Non-Christians. What's so hard to understand that...?

Question

Faith is simply allowing God to handle your life? As a newborn baby (infant and also toddler) is dependent on its parent(s) for protection, guidance, and discipline, we are dependent on God.
Are you looking at it as a form of slavery. If so, then you are wrong because we can choose whatever we'd like to do and if it glorifies God (out of love and respect) it shall be done. If it will harm us done the road, then it won't happen. There is no greater insurance than that.
Do you think it limits our "freedom of choice"? If so, you are wrong because we can still do anything we like. We are just mature enough to recognize that all that may feel good isn't good for us.

What is it about faith that you don't understand?

This is no attack, so those who always feel like "every Christian is judging me", you will know at least 1 who doesn't. I'm curious what it is about Faith that you may not understand.

"Alex Aze…"... You're not getting it. We (Christians) live our own life and we know we will take responsibility for our choices. Having faith allows us to deal with those choices that we make and also everything that we encounter. What you also fail to realize is that with Satan attacking constantly, it is our responsibility to maintain our faith. Plus, with the temptations of the world, we constantly are faced with choices to do right or sway away.

"emucompb…" I try to keep God as my pilot... not co-pilot.

I think you all are concerned with the idea of "Surrender". Faith leaves you with a greater responsibility than that of a "weakling".

"Moiraes …" We are not being told "Do as I say or else"... We are being the truth... LIFE boils down to 1 of 2 paths: Heaven or Hell. God or Satan.

"katie_14"... I can't risk placing my faith in only myself because neither I nor any man on earth is perfect. I might as well place faith in the neighbor's dog. at least he's devoted.

"sansfear" - Sin was brought in by Satan. With Adam and Eve, the question you should be asking is why didn't they just obey? They knew God created everything, so his abilities were evident. So why didn't they simply obey was he said. It wasn't about the fruit, nor the tree, nor the garden. He could have said the same about the tree of Life. They disobeyed - plain and simple.

Answer 1

I am a Christian. Forgive me for answering. But I dearly love the way you put all of this.
Jesus brings freedom. He brings salvation for sure, But He also tells us to follow Him, be like Him, obey Him, abide in Him, and we can be free FROM sin, and all the awful consequences it brings.
I love all your wrote.
Press on dear Christian. God is smiling today.

Answer 2

Not to speak for everyone else, we understand how faith works. We just don't do it. I don't want faith in anything really. I want to know fact. 2+2=4, gravity(or intelligent falling) is constant, h20 will always be water. I don't have faith in any of that. I know it to be true.

There is one greater assurance that what you speak of. We will all die. It will be over. The only immortality we have is through the memories we leave behind with those people who's lives we were a part of.

You have faith the god created Adam and Eve. That is your answer to the question of how this world came to be. I believe we will bever really know the answer to that question, and leave it at that. I don't need to fill in the gaps of knowledge with some fictional character to feel better. What matters is we are here now. Tomorrow we may not be. It isn't god working in mysterious ways, it's the idiot on the highway that should have never gotten a license in the first place.

I limit my freedom of choice on my own. I don't need the thought of answering to some deity for my actions. I answer to myself, and my children for my actions. And, I am my worst critis. I do the right thing simply because it is the right thing to do. Not for the hope of "eternal life" in some fictional place.

So, don't assume we "don't understand faith". We just choose not to live by it.

"To see by faith, one must close the eye of reason." Ben Franklin.

Answer 3

Faith is not about allowing anything: it is a belief in something without supporting evidence, or in the face of contrary evidence. As such, it is evil -- indeed, it is the ultimate evil. The distinguishing characteristic of H. sapiens is the ability to apply logic to evidence. Since faith is the deliberate refusal to do so, it is the intentional surrender of the essence of one's humanity. And what could be worse than that?

If you can demonstrate the existence of god, you will find fame and fortune; no one has ever done so.

Answer 4

"Faith is the evidence of things not seen"

It's not that I don't understand faith, it's that I refuse to use anything but evidence and fact as the basis of my ability to think.

