gotigrz's Christianity topic, part 2 Options

[gotigrz]

Someone i think badman or merica actually asked ed in person and he admitted being a christian. im pretty sure his is a little more of an open faith (i remember a recent interview where he stated that praying doesnt do much good in the world) I know he thinks the bible is the best source of morality and guide for mankind but im not clear if he believes in the divinity of jesus or that he was born of a virgin etc...

well, if ed said that he was a Christian, then he does believe in the virgin birth, the dying on the cross, and the resurrection 3 days later. that is the criteria of being a Christian. nobody says, .. "yeah, i'm a Christian, but that whole virgin birth thing is just crazy."

when ed said that about prayer not doing much good (i heard the interview)... he was referring to prayer that he thinks isn't really "prayer". he was saying that when you are truly in prayer with God that you are like one with Him, and that most people just close their eyes and ask for something. and, that THAT isn't doing much good cause that's what most people do and look at the world around us. PRAYER... aka... truly talking to God is VERY powerful.

[gotigrz]

Teaching maths or english is TOTALLY different to teaching religion. maths and english is something anyone and everyone can use, regardless of belief. When I say "pushing" .. I don't mean tied to a chair with eyelids pryed open infront of a bible ala clockwork orange.

If a teacher is trying to tell me that 2 + 2 = 4, I'm not going to go "hmm no, I don't think I choose to believe that". It is what it is and we know thats how the world works. If a teacher from a young age tells you "Jesus died for your sins" ... even you have to admit that isn't as clear cut as a simple maths sum.

i see your point.

From a very young age I was just told "this is how it is with religion, this is right". I wasn't given the chance or the choice in exploring for myself

now, this is where i disagree. what is a parent suppose to do if they go to church and they have a child? i really want to know what you think i should do with my 2 yr old son while my wife and i attend church.

.Children are impressionable so of course for awhile I believed it. Then as I got older and went "hang on ... maybe there are other ways". Now I look at it I just don't think it's right to tell someone "this is how you should live your life and who you should worship as god"

see, this is where a Christian and a non Christian will never see eye to eye. i don't believe that i've been told "this is how you should live" cause i think knowing what's right and wrong in life is God given and not taught. c s lewis explains this VERY WELL, if you care to read it.

and, as for "this is who you will believe in", to me, that's putting humans before God instead of God before humans. a Christian believes that there is either a God or no God, and if there is a God then there is only one God and that one God created us, not the other way around.

. People who discover God on their own at a later stage tend to be more of the opinion that they have been saved ... the transition from a bad time in their life maybe to a good one is associated with what they see as finding God. People who are told "you will be a christian" from childhood don't have that, they have less reason to then want to preach at others.

well, i guess i would have to fall in the "you will be a Christian" category. but, i find plenty of reasons to "preach", cause even though i grew up in a Christian home doesn't mean that i haven't "found God" just like the lost soul who grew up in other ways. i promise you that there is not one, not a single one Christian out there that is a grown adult who says, "well, that's what i was told when i was a kid, so it must be true". a true Christian will explore their faith and find reason to believe, not just except it as the truth when they're a child and leave it at that. i think all people eventually make up their own mind of whether they believe or not based on what they have explored and found out through their own experiences.