate and refute any evidence or information they are given that proves God's existence without giving it serious thought.Trying to talk to someone like that is like trying to talk to a drunk person-But, instead of alcohol, their minds are clouded by their own pride(pride in believing they have everything all figured out so they can say for a fact that God doesn't exist) and stubbornness. Or,like I said, past mistreatment by those calling themselves Christians. So, anything you tell them goes in one ear and out the other. And some Christians handle that by being more aggressive in their approach. Which only causes that person to become even less open to Christianity.

I think a persons refusal to believe in God or ANY higher power, besides the ones I already mentioned, has a lot to do with the fear of accountability. You see, If there is a higher power, it means we have to be accountable to that power. And, let's face it, most people these days avoid accountability whenever or wherever possible. It also means that we are not in control of everything as some people like to think. And that scares and threatens some people. So they'd rather not believe in it. Personally,I'm GLAD we're not in control of everything.If we were left to our own devices with no guidance from any higher power whatsoever, this world would sink into self destruction much faster than it already has.

Some refuse to believe in God out of guilt and fear of judgment. Perhaps they have done something so terrible in the past that they feel they are beyond redemption and unworthy of God's grace and love. But,trying to escape judgement by, simply, refusing to believe in God is like trying trying to escape the law by choosing not to believe in the judge. It just doesn't work that way. Besides that, God's judgment comes AFTER we die and is for things we haven't confessed and asked forgiveness for.(of course, everything we do has it's consequences-whether for good or bad. And God will allow us to reap the consequences of our actions either as a lesson to learn or a reward) When you go to God and ask for forgiveness for something you did, He's not focusing on your sin. What God is focused on at that point is what is in your heart-your integrity based on how long it took you to come to Him and ask to be forgiven. And God is so much more than judge. He's our Father who loves us more than we as humans could ever comprehend. As human beings, our love for one another is conditional and has it's limits. But God's love is unconditional and has no limits. So, for those of you beating yourselves up over something you did-you should know that what ever you do cannot separate you from that love and is not bad enough to be unforgivable. However, you have to be willing to ASK for that forgiveness. God can give you anything. But, we have to be willing to humble ourselves and ACKNOWLEDGE Him and that He has the authority and power to forgive us in order for that to take effect. Our problem is not that what we did was so terrible that God can't forgive us. It's that it was so terrible in OUR eyes that we aren't able to forgive OURSELVES. Until we stop putting ourselves and our judgment about ourselves above God's authority, His forgiveness will never give us the release from the guilt that it was mean't to give us.

People who don't believe in God like to argue that the God Christians believe in is just a vengeful, angry tyrant who takes joy in taking His wrath and anger out on people. But,if that's what they think, they haven't read the whole bible. Which is another thing many people who don't believe in God are good at- they only read what supports their ideas and reasons not to believe in God. Everything else is just an inconvenience so they, simply, discard it.) The reason being that,once they they decide they have enough information to confirm that which they believe to be true, they stop processing any more information because they weren't really,sincerely, looking for reasons to believe in God,they were looking for reasons NOT to. More of the bible is about God's love than His wrath. His wrath only comes in when our stubbornness and pride cause us to turn from Him. Because when we turn from God, we deny ourselves His love and protection which allows us to be easily deceived and tempted to do things that will cause harm to ourselves and others.(The recent shootings and bombings in the U.S. are tragic examples of that) So, it only makes sense that God would be angry when that happens. When things like that happen, people ask "Where was God?". But the real question should be "where were we?". We kicked God out of our schools and prohibited prayer and bibles in most places. So, it's no wonder things like that happen. The simple fact is that you will never have all the answers about God and His existence and His purpose for why things happen. But that is no reason to give up. Not everything in life is always clear and easy to understand. Getting your education seems difficult and even pointless at times. But, is that a legitimate reason to give up? no. And, in the end, you are given something priceless that no one can take from you-knowledge. Christianity is a life long journey. It's not something you can give up on the moment it doesn't work for you, you don't understand it or when you find something that (at first) invalidates it. Because if you keep digging, you'll eventually find out that what you thought invalidated it actually confirms it. And at the end of that journey, you get more than you could ever imagine and that no one can take from you. Also, when we deny the existence of God, we deny ourselves a great friend in our times of loneliness and need.

