Christians, can you convert me?

Question

First, I don't believe one single word of the bible. As a concerned christian it is your duty to help me see "the light". Without using any scriptures whatsoever...can you convert me? What else would you say to me? What would you stand upon? Where would/could you go in the conversation? No scriptures please (I've read them). Have you got anything inside that is real to share?

I should clarify......

I wanted to know if Christians could speak to an unbeliever without quoting scripture. It sounds like trained parrots to me. I wanted to know if there are christians who can share their heart....not commandments, nor threats of hellfire, nor John 3:16, but the meat of their personal beliefs without being condescending. What makes them stare into the face of proof otherwise and still believe, what drives them. How would they get around the brick wall of a non believer? Not to pick a fight, but to understand. It shouldn't be about a book...it should be about your relationship with your God. Would jesus still mean as much to you without the book?

IdahoMike did a pretty good job

Answer 1

Well.... in truth.... no one on the face of this world can save you.... that is not a mortal ability.... and given that you place such a restriction... i would think it might take an act of God to get your attention...but I will, as one of The Christian Faith make the following offer.

You will have to ignore the Bible referances... But it is about the God stuff you ask after all... and I do not want to have to rewrite just for you...

but you are invited to read my testimony of my first day of The Christian Faith... This will tell you why I "believe"... actualy I Know... If you are seriouse then this is my offer.... It is all I can offer given the restrictions you make.

this is a direct link to it. so you do not have to wade through all the rest of the God stuff to find it.

http://pages.zdnet.com/mikevanauken/mikesinternetoutreach/id109.html

All honest seekers welcome

ps: I did not even own a bible on the day of my Salvation...it was just God and me... no one else involved.

Answer 2

As others have suggested, you appear to have your mind made up. To deny that the Bible is true pretty much makes this an impasse. How could a mere mortal pick up such a challenge?

However, I would like to know WHY you do not believe "one single word of the Bible." Many scholars have stated excellent reasons why they did not to believe in parts of the Bible for centuries now. I don't think that is a bad thing at all. I confess that there are things about the Bible that I have a hard time interpreting, much less understanding.
Usually to disbelieve is a sign of intellectual curiosity and I should think that God would rather have you question what you don't understand. If, on the other hand, it is the rabid paranoia of secularism against someone suggesting rules of conduct, well I don't think there is much of a chance for the moment; God cannot answer anyone whose fist is raised against Him.

I hope you will forgive me for violating your rule against scripture, but you sound like someone who is intelligent and has read quite a bit. Mark 12:29  says, "And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
30  And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
31  And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

How do you find these wonderful words, the ones which Christians so often do not follow themselves, to be so wrong? If you say that it is because people who call themselves Christians do not practice what God says, then we are in agreement; just attending church and quoting Bible doesn't do anything. Is your lack of faith in God caused by God's actions or man's? I caution you only never to allow any person to stand between yourself and God.

Answer 3

I was converted without the use of scripture. In fact, the thing that held me at a distance from Christianity for the longest time was the use of scripture to scare people into accepting Christ. I could tell you about some of my personal expirences that I have had within the spirit world since I accepted Christ, or I could tell you about the changes I've seen in my life since I accepted Him. But none of these things would convert you. You say that you don't believe in a single word of the Bible. If this is the case, your have made your decision, to convert people they need to have an open mind. People who refuse to believe a word of the text have already closed there minds to the very idea of God, and therefore find it difficult to listen to Christians that do try to convert them, whether they use scripture or anything else.

Answer 4

Christianity is based on FAITH. You choose by FAITH to accept the Bible and ask Jesus to come into your heart. You apparently do not understand faith but only FACT as YOU see it. But what about "experience"....
I am a nurse and work on a busy Med/Surg floor where patients often die. As a person who has held the hand of many persons who have just taken their last breath--I can tell you there is more than just flesh and blood to the body. When a person dies there often is a feeling of either warmth or coldness that infiltrates the room. It either makes you feel peaceful or uneasy and it is easy to indentify in your spirit which you are feeling. Many of my friends who are nurses on my floor have different ways of trying to settle their thoughts and regroup when they experience an uneasy death with a patient. Some sing, others open the window, some pray, etc. So my question to you is--why does this phenomenon occur if there is not something more? Eternal life is often preached upon through scripture but if you put yourself in the right place I can assure you that you will see a true glimpse of the reality of eternity--- try @ the bedside of an individual like yourself who is dying of cancer and scared out of their mind with no church family or Bible in their room thoughout their hospitalization vs. the bedside of a patient with the same diagnosis who has surrounded themselves with their family and Pastor who have been praying for them fervently.... I can promise you that there will be a tangible difference in the way the room "feels" when a believer exits this Earth vs. a non-believer...

Answer 5

I doubt I'll convert you because the decision to follow Christ is usually the result of a long Journey and seeing the example of authentic Christians around you.

However there are arguments that don't use scripture but do make a reasonable argument for the existance of God and truth of Christianity.

One of the best arguments I've read is Mere Christianity by CS Lewis he was an Athiest who became a Christian and he dicusses how he came to his conclusion for my an intelectual none scriptual perspective.

