Why don't I ask God? Well why don't I ask Muhammad? Why don't I ask Buddha? Why don't I ask Shiva? Have you asked any of them? No because YOU don't believe in them or follow their faiths. However there is another 67% of the world's population out there that don't subscribe to Christianity, and do follow these other teachings and religions and they're just as sure that who, what, and how they worship is correct just like you believe in the Christian faith. You could tell them that they're wrong and they would look you right back and say that you're wrong. I know that if I ask you what makes you so sure you'll say that God has told you, and if I asked a Buddhist he/she would tell me that they know through meditation. You choose to believe that the little voice in your head is God where someone that's Hindu might say that it's Vishnu or Shiva or Kali depending on what they're praying about. Or a Jew would say that it's only God and not the Trinity or Jesus.

Weekapaug05,
You've asked these same questions for months now. I suppose you're not getting a good answer. Maybe there is none for you. I think all you can do is compare these "religions" -- their doctrinal stance. If you do, you'll see that Christianity is radically different than all the rest. ONLY Christianity says that God came to earth. ONLY Christianity says that you cannot "be good" and work your way into "heaven". ONLY Christianity says that God Himself fixed a way for you to get to him, i.e., the substitionary death of Christ on the cross. Christianity stands in absolute distinction to all man-made religions, philosophies, and notions. Now, you don't have to believe the claims of Christinity. Your God gives you the choice to reject Him. That's your business. But, you can't ignore the stark difference.

You can't ask Muhammad. He's dead. You can't ask Buddha. He's dead. Difference is, you CAN ask Jesus Christ -- if he is indeed God as Christianity claims, then try to ask Him personally. Have you tried that? If you seek an honest and open interaction with Him, I don't think you'll be disappointed. The Bible instructs its readers to "check out its claims". You've said you've checked it out before. Maybe it's worth another look -- especially the part about asking Jesus to help you find the truth that you obviously are still seeking.

This religion thing has been beat to death on here. If you are honest with yourself you know that if the Bible (that's for you gimpel) were written today, the only place it would go in a bookstore or library is in the fiction section.

It doesn't take a Rhodes scholar to pick out so many holes in the Bible that only somebody with a very weak mind could ever believe it. I have posted probably 40 or 50 on here previously.

I, as well as everybody else alive want to believe that this isn't all there is. Just take a look back at what the Egyptian hierarchy did in hopes of having an AFTERLIFE. They REALLY BELIEVED that all of the mumbo jumbo they did would get them some sort of eternal life.

It is just mans nature to want and need hope for there being more. Two thousand years ago when Jesus was here, it didn't matter where you went in the the world, you would find that the people had some kind of a belief in a SPIRIT OR GOD of some description. Even the indians here in this country had "THE GREAT SPIRIT". Like I said, it is just mans nature to want AND hope for more than what we get here.

I guess if people didn't have some kind of hope that there was more, they would just give up and say what's the use. People need hope and it seems to me, that is what religion is all about. They also need some kind of threat over their heads, besides the worldly ones, to keep them in line and from doing very bad things.

On the other hand, religion has been the cause of more wars and more deaths than anything else. Why would a loving God have us down here fighting in his name and not let us know what is right and what is wrong?

We believe what we are brought up to believe where God and a "SUPREME BEING" are concerned. I'm sure if some of you same people that are such devout Christians had been brought up in a Muslim family or a Hindu family, you would be just as devout a Hindu or Muslim. Why would a loving God let all of these people go to hell thinking that their way was the only way? And the really sad part is, they are thinking the same thing about us.

THE REALLY IMPORTANT QUESTION I HAVE IS WHERE IS GIMPEL???
HIS INCESSANT DRUMBEAT FOR BUSH AND ALL HIS CRONIES NEVER STOPPED UNTIL A COUPLE OF WEEKS OR SO BEFORE THE ELECTION AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN NOTHING... DID HE FINALLY WAKEUP AND SEE THE LIGHT?????LOL

Yeah where's Gimpel?

mydtwc, Start picking!!!!!! Show me the holes. I've read a few of the things you've wrote about and when I present a cohesive argument to show your lack of knowledge and your error in your assumptions you disappear for a few days. So what is up with that?

Since you have told me previously that you have a better understanding than I on issues, where is that superior knowledge and intellect to show me with hard evidence that I am wrong? So, Mr. Rhodes scholar start picking or is it time to disappear again?

You write, "This religion thing has been beat to death on here. If you are honest with yourself you know that if the Bible (that's for you gimpel) were written today, the only place it would go in a bookstore or library is in the fiction section."

So I look at the fiction section in a bookstore and nothing about religion. I look at the Religion section and several places and what do I see, many great quality and top selling books about belief in God.

