Why do Christians refuse to get this?

1. Well what makes you right and me wrong? I'm free to believe what I want.

2. Um, yes, you're right. We can choose on our own to have faith in him. Free will, and faith, see?

3. Again, both things are true. God does not control your whole body like a puppet, making you do whatever he wants. Just because he knows what you will do does not mean you can't choose.

4.You answer this with question 5. And also, the Bible was not recorded in English, so there are countless translations of it.

5. Well, anything can be interpreted different ways right? We're still human, so why should this be any different?

6. There is a great amount of debate as to the accuracy of carbon and other radiometric dating methods. None of these have been proven to be completely accurate. On the second half, again, the Bible may be interpreted different ways, depending on how you look at it.

7. We can do this because the things you mentioned are not necessarily crucial parts of Christianity. Even with more important issues, people can continue to study the Bible and try to ascertain the truth from it. Even when the books are different, as with Catholicism, the core beliefs and ideals are still present even in the different denominations.

And finally, NO SCHOOL teaches creationism. If anyone should be complaining, its people who follow a religion, because schools today teach evolution as fact, pure, plain, simple fact. So if anyone should be complaining, its definitely not you.

You claim to be agnostic, yet you also hold to beliefs that are commonly accepted as truisms among many Christians!

Where, for instance, did you get the idea you had "free will"? The Bible does not teach it. The Bible is full of examples of God "hardening the hearts" of people in order to bring about God's desired result.

You do not have free will. Free will implies you know what all your options are, and the consequences of all your choices.

The really humorous thing you wrote is that you don't want your child being force-fed a creationist world view, but you apparently have no problem with your child being force-fed an atheistic evolutionary world view. By eliminating one view in favor of the other, you deny your child "free will" in this regard.

Can you say, hypocrite?

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1. your right in saying truth is just popular belief. Maybe Christians cant completely prove it but it up to you to make that decision. You can find many things wrong with it but you can also find many things right.

2. well he is not forcing you to believe in him. He just says there are consequences if you dont

3. we do have free will. He isn't controlling us he just knows what choices we will make.

4. There are many different churches and beliefs but not all of them are correct. Many are similar but have small differences in rituals

5. just because people have different interpretations doesn't mean its not true. people have different interpretations about whether or not we landed on the moon. i just happens

6. there is a lot of prof that the world is only 7000 year old too. look it up sometime. This goes back to your first question. How can non christians believe the world is billions of years old. Just because billions of people believe it doesn't make it true. isn't it hypocritical to say christians are forcing their beliefs when everyone else is too.

7. the word of God is interpreted different by everyone. People have to take what they believe is true and stand up for it.

1. No, things are not true just because you believe in them. God has given us fulfilled prophecy as proof that He is who He say He is...no other religion has that. Since God's words have been fulfilled as He said they would, I believe ALL of His words. If you do not, that is your choice. God also laid out in His word what the consequences of continuing to live in sin were. He is not punishing us by telling us that a sinful life leads to death. The world is in a terrible state because of sin.....sin must be destroyed...that is what Hell is...the final resting place for sin and death and all that is wrong with the world....if you embrace wrong, then that is your choice.

2. The bible does NOT say that. In fact in several instances there are people who have questioned and asked God.....the fleece test is the major example that comes to mind...also in the bible it also says 1 Thessalonians 5:21: Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. It is okay to ask questions....everyone has questions...it is just who you look to for the answers that creates problems....no human institution will give you a right answer. The world church is not of God and I am a Christian........get on your knees and ask God believing that He will answer you....and He will.

3. He did not manipulate what He knew.....if knowing your past present and future He forced you to live the way He wanted you to, then that is not free will.....He let you and your ancestors do as they wished...regardless of foreknowledge.......free will.

EDIT: I'm not completely swayed one way or the other on free will.

4. I LOOOOOVE THIS ONE. Okay, people all have picked and chosen what they wanted to believe from the bible and have started churches. There is only one true body of Christ and they believe and obey the word of God, not the desires of their flesh. There are many churches because there are many liars and people who call themselves Christians....riddle me this, why is it that those who followed Jesus in the bible traveled from place to place preaching the gospel.....and today's church waits for people to come to them? Something doesn't add up. The money spent maintaining a building for worship can go to actually help people...and going out to the world is what God commanded...not sitting on a pew. The bible...smh.....NIV is published by the same ones who published the Satanic bible...some other translations are corrupted as well...that is why God gave us His Holy Spirit (those of us who have it know when something is wrong)....I never could read the NIV...and I recently discovered why.............

5. See #4.....as to your other portion, again, people interpretation versus the Holy Spirit...Satan is the author of confusion.....

