[stupak]

Teejay, I am a christian, just like you I assume, and I do believe in life after death. One thing that the bible teaches us is to be deciples of christ and to spread the good news. One thing we all learn early in faith is that the easiest way to get a non-believer to listen to you is to be polite and non-defensive the moment he questions your faith. If somebody asks a question, treat it as-is and not as a sarcastic question cause you never know. Maybe they are really asking an innocent question.

[edd]

From my question a number of you have made some inferences about my spiritual life

Take Teejay for example..

>The question of... "If there was no eternal life
>in heaven" is dark thinking and means that you
>despise those who worship the God. Without God
>you are vacum

First of all Teejay let me tell you that I have the utmost respect for all Chrisitans and that "the duty of man is to worship God".

Secondly, you also say that my question reflects "Dark Thinking".Now dont assume that anyone who asks a question relating to fundamental Christian beliefs is a M******i(I wont even write the word). God says come let us reason together.

Then there's thierry who says

>My advise to you is make the decision to be a
>christian because you want to make a difference
>to your life not because of fear of death and
>the afterlife.
>I hope i have helped........ for mine was a shot
>in the dark.....

I appreciate your concern thierry and I have taken your advice to heart. But let me ask you this... What if someone came and asked you "Is marriage worth it even if we dont have kids" what would you tell him/her, ...to get married and stop being afraid? NO I'm sure you would try to show them marriage is not just about x y z so on so forth. I am asking you(and myself at the same time) WHY am I a Christian or what is my MOTIVATION in this Christian walk.

As for Moona
>my life would still be worthwhile coz of All
>things My God continues to do in my daily life.

My guess(since I dont know you) is that you have taken your walk with Christ to another level.

[teejay]

>If somebody asks a question, treat it as-is
>and not as a sarcastic question cause
>you never know. Maybe they are really
>asking an innocent question.

Thats right brother I entirely agree with you on that.Rememeber that day those pharesees asked Jesus a question about The coin with ceaser's head on it.Being a christian you know his answers to those peeps.

You must also know that in order for someone to talk about something he/she must have had thoughts or experiences .What do you think propelled this guy into asking this question?

[teejay]

@Edd

>From my question a number of you have made some >inferences about my spiritual life
>Take Teejay for example..

>God says come let us reason together.

Yes brother that was me.I was just rebuking that kind of thought.

>WHY am I a Christian or what is my >MOTIVATION in this Christian walk.

I have sat back read and digested your thoughts here above.Now,from your snetence above... "God says come let us reason together"...,I tend to think that you are a christian who is somewhere in btwn doubts and the truth.Well my advice is that you read your bible carefully and submit yourself totally to God and ask him to give the wisdom and let his holy sprirt guide you through and through.To really understand your bible your human reasoning is not enough the reason we find confused brothers.

I beleive christians have only one obligation on this earth,and that is to serve and obey God.How?????......Jesus sumerises it in the 10 commandment this way...

1.Love your God with all your heart soul and mind
2.Love your as you love yourself

This is widely evident in Christ's teaching in the Gospel books.Hence the reason for being a christian.And that how you also earn you eternal life.

[Siko]

There is eternal life?

[edd]

Teejay....If this was 16th century Europe and I asked this question I'm sure I would me Nyam Chom right now. Your rebuke is in that same spirit of the Inquisition(Dont ask Just believe...or else).

If asking questions about my faith makes me sinner so be it. But Christianity was not spread with your "Thou Shalt...and thats that" attitude.

The Early Apsotles argued, searched Scripture and Prayed whenever something a question arose about something relating to their faith.

Back to my question.

The Danish theologian Soren Kierkigaard dwelt with this question extensively when he tried to survey the Sacrifice of Isaac. According to Soren,the Christianity of his time had degenerated into mere "Ethics and Metaphysics".

He argued that such concepts such as worshipping God in return for a paradise filled with all our hearts desire had taken the place of TRUE WORSHIP which according to him involved seeing God as wholly Other(Derrida's interpetation actually) to us and His Will and that alone is what matters not what is in store for us.

That said let me put my question back.
Blaise Pascal wrote that
"the conviction that belief in God is reasonable on the ground that there are no rational grounds either for belief or disbelief, so belief is not less reasonable than disbelief; but this being so it is wiser to gamble on the truth of religion since this policy involves success if religion is true and no significant loss if it is false"

This is "Pascal's wager"

Is Christianity an "Eternal Life Insurance Policy" ?

[teejay]

>Teejay....If this was 16th century
>Europe and I asked this question I'm
>sure I would me Nyam Chom right now.
>Your rebuke is in that same spirit of
>the Inquisition(Dont ask Just
>believe...or else).
>
>If asking questions about my faith makes
>me sinner so be it. But Christianity was
>not spread with your "Thou Shalt...and
>thats that" attitude.

It is malicious to say that I have called you a sinner.Even Christ did not dare call satan that when contending with the him(satan)the disputed about the body of Moses

>The Early Apsotles argued, searched
>Scripture and Prayed whenever something
>a question arose about something
>relating to their faith.

And what was their solution about a question like yours.Am sure they must have come across such FAQs.And there was it must be somewhere in my holy book.

And for you information even some of them sold their properties in anticipation that Christ would be back sooner that they expected.

