Who here is a Christian?

[Mrspy]

What is your religion

Hi there, i'm wondering who here believe in Jesus Christ. I believe that God died for my Sins. I also think that people don't get to heavan by works, i believe it's your faith that saves you. If you don't believe me check out James Chapter 2.

 

[madparrotwoman]

Ooooh this is a hot topic, religion and politics are as controvercial as wing-clipping!!

I guess I will go to hell going by that last paragraph as I'm not a practicing Christian although I guess I'm a believer - at least of sorts. The 10 commandments are as relevent today as they ever were. I try to live my life with kindness and understanding although it's not always easy to do so. I care about other people, the elderly, children, the sick, those in danger and animals but unfortunately I'm not in a situation (financially) to do much to help.

I'm not sure that 100% of the bible is accurate. I believe there is something else after we die at least eventually but I'm not sure what. There are so many religions in the world, who is to say ours is the one above all others? Does this make me an an atheist? Agnostic?

I know that in the US the people are more religous than here in the UK and I think I'm more Christian than most others here but I'm not a church goer. I find that as I get older I think about this subject more and am definately a better person now than I was when I was younger.

 

[majorparrot]

heres my 2 cents worth ....... most of my close family and friends a very good humans and wouldnt hurt a fly ...now i grew up in a borken home and have many health probs i suffer hydrocephalus (waiting for a brain operation to hopefully correct that ) , high cholesterol , irb ,now just found out i have a hernia .

, my step brother has found out he carries a gene for spastic something something i cant remember .

but why do people like drugos/junkies that rob people and so on live full happy lives while the good people die young? i went to youth group as a teenager what have i dont to deserve this/ where is the lord for me and my good family ? i also beleive in the theory that only the good die young
as ive seen to many bad people benifit from life more then the good people

my uncle died at the age of 32 of a brian anurism and he was a active non smoking person that loved life and family

 

[wildheart]

Why does bad things happen to good people?

Each one of us are here for a reason. The only explanation that I can give myself for the above question is that the bad things took me on roads that I would not have traveled. I met people and touched their lives or they touched mine - something that would not have happened otherwise. God only let things happen to us that He knows we can cope with, these things only make us stronger.

It is all in what you believe and what you tell yourself - if you pity yourself about something that happened to you then obviously you did not learn the lesson and it did not make you stronger. So in the process you have placed yourself on another road to learn the same lesson but deeper. A lot of people end up in circles because of this.

You can never say that somebody else has it better than you because he seems healthy. You can not compare yourself to a robber or junkie, their suffering might not be physical but they most probable have a broken spirit.

A dear lesson that I learned in life was that one persons suffering is nothing less or more than another. For example, I was molested, raped, raped again, hi-jacked, held at gunpoint, shot at, lost my whole family etc. - now obviously I would be filled with hatred and I would think that nobody- elses laim problem can even come close to mine. You only have a decease, what do you know about suffering? This is completely wrong - I have learned that my problems are equal to yours - measured by spirit and not the actual problem. What you are going through is exactly the same as what I am going through - it touches us exactly the same way - builds us or break us exactly the same way.

Learn the lesson and walk out stronger - stop fighting what is wrong and hang on to what is right. Change your way of thinking and everything else will follow.

I am a strong believer in God, not because of what I've been taught but because I have felt His touch, I've been rapped in total lightness, peacefulness and glory while others were murdered around me.

 

[SharonC]

My philosophy is basically the same as madparrotwoman's. I don't believe that God "gives" any of us good things or bad things. Both result as a consequence of "chance", lifestyle, and genetics. My problem with thinking that God has somehow "taken care" of me, is that I have to wonder why a child dies of Cancer, or is killed in an accident....and I have been "spared"........??? I do think there is something after death...I'm just not sure how it works...I expect I'll find out, someday! LOL!

 

[Auggie's Dad]

Mrspy, personally I don't favor either view, but I find it odd that you would cite James chapter 2 for support of the view that faith not works is what saves. That entire chapter argues just the opposite.

For support of Sola fide theology people would usually rely on Paul's writings, particularly Romans 4. A verse in James chapter 2 is in fact the most direct challenge to such a view "You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone." (2:24).

How do you derive your views from this chapter?

