Christianity - The only religion that makes sense of the world?

[Twilight]

For me, Christianity is the only belief system that makes sense of the world.

It answers all the major questions in life.

It answers all the smaller questions of my existance.

I do not believe any other belief system can do the same.

Your thoughts?

Mark

[SivartM]

I never understood that kind of reasoning. I don't see how Christianity really makes any more sense of the world than Islam or animism. If Christianity answers all of your questions, why don't you know everything yet? Or why aren't any Christians even close to understanding everything? I could make up answers with as much scientific evidence as Christianity has.

What is it about Islam that can't make sense of the world? What is it about Buddhism that can't make sense of the world? I've never met a Christian who can make sense of the world; we always end up accepting things by faith as much as or more than other religions. A God who we can't see, who is infinite and yet incarnated into a finite human body and died for our sins, does not make for the most sensible religion. We can't explain God (and well we shouldn't), but we feel like we have all the answers to all the questions?

[abelisle]

For me, Christianity is the only belief system that makes sense of the world.

It answers all the major questions in life.

It answers all the smaller questions of my existance.

I do not believe any other belief system can do the same.

Your thoughts?

Mark

My take on this is that Christianity makes sense for me in "my" world - the way I see things BUT it does NOT answer all the major questions in the world. For example, the Bible does not explain the origin of sin. How could sin rear its ugly head in a perfect environment in the presence of a perfect Being, namely God. I think we refer to this as a theodicy.

I think sivart has raised some interesting points. A statement as strong as yours probably could use some side-by-side comparisons?

As for some of the smaller questions, "why is snow white?"

Alex

[SivartM]

As for some of the smaller questions, "why is snow white?"

Because the Bible says it is!

If it didn't say so, we would have no idea why snow is white.

:)

[cardw]

For me, Christianity is the only belief system that makes sense of the world.

[Felix Florimon]

Originally Posted By: Twilight

For me, Christianity is the only belief system that makes sense of the world.

It answers all the major questions in life.

It answers all the smaller questions of my existance.

I do not believe any other belief system can do the same.

Your thoughts?

Mark

My take on this is that Christianity makes sense for me in "my" world - the way I see things...

Alex

The real issue is not a matter of “making or no making sense” the real issue is what system of belief makes us more functional as intelligent creatures that have the ability to affect the quality of life of others.

Christianity is born out of the hope that we learn through John 3:16 in which God gave us the author of life and Creator of the universe so by believing in Him we do not pass away into nothingness but attain eternal life.

This means that by acquiring a pattern of behavior consistent with the Ten Commandments, the “fruit of the Spirit” mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23, 2 Peter 1:5-7 (through the work of the Holy Spirit in us), we become more and more “functional” in our ability to enjoy eternal life with a perfect physical health without the headaches and pain that we know in our current temporal life.

It is not that Christianity “is the only belief system that makes sense of the world” but it is the only system of belief that teaches that the same Creator of all the physical and natural laws that has made possible our existence became human so by believing in His teachings and example we could acquire a blueprint of human behavior that would make a happy eternal life something feasible for all of us who claim to believe in Him.

This implies that the more our society becomes estranged and disconnected from the guiding principles of human behavior we learn through the Lord Jesus and His Apostles, the more corrupt and dysfunctional it becomes.

FF

[skyblue888]

"Acquaint now yourself with Him and be at peace; Thereby good will come to you" is His message to mankind.

[Felix Florimon]

Why shouldn’t it make more sense than anything else to get acquainted with one claiming to be the Author of life plus everything and the ONLY ONE able to give us the ability to overcome death and enjoy eternal life? Could we also get “short term benefits” by exercising faith in Him?

[Guest]

Sure.

In sorrow and affliction, when the outlook seems dark and the future perplexing, and we feel helpless and alone,--these are the times when, in answer to the prayer of faith, the Holy Spirit brings comfort to the heart. {AA 51}

[SivartM]

Why shouldn’t it make more sense than anything else to get acquainted with one claiming to be the Author of life plus everything and the ONLY ONE able to give us the ability to overcome death and enjoy eternal life? Could we also get “short term benefits” by exercising faith in Him?

Which one claiming to be the Author of life?

[Felix Florimon]

Which one claiming to be the Author of life?

Jesus created a new way of seeking and knowing God when He said: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

A person was stoned to death because of this statement: “You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this” Acts 3:15. This is the “Author of life” I am referring to.

FF

[SivartM]

But there are many professed deities. So just believing in one of them because he claims to be the author of life is not logical, because there are many claiming that very thing. Zeus, pantheistic essence, Ra, take your pick.

[Felix Florimon]

But there are many professed deities. So just believing in one of them because he claims to be the author of life is not logical, because there are many claiming that very thing. Zeus, pantheistic essence, Ra, take your pick.

The issue is not just how many deities are out there and what they claim to be. The issue is what those deities claim to be and what one is going to do with such claim. Another point is how we are going to inter-relate with those deities. Jesus has claimed to be the way the truth and the life. Through His early followers, he claimed to be the Creator of everything that exists. While on this earth, He claimed that once He physically left this world, after His resurrection, He would send His Holy Spirit in order to remind us His teachings, help us in understanding His will and guide us in everything we do here in life. This means that through our personal experience with God is how we are able to continue to believe in Him or not.

