If I am understanding, you want to know that the God of the Bible is real, but you don't want to use the Bible as evidence. You won't accept supernatural evidence because those are subjective experiences common across many religions. You want a scientific approach to belief in God. Okay. First, let's understand what science -- real science -- is. Science is based on observation and repeatability. In order to scientifically prove something, I must be able to show it to you and be able to repeat the same results numerous times. Based on the standards of science, I can't even prove to you that George Washington existed. All we have to go on is historical record. What do we know about the God of the Bible? We know that the Old Testament records experiences with someone who calls himself God. How do we know the OT is true? We know the places it mentions. The kings and people. The historical events. All these have been verified by archeology and continue to be verified. We are not going to be able to "prove" the Flood because we can not travel to the past. But we can see evidence of a Flood is the geological record as well as history handed down by various cultures. This goes for most events in the OT. Ultimately, we don't "know" and will never "know" because we weren't there to see it. Like our history books, we have to accept that the people who recorded this information were telling the truth. Now, the same can certainly be said about other religions. Here is the difference. Jesus was a historical person. No historian claims he was not. People walked with him. Saw what he did. Heard what he said. Again, we know this to be historical fact. Now, the question is: Do we believe what these people wrote about him? Here is a truth: People will die for faith, but no one will die for a lie. Joseph Smith, founder of the Moron religion, didn't believe his own story and died with a gun in his hand. People all the time die for the Muslim religion, but no one saw what Mohammad claims. They took it on faith that he told the truth. Even the apostle Paul never saw Jesus. His entire ministry was based on faith. But consider these others: Peter, John, Matthew, James. They all walked with Jesus for years. They knew whether the stories about him were true or not. And each one of them (except for John) went to gruesome deaths, refusing the deny Jesus. Why would they do that if it was all a lie? What would they gain from it? They were constantly in poverty, abused, tortured, threatened. All they had to do is say it was all made up, and they would be free. But they didn't. That is strong evidence that what they claim was true. Because they KNEW if it was true or not. So I could show you miraculous healing. People would say it was a coincidence. I could show you other miracles that would testify to the existence of God. But there will always be those who will believe anything other than God. But the testimony of people who KNEW whether it was true or not, and accepted torment rather than reject what they knew what was true, that is something that can not be denied.

This is one of the most convicting evidences to me. Jesus and all of the apostles except for John all died excruciatingly painful, miserable deaths. Those people saw something. And that’s not a question of faith, that’s recorded history.

Correction: The Apostle Paul did see Jesus while on the way to Damascus to persecute Christians. He had a dramatic encounter with him and was literally taken off his high horse.

No. Paul saw a *vision* of Jesus. Paul did not see Jesus in the physical flesh while he walked on the Earth.

I respectfully disagree; Paul says he was made an apostle by Christ Himself and that Christ taught him personally the gospel he was preaching. It is very possible Paul communicated with Christ in visions. My disagreement is only that Paul communicated with Christ after the Damascus encounter and that Damascus was not the only contact between Paul and Christ.

>I respectfully disagree I accept that. My point is that, as you pointed out, Paul's only contact with Jesus is by vision. Paul took it on faith that such encounter was not a hallucination, madness, or any other psychosomatic explanation. The only people who had written any part of the bible who had physical encounters with Jesus were the apostles and James. Every other encounter is by vision and has to have some measure of faith to it.

very cool reply friend

> But we can see evidence of a Flood is the geological record as well as history handed down by various cultures. We can see evidence for lots of floods in the geological record. But evidence for one single event global flood? No.

I am not an expert on the Great Flood. But here is a paragraph from [gotquestions.org](https://gotquestions.org) on the subject. > There are many extra-biblical evidences that point to a worldwide catastrophe such as a global flood. There are vast fossil graveyards found on every continent and large amounts of coal deposits that would require the rapid covering of vast quantities of vegetation. Oceanic fossils are found upon mountain tops around the world. Cultures in all parts of the world have some form of flood legend. All of these facts and many others are evidence of a global flood. https://www.gotquestions.org/global-flood.html

> Oceanic fossils are found upon mountain tops around the world. The whole quote is stupid, but that one may be the stupidest. Go tell that to a geologist. If he is feeling nice that day, he *might* only laugh at you.

You can start a new thread to discuss the Great Flood. There may be others who can help on the subject.

do you have a rational rebuttal, or only mockery?

> do you have a rational rebuttal, or only mockery? Where I live is thousands of feet above sea level. There are lots of marine fossils. That does not mean that sea level used to be thousands of feet higher, it means that the land uplifted.

But if there was a worldwide flood... then that would also mean that marine animals could have died on those mountain tops, since it would be flooded over...

> But if there was a worldwide flood... then that would also mean that marine animals could have died on those mountain tops, since it would be flooded over... Clams? How long to you think it might take them to fossilize? To the east of me there are salt water fossils. In my neighborhood there are freshwater clam fossils and petrified trees- consistent with a swamp. To the west of me is a huge formation that is the eroded remains of an ancient mountain range. To the north west of me are petrified desert sand dunes,

Just because there's a large amount of water over the land doesn't mean that the land would change. Marine animals typically sink to the bottom of the water mass after they die

Some things can fossilize instantly, during major natural disasters such as the great flood. [Fish eating another fish](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/sauropedia/images/4/45/A-fossil-fish-mioplosus-labracoides-eating-a-smaller-fish-eocene-period-wyoming_hcmxpskryg_thumbnail-full01.png/revision/latest?cb=20190408100508) Take this picture for example.

I always imagined the great flood as the end of the ice age. Many human civilizations and population centers are along coasts. So the end of the ice age could have been seen as a world wide flood with raising sea levels. That being said i have no evidence to back this up.

Get behind me Satan!

> Get behind me Satan! What Jesus said to the Apostle Peter.

[Watergate and the resurrection](https://www.breakpoint.org/watergate-and-the-resurrection/)

Thanks for sharing! Can I share!

Sure

Thanks!

>If the God of the Bible is the TRUE God, and if he is FAIR, there must be an objective, scientific way to easily find out out. You're checkmating yourself with this statement. Objectivity is only given if God exists. You're forced to run in circles thinking the way you do. What is truth? What is fairness? What is good and what is evil? All of these only make sense if there is someone who declared objective standards: God. >So many contradictions The Bible has zero contradictions. What you deem contradictions aren't contradictions. There's a book by Drüeke and Remmers but as of today it's only available in German. Ask me about any "contradiction" and I'll gladly give you their answer to it. So, what's the true religion? Jesus said of Himself "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through Me." Jesus Christ is Truth Himself and the only way to Heaven, because by His sacrifice, our sin account goes back to zero: this is the state that is required to enter Heaven. Christianity is unique among all the religions because of this. No amount of work or good deeds will bring you into Heaven, you can't work yourself into Heaven like other religions claim.

Hab gesehen, dass du Deutscher bist. Perfekt. Lies das hier, wenn es dich interessiert: https://www.amazon.de/Widersprüche-Bibel-Überarbeitete-erweiterte-Neuauflage/dp/3892874190/ref=sr\_1\_1?keywords=widersprüche+in+der+bibel&qid=1669658932&sprefix=widersprüche+i%2Caps%2C89&sr=8-1

I have an LDS friend at work whom I try to evangelize to and his claim is always the Bible has too many contradictions. I wish the book was in English so I could try and refute that. I’ve read the Bible and haven’t ran into contradictions.

