Faith is believing in something you know can't be
ME: Why do non-believers have to go to hell?
FRIEND: Because actually all humans are sinners. After what Adam and Eve did, death is what awaits all mankind. God wanted to wipe out all humans to recreate the world again but in his grace he sent his son Jesus Christ down to earth. Actually all humans are supposed to die, meaning go to hell. But by grace, those that believe in his Son which is actually also him will be saved. Believing in Jesus is the only way one can be saved. It's sorta like a bridge.
ME: What if you don't believe in christinaity and god and all that in the first place?
FRIEND: That's the thing. You know about Jesus? It's just that some choose not to believe. God gave us a choice, and he didnt force us to believe in him. But if we open up a way and ask for him to enter u will experience him very realistically and u will have no doubt he exists. The devil has created a million and one reasons to keep us away from God; only by giving youself a chance and opening the door for God to enter will you be able to understand why it is so real for Christians.
ME: Do you really believe in God and the Devil?
FRIEND: Yeah. I've experienced it very realistically.Its very hard to explain how u know its true unless u've really experienced it first hand, but if u sincerely ask for God to enter your life you will see the difference. Its not really a feeling... sort of beyond feeling.
ME: Nah. I dont believe in God. I'd rather run the risk of going to hell than believe in him.
When people say such things to me I usually become very upset, angry, agitated, frustrated. I feel like shaking the person to his senses but I know that would be a futile act because christians are, by default, by grace of the god they belief, very obstinate people. My inability to show them the proper path further intensifies my feelings of anger and frustration, and so I usually end up pacing the room thinking very furious thoughts. After some time I would calm down and say something that would be indicative of a non-aggression pact, like for example: You can believe in what you like, and I'll believe in what I like. There's no point in arguing further; after which I would re-affirm my stand over theirs by quoting a line like this:
Faith is believing in something you know can't be. - Huckleberry Finn
By the way, the words in bold are very very terrible things to say. Only a christian can say things like that without feeling emotionally, morally, or rationally wrong. I personally find it very rude and presumptious of them to say those kind of things, but I must not get all worked up again.
FRIEND: Because actually all humans are sinners. After what Adam and Eve did, death is what awaits all mankind. God wanted to wipe out all humans to recreate the world again but in his grace he sent his son Jesus Christ down to earth. Actually all humans are supposed to die, meaning go to hell. But by grace, those that believe in his Son which is actually also him will be saved. Believing in Jesus is the only way one can be saved. It's sorta like a bridge.
ME: What if you don't believe in christinaity and god and all that in the first place?
FRIEND: That's the thing. You know about Jesus? It's just that some choose not to believe. God gave us a choice, and he didnt force us to believe in him. But if we open up a way and ask for him to enter u will experience him very realistically and u will have no doubt he exists. The devil has created a million and one reasons to keep us away from God; only by giving youself a chance and opening the door for God to enter will you be able to understand why it is so real for Christians.
ME: Do you really believe in God and the Devil?
FRIEND: Yeah. I've experienced it very realistically.Its very hard to explain how u know its true unless u've really experienced it first hand, but if u sincerely ask for God to enter your life you will see the difference. Its not really a feeling... sort of beyond feeling.
ME: Nah. I dont believe in God. I'd rather run the risk of going to hell than believe in him.
When people say such things to me I usually become very upset, angry, agitated, frustrated. I feel like shaking the person to his senses but I know that would be a futile act because christians are, by default, by grace of the god they belief, very obstinate people. My inability to show them the proper path further intensifies my feelings of anger and frustration, and so I usually end up pacing the room thinking very furious thoughts. After some time I would calm down and say something that would be indicative of a non-aggression pact, like for example: You can believe in what you like, and I'll believe in what I like. There's no point in arguing further; after which I would re-affirm my stand over theirs by quoting a line like this:
Faith is believing in something you know can't be. - Huckleberry Finn
By the way, the words in bold are very very terrible things to say. Only a christian can say things like that without feeling emotionally, morally, or rationally wrong. I personally find it very rude and presumptious of them to say those kind of things, but I must not get all worked up again.
5 Comments:
I generally get the feeling from listening to the story that:
1) Humans are products of a scientific experiment gone wrong, and the scientist wants to destroy everything and start again.
2) Of course, there's no compensation fee for us going wrong, and we actually have to 'go to hell' for having gone wrong (I presume hell is created by the scientist also, specifically for 'rejected experiments').
3) To redeem yourself for something that's not entirely your fault (the devil did seduce us right? Why not go after him?!), you have to acknowledge the scientist as your master.
Feels like a sadistic catbert punt.
Aquila
P.S. we sinned cause we ate an apple that gave us knowledge...
Is that such a bad thing? (do you really want to stay ignorant and walk around naked?)
hmm I sometimes feel you carry this whole issue about Christianity too far...
Well, if you do understand that both sides can't see the other's view, you should also start to accept it as well. That is the approach I take and I believe their philosophy wouldn't really bother you once you've really accepted this difference.
Honestly, you should just tell any Christians around you to never touch on that subject rather than to cajole them into the subject and then lambast them about their religion.
It's not really healthy for either side.
I do not believe in Christianity myself but I do find that the amount of faith they can bring up to convince themselves of their salvation to be respectable at times. It's not a matter of whether they're right or not, but rather whether they can find peace with themselves or not. Granted they should not go around trying every means to convert everyone, but that is an issue you'll need to address as much as well as them.
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sounds arrogant and sadistic to me. God wanted to wipe out mankind, but on second thoughts, He decided, "Nooo, where's the fun in that?" And so He sent His precious son Jesus down to Earth, and delivered an ultimatum that has since resonated for 2000 years, "Hey, people, you must believe in my son Jesus, OK? Because if you don't believe in him, it means you don't believe in me, and as punishment, you GO TO HELL!" (Evil laughter in the background.)
If He had wiped us out and created us again, we would have begun on a pure and clean slate, and He would have no opportunity to threaten us with the notion of going to Hell. But NOOO, he decided to let us continue carrying our 'sin', while at the same time behave very magnanimously by sending His son to absolve us from sin, with only one condition - that we acknowledge Him. He says kindly in an avuncular manner, "I give you free will, so it is entirely up to you whether you want to believe in me." When what he really means is (while still smiling gently at you), "You can have free will at the risk of going to Hell." Why didn't He just opt for something more simple - just annihilate mankind and create us again (maybe He's too lazy to, which means He's guilty of one of the famous seven sins, i.e., sloth), so that we'll be sinless, and He won't have to send his own son to death for the sake of Man's 'salvation'?
Maybe He just gets a kick out of threating us by saying, "You'll go to Hell if you don't believe in me!" And see all of us whimper like cowards, running to our own mothers.
It is indeed frustrating trying to make the other party see things from your point of view. I think when the mind dwells not in rational thought but in faith, one would naturally be blind to the other side.
Post a Comment
<< Home