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Ask a Christian Anything; We are here to clear up confussion
Topic Started: May 6 2015, 03:02 AM (3,107 Views)
KingJason001
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I have been going to seminary for a while, and Heyward is very knowledgeable as well. We want to answer any and all of your questions concerning the tenets and beliefs of Christianity: Who Christ is, why suffering exists, who God is, what is the nature of God, why Jesus had to die, is the Bible accurate, what does the Bible say, etc.

We want you to be comfortable with talking about Christianity, we will not try to argue our assert our beliefs upon you, we will just state them. Anything you want to ask, we will answer without judgement. If we don't hold up to our promises here, I am sorry.
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KingJason001
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are cuss words a sin

Yes.
Luke 6:45 "A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of."

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1( Why is God such a huge proponent of slavery in the Bible?
Spoiler: click to toggle

Were you a bondservant when called [or saved--my explanation]? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity. [this wasn't my words])

You also leave out a very crucial pat of the verse, especially from Colossians:
Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters,[g] not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.
So God tells them to obey their masters to show to their masters the salvation that they have found in Christ, so that their masters may be saved.
1 Timothy 6:1-2 "Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved."
Anyway, God doesn't support slavery as with like what America did to Africans. Bond servants are what Israel had, they are different from the slaves of America and what we think of, they were not held as bondservants indefinitely--they had many chances to leave their masters (in fact every 6 years the Bible speaks of giving your servants the opportunity to be free). The Bible also speaks against mistreating your bondservant.



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2( Why do Christians get divorced at the same rate as non-Christians?

Because most "christians" are not Christ followers. They are not REAL Christians.


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3( Why would Jesus want you to eat his body and drink his blood?

This is not supposed to be taken literally. It is symbolic of how he offered us his body and his blood. He willingly had his body broken and blood poured out from his body so that we could gain freedom from the weight and depth of sin. The cross fulfilled this promise, and we eat breed and drink wine (often grape juice lol) to remember that his body was literally broken, as the bread was broken and his blood was poured out, as the wine was poured out. Eating it symbolizes that we accept his sacrifice for us--which is why only believers should ever take communion.


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4( How is it that the bible explains the earth to be 6000 to 8000
years old when we know that dinosaur bones are at least 65 million years old?

The Bible never confirms nor endorses this, as a preface. But here, if you ever have the time or are in fact really interested in the answer to this question. watch this:



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5( God wants everyone to worship and follow him
and if they don't, they burn in hell for all eternity.
What does this type of attitude say about his
character? By definition, he would be described as a tyrant.

This type of attitude says that he is just in the way he judges. He is totally correct and good in judging us as people who deserve condemnation. The creator tells the created what to do, and the created should not disobey. Read this Bible passage:
This is Paul after he's explained that God chooses who he wants to save and who he wants to condemn:
"14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.

19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” 20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— 24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?"

All have sinned and fall short of being perfect, do you agree? God calls for perfection--because we have been created in his image. If we are not perfect we are muddying the image of God--we are blaspheming him. No one can be perfect, I'm not saying that you have to be, but that's what God expects. It is because of this that he punishes us--because we have brought shame on the image of God, we have shamed the creator. But there is hope, because the same creator also offers a way to be saved from his wrath--through his son--and his sacrifice.



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6( Does God have free will?

Yes: Psalm 115:3 "Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases."


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7( If God told you to water your cactus with
microwaved water, would you do it?

Why would he ever ask me to do that? But if he did, yes I would.


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8( If a hundred different religions have to be wrong
for yours to be right, does this show that people from
all over the world like to invent gods that don't exist?

Yep.


I'll be back later to answer the rest of your questions. I have to go.
Edited by KingJason001, May 10 2015, 05:52 PM.
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Finny
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So what makes your God real as opposed to other gods? Such as Allah or Greek gods.
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KingJason001
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9( If your parents had belonged to a different religion,
do you think you would belong to that religion too?

I think I would be raised into that religion but convert to Christianity at some point in my life, only because of the sheer fact that God cannot fail in saving the people he predestined for grace.


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10( If people from the five major religions are each told
conflicting information by their respective gods,
should any of them be believed?

The truth should be believed.


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11( How can you tell the voice of God from the voice of the Devil?

John 10:27, "My sheep (followers) hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me."
The same way I know my best friend apart from his twin brother, (my best friend has a twin brother, and I can always tell them apart.)



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12( If God told you to kill an Atheist, would you?