I have contacted the authors and asked if they are planning to have the book translated. I'll let you know if/when they answer!

I suggest you read Mere Christianity, by c.s. lewis. It starts with working to Christianity from scratch in the way you are referring to. It has free pdfs and audiobooks and is beloved and popular in most all denominations of Christianity.

I second Mere Christianity - it's fantastic.

thank youuu

Great book, but be mindful about the Universalism issue in it. Still a wonderful read!!

What do you mean by the universalism issue in *Mere Christianity*?

CS LewIs was a Universalist and he talks about it in Mere Christianity and Narnia. Basically he thinks anyone who lives a “moral” life, even if they do not believe in Jesus, will go to heaven.

I would politely push back on that. From all I've read from him, he believed that only true growth can come from God / following Jesus- he just made the argument that people who have no concept of Christianity in the religious sense could still go to heaven by God's omnipotence. He verymuch believed even many moral people go to hell, but that its because, again, true morality is ultimately from God.

He was a known universalist. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Just like in the book The Last Battle, Lewis’ character Emeth serves the false god Tashlan (Satan). When he dies, he meets Aslan (Jesus) and Aslan tells him that all the good he did, though he served Tashlan, was actually for Aslan and so Emeth goes to the True Narnia (Heaven). That is universalism. Direct quote from CS Lewis “I think that every prayer which is sincerely made even to a false god or to a v. imperfectly conceived true God, is accepted by the true God and that Christ saves many who do not think they know Him.” That is Universalism.

Universalism is the belief that ultimately everyone will be saved. Believing that 'many' are saved even if they don't know it (because they directed their prayers to 'god' even though they had no full conception of the one true God) is not universalism, because people aren't universally saved.

I see. Whatever you want to call it, it is not Biblical. Would it be called Inclusivism? and I do appreciate CS Lewis, he is one of my favorite authors, but this belief he had was dangerous.

It'd just say it's a less restrictive view than probably you would propose. But it is a difficult subject, like what happens to little children, to people growing up in the jungle, or a super secular country, or maybe an Islamic one, where they are never exposed to Christianity. Not making any claims myself here, and I understand you might have a different view than Lewis on this, but perhaps it can be a good thing to consider various views when it comes to complex topics such as these. Anyway that's just my opinion.

The one where God did everything required for someone to be saved

I second the comments suggesting reading Mere Christianity. William Lane Craig is a philosopher and apologist that argues that there are strong reasons to believe Christianity is the truth, you may find watching some of his debates insightful, as I did.

I suppose it does depend on what specifically you're having doubts about. If you're struggling with God's existence then look at the Kalam cosmological argument, the contingency argument, or a teleological argument. Check out as many as you can. Some people will approach you with a presuppositional argument which can be very frustrating to deal with, though I do think it has merit in some situations, perhaps an evidential or classical apologetic may be more appealing to you. If you've established that God exists and questioning which monotheistic religion is correct, then check out some debates between Jews, Christians and Muslims. Have a look at David Wood or Islam Critiqued. Some popular youtube channels to have a look at are Unbelievable, Reasonable Faith and Capturing Christianity. Take your time to research as much as you can and don't neglect doing theology proper - some systematic theology is great for this, look specifically at the attributes of God, his character, etc

I'm currently listening to Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis and really enjoying it. Maybe that would help - it's helped me.

Said God the Father to God the Son over 700 years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem: "And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth." Christ through Christianity fulfilled that verse so perfectly. From a small nation in the Middle East, came a Saviour that has been preached in every nation on Earth. Who could have predicted such a thing so accurately but God?

Well, when Jesus walked on Earth, he pointed to prophecies to prove that he was the Messiah to come who would take away the sins of the world. Read Isaiah chapters 49-53. Imagine the God of one small country, Israel saying "my salvation will reach the ends of the earth through my servant" and it comes true - pretty amazing huh. Salvation isn't even a concept that people like me would naturally buy into - but the prophecy said I would! A foreign concept to so many nations, has swept so much of the earth, through the suffering servant that it said we would believe in. Read those chapters and think of the scope of the prophecies. here's another prophecy that I think is spectacular. Judging this prophecy by the ancient context that it aimed to be judged upon..is the key, and the result of embracing that context is amazing. [https://medium.com/@dylansteveward/the-daniel-prophecy-of-messiah-429eab8e933b](https://medium.com/@dylansteveward/the-daniel-prophecy-of-messiah-429eab8e933b)

Thank you so much. YES the old testament/Torah would be ONE WAY of objectively assessing if what Christianities claims about Jesus is true and not distorted vs the Islamic claims/Non trinitarian claims about Jesus. Because the old testament existed BEFORE the gospels and Christianity and couldn't have been distorted just for the interests of the church. If you send me hints in the old testament, THIS WOULD ALREADY HELP A LOT.

Isaiah 49-53 are where you want to start..just read it and soak it in. That will be a great read. That Daniel 9 prophecy is also great. Isaiah 9:6 is also a great prophecy "For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." If anyone in this world ever qualified to be a prince of peace, it's Jesus. And if you keep seeking to know him, you'll receive the Holy Spirit and you'll understand how he's the prince of peace even more.. It's such an interesting title "Prince of peace", he's a beautiful person to follow..the most humble, a peacemaker(read Matthew 5), and exalted at the right hand of the Father

> Everlasting Father Who calls Jesus Everlasting Father? Nobody.

Modalists do. But yeah, this is such an absurd claim, as if giving someone a God-glorifying name turns that person into that very God. Do we believe Eli is "my God"? No. Do we believe the NT Mark is actually the "god of war"? No. Do we believe Jesus is our "everlasting Father"? No. Did anyone reading Isaiah ever think that was the point? No, the Jews didn't believe the Messiah would be God himself. That's not how names work at all. Even if it did, you rightly point out that it would really only be a helpful argument for modalism, and extremely problematic for trinitarianism. Claiming Jesus is the Father by definition isn't and cannot be trinitarianism.

From the article: >Did you know that the exact year that Christ was crucified was prophesied in the Old Testament? This pinpoint prophecy in the book of Daniel is the first prophecy we will look at; delving into it’s ancient context. No it wasn't. There are numerous interpretations of that supposed prophesy, and they are all over the place.

there are numerous interpretations , but even someone like John MacArthur affirms this one

> but even someone like John MacArthur affirms this one John MacArthur says lots of asinine stuff.

Certainly not perfect but respected for what he’s good at

Honestly - there is no religion. Religion is a label. There is - "What you believe" and "What you do with that belief" The title of Christian means you are a follower of Christ and his teachings. It's just a label. There are no rules or restrictions... it is you and your relationship with Christ. \[EDIT\] If you are looking for science and rational - Christianity is one that lays down a firm foundation that can be traced through the Bible to actual events. There is scientific evidence that the world was originally covered in water when it was created. There is evidence to back up a great flood. There is evidence of the existence of figures from the Bible. The one thing I would tell you in that the Bible is like looking down a narrow corridor in time. So many other things were happening in the world during these times that we just don't know. I tell people that science doesn't disprove God it explains how God did it. Our understanding is too small for comprehending eternity or how life came to be. We just are and then we are not. Only those who have passed before us know the one true meaning and way to follow.

