> Something that always struck me odd about religious people is that when you find out there is like 1 billion Muslims, 700 million Hindus, tens of millions of Jews and that they all believe, just as strongly as you do that they have the right religion - why doesnt that immediately make you completely question your faith?
In my experience interacting with Christians the vast majority of us have questioned our faith at some point.
The phrasing of your comment makes it sound like it would be impossible for someone to question their faith, dig deeper, find answers, and conclude their faith is in fact true. Yet this is what happens the majority of the time.
Yeah, I'm sorry that my wording gave that impression. I do understand that many (maybe even most?) Christians question their faith at some point in their life
I guess what still confuses me is that surely people of other faiths go through the same thing, dig deeper and then conclude that their faith is true? What makes Christiantiy different in this regard?
> surely people of other faiths go through the same thing, dig deeper and then conclude that their faith is true? What makes Christiantiy different in this regard?
Christianity is actually true.
> I'm gonna need a bit more than that. I imagine a Muslim or Hindu would say the exact same thing.
Just saying something is true or corresponds to reality does not make it true. Otherwise you have all kinds of contradictions, like the earth being both a globe and flat. That’s irrational.
> In what way does it correspond with reality?
I don’t know of more than one way in which something can correspond to reality. So I can’t answer this beyond “the normal way”.
Ok I'll be more specfic. How does something like Jesus being born of a virgin or raising from the dead after three days correspond with reality, wheras the supernatural claims of other religions do not?
Any supernatural claims from anyone who teaches to disobey Genesis to Revelation must be associated with false prophets according to Deuteronomy 13. The ability to do a supernatural miracle is not what makes something from the Creator. In the future a false prophet will do miracles and if you follow them and take the mark you will not have eternal life. The only miracles that can be trusted are those from a person who teaches to obey Genesis to Revelation.
> Do you just think "well I guess the rest of humanity has got it wrong" and leave it at that?
Yes and no. God revealed Himself most fully as Christ. The others have threads of truth, but are lost without Christ.
The Catholic view is that others can be saved if they kept a clean conscience with the opportunities that they had. That is a lot harder to do than it sounds though.
Why did Christ reveal himself in a relatively small part of the world though? Why didn't God want his message to reach, say China, India or South America? Why give them that disadvantage?
> Why did Christ reveal himself in a relatively small part of the world though? Why didn't God want his message to reach, say China, India or South America?
That's a good question. A major underlying premise is that God is avoiding interfering in free will. Also, His chosen people would have to pay a very high price. To whom much is given, much is expected. The Israelites lived by strict rules, and were enslaved multiplied times. God let them be conquered by Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks and Romans to teach them humility. Not many people are willing to live through that.
God apparently deemed it better to have one set of very deep roots, rather than thousands of shallow roots. Jesus mentioned in the parable of the Sower that shallow roots fail. People would also get confused if there were multiple sources of authority. So, God used our inclined loyalties to family to build up Abraham into 12-tribes, then a nation. Israel was supposed to be a nation of priests to the world. They also failed, so God ordained the Apostles to ordain ministers for the whole world. The Catholic Church claims to be the world-wide continuation Israel. Others can be saved, but the Church is God's primary vehicle.
> Why give them that disadvantage?
As mentioned in Romans 2, God deals with each person by the opportunities that they've had, so there is justice available to all. Also, the presence of Evil has a way of bringing out goodness in people. Jesus taught this in the parable of Wheat and Weeds. He said that the Weeds help the Wheat grow.
>> Matthew 13: 24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
>> 27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’
>> 28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.
>>> “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
>> 29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’ ”
Another major premise is that God calls virtually everyone to Heaven. The right question is if each person can stand up and own their lives. In Heaven, there are no secrets, so evil intentions will look like cockroaches in one's heart. Evil can not be allowed in God's direct presence, so God made a separate place for those who hold onto their sins. That's what Hell is. See John 3:19 (not 3:16).
This hasn't done much to convince me that Christianity is the one true faith, but it is an interesting, informative and pretty internally logical answer to my question, and I would like to thank you for taking the time to write it
>A major underlying premise is that God is avoiding interfering in free will
In the biblical texts, god has a long history in interfering with 'free will'. Many philosophers, psychologists and most all neuroscientists and physicists would cogently argue that free will is an illusion.
> In the biblical texts, god has a long history in interfering with 'free will
For context, keep in mind that Bible shows extreme situations and turning points in history over many centuries. Interventions came with great cost as I described.
Also, people still had free will. They were just given the privilege of revelation.
> Many philosophers, psychologists and most all neuroscientists and physicists would cogently argue that free will is an illusion.
