I have some questions for the Christians.

[doktor]

1) How old is God?
2) Where does God live?
3) Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?
4) Why did God let his only son get beaten, tortured and murdered?
5) Why won't God ever let you see or talk to him?
6) Why is it you can pray to God, but if God ever says something to you, you're considered crazy?
7) What do you think of the Oakland Raiders?
8) Do you believe that Morgan Freeman is God?

[Queenie]

Had you been serious with your questions, I would have taken the time to post my serious answers.

[doktor]

then answer them seriously. I didn't make them.

[hotzester]

Posting your question here doesn't inherently make it an intelligent discussion. You're posting this for the sole purpose of instigating, and you've come here with your own agenda and your own opinion which obviously can't be changed. With that in mind, I won't waste either of our time.

[doktor]

uh...no? Only the last two are joke questions.

[potthole]

Those last ones might be the only "joke" questions, but it's still obvious you aren't asking these questions with an open mind, wanting to engage in serious, mature discussion.

[doktor]

I didn't write them...and I'm not goin to argue with anyone else.

[Queenie]

So should I just lock this thread so you don't have to?

[Philly Mike]

if you didn't write these then why are you posting them here?

These are stupid questions to ask, if you do not believe in god then none of this matters to you.
I don't believe in any of it i am an atheist.

If god doesn't exist to you these questions are only a story anyway. Knowing where god lives is just as useful as knowing where homer Simpson lives.

So unless you plan on converting you shouldn't even be asking these, hell even if you do plan on converting you shouldn't ask and just find out for yourself.

If you honestly want to know these answers here is what you do. Go to your local church and speak with a priest. A priest will speak with you even if you are a Satan worshiper.

[Mad Dog]

I didn't write them...and I'm not goin to argue with anyone else.

If you didn't write them, then Who did? Except for the joke questions, they are worthy of an answer. But you'll have a hard time getting the Christians on this board to take you seriously now though. So I will make an attempt from the limited knowledge of my Christian past.

1) God is eternal. He always has been and He always will be. Nobody made God. God just Is.

2) God is omni-present. In other words He is every where at all times. Is God in heaven? Yes. Is God on earth? Yes. God is in every dimension At all times. Under the earth, on the earth and above the earth. Any good Christian would tell you that God chooses NOT to live in your heart if you don't want him there. Conversely He will live in your heart if you want him there also.

3) The example in the bible of bad things happening to good people is found in the book of Job. Job was a righteous man, who loved God. Satan came by and commented to God that Job had no reason not to love God because Job had all that a man could ask for so Satan bet God that if he took away all that Job had worked so hard for that Job would curse God to his face. So God let Satan smite Job, because of a bet.

Plus people who look righteous on the outside are pure rotten on the inside sometimes, so things are tricky on that.

4) Christians will tell you that God cannot tolerate sin. And sinful humans cannot be in Gods presence. Yet conversely God loves us and desires a personal relationship with His Creation. But we struggle with God. Even the word Israel translated from the Hebrew means "wrestles with God".

So with the fall of Adam and Eve, God set in action a plan to buy back His people from the world and Satan. As an object lesson for the Jew's He enacted a series of animal sacrifices that enabled his children to petition God and for Him to hear there prayers.

He did not intend for those animal sacrifices to continue forever and sent prophets to call and end to animal sacrifice and that a Savior would come to lead them and save them. The Jews assumed this meant this would be an end to their slavery and they would have their nation back.

But when their King was taken, tortured, crucified and murdered, it was pointedly clear that it was not a nation that was to be saved but the souls of humanity. When God now looks at his children and sees their sins, He remembers the sacrifice of His Son and remembers them no more... forever.

When we look at the Jesus the Christ, not only as our Savior, but a moderator between God and man. Since Jesus was fully man and has felt every desperate emotion, he is able to empathize with us and be our friend. Since he is fully God, He is able to mollify Gods natural wrath toward sin and sinners.

5) God will not let you see him because you would instantly die in the presence of His glory. He does communicate with us through His Word, which is the bible and to a lesser degree by His angels. If you think you've heard audible voices thinking you've heard God, think angels.

6) Serious Christians will Never think you are crazy if you say you have heard the voice of an Angel. They may be skeptical and they may ask you to explain what was said and under what circumstances, but they won't think you are crazy. Non believers will think you have a screw loose.

