Danno's Religious Questions

[SaltwaterSlick]

Danno, please let me give this a shot for you...


The short answer to almost everyone of your questions is there is very little HARD PROOF, but having said that, I through many years of studying, questioning, rebelling and changing my mind, etc, etc. I have come to some very firm conclusions about God. Who He is, and how he relates to this man Jesus and so forth...


Growing up in the East Texas Bible belt, I was exposed to "religion" almost from birth... My parents were not particularly "religious", but purported to believe in God... Heck, my dad used God's name all the time...



Your question 1 Why an afterlife is a good one that of course there's no hard factual answer to end "debate". This is the first instance of where "faith" comes into play... either you believe that human beings are superior to other lifeforms or you don't and you believe some how "there's got to be more"... It takes faith to believe that. That faith is gained by your environment, the world itself, history, other interactions with fellow man, etc. If you have ever had that burning deep inside as to this, You've found a good starting point for your own walk... Do some research. Heck, read the Genesis account of the Bible and creation and see what you think... Then read Darwin, and other evolutionaries... I can tell you it takes a lot more "faith" to believe the evolution theory than creation from my point of view... Man has always wondered where he came from... the old chicken/egg thing...


Your question 2 about whether Jesus was just a man... This whether or not you realize it is a GIANT step for you sir! Just to acknowledge Jesus's existence is a great leap for you. However it is not as big a jump as the faith you must have to believe in any kind of creation or evolution... There is firm historical evidence that has been exhaustively researched by believers and non-believers, scientists and religious zealots alike all trying to prove/disprove the existence of this man Jesus. Yes, there was this man Jesus and he walked on the face of the earth (let's leave timing out of it for now). Our time/calendar and scheduling worldwide is based on his birth/death. The real thing is that just like the dash in the birth/death dates on a tombstone, we need to study the dash in Jesus's life... Where did he come from. where did he go and everything in between... If you can at least come to the conclusion that such a person of Jesus existed, then you can then try to learn as much as you can about him and then through faith decide whether you believe he is who he said he was or whether you believe as you ask, he was just a man with an idea... Again, this is where faith comes in...


Your next 2 questions are rather inseparable... the whole "God", heaven/hell thing... This will take you right back to your original question as to "afterlife"... There have been beliefs of varying themes of afterlife and such since man has been recording his history... If you can have faith to just believe that man was created rather than evolved (and there's a lot more proof that creation is real than evolution is real). Then the name of that "creator" can be studied. There have been studies, prophets, books, and all manner of historical documents and events to look at over time that is the subject of "God" and creator. The only one source that has yet to be proven wrong in a single point is The Holy Bible... IF you read this book with the mindset of inquiry and try to keep your preconceptions out of it, it will make a fascinating subject of study for you or anyone... If you "want" to believe and you thing human beings are indeed created and don't just simply die like a cow or a bird but have a spirit and/or soul, this book will help you to understand how they all interrelate. If there is no God, there's no need for heaven or hell or anything that is the foundation of the human species. If however you come to the conclusion that humans were created, then you can start to build on that.


I could go on and on and could talk your ear off or wear my fingers to the bone on this keyboard, but let me tell you how I arrived at my own personal conclusion with a Reader's Digest version of my testimony...


As I began to question all this "religion" stuff, I began to look around me... seemed to me that almost everything in a given day was touched by the thought that there is a god and that he must some how exist... I was in a Sunday School off and on from early youth up until the time I went to college... I wasn't particularly "religious" as a kid, but I wasn't ha hellion either... I was a "good" kid... Never got into trouble... There were men (and maybe a couple women beside my mom) that came into my life that helped to shape my character, mostly my dad and my sports coaches. My mom was my guardian angel in my life... A big change happened to me when I graduated form high school in East Texas... I went to New York City to college on a sports scholarship!! Heck, I was a hayseed plowboy from East Texas and had never been anywhere further than my mailbox! Well to make a long story short, part of my school curriculum was spent aboard ships sailing around the world... One of those trips was to the Middle East, specifically to Israel. I spent several weeks in Ashdod (the port city near Tel Aviv)... I had a lot of free time so I went all over looking a stuff... During one of these tours I was on, I had a tour guide and we were visiting all the "religious" sites... I was taken and shown the physical places I'd heard about or read about from church or from the Bible... after 2 days of this, we were in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem down underground where many believe was the birthsite of this man Jesus. It was sort of cramped in that underground manger area, but it was a rather large place just with low ceilings... There were probably 4 different tour groups there most speaking different languages... I had recognized German and Spanish for sure... While we were there, the thought occurred to me that, "you know, this stuff is real, and I've seen the real city of Jerusalem, and others... Whether or not that really was THE manger (stable area) where Jesus was born, the mere fact that the area existed illustrated to me that it is real. This place on earth exists and these events occurred and Jesus was a real person... I was in this thought process when it got very quiet in the manger area where we all were. No one said anything or planned anything, but all at the same time, everyone in the little cramped up underground stable area started to sing "Silent Night" in many different languages... That was a life-changing salvation experience for me. That is as best as I can know where I came to understand and believe through faith that Jesus was real and was exactly who He said He was... I was 20 years old... I didn't make my public profession of faith and get baptized into the church until I was 22, but that's my story... Since that time I have tried to read, learn, seek and know Jesus... I have prayed and had prayers answered in no other way than by divine intervention...



