NationStates Jolt Archive

To be a Christian you must believe in the virgin birth, that Jesus is God, that he died on the cross for all sins, and that he ressurected from the dead. you must believe in the trinity, God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and that they are one. you must believe that the Bible is 100% truth. if you believe that the Bible made some mistakes and is wrong, then what makes other parts right. again you must believe that Jesus is God. if you believe that jesus was just a good man but not God, then that would make him a compulsive liar who is crazy and thinks he is God. so unless you believe that Jesus is God and everything else here, you are not a Christian.

To be a Christian you must believe in the virgin birth, that Jesus is God, that he died on the cross for all sins, and that he ressurected from the dead. you must believe in the trinity, God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and that they are one. you must believe that the Bible is 100% truth. if you believe that the Bible made some mistakes and is wrong, then what makes other parts right. again you must believe that Jesus is God. if you believe that jesus was just a good man but not God, then that would make him a compulsive liar who is crazy and thinks he is God. so unless you believe that Jesus is God and everything else here, you are not a Christian.
Jesus actually was not "God". He was the son of God. I don't believe in that stuff though. His birth makes for nice holidays and presents each year though (Xmas).

See Leviticus 19:19. Now, do you do everything the Bible says?

you must believe in the trinity, God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and that they are one.

Some might argue that point. As a matter of fact, some do. ;)

Some might argue that point. As a matter of fact, some do. ;)

Oh dear, that kind of killed the 'x in a nutshell' idea huh?

i don't think there's a way to sum up christianity in a nutshell.... i went to a Catholic private school for 10 years and i still don't know it all. plus, there are many different view points from all the different variations of christianity. also, i think it differs from person to person.

for example, to me, a lot of my faith is about my personal relationship with God. but to other people, it's most likely something different.

To be a Christian you must believe in the virgin birth, that Jesus is God, that he died on the cross for all sins, and that he ressurected from the dead. you must believe in the trinity, God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and that they are one. you must believe that the Bible is 100% truth. if you believe that the Bible made some mistakes and is wrong, then what makes other parts right. again you must believe that Jesus is God. if you believe that jesus was just a good man but not God, then that would make him a compulsive liar who is crazy and thinks he is God. so unless you believe that Jesus is God and everything else here, you are not a Christian.

No this is Christianity in a nutshell (for catholics anyway):-

We believe (I believe) in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, and born of the Father before all ages. (God of God) light of light, true God of true God. Begotten not made, consubstantial to the Father, by whom all things were made. Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven. And was incarnate of the Holy Ghost and of the Virgin Mary and was made man; was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried; and the third day rose again according to the Scriptures. And ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of the Father, and shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, of whose Kingdom there shall be no end. And (I believe) in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father (and the Son), who together with the Father and the Son is to be adored and glorified, who spoke by the Prophets. And one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. We confess (I confess) one baptism for the remission of sins. And we look for (I look for) the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen."

Whether you believe the bible is all truth, is not essential to being a Christian. I believe that a lot of the stories in the bible, especially from the old testiment are parables and are not 100% fact.

Don't Muslims believe that Jesus was a good man, or a prophet and not God?

No this is Christianity in a nutshell (for catholics anyway):-

We believe (I believe) in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, and born of the Father before all ages. (God of God) light of light, true God of true God. Begotten not made, consubstantial to the Father, by whom all things were made. Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven. And was incarnate of the Holy Ghost and of the Virgin Mary and was made man; was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried; and the third day rose again according to the Scriptures. And ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of the Father, and shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, of whose Kingdom there shall be no end. And (I believe) in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father (and the Son), who together with the Father and the Son is to be adored and glorified, who spoke by the Prophets. And one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. We confess (I confess) one baptism for the remission of sins. And we look for (I look for) the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen."

Whether you believe the bible is all truth, is not essential to being a Christian. I believe that a lot of the stories in the bible, especially from the old testiment are parables and are not 100% fact.

Amen.

To be a Christian you must believe in the virgin birth,

Howso?

you must believe that the Bible is 100% truth.

ahhh, the Pope isn't a Christian.

If you believe that jesus was just a good man but not God, then that would make him a compulsive liar who is crazy and thinks he is God.

How so?

