Question to Christians?

Question

This is something I have seen both when I was a Christian and as a non-Christian. Assumptions about a person's faith and actual background.

I asked a question about where the idea of Christians only be able to understand the bible came from. The assumptions:

A person told me this and cost me my faith

That I only read the bible to disprove it

I was never in a relationship with Jesus any way

I pick and choose what I want to believe in

I must have read the JW bible (I have never in my life read this)

When I lost my faith, it wasn't because I was trying. I read the bible and really studied it, asking for God's help so that I could understand my faith. The last thing I expected to do was lose it.

I also had a close and personal relationship with Jesus.

So why does it seem impossible to just answer a question without assuming about the asker? What is the reason for this? Why must my personal background be such a intergal part of answering a neutral question

"If you had such a close and personal relationship w/ Jesus, why is it that you lost faith in Him? He is faithful. I'm willing to bet my life, that if you go back to Him - earnestly and w/ all your heart - you'll realize how wrong you were in leaving Him. Think about it. Were you TRULY seeking Him? Or were you simply looking to disprove atheists and in the process lost your faith as well? You know the answer."

No - I truly did have a personal relationship with Jesus. And I wanted to grow in my faith. I have no real interest in atheist. Never had, never will.

I never even mentioned them in my question. Another amazing addition.

Answer 1

The questioner explicitly notes that she has never read what she calls "the JW bible"; perhaps she should be encouraged to do so as part of learning their teachings on the bible...

More than 145 million copies of "New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures" have been distributed in dozens of languages.
http://watchtower.org/languages.htm

The entire text of NWT is freely available at the official website of Jehovah's Witnesses, and a personal printed copy can be requested at no charge:
http://watchtower.org/bible/
https://watch002.securesites.net/contact/submit.htm
http://watchtower.org/how_to_contact_us.htm


Jehovah's Witnesses certainly like NWT, but they are happy to use any translation which an interested person may prefer, and in fact Jehovah's Witnesses themselves distribute other translations besides NWT. Jehovah's Witnesses attach no particular infallibility or inspiration to NWT.

Since the same manuscripts used by the NWT translators are still widely available for study, and since there are dozens of alternate translations for comparison, anyone who chooses to use NWT does so informedly.

It seems that the vast majority of the criticism against the New World Translation is actually as a proxy for blind hatred against Jehovah's Witnesses. The hatred must be "blind" since secular experts of biblical Hebrew and Greek have consistently refused to condemn any particular verse or phrase as an unacceptable translation. Instead, it is religionists with preconceived theologies who bigotedly insist upon particular wordings, since these are necessary to prop up the shakey tenets of their false worship.

(2 Timothy 4:3-5) For there will be a period of time when they will not put up with the healthful teaching, but, in accord with their own desires, they will accumulate teachers for themselves to have their ears tickled; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, whereas they will be turned aside to false stories. You, though, keep your senses in all things, suffer evil, do the work of an evangelizer, fully accomplish your ministry.

It seems signficant that the relatively small religion of Jehovah's Witnesses are the ones best known for their worldwide preaching work. Yet Jesus commanded that ALL who would call themselves "Christian" perform this public work:

(Matthew 28:19,20) Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you. And, look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.

Answer 2

Why would you be accused of reading the Bible only to disprove it? I have a friend and if asked by her I would tell her the same thing. It has not enriched her life at all. She uses the knowledge to disprove its validity. And takes what she has learned and watches for faults in others and rubs that knowledge in their face.

A true relationships binds people together during the rough times. In fact it is the rough times that strengthens the bonds. If you had a true relationship with Christ you could not have turned you r back on Him because of what someone said about you.
When I first came to Christ I did so because I didn't want to go to hell. As I study my Bible I gradually joined God in a relationship that gets stronger and stronger.

Again why would you be told you pick and choose what you want to believe in. Was it becaue you 2 wern't spiritually compadable, or was it because you actually did pick and choose and your friend here noticed and told you.

Some one said you must have read the JW Bible. Why would that cause you to turn from God? I have read the JW Bible. I see no curse in it. I am not JW, but I wanted to see what was in it. If some one were to confront me on the matter I wouldn't be upset enough to leave my faith. I wouldn't be upset at all.

I used to study the Bible from the time I was about 12 yrs. It wasn't until I was 26 that I finally started to gain understanding. It is hard to loose something you have secured. It was not the outside interference that caused you to loose faith. You just gave up because someone didn't agree with you. Faith is your struggle no one can take it from you or give you more. God is your only support and power. Not man. I don't believe your faith is lost, I believe it is weak and because of that you feel defeated. Happened to me once about 15 yrs ago.

Why do you worry so about a nother persons view. God is the one you should concentrate on. If you were beginning a relationship with God then reclaim it and start to pick up where you left off. look past human imperfections and look to God's perfecting power for your life.

Another thing. I eventually learned to meditate a little on someones critism of me to see if I could see a fault, and I also take those thing straight to God. Ask Him to let you know and see what part you have played in it all. This can be a very positive thing.

I do hope all works out well for you spiritually now and in your future

Answer 3

I just have one question for you.....

If you had such a close and personal relationship w/ Jesus, why is it that you lost faith in Him? He is faithful. I'm willing to bet my life, that if you go back to Him - earnestly and w/ all your heart - you'll realize how wrong you were in leaving Him. Think about it. Were you TRULY seeking Him? Or were you simply looking to disprove atheists and in the process lost your faith as well? You know the answer.

God bless you.

EDIT:

Ok, another question:

When you say you lost faith in Him....do you mean you stopped believing in Him completely? Or that you know He exists, you just lost communication w/ Him?