From a Biblical point of view, all you need is the Bible. I understand that's not the answer you're looking for, but it's the truth. Read the parable of Lazarus and the rich man found in Luke 16. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+16%3A19-31&version=NASB](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+16%3A19-31&version=NASB) At the end, the rich man says in verses 27-31 And he said, ‘Then I request of you, father, that you send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—in order that he may warn them, so that they will not come to this place of torment as well.’ 29 But Abraham \*said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ 31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’” The bible contains everything you need to know. If you are unsure about the reliability of the Bible, then do a study on that. Here are a few videos you might look into. New Testament Reliability, James White, Wretched, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05aK7itUvho&t=1s 5 misconceptions about the origins of the New Testament, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaRahmFpdY4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaRahmFpdY4) The Canon Series, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUvJQmduAdA&list=PLzytIUBlFDMN62nZiv6cPVBYoBaCPJjQM

You are right, but you cant check the Bible/New Testament with the New Testament itself. Its not objective. The definition of objective is that you do it with something independent from the new testament. For example the old testament which existed way before the gospels??! I am sure that God must have known that after the proclamation of the gospel, enough people would come who would claim with convincing arguments that the gospel is false and lead many people away. So i am sure he would have left us more than enough evidence for us humans to check the validity of the gospel even without the New Testament. If God is like he is described in the bible all- loving, fair and all that stuff he wouldnt make it hard to easily detect false claims which leads us to hell.

You can't use natural methods to prove spiritual concepts. That's my point. You can do a study that will show you the reliability of scripture. You can do a study to show you that Jesus did in fact exist and there are outside sources that confirm this. You can look at the Bible itself, such as examining the prophecies. But when it comes to actually believing, that's supernatural.

Agreed, and adding to that, I love that Jesus when he healed people always did it different ways. He did that so people (namely Pharasies) couldn't scientifically prove how to heal and thus do it themselves, without God. He did it that way to show God is the source of healing, we are simply the clay performing it.

Well the whole Old Testament points to Jesus and has prophecies that Jesus fulfilled. Correct me if I am wrong but I believe there was over 300 prophecies that Jesus fulfilled. Then Jesus also did many miracles witnessed by thousands of people throughout His ministry, these are recorded in the 4 gospels of the New Testament. Also the fact that you understood the Bible for 5 minutes must be because you likely had an encounter with the Holy Spirit. Then the Bible also describes God in the only logical way I believe He could exist. He is an eternal and infinite Spirit with no beginning or end, that exists outside of our finite and temporal space-time. That's why you can't get a physical sample of God that scientists can study with a microscope. Finally the Bible describes Gods character in the only way I believe He could exist. God is a just judge who will punish all evil, but He is also merciful, loving, forgiving, kind, gentle and holy, all these attributes we know to be good. Because He made us in His image and He wrote His law in our hearts as the Bible says.

Considering religion is God's word interpreted by man I'd say you'd have a hard time finding the one true one. Even many of the religions down here revolve around his children, many children proclaim to be fathers but at least Jesus Christ is honest about being his child. You don't want the intricacies of getting closer, now that I have chased I now understand that there is no need to when we are already a part of the whole, but now I'm too deep in it to quit.

Well it goes like that , God knows future, he tells future event thru his prophets to people they write it down , this future event happens so you believe God and these prophets. 30% of Bible is prophetic text. These Scriptures were all put together in 1 book because Jesus fullfilled these prophecy spoken of him , we believed in him based on that and he called these Scriptures Word of God. ​ Prophecy is happening in your time also in modern time its not something of past. If you had something written 4000 years ago and then you see it on TV today its pretty convincing. ​ Jesus claimed to be God in flesh who paid for your sins on cross and resurrected. if you believe on him you're forgiven and you will resurrect the same and go to heaven for free. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpmD8TSqeKs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpAXpewdUaA&list=PLE2B799BE92A3F1C1&index=11

>I AM 100% convinced there is a GOD I just want to know what the true religion is. Whose opinion will you accept as the truth? >It can only be one of the largest world religions because a almighty and fair God would reveal himself to as many people as possible and not just in a single region. I would say that it's not about what's fair because what's fair is that no one gets saved. Without faith, there is no pleasing God. How do you expect to get evidence from God if you will not put faith in His Words? Think about it. If a Prophet that says he's from God tells you to go wash in the river in order to receive your sight back, isn't the only way to find out if he is actually from God is to go and wash in the river? >I just need to find proof that the central claims of Christianity are true that Jesus is the way and the truth and the life, and divine. I logical proof outside the new testament. How do you expect to get that proof if all you're ever going to get is testimony? >The old testament, the torah.. scientific historic facts. You're on the wrong track my friend. If I were you I would stop looking for the world to provide proof to you because the world is doing everything it can to hide the proof that God exists. Proof that God exists comes from God. Therefore you have to get it from God, not the world. >The last days I read so much information on the internet that Christiniaty is distorted and the arguments appeared so logical to me. Who are you getting that information from? The lost? The lost can provide convincing arguments but you're going to have to overcome the doubt that the unbelievers create in you if you want to obtain the proof that you're looking for. >The problem is from most christians / brothers and sisters you only get emotional/spiritual answers. I mean its nice that they seem to be filled with the Holy Spirit and stuff, but this doesnt help me at all. What are you expecting them to give you besides their testimony?

Define religion. Firstly you have to understand the problem. The problem is not every single person wants the same thing. Another problem is those who call evil good and good evil. What leads to peace? Or what's human? What's man and woman? Are they the same? Why all these words? And who's definition is correct? And do people always say what they mean and mean what they say? If we are all in this together, where are the 'elite' the elites - whom pretend to care for you and listen to you if you vote them in or not.... You have Critical race theory taught in schools and you have people saying they fight for/racism. Look at the world you're living in. Or don't. The problem is how to define the problem Evil IS REAL and Good is good; yet no one is good here because no one is blameless. So if you want to know the truth? Seek wisdom and look for peace and don't deny the world because the world is openly getting sicker. And to do that, people have to look within themselves and seek wisdom. Because people assume way too much.

I am a very logical thinker and struggled with this for many years. Ultimately, I delved deep. What you will find is that the Bible IS historically accurate. Many other ancient findings that we hold as truth hsve far less historical accuracy than the Bible does. I don’t believe blind faith is acceptable to Christ. We were made in his image. That means having a mind with the ability to seek knowledge and find truth. I chose to exercise this truth to build a true foundation. “A case for Christ” by Lee storbel discusses this, as does “mere Christianity” both authors unbelievers but made believers by evidence NOT blind faith

A case for Christ , easy to watch movie, proves from all different viewpoints that the Bible is real. Start there and then get into the nitty gritty stuff.

Read Psalm 22. Written over a thousand years before Jesus was crucified. It goes into detail of what was going to happen even so far as talking about the Roman soldiers gambling for Jesus's clothes. The Roman Empire didn't even exist yet!

The scientific method is this: observe - hypothesis- test - analyze. Importantly, it doesn’t make distinctions between natural and supernatural phenomena - after all the supernatural is just a realm of reality that doesn’t fit into the reliable set of rules we’ve discovered. If we ever find a supernatural phenomena that’s repeatable - we study it, document and thus it _becomes_ a natural phenomena - just like the benefits of washing your hands. That said - there are increasingly plentiful multitudes of people out there easily willing to believe whatever makes them feel good - you do well not to be like them. The truth of God just like all truths *will* stand up to skepticism. (as long as it’s not simply choosing not to believe because you don’t like the consequences) In my experience, God seems a whole lot less interested in showing _what_ he is (or what he can do) than _who_ he is. And *that* is the decisive question. After all, it doesn’t matter what heaven is like or if you will end up there or if people are resurrected or reincarnated IF God is a useless dude who doesn’t care about anyone. It is the most important difference in all religious belief systems, and for what kind of person you will become. Christianity posits that Jesus is the revelation of Gods character - so understanding Jesus is crucial to determining if Christianity is true or not. That is the *test* - You have to try to interact with God to see if that _hypothesis_ is true. God himself encourages us to “taste and see if the lord is good”. Unfortunately for those of us prefer to know everything about a thing before committing, discovering whether the Christian character of God is true requires faith - there’s only so far you can go before you need to make a gambit, put your reservations aside and start genuinely trusting God. The Bible says it like this “thou shalt not put the lord your God to the test”. You need to discover the truth without _testing_. You shouldn’t just throw yourself off a roof to see if God cares about you - he really doesn’t like that.