No this is Christianity in a nutshell (for catholics anyway):-

We believe (I believe) in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, and born of the Father before all ages. (God of God) light of light, true God of true God. Begotten not made, consubstantial to the Father, by whom all things were made. Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven. And was incarnate of the Holy Ghost and of the Virgin Mary and was made man; was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried; and the third day rose again according to the Scriptures. And ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of the Father, and shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, of whose Kingdom there shall be no end. And (I believe) in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father (and the Son), who together with the Father and the Son is to be adored and glorified, who spoke by the Prophets. And one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. We confess (I confess) one baptism for the remission of sins. And we look for (I look for) the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen."

Ooo, brings me bake to my Church going days.

you must believe that the Bible is 100% truth.

for the fundamentalist christian religions, that's true. but not to ALL christians.

Whether you believe the bible is all truth, is not essential to being a Christian. I believe that a lot of the stories in the bible, especially from the old testiment are parables and are not 100% fact.


Huh? not believing that the bible is 100% truth is like taking a dictionary and and saying I dont like the meaning of that word so it must be wrong. the meaning of is is is.

We believe (I believe) in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, and born of the Father before all ages. (God of God) light of light, true God of true God. Begotten not made, consubstantial to the Father, by whom all things were made. Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven. And was incarnate of the Holy Ghost and of the Virgin Mary and was made man; was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried; and the third day rose again according to the Scriptures. And ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of the Father, and shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, of whose Kingdom there shall be no end. And (I believe) in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father (and the Son), who together with the Father and the Son is to be adored and glorified, who spoke by the Prophets. And one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. We confess (I confess) one baptism for the remission of sins. And we look for (I look for) the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen."

And even that has been changed over the years as people tried to work out interpretations.

you must believe that the Bible is 100% truth

There are different types of "truth".

if you believe that jesus was just a good man but not God, then that would make him a compulsive liar who is crazy and thinks he is God

or the devil himself. Yes, many of us have read C.S. Lewis - but you apparently just took out the parts that you like and ignored much of the rest of what he said.

Huh? not believing that the bible is 100% truth is like taking a dictionary and and saying I dont like the meaning of that word so it must be wrong. the meaning of is is is.

some stories were told to prove points and teach lessons.

honestly, how could the whole world be populated by just two people? and when it says that one of adam and eve's offspring (can't remember who right now) goes off into the wilderness and comes back with a wife... where the heck does the wife come from??

Actually, I think that the best summation of Christianity is found in the Nicene Creed. here it is:

From: http://www.mit.edu/~tb/anglican/intro/lr-nicene-creed.html
The Nicene Creed
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.


in this case catholic does not only mean the catholic church, but means that there is only one church, IE one faith.

or the devil himself. Yes, many of us have read C.S. Lewis - but you apparently just took out the parts that you like and ignored much of the rest of what he said.

huh? the only thing i have read by C.S. Lewis is the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe.

Huh? not believing that the bible is 100% truth is like taking a dictionary and and saying I dont like the meaning of that word so it must be wrong. the meaning of is is is.


Lol but even diehard Catholics know that the bible has been translated one too many times :) and again they realize most of the old testament was oral history for a lot of years before being recorded (again bringing into question its accuracy)

I personally was RAIZED catholic but that’s not what I believe in now but still most are a little more lenient then that

some stories were told to prove points and teach lessons.

honestly, how could the whole world be populated by just two people? and when it says that one of adam and eve's offspring (can't remember who right now) goes off into the wilderness and comes back with a wife... where the heck does the wife come from??


He did not go off into the wilderness and return with a wife. he was banished, but that does not mean that others did not go after him. His wife was his sister. back then there was no genetic disorders, so there was no physical consequence of incest. also, since his family was the only one period, Incest was not cultural taboo either. its not that hard to believe that the world was populated through two people. (look at how long they lived, and how many eggs a female can release. the numbers are staggering.)

To start off, I am no Christian. But my theory applies to all religeous doctrines and writings, in General.

"A Bible (or similar text) is merely a guide, not a law."

He did not go off into the wilderness and return with a wife. he was banished, but that does not mean that others did not go after him. His wife was his sister. back then there was no genetic disorders, so there was no physical consequence of incest. also, since his family was the only one period, Incest was not cultural taboo either. its not that hard to believe that the world was populated through two people. (look at how long they lived, and how many eggs a female can release. the numbers are staggering.)

