Christians Please Answer

[hp2007]

Hi, I would just like to know why you all insist upon pushing your beliefs on others. I know some Christians don't do that, but I've met so many Christians that just think that they are better than me.
I can't believe certain people think they are Christians.

[David Blacklock]

Well, it is a chatroom, which by virtue of relative anonymity reduces the inhibitions. It can cause one to change their threshold for insulting and for being insulted. This place is mild.

DB

[hp2007]

Oh, I apologize to you. I meant people outside of this chat room. Sorry!

[frankbaginski]

In scripture there are verses that tell us to spread the Word of God. We are to help people understand that there is a God in heaven who loves them and wants to have a personal relationship with them. To deny this calling is to act against the command of God.

Now you have come to a Christian website to ask this question which is a good idea. You will probably get some consistant answers. There are sites out there that have people of no belief or are against God and the people on those sites will act like something they are not. I have come across a number of them. I however pray for them as I would any of God's creation. I pray for the terrorist to see the light and abandon their connection to evil ways.

Now when you ask questions about clearly defined areas of the Bible you will probably get consistant answers. But if you ask questions about issues unrelated to the Bible or issues that are not directly stated in the Bible you may get wide interpretations. I hold almost a literal interpretation of scripture. I take the verses very seriously. This does not mean that people who feel some verses are allusions are wrong. The important thing is to start a relationship with God. I will tell you it is not easy, there will be bumps, but the end result is well worth the effort.

If you are just now asking questions and are unfamilar with the Bible then I suggest a Bible study to get you started. The best I have come across is "The Bible in 24 Hours" by Chuck Missler. You can pick this up on khouse.org A lot of people who read scripture for the first time have a difficult time with the language and style of the verses. Many of the verses are very hard to understand. I have been studying for three years and am still a newbie. Ask questions and weigh the answers against your conscience which is God's gift to everyone.

[hp2007]

Thank you for your reply. I am just very curious on this topic. I don't doubt what you are saying but literature can be interpreted in a lot of ways. Are you accepting of other religions? I personally think that judging a person should only be done on their personality and not other things such as sexual orientation or religion. Do you think that other people are wrong? Sorry for all the questions! I'm just extremely curious

[frankbaginski]

hp2007,

It says very clearly in scripture we are not to judge. Now that being said we can be on a jury and decide cases of law. This goes to behavior not the soul. We are also to teach our children the scripture and to help them become a moral person. This is where the desire of Christians and others to shield their children from explicit sexual content comes from. If someone choses to be free sexually then just do it someplace my kids won't see it.

I respect people of faith. I will however try and convert them to Christianity.

[hp2007]

These have all been great answers and they are helpful. In reply to the last post, I wanted to know if you really think thats fair (to try and convert others to the Christian faith) If another religion required a person to try to convert others (like in Christianity and you were in a country in which that religion is dominant, what would you do? Some religions are frowned down upon in America but in other countries, Christianity is frowned upon. I just want some people to think about how that must feel. You said that the scriptures tell you to spread the faith, but to whom? When does this cross the line? When some groups of people resort to cruel punishments such as torture, I have a hard time believing its in the name of religion. (Not trying to say everyone is tortured on a daily basis)
Being in America, I'm sure its easy to announce your affiliation. What about somewhere else? How far would you go to claim Christianity as your faith?
Thanks for all the replies everyone!

[jenna]

In response to you. No it is NOT easy to say we are Christians. People tend to look at us differently when we say we are. God has been taken out of our schools, as well as prayer. everywhere you look, someone is taking God out of the picture. And in response to another post you made, I do NOT appreciate you acting like we are stupid simply because we choose to believe in our Creator and His book. Saying that we have no brain? What good is that going to accomplish? We are not trying to push our beliefs on anyone who doesn't want to listen. YOU chose to come to this board and ask for answers. We didn't make you do it, so if you want answers then you need to take the time to phrase your questions a little better.

[zoegirl]

These have all been great answers and they are helpful. In reply to the last post, I wanted to know if you really think thats fair (to try and convert others to the Christian faith) If another religion required a person to try to convert others (like in Christianity and you were in a country in which that religion is dominant, what would you do? Some religions are frowned down upon in America but in other countries, Christianity is frowned upon.

And many Iraqi christians and other Christians in predominantly Muslim countries are being persecuted for *their* beliefs, tortured and killed simply because they believe. Christians in China have to worship in hiding because they will be taken away and mysteriously disappear.

I just want some people to think about how that must feel. You said that the scriptures tell you to spread the faith, but to whom? When does this cross the line?