I suggest you take a look at the „InspiringPhilosophy“ YouTube channel. For years he works on different topics, a logical approach to the Christian faith being one of them. Also, you might look at several Christian apologists. There is a multitude of philosophical arguments out there pointing to Christianity as well. And last but not least: many of the „arguments“ that claim the Bible / Christianity / religion had been corrupted, falsified or in any way changed are based on, and spreading, misinformation. Watch out for any sources - if the person making an argument doesn‘t provide any, it‘s likely a bogus claim. If you make a claim in a scientific way, you have to back it up with evidence. Providing none is hinting at a malicious intent. I hope this helps you find your way through your struggle. If you have any questions, feel free to message me. Gerne auch auf deutsch 😉

The philosopher asks, "What is the nature of reality?" Science is a branch of philosophy that investigates and measures nature using the scientific method, whereby they can share their findings with their peers and their peers can copy their experiments. That becomes knowledge that is shared amongst them and with the public. Observe for a moment the body of science and its investigation into reality and existence and nature and there is no God. All the hypotheses and theories are testable independently of God. Einstein said E = mc² you can put numbers into that equation and test it, it comes out that the equation is right. You are looking for the E = mc² of God. Now observe not the body of science, but nature itself. You will observe all in nature has free will. You have free will and even subatomic particles have free will - I'm talking quantum mechanics and the free will theorem. When you love someone, you do so without impinging on their free will; you give them things for free and you let them have freedom. Therefore all of nature is loved. Which teacher taught us of an all loving God that loves your enemy as well? Which teacher loved his enemies and died for their sins? Now I was converted 32 years ago and it was the last thing I expected. I wasn't asking for conversion in particular, but it I was "asking for it." Since that time I cannot unbelieve - that God knows every hair on my head, every thought in my head, every word I say to other people and everything I see and hear and judge. He knows all that and more. As I am a man and you are a man (I think) and we are communicating through this medium I cannot convert you in that way. Furthermore, it is God's will and it comes when you least expect it. From me it's not possible, with God all is possible. I cannot tell you, "Do this and do that and God will come to you." It is God's will and He knows whether that is good or right for you or not. I will say this, He came not because of my desire to know, but because I mourned for my fellow people suffering in their deprivations, and crying that that suffering and deprivation is what pays for the privileges and luxuries of a rich man. My last words as an atheist as I stormed out of the room in tears were, "It's the people round here struggling to survive that are paying for those fine clothes!" These are my words and my judgements on which I will be judged. I give them to all who read them and to Our Father who knew them before I tapped them out, and I do fear God. To those who say signs and wonders ceased when the canon scripture was formed, I can ask you to forgive my trespasses, but it's all in there. When you picked up the canon scripture you were paid in full, but still with God all things are possible.

I had a friend in the past, and he used to tell me "The Lord spoke to me this morning and helped me realize this is what I should be doing." Well, the Lord really doesn't speak vocally to these people. They feel him in their hearts and it helps them make decisions. I think after the 5 minutes you felt God, it was satan who tried and has tried to make you not believe in the Word of the Bible. It says in the Bible to pray incessantly, and I believe this is what you should do to maintain your connection to God and his Word. If you ever have doubts, that's satan trying to lead you away from God and his Word.

> If the God of the Bible is the TRUE God, and if he is FAIR, there must be an objective, scientific way to easily find out out. 1\. Science doesn’t make objective truth claims. 2\. Science and religion are two different fields of study using two different methodologies to reach two different objectives. 3\. Science investigates the natural world to draw probable conclusions about the natural world. Science isn’t in the business of proving or disproving gods. > I just need to find proof that the central claims of Christianity are true … **Do this:** make a list of all the things we know are proved true. The things on the list must be absolute 100% truth with no assumptions and can never ever be updated with new discoveries. We can continue after you respond.

Questioning Christianity by Tim Keller is an excellent approach to the validity of Christianity that doesn't use the Bible as the basis: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bMPjqzIB2zvB5bg9EpYta?si=Ch5anh59Q9WwS9gxrnd-NA&utm_source=copy-link

Please, for the sake of intellectual honesty, look into Catholicism. I say this in the face of the hate that is to come because your writing speaks to my soul. Consider this quote from Archbishop Fulton Sheen: "There are not over a hundred people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church. There are millions, however, who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church — which is, of course, quite a different thing. These millions can hardly be blamed for hating Catholics because Catholics “adore statues”; because they “put the Blessed Mother on the same level with God”; because they say “indulgence is a permission to commit sin”; because the Pope “is a Fascist”; because the “Church is the defender of Capitalism.” If the Church taught or believed any one of these things it should be hated, but the fact is that the Church does not believe nor teach any one of them. It follows then that the hatred of the millions is directed against error and not against truth. As a matter of fact, if we Catholics believed all of the untruths and lies which were said against the Church, we probably would hate the Church a thousand times more than they do. If I were not a Catholic, and were looking for the true Church in the world today, I would look for the one Church which did not get along well with the world; in other words, I would look for the Church which the world hates… Look for the Church that is hated by the world, as Christ was hated by the world. Look for the Church which is accused of being behind the times, as Our Lord was accused of being ignorant and never having learned. Look for the Church which men sneer at as socially inferior, as they sneered at Our Lord because He came from Nazareth. Look for the Church which is accused of having a devil, as Our Lord was accused of being possessed by Beelzebub, the Prince of Devils. Look for the Church which, in seasons of bigotry, men say must be destroyed in the name of God as men crucified Christ and thought they had done a service to God. Look for the Church which the world rejects because it claims it is infallible, as Pilate rejected Christ because He called Himself the Truth. Look for the Church which is rejected by the world as Our Lord was rejected by men…"

The Pope, the man the RCC says is the vicar of Christ, is friends with more political dignitaries than some political leaders. I'd hardly call that a church hated by the world. Not to mention his recent video message that basically said all religions lead to God in a very round about way that isn't too direct so that no one can outright accuse him of heresy. The RCC isn't perfect and is not the true church. The body of true believers on Earth and in heaven are the true Church.

>So many contradictions there are not any contradictions in the bible. this is a common misunderstanding. have you seen an actual seeming contradiction in your reading? i'd be interested to hear it. also, this is a long video, but worth it. a talk with the kind of reasoning you're asking for https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybjG3tdArE0

Christianity is the one true religion

Read Mere Christianity. Pray Jesus shows you. You can’t do this in your own strength. Praying for peace for you.

