Posted on 07/18/2010 11:28:50 AM PDT by honestabe010
I was raised in a Christian family, consistently went to church, and attended Christian school for a good portion of my life. Having familiarized myself with the religion in these ways, I have become appalled with the apathy of many of these believers in relation to their actual knowledge of their cherished faith. What shocks me the most about Christians is their willingness to forego the verification process in determining whether the religion they subscribe to is legitimate.
I find the most ludicrous part of many Christians’ belief to be their inability to adequately defend their faith. They cite their parents, Pastor, and the Bible as the authority needed to legitimize their beliefs. What an incendiary belief and an affront to God that simply believing what your parents and church tell you because you “trust” them are the main premise for your belief.
Maybe you claim to have felt the “presence of god”, received “answers to prayer”, or had “spiritual experiences”. In regards to having felt the presence of god or having had a spiritual experience, it is prudent to understand that every tenant of every other faith has also had similar experiences. What makes your encounter so special? As for answered prayer – How many prayers have you had that were not answered? If you pray enough for things, inevitably some of them will be “answered” in some form or another, maybe you should chalk it up to sheer chance rather than divine intervention.
It is incredibly imprudent to place your entire eternity at risk without fully exploring alternative solutions. Most Christians that I know, and I know quite a few, have an air of cockiness about them and are completely sure that they are right and everyone else is wrong. This certainty rarely comes with any tangible evidence...
(Excerpt) Read more at thewoodwardreport.com ...
In my own experience, the church I attend pointed out how actually having Bibles in a church for the congregation to read and follow along is a somewhat "novel" idea as many churches (like the ones I attended earlier in life) did not do this.
When I look back, all I can say to that is literally WTF?
What I used to tell the Church Youth Group I ran was. Don’t believe it because I say it - check it out for yourself! Made for some interesting times when they would question me but hey that is what it’s all about - I ain’t perfect and maybe God in His wisdom would use them to correct me every once and awhile!
Either way the challenge to ‘catch me out’ made them go read things for themselves!
Mel
Our answers must not be simply "because of faith," or "because the Bible says so." More and more there is historical fact that shows the truth of the resurrection---the number one apologetic issue. Churches need to emphasize apologetics as well as the Good News.
It happened to me and changed my life completely.
How the Church Has Failed to Equip Their Flock With a Ready Defense
I was raised in a Christian family, consistently went to church, and attended Christian school for a good portion of my life. Having familiarized myself with the religion in these ways, I have become appalled with the apathy of many of these believers in relation to their actual knowledge of their cherished faith. What shocks me the most about Christians is their willingness to forego the verification process in determining whether the religion they subscribe to is legitimate.
I find the most ludicrous part of many Christians’ belief to be their inability to adequately defend their faith. They cite their parents, Pastor, and the Bible as the authority needed to legitimize their beliefs. What an incendiary belief and an affront to God that simply believing what your parents and church tell you because you “trust” them are the main premise for your belief.
Maybe you claim to have felt the “presence of god”, received “answers to prayer”, or had “spiritual experiences”. In regards to having felt the presence of god or having had a spiritual experience, it is prudent to understand that every tenant of every other faith has also had similar experiences. What makes your encounter so special? As for answered prayer – How many prayers have you had that were not answered? If you pray enough for things, inevitably some of them will be “answered” in some form or another, maybe you should chalk it up to sheer chance rather than divine intervention.
It is incredibly imprudent to place your entire eternity at risk without fully exploring alternative solutions. Most Christians that I know, and I know quite a few, have an air of cockiness about them and are completely sure that they are right and everyone else is wrong. This certainty rarely comes with any tangible evidence.
Even if it is determined that God and His son Jesus are the masters of the universe, I think it is quite reasonable to realize that God gave man the gift of logic and it should be used to determine the legitimacy of one’s faith.
However, I dare say that the vast majority of believers are not equipped with the knowledge to even come close to being able to defend their faith. Can you tell me why I should believe all of the things in the Bible? Why is it reliable? What exactly was the canonization process? How is it fair, since most people subscribe to a religion based on environment (family, geography, school, etc.) that those who grew up in a Christian environment are able to spend eternity in Heaven and those who were born in Mecca will rot in Hell? There are over 2 billion Muslims and Jews who according to Christians are headed to Hell. However, realize that these groups assert quite the same thing about Christians.
