Yes. There is plenty of evidence by those who had nothing to gain by mentioning the events. It's sorta like "How much evidence do you need?".

And I said to myself I was not going to respond to anymore posts. Now I have to really get serious.

 

divine intervention in action

my monitor broke so I cannot even read this thread anymore. the picture is gone, at the top and bottom 1/3 of the screen, very wavy. using someone else's computer for a few mins. I cannot believe this expensive trinitron broke but apparently expensive does not guarantee quality.
if you have an old sony 200ps for sale or know where there is one cheap, shoot me an email so I can continue to contribute my earth-shattering wisdom.

 

Well thank God "religion" is dying. It has very little to do with a relationship with our Creator and everything to do with the very things he told us to avoid. He also told us that these people would exist, and in some cases would even have spectacular ministries. And what did our Lord and Savior have to say to those people. Depart from me, I never knew you. Mathew, 7:23.
But there is a move of God coming across this land that you may not see. God is raising up His army. There are young people with hearts on fire for Him in numbers this country has never seen before. If you don't see it and think Christian values and living a life for Him are dying then I dare say some one is blinding your eyes. Every thing that you see, do, or experience, or that happens to you , can only come from one of two sources. And that is God or the enemy of our souls. And the battleground is our mind, For we do not battle flesh and blood , but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spititual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Eph. 6:12. Just remember the enemy is a sneaky little turd, he does is most affective when we don't even realize he's there. But with a RIGHT realtionship with your Savior you can have spiritual discernment and see the enemy coming, be ready and armed for a victoriuos battle.
Blu, those are words of wisdom that were my Dad's favorite response to unsaved people. He was a rowdy old cowboy that gave his heart to the Lord in his 60s.

 

Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs. There is one person on Earth that almost no one can convert to believing. The person who has already made up their mind that they don't want to believe. There is only 1 word that can some up the question "Why should I believe, or How should I believe?"

Faith

The Bible says that if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you have all the faith you need. Why? A mustard seed is very small, but when you plant it, it grows to be a huge tree. Faith grows in you. You don't just wake up one day and say -- "Hey! I think my faith is bigger today. COOL!" It takes perseverance, work, maturity, strength, self-control, patience, and a clear mind-set on God. It really kills me to read how some of you say that Christianity is not like it used to be. People say that Chritianity is just a hypocritical philosophy that can't be proven. How much proof do you need? Evolution contridicts itself over and over. Carbon dating has been proven innacurate. If you want me to tell you how, ask. I really don't want to get into all that right now for the length of this. If evolution was wrong, how were we created? There is only 1 other possibility. Creation. God created us.

Also, this is to Bigfootwanabe:

If the Bible is true, and you do go to hell, you won't be laughing. You'll be in tremendous pain. The Bible describes hell many times as a place of eternal torture and pain; a place of crying out and nashing of teeth. Satan is not your friend, he's a devil, and he's out to get you, not just to let you have a good time. Where do you think the word materialism came from? Eat, drink, and be mary is not a philosophy of God my friend. It's a philosophy of Satan. This is how he works: He lies to you. He tells you that you control your life so do with it what you want.

I'm not trying to single you out, I'm just trying to convey truth to you. You said that NO ONE can make you believe. You're wrong. Maybe I can't make you believe or anyone on this thread for that matter, but God can make you believe. Whether you like it or not, he's watching you right now...every move...every thought...every action you take. If it is true, then I feel sorry for the people that think hell is some place to "hang out and feel good." I know some of you are probably thinking -- Man, this guy is a little extreme about his thoughts.

I'm sorry if things don't sound or look exactly the way you prefer, but you can't make truth fiction. I'm not the kind of person who sugar-coats eternity. Why? Because eternity is an extremely important decision for you to make for yourself. I can't make it for you -- only you can. All I'm trying to do is convince you of truth.

Yes, there are plenty of token christians out there. They say a prayer and go out to live for themselves instead of God. Also, there are plenty of righteous christians out there. Some of you may not live around any, I have no clue, but I do. I live around many people who are totally 110% devoted to God. My dad is a pastor, and he is one of these people. Is he any better than you? No.

THE BIG QUESTION PEOPLE ASK ME: How can you be so sure of all this junk you are telling me? How do you just know that God is watching and I am going to heaven or hell? Who are you, among all of us, to know so much?

