Hi, I'm Brian
 

Greetings friends I come in the spirit of learning and understanding from another faith, with an active interest in your own. I have recently found myself in conflict, my own beliefs, which I follow unthinkingly, do not provide as deep a description and understanding of the world around us as the Christian faith does.

In my struggle with faith I was also tested by the heathen scientists whose logic and reason, while convincing, was in clear contradiction with the teachings in the bible and in my own religious text, so it HAS to be false, right? I also enjoy playing card games and video games, however I recently learnt that the bible might condemn such practises and felt very unsure of my faith.

Do you think I have any hope of salvation if I devote myself to Jesus rather than false deities like Allah?

Thank you for your time,

Brian

Re: Hi, I'm Brian
 

Hello there, Brian. I have only been led to this blessed forum today but I can say with all confidence that Jesus can save even the most despicable and blasphemous souls, if you truly repent and follow His commandments, forsaking your former deplorable life of sin.
Nobody is horrible enough to outdo the power of Jesus Christ, praise God! Even you can be saved.
Acts 2:38 says "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."
Follow the commandments of God's Holy Word and you'll be off to a good start on your way to the kingdom of God. :D

Re: Hi, I'm Brian
 

Tell me Brian, why do false Gods interest you?

Re: Hi, I'm Brian
 

Than you for your reassurance Mr.Hunt. It comforts me to know that jesus will never forsake me. However I still feel some faith in my previous religion, even in science. I realize that it can never explain our world or how we got here but some parts of it actually seem quite reasonable... It ashames me to say that on some level I think there might be some truth behind the ideas they teach. When I think about the teachings of the bible some things certainly don't agree, but then other things are barely mentioned at all... I just think in my heart that some of the stuff they say makes sense, and then if that stuff is right (perhaps god gives it to us to cure disease and help people) why should the rest of it be completely wrong. We are only men after all, why should we be able to understand the word of god any more than science should be able to understand the structure of our world when both are surely infinite... I always wonder if they are both a part of some higher truth, one which we could not possibly understand, and that perhaps that truth IS God. But then I'm not sure wether to read the bible as the direct word of God or as a translation, open to my own interpretation in combination with science and everything else the world teaches us... The truth is I'm really not sure at all...

Re: Hi, I'm Brian
 

Howdy Brian,

As stated, Jesus does offer salvation to anyone who comes to accept His teachings. But tell us more about yourself, what sort of heathen blasphemous faith do you come from? Are you married? If so have you produced any soldiers for Christ (Sons)? What is your favorite bible verse?

Re: Hi, I'm Brian
 

It's not the fact that they are false that interests me... I only say false because the bible teaches that there is only the one true God. What I mean is that while other faiths are false there are a lot of similarities, ideals about life and death, and I find it very difficult to ignore them. Even if my mind tells me I should disregard them when I search my heart I always feel like I am blocking out something which I know to be true... I'm quite confused about this but I feel like a well reasoned answer, a convincing answer, might be a more permanent solution than just ignoring it... but then that might be the wrong way to tackle it? I don't know...

Re: Hi, I'm Brian
 

Re: Hi, I'm Brian
 

Higgins, I have investigated the teachings of the Zen Buddhists, as well as Hinduism and Christianity... Though I was born and baptized a Christian I brought other ideas from other religions which I felt resonated with the teachings and the ideas of Jesus. I also studied science to quite a high level... I sought to make my understanding more complete and this led me to read more into the bible as well as talk to other Christians (what led me here). Obviously this created contradictions between the different elements of my belief and now I find myself unsure what to believe...

Re: Hi, I'm Brian
 

Son, are you angry with your parents for giving you the name of a "scientist" from "England" who is both a homosinual and an atheist?

Re: Hi, I'm Brian
 

Saved_by_Grace, But that's exactly the problem. When I don't ignore it I feel like it's actually bringing me closer to God, even if it throws a few bits of the bible into doubt my strength and resolve grows, my faith in God increases and I bear more fruit and give more love than I did before... I think that this might be at the heart of my problem, thank you for bringing this up :)

Re: Hi, I'm Brian
 

Whoa! All these noobs finding each other.

God Himself must be guiding them to join in praise.

GLORY!

Re: Hi, I'm Brian
 

But God gives people disease. Why would He then give them the means to be cured, when they're just supposed to pray to be cured?

Lamentations 3:38 "Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?"

The only logical (hmmph) explanation left is that IT IS SATAN (BWAHAhahahah).

Sorry, tried to keep a straight face there, but I just can't. :lol:

Re: Hi, I'm Brian
 

Yeshua, I am neither a homosexual or an atheist... and no I am not angry at anyone, I feel I was born into the life I was born into because that was how it was, I could not have changed it and it could not have been any other way, there is no one to blame and nothing to blame them for. Besides anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.

Re: Hi, I'm Brian
 

Something tells me Yoda speaks to you more than God, friend.

It saddens me to see a man pretending to be of God and actually here to mock God and all His words. I don't know what went wrong in your life that you would do such a thing. Perhaps you could confess your sins so we may help you repent and be baptised.

Re: Hi, I'm Brian
 

Didymus Much, Is god any more in the attackers' hand that wounds than he is in the surgeons' that heals. God gives disease and he takes it away, however he chooses to heal, through whichever means he may choose, is entirely at his own discretion. I would not try to find logical arguments that restrain God to work through the miraculous alone. After all the most real and tangible things about life are also the most mysterious...

Re: Hi, I'm Brian
 

Evidence of this? Is there a particular scale on which one can measure which things are considered "more real" or "more tangible" than others? I have not heard of such a scale, so pardon me if there is indeed such a thing and I am in ignorance of it. I also wonder if there have been studies confirming that the "most real and tangible things" are always the "most mysterious," whatever this latter phrase might imply.

Overall I'm afraid you've lost me. Apologies but I would be very grateful if you explain what you're trying to say without using phrases that appear to be dodging the truths of God. :innocent:

Re: Hi, I'm Brian
 

What does that even mean?

Look, rather than making up stuff that sounds meaningful until you think about it why not immerse yourself in the glorious wisdom of scripture!

Proverbs 26:4-5

4Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. 5Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.

How can you argue with such Glory? I'm taking a leaf out of God's book and answering you according to your folly.

Re: Hi, I'm Brian
 

Redeemed Papist, I'm sorry if I appear to be here under a false pretense but I assure you my only aim is to understand better my own faith and perhaps gain insight from the faith of others. I only dropped the Yoda quote because I felt Yeshua was being condescending and responded without consideration, so for that remark you have my sincere apology.

Mr.Hunt, what I mean is that the things we touch and feel, the things which we are most aware of through our senses, are what I consider to be the most perplexing. The fact that we can interact with our world, touch it, taste it and smell it at all really amazes me... But then perhaps that's just a personal thing. You're right though there is no scale for realness or mysteriousness... Perhaps that was a little misleading. It's just there are a lot of things which are confusing or beyond our influence to throw another quote in for Redeemed Papist "the most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible".

I'm sorry if you guys feel my presence here is in some way insulting, all I want to do is learn. If you think I will cause offense or bad feelings, or for any other reason desire it then simply ask and I will leave.

Re: Hi, I'm Brian
 

What ideas from other religions do you feel resonate with this teaching?
Deuteronomy 13:1 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,
2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them;
3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
4 Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.
5 And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.

That attitude was endorsed by Jesus, by the way:

Matthew 4:4 Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Re: Hi, I'm Brian
 

Welcome to this place. You are obviously a Neanderthal slack jawed confused about the truth contained in science. Certainly not uncommon here but you should consider broadening your horizons.