In the kind of world we live in no one could continue being a truthful Christian just because of wishful thinking. To be a truthful Christian one needs a daily interpersonal relationship with God’s Holy Spirit that no other deity has ever offered. Now if God’s Holy Spirit is not with us then whatever Jesus said or did would become insignificant in our lives.

FF

[SivartM]

How is that more credible than other religions? How do you know Jesus even said those things? They were written down years after He lived.

[skyblue888]

SivartM, If you and I were to have a conversation, how would you know that I was talking to you? How would you know? You would know because you would hear me. Right? You hear, you know. Could you absolutely know in any other way that I was talking to you, if you did not hear me speaking? Well, this is the only way we can know that God is speaking to us, by hearing Him speaking to us. I know that the Bible is God's word because I hear His voice. He speaks to me and I hear Him. You would not think of raising the question while I was speaking to you, Now perhaps it is not you that is speaking; perhaps it is somebody else. There would be no room for that question, would there be? You would know I was speaking, because you would hear me; and we know God because He speaks. If we do not know that, how can we believe?

"Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you." Isaiah 55:3.

sky

[Felix Florimon]

My experience and the experience of others that I have learned to trust.

FF

[skyblue888]

Now there is coming a time when that voice will be heard again, and the trump too. Some will be afraid, frightened, and will seek hiding places. Others will say, Lo, this is our God; we will be joyful, we will be glad. Why? Because they have learned to know the sound of the trump. They know that when God speaks, it is life. It is life, and it doesn't make any difference in what form He speaks; it is life, and they know it, and are not at all afraid. If He whispers, all right; if He thunders, well. At that time the trump waxes louder and louder, and we will not run to get from the voice; we will know it.

"God thunders marvelously with His voice."

sky

[Felix Florimon]

You would know I was speaking, because you would hear me; and we know God because He speaks. If we do not know that, how can we believe?

sky

Good point. Jesus put it in other way when he said: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17). Based on what Jesus said if the Holy Spirit is not in an individual such person will be unable to hear the voice of God when God speaks and will not be able to understand that God is speaking to a given person or people when He is doing so. A person unwilling to receive the Holy Spirit will not be able to tell apart paganism from the truthful God creator of heavens and earth, and the redeemer of the human race.

FF

[SivartM]

Muslims hear Allah in the Qur'an. Hindus hear... whoever they happen to worship... in their sacred writings. They have spiritual experiences. I still don't see how Christianity is any more logical than them.

I don't have a problem with the idea of "hearing God", but not if you use that sort of thing as some sort of proof for Christianity. It could just be indigestion for all I know.

Faith.

[phkrause]

For me, Christianity is the only belief system that makes sense of the world.

It answers all the major questions in life.

It answers all the smaller questions of my existance.

I do not believe any other belief system can do the same.

Your thoughts?

Mark

I think one of the reasons Christianity makes more sense than most if not all is that Christianity has a Savior. Not really sure there are others at all. I know that some other religions say that someone is coming but I'm not sure that they are considered a Savior.

pk

[phkrause]

But there are many professed deities. So just believing in one of them because he claims to be the author of life is not logical, because there are many claiming that very thing. Zeus, pantheistic essence, Ra, take your pick.

Yeah Sivart you could take your pick. But aren't all these other deities made of wood, stone, etc. And didn't God even reprimand his people for following these other God's of stone, wood, etc.

pk

[SivartM]

You are assuming that God exists and that idols are not real gods.

This topic is about whether or not Christianity is the only religion that makes sense of the world. I say that any religion can make sense of the world if you want it to.

But our own personal experiences and our perception of how much sense a religion makes is not what makes a religion true.

[skyblue888]

Who else besides Jesus Christ had the power to give up his life and take it up again? the power to raise himself from the dead? who else ever claimed to be self-existent by declaring himself to be the great "I AM"?

sky

[Felix Florimon]

Muslims hear Allah in the Qur'an. Hindus hear... whoever they happen to worship... in their sacred writings. They have spiritual experiences. I still don't see how Christianity is any more logical than them.

According to the American Heritage Dictionary logical is something based on earlier or otherwise known statements, events, or conditions.

The most logical religion for love, forgiveness or redemption of the human race: Christianity in the way it was taught by the Lord Jesus and His apostles about two thousand years ago. Any final punishment will come at the time death is eradicated from planet earth.

The most logical thinking or religion for intolerance, religious persecution and cruelty against those who believe otherwise would be any religion teaching the opposite Jesus taught of how we should inter-relate with others or any religion that wishes to replace Jesus’ teachings about the golden rule in order to force religion or a particular way of thinking in others.

FF

[Felix Florimon]

Who else besides Jesus Christ had the power to give up his life and take it up again? the power to raise himself from the dead? who else ever claimed to be self-existent by declaring himself to be the great "I AM"?

sky

I don’t know of any other religion doing that. As a matter of fact other religions are afraid of Jesus’ teaching by putting to death anyone leaving their faith in order to join Christianity as our Lord Jesus and His early Apostles taught it. Just look at Iran, Saudi Arabia and those places where Christians are afraid to have public meetings to gain new converts. Even the American army is on record to burn unsolicited Bibles in Afghanistan in order “to prevent more hate against the work done by the Americans in that nation” (as a matter of fact I wrote a letter to four members of the US congress in which I mentioned that such action was very counterproductive).

FF