It is my opinion that the only reason you think religion is beat to death is because it is a weak area of knowledge for you and you don't want face debating the issue because you lack evidence to support your opinion. SO the alternative for you is to become arrogant and make comments like, "It is just mans nature to want and need hope" or "It doesn't take a Rhodes scholar to pick out so many holes in the Bible that only somebody with a very weak mind could ever believe it."

So in your definition I am weak minded because I believe in the Bible, yet you are so much better informed. How can you make an assumption like that? What do you know about my educational background? How much do you really know about the Bible? What advanced studies have you made on the subject?

So my gauntlet for you is, start picking your holes. Pick on McDuff, pick on. Oh, it is almost the weekend; the time you do your best to disappear. Well, we will all forget this by Monday, and you can start over yet again.

Uh-Oh big mistake in last comment. For some reason as I was responding to mydtwc my wires crossed and I was responding to imdstuf and his rhetoric. It is an easy mistake to make since they sound so much alike in their writings and you too have a tendency to disappear. But still it was a mistake and for that I apologize.

But still, please pick, I'd like to see these holes that prove that the Bible isn't real.

I do not mean the real churches. I mean those studio churches that rake in millions of dollars by asking for donations each week. It think those are pretty obvious, but then again for someone who really wants to buy their way into heaven they may not be so obvious.

You make way too many assumptions without enough evidence.

Exactly what is a non-christian or, for that matter, a true Christian? What about the fellow who just does good without proclaiming himself to be of any faith? It just feels good to do good. Is that person then automatically categorized in some Christian belief by another Christian? What if that good-doer was an agnostic or, heaven forbid, and atheist?

A Christian, by definition, is not a "good-doer". Instead, a Christian believes that Jesus Christ is God Almighty incarnate, and accepts his death as payment for him/her not being perfect in the eyes of God. Any person who denies that Christ is God is, by definition, a non-Christian.

Pretty simple.

Sure it feels good to do good. Probably feels good to be bad at times too. Christians sometimes do good, sometimes do bad. Ain't no perfect ones.

Crux of the matter is that just "doing good" is not a ticket to heaven (unless you're a Muslim, Hindu, etc.) Christianity is clear that just "being good" is a sure road to hell. The Bible (The Christian's manual of operations) is very specific that there is no hope of heaven without you accepting Christ as your personal Savior. You'll find a lot more "good people" in the halls of hell than in heaven. The Bible is very clear about that.

There are many bloggers here that will quote from the Bible at every opportunity. If, as they believe, God created all mankind then the majority, or billions of people in this world will not go to heaven because they are not Christians. Many of these have never heard of Christianity or Jesus or God. If some child in outer Mongolia dies before ever hearing of the Divine threesome will God then discriminate against that child and not allow it to be with Him? Worse yet, as some apparently believe, banished to hell? If that is really the way it is, as some fervently believe, then they themselves do not believe what they preach and take man's word over God's benevolence.

mgroothand,
Yes, God is benevolent. But God is also righteous and just. Therefore, he cannot allow sin to go unpunished. Not a single one. To do so would be totally contrary to his divine nature. You can't dissect God, and only see him as you like. That's dishonest and unfair to him. Who are we to tell God what he should do and how he should act? That's pretty arrogant on our part, don't you think? If God was simply going to take us all to heaven one day regardless, why in the world did Jesus have to die on the cross? Obviously, this stuff about sin and righteousness is serious business for God. Deadly serious.

In terms of people who never heard of Jesus (and such people are probably relatively few in today's world), Paul's opening lines to the Book of Romans make it clear that God has left evidence for his existence simply from creation alone. As Paul tells us, people are totally without excuse when it comes to believing in God. It takes more faith to be an atheist than to be a believer.

I personally believe that God will hold each person accountable for the knowledge they have access to. If they hear of Jesus and reject him, than that's it. If they've never even heard of Jesus, then I tend to believe they will be judged according to the knowledge that they do have (as discussed above). Some may disagree with that view, and that's OK. I'm no expert, for sure.

However, if you want the full assurance of heaven, then the only way to attain that full assurance is to accept Jesus Christ as God and as your personal savior. That's the only guarantee that any of us have. I'll take his righteousness over mine any day! That's a black and white issue. Are there some gray areas in all this? Yep. But, I'll leave any potential gray areas up to God. He can handle them. There's more than enough black and white issues for me to be concerned with !! All we can say for absolutely certain is that if you know the clear message of Jesus Christ and willfully reject it (for whatever reason), then you do indeed have assurance of a specific eternal destiny -- but it's not the assurance you're hoping for!