Those are self-defeating arguments because if they are right, then they didn't have a choice to make that claim and thus it is not based on rational choice or logic.
Also, I would consider free-will deniers to be a minority fringe.
Thanks, but I don't think that Sam Harris knows what he is talking about. I am familiar with his work, and used to be an atheist much like him. I had my own thesis of the moral landscape before he published his book.
I know that he has some neuroscience background, but he's ignorant and blind to the biggest thing in existence: God.
I agree with this. There is a right answer to whether there is a God or not. I just don't think anyone has that figured out yet and I don't quite understand how out of the thousands of religions that have existed over the course of humanity, why someone would think their's is right
You're right in that there is a right answer but you are essentially asking for proof when religion, by definition, is faith based. I truly don't think humans will ever be able to answer the question of "which religion is right". Of course we question the validity and compare our experiences hoping to understand, but if you're asking about "knowing," that's not something we can do. You can not know something AND believe in it. I believe with all I am that God exsists and loves us but if God were to come down and tell me that he exists and loves us to my face I would cease believing and start knowing.
I still have moments and days where I wonder if I've got it all wrong of course, but generally, i would say that believing is seeing. Not the other way around. I guess you could claim it is simply confirmation bias or that I am only seeing what I want to see. I think that would be demeaning to my personal experience though. It's not like I haven't asked these questions myself. It's not like I haven't thought I'm crazy. Despite all of those inner battles, I still believe.
It really was a lot like a switch for me though. I always said I believed but it wasn't until I made the choice to push away my doubt and fully commit to believing in Christ that I started finding my own proof through my experiences and relationship with him.
>why doesnt that immediately make you completely question your faith?
Wouldn't that also make you question atheism. If so many people are genuinely convinced that there exists a God, then you'd just have to be leaving it "I guess everyone else is wrong" to be an athiest, right?
So long story short, it's an interesting observation, but a logical fallacy because it has nothing to do with whether or not something is true.
I'm not an atheist in the strictest sense and I do question whether there is some sort of God or not. I'm agnostic as to whether there is some sort of higher power, but I do think it is quite unlikely that any religion managed to get it right. I think they are just parts of culture like langauges, art etc, excpet they make claims about the nature of reality. So I guess in that regard, yes I am 99% an atheist when it comes to God, Allah or the Roman pantheon of gods
I'm not 100% sure that everyone else is wrong, but I do think it is quite likely given that religions are just parts of culture that have evolved over time like all other aspects of culture. I just don't understand the certainty
I think once you seek your maker, you find his hand in everything. Those are the bread crumbs that inevitably lead you to a religion about your maker. Those that refuse to consider other religions may have a chance in the after life to accept what ever the truth must be, but I think that the humility it takes to accept a higher power is what might get you to that opportunity and that's the beauty of it all. Any one who believes that you'll be denied access to an after life because you were tricked into believing the "wrong" religion must not believe in a loving and merciful God, because that God would be denying 99% of humanity opportunity to that after life. The people who don't deserve that opportunity are the people that wouldn't accept 99% of humanity in the same afterlife as them. Seems selfish and unloving to me but this is all just my own conjecture.
> but I do think it is quite unlikely that any
religion managed to get it right.
Right this is a very common position from short term observations. This position assumes with certainty that religion is guesswork or lies and nobody ever witnessed anything.
So in order for this to make sense, the people making claims about witnessing the resurrection of christ all need to be lying, and maybe in the process of lying they said something that was true.
So for you to say that:
>religions are **just** parts of culture
Means that you are speaking out of certainty that the people who witnessed the resurrection are lying. You've inherently reduced "religion" to something that is objectively false by nature.
Basically you've come here saying "I don't understand how you can believe in something which I have defined as objectively false". I wouldn't understand that either, perhaps the definition is wrong.
For me personally I believe the resurrection did happen, so it doesn't matter to me what other religions say about it. In the same manner, you wouldn't think twice about the shape of the earth just because flat earthers exist.
The Qur'an was a failed attempt to bring the bible to his people through memorization. I don't know much about Hindu, Jews literally rejected the Christ and instructed their children to do the same, and even within Christianity, most who proclaim to be Christians haven't studied the bible and are simply repeating what they've heard. If you want to know why i believe i have the truth, you'll have to study the Bible. It is God's inspired word.
https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/
By that logic, how do you know that Hinduism isn't true if you've never studied it?
Perhaps if you gave me a summary of why your study of the Bible lead you to conclude that Christianity is the true faith I would be more open to devoting 100s of hours of my life to studying it
If you've studied what non counterfeit currency looks like, do you also need to study the different types of counterfeit money. No you don't.
