Christianity Questions? Bring 'Em On!

[mario-man]

ok Eor, honestly, I'm not sure about that one yet. If you would have asked me 7-8 months ago, it would have been a complete negative answer. BUT, a similar process that I described before is taking place in my mind at the moment.

 

[Schweppes]

Did God have a choice in the creation of the universe?

 

[mario-man]

absolutely yes!!

 

[Gamer4Fire]

As for the thing about egypt I was looking into that, and I found this on the internet. Seems to explain it pretty well.

http://radaractive.blogspot.com/2006/12/ezekiel-29-bible-prophecy.html

As for the thing about tyre..

http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/254
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyre_(Lebanon)

I really appreciate you asking these questions though, I have not really got real deep into the prophetic books, and i'm glad that I did.

Are you trying to answer those questions now? I don't understand how those links answer the questions. For the Egyptian question simply declaring loudly, "It is poetry and not to be taken as prophecy," is a cop out, not an answer. And outright changing the Tyre prophecy from "the city will be destroyed and not be inhabited or rebuilt," to "it will not be important anymore," is dishonest. You cannot change the passage which is very specific to say something else because you don't like what actually happened.

 

[Jellybelly]

How come there are so many different creations stories that contradict each other? Was it because in ye olden days religions/peoples were so cut off from one another that they didn't realise that each of them made a different creation story?

See that to me is another nail in the coffin for religion. On one side of the earth (east) someone was preaching one thing and on the other side of the earth (west) someone was preaching another. Surely you can't be reincarnated and go to heaven? Which ones right?

 

[Cubemario]

The city of tyre as it was, no longer exists. The people who originally were wicked and evil were driven out and conquered over time. THAT city no longer exists. Just because there's a town there with the same name, doesn't make it the same city. Nothing dishonest about it, the prophecy is all quite clear if you actually do some research and have some experience.

You clearly don't have much of an understanding of biblical prophecy. Of course you are not going to understand how those links answer the questions, you don't have experience when it comes to reading the bible and rightly dividing the word of truth.

That link doesn't say that it's poetry and not to be taken as prophecy AT ALL. I thought it made it pretty clear. Ever heard of figurative language? Much poetry uses it. Example..

He broke my heart (wow, he broke her heart, wow did he manage that, with a knife?)
Every piece, shattered (how do you shatter a heart? It's not made out of glass)
All I wanted was his love
Real, as he promised
True, as mine for him
But he walked away
Right in the middle of paradise (what paradise was this, and where can I find it, i'd like to take a vacation there)
Every beat of my heart
Aches for his love (but I thought he broke your heart, how could it still be beating and aching?)
Keeping the flame aglow
I will wait by the light
Never losing the hope
God will send him back to me

The poem is quite easy to understand when you don't take every word literally, if you do that, it doesn't really make much sense does it. Many people don't understand biblical prophecy because they don't know how to read it properly and don't understand the context of it and you also need to know who is being addressed in the prophecy. Then there is some biblical prophecy that doesn't make sense until something is invented or discovered.

Example

"And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves."

Many people were confused how people from all over the world will see these dead bodies. Then television came and that part of prophecy started making a lot of a sense.

Hopefully now, you'll understand. If you choose to read everything in the bible literally, not pay attention to who is being being spoken to, your going to find a lot of contradictions that wouldn't be there if you knew how to read it properly.

Oh and to the other guy..

"How come there are so many different creations stories that contradict each other? Was it because in ye olden days religions/peoples were so cut off from one another that they didn't realise that each of them made a different creation story?"

Not to be rude or anything, but this is a no brainer. You even kind of answered your own question. Right here "because in ye olden days religions/peoples were so cut off from one another that they didn't realise that each of them made a different creation story".

How can we tell who is right and who is wrong? I can tell by multiple ways. I see them by their works, I have taken the bible as truth and apply it in my life and I see results, and I have a personal relationship with God that manifests itself on a daily basis.

 

[Jellybelly]

"How come there are so many different creations stories that contradict each other? Was it because in ye olden days religions/peoples were so cut off from one another that they didn't realise that each of them made a different creation story?"