These are not questions for theological giants or pastors; these are questions for each and every Christian. If you are not vigorously seeking the answer to these questions, which are only a small sample of questions of which beg to be asked regarding the religion, than I dare say that you are quite a disgraceful excuse for a believer.
I must remind you, as I touched on earlier, that this is you’re an entire eternity that you are dealing with. You have no excuse to not vigorously seek the answers surrounding your faith. There is nothing more important than the question of life after death, for according to the great religions of the world, if you choose wrong you are sentenced to an eternity of suffering.
Your wife or husband, your kids, your family, your work, all of these things pale in comparison to the God issue. It is time you start living like it. It has always been preached to me that God must be first in one’s life. However, it is extremely rare to see an individual actually put this into practice.
The prevailing theme of this article should not be understood as an attack on Christianity but as an attack of most Christians. The apathy that is exercised by Christians toward their understanding of their belief is a complete disgrace. It is not enough to just read the Bible and to understand the message within, which many Christians are quite unknowledgeable of, but it is necessary to explore evidence outside of the good book.
One must seek the answer as to why such a book is reliable; one must read apologetics as espoused by the likes of Origen, Augustine, Aquinas, Schaeffer, Lewis and countless more. But even more important one must read and become familiar with the arguments against religion, in particular Christianity. It is most likely implausible to ever reach a point of complete certainty through logic. However, simply because Christianity requires faith does not mean it does not require a large amount of logic and fact as well.
Christianity is in need of reformation. The Church needs to not only preach what is in the Bible, but it is time they equip their flock with the knowledge to defend their faith in secular teams. Christians have failed miserably to equip themselves with a full understanding of their religion. It is time they do, it happens to be a matter of eternal life or death.
Years ago I read two books by Paul Little about knowing what we believe and why. Time for a reread I think.
Well, God must love average, luke-warm Christians....’cause he made so many of ‘em!!
“It happened to me and changed my life completely.”
Me too.
I can hardly wait to see his ‘Stupid Muslims’ column. I’m sure it is forthcoming. He can explain to us why they think it’s okay to savagely murder anybody who disagrees with them or, Allah forbid, is perceived as having insulted Islam or their child-molesting prophet. Probably read it in the Unholy Queer’an.
I can hardly wait to see his ‘Stupid Muslims’ column. I’m sure it is forthcoming. He can explain to us why they think it’s okay to savagely murder anybody who disagrees with them or, Allah forbid, is perceived as having insulted Islam or their child-molesting prophet. Probably read it in the Unholy Queer’an.
I know I only hit post once, but I’ll accept the responsibility for the double post.
I love your GEICO commercial.
“How is it fair, since most people subscribe to a religion based on environment (family, geography, school, etc.) that those who grew up in a Christian environment are able to spend eternity in Heaven and those who were born in Mecca will rot in Hell?”
I’m thinking that the author should read his Bible a bit before suggesting others participate in apologetics. This is emphatically NOT what the Bible teaches.
That said, I agree that churches need to do more apologetics—especially for teens. The case for the resurrection, as history, is actually very good. But the left will attack teens faith ruthlessly in college.
Plus the is a Civil War of Values raging today throughout North America. Two sides with vastly differing and incompatible worldviews are locked in a bitter conflict that permeates every level of society.On one side is the Christian worldview divided into three easily definable ranches: secular humanism, Marxism, and New Age or Cosmic Humanism. While the latter three don't agree in every detail, there is one point on which they unanimously concur-their opposition to Biblical Christianity.Someday soon a winner in the battle for our children's hearts and minds will emerge and the loser will fade from memory.In order to emerge victorious Christians need to know how to defend Christianity.
“Well, God must love average, luke-warm Christians....’cause he made so many of ‘em!!”
I assume you are being sarcastic, because He said that “narrow was the gate and few will find it.”
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