christians.......do you?

Question

Really believe in god and the bible or are you just trying to prove a point?
The point being that your denominational interpretation of the bible is the right one and everyone else has got it wrong.
Cut & Paste bible quote answers not acceptable, anyone can do that!
Think for yourself for once and construct a logical answer for an intersesting observation.

All christians are of one denomination or another. Protestant, Catholic, Anglican, Evangelical, etc. so all have their own interpretations. It may only be semantics that seperates them but all fall in to one or other denomination. My observation comes from all the bitching between these groups at each other and specifically at others (non-christians). It seems to me a lot are all trying to be the one true faith. I am just trying to understand why you all think you are right and have to prove it by throwing quotes at others that really have nothing to do with respecting other faiths. I am not accusing every christian of this. Some of the answers on this site are as fanatical about christianity as the Islamic fanatics they belittle, the pot calling the kettle black. That is what I am trying to understand.

Answer 1

Xians will pretty much believe anything. Talking donkeys, virgin births, flying snakes, talking serpents, zombies, floating axe heads,... you name it, they will believe it.

They are a gullible bunch so it is no surprise that they stand so firmly by their legends.

Answer 2

This is really 2 different questions...Do christians believe in the authority and authenticity of the Bible ...and...Do you you believe your denomination has he accurate view of what the Bible really means?

Think for myself for once? That is really a rude statement to post when asking a question open to the public.

Your observation isn't interesting...it's not even original. So let me answer as best I can with what ever I can gather from your muddled question.

I believe in the historical accuracy of the Bible. I believe the Bible is authentic and authoritative over some guy in a Q and A forum. I do not have a denominational affiliation. Calvary Chapels would be the closest thing I've seen out there that is the closest to what I believe. I don't care what the mainline denoms believe. I'm not a bible believing christian because of them. They were not the ones that saved me...Jesus did. I believe what I believe from personal study.
On a side note I think it's very arrogant to paint all christians with a broad brush and then pose yourself as being interesting and logical and more enlightened than christians for doing nothing more that a poor attempt at a mock.

Answer 3

“Really believe in god and the bible or are you just trying to prove a point?”

Yes and yes and yes only to the extent that someone else is attempting to dispute it.

“The point being that your denominational interpretation of the bible is the right one and everyone else has got it wrong.”

While there are differences in denomination interpretations all Christians believe and accept the core orthodoxy. Not all denominations who claim to be Christian teach, preach and believe that core, Mormons and JW’s for example claim to be Christian but deny the divinity of Jesus; not Christian. Some even claim that the Roman Catholic Church is not Christian because of its magisterial dualism but that goes to the root of Tradition not Orthodoxy.

"Cut & Paste bible quote answers not acceptable, anyone can do that!"

Aw… come on let me C&P just one verse, it’ll make my day. As to why Christians believe we have it right and everyone else is wrong:
“6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6 (KJV)

There, I feel so much better now. (sarcasm)

“Think for yourself for once and construct a logical answer for an intersesting (sic) observation.”

I just did a search on questions containing “believe in God”; I got 41,706 hits. Surely there must be a “logical” answer in there somewhere. However, since I do not have the time (or the inclination) to sort through all those questions how about the following:

Syllogism
Premise 1: The series of events in time is a collection formed by adding one member (moment) after another.
Premise 2: A collection formed by adding
one member (moment) after another cannot be actually infinite.
Conclusion: The series of event (moments) in time cannot be actually infinite.
(The above relates to Syllogisms 1 -3 below)

Syllogism 1
Premise 1: Every effect has a cause.
Premise 2: The universe is an effect.
Premise 3: There cannot be an infinite regress of cause, and effects.
Conclusion: There must be an Uncaused Cause.

Syllogism 2
Premise 1: Everything that moves must have a mover.
Premise 2: The universe is moving.
Premise 3: There cannot be an infinite regress of cause, and effects.
Conclusion: There must be an Unmoved Mover.

Syllogism 3
Premise 1: Everything that begins to exist has a cause.
Premise 2: The universe began to exist.
Conclusion: The universe has a cause (God).

Syllogism 4
Premise 1: If there is design, there must be a designer.
Premise 2: The universe in all its parts has a design.
Conclusion: There must be an Undesigned Designer.

Syllogism 5
Premise 1: Moral laws imply a Moral law-giver.
Premise 2: There are universal objective moral laws.
Conclusion: There must be a Moral law-giver.

And finally as C.S. Lewis put it:

1. There must be a universal moral law, or else:
(a) Moral disagreements would make no sense, as we all assume they do.
(b) All moral criticisms would be meaningless (e.g., “The Nazis were wrong.”).
(c) It is unnecessary to keep promises or treaties, as we all assume that it is.
(d) We would not make excuses for breaking the moral law, as we all do.
2. But a universal moral law requires a universal Moral law-giver, since the Source of it:
(a) Gives moral commands (as lawgivers do).
(b) Is interested in our behavior (as moral persons are).
3. Further, this universal Moral law-giver must be absolutely good:
(a) Otherwise all moral effort would be futile in the long run, since we could be sacrificing our lives for what is not ultimately right. (b) The source of all good must be absolutely good, since the standard of all good must be completely good.
4. Therefore, there must be an absolutely good Moral law-giver.

Answer 4

Ok, but you have to stay away from cut and paste history and science during rebuttal.

First the Bible has interesting merits for a book that is DEFINATELY 2000-3000 years old minimum.

When I was small my mother worked in a computer department and showed me a passage IN the BIBLE about a man made of metal that ate a roll of parchment and spoke.

