Is God Real? - Part II

Hmmmm....Is God Real? That is the question now isn't it?

Now – in my last post, I talked mostly about 2 main reasons for people's lack of belief in the God of the Bible:

• I don't believe in God because look at all the evil things the Catholic church has done over the years
  
• I don't believe in God because look at what Christians have done over the years – look at the Crusades, etc.

I left us with a 3rd main point, as it can become very complex, the 3rd one being:

“I don't believe in God, because how can a loving God send people to hell for eternity?”

As said previously – this is a very complex topic to explain. So many things to consider:

• Is hell actually real?
• Why do people fear such a thing?
• Is it actually God who sends people to hell?

Now – from within these points, we can actually develop further on the subject, but here's probably the main point that people hear from Christians:
“You're a sinner if you don't believe in Jesus, and if you don't believe in Jesus you're going to go to hell.”

Now – I know many people that would rather that not talk about eschatology – study of “End Times” - but it's amazing how End Times can really influence this common saying of “You're going to hell”.

There are many essentially 2 main views when it comes to Eschatology – from within each of these views it can grow into many others, but the two main views are this:

• Preterist View – The End Times were fulfilled in the past
• Futurist View – The End Times will be fulfilled at an unknown date in the future

Now depending on the view you fall into there's a main difference between these two views.

• The Preterist believes that “hell” was thrown into the “Lake of Fire” and therefore destroyed
• The Futurist believes that at the Return of Jesus, all people who deny Jesus as LORD will go to hell and from there be cast into the “Lake of Fire”

So – what I find interesting is when you speak to someone who doesn't believe in God – it's generally because of someone at one time told them “If you don't believe in Jesus you'll go to hell”.

My question is this: Did Jesus ever say that?

Other things said - “oh don't do that, or you'll go to hell”

My question is – when did these Christians stop being sinners and know they're going to Heaven and these “other sinners” are going to hell?

Generally the Christians who talk like this – are the Futurists. The one thing that most Futurists look forward to is the infamous “Rapture” that will happen. I even have had friends with whom I've had discussions with and said “Well if this is all true, aren't you concerned about all these people going to hell, and shouldn't we pray for them?” - to which I get responses like:

• There's nothing I can do to save them, only God can save them
• It's impossible to save that many people

Yet – the Jesus they believe in, the Bible they believe in so much, says things like:

• I Thessalonians 5:17 – Pray without Ceasing
• John 16:23 - And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.   24  Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
• Philippians 4:13 -  I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. 

It would seem that many Futurists doubt the words of the Book they hold so much to be true. If I can do all things through Christ, and I can pray asking things in His Name – it is possible to save the Entire World and stop them from going to “hell”.

Why do Futurists say things, and then shoot themselves in the foot with silly things?

Generally – and it's sad to say this, but it's because of a few other things:

• They don't know God, they want to, which is why they look forward to Jesus' return in the “Rapture”
• They don't spend much time in prayer for themselves, so how can they pray for others?
• They do things almost identically to the rest of the World, yet the difference is they believe in Jesus, while the rest of the World doesn't.

As for the Preterist? Well, the Preterist believes hell was done away with and destroyed in the Lake of Fire.

In Summary, I'd just like to summarize that people who don't believe in God because “how can a loving God send people to hell for eternity?” - this is certain Views of Christianity that teach such things – so it'd be more accurate to say “You don't believe in God because you believe what other 'Christians' say about where you're going to go when you die is true”. This my friends – is purely lack of knowledge.

I warn you – we still have not discussed if hell is actually real.

We still have not discussed why people fear hell.

We still haven't discussed if it's God who sends people to hell.

These topics – will be brought up in another blog, about “Is Hell for Real?”

Is God Real? - Part I

Hmmm.....where to start. Over the course of the past 2 years I guess you can say, I've talked to many different people. Christians, Muslims, Atheists, Agnostics, etc.

One question that generally gets asked from my side of things is “Why don't you believe in God?” Now depending on the group of people you ask – it leads to a different series of questions.

As for this post – it'll seem like I'm picking on the Atheists – but just see in the following posts how I'll pick on other people, including Christians.

A few main reasons I get answers from people why they don't believe in a God – and they know my Christian background, and/or they were brought up in a Christian/Catholic home I get answers like this:

• I don't believe in God because look at all the evil things the Catholic church has done over the years
• I don't believe in God because look at what Christians have done over the years – look at the Crusades, etc.
• I don't believe in God because how can a loving God send people to hell for eternity?

Now – this here isn't to defend against anything stated. Yes the Catholic church tortured the “protesters” aka protestants; yes the Catholic church controlled the world; yes the Catholic church has had priests over the years abuse people due to their “authority” and “power”.

First off – this wasn't God's doing. This was people's doing. There was a person in power of the church. There was a priest who again is a person. Again – this wasn't God's doing, this was people's doing. People who abused a power and decided to say “we're doing this in the name of God”. Is this right? Definitely not.

The Christian Crusades – UGH! Again, another thing that happened in history, again was this God's doing? No – again it was people's doing, announcing it in the name of God.

Does this make God the bad guy of the story, or people the bad guys? The Bible itself teaches that people are evil, yet the reason we don't believe in the God of the Bible is because he says people are evil, people say they're doing things in his name, yet do things that he wouldn't condone.

Did Jesus ever kill anyone? Yet Jesus stated He's the way.

So – who's commands were people following in the Crusades? Or in the Catholic Church?

Jesus even said – Matthew 7:22,23

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?   23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Jesus foretold of people who would do “wonderful works” in His name. He tells them – depart from me.

Jesus wants nothing to do with those types of people, in the same way that Atheists want nothing to do with those people – YET, people will then say “what about forgiveness”.

The point here is this – the people weren't seeking Jesus for forgiveness, they were confronting Him and saying – look at what we've done in your name. They didn't realize what they've done. Those past events that the Catholic Church and Christian church in general – have caused people to turn away from Jesus, to turn away from God.

Now – if you were to disregard the negative things that Catholics, or Christians have done over the years, what else is holding you back from believing in the God of the Bible?

Now – we have a third topic; which is: “I don't believe in God because how can a loving God send people to hell for eternity?

This 3rd topic – is more complex than you'd realize – and I'm going to dissect this for you, but I warn you – it may be a 2-3 part post.

With that said – I bid you all farewell for now.