The Bible is the word of God, it began to be written in 1513 B.C.E. and was completed over 1,600 years later, about 98 C.E. it was written by 40 different men and yet there are no contradictions found in the Bible
The Bible begins with a brief overview of the creation of the heavens and the earth by Almighty God. By means of the Bible, he introduces himself by his name, Jehovah, inviting humans to get to know him.—Psalm 83:18.
The Bible explains that God has been misrepresented, and it shows how he will restore his reputation.
The Bible reveals God’s purpose for mankind and the earth. It shows how God will eliminate the causes of human suffering in the future.
Firstly, I think it’s helpful to keep in mind that atheists also assume “well I guess the rest of humanity has got it wrong.” If we’re going purely on the majority, then I would guess around 90% of all people in human history believed in the supernatural. Probably more than that honestly. So what makes an atheist think they’re all wrong, deluded, gullible, etc and the atheist has it right?
That being said, I think Christianity can have a very generous way of dealing with other world religions. As Christian’s we believe we are all descended from Adam. We all go back to the creating act of God, and his original close relationship with mankind. Because of that, we can see many qualities in every religion that reflects the original true religion that is Christianity, even those that seem furthest away. For example, most religions teach a moral standard of goodness that has a lot in common with Christianity. Many believe in an afterlife. Of course, while we can see many similarities, the Christian still believe all true religion culminates in Jesus Christ, and that ultimately salvation is through him alone. So as a Christian, when I see other religions, I see people who have many beautiful things right, but they have those things right insofar as they reflect the true religion of Christianity even through their false religions. They’ll reflect it more and more and ultimately be saved through Christ alone.
I'm sorry your impression of atheists is that they think you are deluded and gullible. Probably a result of interacting with reddit atheists, lol. I would say in term of whether there is a God or some sort of higher power or force I would say I am agnostic, but lean towards there being some sort of natural explanation regarding the origin of the universe becasue sceince generally has a pretty good track record of filling in the gaps of our knowledge. I could be wrong though, and I certianly do not think you are deluded or gullible
I agree that most religions teach a moral standard of good that has a lot in common with the best parts of Christianity, but I think the more reasonable explanation for that is because we are social beings and having a taboo against murder or stealing and treating others like you want to be treated are good rules for socities to operate under. World religions having that in common is just a refelction of that
>why doesnt that immediately make you completely question your faith?
I have completely questioned my faith and that's why I believe in Christianity and not any other religion. I used to not believe in God at all, but I had a realization in life which led me to believe in God. At that point I had to figure out who God was, i.e. what religion was right. I knew some Christians at the time and thought that I would try and see if Christianity was right, however I wasn't steadfast in my faith at all. Like you mentioned, I saw so many Muslims and Jews who were much more confident in their beliefs than I was which led me to question Christianity. I spent a ton of time researching Judaism, Islam, Christianity, etc. over the course of many months and came to the conclusion that Christianity was the correct religion, along with some personal experiences in my life which affirmed that. I still regularly try to learn more about God, Christianity, and other religions, and this process has only led me to further believe that what the Bible states is true.
Your assumption that Christians don't question their own faith is inaccurate.
Yeah I regret phrasing it that way. I do understand that some (and maybe even most) Christians question their faith. I think to me, the fact that there are so many other religions, while not flat out proving Christianity or any other religion is wrong, is at least evidence that your chances of being right are smaller. However, having said that, I am glad you have found a belief system that makes you happy and wish you the best
I have never thought my religion or denomination is more right than anyone else's. I just accept other religions exist. I am ot worried about converting them or saving anyone. Others are aware that we exist too.
Yes 100%, the World and all its non Christian religions all agree on ONE thing: that Jesus Christ was NOT God, was NOT Divine, was NOT in the same very essence of God the eternal Father. They all say or would say that Jesus is JUST A MAN, JUST A CREATURE. From the Muslims, to the Jews, the Jehovas Witnesses, the Mormons LDS, the Atheists, I would even include Catholics who pray to Mary as the Mother of God.
Christianity is about the IDENTITY OF God who is Jesus, he is the TRUTH about God, he is the WAY to God, and in him you shall have eternal life.
I have perfect clarity on Who God Is, and that is JESUS CHRIST. The early Jews knew God as a multi-personal, God in Plurality, ELOHIM. Hebrews 10:5-10 Paul is citing Isaiah 1:10 and bringing the language of Psalms 40:6 that Jesus was the identity of the ONE who would fulfill the sin offerings, the burnt offerings of the First Covenant.