I know it's hard to have faith in Someone that you can't see. Believe me I know...and I almost lost my faith completely too. Now that I think back at all those scary memories, I realize how faithful Jesus has been to me. During these troubling times in my life, the most important thing I did was cling to Him. At times, I'd feel myself slipping further and further away from Him, but in the end, I have victory in Jesus.

I hope you (at the very least) consider trying to go back to having a personal relationship w/ Him. He loves you. Remember that.

I'll be praying for you. I want to see another sister in Heaven. =)

Answer 4

You said;
"I asked a question about where the idea of Christians only be able to understand the bible came from. "

Evidence of the Presumption:
Daily online communication. It has been my experience that non believers have a problem with Biblical scripture. As I said at times, "They really suck at it. "
1) Not only do they stumbled in the interpretation of it, but they also have no idea what weight and context to put on certain things.
2) They commit themselves typically to two-dimensional thinking. They tend to rely only on English, as if the Bible was written in English from the start.
3) They misunderstand certain verses and lean on that understanding to the Nth degree. One example of that was a long conversation I had with an ex Christian preacher who took the verse:
Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

This to him meant that Jesus couldn't have been God. Because the verse states very clearly that God is not a man. (Nevermind the rest of the sentence! lol )

Evidence through the Bible:
Psalm 119:105
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Do non believers claim this promise, or do they gloss past it? Or do they attempt to refute it?

As Jesus said:
Matthew 11:18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' 19The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." ' But wisdom is proved right by her actions."

Those that are saying that the Bible is untrue have no reason to believe either the former or latter passages. So what I am saying is that the evidence that non believers do not have the understanding cannot rely on what they read- they claim no influence of the Holy Spirit, and they do not claim to follow after Christ. This axiomatic example is to show you; of course they cannot understand the Bible, they in their own words do not believe it, and of course they do not rely on the Bible for living a life of faith in God through Jesus Christ, because they do not understand it-- they do not have the indwelling life of God in them to bring them to understanding.

I hope that made that clear to you.

Answer 5

I think most of us overlay questions with our experiences. So when someone asks; is God real? Christians will automatically think they are being attacked because a Christian wouldn't typically ask that question.

I am agnostic, but have a Christian upbringing, so when I read questions, I bring that experience to the table, and make assumptions based a pon that background. Don't let people on this board get to you too much, just like in Christianity, there are good folks and bad folks. Just ignor the bad and enjoy the good.

Answer 6

I read your first question as well, but posting here.

Many christians only believe what their pastor/priest/minister etc... tells them to believe. Many are denominationalists rather than followers of Jesus.

They are thus programmed to respond from their denominational bias rather than thinking things through.

The questions you raise are how denominations would respond.

Not wanting to repeat the error of assuming about your past, but putting together your two questions, it seems that your reading of the Bible showed you a much different Jesus than the one you were taught about?

And many denominations wouldn't know Jesus if He sat in front of them.

Jesus would kick most denominations in the .....

So to answer the question - people answer based on what their particular faith background tells them to assume. (you were never really saved, must have been a JW bible, pick and choose, etc...) because they really don't know how to offer their own thoughts.

Answer 7

THe devil made you lose your faith, probably in various ways. He loves to confuse and make us doubt. The Bible is like a giant jigsaw puzzle, going together one piece at a time, till the full big giant glorious picture is revealed, and if we dont have the knowledge of it all, we can so easy have so many questions that lead to doubt, because a piece is missing that shows what is next. People must not only read the Bible, but study it, and pray about it, for a long time, not just five min a day. The more we study and ask God to reveal things to us, He will. I can only tell you I have been in many situations where I have had my faith made so strong, by manifestations of God, His angels.. miracles.... My son lay dieing of a rare brain tumor at 10. and the roots to the tumor were growing to the optic nerves. The doc said he would be in unbearable pain that nothing would touch, no pain meds would touch it.... Also that upon surgury, he would surely be all swollen and black and blue. Let me tell you, I prayed in the spirit, and he never did swell up or turn black and blue, and never as much as had an asprin for pain, as he didnt have any pain. Then, after he died, later down the road, God revealed to me why He took him home early. Much came out about his dad, that this poor little boy would have had a hard time accepting. He brought much shame to the family, and my son was such a precious, sweet, sensitive little boy. God showed me that He took him home early to spare him the pain of it all, and right then I knew . I have had many examples of the miraculous power of God, and dreams and visions into the supernatural realm , and I tell you what, we have demons trying to get at us constantly to confuse, tempt, sadden, make angry... all of it. But, if we will obey God, , He will send His holy angels to battle them for us, and we will be fine. Call upon your angels NOW, but dont pray to them, Just call on them for protection, and ask God to send Holy Spirit power and revelation to you now. Ask Him to forgive you for doubting, and He will. and press on. YOu have nothing to lose, but everything to gain... amen

Answer 8

When a question of faith is raised and we don't know the asker, we tend to fill in gaps of knowledge about that person with observations that we've made in ourselves or others.

This is not mearly a christian thing, it is a human thing in general. Faith, or religious based questions are never neutral, and usually require more information than given in a particular question.

Answer 9

Do you have a close and personal relationship with your dad? What would you have to do to "lose" it. Basing your Christianity on only the Bible or attending church is not what it's about. Those all play a part. It is mainly about relationship just as it is with your relationship to your mother and father or those you love. You "lose your faith" when you turn from your commitment. Do you fall out of love with people who you love? Better think about it. The books of Peter explain it better.

Answer 10

All questions are filtered. It is near immpossible for an asker to ask a questions without some of their own feelings coming through, and then the answerer's feelings also come through.

I also have noticed that many on here see a question being asked as an opprotunity to scold/praise those who support/oppose their beliefs.

People often make assumptions. Case in point, I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses. MAny make assumptions. In return I often catch myself assuming motives about those who ask/answer.

We are all Immperfect Humans, till that changes, we will all make mistakes.