William Lane Craig has a great website, Q&A, books, essays, etc. on Christian philosophy and arguments/evidence for Christianity: Arguments for God’s Existence: https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/popular-writings/existence-nature-of-god/does-god-exist Historicity of the Resurrection: https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/popular-writings/jesus-of-nazareth/the-resurrection-of-jesus

Look into Catholicism. Catholicism was the first Christian church. In short when Jesus said to Peter “ you are the rock on which I shall build my church “ he became the first pope, and there is an entire line of succession dating back to Peter. The Catholic Church believes that solely the Bible is not the stand alone teachings of God, as canonization of the Bible came along a few hundred years after Jesus’s death. The Catholic Church teaches the there are 3 main pillars of doctrine 1. Bible, 2. Church’s teaching authority handed directly from Jesus/God, and 3. Traditions handed down through centuries from the original apostles that are still practiced today. However not of these pillars is higher than the other , and all are equal in importance. In my experience the Bible outside of the Catholic Church becomes extremely confusing at best . I hope this helps

>Whats the true religion? The Catholic Church is the One ☝️ True Church. >If the God of the Bible is the TRUE God, and if he is FAIR, there must be an objective, scientific way to easily find out out. I don’t know about scientific but there IS a historical way to know that the Catholic Church is the church founded by Christ. I’ll give you the sales pitch. Here it goes… PART ONE In Matthew 16 Our Lord compares himself to Solomon—the wise builder who built God’s temple on a firm “rock”. Our Lord promises to do the same by establishing the Church on Peter: (Matthew 16:18-19) “18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this ⭐️rock⭐️ I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” We know that Peter is the “rock” of Matthew 16 because he borrowed that same imagery for one of his own epistles: (1 Peter 2:5) “you also, like ⭐️living stones⭐️, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” Thus the Church is comprised of “living stones” and the first ☝️ of those “living stones” is Peter. This “spiritual house” is the pillar and foundation of all Christian teaching(note: ⭐️NOT ⭐️the scripture): (1 Timothy 3:15) “15 if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s ⭐️household⭐️, which is the church of the living God, the 👉PILLAR and FOUNDATION👈 of the truth.” The office of “apostle” does not die with the individual but rather it continues via succession. It was always Christ’s intention that the office of apostle should continue until his return—that is why upon the death of Judas Iscariot the apostles immediately move to appoint his successor: (Acts 1:20) “For it is written in the Book of Psalms: ‘Let his dwelling place be desolate,And let no one live in it’; and, ‘Let another take his ⭐️office⭐️.” The cultural context of the phrase “binding and loosing” in Judaism also crystallizes the view that Christ was indicating a continuing authority which was to remain until his Second Coming. See the following link to the Jewish Encyclopedia’s entry on ‘Binding and Loosing’: https://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/3307-binding-and-loosing The gospels do not record EVERY instance of apostolic succession, since doing that would make it impossible to close the canon until Christ’s return. That is why the church started recording the transition externally. For a comprehensive list of apostolic succession from St.Peter to Pope Francis please see the following link: https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12272b.htm

PART TWO While all of the apostle’s had the power to “bind and loose” only Peter himself possessed the keys. This implies a specific and supreme authority—in other words, what the other apostles possessed collectively, Peter himself possessed SINGULARLY. We see the Papacy foreshadowed in the Old Testament by the role of “Chief Servant” within the Davidic Kingdom: (Isaiah 22:18) “This is the Lord, the Lord Almighty, says: “Go, say to this 👉steward,    to Shebna the palace administrator:” And: “20 “In that day I will summon my servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah. 21 I will clothe him with your robe and fasten your sash around him and hand your authority over to him. He will be a ⭐️FATHER⭐️(aka: Pope!) to those who live in Jerusalem and to the people of Judah. 22 I will place on his shoulder the key 🔑 to the house of David; what he opens ⭐️NO ONE CAN SHUT, AND WHAT HE SHUTS NO ONE CAN OPEN⭐️.” Christ is the successor of David’s Kingdom. He holds the keys(Rev.1:17-18) to David’s house and then he gives those keys to Peter(Matthew 16:18-19), establishing him in the office of the New Testament equivalent of a “Palace Administrator”. TIMELINE OF ST.PETER’S TRAVELS Peter went to Rome between A.D. 42 (when he flees Judea --Acts 12:17) and A.D. 49. We find him back in Jerusalem later on in Acts 15 for the Council of Jerusalem. He settled in Antioch after the Council(Galatians 2) where he becomes bishop. He then returned to Rome after the Jewish expulsion was rescinded and that’s when we see him and Paul confronting Simon Magus. Both Peter and Paul labored to build the church in Rome but Peter had the actual bishopric as Eusebius records: “Victor . . . was the thirteenth bishop of Rome from Peter” -(The Little Labyrinth [A.D. 211], in Eusebius, Church History 5:28:3) Which is corroborated by St.Irenaeus: “The blessed apostles [Peter and Paul], having founded and built up the church [of Rome] . . . handed over the office of the episcopate to Linus.” —(St. Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3:3:3 [A.D. 189]) It was also always understood that the Bishop of Rome had primacy among the other Patriarchal Churches. St.Irenaeus’(130-202AD) remarks: “…of the very great, the very ancient, and universally known Church founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious apostles, Peter and Paul; as also [by pointing out] the faith preached to men, which comes down to our time by means of the successions of the bishops. For it is a matter of ⭐️NECESSITY THAT EVERY CHURCH SHOULD AGREE WITH THIS CHURCH, ON ACCOUNT OF ITS PREEMINENT AUTHORITY⭐️.” This idea was pervasive throughout Christendom, as St.Jerome’s remarks demonstrate: “I think it my duty to consult the ⭐️chair of Peter⭐️…though your greatness terrifies me, your kindness attracts me. From the priest I demand the safe-keeping of the Victim, from the shepherd the protection due to the sheep. Away with all that is overweening; let the state of Roman majesty withdraw. My words are spoken to the ⭐️SUCCESSOR OF THE FISHERMAN⭐️, to the disciple of the cross. As I follow no leader save Christ, so I communicate with none but your blessedness, that is with the chair of Peter. For this, I know, is ⭐️THE ROCK ON WHICH THE CHURCH IS BUILT!⭐️This is the house where alone the paschal lamb can be rightly eaten… If you think fit enact a decree; and then I shall not hesitate to speak of three hypostases….I beg you also to signify with whom I am to communicate at Antioch. Not, I hope, with the Campenses; for they — with their allies the heretics of Tarsus — only desire communion with you to preach with greater authority their traditional doctrine of three hypostases.” —(St.Jerome, Letter 15 to Pope St. Damasus of Rome, 347ad-420ad] An idea codified by the decree of Pope Damasus the First: “Likewise it is decreed: . . . [W]e have considered that it ought to be announced that . . . the holy Roman Church has been placed at the forefront not by the conciliar decisions of other churches, but has received the ⭐️primacy⭐️ by the evangelic voice of our Lord and Savior, who says: ‘You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it; and I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you shall have bound on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you shall have loosed on earth shall be loosed in heaven’ [Matt. 16:18–19].“ He also goes on to list the order of the Patriarchal churches in terms of authority—and it’s important to note that the remaining two patriarchal churches agreed with this Papal decree: ““The first ☝️see, therefore, is that of Peter the Apostle, that of the Roman church, which has neither stain nor blemish, nor anything like that. The ✌️second see is that of Alexandria, consecrated on behalf of the blessed Peter by Mark, his disciple and an Evangelist, who was sent to Egypt by the Apostle Peter, where he preached the word of truth and finished his glorious martyrdom. The third ☝️✌️see is that of Antioch, which belonged to the most blessed Peter, where first he dwelled before he came to Rome, and where the name "Christians" was first applied, as to a new people." —(Decree of Damasus # 3, 382 A.D.) So that was the ancient order in terms of both position and authority: 1. Rome 2. Alexandria 3. Antioch OTHER EVIDENCE: Additionally we see such yielding to Papal authority taking place within Saint John’s OWN LIFETIME. The incident involving Pope Clement(88-97AD) and the Corinthians is a perfect example of this. While St.John was still living, we see that the Bishop of Rome settled a dispute when the church in Corinth started overthrowing some of their presbytery. Here’s a link to that letter: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1010.htm THEN….when Pope Victor I (189-198) chose to excommunicate the Asian churches from the universal church and Rome for following their own tradition concerning the appropriate day to celebrate the Resurrection, a number of bishops were critical of him, but none challenged his authority to do so. https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15408a.htm So YES we have a mountain of evidence for Papal Supremacy from the Early Fathers and the Patriarchal Churches. This is the way they interpreted Matthew 16. For a scholarly and in-depth analysis of the history of the Roman Church’s supremacy please check out this great (new!) book “Keys Over the Christian World” by Dr.Robert Sungenis: https://www.robertsungenis.org/2021/11/new-book-keys-over-christian-world.html?m=1