Incest? uhhhhakhakhurlblekahhh. so very very disgusting

Now that I think of it... if Christianity HAD been put in a nutshell.... and then given to a squirrel for safe burial.... the world would have skipped out on a shit-load of misery!

:D

To be a Christian you must believe in the virgin birth, that Jesus is God, that he died on the cross for all sins, and that he ressurected from the dead. you must believe in the trinity, God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and that they are one. you must believe that the Bible is 100% truth. if you believe that the Bible made some mistakes and is wrong, then what makes other parts right. again you must believe that Jesus is God. if you believe that jesus was just a good man but not God, then that would make him a compulsive liar who is crazy and thinks he is God. so unless you believe that Jesus is God and everything else here, you are not a Christian.I am always amazed by the high-handed, inflexible, uncompromising, omipresent, omnipotent, egotistical, pig-headed attitude of those who claim they possess the only true religion.

None of the truly religious have that attitude. The truly religious are of a more humble, flexible, open-minded, unassuming, modest attitude.

God save us from the fanatically religious

I do not have to accept your aborted little definition of what a Christian must be - because I am a Christian.

o my goodness, so much stuff goin on here, where to start. the first post i dont totally agree with, its all believe this believe that, hello!! the devil believes in God, thatt hes a trinity, sent his son to earth etc etc, wots important is trusting Jesus for your salvation. salvation is being saved from the eternal death we all deserve for all our sins.

cain got his wife, cus she was his sister. adam and eve had loadsa kids hu wnet out and populated different places, so it wudv bin his sister. but like sumone sed, inceast wasnt rong then, God hadnt made any laws to stop it (the Bible is a law to most Christians, if thats not wot u believe then wotever...) and also it wudnt hav resulted in children with disabilities like it wud today bcos u only get that from like, genes goin missing or sumthin, but non of that had happened yet down thru ages bcos adam and eves bodys wernt born from someone else, they wer jus made...if u get me. im not so good at explaining stuff...


and saying that christianity causes misery jus proves u havnt got a clue and obviously rnt a christian and dont no any real ones bcos i love bein a christian, its best thing ever and its so not boring at all like everyone thinks. i go away and meet up wit christian mates in holidays and we go out to theme parks, go quad biking and hav loads of fun.

theres more to life than sex, drugs n rock and roll.
"in a world filled with pleasure we feel so much disatisfaction, could it be that we were meant to experience something far greater?"

i.e. God in our lives!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Man is fallible only God is infallible and the Bible is Man's interpretation of God's word. As it was interpreted by man it is thus fallible, as is man. Therefore the Bible could not be said to be 100% truth as saying that would imply man is infallible and thus man is God which is obviously not the case.

Jesus was sent by God to Earth to form a new covenant between man and God. I believe he helped God better understand the failings of man and enabled man to reconcile his weaknesses to God. That was why Jesus allowed himself to die on the cross in order that our sins can be forgiven through him.

The new covenant also ganted more freedom to man in the manner of worship and his duty to God; e.g. Jesus taught us that nothing taken by mouth and passed out as wind is offensive to God; only what pass out through the mouth can be offensive (Christianity has no forbidden foods expcept blood, things that are strangled or offerred first to false idols). Also Christianity removed the barbourous practice of circumcism.

If there is a Nutshell to put Christianity into it is the actual teachings of Jesus. Is the church all important? Jesus says not. Is worshipping and declaring your faith aloud in public required? Jesus says not. Love thy neighbour as thyself etc. Basically lead a good life.

o my goodness, so much stuff goin on here, where to start. the first post i dont totally agree with, its all believe this believe that, hello!! the devil believes in God, thatt hes a trinity, sent his son to earth etc etc, wots important is trusting Jesus for your salvation. salvation is being saved from the eternal death we all deserve for all our sins.