By now, some of you are thinking "this blog is too long and not worth reading." At the beginning of this, I acknowledged it is quite long. And, Some people have told me that the reason some people won't finish reading it or won't read it at all, is because of that. But, if a person was genuinely determined to find answers,they would read anything no matter how long it is. Unless of course, like I said, it ends up not supporting their ideas and what they already believe to be true. If that's the case, then it's just not worth their time. The fact that it's too long is just a convenient excuse. I'm not claiming to have all the right answers. I just think that when someone really wants to know more about something, they shouldn't let the fact that it's too long, stop them from from getting the information they seek. I really hope more people take 10 or 15 minutes out of their busy schedules give it a chance. Because this is, certainly, a subject that is worth the time:)

Last and, certainly not least,there are those who only believe in God at their own convenience-that is, when it benefits them. For example, a person might say "okay,God, if you do exist" followed by a laundry list of demands. And then when that person doesn't get what they want when they want it, they say "See? He doesn't exist." What those people don't understand is that God answers prayer based on what will benefit us in the long run.Not based on what we want or think we need at that immediate point in time.

The following is a conversation I had with an Agnostic woman about Christianity. The question behind it was not really whether God existed or not, so much as the question of- "if" God did exist and you had to live by a certain set of morals and guidelines and did not accept the gift offered to you that would save you from the consequences that go with breaking them(which, in the case of Christianity, that gift was Jesus Christ being beaten and crucified on a cross for your sin.), would you deserve those consequences? And in Christianity, the ultimate consequence is Hell. But, the ultimate reward is eternal life through Jesus Christ. No other deity in any other religion has ever paid the price for salvation by laying down their life as Christ did(which, as I said in my blog "Christianity:Religion Vs Relationship", is one of the main things that separates Christianity from religion). And this conversation was not meant to start a debate or win a battle either.It wasn't even mean't to convert the person right then and there. All this conversation was mean't to do is leave the person with something to think about. When you do that, the person will examine his or her own life and make up their own mind. Which is what effectual teaching is meant to do. Not cram the lesson or message down anyone's throat. Some may feel that that's what I did here. However,she didn't. A few days later, she came back to me and said that, after giving our conversation a lot of thought and digging deeper into Christianity on her own, she gave her heart to God.That was the ultimate goal. Although this woman didn't really give much thought as to whether God existed one way or another, she was very receptive and thought very carefully about this conversation. I wish more non-believers were like that.

Now,here we go.

Me-"Do you think you're a good person?"

Her-"Sure, I consider myself a good person."

Me-" Well, may I ask you a few questions to see if that's true? And, just to be fair,I will pose these same questions to myself."

Her-"sure, why not?"

Me- "Have you ever told a lie?"

Her response- "sure,who hasnt?"

Me- "So have I. So,what does that make us?"

Her response- "liars”

Me- "have you ever stolen anything?even the smallest little thing?"

Her response- "yes".

Me-"Me too. So,what does that make us?"

Her response-"thieves"

Me- "Have you ever used God's name in vain?" (and that means using His name as a cuss word.)

Her response- "sure. Every once in a while"

Me-"well that is called blasphemy. I'm guilty of that too. Have you ever looked at a person with lust? (And I'm not talking about your husband. Because I want to make something clear-Lust, in itself, is not a sin. Because, what is lust? Lust is an intense desire or craving. Lust is only a sin when you are "too generous" with it and express it towards more than one person and to those you don't have any genuine feelings for and a deep monogamous commitment with. In fact, it can actually be a good thing within the confines of a loving,monogamous relationship. And it is actually essential for a healthy marriage. If you're married, I have to assume you genuinely love your husband. So he doesn't count haha). Have you ever looked at a person, besides your husband, with lust?”

Her response- "yea."

Me- "well,God says that when you look at someone with lust(who is not your husband or wife), you have already committed adultery with them in your heart. So,By our own admission(I didn't accuse you of anything.You admitted to all this yourself and so did I.Especially lust. I'm a guy,so I can't get away with that one myself haha)-By OUR admission, we are lying,thieving,blasphemous,adulterers at heart. So, do you still think you are a good person?"

Her- "Well, if you put it in those terms. I suppose not. But, wait, some of those are really minor faults. We're not bad people if we slip every once in a while."

Me--" Well, who is to say which fault is greater than another? are you measuring sin by your own standards, the standards of the world or the standards of God? In God's eyes all sin is equal. No sin is lesser or greater than the other. It is always difficult and dangerous to attempt to list sins according to their degree of seriousness. In the most basic sense, all sins are equal in that they all separate us from God. The Bible’s statement, “For the wages of sin is death …” (Romans 6:23), applies to all sin, whether in thought, word, or deed.At the same time, it seems obvious that some sins are worse than others in both motivation and effects, and should be judged accordingly. Stealing a loaf of bread is vastly different than exterminating a million people. Sins may also differ at their root.Theologians have sought for centuries to determine what the essence of sin is. Some have chosen sensuality, others selfishness, and still others pride or unbelief. In the Old Testament, God applied different penalties to different sins, suggesting variations in the seriousness of some sins. A thief paid restitution; an occult practitioner was cut off from Israel; one who committed adultery or a homosexual act or cursed his parents was put to death (see Exodus, chapter 22 and Leviticus, chapter 20).In the New Testament Jesus said it would be more bearable on the day of judgment for Sodom than for Capernaum because of Capernaum’s unbelief and refusal to repent after witnessing His miracles (Matthew 11:23-24). The sins of Sodom were identified in Ezekiel 16:21 as arrogance, gluttony, indifference to the poor and needy, haughtiness, and “detestable things.”When Jesus spoke of his second coming and judgment, he warned that among those deserving punishment some would “be beaten with many blows” and others “with few blows” (Luke 12:47-48). He also reserved His most fierce denunciations for the pride and unbelief of the religious leaders, not the sexually immoral (Matthew 23:13-36).However, remember that whether our sins are relatively small or great, they are all equal in that they will all place us in hell apart from God’s grace. The good news is that Jesus paid the penalty for our sins and the sins of the whole world at the Cross. If we will repent and turn to Jesus in faith, our sins will be forgiven, and we will receive the gift of eternal life.