This is what made me believe so firmly, not blindly, in God and what he wants:

When I was 12 years old I started going to a youth group at my church. I was a huge skeptic to a lot of "Christian" things. It was my life, not theirs. About 5 months into the youth group we went to youth camp. I had never seen the "work of God" before in my life. The service started, and it was really good which made me really scared. The preacher spoke on "The Babtism of The Holy Spirit - Speaking in Tongues." Heh, when I first heard the topic, I almost left. It was too much for me to bear. Well, he preached on and made sense of the whole thing to me and ALL my friends. Alter call time came, and everyone was going up to the front to "recieve the babtism of the holy spirit." Keep in mind that all this was foreign to me. I had no clue what was going on. My best friend at the time asked me if I wanted to go up? Conviction gripped my heart like never before. I nodded my head and off we went. People started praying for me, and tears were gushing from my eyes. At that point I realized that my life wasn't where it needed to be. I accepted Christ into my life that night. About 40 minutes later, I was still being prayed for by the same people to recieve the holy spirit...3 minutes went by and BOOM! There's no way I could sit here explain to you what happened. I was speaking another language. I had no clue what I was saying, but I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was speaking in tongues. Your Thoughts: proove it

Fine then I will, after the service, a kid came up to me that I had never seen before in my life and knew nothing about. He asked my how I knew his language? I said I don't know what you're talking about. He said, "You told me, when you were being prayed for, that God loves me, my sister, and my mother and father, and that he wanted me to be saved so that through me, they could be saved. And you told me in my language. So, when did you learn my language?"

Here's what I said, "I guess I learned your language tonight."

If that isn't proof enough for you, I don't know what is. God is real people. He isn't some made up fairy tale. Hell is also real.

Summary: Heaven and Hell

Ultimately you have a test. You know the test is only 1 question long and it is for 100% of your grade. Also, the teacher tells you the answer before you take the test.

A.) I want to go to Heaven

B.) I want to go to Hell

Now it's up to you -- pass of fail

 

And if you don't choose A then you get B, there is no middle ground. Choose A and you've lost nothing if it is all a hoax. But what if it isn't, do you want to take that chance?

 

exactly

 

Wow, this has gotta be the fastest growing thread of all time. I only read the first 2 pages, and skipped ahead to the last. true4.2- I cant say that I agree with your philosophy, although not wrong, i just dont like the idea of people living their life because they dont want to go to Hell, or so they can get into Heaven for that matter. I believe what I believe because God loves me, and I love him. I remember what my life was like before I was serious about my faith, and it was by no means better than it is now that I have Him in my heart. Before, I was just going through the motions, but its diffferent now. I am always happy, prayers get answered, and life is good.
I don't mean to start an argument, true4.2, but am just trying to shed some new light on the subject.

 

Muchtomydelight:

I'm not sure I follow. Are you saying that you used to be serious about God, but now you are not? Are you saying you still are? Sorry, I'm kinda slow...lol. If you live your life sold out to God, it is definately harder than to live your life on your own terms. Being a devout Christian is and always will be much more difficult than living your own life. Jesus said to his disciples right before he was taken to be crucified that they will face difficulty and persecution from other non-believers. The road to heaven is tough. It always has been. The path to righteousness is narrow. The path to self satisfaction is easy. Anyone can satisfy him or herself. It's the easiest thing to do in the world. So what am I saying to you? Simply this -- You live like you want. You can be sold out to God, or you can be a Christian who isn't so "gung-ho" about Christianity. As long as your heart is right with God, that's good enough for him. Does that make better sense?

Oh yea, I know you're not trying to argue with me. I will respect anyone's anwser to what I say. Like I said first, everyone is entitled to their own opinion or belief. I am NOT God, and I do not answer for your life. You do. I definately respect your answer. Please, keep them coming!

 

There is way more to it than anyone has space to elaborate on here, but the crux of the whole relationship is love. Love God with all you heart all you soul and all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.
We have been just basically touching on the repercussions of allowing yourself to embrace the sickness of sin and ignoring the true wonders of what a right relationship with God offers.

 

Of course this thread is going long, we are talking religion! Reminds me of debates with my Christian friends at Denny's at 3:30 in the morning over a grand slam breakfast...
Okay, I do not believe in hell. There is no hell. If I don't believe in heaven how can I believe in hell? They are BOTH Christian beliefs. THAT is why I am not scared of hell, because it is made up.
I know what the Christians say hell is, I never said I would be laughing and having fun if I go there. I said if I am wrong in my beliefs than Satan will laugh at ME for being a fool. But that is not a worry of mine. Just like you are strong and comfortable in your beliefs, so am I.
Now, my last point, if you believe in Christianity than you know we are ALL sinners. Case in point, The Seven Deadly Sins of the Christian Church. They are- Greed, Envy, Gluttony, Pride, Anger, Lust, and Sloth
- Greed - A person wants more than he already has.
- Envy - To look with favor upon the possessions of others
Greed and envy are the motivating forces of ambition, without ambition very little of any imporatnce would be accomplished.
- Gluttony - Eating more than necessary to sustain life. When you eat too much and become fat another sin - Pride - will motivate you to get back into shape. Anyone whos buys a piece of clothing for anything other than simply covering your body or being warm is guilty of pride. Any ornamentation of the body is also in this category.
- Being reluctant to get up in the morning is to be guilty of Sloth.
- To have the faintest stirring of sexual desire is to be guilty of Lust. In order for humanity to survive, lust is the human's second most powerful instinct, the first being survival or self preservation. The Christian Church made fornication the original sin. Your very state of existence is a result of sin. The Original Sin.
- Anger is the last of the seven. If someone was to attack you or a loved one, it is not natural human instinct to turn the other cheek and forgive. It is natural to defend yourself and loved ones. It is quite natural to be angry.
Since man's natural instincts lead him to sin, then ALL men are sinners, and sinners go to hell.
Dave

 

Actually, you have a chance of going to heaven because of your belief. Noodle over that one.