Danno, I am sorry I came across so roughly to you earlier but in all seriousness, it was hurtful to me to see and know that you were so lost and I lashed out in my own way to "wake you up"... I pray that you can make your own evaluation and have the faith to believe. No one is going to lay it in your lap. It is something others can help lead you toward, but you will have to want to believe and you will have to ask the Holy Spirit to help you...


I'm happy to sit down with you, correspond with you via pm/email/phone, you name it if I can help.


God Bless You sir.

[AZ&F'sDaddy]

2. Is it possible that Jesus was just one man that had a vision? What proof is there that he was truly God's son. I know the immaculate conception should answer this and the rolling away of the stone after 3 days seems to answer this, but what if Jesus's father was Joseph? What if the stone was rolled by grave robbers trying to pillage and desecrate the tomb?

The biggest "proof" is the resurrection, which Christians accept by faith. There are good reasons to believe in the resurrection. But none of those reasons are irrefutable. Christianity is a "revealed" religion. One can't look at the young man dying on the cross and logically conclude that he was God being a man. We had to be told this and invited to believe it. We can't test these things in a laboratory. But then we can't use these means to test the most important realities of our lives, like love, loyalty, honor and integrity. Nobody (not anybody!) lives or believes anything simply by measures, weights or carbon-14 dates. We don't demand indisputable proof for, "I love you, daddy."

Christianity isn't a philosophy. It's not about how to have a nice life or how to be nice people. Christianity centers around the revelation of God in the man Jesus of Nazareth and what he means. I think our “inability” to believe, when it is dominant, is more than an intellectual problem. I think Sin has hurt our vision. You only have to pay attention to how anger and lust and greed and bitterness and disappointment, pain and disease shapes our mental and then social response to life all around us. Why might it not affect the "God Question"? The "loving" God question?

[lovemylegacy]

Question #2. No it is not possible he was just one guy with a single concept. The reason being, His life, person, birth, death was prophetic. Only He(JESUS) could have fulfilled all of those prophecies. Over 300 prophecies. For just one of those prophecies to be fulfilled about one man, the odds are atsronomical.
Joseph was not the Father of JESUS. GOD was his Father. JESUS CHRIST, the Son of GOD.
It is recorded in the BIBLE, what happened at the grave. Pilate ordered the stone to be put there, just for the reason you stated. Yet, when His disciples, Mary(his mother Mary), Mary Magdelene got to his tomb/grave, JESUS wasn't there. They asked the same question you did, "Who took Him?" Their question was answered by an Angel, posted there to meet them and answer that very question. I suggest you go read that encounter, its in all the Gospels.

Every question you have, the answer is in the Bible, its just a matter of you researching it and believing it.

[lovemylegacy]

Question 3. Once again, you are right. We will not live in Heaven. Heaven is gonna pass away. The final place where JESUS will rule, will be the NEW JERUSALEM, which will be situated where the present Jerusalem is at.
You are wrong however about details. The Bible is full of details about Heaven(the present residence of GOD) and the Temple that is in Heaven. The Bible is very specific in that we will "rule and reign" with Him. What that entails, I do not know.
You speak of free will being taken away. I don't think that is the case. We will still have a free will.

[c3products20]

One other reason I believe in God is because of Deja Vu. I have experienced deja vu a bunch of times!! I believe the reason for deja vu is the spiritual connection we have with God. He is omnipresent meaning He is everywhere at all times so he's already seen my tomorrow and your tomorrow from both of our points of view and His point of view. I think that spiritual connection is what causes deja vu. Its like a glimpse into the future through the eyes of our spirit connected to His. If things were random, as evolutionists and athiest say, then what is deja vu? I've also experienced knowing who was calling before I picked up my phone to see who it was. I've also known who walked up behind me without seeing who it is. Some other form of connection/communication than a physical sense. All of these things could prove a spiritual connection... One other thing I think is pretty cool is love and heart break. The heart break isn't cool but the physical connection from our heart/emotions to our physical body is amazing. Our feelings and emotions are more than a chemical reaction to events happening around us... Just some thoughts.