7) On the surface this sounds like a joke question. But think about it a little deeper. Raider nation is predominately black and silver and dress in Satanistic costumes. If they weren't so cartoonish they would be an abomination unto God. Raider fans are just like the rest of us, however, afforded the opportunity to have there sins forgiven like the rest of sinful humanity and the power of Christs blood.

8) Morgan Freeman is not God. He just plays Him in the movies.

[Philly Mike]

I didn't write them...and I'm not goin to argue with anyone else.

8) Morgan Freeman is not God. He just plays Him in the movies.

I have to disagree, if there is a god it has to be morgan freeman.

[potthole]

I didn't write them...and I'm not goin to argue with anyone else.

If you're not looking to argue, you wouldn't have posted those questions. They might not be your original handywork, but you're lying if you try to tell us that you're trying to foster a worthwhile discussion with them.

[doktor]

I copy/pasted them from another forum i go to.
And yes since I have a general lack of interaction with Christians and this is a touchy subject sub-forum i was like "hrm why not!"

You instantly assume some underhanded motive for asking questions. Whether you believe me or not, I didn't intend for any negativity to be in this topic whatsoever. As a non-Christian I wanted to see how those questions would be answered. Joke Questions aside, man. Lighten up seriously.

[speedbump]

These are really shitty questions for even trying to start an argument. That's a problem a lot of atheists have, they really don't know a lot about Christianity and the basic foundations. If you did you would realize these questions were a complete waste of time. You took a really simplistic approach, and deserve the shit you're getting for it.

I am atheist by the way. It's a wonder how learning about a religion for all your life (albeit relatively short) can make you realize the flaws.

[doktor]

I'm not an atheist. Also, stop whining.

[Philly Mike]

These are really shitty questions for even trying to start an argument. That's a problem a lot of atheists have, they really don't know a lot about Christianity and the basic foundations.

I would have to say I completely disagree on this point. I have spoken with a fair share of atheists and well in general, they seem to be more educated about a lot of religions than the people who are supposedly practicing them.
That is at least the ones that are truly atheist. A lot of people claim to be but are actually just agnostic. This is a thing a lot of people don't think about.

[fistor!@#]

It's the constant struggle. Those who don't understand faith try humanize God to try to make some sort of sense of Him. It doesn't work that way. God exists (IMO) on a plane we humans can't possibly comprehend. When you try to make sense of God on your terms, you are trying to bring Him to your level. If you want to try to really understand Him, try to elevate your mind up to Him.

[potthole]

I copy/pasted them from another forum i go to.
And yes since I have a general lack of interaction with Christians and this is a touchy subject sub-forum i was like "hrm why not!"

You instantly assume some underhanded motive for asking questions. Whether you believe me or not, I didn't intend for any negativity to be in this topic whatsoever. As a non-Christian I wanted to see how those questions would be answered. Joke Questions aside, man. Lighten up seriously.

If you want to learn things and ask questions, come up with some of your own.

You have got to be kidding if you insist that you can't see the sarcastic/mocking tone in the ones you posted.

[boizalynne]

8) Morgan Freeman is not God. He just plays Him in the movies.

I have to disagree, if there is a god it has to be morgan freeman.

+1
Too right

[krystal]

I would like someone to answer my questions. Despite the fact my mom's family is very religious (and since my father's family was not), I never really understood Christianity. I would honestly like to know the following:

1) Is God God or
2) Is Jesus God?
3) If Jesus is God, how did he recreate himself to become Jesus?
4) Or is Jesus a god, secondary to the almighty God?
5) Is it more important to worship Jesus over God, because
6) Isn't worshiping Jesus over God breaking a Commandment for putting other gods before God? And, finally,
7) Is Christianity monotheistic or polytheistic? Are you worshipping one or two Gods?

[Biff]

The best way to answer those questions is to ask this:

Let's say you have three lit candles. You put the wicks together. How many flames are there, one or three?

Or another way: Let's say you have a pitcher of water and you pour some into two glasses. Is the water the same or different?

[potthole]

One way non-Christians look at the whole relationship between God, Jesus and The Holy Spirit is this... 1+1+1=3, and assume therefore Christians worship more than one God.

A better way to think of it is... 1x1x1=1.

[krystal]

5) God will not let you see him because you would instantly die in the presence of His glory.

This is what happened when Dionysus's mom saw Zeus as a god. And so Dionysus was born from Zeus's thigh (I think).

Interesting.