 

All men are sinners but have been given the gift of life because Someone who loves you more than you can imagine bore your sins for you so you don't have to go to hell.

 

I wonder what God is really like, because if I understand correctly, God was guilty of causing great suffering and carnage and pain. It says so in the bible, all over the place. The bible describes some VERY cruel behavior on the part of God; if the bible is right, God is extremely irrational, selfish, and narcissistic.
So basically he scared his creation into worshipping him by committing extreme acts of cruelty, and the fear the bible creates continues to scare people into subserviance, am I right? Fear of damnation, fear of judgement, fear of eternal suffering...why would anybody want to worship a God like that?
(It's like the woman that gets beat up by her old man, goes to the hospital, and the husband smiles and tells her he loves her, and she goes back to him, only to get rolled again the next week. "But when he's not (drunk, high, mad, tired, etc.) he is really a great guy. I love him, I don't wan't to leave him. He promised if I dont talk back he won't do it again.)
Hell wasn't created by Satan, it was created by the church. They needed something for people to fear, and that was perfect. "Do anything that we don't condone, and you'll be condemned to hell."
Now wait a second. If god loves us so much, why doesn't he just crush Satan in a no-holds-barred steel cage match in Purgatory, thus ending the prevalance of Sin in our world, and then all of us can go to heaven because without Satan, we wont have all this sinful behavior going on, and we would all qualify for heaven by default? Somebody needs to bring that up next time they talk to God, because that's a heck of an idea. Think of the Pay-Per-View potential!!
With all the absurdity in the Christian religion, I can't believe that so many people still buy into it with such zeal.
BDV

 

GOOD POST... Christianity has'nt lost a thing... the sinners have. Look at TV... the Gays are in full bloom. Not a good sign.
God will forgive anybody. Just ask him to. Jesus died on the cross for the sins of man... Get out a Bible... Romans 3:10 says we all have sinned... Romans 3:23 says we are all short of God's expectations because we inherited sin from Adam & Eve. Romans 5:8 says Jesus died for our short comings. Romans 5:12 says we are all going to die someday. BUT... Romans 10-13 says we can be forgiven... Sure of a home in Heavan when we do die. What shall a man profit if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Read Matthew 16:26. I may not be perfect but I am forgiven...! Don't go another minute without asking God to forgive you. Sorry to preach but this is no joking matter. If you were going down the street in your Ford Truck and saw a house on fire, would you stop and warn the occupants? I hope I just did! God Bless you all! DRWeaver

 

The only way the whole program can work is if you freely choose it. Satan started out on God's side but went bad when his pride caused him to think he was God's equal. He took 1/3 of the angels with him. Big daddy I thought just like you then my life got in the toilet so bad that I didn't want to live. Totally exasperated by what life had dealt me I thought there was no way out when an inaudible voice said "There is one thing you haven't tried " . I hope you do not get to that point before you make the choice.
There will always be things we don't totally understand about God and if you go to His word looking for inconsistencies you will find them. The whole book only makes much sense if you are seeking him and will seem like nonsense otherwise and it says so.
God has got real pissed off at the human race before and was going to wipe them all out a couple times but decided to let a few make it. But nowhere in the New Testament will you find any of this other than in reference.
Satan is already defeated. He was defeated at the cross. The victory is ours but it doesn't come easy. But satan is not the focus here, Jesus is. Many christians are almost satan worshippers because he gets all their focus. Your walk with the Lord can take you to a place where you live in the victory and satan really won't bother you much any more. The church as you see it may seem to have created hell, but it is real if you believe God's word. Christianity has gotten a bad rap from people misrepresenting God. He told us about those people too. The mortar that holds God to his people and humanity as a whole together is love and without it a Christian is just a clanging symbol. He said by their fruit you will know them. If you don't see the fruit of love in someone's life then he is not a very good representative of God. Christians are called to a higher standard by society, but we are just people who still make bad choices and mistakes.
I am sure you wouldn't want to be seen only in the light of the things you did out of anger or by your mistakes only. Or what if someone was running around doing things you didn't approve of and was doing it in your name. I hope you can see what I mean.