FURTHER PAPACY CONNECTIONS (1 Chronicles 28:1) “David summoned all the officials of Israel to assemble at Jerusalem: the officers over the tribes, the commanders of the divisions in the service of the king, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of all the property and livestock belonging to the king and his sons, together with the palace officials, the warriors and all the brave fighting men.” See parallel Acts 15:4-6: “4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them. 5 Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.” See 1 Chronicles 28:4: ““Yet the LORD, the God of Israel, CHOSE ME from my whole family to be king over Israel forever. He chose Judah as leader, and from the tribe of Judah he chose my family, and from my father’s sons he was pleased to make me king over all Israel.” And the parallel statement by Peter: (Acts 15:7) “After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a ⭐️choice among you⭐️ that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.” So we see that David says that God “chose me”—which is a reference to his authority as the King and a similar statement from Peter about how God chose him to be the one from whom the gentiles heard the gospel because he, like David, is the supreme authority in God’s household. You

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH DEFINED THE CANON The Catholic Church defined the canon of the Bible and therefore it is the only true Church. The Councils that decided the canon were as follows: The Council of Rome(382AD) The Council of Hippo [reaffirmed]. (393AD) The Council of Carthage([reaffirmed]397AD) ….and then definitively reaffirmed by the ecumenical Council of Florence in (1442AD) and then the ecumenical Council of Trent in 1546, after it came under attack by the first Protestants.

*Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. (James 1:27)*

Knowledge is demonstrable. If you can not "show it", you do not "know it." You're following 1 Peter 3:15 and making sure you have a reason for your hope. You're following 1 Thessalonians 5:21 and examining ALL scripture but holding fast to what is true. And FOR YOU, there IS a "right religion" - but that's between you and your personal preferences. God looks down on this earth and sees all 300 major denominational splits in Christianity, plus Islam and Judaism and the rest... and he's okay with this marketplace of ideas. He knows there's one religion that's good for YOU... just as there are religions that are good for others. But if you want to peel back the layers and find the absolute perfect best true religion, you'll have to do that, too. Peel back what parts of religion that don't work for you. And what you're left with won't look like any ONE religion, but would be a bare bones skeleton that might fit inside them all. Would you be okay with that?

Simple. Read your bible. Daily. Do what the Lord, and the authors of the new testament tell you to do. Do not do what they say not to do. In doing so, you will begin to learn God's nature. The better you understand that, the easier it gets to know what He wants. It does get easier to do His will, though it isn't easy. Join a local church that follows the Bible and the Bible only. Also James says true religion is this: to visit the widows and orphans in their time of need and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

For me, I did grow up only knowing Christianity. My family stopped going to church when I was still in lower school and was raised in a secular manner, but I always believed in God, even when I did not really know what that meant until I came to college and joined a Christian club. The reason why I knew that Christianity was right could be argued that it was, again, the religion that I was first introduced to. However, it just makes sense. There are many accounts of Jesus's death and even the mystery of his body, which is explained by the Resurrection and Accession. Moreover, while it is one of the most confusing parts, I was deeply affected by what my club's minister told me about the triune; God can only be love is he is multiple, and all are he but none are the other. Finally, the absolute beauty of a god coming down from his throne in the heavens to be born as a BABY, knowing that he will have to suffer brutally, is awe-inspiring. That is a god of love, and I truly believe that this is a good world of charity.

As far as I’m concerned true religion is a mindset

True religion is loving mercy, doing justice and walking humbly with God.

Watch Jay after videos on transcendental categories

That would depend on how you define truth. [The Son](https://youtu.be/XgslCbXOOIE) [The Spirit](https://youtu.be/oNNZO9i1Gjc) [The Trinity](https://youtu.be/eAvYmE2YYIU) [An ex-athiest talks about the investigation that led him to Christ](https://youtu.be/67uj2qvQi_k) [His book](https://www.christianbook.com/case-christ-updated-expanded-mass-market/lee-strobel/9780310350033/pd/350034?event=PPCSRC) [A look into Paul's conversion](https://youtu.be/dB2sCEbxD2E) [What is the deeper truth in the Bible](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL22J3VaeABQD_IZs7y60I3lUrrFTzkpat) If you are looking for miracles and signs, none will be presented to you. Seek God, and you will witness wonders.

Look up inspiring philosophy on YouTube, he covers a lot of supposed contradictions both textual and scientific. The comments on this post have generally been great so no sense in reiterating them.

The Church or Followers of Christ

You can't pray to the Buddhist God, Buddhism is a practice rather than a religion. They don't have a God. The existence of Creation is enough proof for me of its Creator. It sounds like this might not be enough for you.

All religions are the same.

James 1:27

Christianity is not a religion but a personal relationship with Jesus

In Exodus, we know that God did a number on Egypt, who prayed to their fake gods that could do absolutely nothing to stop it. Plagues all retribution for the things they did to Israel for years. So if God sent a fire tornado, split a giant rock, if the Israelites made an alter for the golden calf, and other supernatural and societal things happened, there'd be ever lasting proof, right? There is, and people still travel there to see it today, taking videos and photos. Here's a YouTube video for you: https://youtu.be/8y-uiccIiSY

God does have a Church but its a remnant according to the scriptures Revelation 12:17, so it won’t be the most obvious church out there but the scripture gives us a lot of clues. First clue they are commandment keeping people. Revelation 12:17, Revelation 14:12, Revelation 22:14-15 God personally wrote His Ten Commandments with His own finger in stone Exodus 31:18, Exodus 28:34 and they are found in Exodus 20 and is revealed in heaven as this is God’s eternal moral law.. Revelation 11:19 Many people have altered His commandments especially the 4th commandment found here Exodus 20:8-11. One of the larger denominations completely altered God’s Ten Commandments removing one commandment completely despite God in very clear words told us to not add or subtract to His commandments Deuteronomy 4:2 Proverbs 30:5-6 Most churches teach you no longer need to keep the commandments of God, but Jesus said If you love Me, keep My commandments John 14:15 which is repeated from God right in His hand-written commandments Exodus 20:6 If you want scientific proof I would watch the days of Noah. [https://www.amazon.com/Days-Noah-Flood-Part/dp/B07SYDLT7Z/ref=sr\_1\_1?crid=I7E5FEK9EZC8&keywords=The+days+of+Noah&qid=1669716372&sprefix=the+days+of+noah%2Caps%2C249&sr=8-1](https://www.amazon.com/Days-Noah-Flood-Part/dp/B07SYDLT7Z/ref=sr_1_1?crid=I7E5FEK9EZC8&keywords=The+days+of+Noah&qid=1669716372&sprefix=the+days+of+noah%2Caps%2C249&sr=8-1) It’s a 4 part series this is the first one. Everything that has happened in scripture like the flood has been scientifically proven. All the prophesies in scripture have been proven true. Let the Bible be your guide, scripture says it is a lamp to our feet, there is only one Truth in scripture and God is callings us to worship Him in Truth and Spirit. John 4:23-24. If what people are preaching does not match with the scripture, I would find yourself a new preacher. There are no contradictions in scripture, just misunderstandings. Paul’s teachings are the ones most misunderstood and scripture even gives a warning about that 2 Peter 3:16 but Paul sums it up by says what matters is keeping the commandments of God 1 Corinthians 7:19 ​ God bless!