6. Amos 3:3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

Why is it that people who call themselves Christians are immediately taken at their word? God said himself that He is not a man that He should lie.....so in that statement it implies that man lies.....so if God recognizes the people lie, why don't people who say that they follow God recognize it? Here is what the bible says in Genesis Chapter 1:

1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

In the beginning....it did not say when the beginning was.....so I will ask God that question when I make it into the kingdom.

7. God didn't say convert...He said make disciples of men....but guess what...there has to be a fertile heart condition for that discipleship to take place...you cannot convert anyone that does not want to be converted. What He commanded us to do is go out and preach the gospel to every creature.......by His word He calls us.......if you deaf to the word....it is what it is....you can't beat someone over the head with the bible. Anyone who does is a liar and is not of God.....

I am not trying to convert you. I am telling you the truth as I know it. I study the bible with guidance of the Holy Spirit and ask God to reveal things to me that I do not understand.......I am still learning and growing and a walk with God is a personal one.

I don't have the answers to all of your questions, but I can answer some of them. I'm sorry, but that's the best I can do.

First of all, as to all the different denominations, no one is perfect. People will fight, and there will be conflict, and people will choose to break off. It's like with some families. When something some people don't like happens in that family, they can disown it and go off and do a version of their own thing.

With the whole free will and God knowing everything we ever have and will do, I believe that God exists outside of time. Time is different for Him.

God gave us free will and he asks us to have faith in Him. He wants us to love Him. He wants to to be a choice. Someone once put it to me this way: if you had a crush on somebody, would you want them to love you back because they wanted to, or because they were forced to? God doesn't want us to be forced to love Him, but he does want our love.

I don't know why as Christians we have to be so divided. I personally also think it's dumb. We all serve the same God, and we should be more unified in our worship of Him.

I hope this helps you find some of the answers you were looking for. I know it doesn't address everything, but I've answered what I could with what I know.

If you think or know it can NOT be proved then just say you are an atheist and be done with it.....

If you are *not sure* then that means all that you are complaining about, see as *non-proof*, etc... is in fact, by your own admission at the end * I am yet to be convinced either way* that there is a possibility .... Sorry, I think you are the one who *does not get it*......

If you are wishy washy and unsure, don't put down others who are, be they Christian or atheist.... You don't have a leg to stand on..... that fence you sit on is gonna collapse some day.....

Child of God - X atheist (badge of hope)

1. That's valid, but since Hell IS real, you will got there if you don't repent.

2. Our faith is not blind, and questions are welcome, the Bible has answers.

3. Our will is under God's sovereignty.

4. People corrupt things.

5. It has one proper meaning, which people twist.

6. The Bible is clear.

7. By following the Bible and not the doctrine of men.

Because they believe in a set of rules, stories, a book so they don't have to refuse, because their way is the only way, evidence doesn't come into it, why should it, they are satisfied with their faith, and their faith is satisfied with them.

It is pointless trying to get a refusal on something "they" do not see as unbelievable, and trying a point scoring exercise is of no long term benefit to anyone.

1. You are not correct. Jesus Christ attested what the hadean realm would be like (Luke 16:19-31). John wrote of hell in Revelation 21. Matthew, Mark, and Luke wrote of hell in their gospels. Even the Jews knew of hell. Moses wrote of hell in Deuteronomy. David, Solomon, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jonah, Amos, and Habbakuk also wrote of hell also.

2.You are wrong on this account. Let say that I do not know where you are attributing that "blind faith" must put into action. You are wrong on this account. "Blind faith" is unscriptural. One definition of faith is "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). Faith is based on "substance." Let me give you an example of substance that faith is based. What evidence is there of Jesus. One, there are the writers of the New Testament. Two, there are the apostlic fathers, men who knew the apostles, who from their contact with the apostles also believed in Jesus Christ. Three, there are non-Biblical writers such as Josephus (a Jewish historian who incidently did not necessarily believe in Christ for 40 years after the death of Christ, Josephus was still a Jew and not a Christian), Pliny, governor of Bithynia, Tacitus (Roman historian), and Suetonius (a popular Roman writer) all acknowledge the existence of Christ. This is substance that faith is built upon.

3.Ah, yes! Free will is within the individual. I would say you do not have children. I do. I know what my children are thinking before the thought occurs in their mind. For instant, I have a teenage daughter. She comes to me and wants to go out on a date. I know she wants to look good on her date and so I began to cut her off and we start talking about how much money she going to need to look good for her date. Interestingly, she now comes prepared with a list of items she needs to look good for her date. Yet, did my daughter have free will? Yes, she did. Did I know what she was going to do before she actually did it, that is, she going to need money from the "old man." Yes. We are God's children. God made us and he knows us. We, mankind, make our own decisions. That is free will. In fact, you are told by God, The Father, that hell exists. You chose not to believe. That is the definition of free will.