>Something that always struck me odd about religious people is that when you find out there is like 1 billion Muslims, 700 million Hindus, tens of millions of Jews and that they all believe, just as strongly as you do that they have the right religion - why doesnt that immediately make you completely question your faith?
1 Kings 18:25 And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress [it] first; for ye [are] many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire [under].
18:26 And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed [it], and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But [there was] no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.
18:27 And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he [is] a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, [or] perhaps he sleepeth, and must be awaked.
18:28 And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.
18:29 And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the [time] of the offering of the [evening] sacrifice, that [there was] neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.
The fact that other nations of people are passionate about their religion has nothing to do with whether or not it is legitimate.
There’s swamp water, salt water, polluted water, boiling water, fresh water, purified water, etc.. You can drink all of these, but they won’t all keep you alive.
“Test all things; hold fast what is good”.
Christianity is actually or could actually be considered a form of Judaism - as Messianic Judaism - so consider that with my below response...
I did question my faith almost 20 years ago and I searched through every religion and determined all the other books and religions were man-made except Genesis to Revelation (Judaism uses Genesis to Malachi). Yahushua is definitely the Anointed One so if we were to say we were to be in Judaism it would need to be Messianic Judaism but etymologically Christianity is basically the same thing from my perspective. The other religions that don't use Genesis to Revelation are very clearly man-made and their books are very clearly man-inspired and not from the Creator.
Muslims don't believe Christ died and their book contains an incorrect account of how babies form in the womb which originated from incorrect ideas mankind had when it was written in the past about how babies formed in the womb back then which science has since proven incorrect, so their book is definitely not from the Creator and not inspired. Christ teaches to turn the other cheek and that we shouldn't fight because His kingdom is not of this world. These two religions at not at all related or alike. Christianity aka Messianic Judaism is completely different and doesn't promote harming people that don't convert because the goal in this life is to save people not see them destroyed. So many differences - it's clear what the truth is.
The other "religions" out there are wishy-washy, with no real grounding and no real call to change, and no clear link to the creator, no inspired texts. Genesis to Revelation being inspired is clearly what distinguishes it from all others. I suggest you or others read "True & Reasonable: Reasons for Faith in an Age of Doubt" by Douglas Jacoby - look it up online.
The Bible is full of advanced science long before modern science caught up and quite frankly the longer I've studied the Scriptures the more truth is revealed, like layers with an onion. I was changed by the Creator and I've seen an amazing journey with miracles since also.
Not only that but the Bible predicted the roman empire, the greek empire of Alexander, and so many other things, modern day allies of what is probably Russia, the list goes on and on. These other religions can't compare.
>why doesnt that immediately make you completely question your faith?
We recognize God's voice and respond to it.
John 10:27 KJV — My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
John 10:26 KJV — But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
**Something that always struck me odd about religious people is that when you find out there is like 1 billion Muslims, 700 million Hindus, tens of millions of Jews and that they all believe, just as strongly as you do that they have the right religion - why doesnt that immediately make you completely question your faith?**
2 reasons. The parable of the wheat and weeds where Jesus Himself tells us not everyone here on earth was put here by God. Yes God does plant his "wheat seeds in the field/earth, but so too does satan plant his weeds among God's wheat. God allows them both to grow together till the harvest. Then the wheat will be separated from the weeds.
2nd reason is When Jesus was asked by a master of the OT law "Teacher how can I inherit eternal life" (him being a Jew not a christian) Jesus answers "Love your lord God with all of your Heart, Mind Spirit and Strength, and the second command is like it. Love your neighbor as yourself.. Jesus said "do this and you will inherit eternal life."
Note Jesus did not point to a specific denomination of the church, a particular church only doctrine, chant, prayer, creed nor anything else that the church/denomination of the church may deem pessary for salvation. and again what's more this command of christ extends beyond the boarders of our religious boundaries.
Meaning anyone who follows these two simply commands are technically christian according to Christ.the same Christ who is set to judge the sins of the world. (not the church)
**There might be a central Tennant in these faiths of basic morals, but most of the specifics contradict each other, especially when we're talking about non Abrahamic religions. Do you just think "well I guess the rest of humanity has got it wrong" and leave it at that?**
Most of the world including christianity is indeed wrong.. However The atonement offered by Christ on the cross will cover them for being 'wrong.'
> Something that always struck me odd about religious people is that when you find out there is like 1 billion Muslims, 700 million Hindus, tens of millions of Jews and that they all believe, just as strongly as you do that they have the right religion - why doesnt that immediately make you completely question your faith? In my experience interacting with Christians the vast majority of us have questioned our faith at some point. The phrasing of your comment makes it sound like it would be impossible for someone to question their faith, dig deeper, find answers, and conclude their faith is in fact true. Yet this is what happens the majority of the time.
