Yeah, sorry it took so long to put it together.
From: Justin
Date: Apr 16, 2007 11:30 PM
have i read the Qu’ran? nope. not a single page. but it doesn’t matter, it’s one religion among many. i’m trying to get you to see how it feels when you try to push a religion on someone (and expect them to never stop investigating until they give in to the religion).
so i’m still a Christian? how convenient for you. then i guess i’ve fulfilled my duty. i guess you don’t have to read the Qu’ran after all. *glares* you tried to trick me just now, huh.
From: Corinne
Date: Apr 16, 2007 11:43 PM
You think I tricked you? No indeed. I was simply trying to make a point that you can claim to have been something when in reality you were not. Or you can claim to be something when you are not.
You saying that it doesnt mater whether you have read the Qu’ran can mean the same for me then. Why do I have to read the Qu’ran and try to convert? I believe the bible is the truth, Jesus is the way. bottom line. therefore based on your reasoning, I myself do not need to read the Q’ran either. And I am telling you that Christianity is not a religion, it is a relationship (call it bs if you desire). But I do not live my walk with Jesus Christ as though I were bound in chains and living under a cloud of judgment,. I live with joy and hope. I wake up every day with excitement about what God has planned for me that day. Believing in Him gives me a hope for the future. that life truly has meaning and that the truth is NOTrelative.
And I have not tried to push Christianity on you. Nor was I trying to offend or make you feel inferior because you choose to be a relativist (whatever that means). I was trying to give you the reasons or evidenses as to why I have chosen to remain a Christian.
i once admired you Justin in many many ways. I am sad to have been let down. :’-(
From: Justin
Date: Apr 16, 2007 11:57 PM
i’m sorry i let you down. but no one ever said that the truth (whatever it is) HAD to feel good. i feel let down by the church. i think i have extraordinarily good reasons NOT to be a Christian.
i’ve spent my whole life investigating the Bible, trying to find an answer; hope; promises; “the bright side of things”…………….. it’s a joke.
From: Corinne
Date: Apr 17, 2007 12:06 AM
And no you are right, I do not understand what that is like But hear me out when I say that just because bad things happen to us that that means the bible is a joke or that God is not real or that he does not care. Take for instance the story of Job ( i am sure you are familiar). He loved God, served God, trusted God, followed God. But what happened? God allowed Satan to kill off his kids and servants, inflict him with boils and make him the laughingstock of his friends. You might say Where is God in all of this? why would he allow this to happen?
Justin, lad there are many reasons for this. One being of course because we sin-pure and simple. two being, God wants to test our faith. He is not the CAUSER of our sufferings, but he allows them to take place to help us grow stronger to teach us. to help grow wiser. If bad things did not happen how would be learn. how would we know how to deal with them. And sometimes he uses people with these kinds of problems to show us things. I know a kid with a rare disease (only 1 in 3 people in the world have it) he is 16 years old and he has the body size of a two year old. Not kidding. But yet he is a strong Christian, loves to sing, and got to meet The president of the United States. I dont say this to try to make the situation with your brother seem like it isnt a big deal or that it is a crisis, but I say it in love and care for you as a person.
Maybe the church you went to never had the answer you sought. But that doesnt mean that the entire body of christ (that being the church) does not. or does not offer open arms to you when you need it most.
From: Justin
Date: Apr 17, 2007 12:15 AM
i’ve heard this before, and i’d be a fool to pass over the story of Job. i promise, i already know it. i understand the underlying message too.
it’s still bullshit though (pardon the language). God, if he is real, can do whatever the hell he wants to teach me something, EXCEPT WHEN IT’S AT SOMEONE ELSE’S EXPENSE.
by the way, Mrs. Gordon had to correct me once about the nature of God, apparently. she told me it says in the New Testament (somewhere) that God does NOT test our faith.
no, no, i assure you, the church i went to was a very good one (despite my current stance), i will give it that. they tought us to be intellectuals.
From: Corinne
Date: Apr 17, 2007 12:22 AM
Justin, its really hard knowing what to say to you. I know you are hurt and angry and resentful, and I wish I could say I have all the answers. But I dont. I am human and I only know so much (as do you) But I can say a few things more. My brother was diagnosed with bipolar last summer. I remember how weird he started acting, like he was doing meth or something. It was so weird how we could never understand what he was talking about and he would have delusions. I could point the finger at God and say: “Why did you do this to Winston?!!!” or I could say, God has a plan and a purpose. He will use this in a beatiful way despite how horrific it may seem. its funny that you said “God can do whatever the hell he wants.” thats kind of an oxymoron. God and hell ya know? lol
I may have phrased the “God testing our faith part.” God himself does not test our faith, but yet He allows certain obstacles to come our way to test it, if that makes sense. Good old Mrs. Gordon. she was crazy. I think she threw a stapler at a kid one time..
From: Justin
Date: Apr 17, 2007 12:30 AM
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Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: THE GOD DEBATE- Real or not?
Body: she totally did. talk about evidence. i was there when it happened. she threw it at Phillip George, but he ducked and it ended up hitting Ashley Perez. if she had ducked, it would have hit ME because i sat right behind her.
sorry about your brother.
i don’t blame God for [how things are].
thanks for the talk. i’ve got to go though. i need to study, and eat, and etc.
From: Corinne
Date: Apr 17, 2007 5:47 PM
the wind is a good example of the existence of God. (you have probably heard this before) Can you see wind? nope. But you see what the wind does and causes. Same story with God. How can you explain why people go to third world countries to preach the gospel? How can you figure out people such as Billy Grahamn and the rest? What could be motivating them to do as they do? What do they have to gain from what they do? If Christianity is real, why dont people just stop with merely “believing in God”? My only answer is the conviction of the holy spirit.
From: Justin
Date: Apr 17, 2007 7:02 PM
the wind is invisible, yes. but the wind DOES have extention. the elves do not (they are totally spiritual) you can feel the wind with your face if it blows on you. the elves are not merely invisible. they cannot be sensed by any physical means (which the wind can).
the wind is a horrible example of the existance of God. sorry.
how do i explain why people [seemingly] selflessly go and preach when they don’t have to? simple: they’re scared that their life has no meaning, and they want to fill that void with ideas of promises of hope, blessings, and a life after death. people lie to themselves more often than they think. they repress their own fears (which are the REAL driving force) and call it the Holy Spirit to make themselves feel as if they’re not crazy.
they feel the need to preach to other people because of some bastardized sympathy they have; they instill their own fears onto other people (though it seems like most people have the same ultimate fears anyway.)