Oneway: There are some 1.3 billion people in China where the official religion is atheism. While some of them have likely heard of Christianity, very few know enough about it to make a lifetime decision such as you call for. Russia with 143 million people only 22% percent practice a form Christianity (2% Christian, 20 % Russian Orthodox). Here in the US, Americans are besieged by Christianity in one form or another and they are charged with removing the wheat from the chaff then find their own comfort zone. Here Christianity is also big business! Again I say a benevolent God does not discrimnate between a Chinese person with little or no knowledge about Christianity vis a vis an American with abundant knowledge of the same.
Your "handle", oneway, (and others) clearly demonstrates your visions and stubborn beliefs, not willing to even try to listen to other reasoning. You remind me of a horse with blinders on, easily spooked by outside influences and can only see in one direction

I thought atheism and religion were mutually exclusive?

Totally agree that God does not discriminate or play favorites. The Bible states that very plainly.

I think you missed my point somewhat. In my opinion (and I could be wrong), God will "judge" (yes, he is a judge and has every right to do so) everyone based on the knowledge they have. Will a Chinese be cast into hell simply because they are Chinese and have not had the opportunity to know of Jesus? I would not think so; but again, God is God and I am not. He will do the right thing regardless. I take great comfort in that. I refuse to impose my human values, judgments, and beliefs upon Almighty God -- unlike the many who believe "their God" must act in the way they believe He should. What arrogance these mortals possess!

Blinders? Not a chance. I've studied and taught classes on comparative religions. I've researched cults, philosophies and faiths. I've compared the principles of science to Biblical principles for a number of years. You know what my conclusion from all this research is: There is indeed ONE way to God, and that is through Jesus Christ, and Christ alone. That is not a position born out of intolerance or arrogance; it is an objective conclusion based objective evidence and upon a full realization of the futility of false, man-made religions and ideas that are nothing but spiritual tail-chasing in the dark.

I do not expect everyone to agree with that bold statement. Many will be repelled by it. But if I cannot stand for the truth, then I'm liable to fall for anything. But again, the challenge of the Bible is to test it. Do not accept it with only a blind faith, but investigate it. All worldly ideas pale in comparision to the wonder of Jesus Christ. I am most thankful that I am indeed blessed to be an American that has full access to information about Christ. But rather than pontificate about what happens to a person in Mongolia, I personally support a missions program in Mongolia that helps take the good news of Christ to this remote area.

Since you brought it up, I've had the privilege and honor of actually baptizing a Mongolian into Jesus Christ, after many hours of discussing the truths of Christianity with her. She realized the folly of atheism, Eastern religion, and communism, and accepted the truth of Christianity (and, by the way, she is a highly educated scientist who lives by evidence and truth, not an uneducated peasant from the steppes who might be easily swayed by persuasive argument).

Maybe if we all concentrated more on taking the "Good News" to a lost and dying world, such theoretical discussions (see above) would become obsolete? I believe Jesus when he says that the gate into heaven is a narrow door, and few will be those who seek to enter it. Thus, there is an imperative to spread the news and get the truth to all peoples. The greatest tragedy, however, is indeed America. We have full access to all the information we need about God, yet so few take it seriously -- preferring instead to worship a "God" created in their own image. That is the greater crime, and should incur the greater judgment of the One who exhibits both divine love and divine wrath.

Oneway: I will readily admit that I am human and I am weak. A long time ago I was married to a wonderful woman who was also a devout Roman Catholic. I am not. I should have known then that the subject of one's religion (and Politics) is not one to argue about. But, as I said, I am weak and every once in a while I allow myself to fall back into that enticing religious debate or discussion. The next morning I hate myself....

Please don't hate yourself at all. No reason for that. I love to discuss important topics, and I don't think there is anything more important than one's view of God and eternity. One should never shrink from expressing opinions; we can all learn from each other. That's what forums like this are for, I believe.

No one has all the answers. We're all weak. I think we have to find our strength in our faith in our Higher Power. I believe in the Christian God (a.k.a., Jesus Christ) for the reasons I've already stated. Others do not. I do not condemn them for their beliefs, but believe it is my duty to try and help them understand why I am a Christian and not a Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, sacred tree worshiper, etc. I freely admit that my position is very narrow-minded and might seem intolerant to others. But, simply espousing the basic tenets of one's belief shouldn't be considered "intolerant".

Jesus says very plainly that He alone is the Way, Truth, and the Life that leads to God, and that no one comes to God except through Him. Now that's a pretty exclusive statement, I realize, but who am I to argue with God? If I openly admit that there is a smorgasbord of choices and ways all leading to heaven, I'm calling Jesus a liar. I just can't do that. If people hate Christians for being too narrow-minded or intolerant, they need to take it up with Jesus, not His followers who simply repeat what He plainly said.

I wish you well on your journey. I hope and pray you find the God you are seeking.

mgroothand:

I did not say that ONLY Christians do good things. I simply pointed out that those out there that are out to bash Christianity never want to give credit to the Christians that do good things to help others. They search out for the "bad apples" to prove some point.

