i was just wondering

[pinkfighter]

Since I question God's existence and any supernatural being existence for that matter, does that mean, if he does exist, He'll send me to hell? In my opinion, He should sympathize with me and should understand why I have come to that decision. Also He should prove to me His existence. I cannot believe every word another human says, because they too are sinners.

One more thing, why can't church be more interesting? Come on, it is a Sunday.

(All you religious people don't be mad at me, these are just my views and opinions)

 

[Dan]

Hey, welcome to the board! I think maybe GOP_Jeff may be better suited to answering your questions in a technical manner from a Christian point of view, but as someone who is also in doubts about God's existence, here's my take...

Since I question God's existence and any supernatural being existence for that matter, does that mean, if he does exist, He'll send me to hell?

I have trouble with this myself. At the moment, I don't really believe in God, but if there is a God, then he created me to think this way and therefore couldn't blame me for having wonder. That said, one could say that God allowed every person in Hell to go there, knowing full well that they would go there, which is kind of messed up.

Also He should prove to me His existence.

See, I disagree with this train of thought. If God does exist, He (or she or whatever) owes nothing to us and doesn't have to prove a damn thing to us. Also, if God showed himself to us, in any manner, we would either a)not accept that it was God's hand touching us, or b) have no reason for continuing to live this life in any fruitful or enjoyable way, knowing that it is all just a waiting period for us to get to Heaven.

I cannot believe every word another human says, because they too are sinners.

I'm with you here. I was always taught 'believe none of what you hear, and half of what you see', but then I'm supposed to base my life around a book written hundreds of years before I was born? I have no answer for this one, because I feel the same as you.

One more thing, why can't church be more interesting? Come on, it is a Sunday.

I think it comes from a desire to stick to tradition in religion, and therefore services are carried out in somewhat the same fashion as they have been for many, many, many years. I can understand why certain things, such as the giving of communion, would be the same after all these years, but I don't get why some religions try to keep every little aspect of their belief system exactly accurate to the way it was conducted so many years ago.

Just a simple example, my parents can never become members of a Catholic church because they've both had divorces, which I think is horrible. All this is encouraging is for people who don't love, or even like, each other to stay together and cause even more problems in the homestead.

(All you religious people don't be mad at me, these are just my views and opinions)

I wouldn't worry about it too much, even the most devout religious folks on this board are generally very open-minded and willing to listen to opposing arguments from folks like us.

 

[Moi]

Originally posted by pinkfighter
Since I question God's existence and any supernatural being existence for that matter, does that mean, if he does exist, He'll send me to hell? In my opinion, He should sympathize with me and should understand why I have come to that decision. Also He should prove to me His existence. I cannot believe every word another human says, because they too are sinners.

One more thing, why can't church be more interesting? Come on, it is a Sunday.

(All you religious people don't be mad at me, these are just my views and opinions)

I don't think that God would send you to hell for questions. I think others have said it best that if a student fails to learn the teacher must use other methods. If god truly cared what you thought he would indeed convince you somehow. The other part of that is that I don't think God would be that egomaniacal. If there was a god and he did create the earth and people, I'm sure that if you live justly - regardless of whether you believed in him - the reward would be the same.

 

[Bern80]

Wow, can't believe anybody brought this up.

My two since:
I consider myslef ignostic, meaning i just haven't decided if God exists or not. Until i see some form of proof I would have to say no at this point.

There is too much about organized religion that is too screwed for me to understand why a God would create it in such a way.
As a catholic your're baptized, receive first communion and are confirmed all before you graduate from high school, which in my opinion, isn't old enough to make an informative decision about anything much less deciding on the existence of a creator.

I think there are few people who actually think about why they believe in a God. I did, up until a few years ago, basically because my parents told me he/she existed, because their parents told them he/she existed and becasue their parents told them he/she existed.

Not to mention the contradictions of organized religion. i. e. homosexuality. The Bible says hate the sin but love the sinner or something like that which makes no sense to me and suggest that who ever wrote the Bible though homosexuality was a choice. Which we know is not true. God supposedly says all people are born w/o sin, this would not be true of homosexuals who have a strike against them before they even leave whoom. This then makes God fallable, and if you've ever seen Dogma you know we can't have that.

 

[Jackass]

Originally posted by Bern80

As a catholic your're baptized, receive first communion and are confirmed all before you graduate from high school, which in my opinion, isn't old enough to make an informative decision about anything much less deciding on the existence of a creator.

