What to believe?

Kasey IMO, if your not sure what to believe or not to believe, is to study everything as much as you can.

If you have questions about something ask someone who believes in that particular area.

Like you would not ask a Christian to explain evolution to you.
Write like a pro's con's sheet out.
God or no God type thing.
Do you own study.
Don't accept just anyones word as fact.
And always remember not everything can be proved.
Even if some say or think it can be proved or even disproved.

That is my advice.

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Hi Kasey,
One thing to remember is that once we're in heaven, we will have a totally different understanding of things than we do know. We will directly experience and understand God's character including grace, justice, mercy, etc. Things we do not understand right now may need to be trusted on faith until "faith becomes sight".
That doesn't mean, though, that we shouldn't ask the tough questions. We know (from the Bible) that God doesn't want anyone to perish but wants all to come to repentance. For the family and loved ones you are concerned about, do your best to pray for them continually and watch for opportunities to show Christ's love to them. Trust God with the rest; a good book regarding sharing with unsaved loved ones is "Walk Across the Room" by Bill Hybels.
I personally went through a period where I struggled with my Christian faith. I am a scientist and have always found it easier to accept things on a "head knowledge" level than to internalize things on a "heart knowledge" level. So when other Christians talk about emotional experiences of God, I can't relate very well. At one point I couldn't understand why, if I believed in God and wanted to "experience" Him, He didn't make it easy for me. I was like the people in Jesus' time who always were looking for a sign. What I realized was that God calls us to trust Him, even when we don't feel Him near us or when we hit a question or life crisis for which we don't have an answer. For those situations, you can trust in this: God loves you, He knows and wants what is best for you (in His terms, not this world's), and He has the power to accomplish His will. I guess what I'm trying to say is, keep searching for answers, but don't give up on God if human wisdom fails you--understand that at some point He may just ask you to leave things in His hands, and your faith will grow as you do so.

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fresco wrote:

KaseyMarie555,

My advice to you is beware of anybody who thinks they know " a religious truth".

I suppose that means we should beware of you then.

Your dogma, stated:

fresco wrote:

Only you can find answers to your questions by looking within yourself.

masquerades as a 'truth' , whether you'll admit it, or (more likely) not.

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real life,

Although I am taking the Krishnamurti view of "spiritual knowledge" which is the antithesis of all dogma and method.....

Quote:

I maintain that Truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect. That is my point of view, and I adhere to that absolutely and unconditionally. Truth, being limitless, unconditioned, unapproachable by any path whatsoever, cannot be organised... The moment you follow someone you cease to follow Truth...

......I would point out that "Truth" is not being used in an ontological sense about existence of a "devine entitity" but in the epistemological sense of "conscious awareness".

I personally define "truth" as ""what works" and "Truth" as the awareness that "truth" is ephemeral and contextual in its "working".

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fresco wrote:

real life,

Although I am taking the Krishnamurti view of "spiritual knowledge" which is the antithesis of all dogma and method.....

Quote:
I maintain that Truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect. That is my point of view, and I adhere to that absolutely and unconditionally. Truth, being limitless, unconditioned, unapproachable by any path whatsoever, cannot be organised... The moment you follow someone you cease to follow Truth...

......I would point out that "Truth" is not being used in an ontological sense about existence of a "devine entitity" but in the epistemological sense of "conscious awareness".

I personally define "truth" as ""what works" and "Truth" as the awareness that "truth" is ephemeral and contextual in its "working".

It is quite funny that your quoted example of 'the antithesis of dogma' is replete with absolutes.

A more dogmatic stance could scarce be constructed.

The author tells you what it IS; and what you CANNOT do by ANY means.

Is the author omniscient? How does he know what cannot be done ANY means?

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hey kasey, (anyone with the same question,)

as someone that doesn't subscribe to your religion (but occasionally picks up a copy from the newsstand,) i find chapter 7 of the book of matthew one of the more interesting bits:

Quote:

Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

that's how it starts, "judge not." later in the chapter it tells you how to judge, probably since no one was paying attention to the first part anyway (god is knowing!)