[rabbidgirl]

I would like someone to answer my questions. Despite the fact my mom's family is very religious (and since my father's family was not), I never really understood Christianity. I would honestly like to know the following:

1) Is God God or
2) Is Jesus God?
3) If Jesus is God, how did he recreate himself to become Jesus?
4) Or is Jesus a god, secondary to the almighty God?
5) Is it more important to worship Jesus over God, because
6) Isn't worshiping Jesus over God breaking a Commandment for putting other gods before God? And, finally,
7) Is Christianity monotheistic or polytheistic? Are you worshipping one or two Gods?

I will give you one line answer for all of this..

It all depends on your denomination

[powerface71]

"If the gospel be hid, it is hid to those that are lost"

[renegade]

Maddog. I must say you answered his questions very well. Great job. The book of JOB is a very good book to read. GOD does answer prayers;but, in his own time. Everything happens for a reason. Everything has a purpose. GOD'S reason and GOD'S purpose. GOD will never put you in a situation that you cannot handle; but, it is up to you to accept the challenge or accept defeat. GOD gives you the choice; it is all up to you as to what you do with the blessing of life. You say "its my life; I can do what I want". Your wrong. It is GOD'S life that you are borrowing, and when he gets tired of your bs he will guide you in the direction HE wants you to go. It is called conviction of the heart.

[renegade]

Speedbump. U say ur an atheist. I can accept that. U do not believe in GOD. That is an unfortunate situation but ok. So how can u believe and worship one without atleast believing in the other; for without GOD there would not be a satan. There can be no yin without yang. There is no good without the bad. Lucifer was the most beautiful angel in the heavens. He wanted more of everything and a war broke out in the heavens. He; lucifer; and his dominions were cast out of the heavens into the depths of hell. When GOD created the earth and inhabitants he said all was GOOD. It was until adam and eve ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge. From that point on GOD gave us the choice of good and evil. My point is without GOD there would not be a satan. Serious question- why did YOU choose to worship satan over GOD?

[Mad Dog]

I didn't say I believed it any more. But I can explain it.

[hotzester]

I'd rather believe in God and find out I'm a fool than not believe in God and wish I had.

[renegade]

Everything that you need to know is in the bible. From the creation of earth, night/day,land/water,animals/humans. Some people try to disprove the bible by asking "where do dinosaurs fit in the bible?". Well GOD created all animals and they inhabited the earth alongside humans. Before adam and eve sinned against the lord there was no sin; no death. The animals were herbavores. Not one animal fed upon another; dinosaurs included. The first death in the bible came just after the first sin. God clothed adam and eve in loin cloth because they were ashamed of their nakedness. Something had to die for them to be clothed. Some people say there was not a global flood; but it is a proven fact that they have found marine fossils at the very peak of mt everest. Also what do you get with a global flood? Millions of dead things laid down by water covered by dirt and rock all over the earth. Well, science has proven that we have millions of dead things laid down by water covered by dirt and rock all over the earth. Some people do not believe because they cannot grasp the language of the bible. This dude begat that dude begat that dude and so on. There is a really great book that you can buy at barnes and knoble or almost any other book store. It is called "The Complete Guide To The Bible". It is an easy read. It breaks each book down to the basics kinda like CLIFFS NOTES. There are pictures of where each situation occured, maps, artifacts, side notes, and the basic lesson of each book. It is all in laymans terms also. I bought it and really enjoyed all the extra information it provided as to how the people lived and believed back then. The timelines are pretty good too. Gives breakdown of each book and who wrote it or supposedly wrote it. Maybe you would enjoy it also.?.

[-Jiggy-]

There is a really great book that you can buy at barnes and knoble or almost any other book store. It is called "The Complete Guide To The Bible". It is an easy read. It breaks each book down to the basics kinda like CLIFFS NOTES.

There is also 'The Message', which is the Bible but in modern speak.

[Queenie]

I'd rather believe in God and find out I'm a fool than not believe in God and wish I had.

Absolutely! 8-)

[speedbump]

Speedbump. U say ur an atheist. I can accept that. U do not believe in GOD. That is an unfortunate situation but ok. So how can u believe and worship one without atleast believing in the other; for without GOD there would not be a satan. There can be no yin without yang. There is no good without the bad. Lucifer was the most beautiful angel in the heavens. He wanted more of everything and a war broke out in the heavens. He; lucifer; and his dominions were cast out of the heavens into the depths of hell. When GOD created the earth and inhabitants he said all was GOOD. It was until adam and eve ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge. From that point on GOD gave us the choice of good and evil. My point is without GOD there would not be a satan. Serious question- why did YOU choose to worship satan over GOD?