He wouldn't tell me to do that. In the Old Testament times, there were strict laws concerning this type of thing because God could not dwell with a nation who would condone this behavior. In the New Testament era, which is now, he offers forgiveness through Christ. And you have to remember that those laws only applied within the nation of Israel--they could not do so with an outsider. Such is the same today--Church discipline is important. If a believer goes astray the church/pastor should discipline him, not by force or beating, but my out-casting them from the community of the church. This can be found in Matthew 18.


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13( When an Atheist is kind and charitable out of the kindness
of his heart, is his behavior more or less commendable than a
religious man who does it because God instructed him to?

Isaiah 64:6, "We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away." Our good deeds do not earn us any merit in heaven, apart from Christ. They are not less commendable, they just don't count for anything--because that person still sins. All the righteousness of men cannot even come close to covering a speck of sin in someone's heart--but the righteousness of God can wash it clean.


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14( If you are against the Crusades and the Inquisition,
would you have been burned alive as a heretic during those events?

Probably.
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16( Do animals need "god-given" morality to understand how to care
for their young, co-operate within a pack, or feel anguish at the loss
of a companion? Why do we?

Animals do not understand death. They don't act on morality, but the God-given instinct. So this makes your question pretty confusing.


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15( If humans declared fire to be
a miracle thousands of years ago, would we still be huddling
together in caves while we wait for God to
fire another lightning bolt into the forest?

Nah, probably not.
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17( Should an instruction to convert to your religion upon the threat
of eternal torture in hell be met with anything other than hostility?

Yes, repentance.


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18(Can a mass murderer go to heaven for accepting your religion,
while a kind doctor goes to hell for not?

Yes. See my answer for question #13.


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19( Can God make a rock so big that he can't lift it?

I've already answered this previously.
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20( What about people who have never
heard even the name of Jesus?

It's sad, but they will go to hell. Which is why missions is extremely important. But you have to remember, the human heart is inclined to sin, and deserves punishment. We never deserved heaven to begin with. It is from the outpouring of God's love that he even offered us this gift. We did not deserve Christ, we deserved what Christ was given--punishment and the wrath of God.
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Heyward
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Finny
May 10 2015, 07:02 PM
So what makes your God real as opposed to other gods? Such as Allah or Greek gods.
Allah is a bit of a reworking of the God of the bible. Some actually claim that they're the same, but there are multiple key differences in scripture. The Quran claims to be the only unadulterated scripture from God when it is, in fact, furthest from the source material of the three Abrahamic religions. For more information on Islam refer to this thread. We believe the bible is unaltered from its original state and that the New Testament teachings support and fulfill what is written in the Old Testament, making it a reliable foundation.

The God of the bible, Yahweh, is the oldest, and longest consistently worshiped God in human history. Other gods such as the pantheons of Egypt or Canaan have been forgotten. But the bible remains a lasting influence on the world with its original message in tact and available to people all across the world.
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Cirno

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Are praying mantises god's messengers?
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LadySylvanas
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What if a Fallen Angel performs successive acts of repeated "Good", are they redeemable?
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Heyward
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LadySylvanas
May 14 2015, 03:17 PM
What if a Fallen Angel performs successive acts of repeated "Good", are they redeemable?
No. If a human does the same the answer is still no.

We are able to be redeemed from our sins because of the sacrifice God made for us. As far as we know, such a provision was not made for fallen angels therefore they are not redeemable.
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RudeStyle
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what is the relationship between god and satan?
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Heyward
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Lucifer
May 14 2015, 07:42 PM
what is the relationship between god and satan?
God is Satan's creator. Satan isn't capable of any power beyond what God allows him.
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KingJason001
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what is the relationship between god and satan?


Satan was created‏

With his future of rebellion in mind‏

God knew he would rebel‏

And according to his redemptive plan, caused him to rebel‏

Satan wanted to be God‏

He saw that God was sovereign over everything, and hated him for it‏

He envied his creator and planned to start war‏

God banished him from heaven‏

and he tempted Adam and Eve‏

And God promised to him that he would be cursed, the worst curse between the three curses.

"I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.'" Genesis 3:15

Satan is a despicable being‏

He lies, kills, steals, and destroys everything good.‏

God is allowing him to do so.‏

Everything Satan does, is because God wills it.‏

Satan has no power apart from the power God granted him in this current age.‏

In due time, God will take away that power, and like all evil, God will throw him into the lake of fire, or the second hell‏.

He is the means for the glorification of Christ. As is everything created. As in he serves the purpose of being the cause of the fall and the reason redemption is needed.
Edited by KingJason001, May 15 2015, 08:27 PM.
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