cain got his wife, cus she was his sister. adam and eve had loadsa kids hu wnet out and populated different places, so it wudv bin his sister. but like sumone sed, inceast wasnt rong then, God hadnt made any laws to stop it (the Bible is a law to most Christians, if thats not wot u believe then wotever...) and also it wudnt hav resulted in children with disabilities like it wud today bcos u only get that from like, genes goin missing or sumthin, but non of that had happened yet down thru ages bcos adam and eves bodys wernt born from someone else, they wer jus made...if u get me. im not so good at explaining stuff...


and saying that christianity causes misery jus proves u havnt got a clue and obviously rnt a christian and dont no any real ones bcos i love bein a christian, its best thing ever and its so not boring at all like everyone thinks. i go away and meet up wit christian mates in holidays and we go out to theme parks, go quad biking and hav loads of fun.

theres more to life than sex, drugs n rock and roll.
"in a world filled with pleasure we feel so much disatisfaction, could it be that we were meant to experience something far greater?"

i.e. God in our lives!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please, take time to type what you are writing. I do not like to spend time translating what you are saying. Also, the way your wrote it, it makes you seem immature, becuase it smacks of MSN Speak.

And do not call someone ignorant just because the point out the negatives in Christianity. I am a Christian, but I can see a lot that is wrong with people who claim to be christians. And these faults of theres are usually very public and part of everyday life. I do not blame people for holding the church in contempt because a lot of people have messed it up over the years, and made it seem like something it was not. CHristians need to stop complaining that christianity is not just a confining and self-rightous religion. they need to deal with these "strayed brethren" and they also need to show what a christian life is, not just complain about what it is not. :headbang: Proactivity people, it does wonders. Complaining just gets people annoyed.

Yes, the concept of incest is discusting to us today. But back then there were no other humans (according to christian and jewish and Islamic tradition) so that means that incest would have had to be acceptable because it was the only way for the human race to survive.

I am always amazed by the high-handed, inflexible, uncompromising, omipresent, omnipotent, egotistical, pig-headed attitude of those who claim they possess the only true religion.

None of the truly religious have that attitude. The truly religious are of a more humble, flexible, open-minded, unassuming, modest attitude.

God save us from the fanatically religious

I do not have to accept your aborted little definition of what a Christian must be - because I am a Christian.

again i say, Amen.

----------------

i'm not going to say any more about the whole adam and eve thing, because really, there's no use arguing. i just don't take most stories literally.

huh? the only thing i have read by C.S. Lewis is the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe.

Yes, well, that's painfully obvious. Try reading Mere Christianity (although The Screwtape Letters might be a better introduction for you) and then try reading some Joseph Campbell to put it in perspective.

and saying that christianity causes misery jus proves u havnt got a clue and obviously rnt a christian and dont no any real ones bcos i love bein a christian, its best thing ever and its so not boring at all like everyone thinks. i go away and meet up wit christian mates in holidays and we go out to theme parks, go quad biking and hav loads of fun.



Er, so Christianity causes holidays, roller coasters and quad biking (whatever that is)?

Er, so Christianity causes holidays, roller coasters and quad biking (whatever that is)?

You've never ridden on the Tunnel of Jesus?

I think quad biking is where you ride your bicycle through the garden or quad. Then you might get on a lift (elevator) and then watch the telly (television), but get yelled at by a bobby (police officer).

You've never ridden on the Tunnel of Jesus?

Er, no. Wait, is that the one where about half way through he stretchs, coughs and suddenly his arm is around your shoulders? :)


I think quad biking is where you ride your bicycle through the garden or quad.

Ah, so they're hoodlums. :)

Ah, so they're hoodlums. :)

(Drunken slur): "We're going biking!...C'mon everybody!...We're going biking! Through the quad!...Uhhhhgh..."

(Drunken slur): "We're going biking!...C'mon everybody!...We're going biking! Through the quad!...Uhhhhgh..."

such wonderful people we have on nation states

Astounding how people have to try to make things so complicated.

I mean, when asked to put Torah in a nutshell, all Rabbi Hillel said was, "That which is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the whole Torah; the rest is commentary. Go and study it."

No mention of God or accuracy or mysticism or anything like that.

But, then, we all know Judaism is superior to Christianity. :D

The trinity is the Holy Spirit, Christ, and the Father. They are seperate beings, but together they make "God."

Also, The Catholic Church corrupted the teachings of Christ. The Catholics in the world are being decieved into a false idealology.

