Let's be peaceful

[AmericanMusic]

hi I have a simple question. Let's share about what we believe. . Are you Catholic? Are you Buddhist? Are you Atheist? Are you Christian? Do you believe in yourself or a friend and celebrities?. . What do you believe in?

Let's share our faith. Tell everyone about your faith and how it works. Talk about what book you use such as a Bible perhaps or a Koran. Talk about your church or temple. Explain how your belief works and how you follow this. For atheists tell us the books you read. Share your theory of mankind and the order of things. .

This is not a debate post . This is an only share your faith post. . No one here is wrong. Let's speak peacefully. . . If you however have questions to another person ask about what they believe that is fine. .
If you want to make comparisons. That's fine also . . you can say I am a Christian and you're a Muslim,. . You don't eat pork and I eat anything because God says its okay. But don't say that he or she is wrong. Simply make comments of same and differences.

So tell us what you believe. Anything mostly under the sun religious or non religious. . Nothing cruel however like harming children for religious purposes. . That's too far out of hand.
Share what you believe. Let's do this peacefully . Ask questions if you want . Share similarities and differences between our beliefs. We will learn more this way than arguing all day who is right or wrong. . I think these disputes should not be on forums but rather in a personal matter face to face, phone by phone, or letter by letter. Here let's get along.
Have any questions how this works drop a line to my box or ask right here in this post. I'll be glad to clear up anything.

 

[Impaired]

I am not religious. My mother was an ex-Catholic, my father had no religious beliefs I could swear to - he wasn't much of a talker. I went to Sunday school a few times when I was young but since it wasn't mandatory, as soon as I got bored I was allowed to not return.

I went to a Church of England school in the UK when I lived there and did 2 1/2 years of Catholic school when I returned to the US. I was thrown out of Cardinal Dougherty HS for asking smart ass questions about some of the strange things I would read in the bible.

I believe that you either make the world a better place, and make yourself a better person than your former self, or you are an asshole who makes the world or yourself worse. Religion has no lock on kindness and generosity. No exclusive rights to charity and helping out.

My disdain for organized religion can be aptly summed up in an experience I had feeding the homeless. A friend, a chef, said he was going down and feeding the homeless one Sunday morning and my wife and I helped he and his wife. We made sandwiches and a hot soup, a local store donated milk and juice in small containers and we set up shop in a small park filled with homeless people. We fed dozens of people over a few hours. A church buss from across the river in New Jersey came and when they discovered the homeless were fed, their reaction was anger that we had fed them and now they wouldn't listen to the sermon they were going to make them listen to before they fed them.

We fed hungry, cold people in the winter and they were upset because they wouldn't hear a sermon now. That was their attitude.

That is not Christian. That is not kind. That is not generous of spirit.

 

[AmericanMusic]

Hey Impaired that's a good post and have great honesty. So you say you're not religious. Where do you stand in life? What was your belief before that incident?

 

[MenInTights]

I am a Christian. I start with the obvious idea that the world was created. In seeking to find this creator, the Bible is the only religious text that proves itself supernatural by having foreknowledge of events to come. Therefore I believe that as the prophets foretold, Jesus is the God in man form. He came into the world to take away the sins of those that believe. He died a death that as a sinner I deserved and I am grateful and will serve him for that.

 

[Hilander]

My disdain for organized religion can be aptly summed up in an experience I had feeding the homeless. A friend, a chef, said he was going down and feeding the homeless one Sunday morning and my wife and I helped he and his wife. We made sandwiches and a hot soup, a local store donated milk and juice in small containers and we set up shop in a small park filled with homeless people. We fed dozens of people over a few hours. A church buss from across the river in New Jersey came and when they discovered the homeless were fed, their reaction was anger that we had fed them and now they wouldn't listen to the sermon they were going to make them listen to before they fed them.

That was a nice thing to do. I don't know why they had to get upset about it because if they wouldn't listen to their sermon unless they were fed they probably wasn't listening anyway.

 

[Hilander]

I went to church all the time when I was a kid but once I got out of high school that changed. First I slowed down on attendance then I stopped going at all. I still retain some religious beliefs but I never go to church anymore and I do minor things that aren't exactly Christian. However I'm not an atheist either, still believe in God. I feel like there is more going on than we know.