Quote:

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

if a prophet is a source of prophecy, then i think "what to believe" or "whom to believe" follows nicely from this quote.

strictly interpreted, the bible isn't quite saying "believe anything that bears good fruit," but for me, that's close enough for a translation of ancient greek. sometimes i think religion would be more beneficial if people didn't take it too seriously, heaven/hell is a great example. whatever you decide to stick with, unload, or embrace, i hope it helps. as for the part about "judge not," it's good advice in general, but not necessarily as useful in the present situation. mazeltov/agathos tykhe!

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Re: Answers..

KaseyMarie555 wrote:

How can I trust a species known to lie and to cheat? How can God expect me to live by him through a book surrounded by lies and reality, and how can I tell if it is indeed fact or fiction? I can only go by what I feel and what I have come to know in my short life.
Things are just confusing.

Greetings Kasey,

Two Bible texts might be worth thinking about regarding part of your comments (quoted above). One. Jesus knew what we would have to deal with and provided guidance at Matthew 10:16 (See also Proverbs 14:15). Two. The heart is not a trustworthy guide. (Jeremiah 17:9) Look elsewhere. (Proverbs 3:5, 6; Psalm 119:105)

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Re: Answers..

Quote:

The heart is not a trustworthy guide. (Jeremiah 17:9)

that's true, the heart is not the reason to accept jesus.

most people accept jesus for the following reasons:

1. their parents did, and while you wouldn't let them choose a pair of jeans for you, choosing what to do with your soul just makes sense
2. fear of hell
3. lust for heavenly bliss
4. sharing paul's failure to grasp that full teshuvah (repentance) is/was available to anyone at any time.

it goes without saying then, that most people accept jesus for the wrong reasons. but here are some good reasons to accept jesus:

1. if it helps you grow as a person
2. if you're looking for heaven, it's one way there (the bible says he's the ONLY WAY, but i actually think there's more than one way to interpret this)
3. plain old fashioned curiousity (can't hurt, as long as it doesn't make you into a big jerk)
4. "the devil made me accept jesus!" (only joking)

as for the heart as a guide, well here's what everyone's friend paul says:

Quote:

let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts (hebrews 10:22)

maybe that's some odd translation, "sincere" could come from any number of words that might be better translated another way, but if i go anywhere with a sincere heart, i might not trust it by itself, but i can't make good decisions without consulting it. throwing it out entirely would be insincere to say the least.

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Re: Answers..

Quote:

let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts (hebrews 10:22)

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Quote:

well, perhaps she just isn't "trained" sufficiently, but the person that began this post isn't feeling joyful and free, instead she's concerned for the wellbeing of those (allegedly) suffering in eternal torment.

i think this is (respectfully to the poster in question) a silly thing to worry about, but if the situation was real, i wouldn't feel "joyful and free" about it at all.

i can only urge our friend to keep reading, stay open minded, and if she finds the real jesus, great! but if she does, i still find it easier to accept the possibility of a god that has deep understanding, rather than one that has nothing better to do but burn the feelers off ants that don't bow to him.

that's when it becomes really useful to remember that the bible is full of metaphors and symbolism- until it gets in the hands of the hyperjudgemental, and then becomes full of nonsense about who burns vs. who's "saved."

fear of retribution is a stupid reason to embrace a religion, and thinking you're absolved is a stupid reason to stop caring, no matter how "joyful" you are. as for sincerity, i wouldn't use that word to describe caring only for people that embrace your belief system, nor pretending to care for anyone else.

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As others have stated (to the original poster) you may consider just reading about other beliefs. Just keep in mind, there are a lot of philosophies used in religion that people call "beliefs" and "truths", and they hold those very close to their hearts - so be careful not to tread on that if you ask people directly about their own beliefs. Try not to ask loaded questions. Just know yourself that there are a lot of things called "truths" that can neither be proven nor disproven - which people believe with blind faith.

You can find some pretty good basic information on wikipedia.