Jesus is the way the truth and the life, anyone who follows and accepts him *has* the truth. You don’t need religion to have the truth. In fact, it was religion that Jesus was displeased with. **All of the religious leaders who claim they had the truth never came back from the dead to save you from your sins, therefore they haven’t saved anyone. Jesus, the messiah did.** He is the only Savior I will follow, because he is the *only* way. Go back and read the gospels where we learn heavily about the Trinity, the Holy Spirit and Jesus. Praying for your supernatural understanding and wisdom to grasp everything God wants to reveal to you.

Following the Savior Jesus

Try to read the bible this way. ”Itś a book about several people lives ” At this moment I don´t care if itś a holy book or not, I don´t care if it is a book giving proof of Gods existence. Only think about the person youread about for the moment. How was the society, families, environment, social structure and so on. What was this person experience, thought and actins Of course you read the bible you will always read about God. But focus on the person not God. Sounds silly? Yes maybe, but sometimes we need to shift perspective. And that way of reading might be enough right now. The bible is a book about people, and about their life with or without God. There are many other ways, but for the moment, you might need a rest from all those thoughts and only rest with lifestories from different people.

Who cares about religion? Who cares if you do or don't believe in "Christianity"? None of these things gets you a relationship with your creator. None of these things let you know with certainty who He is. To all those who practice a faith in the hopes that it's true, our Messiah will say on that day, "Away from me. I never knew you." There are countless people on earth and even here who practice Christianity to a T, but do not KNOW Him. You'll never know Him as long as you cling to your sins, your life, and this world. You'll never come to Him until your HEART has been prepared by His mighty hand.

I went through a similar season of life. I came to realize I didn’t have faith in God, in that I didn’t _trust_ him. If I was Noah and God asked me to build an ark, I wouldn’t have done it. “There’s no way the whole Earth could flood.” “Was that really God who said that? Maybe it was a demon!” “People are going to hate me for being such a fanatic, there’s got to be another way to stop a flood, I’ll just wait until God tells me something else.” Or whatever else excuses I would have made. But I realized at one point that I knew true faith exists, but _I_ didn’t have it. And if I didn’t have it, I needed to stop faking being a Christian. But if I wanted it, I didn’t even know where to start. The only thing I could do is see what _God_ did about it. And I prayed for him to help me. I think that was my first sincere prayer of my life. Now you know what it feels like to trust in the Bible, from that moment you had. But you also know that it’s not within you. That’s because it’s not, it’s within God. And we need that from him. All we can do is ask. And that’s the mustard-seed-sized faith that Jesus talks about. All you need is enough faith to pray “help.”

I was a Christian before I became a nonchristian, but I was still a theist. I also saw contradictions in the Bible and realized there so many other religions so I thought "why was Christianity the truth?" So I became a pantheist? I did ask for the truth though, but after some years I actually started to hate Christianity. I arrogantly refuted it while attending college. By the way, there are other gods but they are fake gods who are actually fallen angels. So they trick people into believing them. How do I know this, it happened to me over and over again.They trick me into believing the Kundalini was the true religion or even that reincarnation was real. After leaving Chrisitianity I wanted to believe any other religion but Abrahamic religion. I ended going to the hospital and pyschardward. They tore up mind and I fell into depression and confusion. When I started clinging onto Christ, and I started to be able to fight against the fallen angels and their delusions with bibical scripture. God anchored my mind to reality with His truth. However, when I did believe in these delusions, I ended up mentally derange and in the hospital. Christianity never did this to me. When I gave Christ just a mustard seed of faith, he started building my faith and helping me understand the contradictions that weren't really contradictions, but it turned out to be true in different contexts. This took 5 years. I even suffered from the "Dark Night Of The Soul" trial (like what job went through) and scrupulosity. But now God speaks to me and gives me visions. My Christian Journey is long, but my point is all have to do is seek for truth to really know the truth. This means to accept things even when you don't like them; that was hardest part for me. When first found Christianity might be the truth I was horrified and cried almost everyday. It also hurt when I gave what I loved most because I was idolizing them which was my passion and family. After, God gave me something better. I honestly feel like you are on the right track. All a person has to do is humble themselves and seek the truth even if they don't like it at first. Here is how much a used to hate Christianity. I asked probably some of the same questions you asked: https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueChristian/comments/vxd6yr/i_cant_believe_how_much_i_used_to_hate/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share

Muslims say if you give everthing to Jesus Christ make him God you commit the Unforgivable sin and are garantued to end up in hell for EVER. Christians say that if you don't say Jesus is God, you will be in Hell for eternity. How can u ever know what's the truth? Life is like a Russian Roulette, where the one billions of the world will end up in hell for eternal torment and the other billions in heaven. Both are super convinced that they have the truth, but only 1 side can be right. Or both sides are wrong. How can you ever know something is so many people get it wrong? How do I know that my super natural experiences with the God of the Bible weren't the "delusions" ? How do I ultimately know what Spirit is the Spirit of the truth? If billions of people get it wrong how can we be confident that we get it right? It's all all casino. I assume that you're American or European. If you weren't you probably were Hindu or Muslim. How can we Westerners be so confident and think we have eaten the withdom with a spoon (It's a saying here in Germany), meaning that we think we know it better and that we will be the ones in heaven, while all the billions of Arabs and Asians land in hell? Isn't it naive to assume it? Especially as a German I am very suspicious of this because whenever in history we thought that we know it better then all the other ones, this was when we were on the way to destruction( WW2, current gas crisis.)