 

[majorparrot]

honestly al through my life ive been a caring type respectfulll to others and where has it gotten me .now where people see me as to easy going and never knock back a mate or family memeber that needs a hand no matter what it be .

im now 31 with 2 kids and yeh we struggle but we make it and yet i have a sister that use to say my hubby ,makes more money then .

but then she was on my doorstep evry weeek looking for a loan to buy smokes .

but i earnt less money then her hubby go figure.ive hence after al;l the help i give people they seem ****e on me after they got what they want out of me .now im slowly learning to say now .as for feeling pitty on myself i dont feel like that .

like you parrot women i come from a bad growing up i was kidnapped and got away with my life luckily and other bad things and i have seen lots of bad things happen around me and ive grown up totaly the oposite

its not that i dont care about others health,finanial issues or just there gerneral life issues i just dont want to know about it anymore ive got enough of my own.

and ive lost to many good people in my life to even think god was there for me when i need him .

 

[Mrspy]

Mrspy, personally I don't favor either view, but I find it odd that you would cite James chapter 2 for support of the view that faith not works is what saves. That entire chapter argues just the opposite.

For support of Sola fide theology people would usually rely on Paul's writings, particularly Romans 4. A verse in James chapter 2 is in fact the most direct challenge to such a view "You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone." (2:24).

How do you derive your views from this chapter?

Oh gee i'm not really good at debating but i'll try my hardest.

I refered to that because I think that if someone just thinks that if they're good their whole life and try as hard as possible not to do anything bad then they are not saved. But also if someone thinks they can just say "God i trust in you and i love you" once like every month and then have absolutely NOTHING to do with God then they are as well not saved.

James chapter 2 verse 14-26 shows what i mean

"What does it profit, my brethren , if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, "depart in peac, be warmed and filled." but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what oes it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someon will say, "you have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe-and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working togeter with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripute was fulfilled which says, "abrahma believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. Likewise, was not rahab the harlot also justified b works when she recieved the messengers and sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."

Sorry, quiet a mouthfull. But that's the section i was talking about.

 

[Mrspy]

honestly al through my life ive been a caring type respectfulll to others and where has it gotten me .now where people see me as to easy going and never knock back a mate or family memeber that needs a hand no matter what it be .

im now 31 with 2 kids and yeh we struggle but we make it and yet i have a sister that use to say my hubby ,makes more money then .

but then she was on my doorstep evry weeek looking for a loan to buy smokes .

but i earnt less money then her hubby go figure.ive hence after al;l the help i give people they seem ****e on me after they got what they want out of me .now im slowly learning to say now .as for feeling pitty on myself i dont feel like that .

like you parrot women i come from a bad growing up i was kidnapped and got away with my life luckily and other bad things and i have seen lots of bad things happen around me and ive grown up totaly the oposite

its not that i dont care about others health,finanial issues or just there gerneral life issues i just dont want to know about it anymore ive got enough of my own.

and ive lost to many good people in my life to even think god was there for me when i need him .

Sorry you think that.

 

[Mel]

Wow hot topic!!

I can see both points of view. I had a really tough childhood and was bible-bashed so was told constantly God loves me while being abused and going through stuff I'm not going to get into here. None us know why things happen, esp to children and I often get really angry - if there is a God why does he allow this to happen.

I can't answer this but I do believe there is a bigger picture none of us can see or understand. I beleive in God/ Jesus, I do consider myself a Christian but I also believe that everyone has thier own personal relationship and that is between them and God, not a religion or church full of hypocrites & judgemental people. Just look at the torture and mayhem set upon this world all in the name of "God"

I have fallen back on my faith in times of need, I look at all the beautiful-amazing things in nature - just look at our birds and can't help think there has to be a creator as the detail is so incredible. Whether that be my God or something else. At the end of the day this is what I believe, it works for me.

 

[Mrspy]

I believe that everything happens for a reason. Just because something is bad dosn't mean God likes it, but it has to be done. Everyone has their time and i'm sure that God is very sad when his children die of diseases, disasters, and other horrible things. I don't think he wants them to happen but if I were to know I was going to die in a week i'd just trust in God and let him lead me.

 

[majorparrot]

I believe that everything happens for a reason. Just because something is bad dosn't mean God likes it, but it has to be done. Everyone has their time and i'm sure that God is very sad when his children die of diseases, disasters, and other horrible things. I don't think he wants them to happen but if I were to know I was going to die in a week i'd just trust in God and let him lead me.

we have no choice if the end is near .ive been told by doctors i am lucky to be alive .my condition could render me a vegie (ie) my children looking after me like a baby im not scared of what happens after life its leaving those that i love and love me .

same as when i get johavs witness dorr knocking .i dont push my beleifs on to them so why should they do it to me ?
im not against any religionnor asm i racist . if and when i find GOD as so many claim exists then so be it .

as stated in my previous posts i have been to youth groups as a teen and so on .but still cant understand why the good people suffer .and know excuse anyone can give me gives me ever makes sense.