All of these sacriments are completed at certain times for a reason. Baptism at birth to wash away Original Sin. When your 7 or so, you should know the difference between right and wrong..which is when you receive First Holy Communion. By the time you reach age for confirmation (about 13) I think you can say you believe there is a God"

God supposedly says all people are born w/o sin, this would not be true of homosexuals who have a strike against them before they even leave whoom. This then makes God fallable, and if you've ever seen Dogma you know we can't have that.

Actually..according to the Catholic religion..all people ARE born with sin, which is why we get baptised to wash away that sin.
I do agree with your thoughts on the organization of religion though...its just too fallable.

 

[5stringJeff]

Pinkfighter,

Those who have been around the boards for a while know that I'm an evangelical Christian. So I'll try to answer your points as fairly as I can, from a Christian's point of view.

Originally posted by pinkfighter
Since I question God's existence and any supernatural being existence for that matter, does that mean, if he does exist, He'll send me to hell?

I don't know many people who have never questioned God's existence. Most of the people I know, however, have become convinced that God is real. Some people come to that realization through study and intellectual searching, some come to it by soul-searching, some come to it by an experience with God, and some just believe without knowing why. So questioning the existence of God is not in itself a bad thing. But, if one dies without believing, and then finds him/herself in front of God, I think that person would be in a world of hurt, to say the least.

In my opinion, He should sympathize with me and should understand why I have come to that decision. Also He should prove to me His existence.

Like Dan said, God owes us nothing. But He does sympathize with us, and wants us to know Him and to know about Him. I think He has given us all the proof we need through two sources: His word, and His creation.
God has shown Himself to us through His creation - this universe. In my opinion, the universe is too perfect to have just happened this way. For example, at the Big Bang, if the mass of the universe had been one part in 10^15 smaller, the universe would have imploded within seconds. If it had been that same bit larger, gravity would not have been able to act in the way it has in forming stars, galaxies, planets, etc. The placement of the Earth in the solar system is another example of something that is a little too perfect to have happened by chance. The creation of life (not evolution) is another thing that I can't explain without some kind of Divine power. So I think that if one takes a look at the universe, one can see God's handiwork.
As for His words, God has spoken through people (who are sinners, absolutely, but who are still chosen by God nonetheless) to reveal Himself to us. I - and other Christians - believe that God's Word is contained in the Bible. There are many reasons that I believe that the Bible is divinely inspired, which I won't get into here, but I believe that, even though it was written by humans, it was [inspired[/i] by God.

I cannot believe every word another human says, because they too are sinners.

I suppose I should find a web link that backs up my previous paragraph. This would probably answer your question better than I could.

One more thing, why can't church be more interesting? Come on, it is a Sunday.

There are many more churches nowadays that have very lively services - rock music, coffee, etc. In fact, I play in a band that did a service like that on Saturdays. It was a great time.

(All you religious people don't be mad at me, these are just my views and opinions)

Why would I be mad? Everyone is entitled to an opinion. Hopefully we'll get to discuss more of them on these boards. Welcome!

 

[WheatonGal]

You're certainly not alone in experiencing those doubts. The Evolution vs Creation debate was what ended my experience at CCD (Catholic Sunday School) at the age of 9. But, what it comes down to for me is that it's comforting, the faith in something more. Science can just as easily prove as disprove the existence of God. Has it happened yet? Not really...but, it's possible. In the meantime, I have faith, as there are many unexplainables in the world. I do keep away from organized religion, though...too much corruption, too many power-hungry "men of the cloth."

As for God's forgiving the doubters...in the Catholic religion, sins are forgiven upon confession and seeking of redemption. As long as it's not one of the Seven Deadly, all is well. So, keep on questioning, and when you find the answer, do let us know!

 

[Jackass]

Originally posted by WheatonGal
As long as it's not one of the Seven Deadly, all is well.

Are you saying you wont be forgiven for these?

 

[WheatonGal]

ah, see, therein lies one of the fundamental confusions/hypocrisies of Catholicism. The way I understand it is thus- you know it's a deadly sin, so it's supposed to be "too bad, you lose." So, how does that reconcile with the all-who-seek-redemption-shall-be-granted theory? hmmmmm...afraid I have to refer to those more knowledgeable...I'll check and get the specifics for you. Sorry I don't have more of an answer

 

[Jackass]

As far as I know..if you ask for forgiveness you shall receive forgiveness.

 

[5stringJeff]

I don't buy into the Seven Deadly Sins not being forgiveable. It's not found in Scripture. In fact, Jesus explictily told a woman caught in the act of adultery that He did not condemn her.