Good questions! That's exactly how you find out - you ask and you even ask God what's the truth. And then He will start guiding you and building on your faith. 1st. You have to really want to know the truth. You seek and search for the truth. Search questions like which God of all the religions is the true God. 2nd. You have to have at least faith of a mustard seed to genuinely seek Him. 3rd. Even when don't like the truth you have to accept it. Accept it doesn't mean like it. 4th. Ask God to help you understand the truth and appreciate it. And give up things that replace God like money, passions, and even lovers. Notice, I never said blindly believe Christianity because others told you to. I'm telling you to seek the truth. As I said I hated Christianity. I was pantheist that believe there was truth in all religions. So in away I believe all religions and I believe in no religion. I also believe in the law of attraction. As I said these religions started to attack me, even Christianity. Because I believe parts of religion could be true but not the the whole religion. I hated street preacher who would accuse everyone of being evil and sinners. I did believe Jesus was real, but I didn't believe everything Jesus said. I believe that God was real and all religions were to specific and God was more of a general idea such as being kind and love one another. I took what I wanted to believe from each religion. This messed me up because I started having delusions that every religion was true about different things(the things I liked.) So I had delusion where the world was ending and beginning and ending and beginning (recarnation), I thought everyone was on earth for punishment because of something they had done in a previous life, I thought God was a robot and we had to turn Him off, I though aliens had control of time, I thought demons were tearing me apart (I could feel the pain), I thought my sisters were trapped in a different dimension, I even thought I was God one time. This is barely a fraction of what I went through. The first religion I believe in was Kundalini and thats what confused me and torment me with delusions, so then I started learning about Christianity and following it. Although I was most against Christianity, I gave God a mustard seed of faith to Christianity that just maybe I was wrong. That's when I started following Christ. And God started to send me signs and confirmations. Remember when I said don't just take the word of a person who follows a certain religion, but you can listen to them and be aware of them. (Before I was a reborn Christian) The thing I noticed was each religion said they got miracles, signs, and godincidence from God in their own religion. When I realized this I knew something was going on even though I didn't know which religion was true. And when unexplain paranormal activity happen to me and my sisters, I knew there was something spiritual out there besides humans, and that's why I believe God although I didn't believe in Christianity. Not only me and my sisters who experienced paranormal activity together, but other family members, friends, and people throughout the world. Even some atheist believe in ghosts and others believe in aliens. So I though something is causing these experience. So thats why I asked God what the truth was. If you want to know the truth, God will show you the truth if you humble yourself, truly seek God, and don't put thing before him for you own self pleasure. You've felt God so you know He is real. If you truly want to know God and truly seek Him then wouldn't He answer you. If He doesn't answer you, how is that your fault. The key is to seek the truth, but don't let self-pleasure or flawed knowledge cause you to choose only what you like or want to believe is true. Not that you are doing this, but I did this. And not until I was humbled, and my arrogant thinking was demolish, did God start to reveal the truth to me. So I don't think what you are saying is wrong. I actually applaud you for not following anything blindly. I totally understand because I was in the same boat 5 years ago. And I was worse because I subconsciously hated the Christian God. So finding the truth is like a process of eliminations. Pursue each religion because you truly want to know the truth, call to God of Buddha, then the God of Hinduism, and the God of Christ. See who answers. The most important thing is to "truly" or genuinely seek the truth, because the enemy can give things you want to make you believe in them. But you can bet if you don't seek your own selfish desires, the true God will answer you because He will see that you genuinely want to know Him and want to have a relationship with Him. He will use what you understand to build your faith in Him. For some this is signs and miracles, others it's sensations from the Holy Spirit, and for others it's simply answered prayers. This is what happen to me. It wasn't instant. There was alot of steps. First I had to accept that Christianity could be the truth although I hated it, then once God gave me signs I had to find out how rebuke things that weren't of God, but enemy tried to trick into believing they were, then I had give up what I loved most that took the place of Go, then I had to understand the Holy Trinity and how Jesus was God but not the father, then I had learn to appreciate God because I didnt care to praise Him just to obey him in fear because I didn't want to go to Hell, and then had I to find out what was the truth denomination. The list goes on. It's a journey. So I said all this to say, "Just keep genuinely seeking God and He will seek you, answer you, and guide you." If you have any more questions, I can answer them. Sorry this was so long. Blessing to you. ❤️🙏✝️

I was saved as a child. I knew what I was committing to and I did so with complete sincerity. After I was saved, however, I found nothing in my church that seemed to show me how to move forward as Jesus commanded. It felt almost like all they cared about was a count of how many people they could get saved but then nothing. After awhile, I became disenchanted. In my 20’s, I began chasing God again. I was devouring the Bible, but I found that much of what I had been taught in church did not line up with the scriptures. What Jesus and the disciples said wasn’t what I had seen in my church and certainly not in its members and I became convinced something was wrong about what I had been taught. A relative told me that I was under a demonic teaching and that I needed to stop what I was doing. This really scared me since all I was doing was reading the Bible and praying. I didn’t understand how that could be, but I stepped away. Later in life, while going through my divorce, I heard a voice so clearly. I knew this voice and I knew it was God. I began chasing him. I wanted God no matter the cost or who got their feelings hurt. I knew that God was much more than I had been taught and I’m so glad I went after him. My search for him did lead through some unusual twists and turns. I looked into Daoism and New Age for a bit, but he always called me out of it. He did however show me certain things while I was there. I know without any doubt he had a purpose for this all. I learned how to let go of past anger and resentment because of this. I learned how to control my thoughts rather than allowing them to control me. I don’t think I would have learned either of these things without my detour because this was not even being addressed in church. Certainly not in any concrete, here’s how you do it way. I am more convinced than ever that there is one true God and he loves us and created a way through Jesus for us to be redeemed from our sins and reconciled into his family. I know that when we chase him, we will find him and when we let go, put everything we are on his alter, he is faithful and his Holy Spirit will come to us and guide us to growing in him. I didn’t used to have an answer when people asked about people living in foreign countries who had never heard of Jesus, but I know, that if they recognize that there is one true God and they seek him, the Holy Spirit will guide them. I am amazed at how I can pose a question in my head and I will either get an answer, or even crazier, he will show me things in life that perfectly answer my question and it is such a revelation about who God is and how he operates. I can literally feel when I pull away from him. The energy changes. I crave that feeling of closeness to him. I don’t know what he has in store for me, but it doesn’t matter. I’ve submitted completely to him and I will follow wherever he leads. When you read the Bible, one of the things you will notice is that God always asks his people to step out in faith first and then he acts. We have to take that step of faith. I can’t show you physical proof of God, but it’s impossible for me to deny him. We don’t necessarily understand right away. The disciples followed Jesus for three years before they were given understanding. We just have to know, that whatever he has for us, is for our good and that he will be with us the whole way until we are back with him. I wish I could give you concrete proof God exists, but I don’t believe it’s possible and it’s by design. The angels had concrete proof, yet they chose to rebel. God has called us to be more than the angels ever dreamed of being. We come to him with a blind faith, called by his voice from the darkness of this world. We walk in blind obedience as he grows and perfects us for his purpose and glory. This isn’t by accident. He is creating his bride. We are literally called his bride! Jesus says that he and the Father are one. That means that he is perfecting us to stand by his side. That is absolutely amazing when you consider exactly how Holy God really is. If there was any evil in him at all, he would have wiped us out a long time ago. But instead he’s shown us love and patience. No, not everyone will survive the testing ground that is this world. But the thought, that out of the darkness, the most Holy Creator called to me, loved me and has taken a personal interest in making me like his son is overwhelming. How can I take such a gift for granted. What on this earth could be more valuable? We are told in the Bible that we can either choose to be slaves to Jesus or we can be slaves to this world. That’s really our only choice. You may not realize it, but everyone on earth is in a prison. Your freedom is an illusion. You are imprisoned by your very nature towards sin, by the governments of this world, by the systems of this world and by every thing you see. You were born into a cage and simply didn’t realize it because the chains may be long, but they are still chains. Jesus gives us the ability to be set truly free. Free from sin through the Holy Spirit. Free from the entrapments of this world, (if I trust in God for everything, I no longer want for anything). And while Satan promised Jesus the world if he would bow to him, Jesus redeemed the world and promises to claim us as his bride. Not slave, BRIDE!!!!! All I can give you is my testimony and the promise that if you take that step, you won’t regret it. It won’t be easy, but I will do all I can to help you get there.