 

[GreenCheek]

Oh wow, on a lot of forums I belong on, religious talk is banned because of the hot debates. I must say though, everyone is handing this very well! Let's just remember to be respectful of everyone's views!

And as where I stand on the topic, I am technically Catholic, as I was baptized as such. But where my actual views stand, I'm not quite sure. I am a huge believer in evolution (I honestly don't know how anyone can call it a theory when we can observe evolution for ourselves? ), but as far as the universe, and how exactly life started in the first place, THAT is something that really makes me wonder. But as far as believing in God goes, I don't know. Like a few others in this thread have mentioned, my family and I have had a lot of bad happen in our lives. It's kind of hard to keep your faith when you see so many bad people living it up, and so many good people suffering. I also don't believe that humans are a "superior race" and all the BS about animals being put here for us to "use". Those are the kinds of things that make me step away from religion. And since I'm a real science geek, I try and think about things logically and just can't make myself believe that there is some power hanging over us watching everything we do. It just doesn't make sense to me. And as far as what happens when we die, I'm not sure about heaven, but I think there is something. It's just hard to imagine that nothing else happens. Maybe all life continuously recycles, kind of like reincarnation? Who knows...

But I think I've said enough.

 

[Mrspy]

Good people along with "bad" people have bad things happen to them. But here's the thing, when something bad happens to a Chistian it dosn't have as bad an affect as it would with a non-believer. See Christians know it will be ok no matter what happens: if your house burned down, your pet died, your wife died. We know it will be ok.

On the other hand when something bad happens to a non-believer they don't know it's going to be ok.

A friend of mine had a garage that burned down and he's a strong Christian. When it burned he treated it as any other day, he just tried to keep the house from burning down but he knew it was going to be ok, because things that happen on earth seem very little in Heavan.

I have a feeling I can't convince you otherwise of what you believe and that's ok. Just think about what will happen to you when your life ends. Where will you go? Hell, or Heavan.

 

[Mrspy]

The bad thing about talking about these things is that you talk to someone on the forum that seems very nice and you respect them. But once you find out what they believe........and it's completely different from what you believe, then all respect is lost and you think of them as trash.................

(i'm trying not to do that, you all have been so helpful on the forum.......I just wish all of us believed the same thing......)

 

[GreenCheek]

Well, it's not a perfect world. Why should everyone have to believe what you believe? What makes you so sure that you are right? What you just said is the exact reason this thread is going to go sour. Everyone has the right to believe what they want to believe, and opinions shouldn't be based off of such things. In a way, I think religion taints us. Think about all of the bad that goes on in the world, BECAUSE of religion. Just my opinion...

 

[Mrspy]

Well, it's not a perfect world. Why should everyone have to believe what you believe? What makes you so sure that you are right? What you just said is the exact reason this thread is going to go sour. Everyone has the right to believe what they want to believe, and opinions shouldn't be based off of such things. In a way, I think religion taints us. Think about all of the bad that goes on in the world, BECAUSE of religion. Just my opinion...

Hey I didn't say everyone should believe what I believe I said I wished everyone would, i'm not looking for a fight.

And I am so sure because of the Bible and God's promises.

 

[Bobby34231]

Theres a reason why topics such as politics and religion are considered taboo on most open discusion venues such as forums, maybe we should just agree that we all have the right to believe what we believe and leave it at that before something nasty happens...

 

[GreenCheek]

Well, when you referred to half of the people in this thread as "trash", I take that as a fight. Sorry.

I agree with Bobby. Let's drop this, as some people are clearly not mature enough to discuss such things. I personally don't understand why religion and such is so taboo, and why people get so offended. But such is the way of things...

 

[Mrspy]

Well, when you referred to half of the people in this thread as "trash", I take that as a fight. Sorry.

I agree with Bobby. Let's drop this, as some people are clearly not mature enough to discuss such things. I personally don't understand why religion and such is so taboo, and why people get so offended. But such is the way of things...

Sorry if you thought I was calling everyone trash. Maybe that was to harsh. I just for some reason don't have AS much respect for someone who's not a Christian.

But yeah i don't want to start a fight and then have everyone on the forum mad at me