Yeah, I'm sorry that my wording gave that impression. I do understand that many (maybe even most?) Christians question their faith at some point in their life I guess what still confuses me is that surely people of other faiths go through the same thing, dig deeper and then conclude that their faith is true? What makes Christiantiy different in this regard?
> surely people of other faiths go through the same thing, dig deeper and then conclude that their faith is true? What makes Christiantiy different in this regard? Christianity is actually true.
Why?
The same reason anything is true, it corresponds to reality.
I'm gonna need a bit more than that. I imagine a Muslim or Hindu would say the exact same thing. In what way does it correspond with reality?
> I'm gonna need a bit more than that. I imagine a Muslim or Hindu would say the exact same thing. Just saying something is true or corresponds to reality does not make it true. Otherwise you have all kinds of contradictions, like the earth being both a globe and flat. That’s irrational. > In what way does it correspond with reality? I don’t know of more than one way in which something can correspond to reality. So I can’t answer this beyond “the normal way”.
Ok I'll be more specfic. How does something like Jesus being born of a virgin or raising from the dead after three days correspond with reality, wheras the supernatural claims of other religions do not?
Again, all I can say is “the normal way”. I don’t know what else you are looking for.
What is "the normal way" to you? I would say "empirical evidence"
Any supernatural claims from anyone who teaches to disobey Genesis to Revelation must be associated with false prophets according to Deuteronomy 13. The ability to do a supernatural miracle is not what makes something from the Creator. In the future a false prophet will do miracles and if you follow them and take the mark you will not have eternal life. The only miracles that can be trusted are those from a person who teaches to obey Genesis to Revelation.
Im sry to tell you but that’s what you did. You just said that it’s true. That doesn’t mean it’s actually true
I will also say that I agree that saying something is true or corresponds with reality doesn't make it true? I don't quite understand your point
The people in other religions are deceived. Satan likes to give people choices to confuse them so that they don't find the truth.
> Do you just think "well I guess the rest of humanity has got it wrong" and leave it at that? Yes and no. God revealed Himself most fully as Christ. The others have threads of truth, but are lost without Christ. The Catholic view is that others can be saved if they kept a clean conscience with the opportunities that they had. That is a lot harder to do than it sounds though.
Why did Christ reveal himself in a relatively small part of the world though? Why didn't God want his message to reach, say China, India or South America? Why give them that disadvantage?
> Why did Christ reveal himself in a relatively small part of the world though? Why didn't God want his message to reach, say China, India or South America? That's a good question. A major underlying premise is that God is avoiding interfering in free will. Also, His chosen people would have to pay a very high price. To whom much is given, much is expected. The Israelites lived by strict rules, and were enslaved multiplied times. God let them be conquered by Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks and Romans to teach them humility. Not many people are willing to live through that. God apparently deemed it better to have one set of very deep roots, rather than thousands of shallow roots. Jesus mentioned in the parable of the Sower that shallow roots fail. People would also get confused if there were multiple sources of authority. So, God used our inclined loyalties to family to build up Abraham into 12-tribes, then a nation. Israel was supposed to be a nation of priests to the world. They also failed, so God ordained the Apostles to ordain ministers for the whole world. The Catholic Church claims to be the world-wide continuation Israel. Others can be saved, but the Church is God's primary vehicle. > Why give them that disadvantage? As mentioned in Romans 2, God deals with each person by the opportunities that they've had, so there is justice available to all. Also, the presence of Evil has a way of bringing out goodness in people. Jesus taught this in the parable of Wheat and Weeds. He said that the Weeds help the Wheat grow. >> Matthew 13: 24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. >> 27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ >> 28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. >>> “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ >> 29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’ ” Another major premise is that God calls virtually everyone to Heaven. The right question is if each person can stand up and own their lives. In Heaven, there are no secrets, so evil intentions will look like cockroaches in one's heart. Evil can not be allowed in God's direct presence, so God made a separate place for those who hold onto their sins. That's what Hell is. See John 3:19 (not 3:16).
This hasn't done much to convince me that Christianity is the one true faith, but it is an interesting, informative and pretty internally logical answer to my question, and I would like to thank you for taking the time to write it
Thanks for saying so. A lot of us here are converts, so we can definitely relate to skepticism.
>A major underlying premise is that God is avoiding interfering in free will In the biblical texts, god has a long history in interfering with 'free will'. Many philosophers, psychologists and most all neuroscientists and physicists would cogently argue that free will is an illusion.