I do not use belief or faith in my life. This morning, I parked my car and came into work. From where I sit, I cannot see the parking lot. I do not believe or have faith that my car is still there. I don't know that it is -- it may very well have been stolen. But since that would not matter to my ability to do my day-to-day tasks, I don't worry about not knowing; there's time enough for worry when I go out to the parking lot in a few moments to go home.

Either I know a thing because of evidence, or, I don't know a thing since I have no evidence either way.

Answer 5

Because faith, as you say, is surrendering to a greater being.

a) the greater being doesn't exist. Surrender to god is simply surrender to a whole sort of general mishmash of ones conscience, instincts and holy texts.

b) It does not limit freedom of choice, but promotes irrationality, delusions of a greater being and at it's extremes, rampant hate to those who don't agree.

c) We don't depend on god for anything. We have out bodies and our minds and we think for ourselves.

d) Having an imaginary emotional crutch appears through emotional breakdown is Not Healthy.

What is so hard to understand about god's non-existence?

Answer 6

To put it in a nutshell, people have a problem with these A holes who love to talk about how others are going to hell. Not just for not believing or being Christian but for not beleiving it just like they do. There is a lot of them out there. For me, I don't have a problem Christians in general but I would love to share my "faith" of Might is Right with the condemnation crowd. Do as thou will shall be the only law.

Answer 7

Ok here is what I have trouble understanding.

If God created Adam and Eve free of sin, and they didn't have knowledge of Good and Evil. Why did he hold them responsible when they made the wrong choice and ate the forbidden fruit that he allowed into the Garden? That one event causes every human to be born with a sinful nature, therefor there is no "freewill", every human is a sinner and requires salvation because God set it up that way.

The very origin on sin was orchestrated by God, not by man. If he wanted to give us a fighting chance, he would have given Adam and Eve the ability to discern right from wrong BEFORE allowing them to be tempted by the serpent. Without that ability they didn't have a chance and could have been talked into anything. According to the creation story, we were set up to fail.
That means God intended for mankind to be sinful, intended that millions of people would end up in Hell, and intended for the disease, disaster, starvation, and pain that we suffer to take place.

We were set up for torture, in this life and in the one after. The fact that he then sent Jesus to atone for our sins, doesn't change the fact that he orchestrated our downfall initially and makes me wonder why he would only save a few, instead of all?

Just my 2 cents.

I agree that they disobeyed, what you are conveniently forgetting is their ability to obey. They existed without a knowledge of Good or Evil. In order to obey God, one must have a sense of what is right or wrong. Eve didn't have that ability until she ate the fruit. She was suseptable to any suggestion, because she didn't have the ability to discern right from wrong.

If I told a child not to eat a poisonous piece of fruit, then put the fruit in the kids room, who is responsible for the child's death? According to you, the child would be responsible, even though it doesn't have reasoning skills. It is the same situaion without a knowledge of good or evil.

Answer 8

It is NOT freedom of choice to be told "do as I say or burn in hell for eternity".

Faith is being blind to facts, it is NOT "allowing a god to handle your life". Your faith isn't always right or it wouldn't preach treating the homosexual community badly.

Edit: Yes, you ARE being told "do as I say or burn in hell for eternity". What do you think the choice between heaven and hell is? A walk in the park? You're told that if you don't do as your god says, then you're going to suffer for eternity. Thats NOT freedom.

By that logic, I guess its ok to keep slaves and tell them that if they don't do what I say, because i know whats best for them, that I'm going to torture them forever. And hey, I guess it must be doubly ok if I say I'm their god when I do it.

Answer 9

There is no god. This seems hard for you to understand, because you are starting with the premise that god exists. You need to let the evidence lead you to the conclusion there is a god, not start with the conclusion and then work backward. There is no evidence of god, no way to verify he exists, therefore no reason to give credence to his existence. Faith is when your wishful thinking overpowers your intellect.

Answer 10

I understand faith perfectly fine. Faith isn't exclusive to Christians.

Answer 11

What's so hard to understand that god doesn't exist? So allowing an imaginary friend to "handle your life" is insane.

Why not live your own life, and actually take responsibility for your own choices?