Her response- "well,I guess I would deserve to go to hell, when you put it that way. But, I don't believe my God would punish me so severely as to send me to hell."

Me-“ 'Your' God? What you're doing there is creating your own God that fits your particular lifestyle. Anyway, God does not punish us by 'sending us to hell.' That's just a poor excuse some people use not to believe in Him--they say Christians operate by using the fear that God will send them to hell in order to get them to believe in Him. But, the honest truth is that, by doing wrong and CONTINUING to do wrong while knowing the consequences, hell is a self-inflicted punishment. We can't blame that on God. Saying that God 'sends people to hell' is like a criminal who repeatedly breaks the law blaming the judge for, eventually being sentenced to life in prison. Or blaming a mother who persistantly warns their child not to run into the street and they do it anyway, resulting in a fatal accident. And simply choosing not to believe in God to escape His judgement is like choosing not to believe in the judge to escape the law-It simply doesn't work that way.

I hope this all Helps.Once again,I am not trying to judge you in any way(As a Christian, I am held to these same standards as I just mentioned. In fact, maybe even more so since, by talking to you about this, I am held to an even higher standard. As a Christian I have to practice what I preach.So if I am judging you,I bring judgement on myself if I don't hold myself to that accountability).I am just giving you an idea of how Christianity works and something to think about. And, I know God's judgement may seem harsh by today's standards of morals and values. However,if you carefully examine everything we've talked about with an honest heart, you will see just how fair and just God's judgement is. (and,let's face it-today's standards of morals and values are so pathetically low, they are nearly non-existent).And God's rewards for obeying His commandments far out-weigh His punishments for breaking them. Even though I dont know you personally,I care about you(If I didnt,I would not have taken all this time to discuss this). And I care about your eternal destiny.You have already considered the fact that I may be wrong. But,just this once,consider that I might be right. Because if your right and I AM wrong,you really have nothing to lose.However,If I am right and you are wrong,that means you have everything to lose.And I dont want you to suffer the consequences of what I am talking about. Remember,God gave everyone a way out-All we have to do is believe and accept what Jesus did on the cross. Once you've done that, God says "I will cast your sins as far as the east is to the west ." Of course, that doesn't give you a free pass to keep on living the same life you were before. You have to play your part in your own salvation.Does this mean you can never sin or fall again and if you do, your going to hell?Absolutely not. All it means is that you have to watch the things you do and TRY your best not to fall again. If you do, you have the assurance to know that you can always go to God and He will forgive you.That is IF you go to Him for forgiveness. God doesn't ask for perfection. All he asks for is humility-which means humbling yourself and admitting what you did was wrong and asking for forgiveness:-)"

Now,in everyone's opinion, does this sound preachy or judgemental?Much of this was written using common sense and simple reasoning based on morals and guidelines anyone should live by whether you believe God exists or not. Remember,the conversation started at "Now here we go." Everything up to that point was just an introduction to the conversation. If anything after that seemed judgmental, I would welcome any suggestions as to how I can improve on getting the point across (within reason). Because this was not meant to be judgmental, just informative. And I care about each and every person I talk to about this. So I would be more than willing to accept any suggestions (whether it's from Christians or non-Christians) as to how I can get my point across without offending anyone. I think I, pretty much, covered every possible scenario in which anyone would be opposed to Christianity. Of course, there is the argument that God just plain does not exist, period. But, before you make that conclusion, carefully examine every other alternative reason I listed in this blog. And HONESTLY ask yourself-- "do I have a legitimate reason not to believe in God or is it just an excuse?" After that, If I missed something, I would be glad to hear from anyone who wants to discuss another reason. I will not, however,alter the core message. And I won't apologize for sharing my faith or beliefs either. But I do want to learn how I can communicate with non-believers better.God bless:) Any questions,comments or suggestions?