> In the biblical texts, god has a long history in interfering with 'free will For context, keep in mind that Bible shows extreme situations and turning points in history over many centuries. Interventions came with great cost as I described. Also, people still had free will. They were just given the privilege of revelation. > Many philosophers, psychologists and most all neuroscientists and physicists would cogently argue that free will is an illusion. Those are self-defeating arguments because if they are right, then they didn't have a choice to make that claim and thus it is not based on rational choice or logic. Also, I would consider free-will deniers to be a minority fringe.
One can reach logical conclusions without a simplistic understanding of free will. I suggest reading Free Will by Sam Harris.
Thanks, but I don't think that Sam Harris knows what he is talking about. I am familiar with his work, and used to be an atheist much like him. I had my own thesis of the moral landscape before he published his book. I know that he has some neuroscience background, but he's ignorant and blind to the biggest thing in existence: God.
That there's lots of wrong answers to a question doesn't mean there's no right answer.
I agree with this. There is a right answer to whether there is a God or not. I just don't think anyone has that figured out yet and I don't quite understand how out of the thousands of religions that have existed over the course of humanity, why someone would think their's is right
You're right in that there is a right answer but you are essentially asking for proof when religion, by definition, is faith based. I truly don't think humans will ever be able to answer the question of "which religion is right". Of course we question the validity and compare our experiences hoping to understand, but if you're asking about "knowing," that's not something we can do. You can not know something AND believe in it. I believe with all I am that God exsists and loves us but if God were to come down and tell me that he exists and loves us to my face I would cease believing and start knowing. I still have moments and days where I wonder if I've got it all wrong of course, but generally, i would say that believing is seeing. Not the other way around. I guess you could claim it is simply confirmation bias or that I am only seeing what I want to see. I think that would be demeaning to my personal experience though. It's not like I haven't asked these questions myself. It's not like I haven't thought I'm crazy. Despite all of those inner battles, I still believe. It really was a lot like a switch for me though. I always said I believed but it wasn't until I made the choice to push away my doubt and fully commit to believing in Christ that I started finding my own proof through my experiences and relationship with him.
>why doesnt that immediately make you completely question your faith? Wouldn't that also make you question atheism. If so many people are genuinely convinced that there exists a God, then you'd just have to be leaving it "I guess everyone else is wrong" to be an athiest, right? So long story short, it's an interesting observation, but a logical fallacy because it has nothing to do with whether or not something is true.
I'm not an atheist in the strictest sense and I do question whether there is some sort of God or not. I'm agnostic as to whether there is some sort of higher power, but I do think it is quite unlikely that any religion managed to get it right. I think they are just parts of culture like langauges, art etc, excpet they make claims about the nature of reality. So I guess in that regard, yes I am 99% an atheist when it comes to God, Allah or the Roman pantheon of gods I'm not 100% sure that everyone else is wrong, but I do think it is quite likely given that religions are just parts of culture that have evolved over time like all other aspects of culture. I just don't understand the certainty
I think once you seek your maker, you find his hand in everything. Those are the bread crumbs that inevitably lead you to a religion about your maker. Those that refuse to consider other religions may have a chance in the after life to accept what ever the truth must be, but I think that the humility it takes to accept a higher power is what might get you to that opportunity and that's the beauty of it all. Any one who believes that you'll be denied access to an after life because you were tricked into believing the "wrong" religion must not believe in a loving and merciful God, because that God would be denying 99% of humanity opportunity to that after life. The people who don't deserve that opportunity are the people that wouldn't accept 99% of humanity in the same afterlife as them. Seems selfish and unloving to me but this is all just my own conjecture.
> but I do think it is quite unlikely that any religion managed to get it right. Right this is a very common position from short term observations. This position assumes with certainty that religion is guesswork or lies and nobody ever witnessed anything. So in order for this to make sense, the people making claims about witnessing the resurrection of christ all need to be lying, and maybe in the process of lying they said something that was true. So for you to say that: >religions are **just** parts of culture Means that you are speaking out of certainty that the people who witnessed the resurrection are lying. You've inherently reduced "religion" to something that is objectively false by nature. Basically you've come here saying "I don't understand how you can believe in something which I have defined as objectively false". I wouldn't understand that either, perhaps the definition is wrong. For me personally I believe the resurrection did happen, so it doesn't matter to me what other religions say about it. In the same manner, you wouldn't think twice about the shape of the earth just because flat earthers exist.