And I'm sure that you can think of examples in the past of when it has crossed the line. But everyone is free to reject the message of the Gospel.

When some groups of people resort to cruel punishments such as torture, I have a hard time believing its in the name of religion. (Not trying to say everyone is tortured on a daily basis)

Sure hope you are fair in this condemnation....as referenced before, hundreds of Christians have been and are being persecuted in heavily Muslim countries and in communist countries.

Being in America, I'm sure its easy to announce your affiliation. What about somewhere else? How far would you go to claim Christianity as your faith?
Thanks for all the replies everyone!

I would hope that I would claim my LOrd and Savior to the death. If there is one thing I can be joyous about, it is about the GOod news. And while I would be the last person to stand on the streetcorner (definitely NOT my personality!), I pray that I would have the strength to not deny my Savior.

[David Blacklock]

May I inject a more liberal interpretation, please.

Thomas Jefferson did his own Bible. He took a pair of scissors to the gospels and letters and removed all the parts he didn't like - miracles, healings, anything that smacked of dogma, anything Paul wrote, Hell, etc., including only selected words of or about Jesus - 46 pages. To TJ, The words of Jesus stood out like "diamonds in a dunghill," a phrase he stole from Voltaire.

During the years between 1904 and 1956, a copy of the Jefferson Bible was given to each US Senator upon inauguration. As much as TJ believed in separation of church and state, I wonder what he would have thought of this practice.

There are Christians who want to emphasize God's love ("there ain't no Hell" group) and those who want to emphasize God's law ("the hell there ain't" group). I think fundamentalists of all brands are ripe for exposure. You don't have to look far to see fundamentalist religions demonstrate intolerance. If one goes down the block, across the nation, or around the world to each church, synagogue, mosque, or holy place, some fundamentalists of each theology may be found. These sub-groups all have the annoying habit of claiming that their group alone, once and for all, has solved the great riddles of life.

DB

[hp2007]

Very POWERFUL answers everyone. I do think that having something to believe in would be nice.
Something in the last got my attention. People, like Thomas Jefferson, have changed the meanings.
So, how do you know if you're not doing something right? Everyone has a different idea of what the bible says. I just wonder if its "counted against you" if you do something "wrong." The bible seems like the Constitution, specific and broad at the same time.
What do you do?

P.S. I really hope that i'm not offending anyone. I'm just curious in learning more about religion.

[johnt]

hp2007, May I ask you how you came upon this site and board? I'm glad you are here! You have taken a very positive first step. Go a head and take the Discovery Course for it will have some of the answers you are looking for. G-d Bless and Welcome!

[Gman]

Very POWERFUL answers everyone. I do think that having something to believe in would be nice.
Something in the last got my attention. People, like Thomas Jefferson, have changed the meanings.
So, how do you know if you're not doing something right? Everyone has a different idea of what the bible says. I just wonder if its "counted against you" if you do something "wrong." The bible seems like the Constitution, specific and broad at the same time.
What do you do?

P.S. I really hope that i'm not offending anyone. I'm just curious in learning more about religion.

The whole message of the Bible is based on love... So if you take love out of the Bible and God, you have nothing... Old Testament laws were given to humans (like the Ten Commandments) to use like a magnifying glass to point out sin (which is anything that doesn't conform to love) in our lives, not to beat up on others. The problem here is that many are so busy pointing out flaws in others is that they forget about the sin in their own lives. To which Christ says....

Luke 6:42
42How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

So if the Bible claims that love is it's foundation, then how do you go forward with our beliefs? Well I can't speak for everyone but for me I put love on the highest platform I could find then worked my way down. If something doesn't conform to love (that being principles), then we need to question it, analyze it, and either keep it or throw it out.

I would suggest to anyone to take this test on any religion, including Christianity, and see where it leads you... And btw, don't forget, Christ says that we cannot come to him by being good. Many people make this mistake thinking that they have to be good in order to receive Him. Nothing could be farther form the truth...

[jenna]

Very nicely put, G-man.

[frankbaginski]

I would recommend a couple of books to get started on the path. The book by Dinesh D'Souza "What's so Great About Christianity" is a good one for an analysis of the world religions and how they relate to Christianity. His section on evolution I don't agree with but it does not detract from the main thread of the book. The second is "The Handbook for Spiritual Warefare" by Dr. Ed Murphy. I would only read section one of this book if I was you. Then wait a few years and then after doing additional study come back to it. The first section deals with worldviews and it is the best I have come across.

God can be found in everything around us. I found God in partical physics. Others have found Him in nature, still others after a tragic event in their life.