I am a Christian, and Christ's teachings are what you are supposed to follow.

Hmm... *scans thread for me to randomly comment about something*

Ah! The "turn the other cheek" thing.

Well, as President of the United States(genericly -- pretend it is....me, just so your anti-bush shit doesn't get spewed here) during the attacks on the World Trade Center, it is my job to protect the nation. Unfortunately, the intelligence I got was not sufficient enough to do that. So 9/11 occured.

Now, as President, but a Christian, I have a choice to make.

Should I wait and turn the other cheek?

Or should I seek after those that attacked the US.

Obviously, I and most sensible people would choose choice two.



And, to end my post, since I'm in a rush and must leave now, I shall say Michael Moore is a tratiorous piece of trash.

Good day, and God Bless.

But, then, we all know Judaism is superior to Christianity. :D

Fact or opinion? Or just being an ass for a day?


I am always amazed by the high-handed, inflexible, uncompromising, omipresent, omnipotent, egotistical, pig-headed attitude of those who claim they possess the only true religion.


If a person truly believes in their religion, of course the person will be 100% behind it and say it is the true religion. It's like people defending their views on this very messageboard on other topics. If someone believes thier idea to be correct, they will stand defending it.

None of the truly religious have that attitude. The truly religious are of a more humble, flexible, open-minded, unassuming, modest attitude.


Well then I would like to apologize on my behalf that as a falliable person, I can't live up to your idea of what a person should be. Hey, I can even say the same to my parents.

some stories were told to prove points and teach lessons.

honestly, how could the whole world be populated by just two people? and when it says that one of adam and eve's offspring (can't remember who right now) goes off into the wilderness and comes back with a wife... where the heck does the wife come from??

I read the beginning of Genesis and I think that people just assume Adam and Eve are the only two people because they were the only ones talked about. There could have been a small colony of humans that were never mentioned.

About faith and our beliefs:

I read about many people trying to understanding our religion, or sometimes religion in general. I guess a person has to learn how to understand faith. And when I say understand, I do not mean knowing every single small detail. In a way, it is more like acknowledging it. I know it just bewilders people who try to understand how a perfect God exists. Really, what is perfect? As people, we are marked by our imperfections and yet we can't see perfect. It's really hard to interperate to everyone.

And there are sone things that outsiders of Christianity can never comprehend. Don't worry, we also share in your confusion. For example, the virgin birth of Jesus. How did Mary became pregnant? What the heck really happened? Well, it's beyond our current understanding of how God works and how He does things. As Christians, we see God as all-powerful.

I am a Christian, and Christ's teachings are what you are supposed to follow.

Hmm... *scans thread for me to randomly comment about something*

Ah! The "turn the other cheek" thing.

Well, as President of the United States(genericly -- pretend it is....me, just so your anti-bush shit doesn't get spewed here) during the attacks on the World Trade Center, it is my job to protect the nation. Unfortunately, the intelligence I got was not sufficient enough to do that. So 9/11 occured.

Now, as President, but a Christian, I have a choice to make.

Should I wait and turn the other cheek?

Or should I seek after those that attacked the US.

Obviously, I and most sensible people would choose choice two.


GGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRR. If you want to follow Christ's teachings, you should read up on how the teachings would have been interpreted during the time of Christ. "Turn the other cheek" was never meant to be the same thing as "just sit there and take it." It was simply a form of passive resistance.

Fact or opinion? Or just being an ass for a day?


In a nutshell, all of the above.

I read the beginning of Genesis and I think that people just assume Adam and Eve are the only two people because they were the only ones talked about. There could have been a small colony of humans that were never mentioned.

Actually, Genesis 1:27 says : So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (NIV)

So it does specifically say that God created humans - and he created them male and female - right off the bat.

Genesis 2 is an entirely different creation story from a different point of view. It places the creation of things in different orders and is the Adam and Eve part of the story.

http://www.remnantofyhwh.com/

The NIV is one of the most corrupted versions of the Bible out there, for one.

Also, God created humans in his image, but we fell, and so henceforth we are imperfect, and cannot see the Ture Perfection that God Is.

Also, I personally believe that the creation should NOT be taken literally.

The NIV is one of the most corrupted versions of the Bible out there, for one.