>Back to my question.
>
>The Danish theologian Soren Kierkigaard
>dwelt with this question extensively
>when he tried to survey the Sacrifice of
>Isaac. According to Soren,the
>Christianity of his time had
>degenerated into mere "Ethics and
>Metaphysics".
>
>He argued that such concepts such as
>worshipping God in return for a paradise
>filled with all our hearts desire had
>taken the place of TRUE WORSHIP which
>according to him involved seeing God as
>wholly Other(Derrida's interpetation
>actually) to us and His Will and that
>alone is what matters not what is in
>store for us.

Am sure when this guy wrote this book his target was to create awareness in whoever that was that was worshipping God in return for paradise.And am sure he achieved his goal and in turn he has for example,you reading his book.One can claim to be the most born-again but have no connection at all with a higher power, with the society or with oneself.This is Precisely the reason why Christ says Not all those who call me LORD!LORD! Shall enter the kingdom of Heaven.

The lord's will for us is to save mankind as whole.Its quite obvious that any person with the intentions of saving someone from danger is for the good of that person.They say a friend in need is a friend in dead.

Christ left only one WILL for us and this salvation.

We shall reep what we saw.It is evident in the bible.Your question seem to have sidelined that.If you knew that you will not reep anything from your Maizefeild would it be worth being a farmer??????? Would it be worth going to school if you knew you would not gain knowlegde.{{It would probably even not worth donating for you in a harambe to go to USA(Assumption)}} It should therefore be clear to you that it is through your
actions that eternity is guaranteed ofcourse through true worship

>Is Christianity an "Eternal Life
>Insurance Policy" ?

Once again I will say this.... and I quote christ"NOT ALL THOSE WHO CALL ME LORD!!LORD!!! WILL ENTER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN".

[edd]

>We shall reep what we saw.It is evident in the bible.Your question seem to have sidelined that.If you knew that you will not reep >anything from your Maizefeild would it be worth being a farmer??????? Would it be worth going to school if you knew you would not >gain knowlegde.{{It would probably even not worth donating for you in a harambe to go to USA(Assumption)}} It should therefore >be clear to you that it is through your
>actions that eternity is guaranteed ofcourse through true worship

This is my point exactly.Is Christianity just another reward system where if you do this or say this God will give you this and that or else He will do this and that.

I spent sometime yesterday reading the book of Job ,not just chapter 1 and the happy conclusion , but each of Jobs arguments and his friends counterarguments.

This is was what I gathered.
1) Job main complaint is this..I havent sinned I have been righteous and upright all my life, yet God has in turn given me all this problems. God has wronged and since he is not Man I have no one to mediate between us.

2) His friends reply is this. Job wacha uwongo you must have done something to deserve this(Your Kidos too). Why? God rewards our Righteousness and punishes us for our Sins thats the way the system works

3) When God appears on the scene He doesnt even explain why these things happened to Job. In a nutshell all he does is ask this question(s), How can a mortal man understand my ways?

With this in mind I throw the question back ..(Teejay)

Is Christianity held together By the promise of Eternal life in heaven or hell??

[Moona]

Right on the spot edd...I took my walk with Christ right to another level since I decided to take a stand for Him and ever since I keep going to new levels...

[teejay]

>I spent sometime yesterday reading the
>book of Job ,not just chapter 1 and the
>happy conclusion , but each of Jobs
>arguments and his friends
>counterarguments.
>
>This is was what I gathered.
>1) Job main complaint is this..I havent
>sinned I have been righteous and upright
>all my life, yet God has in turn given
>me all this problems. God has wronged
>and since he is not Man I have no one to
>mediate between us.
>
>2) His friends reply is this. Job wacha
>uwongo you must have done something to
>deserve this(Your Kidos too). Why? God
>rewards our Righteousness and punishes
>us for our Sins thats the way the system
>works
>
>3) When God appears on the scene He
>doesnt even explain why these things
>happened to Job. In a nutshell all he
>does is ask this question(s), How can a
>mortal man understand my ways?
>
>With this in mind I throw the question
>back ..(Teejay)
>
>Is Christianity held together By the
>promise of Eternal life in heaven or
>hell??

Listen to this carefully Edd.Your observation is very right too,but in what sense?????.God does not bring temptations to anyone on the contrary it is satan's work.

Doesn't the same book tells you that satan is malicious and the accuser of brethrens??

Notice how satan approaches God and tells HIM that only loves you(God)because wealth and your blessings upon him.

Then God decides "enough of you satan" and says "ok do anything you want to him,but I Warn you do not touch his soul" ofcourse these are my own words to make the scene a little interesting.The story is however bibilical.Job being a human being does not understand God's way and therefore he reverts to his thinking and laments just the way you put it in one above.

{Human beings tend to think That God always does} bad things to them when they are in trouble. }


To me this is the ultimate test of faith. Christians today call it a challenge.Do you disciplin your child when he has not revolted against your expectations????

When you talk about eternal life you are also incorporating somebody supreme in there.This person is the origintor of eternity he HIMSELF is eternal.The bible quotes Christ as saying he is The way the truth and the life....

Now having known that if we rephrase your question it will sound this way....

........"If there was no God in heaven.Would Christianity be worth it?"

why would you worship??,who would you worship??
In the fgirst place your existance would be negative!!!! Nothing Like Edd & Teejay on this earth.Nothing like christainity.


After that now,you know that christanity is held together by the Supreme being who happens to be eternal.HE IS ALPHA AND OMEGA.