I have no problem with saying that there are atheists, agnostics or any one who does not believe in the same God that I do, do good things for humanity. I used to work with an atheist doctor that had a big heart for helping and caring for others. I never considered her a Christian just because she served others.

To answer your original question:
1) A non-christian is someone that does not put their complete trust and faith in Jesus Christ and does not accept Him as their Lord and Savior.

2) A Christian is someone who has put their complete trust and faith in Jesus Christ and accept Him as their only Lord and Savior.

Murder's and theives can put their complete trust and faith in JC and repent of their sins and they go to heaven, and someone of another faith that is a loving kind person who has contributed to society and humanity to advance it is damned to hell. God must be great.

"a loving, kind person who has contributed to society and humanity".

Who is able to accurately stick those labels on another person? Can you read a person's heart to see if they are truly "loving and kind"? Sounds like someone is playing God again, and demanding that God function by our standards, not His.

The point is that NONE of us are worthy of heaven. None of us are perfect. Murders, theives, good people, humanitarians, etc. are all headed to hell unless they seek forgiveness for their sins. I don't deserve heaven, but I'm no murder or thief, and I've contributed to society too. Is someone in the Richmond County jail less deserving of heaven than I am? I'd not make that call. There but by the grace of God go I, as the wise saying goes. How can someone standing on earth judge who gets into heaven or not?

What Jesus says is that if you've ever hated someone or harmed another, you've "murdered" them. If you've ever fancied a person of the opposite sex who is not your spouse, then you're just as big an adulterer than someone caught in the act. God looks at the intentions of the heart, and not the actions of the hands. All we can see are outward signs. God sees all and makes his judgments based on all the facts. Here's what he says: "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Therefore, no one can punch their own ticket to heaven regardless of how well they've served humanity. It ain't about serving humanity; it's about serving God and obeying him.

Your above comment would bear a lot more consideration if weekapaug05 was God. Otherwise, it's really just wishful thinking that may sound good, but doesn't hold up under further analysis.

So all I have to do is just believe in Jesus? God must not have high standards. He gave us the 10 commandments (a way to accurately stick lables on other people) but that must have been too hard for people to handle. He must be lonely. So I can basically be a chaotic mass murderer rapist psycho that worships Jesus and I'll be ok. We all learn in Sunday school the song "Jesus loves the little children, all the little children of the world" Well if he loves us so much then why would he damn some to hell? Would you send your child away to a firey pit for not believing in you?

Depends on how you define "believe". Simple acknowledgement is not enough. Like the Bible says, even Satan believes! Belief must be translated into ACTION; it is a dynamic that influences your action. So no, just "believing" is never enough. Faith is invalid unless it is coupled with obedience to God.

Make no mistake: God NEVER casts anyone into hell. Quite the contrary, God has done everything possible to PREVENT anyone from going there. Heck, God came and died just so we could avoid hell. What more could He do? Anyone who goes to hell chooses to do so because they have rejected God's Escape Mechanism (i.e., Jesus Christ).

Isn't it neat that God honors and respects people so much that he gives us the free will to choose our ultimate destiny? Many choose to live life on their own terms, refusing to listen to God or even acknowledge His existence (let alone obey Him). Clearly, this is the life they choose. These people would never be happy in heaven. I mean, if they purposefully reject everything about God in life, why in the world would they be happy spending an eternity in His presence? God simply created a place where He isn't. Call it hell, perdition, lake of fire, what-have-you. Bottom line: it's the place where God ain't. So, if you choose to live a completely anti-God life here on earth, then that's what you'll get later on too. Just makes sense.

God is the ultimate respecter of persons and is the ultimate pro-choice being. He sets 2 choices before you: spend eternity with Him or without Him. You decide.

Again, be very careful about demanding that God see things as you do. His ways are above ours. You can't tell Him how to respond or act based on what you'd do. You are not God. He is. He'll do the right thing whether or not you approve.

Satan is not a man, he's an angel. Different rules apply, kinda like how the rules apply to men and women but not sasquatch. God cast Satan into hell but once again angel not human. And why would he invent hell (other than to put Satan there) for people to go to if he wants to keep people from going there? And isn't God everywhere? Since he invented hell and is everywhere God is also in hell. Therefore, heaven and hell are inside all of us and really none of us are going to go to either one, we will sit in purgatory which will not suck or be awesome, it'll be just kind of so-so.

Let me try to sort through this. There's a lot of confusion in your last post, and it's kinda hard to sift out. I'll do my best (but again, I'm no expert in all this).

True, Satan is not a man. But, truth is truth and belief is belief. Either God is God or he is not. Doesn't matter if you're an angel or a human, that has no bearing on the truth or the belief that God is Who He says He is.

