Hello, folks,
It's been awhile since I posted here. Man, this thread is kind of like the energizer bunny. Good to see at least some of you are thinking and examining.
Yo, Ironlung. Maybe I didn't answer your question about 2000 years making a lie more true. Absolutely not. A lie is a lie is a lie. The thing you (and everyone) has to answer for themselves is if indeed the story of Jesus is a lie. I can answer that it is not, but you have to decide to believe or not. None of us were alive when any other of the people throughout history we read/hear about were around (insert name here: Shakespear, Ivan the Terrible, whoever). Do you believe they existed? Maybe they were all a lie.
I'm with you on repeating myself, but Christianity is still all about relationship. It's hard to have a realtionship with a dead person. It tends to be a little one sided. Jesus is alive and well.
The story about the guy chaulking his granddaughter's death up to God's will, well, I don't know about simply "chaulking it up". A fellow just came to my church awhile back that had a similar experience, except it was his own child that died very shortly after birth. He did not just chaulk it up, but accepts the fact that God is in control. I would not want to believe in any god that has limited power, does not know everything, cannot control everything and did not create everything. Talk about logic, why would anyone want to? If a god is not all the above, then he/she/it isn't much of a god to me. No reason to put my complete trust in a god that could possibly fail. Jesus never fails. This guy has complete peace about the whole thing because he knows God is in control.
Many people have tried to use logic to prove God does not exist. Many people have come to the logical conclusion that God must indeed exist.
As far as the sperm lotto thing, well, Christ died for all. Having a relationship with God or being "saved" is not for just an elite group of people. Jew and Gentile, rich and poor, educated and uneducated have all come to know Christ. The bible does say it is hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God, however. Why, you ask? I believe it's because the well off tend to put their faith in thier wealth and/or ability to make money instead of depending on God for their needs. Does this mean you have to be poor to believe in God? No. I am not a wealthy person, by no means. Neither am I poor, but I have trusted Jesus for my salvation. The well off tend to become comfortable in their lifestyle and see no need for a Savior, using things to satisfy their intermost longings. The thing is, there is a deeper need that material things cannot meet. There have been threads in here, even that attest to the fact that it seems whatever we have, it is never good enough. When a new receiver or TV comes out that has a couple more features we are no longer satisfied with what we have and just have to have that new toy. The only thing that can really satisfy that longing is Jesus. Don't mistake what I'm saying. It is certainly not wrong to want things have money or strive to better ourselves as long as it's not our main focus. We should strive to live more like Jesus everyday. He met people at the point of their need and we shoud also. It's hard to tell a person about a loving Jesus when they have not eaten in three days and you offer them nothing to eat. Which brings me to my next reply.
No, I don't care for others just because I fear God. I go the extra mile and can love people that I would not otherwise love because of the love God has placed in me, not out of fear. I, too, have tried to treat others as I would want to be treated for the most part (the guy that pulls out in front of you and goes 20 miles under the speed limit may not receive all the grace I should give him, however...JK!).
Another quick example of how God can make a difference in your life and allow you to love the unlovely is my former music minister's wife. They were involved in a terrible car wreck. Their car was hit by a drunk driver head-on. Jim (the music min) was fatally injured. His wife is a nurse and knew when she saw blood coming out of his ears he was in bad shape. The drunk escaped almost all injury. He did even know why he was in jail the next day. No recollection. He called the hospital to check on the satus of the guy he hit. Jim's wife, Lane, answered the phone in the ICU waiting area. She did not identify herself for sometime, but talked to the fellow while he asked questions. She eventually asked him if he knew Christ as his personal savior and only after that did she identify herself. She told him she forgave him. What kind of person could care about a person so much as to ask about his eternal destiny instead of cursing him out while knowing it was the person that killed her husband?! Only one that has the love of Christ in them. This is what I mean by being able to love people you would just not ordinarly love.
I'm sorry that some feel that churches only want you to come because you represent a checkbook. My church invites people of all incomes to come and worship together. If you have a job and love God, you will give because you want to be obedient, not because the preacher shakes your hand with one hand and holds out his other expecting you to fill it up. We have several people in our church that cannot give much money. In fact, we help many people out financially. We feed several people on Wed night that could never pay for a meal out. We don't expect anything in return, just let us love on you and come worship with us. We try to look at people through spiritual eyes and not worldly. More bodies means more people we can impact for the Kingdom of God, not gold fixtures in the restrooms.
If you want a little more evidence of God being alive and living in people, go to a hospital and talk to people on their deathbed that have a real relationship with God and those who don't. The ones that do have a hope; the hope of eternal life. They do not fear death because they are sure of what's next. They may not want to die, but they are not afraid none the less. Even though (as far as I know!) I'm not on my deathbed, I have hope as well. I have hope of a fuller life here and of life eternal to come. I know of a life with no hope and of one with hope. I'll take hope. Does this make me "feel good"? You bet! It is not, however, why I have trusted in God. If you think all people or even most people believe to feel good, ask the people in Jesus' day or even now that are made human torches because of their faith if it's so. Not exactly my idea of feeling good. Yes, there are some places where they burn you alive for professing Christ as Lord.
Hope this answers some questions and give more insight.
Duke