[Death from Above]

1.Sin corrupted the ability for this world to provide the system that God created it for. This speaks to the all-consuming corruptibility of sin and why humanity needed a “get right” system with God. Because if sin, this world cannot provide the setting for a righteous relationship. Its broke.

2.Faith is the answer you are looking for.

3.Prideful questions that faith in Jesus answers. The Bible does not communicate that we are entitled to know everything. Need to practice humility and trust.

4. You are thinking like a created being…there does not have to be a start and a stop. God created time and space therefore He alone exists outside of them.

If you would like to have conversations off thread I am free to talk/text/email...this is what I do for a living lol.

[lovemylegacy]

Question 4. I cannot explain who GOD is. How can I a finite being, describe an infinite Being? I can tell you what the Bible records of GOD.
What I know is, JESUS is GOD. If you have read of the Love of Christ, His Compassion for sinfull man, that he would take on flesh and live among His creation to abide with and save man from his own sin, tells me all I need to know about GOD. In the Beginning, He made, created a place that was pristine, perfect, pure, for man to live. Man rejected it, rejected HIS fellowship, rejected everything GOD offered. So because of the sin of man(Adam), we had to go the LOOOONNNGGGG way around to experience the Love of GOD through the sacrifice of the life of JESUS.

If you truly want to know who GOD is, you must have a relationship with him, looking through the glass and asking questions is fine, but that's where it ends....with more questions. When you commit to HIM, HE seems to reveal himself to us, in small increments.

You and Madhatter have a lot of questions, that's good. All of them can be answered in the Bible.

Hope this helps

[Mike D]

I don’t have the answers for you Danno but you are questioning as we all should…..and that’s a great thing.

Ultimately it is up to each us us to seek out the answers we are looking fo and we have the free will to decide whether to accept or not.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Danno]

A little back ground on my religious experience. I'm 46. I was raised Baptist and my family attended church every Sunday morning, Sunday evening and Wednesday evening. I was baptized and saved around 10 yrs old. I went to church camps, Sunday school, etc... Around 12 yrs old my parents divorced and church no longer was a thing for us. It pretty much stopped altogether.

Through my life as I've seen things, experienced things, read about things, I realized that I believed what I believed because that's what I was told to believe. I had no reason to doubt my parents or their teachings, so I believed whole heartedly. When in boot camp I would attend Sunday worship. Not sure if it was to learn more about God or to just get away from the drill instructors.

My father has always tried to get me to see things his way concerning his religious beliefs. He asked me to read the Book of Job once back in 1998. Funny how I remember that date. Anyway, after reading it I started leaning toward how I believe today. That book almost single handedly pushed me away from God more than any other thing. To believe that a man had that much faith in God that after losing his family and everything because of God that he would still love God is something I have a hard time understanding. And maybe that's the very definition of faith. You either have it or you don't. Right now I don't believe I do. I one day would like to know what that would feel like, but I'm still struggling with things that happen every day.

I feel like God showed himself or his powers to the people then by the many accounts in the bible. Parting the Red Sea, turning blood in to wine, turning a stick into a snake, healing the leper, etc... Why can't he show his powers now, in an age where there is a camera on every corner? Why does he allow child rape and murder, or his nuns to be burned to death in Mexico, or other great suffering to the innocent. He showed mercy before, do these victims not deserve his mercy now?

I thank each and every one of you for your time and answers. I know I'm hated by most here because of my views and my distasteful posts. So if I've ever offended any of you here I truly apologize. I'm a single parent that in my opinion is a good man and am doing the best to raise my children right and in most ways I guess they are in the ways of the Lord. I feel I'm missing something in my life. Not something a mate or companion can give me. I just would like to know more. Maybe I never will be satisfied with what I learn or find, but maybe that's God's way of keeping someone interested? So I'm going to find my Bible and begin to just read and try to look at things in not so much as a disbeliever, but just as someone wanting to read what is in the Bible.

[lovemylegacy]

Good thread Danno.

I too was raised Baptist and understand exactly what you are saying. I wont go into detail since it will cause a ruccuss, Im sure.

If I can give you one bit of advice, do not approach studying or reading the Bible and try and make it fit a certain doctrine. Take it for what it says.

As far as the other stuff you mentioned, nuns being killed and so forth. That is part of living the gospel, nothing to do with mercy. By the way, its coming to America.