The Bible teaches that hell was "invented" as a place to forever do away with sin and rebellion against God. Yes, it was originally prepared for the devil and his angels. But, as it is a place for all sins (angelic or human), humans can inherit the same fate as Satan. Sin is sin, and God has to deal with it. He will. That's what hell is for, regardless of whether you are Satan, a demon, or Joe Blow from down the street.

For sure, God fashioned his children for heaven. We were never meant to inhabit hell. But, you know the rest of the story. None of us are perfect now, and all "sin". Therefore, we've traded heaven for hell. Because no one is perfect and sinless, that's where we're all headed. However, God provided a way of escape for us in Christ. We're free to accept that gift and avoid a hell that we were never meant to enter in the first place.

I do not believe you'll find God in hell. That's a place for sin, and God is pure holiness and therefore can't co-exist with sin. He will eventually cast Satan in there, along with his followers (whether they be demons or people). Door is locked and the case is closed forever (There is no biblical evidence for any purgatory or limbo. Not sure where the Catholics came up with that interesting notion.) Remember, all beings in hell are there because they chose it over God. Satan chose to rebel against God. His angels followed him. People can do the same too; we have the free will to choose. It's THEIR choice to be there. It's an option. I'd opt out, if I were you.

So God's not everywhere? That's not what I learned in Bible School. There's no purgatory? But Catholosim is the original Church. God would have told them that there's a purgatory. The Pope speaks directly to God and he believes there's a purgatory. Are you telling me that God would lie to the Pope? See now you're forming your very own set of beliefs about Christianity. Way to go. Now for the next 11 steps.

weekapaug05, you’re making a lot of huge leaps in your response. I'm not sure how the Catholics came up with the term purgatory. The Miriam Webster defines purgatory as an intermediate state after death for expiatory purification; specifically: a place or state of punishment wherein according to Roman Catholic doctrine the souls of those who die in God's grace may make satisfaction for past sins and so become fit for heaven.

There is a parable in Luke 16:19-25. In that story Jesus say's that there was a rich man who died and was in Hades. The rich man saw Lazarus (a different on that the one Jesus rose from the dead) in Abraham's bosom. The rich man cries to Abraham asking him to send Lazarus with water.

There are those who support the theory that there is a place between heaven and hell called purgatory or paradise. Now the Bible doesn't specifically address the subject but there is another account when Jesus was crucified. The Bible says in Matthew 27:52-53 that the graves were opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. They went into the holy city and appeared to many. This is also attributed to these saints being held in purgatory.

I'm not sure that I support that theory but I do believe that you are wrong in basically saying that Catholic priests conjured the idea.

Whether a person supports this idea or not, it does not change the meaning or the validity of the Bible.

In response to your statement about The Catholic Church. The Catholics were not first Church. They were the first organized denomination but home churches were the most prevalent at that time. It is my assumption that the original intent of the Catholic Church was to bring Judaism back to believer with the exception that Jesus was the Son of God.

Forming one's own beliefs is not a single ownership idea by Christians. You do quite well yourself in determining what Christians believe and for the same reason that Christians who do that do. It is built out of a lack of knowledge and understanding. I'm not trying to insult you but the ideas in your writings tell me that your lack a complete understanding of the Bible.

Well said, g-dog.

The Catholic Church was certainly not the first church; but was probably the first institutionalized, structured church. The first church was established on the Day of Pentecost. They were called simply "Christians" and their movement (which grew by leaps and bounds) was referred to simply as 'The Way'. No Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Catholics, Lutherans.... just "Christians", and with the simple teachings of Christ as their only guide (via the apostles). Over the centuries, man has really stirred the pot and added a lot of unnecessary confusion. If you want a true picture of the early (purest?) church, read the Book of Acts. That's the true picture. Remember a very good rule: do not just believe what someone says that the Bible says; find out what the Bible says directly. Only then should you consider and carefully weigh man's opinions about it.

Absolutely nowhere in the Bible does is say that that God speaks to the Pope. That's a mighty big assumption on the part of Catholics. In fact, the opening words of the Book of Hebrews state very clearly that in the old times God had to speak to man via prophets and others. But now, He has spoken through His Son, whose words we have written for us. No more prophets will be coming to us (e.g., Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, Charles Russel, Muhammad, etc.) This makes sense. I mean, when you've heard it directly from God, why settle for a cheap imitation?

Simply, there's no need for any middle-man between God and us. Jesus is that sole mediator (and not any dead saints or the Virgin Mary, either), and we have His word given to us. You want to hear directly from God, read the Bible. Don't ask a Pope. Not at all saying that the wise words of our clergy are not important and valuable. But please don't attribute the words of any man to some divine edict (no matter how much they try to convince you they have a direct hotline to heaven).