Yeah, but it was the easiest to find online. My personal favorite is the New Revised Standard Version. They have basically translated everything directly from the oldest available texts directly to English. That verse (Genesis 1:27) reads almost exactly the same - except the word humankind is used (as this is the more accepted gender neutral term these days).

Either way, there are two completely different creation stories in Genesis - written in two completely different styles, and written by two different authors. (One was the "priestly" author and I don't remember which the other was).

Also, God created humans in his image, but we fell, and so henceforth we are imperfect, and cannot see the Ture Perfection that God Is.

A fan of Augustine, I see. =)

Also, I personally believe that the creation should NOT be taken literally.

Good, because first you'd have to figure out which one to take literally. =)

i have a couple of questions that have gotten alot of christians to be mad at me cus they can answer it and convert me at the same time from budhism so here it goes.

1. is jesus the son of god? if so what makes him so special from you and me? since arnt we all gods children?

2. how come the bible nvr says anything about the dinosaurs?

3. who decides who dies? god? if so are u telling me it was his fault for all those people on 9/11?

these are just some... ill let u guys go at these and see how u answer them. if u give me a redneck answer i wont bother to ask the others...

To be a Christian you must believe in the virgin birth, that Jesus is God, that he died on the cross for all sins, and that he ressurected from the dead. you must believe in the trinity, God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and that they are one. you must believe that the Bible is 100% truth. if you believe that the Bible made some mistakes and is wrong, then what makes other parts right. again you must believe that Jesus is God. if you believe that jesus was just a good man but not God, then that would make him a compulsive liar who is crazy and thinks he is God. so unless you believe that Jesus is God and everything else here, you are not a Christian.

I agree. definitely.

Ah, a discussion of Christianity where Christians from all different denomination fight against the nonbelievers and themselves using various Bible texts and there own interpretations.

Of course this is why the Catholic Church set up methods so there would be one interpretation, of course feuds over what was the right view led to several splits, leading to millions of views and just as many branches off the original Church.

And of course we can't forget those corruptions over time. Those in the early middle ages, later middle ages, renaissance, and so on and so forth. So really it's hard to find what the truth is.

And because most people here don't have much theological education, it leads to more misinterpretations. Eventually it turns into a shouting match over who is right. Have fun.

Also, Christianity is a little hard to put in a nutshell because of al the splits. Perhaps you should study every denomination and put them all in nutshells. Then put them in a bag and sell them with a smart name like "Those nutty Christians!"

i have a couple of questions that have gotten alot of christians to be mad at me cus they can answer it and convert me at the same time from budhism so here it goes.

Erm...well, I won't get mad at you or anything, but I will try to answer them as best I can from my opinion.

1. is jesus the son of god? if so what makes him so special from you and me? since arnt we all gods children?

Yes, we are all God's children. However, Christianity believes that Christ was God. Ancient Jewish tradition held that anyone with the authority of God on Earth was called "Son of God." Thus, David (when he was king) was referred to by this term. The reason was that their society held that if the father was unreachable, his son could act in his place. Thus, the highest human to them (the king) was referred to as "Son of God." In referring to Christ this way, the Gospel writers were trying to get across that Christ was the representation of God on Earth.

Now, from an Abelardian point of view (which the Catholic Church deems as heretical - so if you want their viewpoint don't listen to me), God came in the form of Jesus Christ in order to demonstrate ultimate love to the people on Earth. Thus, the people would see this ultimate expression of love and turn to God in love, rather than in fear.

i2. how come the bible nvr says anything about the dinosaurs?

Because it was written by people who lived long after the dinosaurs and had never seen them.

i3. who decides who dies? god? if so are u telling me it was his fault for all those people on 9/11?

I don't think it is a matter of "deciding who dies." The world works as the world works (which is how God set it up to work, so I guess you could argue that God sort of "decides who dies") and God will provide guidance for what may be the "best" path for you if you ask for it. But I don't think that God directly decided on 9/10 that a whole bunch of people were going to die on 9/11. That was decided by some terrorists with a plan to steal some airplanes.

ithese are just some... ill let u guys go at these and see how u answer them. if u give me a redneck answer i wont bother to ask the others...

Well, I don't think that was a "redneck answer."