I believe that God exists. He is real and ever present. I believe he is sad when he looks down upon the earth and sees what mankind is doing. I also believe that he has a plan. His Son will return one day and end all of this madness, and take his rightful throne as King of Kings. Would anyone like to talk with me on this subject? I'm starting this new post, because some on this LBT rants and raves section don't want me to even mention God on a thread that's about abortion or the Octuplet mom or any other subject. So, I will start this thread that is only about Him and/or religion. What do you say? Is God real? Will He really return to earth one day?

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Do i believe in God..mmmm i hope there is something after life but i am not waiting to find out thats for sure.

I live my life here as best and honestly as i can. I enjoy my time whole heartedly with my family and friends and actually enjoy my work. As long as i am happy that is all that counts. Do i need a god for this..no - do i need to be born again to be happy and fullfilled, no.

I define religion as an old system of guidelines which you "CAN" live by or choose not to live by. As you can see my guidelines are just sensible/happy ones. When i am sad i dont turn to god i turn to comfort from my family and friends.

If religion was such a god thing then why do we have Wars based on it. Why do we have catholic priests molesting kids for yrs and then appologising for it yrs later when they are supposed to be the guides in that religion. Why do we have leaders elected based partly on the fact they believe in 1 religion or another?

Religion for me causes to many arguements/world wide dissagreements/wars and deaths. This is due to Man's interpretation of writings from books only a few thousand yrs old. The world has been here Millions of yrs.

Bottom line for me is, no i dont beleive in a god, but yes i hope there is something after this life but i live my life fully until that time comes with support of family/friends not a god.

Do i believe in God..mmmm i hope there is something after life but i am not waiting to find out thats for sure.

I live my life here as best and honestly as i can. I enjoy my time whole heartedly with my family and friends and actually enjoy my work. As long as i am happy that is all that counts. Do i need a god for this..no - do i need to be born again to be happy and fullfilled, no.

I define religion as an old system of guidelines which you "CAN" live by or choose not to live by. As you can see my guidelines are just sensible/happy ones. When i am sad i dont turn to god i turn to comfort from my family and friends.

If religion was such a god thing then why do we have Wars based on it. Why do we have catholic priests molesting kids for yrs and then appologising for it yrs later when they are supposed to be the guides in that religion. Why do we have leaders elected based partly on the fact they believe in 1 religion or another?

Religion for me causes to many arguements/world wide dissagreements/wars and deaths. This is due to Man's interpretation of writings from books only a few thousand yrs old. The world has been here Millions of yrs.

Bottom line for me is, no i dont beleive in a god, but yes i hope there is something after this life but i live my life fully until that time comes with support of family/friends not a god.

William, I believe everyone feels the same as you do when it comes to wanting to live happily, and not looking forward to rushing into the afterlife, but have you ever considered that there just might be an afterlife and what our Creator desires from us to get there from here? You said, "As long as I am happy, that's all that counts." But is it really? Oh, it's great to be happy, and God does want us to have happiness, but what about peace? We can have peace in life no matter if we are happy or at those sad times, if we know that God is in control, and we understand what his plan is in the end.

About religion... I don't like religion and I believe God dislikes it even more. Religion is man made doctrines and rules and organizations. God doesn't want us to have religion, he wants us to have a relationship. A relationship with Him.

It is true that the world has been here for millions of years, and if you read the bible, it does not say otherwise. It just states that in the beginning (whenever that was) God created the Heavens and the Earth. I have read the bible all the way through many times, and science does not contradict it at all. Please consider reading it. God has much to say to us in there. Patty

Surely as god forgives murderers and child killers that someone who has lived a good life is not considered unworthy to enter heaven? Seems a bit like your telling me to follow god and the bible or i wont get into heaven.

This is one of the reasons people loose interest in faiths. At a young age your told the 10 commandments. Then you ask why give them if nobody listens to them? Then you check and find that the 10 commandments have been re-written 3 times

Exodus 20:2–17 Deuteronomy 5:6–21 Exodus 34:11–27

Each time the words change, this is because we change. We change with the times. The church now has not.

