realdanbreen wrote: » Wo Wow! I guess most of us in this little country are very lucky in that of the 4300 or so religions out there we happened to be born into the correct one.
ChrisJ84 wrote: » Christians and Muslims do not believe in the same God.
realdanbreen wrote: » So basicly what you're saying is that either 2.1 billion Christians are wrong or 1.3 billion muslims are wrong or both 3.4 billion are wrong!
ChrisJ84 wrote: » Yep, that's about the sum of it.
Effects wrote: » It doesn’t matter what they believe. It’s still the same God.
smacl wrote: » realdanbreen wrote: » So basicly what you're saying is that either 2.1 billion Christians are wrong or 1.3 billion muslims are wrong or both 3.4 billion are wrong! ChrisJ84 wrote: » Yep, that's about the sum of it. Hang on just a minute there. What makes you agree with the notion that there are 2.1 billion Christians out there? Hopefully not from any national census figures of people claiming to be Christian, given your previous stated position on what it means to be Christian which demands rather more than ticking a box on a form.
ChrisJ84 wrote: » realdanbreen wrote: » Wo Wow! I guess most of us in this little country are very lucky in that of the 4300 or so religions out there we happened to be born into the correct one. I think our Christian heritage in this country is a real blessing, and I am thankful for it. It's also one of the reasons that Christianity has always had such a strong missionary impetus, so that others have the opportunity to hear the good news of the gospel.
The Nal wrote: » Until I was 12 or so, the Christian version, because thats how I was raised and didn't know any different/better.
smacl wrote: » Hang on just a minute there. What makes you agree with the notion that there are 2.1 billion Christians out there? Hopefully not from any national census figures of people claiming to be Christian, given your previous stated position on what it means to be Christian which demands rather more than ticking a box on a form.
realdanbreen wrote: » Fair enough but I think what puts off most young people in particular from these religions (apart from the blind faith requirement ) is that the kernel of their teaching is that things will be better when you are dead.
realdanbreen wrote: » Well I will admit that I relied on Google. Where's your figure coming from, did you count them?
smacl wrote: » Nah, just having a bit of fun. Previous discussions talked about what makes a Christian a Christian where my take on it was once they called themselves a Christian that was good enough for me. Others on here would apply more stringent criteria and over on the A&A forum it comes on regularly from both sides of the argument that such and such a group of people aren't 'real' Christians for all sorts of reasons.
JJayoo wrote: » Maybe Jesus was gonna have the demon pigs butchered get some tasty demon rashers
Iliana Cold Mayonnaise wrote: » Not every burger that looks like a big mac is a Big Mac!
smacl wrote: » And Ganesha?
realdanbreen wrote: » Wouldn't you imagine that whichever god is out there he/she/it would just make themselves visibly known( I mean clearly, not in some writings that are thousands of years old) everyone on the planet then understands what's required and we all live happily ever after!
Peregrinus wrote: » What manifestation of God would satisfy this criterion? Serious question.
realdanbreen wrote: » If there is a god and he has a message then why would it not be clearly delivered and not open to misinterpretation.
Effects wrote: » Our brains wouldn't be able to comprehend the reality of it. It's much better to work in ambiguities and faith without clear reality.
realdanbreen wrote: » Well I would imagine God would be able to speak pretty much from the heavens, visible to all , and say whatever needs to be said. I am deadly serious. If there is a god and he has a message then why would it not be clearly delivered and not open to misinterpretation. As things stand there are 4000+ religions out there not to mention those with no religious beliefs.
ChrisJ84 wrote: » realdanbreen wrote: » Well I would imagine God would be able to speak pretty much from the heavens, visible to all , and say whatever needs to be said. I am deadly serious. If there is a god and he has a message then why would it not be clearly delivered and not open to misinterpretation. As things stand there are 4000+ religions out there not to mention those with no religious beliefs. That is exactly what the bible tells us - the heavens declare the glory of God. In Romans, Paul points out that God's "eternal power and divine nature" can be seen by everyone in creation, and that on that basis we have no excuse for denying him. The bible is also clear that the fact that we do deny him is on us, not on God. Thankfully, God doesn't leave us in this mess that we've made for ourselves.
realdanbreen wrote: » The Why are you guys so scared that you cannot even consider that God making himself obvious to present day mankind is a good idea. Most free thinking adults find it a bit far fetched that God would only have made himself known in riddles and parables for a very brief period 2000 years ago and only in a tiny patch of land in the middle east.
John 16:4-15 wrote: “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
NCS wrote: » Whichever way you look at it, life is far-fetched. That, in itself, is no reason to discard the theory that God might just have chosen that place and that time.
smacl wrote: » By definition an omnipotent being would be able to present a message that was within our ability to grasp?
Iliana Cold Mayonnaise wrote: » He already did that and when He came among we didn't believe Him despite the miracles and then crucified Him. Just like ancient Israel. Delivered from the Egyptians, red sea parted, thunder and lightening and a voice from the top of the mountain and they stopped their ears, said no more and didn't believe in the God that delivered them.
Do you really think it would be any different now?
smacl wrote: » Yet none of these miracles is verifiable or believed as accurate from a historical perspective and most other major religions have similar yet conflicting tales of miracle. If someone claiming to be an agent of God was able to part the Red Sea simply by waving his hands around, I for one would be reconsidering my position. That said, I'm not holding my breath in anticipation
Iliana Cold Mayonnaise wrote: » Not believed by who? By you? I believe them as do many others. Going on your word is like asking a blind man what colour he sees when looking at a red light.