For example his primary argument for the existance of God is that we all have a basic sense of right and wrong. Where good such a sense come from if not emmbded by a creator?

For me as far as choosing Christianity over other religions, every other religion I'm aware of is about fixing our selves by having our Good deeds out wheigh our bad deeds.

Christianity aknowledges that once we've done wrong we can't be perfect again without help.

That makes more sense to me.

Answer 6

Yep. It's common fact that the people of today are always searching for something. Take celebrities, for example. They have money, fame, adoration, popularity, friends, and so much more. Yet over and over you see them checking into rehab facilities, moving from unhealthy relationship to unhealthy relationship, and making statements about how the life of a celeb isn't all that it's cracked up to be. You'll often find that even when you get exactly what you want for Christmas or go on vacation for even longer than usual that you are empty. Why? Because you are trying to fill that space for God with the things of this world. It will never work. You think that you'll never want to become one of those "Jesus Freaks" but you don't really know how amazing life can be until you become one of them! :) It's like giving a starving person seeds to plant so that they will have a crop, and food for the rest of time, but they're so hungry that they just eat the seeds. Soon you'll be empty again. Soon you'll want more. But there's nothing for you.
If this doesn't convince you, then maybe my testimony will: When I was younger, I knew God, but I didn't really and truly know WHY I knew Him. Then my parents got divorced due to my father's drinking and drug addiction. I couldn't understand why God had put me there. That is, until I met one very close friend who was going through the exact same thing that I went through so many years ago. I was so blessed to be able to help her! I realized that I would not be happy if my parents were still together, and would probably not care very much about God, since my dad didn't. My dad would never pay child support, and my mom didn't have a very good job. But God was there. He brought my mom an amazing job that pays more than any job she could have gotten - and she works half time, so she can spend the rest of her time raising me. Then, our house, which we were renting, had to be sold. We couldn't buy it. I couldn't believe that God was taking me so far from my friends. Then, one of our friends offered to rent out his million dollar house with an ocean view. We now live closer to our family, her job, and our church. Of course, I knew no one. So I went on this trip with a youth group I barely knew....and i made several completely real and amazing friends who love God just as much as I do! This is my testimony....and I don't know if it helps at all, but it kind of shows why I believe. Because when I believe, amazing things happen in my life.

Answer 7

No one can "convert" you, only God can change a heart of stone to one of flesh. I could provide you pages of evidence for the creation, and you would probably reject it. I could point to the life of Jesus that was not only documented in Scripture, but also non- Scriptural writings, you would probably reject that as well, I could argue with you on philosophical grounds, and you wouldn't have ears to listen, and I could point to my own life as a testimony to the grace of God, and you would probably reject that as well. So, unless you are truly seeking and wanting to know God, you will remain closed. By saying you don't believe the Scriptures you not only call all the witnesses to the historical events that are documented liars, but God Himself. Sorry, your heart is hardened and there is nothing anyone here can do to change that. You have determined not to believe, so it is. I pray God will soften your heart and open your eyes to the truth.

Answer 8

No, I would never presume to dissuade you from you core beliefs, if any. I am not a missionary nor do I bear a Cristian cross as a personal burden requiring me to convert unbelievers. Without quoting scriptures, what makes you think that I have a duty to attempt to convert you?

Answer 9

Well, I wonder - can you teach me how to add and subtract without using any mathematical fundamentals? Can you teach me about history without using any text in the history books?
Can you teach me how to paint without using a paintbrush?

If you hate the Bible and don't believe in it, simply don't read it.
If you've already read the scriptures and decided for yourself, you've already made up your mind, right? Game over.

Christians are not members of a club, where they try to recruit people. The Bible commands God's people to spread the truth. If you are offended by hearing the message, consider God's law.

Answer 10

FAQ: What books are in the Word and what are apocrypha?


"The books of the Word are all those which have the internal sense; but those books which have not the internal sense, are not the Word. The books of the Word, in the Old Testament, are the five Books of Moses, the Book of Joshua, the Book of Judges, the two Books of Samuel, the two Books of Kings, the Psalms of David, the Prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi: and in the New Testament, the four Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John; and the Apocalypse. The rest have not the internal sense" (Arcana Coelestia n. 10325 or Heavenly Doctrine n. 266).





FAQ: Why different testaments and books in the Word?


"As regards the Word particularly, it has existed in every age, though not the Word we possess at the present day. Another Word existed in the Most Ancient Church before the Flood, and yet another Word in the Ancient Church after the Flood. Then came the Word written through Moses and the Prophets in the Jewish Church, and finally the Word written through the Evangelists in the new Church. The reason why the Word has existed in every age is that by means of the Word there is a communication between heaven and earth, and also that the Word deals with goodness and truth, by which a person is enabled to live in eternal happiness. In the internal sense therefore the Lord alone is the subject, for all goodness and truth are derived from Him" (Arcana Coelestia n. 2895).

From the Universal Theology of the New Jerusalem by Emanuel Swedenborg