I think that the more people worry less about god the better. The more people take responsibility for their actions own actions and not a god or a spirit made them do it the better.

I asked a simple question of a christian friend i had. If god is such an all powerfull and caring god, why does he let children die in pain of disease/famin/injury etc. The answer was from him that we are all gods children and that we need to learn ourselves how to deal with these things. What he ment was - i have no idea but its down to ourselves either way not gods as he's a bystander.

Good example of double standards in a following. The same christian friend i knew(past) was born again christian. He didnt however act like one. He went to church all the time, said he found god, helped the parish etc but outside of that group he acts totally different.

He was greedy, selfish, rude and never really did well for his family. Yet he goes to church and professes he has done well and supported his family and served his god.

I was not surprised to hear that his wife divorced him or that he lost his job but to me this is the exact example when you say about what god wants us to follow to get into heaven.

I put my family first, am a very happy person and am at peace. I treat everyone with respect, as i would expect them to treat me. If i died tomorrow i have no regrets at all, have no wishes for myself, except that my family move on after and are also happy.

So when we get to the gates will i get in or will the person who wasnt a nice person who left his family alone but who served god get in? Its a double standard tbh. Do we grade entry into heaven? As i didnt realise there were different levels of access.

Noone can enter Heaven because ALL sin, and the penalty for sinning is death. (Before the first man sinned, man was able to live eternally) So, because ALL have sinned, ALL can not enter Heaven (murders and good people alike). Therefore, God needed to make a way, for anyone who chooses to live eternally in Heaven with Him after they die, to be able to enter in. He sent His Son, who was sinless, to take our punishment for our sins for us. Now we don't need to be punished anymore for our sins, because Jesus took it for us. That satisfied justice. Anyone, good or bad, who trusts in Him and asks him to include them in this free gift of salvation, can enter into Heaven now after they die.

Religion makes it soooo complicated. Eternal life is a free gift. There for the asking. If you believe that there is a God who created all of this, then all you need to do is ask Jesus to forgive you for sinning and ask to be taken into heaven to live after you die. He said that anyone who asks, receives. He will not force anyone to believe in Him.

Thankyou patty. Thats the question i needed answering properly. I think i had been preached to by someone trying to sell me a product.

What you have said makes sense.

So to cut a long story short i can live without god in my life and ask for forgiveness before entering heaven. If there is a god then he will see whats in your heart and forgive you.

So its all good.

I asked a simple question of a christian friend i had. If god is such an all powerfull and caring god, why does he let children die in pain of disease/famin/injury etc. The answer was from him that we are all gods children and that we need to learn ourselves how to deal with these things. What he ment was - i have no idea but its down to ourselves either way not gods as he's a bystander.

I believe your friend gave a vague answer to your question. I would answer it this way....

When mankind chose to sin, by doing as they chose to do, instead of what God had planned for them, death entered the world for them. All consequences for wrong doing stinks, but are required for mankind to learn from. just as a parent disciplines his children, for their sake, God disciplines us as well. God allows life to 'happen'. Examples: A car drives too fast and accidentally hits a child, cells in a body form cancer, no rain brings no crop which in turn brings famine, etc. Life happens. God intervenes in life when people pray to him and ask him to. Sometimes he answers our prayers in the way we think would be best, and sometimes he says no to us. Either way, because he knows what is best in all situations, he answers ALL prayers according to his will. God gives mankind the right to choice. All choices bring consequences.(good or bad) If he took choice away from us, we would all be as puppets or robots, not being able to 'choose' wether we will love him or reject him. He doesn't want anyone to come to him who didn't make that decision themselves. But to take choice away, would make this a perfect world. So, in order to allow mankind the freedom to 'choose' God (good) over Satan (evil), he had to allow consequences for our actions and decisions in life.

Thankyou patty. Thats the question i needed answering properly. I think i had been preached to by someone trying to sell me a product.

What you have said makes sense.

So to cut a long story short i can live without god in my life and ask for forgiveness before entering heaven. If there is a god then he will see whats in your heart and forgive you.

So its all good.