So there is no creditable Christian leader. So God speaks to no one. So you're saying that Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, Charles Russel, and Muhammad were not profits? Muslims think that Jesus was mearly a profit. You don't believe that we could have profits right here among us on Earth? I bet if someone said they were or if someone claimed to be Christ you'd write them off as crazy. Guess who else that happened to: Jesus.

You see what you are doing is that you are telling us that your faith is the correct one. Sorry everyone we're all going to hell except oneway. God did not write the Bible himself and 'poofed' it in front of someone. It was written by man who is failiable therefore the Bible must have some flaws. There is a need for a middle man. The world has changed so much since the time of Christ. Wouldn't you think God would want to make some updates? Many faiths believe that you can talk directly to God through prayer. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Paul were just men but Christians heavily subscribe to their words.

See you disagree with the way Catholics worship and I'm sure they disagree with your way of worship. You talk about big assumptions, it's a big assumption to believe a lot of the things that are written in the Bible. If you can't communicate with God then why do we pray?

The main focus of this post was to get people to open their minds to think; to think about "What religion is right? What denomination/sect is right? Is it mearly a preference? You basically just wrote off Catholics and Mormans. Is it so hard to believe that God still talks to people? Would you believe someone who claimed to be Christ if you ran into him on the street this weekend? I'd guess not, after all the Jews didn't and history tends to repeat itself. We're told he'll come like a thief in the night, so he could already be amoung us waiting for his time to make himself known. You put the Bible so close in front of your face it's blinding you.

Sure there are great Christian leaders, and sure, anyone can "talk" to God through prayer. I did not mean to imply that we can't talk to God. In fact, Christians are pretty much commanded to do so. It's part of spiritual life: prayer and meditation upon God's word. The problem is not talking "to" God, it's when people claim to talk "for" God. A preacher can preach the Bible, but that's repeating what God's already said. A prophet claims to have a brand new revelation from God. That's when it get rather dicey -- especially if it contradicts the Bible. A real prophet of God will NEVER contradict the Bible. That much is certain.

Unfortunately, there have indeed been many people claiming to be "profits" and they've tried to get rich off the flock. However, the Bible is clear that the last real "prophet" was Jesus Himself. Again this makes perfect sense. As Hebrews explains, God has to communicate with man. He did so through a variety of ways -- prophets being one. But all these ways were simply forerunners of the ultimate communication: God coming to earth "in person" to tell us about Himself. That's what happened in Jesus (in contrast to all the religions). We now have his direct instructions written for us. There's simply no more need of a new and improved prophet. We have the ultimate, best thing; why be distracted by a wanna-be?

Yes, Islam says Jesus was a prophet, but they absolutely deny his deity -- which Christianity absolutely affirms. Therefore, Christianity and Islam are like black and white / oil and water. Total opposites that can't mix. They differ at the most foundational level. You CANNOT have it both ways. One must be right and the other wrong. Why do people insist we must homogenize and tolerate all beliefs? You can't do it with Christianity and Islam (or most anything else, actually). They are polar opposites. If I am a Christian, I have to deny Islam and call it false. And, of course, the converse is true for Muslims. (Of course, we Christians don't decapitate those who insult Jesus).

Islam says that Mohammed was the last and greatest prophet. Why not rail against them for denying the existence of any prophets over the past 1500 years? People are quick to condem Christianity, but seldom criticize Islam for the same things that they find offensive and/or exclusive. Lots of double standards out there.

Correction: the Bible was penned by man, but it was not written by man -- at least that is its direct claim. Christians believe and hold the Bible up (yes, in our face) as the final, ultimate authority in such matters. The Bible says that it is "inspired" (literally, "God-breathed", 2 Timothy 3:16) by the very Spirit of God. It is God's final and adequate revelation to mankind. Nothing else will be coming around for us. That's why Christians see it as the final authority. If Catholics or Baptists believe something that might contradict the Bible, then they need to re-examine that belief in light of what the Bible says. There's one source of authority for Christians, and it ain't no man.

Absolutely right if someone today said they were Jesus, they'd need to be given some antipsychotics. Why? Jesus says very clearly that as time winds down, many will come and claim to be him and they'll preach a message contrary to what he said. He warns us all to ignore them. he says when he comes, all eyes will see him. No stealth Jesus this time. No doubts either. If you hear of anyone claiming to be Jesus, run. Be afraid. When he returns, we'll all know it.

Lastly, God needs no updates. Other than the speed of light, human nature is the one constant in the universe. The Bible address the pitfalls of human nature, and is therefore just as relevant to us today as it was for the folks back then. Sure, cultures change and technology grows, but people are still pretty much they way we were: we want things our own way; we want it when we want it; in short, we want to be our own god, or at least fashion a god in our own image. Been that way since Eden. God provided the solution for our problem 2000 years ago. That same Solution is still available today. Whether you drive a camel or a Lexus, it's the same problem and the same solution.