Not to be rude or anything, but this is a no brainer. You even kind of answered your own question. Right here "because in ye olden days religions/peoples were so cut off from one another that they didn't realise that each of them made a different creation story".

How can we tell who is right and who is wrong? I can tell by multiple ways. I see them by their works, I have taken the bible as truth and apply it in my life and I see results, and I have a personal relationship with God that manifests itself on a daily basis.

I did answer my own question, to prove that no one religion is right because each have there own foundation and basis for faith. Buddhists believe completey in reincarnation while on the other side of the world christians were preaching heaven and hell. Do they both exist? How is it possible if they do? And if they don't which ones right?

 

[Igneous42]

Jewish is not a race, it's a religion. Hebrew is the race. There are white, black, hispanic, etc Jewish people. I want to know if Jesus was white or black according to your teachings, because leaving in Israel, look at most Israelis, they were not white at all, but quite dark.

You can be a Jew by birth but not by religion. In fact my youth pastor is half Jewish yet he's the strongest Christian I know. As for the color it would look probably a lot like someone from the middle east. He's definitely not white like they always portray him in kids movies and stuff.

I did answer my own question, to prove that no one religion is right because each have there own foundation and basis for faith. Buddhists believe completey in reincarnation while on the other side of the world christians were preaching heaven and hell. Do they both exist? How is it possible if they do? And if they don't which ones right?

Until the world ends no one religion or belief system can be proven 100% right or wrong. there are always thing that we can't see or things we can understand. If one religion was proven beyond the shadow of a doubt right then everyone would believe it. A person has to make the choice of which religion, if any, they follow themselves.

I have been a Christian all my life and I have studied the bible and I know why I believe what I do.

 

[Gamer4Fire]

The city of tyre as it was, no longer exists. The people who originally were wicked and evil were driven out and conquered over time. THAT city no longer exists. Just because there's a town there with the same name, doesn't make it the same city. Nothing dishonest about it, the prophecy is all quite clear if you actually do some research and have some experience.

You clearly don't have much of an understanding of biblical prophecy. Of course you are not going to understand how those links answer the questions, you don't have experience when it comes to reading the bible and rightly dividing the word of truth.

That link doesn't say that it's poetry and not to be taken as prophecy AT ALL. I thought it made it pretty clear. Ever heard of figurative language? Much poetry uses it. Example..

19For thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall make thee a desolate city, like the cities that are not inhabited; when I shall bring up the deep upon thee, and great waters shall cover thee;

20When I shall bring thee down with them that descend into the pit, with the people of old time, and shall set thee in the low parts of the earth, in places desolate of old, with them that go down to the pit, that thou be not inhabited; and I shall set glory in the land of the living;

21I will make thee a terror, and thou shalt be no more: though thou be sought for, yet shalt thou never be found again, saith the Lord GOD.

Even as "figurative speech" the meaning is quite clear. Tyre will be utterly destroyed, uninhabitable, a "terror" that will be sought after but never again found. Tyre still exist, it is habitable, people live there. You lose.

And I will assume that you concede the Egyptian prophecy as false, since you decided not to defend it.

 

[NeroKiks]

Just an update guys, I've got 2 pastors and and the men's leader of my church looking at the questions that I printed, now i'm just waiting on them to get back to me.

I'll also get some more questions from here and take them to them as soon as they get back to me.

Also, I'm loving all of the discussing that you all are doing, and I'm really happy that everyone is respecting each other. I guess what I'm trying to say is it's nice to see nice people. =)

 

[Matt]

My question was super serious, guys. I can't believe I was ignored. ='(

I'm closing this topic because my feelings are hurt.

Also because it's pointless. Those of you with any sense will agree with this.

 

[Hiemie]

HEY!

I was gonna close this.

Also, Matt, What's with all the religion topics in here? Nothing against it, but they always turn out badly.

 

[Matt]

Right, they're all fated similarly: Skippy Bojangles declares his love for Christianity and makes a thinly veiled attempt at converting people, then Bitter McMuffinface comes along and declares his undying hatred for religion. The two argue ad infinitum. Hilarity ensues.