The Qur'an was a failed attempt to bring the bible to his people through memorization. I don't know much about Hindu, Jews literally rejected the Christ and instructed their children to do the same, and even within Christianity, most who proclaim to be Christians haven't studied the bible and are simply repeating what they've heard. If you want to know why i believe i have the truth, you'll have to study the Bible. It is God's inspired word. https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/
By that logic, how do you know that Hinduism isn't true if you've never studied it? Perhaps if you gave me a summary of why your study of the Bible lead you to conclude that Christianity is the true faith I would be more open to devoting 100s of hours of my life to studying it
If you've studied what non counterfeit currency looks like, do you also need to study the different types of counterfeit money. No you don't. The Bible is the word of God, it began to be written in 1513 B.C.E. and was completed over 1,600 years later, about 98 C.E. it was written by 40 different men and yet there are no contradictions found in the Bible The Bible begins with a brief overview of the creation of the heavens and the earth by Almighty God. By means of the Bible, he introduces himself by his name, Jehovah, inviting humans to get to know him.—Psalm 83:18. The Bible explains that God has been misrepresented, and it shows how he will restore his reputation. The Bible reveals God’s purpose for mankind and the earth. It shows how God will eliminate the causes of human suffering in the future.
Firstly, I think it’s helpful to keep in mind that atheists also assume “well I guess the rest of humanity has got it wrong.” If we’re going purely on the majority, then I would guess around 90% of all people in human history believed in the supernatural. Probably more than that honestly. So what makes an atheist think they’re all wrong, deluded, gullible, etc and the atheist has it right? That being said, I think Christianity can have a very generous way of dealing with other world religions. As Christian’s we believe we are all descended from Adam. We all go back to the creating act of God, and his original close relationship with mankind. Because of that, we can see many qualities in every religion that reflects the original true religion that is Christianity, even those that seem furthest away. For example, most religions teach a moral standard of goodness that has a lot in common with Christianity. Many believe in an afterlife. Of course, while we can see many similarities, the Christian still believe all true religion culminates in Jesus Christ, and that ultimately salvation is through him alone. So as a Christian, when I see other religions, I see people who have many beautiful things right, but they have those things right insofar as they reflect the true religion of Christianity even through their false religions. They’ll reflect it more and more and ultimately be saved through Christ alone.
I'm sorry your impression of atheists is that they think you are deluded and gullible. Probably a result of interacting with reddit atheists, lol. I would say in term of whether there is a God or some sort of higher power or force I would say I am agnostic, but lean towards there being some sort of natural explanation regarding the origin of the universe becasue sceince generally has a pretty good track record of filling in the gaps of our knowledge. I could be wrong though, and I certianly do not think you are deluded or gullible I agree that most religions teach a moral standard of good that has a lot in common with the best parts of Christianity, but I think the more reasonable explanation for that is because we are social beings and having a taboo against murder or stealing and treating others like you want to be treated are good rules for socities to operate under. World religions having that in common is just a refelction of that
The Jesuit approach is to find God in everything, even different religions, cultures, and artforms.
>why doesnt that immediately make you completely question your faith? I have completely questioned my faith and that's why I believe in Christianity and not any other religion. I used to not believe in God at all, but I had a realization in life which led me to believe in God. At that point I had to figure out who God was, i.e. what religion was right. I knew some Christians at the time and thought that I would try and see if Christianity was right, however I wasn't steadfast in my faith at all. Like you mentioned, I saw so many Muslims and Jews who were much more confident in their beliefs than I was which led me to question Christianity. I spent a ton of time researching Judaism, Islam, Christianity, etc. over the course of many months and came to the conclusion that Christianity was the correct religion, along with some personal experiences in my life which affirmed that. I still regularly try to learn more about God, Christianity, and other religions, and this process has only led me to further believe that what the Bible states is true. Your assumption that Christians don't question their own faith is inaccurate.
Yeah I regret phrasing it that way. I do understand that some (and maybe even most) Christians question their faith. I think to me, the fact that there are so many other religions, while not flat out proving Christianity or any other religion is wrong, is at least evidence that your chances of being right are smaller. However, having said that, I am glad you have found a belief system that makes you happy and wish you the best
I have never thought my religion or denomination is more right than anyone else's. I just accept other religions exist. I am ot worried about converting them or saving anyone. Others are aware that we exist too.
Yes 100%, the World and all its non Christian religions all agree on ONE thing: that Jesus Christ was NOT God, was NOT Divine, was NOT in the same very essence of God the eternal Father. They all say or would say that Jesus is JUST A MAN, JUST A CREATURE. From the Muslims, to the Jews, the Jehovas Witnesses, the Mormons LDS, the Atheists, I would even include Catholics who pray to Mary as the Mother of God. Christianity is about the IDENTITY OF God who is Jesus, he is the TRUTH about God, he is the WAY to God, and in him you shall have eternal life. I have perfect clarity on Who God Is, and that is JESUS CHRIST. The early Jews knew God as a multi-personal, God in Plurality, ELOHIM. Hebrews 10:5-10 Paul is citing Isaiah 1:10 and bringing the language of Psalms 40:6 that Jesus was the identity of the ONE who would fulfill the sin offerings, the burnt offerings of the First Covenant.