Define good person.

By whose definition of a good person do we go by?

I have to believe there is only one Truth. It makes the most sense to me. I have had my doubts in the past. I used to think there were many different heavens, depending on what you believed. And then I realized that all these religions contradicted each other. I realized they could not all be true at the same time. But, after doing some research, Christianity showed itself to be real. Thank God I am not part of a religion! I have a personal relationship with God, not a religious system to follow. I don't have to keep a check on if my "good deeds" outweigh my mistakes all the time. Yes, it's good not to be religious.

And if you believe that there is "something bigger than us all" and all of the belief systems out there are wrong, how good can this "bigger something" be if it has not revealed itself to us and let us in on the truth?

You have to believe there is only one truth? That's a contradiction. If something's true then you don't have to believe in it because its fact. Believing requires there to be some ambiguity, that's why people put FAITH in religion, to get you to believe something that is uncertian.

Why would a higher power need to reveal itself to us? We have blind faith right? God revealed himself to people many times in the Bible via a burning bush, a wheel in the sky, as firey tounges (Holy Spirit), etc. If God wants to let us in on the truth why hasn't God shown up and talked to the Pope as a firey Pope hat, or any other religious leader? Oh right because Jesus died on the cross, well I wasn't in town in 33 A.D. to check that one out.

weekapaug05: Either you are a glutton for punishment, love to argue, or both? There is no way you can win an argument with people that have totally closed minds. Facts mean nothing to them and will only increase their fervor on "proving" you're wrong. People that truly believe in a literal heaven and hell are not reachable for an intelligent discussion on religion. On top of all that, they outnumber you!

Patton was outnumbered at "the bulge" and managed to pull that one off. I do love to argue. I don't think that I'm being punished either. I just want to try to implant a seed that will open people’s minds up to other's cultures. It seems to me that in America we try to separate ourselves from the rest of the world because we have a mentality of we're better than everyone. We're so quick to criticize other cultures and beliefs because we're so close minded, not unlike Muslim terrorist sects (we're just less militant). Facts mean a lot to Christians because there are some truly believe that every word in the Bible is fact. Sure there are a lot of things that are written in the Bible that actually did happen because there is corroborating historical documentation. I just want people to realize that you have to take the important things from whatever faith you follow which appear to me to be things like the "golden rule", the 10 commandments, finding enlightenment, and trying to figure out where we came from and why we're here; not the mentality of I'm right you're wrong so you're going to hell or coming back as a cockroach.

"I personally believe that there is something bigger than us all, I just think that man made religion has skewed what the core values are."

Yes Yes Yes. Could not agree more. There has to be something out there -- something that transcends our reality and physical dimensions -- that creates, orders, and sustains the universe. Science sure can't explain it.

So if we all agree that there is Something/Someone out there, doesn't this all-powerful being have the right to tell us His way to do things, and not have to ask our opinion about the matter? Doesn't this Almighty Being have the right to demand that we be absolutely Perfect just like He is? If we ever desire to one day inhabit his realm, shouldn't we be perfect as He is perfect? Again, He has every right to demand that.

Are you perfect? Am I perfect? Absolutely not. So, if perfection is demanded, yet is unatainable by humans, what do we do? Do we try to do more good that will hopefully counterbalance our bad stuff? What a pitiful, hopeless situation that would be (a la Islam). Do we try and do good so we can keep working out our "perfection" via endless life cycles? How long does that take (a la Hinduism)? We were in pretty bad shape.

How did a loving God solve our problem? He did the only thing He could. He took our imperfections upon Himself and in so doing, gave us His perfection (in His eyes). Now we can inherit life with Him in His Kingdom. It's all because of Him, and not anything we've done at all.

Oh by the way, we just explained the basic idea of Christianity and why provided an important reason why it's so special and unique.

Cyber high five. Kinda wierd agreeing with you on something.

Agreed that God loves all His children and cares for them. But, how do you define being "God's children"? In a biological sense, we are all his creations. In a spiritual sense, however, we are not. Some reject God -- his authority and his very existence. The God of the Bible states that if you disobey Him, you really aren't his child after all (but are his enemy). So, in that sense, we are given the option to be part of God's family or not. Kinda cool that God loves us all enough to let us choose. He will honor that choice, even if it means you can stare him right in the face and tell Him he does not exist at all!