My computer does that and years ago when I was starting with computers we used punch tape for program data storage.

Big Bang,postulated by a Catholic Priest who was a physicist says the universe is 13-15 billion years old and Earth and Sun came around 4-5 billion years ago that's 2/3 the way.

Now the Bible mentions the Earth and Sun coming into being on the 4th day of a 6 day cycle. That's 2/3 of the way.

Remember that book is 3,000 years old

Documented

1000 BC versions exist in Egypt and IRan and Russia.

Man came into being only recently and the Bible says God rested on the 7th day immediately after making Man on the 6th day, which can easily mean just before midnight or 99% of the way from Creation.

The time lines of Science, Carl Sagan and the Bible are very close.

How did a book 3,000 years old get that close to what science says.

Remember, YOU can't quote science or history, not in cut or paste. I can, my restriction was on Bible quotes and I paraphrased.

As for God that's a personal thing and I can't explain it to you, you have to experience it in your own way

Leave it suffice I have hands because of some phenomenon.

I was holding chemical explosive that went off. The part in my hands didn't go off. I could look inside the tube and still see the chemical, unspent.

It took my ears an hour to recover, but I was not singed or burnt or hurt.

One is drive to thank someone for that miracle. To do otherwise is, well, it's impolite.

Calling things accidental is a sluffy way out.

I can't buy into the fact that EVERYING IS by sheer SERENDIPITY

That is just too far out on a limb to buy into

Especially in a world filled with creations.

If creationism is wrong or doesn't exist, why don't everyone just wait for nature to evolve a house, Ipod, card, electricity, dish washer.

What, nature can't evolve those things. They HAVE to be created.

Now you face a paradox.

Do you honestly think SEEDLESS WATERMELLONs grow on trees naturally.

Or did someone make them that way.

The egotist denies God simply because for not even 1/1000th of a second are they willing to conceed that there is something in the universe GREATER than a human.

We get back to the MAN centered universe. MAN IS ALL. MAN IS EVERYTHING. THE UNIVERSE REVOLVES AROUND MAN.

That's a little to closed minded and uppity for me.

Answer 5

Ummm... yea I really believe in the Bible and in God (which is spelled with a capital G by the way). Am I trying to prove a point with my faith?? Not really. You'r free to believe whatever you want. I have no reason to force you to believe what I do. Your point about the denominational interpretation is a good point, but misguided. The reality is that no Christian really knows if their way is right or not. I have no way of knowing for a certainty that God exists or that the Bible is worth believing in. I have faith that it is so, but cannot prove it. The bottom line is that I cannot believe that 100% of what happens here on earth is pure accident, or caused by some random set of events. I also cannot believe that life on earth is all there is. If the life I am currently living is all that there is I'd be pretty depressed, because there's a whole lot about this life that quite frankly suck. I cannot believe that death is final.

Answer 6

I was brought up in 'The Salvation Army' this chruch is a very interdemonational church, who accepts anyone, and if a person who becomes a christian, but feels more at home in say a catholic church, church of England, methodists or baptist church, we are quite happy for them to go there. What is most important is a persons faith between them and God, more than what church they go to. Remember that all churches are made up by humans and none of us are perfect, which also make the chruch not perfect.
I myself, being brough up a Salvationist, have been to plenty of churches (High Chruch of England, Baptists, Penticostals just to name some) to learn where they come from and about their beliefs and I have not gone on a one off time but over a couple of years since 1996 trying them out. I have learn alot about them, and there are parts that I might disagree with, but I look at them with a far better undstanding.

Joolz

Answer 7

First, many religions are Christian religions and we don't interpret the Bible all the same but the fundamental message is the same, it's a message of love, forgiveness and righteousness. I am Catholic and I don't care if the Protestant don't believe in the Virgin Mary and I am nobody to try to change their mind, but I can still exchange with them on how we can include God in our lives. Aren't you busy enough to find your own salvation without looking for the path of salvation of others? You can only save yourself.

Answer 8

I really believe in God and the Holy Bible (read: Word of God). I also really believe in the Saving Grace of Our Savior, Jesus Christ.

I have no point to prove.

No denominational interpretation of the bible is without flaw on some level - as we all are sinners and we all fall short of the Glory of God.

Answer 9

I do not for one moment as a Christian believe that I have the definitive interpretation of the Bible and would not dare to venture that any one elses interpretation is wrong.

The Bible itself was constructed and pulled together over around 4000 years and has its own contradictions and oddities contained within its pages

I believe it as a historical work and testimonial proof that God and his embodiment, Jesus, exists and I also believe it is proof of the life of Jesus and Gods love for me.

I believe scripture is there to guide me but I do not seek to automatically believe the commonly interpreted messages so often bandied about but I seek to use the bible as a message for me of Gods Love, his existence and truth

As far as I understood it whilst the Bible is my proof of God other religions believe their holy books are there proof.

Im happy to let each of them co exist as surely no matter what the details are that we all chose to believe and follow the main point is we are all looking to and for GOD!

Answer 10

I really do believe what the bible says, and I go to a BIble church that does not tell me that other religions are wrong. They tell us that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. That is not cut and paste, that is my FAITH.

To add to that point : that really is not fair, sometimes the best answer is a bible quote. And I really do think of it then look it up and CUT AND PASTE>...You are just trolling. God bless

Answer 11

First of all, I don't belong to any denominations, & 2nd. I don't cut & paste. BTW I am a Born again Christian. God did not save me just to sit in a old denominational church. But to grow in the knowledge Of God.