[eastover53]

2. Is it possible that Jesus was just one man that had a vision?

Absolutely possible. Christianity is 2000 years old. What happened to all of the sinners before him? Did they all go to hell? According to the bible, they must have, as they would not have accepted Christ. What about all of those that were born Hindu thousands of years before Christianity even existed? What about all of the native Americans that worshiped the sun and moon? I have a hard time believing that the path to salvation is through accepting Jesus Christ as your savior, when so many will NEVER even have heard the name.

[c3products20]

Absolutely possible. Christianity is 2000 years old. What happened to all of the sinners before him? Did they all go to hell? According to the bible, they must have, as they would not have accepted Christ. What about all of those that were born Hindu thousands of years before Christianity even existed? What about all of the native Americans that worshiped the sun and moon? I have a hard time believing that the path to salvation is through accepting Jesus Christ as your savior, when so many will NEVER even have heard the name.

Here's one passage that may shed a little light on your question.

1 Peter 4:5-6
But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.6 For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.

[Ætheling]

Absolutely possible. Christianity is 2000 years old. What happened to all of the sinners before him? Did they all go to hell? According to the bible, they must have, as they would not have accepted Christ. What about all of those that were born Hindu thousands of years before Christianity even existed? What about all of the native Americans that worshiped the sun and moon? I have a hard time believing that the path to salvation is through accepting Jesus Christ as your savior, when so many will NEVER even have heard the name.

Hell is the Germanic word for the afterlife. All the dead go to Hell. Good or bad, Hell is not a bad place, just where the dead reside until they are ready to be born again.

God is also a germanic term for the Allfather. Woden/Odin/Godan (shortened to Wod or God). The Goths were the first Germanics to produce a bible and do so in a Germanic language (English is a Germanic Language). the Bible at that time was Latin and other languages before then. Deus is the name given to "god" in the Bible before the Allfathers name was given as the Christians just swapped out their main deity for ours and also absorbed all of our holidays. Christianity came to our people a thousand years after Jesus. Jesus was born sometime in the summer months according to the Bible but our people celebrated the Winter Solstice as the Haligaz (Holy) Holiest day of the year so Christmas was moved to then, the end of December at the solstice aka the Yule. That is why children still sing of Yuletide greetings.

There is a Germanic God (forget the name) that was the creator of all man. He upset the other gods and was banished to the North Pole. Once a year he was allowed to visit all his children and did so on the Yule bringing them gifts and riding in a chariot pulled by Reindeer from Northern Europe of course.

Add Easter to that list also.

To each their own, I just never understood the disdain towards others that don't believe what you do or the belief that you are going somewhere good and they will burn in hell. Or that children that are too young to know god will also burn in hell. Sounds lovely. Judge not is the lesson yet I hardly ever see this lesson learned.

Not being disrespectful, this is my ancestors religion, not Christianity. For those that don't like it, trust me that IDGAF.

[MadHatter]

Here's one passage that may shed a little light on your question.

1 Peter 4:5-6
But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.6 For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.

Just curious what Bible that came from?
Obviously not KJV.

[MadHatter]

Hell is the Germanic word for the afterlife. All the dead go to Hell. Good or bad, Hell is not a bad place, just where the dead reside until they are ready to be born again.

God is also a germanic term for the Allfather. Woden/Odin/Godan (shortened to Wod or God). The Goths were the first Germanics to produce a bible and do so in a Germanic language (English is a Germanic Language). the Bible at that time was Latin and other languages before then. Deus is the name given to "god" in the Bible before the Allfathers name was given as the Christians just swapped out their main deity for ours and also absorbed all of our holidays. Christianity came to our people a thousand years after Jesus. Jesus was born sometime in the summer months according to the Bible but our people celebrated the Winter Solstice as the Haligaz (Holy) Holiest day of the year so Christmas was moved to then, the end of December at the solstice aka the Yule. That is why children still sing of Yuletide greetings.

There is a Germanic God (forget the name) that was the creator of all man. He upset the other gods and was banished to the North Pole. Once a year he was allowed to visit all his children and did so on the Yule bringing them gifts and riding in a chariot pulled by Reindeer from Northern Europe of course.

Add Easter to that list also.

To each their own, I just never understood the disdain towards others that don't believe what you do or the belief that you are going somewhere good and they will burn in hell. Or that children that are too young to know god will also burn in hell. Sounds lovely. Judge not is the lesson yet I hardly ever see this lesson learned.

Not being disrespectful, this is my ancestors religion, not Christianity. For those that don't like it, trust me that IDGAF.

Good points.
This is an entirely different aspect that is rarely discussed, or even known about by most religious people.
We can toss the Greeks in there too.