In terms of the Bang, you are right on target. We cannot know where it all came from. Our best guess is that it came from somehere (Someone) that exists outside the laws of physics -- a Being that transcends our very limiting physical dimensions. You know, it was not until the 20th century that science actually proved time itself had a beginning? Up until then the leading cosmological theory was the Steady-State model of the universe which proposed that there was no beginning to our existence. Now, however, we know without a reasonable doubt that the universe had a beginning for both time and matter. Funny it took us so long to just now come to this scientific understanding of a beginning, when the opening words of the Bible (written thousands of years previously) state so clearly that there was a "beginning".

The Bible also says that when God created the universe, he "spread it out like a tent". Well, we've now confirmed the idea of a expanding universe with a big-bang beginning to it all.

The more science learns, the more we're confirming what the Bible has said all along.

Where did the ancient writers of the Bible get this "inside" information so scientifically accurate, and written so many centuries ago (i.e., before telescopes, cosmic background radiation maps, and relativity equations were invented or conceived)? Could it be that the Author of the Bible is actually the Creator of it all too? That would explain a lot....

The Bible scientifically correct????? You've got to be kidding!!!! I am in a bit of a hurry right now but when I have more time, I will point out more ways the Bible is scientifically incorrect than you can show me where it is correct. In fact any scientist that read that statement has to be laughing out loud right now.

I'm waiting..... Love to hear what you say....... I didn't say the Bible was a science text or was ever meant to be. However, there are some very amazing scientific accuracies in the Bible -- facts that predate man's ability to understand such facts. Love to discuss some of them with you.

Truth is, I AM a scientist (got a Ph.D. to prove it; do you?), and I'm NOT laughing out loud. I say the Bible is scientifically correct in many fascinating ways. If you want to talk science, I'm ready......

What's your Ph.D. in if you do not mind me asking Scientist oneway?

biomedical science; definitely not theology

All us weak-minded Christian idiots are still available to try and have a serious, rational discussion about the "holey" Bible -- which, of course, is obviously just a crutch for those who disdain rational thought and reason. (Like Charles Darwin who said that the Book of Hebrews was the greatest book ever written.)

By the way, here's another Non-Laughing scientist you might want to check out. Dr. Hugh Ross is a Cal. Tech. astronomer (and you don't get much more rational and scientific than that!) who checked out what various religions said about science and cosmology. He conducted an honest and objective search for truth. When he came to the Bible, he says he was absolutely blown away by its scientific accuracy. No "religion" or mythology could match it. So much so, that he's now also on the ministerial staff at a large evangelical church in California. No one can call Dr. Ross "weak-minded". His commitment to rationality and logic LEAD him to Jesus Christ, and fostered a life-long commitment to the truth of Christianity.

You may not agree with all his research findings, but you certainly can't diminish his intellect and search for logic and truth. His organization's website is: www.reasons.org
Check it out if you want to see some more reasons why the population of laughing scientists continues to shrink!

We have confirmed nothing about the expanding of the universe. It is a THEORY. From the facts that we do know about space and time that's the best answer we have come up with. Science and religion are very similar in this aspect of we take what little we know and try to come up with an answer for it. Also because of the way our brains work we categorize things into our own little boxes. Like we know how big the Earth is, we know how big a box has to be to put a t.v. in. What we don't know is how big the universe is? Infinite right? We can't begin to comprehend that something goes on and on forever. For instance we have the "big bang". Well what caused it? What existed before that? How was it triggered? If God created the universe what created God? Did he come from an egg? Who laid the egg? You can see the vicious cycle that this could go through. I know that many may reply to this with the "I am the alpha and the omega" line, but there we have to go again on faith which is not really any different than having a theory. As far as Biblical writers being scientifically accurate, so were the Aztecs, Mayans, and Incas here in the Americas that were not touched by Judaism or Christianity until around the 1400's. Lets not forget about the scientific advances of the Egyptians as well or the Druids with their concepts of the seasons and cycles of nature. Some scientific knowledge was already in practice before Biblical scholars ever put pen to paper. Who knows maybe it could be aliens like some people subscribe to. I wonder if there are aliens, if they believe in God too .... hmmm.

My understanding is that the expansion of the universe has been confirmed. I mean, we can SEE it with telescopes. We can measure it by the shift in infrared wavelengths. If you examine the recent Hubble deep field data, it's pretty clear that the deeper we look back into space (i.e., the further we gaze back in to time itself; telescopes are real time machines, you know...), the galaxies are much closer together. The "closer" you look toward earth, the galaxies are further apart (more time, more distance). Then there's the entire matter of the cosmic background radiation measurements that also confirm a hot big bang event, with the left over radiation exactly where it should be if we were in an expanding universe. I'm sure there's more evidence also (i.e., relativitiy theory, etc.)

Theories are great, but are nothing unless they can be confirmed by direct data. Astronomy and cosmology have provided such data. It's a pretty tight story now.

So, in light of the abundance of solid findings, you may want to revise your statement that we have confirmed "nothing" about the expanding universe.