4. I am not sure that you understand the concept of God. Regarding churches, man has given heed to seducing doctrines and left the scriptures. Paul warned the churches of Asia that this apostasy was coming. Luke wrote in Acts 20: 28-31 that Paul stated, that within the congregation would come men who will speak things that will draw away members of the church. Paul warned them that would be coming soon. This is why the many churches. Regarding Bibles, you must understand how Bibles are interpreted. I suggest the next time you pick up a Bible read the introduction. That introduction will tell how the Bible is interpreted. There are main two schools of interpretation. There is word for word interpretation such as the King James Version and there are Bible that are interpreted dynamicly. That is, the phrases of the scriptures are translated into a modern phrasing. Also, you will find some Bible have a slant on interpretation such as the New International Version (NIV). The NIV has a Calvinist viewpoint and that is written in the introduction. If you want to study the scriptures, you must get a good Bible (I recommend the King James Version or the American Standard Version) and study the Greek and Hebrew text. You will find out that the Greek and Hebrew words do not neatly translate into the English language.5. Reread my answer #4 and focus on the fact that Greek and Hebrew are being transliterated into English. The Greek and Hebrew words may not have counterparts in English. Therefore, the translators will chose a word that approximate the Greek and Hebrew words. Regarding the creation day accounts, you will either have to study this on your own, or e-mail me and I will study this with you. There is not enough space to clarify the creation account.

6. I believe that the earth is only roughly 7,000 years old. But, that is not what I want to deal with. You are going to have to study the Bible for yourself. You are going to have to study geology yourself. Let me give you one helpful fact. Carbon-14 (C-14) testing is only good for thousands of years. C-14 is no good for hundreds of thousands or millions of years. That is a fact and look it up for yourself. These men who say the earth is hundreds of thousands and millions of years old is selling you a bunch of stuff. That is a fact too!

1. I agree with you that simply because someone believes something, that does not mean it has to be true. The same can be said for you having wrong ideas as well.

The cause of this goes to several of your points. First off, the concept of Hell being a place of torture was never thought of before about the 15th to 17th century. The King James version used the term Hell in place os the Hebrew Sheol, and the Greek Hades. Hell was widely known in the 17th century as being buried. "Helling potatoes" was a common term meaning to bury them for storage. There was nothing about torture.

This goes against correct teaching from the Bible. It makes clear no such torture can be done to the dead. Would you not agree one must be AWARE of being tortured to be tortured? This is why torturers stop hitting victims once they are no longer conscious. Ephesians 9:5, 10 shows this clearly. "5 For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all, neither do they anymore have wages, because the remembrance of them has been forgotten. ......... 10 All that your hand finds to do, do with your very power, for there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Hell, the place to which you are going." No torture is possible to the dead.

Psalms 146:4 agrees with this by saying, " Do not put YOUR trust in nobles, Nor in the son of earthling man, to whom no salvation belongs.  4 His spirit goes out, he goes back to his ground; In that day his thoughts do perish."

Hell then, is only the grave common to humanity, in fact, all living things on earth. We all return to dust alone. "For there is an eventuality as respects the sons of mankind and an eventuality as respects the beast, and they have the same eventuality. As the one dies, so the other dies; and they all have but one spirit, so that there is no superiority of the man over the beast, for everything is vanity. 20 All are going to one place. They have all come to be from the dust, and they are all returning to the dust. " (Ecclesi. 3:19-20)

This is what the Bible teaches. Not what most people choose to believe. As you know, the print on the page does not change just because many people wish it so. Why? Why do so many have such different interpretations and beliefs?

The Bible also explains this when it declares, "If, now, the good news we declare is in fact veiled, it is veiled among those who are perishing, 4 among whom the god of this system of things has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, that the illumination of the glorious good news about the Christ, who is the image of God, might not shine through. " (2 Cor. 4:3-4) It is Satan's purpose to keep as many humans as possible to reject the true God. The way to eternal life is by the worship of God in the one way he approves. What better way to prevent that than to provide literally thousands of false teachings? Looking for a needle? Dump a few thousand needles all around it. Ones odds of finding the one needle one is searching for is reduced considerably.

That God can know the future is true. Yet, as with any ability, there is no need to use that ability all the time. In this case, God has told us what he will do. He has told us what to expect and what consequences will occur for our choices. He gave the first human perfect couple free will necessary to make choices in order to do their job of being caretakers of the planet. After they sinned, God never took free will away. There is no need for him to use his ability to see the future for it is planned.

If any human desires to live forever as perfect humans just as the Bible promises, there is a simple choice to be made by humans. "3 This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ." (John 17:3) Getting accurate knowledge by rejecting false reasonings is essential.

One example of false reasonings is that a day is always 24 hours. A day can be of any length. Old people constantly refer to "Back in my day...." Not just one, but a group of literal days. Additionally, people entirely forget the first words of the Bible showing the heavens and physical universe were already in existence BEFORE the Creative Days began. Those Days are only for the creation of life on Earth alone.