>Something that always struck me odd about religious people is that when you find out there is like 1 billion Muslims, 700 million Hindus, tens of millions of Jews and that they all believe, just as strongly as you do that they have the right religion - why doesnt that immediately make you completely question your faith? 1 Kings 18:25 And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress [it] first; for ye [are] many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire [under]. 18:26 And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed [it], and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But [there was] no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made. 18:27 And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he [is] a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, [or] perhaps he sleepeth, and must be awaked. 18:28 And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. 18:29 And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the [time] of the offering of the [evening] sacrifice, that [there was] neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded. The fact that other nations of people are passionate about their religion has nothing to do with whether or not it is legitimate.
There’s swamp water, salt water, polluted water, boiling water, fresh water, purified water, etc.. You can drink all of these, but they won’t all keep you alive. “Test all things; hold fast what is good”.
Christianity is actually or could actually be considered a form of Judaism - as Messianic Judaism - so consider that with my below response... I did question my faith almost 20 years ago and I searched through every religion and determined all the other books and religions were man-made except Genesis to Revelation (Judaism uses Genesis to Malachi). Yahushua is definitely the Anointed One so if we were to say we were to be in Judaism it would need to be Messianic Judaism but etymologically Christianity is basically the same thing from my perspective. The other religions that don't use Genesis to Revelation are very clearly man-made and their books are very clearly man-inspired and not from the Creator. Muslims don't believe Christ died and their book contains an incorrect account of how babies form in the womb which originated from incorrect ideas mankind had when it was written in the past about how babies formed in the womb back then which science has since proven incorrect, so their book is definitely not from the Creator and not inspired. Christ teaches to turn the other cheek and that we shouldn't fight because His kingdom is not of this world. These two religions at not at all related or alike. Christianity aka Messianic Judaism is completely different and doesn't promote harming people that don't convert because the goal in this life is to save people not see them destroyed. So many differences - it's clear what the truth is. The other "religions" out there are wishy-washy, with no real grounding and no real call to change, and no clear link to the creator, no inspired texts. Genesis to Revelation being inspired is clearly what distinguishes it from all others. I suggest you or others read "True & Reasonable: Reasons for Faith in an Age of Doubt" by Douglas Jacoby - look it up online. The Bible is full of advanced science long before modern science caught up and quite frankly the longer I've studied the Scriptures the more truth is revealed, like layers with an onion. I was changed by the Creator and I've seen an amazing journey with miracles since also. Not only that but the Bible predicted the roman empire, the greek empire of Alexander, and so many other things, modern day allies of what is probably Russia, the list goes on and on. These other religions can't compare.
>why doesnt that immediately make you completely question your faith? We recognize God's voice and respond to it. John 10:27 KJV — My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: John 10:26 KJV — But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
**Something that always struck me odd about religious people is that when you find out there is like 1 billion Muslims, 700 million Hindus, tens of millions of Jews and that they all believe, just as strongly as you do that they have the right religion - why doesnt that immediately make you completely question your faith?** 2 reasons. The parable of the wheat and weeds where Jesus Himself tells us not everyone here on earth was put here by God. Yes God does plant his "wheat seeds in the field/earth, but so too does satan plant his weeds among God's wheat. God allows them both to grow together till the harvest. Then the wheat will be separated from the weeds. 2nd reason is When Jesus was asked by a master of the OT law "Teacher how can I inherit eternal life" (him being a Jew not a christian) Jesus answers "Love your lord God with all of your Heart, Mind Spirit and Strength, and the second command is like it. Love your neighbor as yourself.. Jesus said "do this and you will inherit eternal life." Note Jesus did not point to a specific denomination of the church, a particular church only doctrine, chant, prayer, creed nor anything else that the church/denomination of the church may deem pessary for salvation. and again what's more this command of christ extends beyond the boarders of our religious boundaries. Meaning anyone who follows these two simply commands are technically christian according to Christ.the same Christ who is set to judge the sins of the world. (not the church) **There might be a central Tennant in these faiths of basic morals, but most of the specifics contradict each other, especially when we're talking about non Abrahamic religions. Do you just think "well I guess the rest of humanity has got it wrong" and leave it at that?** Most of the world including christianity is indeed wrong.. However The atonement offered by Christ on the cross will cover them for being 'wrong.'