This is true. The 2 thiefs on the crosses next to Jesus never lived with God in their lives, but on the day of their death, one of them acknowledged Jesus as God and he was allowed to enter into Heaven that day. You, too, can live without God in your life and ask for forgiveness before entering Heaven, but what if you get hit by a bus tomorrow and never get the chance to ask him? ..... May I ask why you would want to live with God in eternity, but not now, here on Earth?

Maybe because i don't believe at this stage. I only go to church for wedding/death/christenings. I once went to church but after listening to the speech the vicar gave i couldn't help thinking if i stayed i would be lying that i believed what he said was true.

I wont ever be untrue to myself in work/family/life and sure wont sit with someone who i lie to when they say about belief. I will just stay happy, respectful, helpful and generally a good person, until it comes to the time i have to worry about confessing sins.

I am sure that a child thats knocked over by a car and killed that has not confessed to any sins is still let into heaven? At the end of the day if there is a god then as i say he will see in your heart what sort of person you are., as he will know us all.

You do put up a very good view of God if there is one, i think as i said above i would be hypocritical if i sat there when i just dont believe in what i am listening to.

I just wanted to say that all children go to Heaven for it states this in the bible. When they reach an age of accountability, which I believe is around 12 years old; then they become accountable for their choice. I say 12, because Jesus was 12 when he entered the synagoge and began to teach and he sets the example, children also go thru puberty around this time and thus become adults theoretically, etc. But I suppose only God knows when a child is at the age of being able to make that kind of decision.

I think you have a sound head on your shoulders. Honest, upfront, and not wanting to be hypocritical are very good qualities to have.

In the bible, it says that 'now' is the time for salvation. That means that noone knows what tomorrow holds, so it is best to form that relationship with the Savior while you can.

God does know every mans heart, as you say. It is nice to talk to you. God bless. Patty

Is God real?

No. none of them are.

William, I believe everyone feels the same as you do when it comes to wanting to live happily, and not looking forward to rushing into the afterlife, but have you ever considered that there just might be an afterlife and what our Creator desires from us to get there from here? You said, "As long as I am happy, that's all that counts." But is it really? Oh, it's great to be happy, and God does want us to have happiness, but what about peace? We can have peace in life no matter if we are happy or at those sad times, if we know that God is in control, and we understand what his plan is in the end.

About religion... I don't like religion and I believe God dislikes it even more. Religion is man made doctrines and rules and organizations. God doesn't want us to have religion, he wants us to have a relationship. A relationship with Him.

It is true that the world has been here for millions of years, and if you read the bible, it does not say otherwise. It just states that in the beginning (whenever that was) God created the Heavens and the Earth. I have read the bible all the way through many times, and science does not contradict it at all. Please consider reading it. God has much to say to us in there. Patty

Patty,

You have said here and elsewhere that you don’t like religion and yet you keep quoting the bible. The bible is the instrument of the Christian religion. Each of the sub-faiths in Christianity all seem to interpret it a little differently, but it is the basic component of that religion. As much as you choose to believe otherwise it was written, edited, re-rewritten and subverted by men not by God. In fact, it is not even an original work. It has been shown time and again that is nothing more than a rehashing of earlier religions, allegories, and myths.

Oh wait, why do I even bother? Somebody please stop me before I get frustrated again with this circular argument.

You are free to choose to believe what it says or not, just as I am. I believe that the bible is the only inspired written word of God.

I am a Christian, meaning a believer in Christ. I do not like organized religion that sets up man made rules, doctrines, and creeds, or sets up rulers to govern the affairs of men. I believe that God can have a place in every persons life without religion. My christianity is NOT a religion ordained of men, but a relationship that I have with God who created me. I am not in need of a synagoge, saints, church, wall, alter, candle, inscense, building, hall, priest or pope. All I need is the bible, God's written words (instructional guidance) to me. I talk to God as if he were another person in the room. Jesus, his Son, is my mediator. He speaks to the Father for me on my behalf. I believe in Him. Religions are the problem in the world.

Well said Patty :thumbup: May God Bless you, of course God is REAL!!