 

[Babe_Ruth]

I went to catholic school, but I rarely went to church as a kid. I have mixed feelings on G-D right now. At times, I think he's real, and other times I don't really believe in him. It's been the latter for the most part for the last ten years. I don't mind people who believe, just don't preach to me, or throw your religion in my face. I hate when people go door to door to preach their religion.

 

[AmericanMusic]

I'm a Christian. . After some trauma in my life I started talking and asking around.. Who is God and what can God do to help me? By miracles and other events God had revealed himself in ways I never knew before. The Bible says,

7 “Ask, and God will give to you. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will open for you. 8 Yes, everyone who asks will receive. Everyone who searches will find. And everyone who knocks will have the door opened. NCV Matthew &:7-8

God allows us to go through life tribulations. Because if life was always good we would have no reason to call out for God.

I didn't read the Bible at first. It was a big mistake. . I found myself in a lot of trouble with much misunderstandings how to go about life. . I finally started reading the Bible. Then things started to clear up in my life.

In that case I don't give a sermon at this point. Sermons are for only those who voluntarily want to go to Church. . Don't give a sermon to those not in church and not interested in God. Maybe you can use bible tracts. They can read on their own time. Jesus didn't run after people that walked away from him. Jesus only spoke to those who stood their to listen. Jesus says

14 And if a home or town refuses to welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake its dust off your feet. NCV Matthew 10:14

. . God is saying don't force them to believe. . They have made up their minds. Go to another city where they will listen to what you have to say. And when they listen stay in that city.

What do I say about being a Christian? Well you can't be a Christian without reading a Bible or going to church. . You can't exist without Gods word and instruction for your life. Robert Schuller for example teaches people to be positive. But that's not what the Bible teaches. . Being positive alone won't save a person. . Joel Osteen teaches prosperity. . That's not biblical either. . There's nothing in the Bible that teaches God will give you a nice house, nice car etc that Joel Osteen teaches. . God loves us just the way we are rich or poor. Indian or Chinese. Those things don't matter to God. God doesn't exclude anyone by appearance and things like that. This is why Christianity is the worlds largest belief system. God loves you but the question is do you love God?. . God has a plan to who follow his perfect will. .

How can we know about these things?. I recommend anyone that wants to know God needs to get a Bible and start reading it a little bit a few times a week. . Read at your own pace. But anyone that reads I would suggest start with Genesis. But then go to Matthew in the New Testament. . After you read Matthew go back to Leviticus. . After that go to Mark. . Go back and forth. But make sure to understand the New Testament laws are what we are to follow. . The Old Testament is replaced by all New Testament laws. . The Ten Commandments still stand.

There is more than just reading however. A Christian also has to listen what the Bible says. . They live a daily life believing in faith and doing what's right in the eyes of God. . Just because you become a Christian that suddenly life will become better. . Everyone's being tested. . Sometimes good things happen and sometime bad things happen. . Who will pray to God for help?. . Who will help others around them? Who will be a good role model to others? Who will correctly raise their children etc. So my belief is in God. Read the Bible and live after Gods instructions.

I will not say anything further unless someone asks on this post. As I don't force anyone to believe anything . . but since I started this thread it's only fair I share what my belief is.

 

[MenInTights]

The best thing I ever bought was a chronological Bible. You open it to the day you're on read an introduction giving context and then read 4 or 5 pages in the Bible. Takes one year to get through. I've struggled my whole Christian walk with readings the Bible and having a schedule for me makes it easy, fun and I learn allot. It's enough reading where I can meditate and pray about what I just read.
I've met people that knowing what to read in the Bible was easy but for me it's always been hard. It's not the only reading in the Bible but it's a great start for anyone struggling.

 

[AmericanMusic]

We were reading the NKJV at home. Although we understand most things somethings doesn't make sense. So we were looking for a new version of the Bible. We found the NCV..New Century Version. We like this version because it's the easiest English one can understand.
Yes I understand if you're a Bible scholar and want to know the root words of Hebrew, Aremic and Greekyou need thr NKJV to compare the differences. I don't desire to be a Bible scholar. I just want to understand in plain English. I recommend the NCV especially for beginners.