Atheists don't worship Satan. Atheism is not a religion. It is the belief that no Gods exist.

[Mad Dog]

Speedbump. U say ur an atheist. I can accept that. U do not believe in GOD. That is an unfortunate situation but ok. So how can u believe and worship one without atleast believing in the other; for without GOD there would not be a satan. There can be no yin without yang. There is no good without the bad. Lucifer was the most beautiful angel in the heavens. He wanted more of everything and a war broke out in the heavens. He; lucifer; and his dominions were cast out of the heavens into the depths of hell. When GOD created the earth and inhabitants he said all was GOOD. It was until adam and eve ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge. From that point on GOD gave us the choice of good and evil. My point is without GOD there would not be a satan. Serious question- why did YOU choose to worship satan over GOD?

Atheists don't worship Satan. Atheism is not a religion. It is the belief that no Gods exist.

If there is no God then there is no Satan. If there is no Satan there is no sin. If there is no Sin, there is no guilt. But where there is no Guilt, there is freedom of thought. So go ahead all you Theists, bind your thoughts up and continue to preach your mythology of guilt and damnation if it makes you feel better.

[krystal]

Just because there's no sin doesn't mean there are no morals.

[renegade]

I believe in GOD. I believe jesus died on the cross for my sins. In march 2005 I was in the hospital for 3 days on life support. I was dead. They were going to "unplug me" the next day but I woke up. I cannot tell you that I seen heaven or hell. I cannot tell you that I seen bright pure white lights. I can tell you this; I heard a voice tell me to "wake-up" and I did. That was it. When I opened my eyes there was noone in my room. They walked by and seen me moving around trying to breathe on my own which is hard as hell to do when a machine is doing it for you. It was almost as if I was drowning trying to gasp for air but I didn't need to. They knocked me out and unhooked me and then woke me back up. Doc said there was nothin she could do besides life support. Said I would have health probs the rest of my life. Well; I will b 32 in april and have had nothing major. Sometimes my memory evades me and sometimes I get bad migraines but I am thankfull to GOD that I am still alive.

[krystal]

One way non-Christians look at the whole relationship between God, Jesus and The Holy Spirit is this... 1+1+1=3, and assume therefore Christians worship more than one God.

A better way to think of it is... 1x1x1=1.

So all 3 are 1? Because mathmatically 1 is mulitiplied by itself, not another 1. That didn't help me. Maybe I over-analyze things.

[-Jiggy-]

I believe in GOD. I believe jesus died on the cross for my sins. In march 2005 I was in the hospital for 3 days on life support. I was dead. They were going to "unplug me" the next day but I woke up. I cannot tell you that I seen heaven or hell. I cannot tell you that I seen bright pure white lights. I can tell you this; I heard a voice tell me to "wake-up" and I did. That was it. When I opened my eyes there was noone in my room. They walked by and seen me moving around trying to breathe on my own which is hard as hell to do when a machine is doing it for you. It was almost as if I was drowning trying to gasp for air but I didn't need to. They knocked me out and unhooked me and then woke me back up. Doc said there was nothin she could do besides life support. Said I would have health probs the rest of my life. Well; I will b 32 in april and have had nothing major. Sometimes my memory evades me and sometimes I get bad migraines but I am thankfull to GOD that I am still alive.

Wow, thanks for sharing that Major A-hole.

*That's what he said...in prison! *

I really do mean it though, thanks for sharing that.

[renegade]

Is there sarcasm there jiggy. Hard to detect in posted mssgs. Just a question.

[potthole]

One way non-Christians look at the whole relationship between God, Jesus and The Holy Spirit is this... 1+1+1=3, and assume therefore Christians worship more than one God.

A better way to think of it is... 1x1x1=1.

So all 3 are 1? Because mathmatically 1 is mulitiplied by itself, not another 1. That didn't help me. Maybe I over-analyze things.

Yeah, they are. God, Jesus and The Holy Spirit are all one, but yet at the same time their own separate beings. While Jesus was on earth, he was God in human form- but yet at the same time God was in Heaven, and The Holy Spirit could be elsewhere also. All the while, however, all three were still one God.

I wish I could explain just exactly how this is, but I wouldn't be able to do it any justice.