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You and the nutters support the same football team as me
But apart from being nutters then as long as they were not Christians we could have a cup of tea
But I couldn't really have any sort of serious chat over a cuppa with a Christian as they are on a completely different planet to me
They genuinely believe and try to persuade me to belive in something that clearly is utterly preposterous
A nutter who is also a Christian is like a Christian who is also a conservative voter ....double danger
In America the right wing Christian evangelical nutters are almost exclusively conservative republicans
It's all very odd
Unlike your own, their abitions & destiny don't end on this crumbling planet, that much is certain.
No, trusting God's Word makes perfect sense, if you test it, what is preposterous is trusting in scientists who can't answer ANY of life's big questions, offer you zero hope and leave you angry, frustrated and without answers.
What you are wanting here is hope......answers to lifes big questions ?
For me they are food , shelter , trying to help someone , etc
Loads of people on this planet have hope and are frustrated by life but are not angry or frustrated by the questions YOU want answered ......which is basically the afterlife
I cannot trust God or jesus as I have been here for 5 decades and they have never got in touch and I don't know anyone who has spoken to them
Some people say they have but that's either fellow religious people like you and I simply don't believe them or people who have severe psychiatric problems and hear voices or suffer delusions like schizophrenics or those with bipolar disorder
They often say they are talking to God when very unwell but when they recover from an episode they accept they were not of sound mind
There is no evidence at all of God's word , voice , public appearances in all these years
We have had cameras , film producers and people who say they have seen or talked to God......no recordings or photos or film of God at all ......you would have thought in all this time God would have used his powers to let mankind he was there and those that witnessed his presence would have filmed or recorded it
It's 2024 , let's have some evidence
If I want evidence of a drug being given to me by a doctor for back pain being effective I can speak to him , other people , nhs 111 ,read the leaflet in with the package , look on the internet for the views of other users and try the medication and find out wether or not it actually helps
I can make an informed decision based on scientific research , lab tests , the knowledge and experience of highly trained doctors
Whereas someone can stand up in an evangelical church , sing a few songs, tell everyone about how great God is without any evidence he exists and if someone gets cancer then wether he lives or dies all depends on God who is the supreme decision maker
Absolute nonsense
If it gives people comfort then that's up to them , I prefer to listen to music , go fishing , give some money to a homeless charity without being guided by someone who doesn't exist or his followers
Indeed, you don't stop fishing for answers, which is to your credit.
It's a shame that your first attempted connection with God was with false man-made religion; this has now tainted all avenues in your mind including the real Jesus who is the hope of the world. I pray you find him before time runs out.
Straight to heaven, yes. Children and other mentally immature individuals who wouldn't have the capacity to comprehend what God has offered them in Christ sufficiently to reject it would be in Heaven, I have no doubt at all.
If you have any follow up questions then do fire away.
It wasn't MY attempt to connect with God
I had absolutely no choice
Catholic primary and junior school
Mass every Sunday and all the other holy days
I eventually thought this is nonsense as soon as I was able to realise it
From then on Sundays were a good laugh going fishing , playing football and generally messing about like kids do when they are not forced to go to church
If people at 21 are told about God and they choose to reject it or take an interest that's fine
God hasn't offered me anything
Priests etc have but they have many notorious liars and charlatans in their ranks
Online ministers , rabbis , the pope , monks , vicars ........they are not God and could be up to all sorts of nonsense
American TV Evangelicists .......sex offenders , financial fraud, extra marital affairs with the congregation , threatening women and doctors outside abortion clinics , supporting the bombing of gaza
If God got it touch with me we could possibly have an initial chat over a cuppa but that's it as far as connecting with religion goes
If a local church is collecting food for the homeless I will pop round with a donation but if they invite me to the next Sunday service or offer me a bible I am off before they can blink
Read a few verses from John 3 where Jesus is speaking for 30 seconds and you will have your answer > John 3
Well I speak to them daily and they speak to me by various means; I’m sure Gofer and any other person who knows Christ personally would give you a similar answer.
As for God getting in touch, then since you were a child, you’ve had a major event EVERY year to remind you that Christ came into the world as a baby, and another annual bank holiday along with Hot CROSS buns to remind you how He died and later rose again from the dead, a fact confirmed OUTSIDE the Bible writings as well as in them.
Some people say they have but that's either fellow religious people like you and I simply don't believe them.
No Christian would tell you to believe THEM, they would ask you to honestly LOOK at the evidence.
Until you do, all you are left with is the empty hope that it's somehow all fictional
I can understand where you are coming from now. As TP says you have been brought up in the Catholic tradition with a lot of man-made rules and regulations. I have admiration for the Catholic church as they have done much good work amongst the poor in Third World countries, running hospitals etc but unfortunately have been let down by some of their priests. This is a terrible shame for the other hard working, decent people in the Catholic church.
However their insistence on the priest being an intermediary between us and God is a falsehood. There is no basis for such an intermediary - we can confess our sins directly to God. Also I cannot understand their veneration of Mary the mother of Jesus, which borders on idolatory. Yes, she was obviously very important in that she gave birth to Jesus but she is not God. Also the idea of praying to the saints or to the statues of saints....uhm!
In the news today we learn that the Catholic church is going to apply more scrutiny to claims of miraculous signs like weeping statues etc. which is not before time I feel. I often wonder if this is a money making scheme as people go on pilgrimages to see the places where these events have supposedly taken place.
P.S. I found this article on the web which summarises my take on the Catholic church very well:
https://www.gotquestions.org/catholicism.html
FYI these are the opening paragraphs:
The most crucial problem with the Roman Catholic Church is its belief that faith alone in Christ is not sufficient for salvation. The Bible clearly and consistently states that receiving Jesus Christ as Savior, by grace through faith, grants salvation (John 1:12; 3:16,18,36; Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9-10,13; Ephesians 2:8-9). The Roman Catholic Church rejects this. The official position of the Roman Catholic Church is that a person must believe in Jesus Christ AND be baptized AND receive the Eucharist along with the other sacraments AND obey the decrees of the Roman Catholic Church AND perform meritorious works AND not die with any mortal sins AND etc., etc., etc. Catholic divergence from the Bible on this most crucial of issues, salvation, means that yes, Catholicism is a false religion. If a person believes what the Catholic Church officially teaches, he/she will not be saved. Any claim that works or rituals must be added to faith in order for salvation to be achieved is a claim that Jesus’ death was not sufficient to fully purchase our salvation.
While salvation by faith is the most crucial issue, in comparing Roman Catholicism with the Word of God, there are many other differences and contradictions as well. The Roman Catholic Church teaches many doctrines that are in disagreement with what the Bible declares. These include apostolic succession, worship of saints or Mary, prayer to saints or Mary, the pope / papacy, infant baptism, transubstantiation, plenary indulgences, the sacramental system, and purgatory. While Catholics claim Scriptural support for these concepts, none of these teachings have any solid foundation in the clear teaching of Scripture. These concepts are based on Catholic tradition, not the Word of God. In fact, they all clearly contradict Biblical principles.
In other words there are lots of man-made rules and regs that you would need to follow, which are totally legalistic and unnecessary. If that's Christianity, then it's not for me!
Wow, you don’t say!
It’s all self righteous blah blah blah and ignores (as usual) the point that you are (again) putting words into other posters mouths to suggest they are engaging with your fairy tales. Sludge has never said anything to suggest he ‘hopes’ your imaginary friend is fictional. He doesn’t ‘hope’. Nor do I or many other posters on here who have indulged you. We know. Hope that helps?