allah is not God

By a "believer in crisis" or agnostic, what I really mean is someone who's faith has been shaken severely in the past 9 months or so. This after a time when, frankly, I think my faith saved me from dying, or worse.

The problem is this. While I feel my faith allowed me to find inner strength in the past I've seen things since then that I can not understand how a loving God would allow. Cancer, death, misfortune . . . to good, loving, God fearing people.

I am now faced with some new challenges in my life. Very serious ones. Frankly, I would love to be able to find my faith again. But I am not sure how. Nor am I sure that it wouldn't be hypocritical to only come back to God when things go wrong and I need help.

Hey beer, I saw this post and felt I should respond. I've been on an interesting trip (spiritual journey) these last two years and it has changed who I am. The one thing I've learned, there is religion and there is christianity. Many people are practicing religion. What I mean is religion is us trying to measure up to God or make ourselves acceptable to him, in other words, trying to save ourselves through works. Christianity is allowing Christ to save us. It is placing our faith in Jesus Christ for our salvation, trusting that his death and ressurection is completely sufficient to reconcile us to God. It is easy, to fall into religion, it is a fine line and sometimes when attending churches, reading bibles etc. we miss the point, see it as a set of rules that if we keep, we will be okay with God. Something like the scales of justice, if our good works outweigh the bad, we make it into heaven.

Salvation is by the grace of God and received only through faith in Jesus Christ. It is believing in the finished work of Christ, having paid our penalty for sin (death) by dying and ensuring our new life in him through his ressurection. No sacrements, rituals or acts will save us. True faith is more than just a head knowledge, it is a an accepting of the heart.

I'm not suggesting anything about your faith in past or present, please don't misinterpret what I'm saying. Rather, I am seeing an old friend struggle and I wanted to share this with you in case, you, as I had in the past, fallen for the lie of religion (religion as meant in the way I described it). Once saved, once having placed that faith in Christ, then as a christian, one can allow the Holy Spirit to work in their life.

You asked how God could let this happen or maybe cause it to happen. In fact, I believe, we have, by our sin. God created it all perfect and we destroyed that perfection, bringing in sin and suffering, an imperfect world that also brings with it misery (as well as many other things). Even though we rejected God, and went our own way, he loved us so that he threw us a rescue line, the only one who was worthy to stand as our sacrifice, the spotless lamb, Christ Jesus. In other words, God never created this world with this suffering, we really did, by rebelling. God, however, loves us so that he saved us, and offers us an eternity of perfection and perfect joy with him. He did so through his Son and we only need to believe, place our faith in Christ, to receive the life that God always intended for us.

Anyways beer, I'd love to talk more, please, this isn't me "talking down" at you or anyone, I'm hoping you don't misinterpret my intent here. I'm going to leave a link which speaks of the basics of salvation, I encourage all to read it.

http://www.eeinternational.org/DYKFS/dykfs.htm

Now this is gonna make me as popular as a socialist at the Republican Convention but have any of you read 'The God Delusion' by Richard Dawkins? Its a very good read, and would be a good test of faith for some of you

i am a bad example of a christian i do believe and attend church , but i sin daily, but i know this allah prick is not the true god and the real god will not be merciful to the followers of this moon bat god

Bilbo Baggins wrote:Now this is gonna make me as popular as a socialist at the Republican Convention but have any of you read 'The God Delusion' by Richard Dawkins? Its a very good read, and would be a good test of faith for some of you

I have not, but I don't need to test my faith.

I'm not a devout Christian, but I think this is all between me and God.

This is my philosophy:

Matt. 18:20 - For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Well I think some of you would find it interesting to read. I'm not trying to convert anyone, I'm just saying that people should be open-minded. Why if you have such strong faith, do you need to denigrate another one? What threat is it to you?

Bilbo Baggins wrote:Well I think some of you would find it interesting to read. I'm not trying to convert anyone, I'm just saying that people should be open-minded. Why if you have such strong faith, do you need to denigrate another one? What threat is it to you?

Cause not all followers have such strong faith and can be easily misled.

Bump