This is a copy of what was posted only with corrections. only read the corrections.
You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before i began to breathe. everyday was recorded in your Book!
We were predestined/ predetermined. i'm fine with that concept as it psychologically brings relief to my soul that hey! however or whenever anything happens, i'm still dying purposefully by the order of God's will.
Nothing in your life is arbitrary. it's all for a purpose.
Great! another psychological relief that the millions that die of aids and starvation is for God's purpose ultimately! That that same millions of people who died whom never knew they had an eternal spiritual purpose (of the christian sort )except the wrong sort/secular's own would wellow in misery! after all, quoting from rick warren and the bible, it seems that it takes a man confident of his faith to extract little verses here and there to emphasize the uniqueness everyone has and how we are all oxymoronic: simply complex. in hopes to give us spiritual comfort in a harsh secular and scientific realm. false hope? or just a great spiritual/emotional boost using non argumentative terms like 'God's will and purpose' to settle inner uncertainties/insecurities of what life slaps on you?
Every one of us has worth and value. In the world where corruption and debauchery destroy countries and humanities, it is easy to look at the bleakness of life and living. But it is not the way we are meant to live. Follies of man do not negate what God intent. It is not psychological relief but a truism that make sense of what is right and what is wrong. For example, in chaos, you will find confusion and despair. We were meant to get out of it, not stay there. So the millions who live and die in misery, are not meant to live and die that way. We do not have to be religious to understand that all of us have the potential to be great and live purposefully … despite the bleakness of some part of the world. We would like to look at things rather skewed to the light, in that finding God’s purpose for mankind allows us to see the good that God created us to be and find the fulfillment of what we are all capable of.
God is like a role model, "He has a reason for everything he creates" "everyone is designed well and all, with a purpose". God's work is perfect so there are no flaws. absolutely, resolutely, ultimately we are a work of perfection. he is the ultimate. He is also alfa/omega/all knowing/all seeing/ flawless/nicest/best/'goodest'/loveliest Friend ever. Perfect. Too good to be true perfect. A great role model/dependable figure, hence brings relief of a Better somewhere, somewhere out there. the uncertainty of His presence/concept allows His presence to be more widely reached, influence more easily attainable as it is intangible/untouchable in literal terms. its so unbelievable, it has to be believable kind of paradox. that is our God for you. God's motive for creating you was His love.
Do we expect a lesser God? He is who He is. He is bigger than us and do not need to apologise for who He is.
He even gave his one and only Son and whoever believes in him shall not perish but live forever!!! his sacrifce is the greatest heart-wrencher and makes us all guilty by association(sin). so putting things in an unbiased but highly critical perspective cos i'm no atheist nor pastor: is that really the greatest blackmail ever bestowed upon the human race (hence most successful gimmick to gain social mind control by means of psychological play) OR, was it in fact the greatest sacrifice ever done(hence most deserving of our entire soul which inaptly bring social mind control by means of psychological play. )
Blackmail mean you do not have a choice but to do what you do not want to do because you are forced. God’s sacrifice is duplicated all the time … mother/father sacrificing for children, friends demonstrating undying love to friends, people giving up $$$ to help the unfortunate … etc, etc. These are characteristics of mankind that are reflection of what God is doing. If it is heart-wrenching, it is because God did it out of love instead of taking vengeance on those who do not acknowledge God’s love, like many mortal or lesser gods. So the love that God has … is for us to accept or reject. No arm-twisting.
God was thinking of you even before you were born! We are all important to him! We are the focus of his love! Now wont you be compelled to follow Him now? Besides, this God we know so well somehow, has been there and done that for Mr. Insignificant ME! I am so blessed! Honored! so Loved! This is everyone's spiritual estacy hence most popular basis for belief akin personal experience and other 'supernatural' ideas.
Many know this too but choose not to follow God. So not true we are compelled. However, it is true that if we can experience God’s love, the heart is touched not just to experience God’s love, but also to give the same love to others. No need to give examples of what Christians are doing all over the world out of love of other less deserving and more unfortunate.
God made you so He could love you! But He wasnt lonely, he had trinity, hence he didnt need to create us. He created s in order to express His Love. Why cant he express His Love to the fellowship of the Holy spirit and Jesus then? or are They somehow 'one yet not one' kind of existance, hence not counted? so God didnt need, but thought of creating us. as unlovable perhaps? for the thrill of things to go absolutely wrong with us so as to bring forth the most earnest within us... no wonder we are somehow so autonomous / independent, hence sinners because we are cursed with this ability to CHOOSE what we think is relatively best for us... But then, we cannot be predestined like that with independance, unless he predestined our good AND bad choices and hence, our sins, hence wouldn't he be making Himself sad? wouldnt he also be the devil? nah, maybe the spiritual complexities are more complex than this. maybe with my limited mental tenacity, i am unable to picture the impossible... but definately i am certain with my capacity to BELIEVE the uncertain, that a God can. oh, and how could anyone not be lonely when all he has is He, Himself and Him(God, Son, Holy Spirit)? Well, rick warren claims God didnt need humans for entertainment/conversation-starters with God's other personas, or trouble/happiness to celebrate about in the time he has in the unknown abyss.
God created man to have communion with us. It is like asking why parents want to have children, even though they know the children will give them a lot of problem later. So why do parents want children? So that they can love, take care and help the children to grow to be good people. So it is with God. It is meant to have a noble and good purpose. However, that means also that we are not created robot-like. God does not favour robot-like children (like in Stepford Wives) as that does not make us human not God a fatherly God.
then why did God really existed for? Not for us, but who? He is who he is, but why is he who he is? Who created God OR why didnt God need to be created to exist? avoidable questions that has been vaguely answered in genesis i guess.
I will be the same forever. i will take care of you. i made you to take care and love you.
Well, if it's so there wont be no devil still existing and resisting his fate till some revelations/end time as pre-planned...
There are many things about the origin of God and the world/heaven during the Genesis period that does not have satisfactory explanation. Many bible scholars are having a hard time understanding and explaining, so we are not very informed of this aspect. However, this does not mean that we can throw away the whole Christian beliefs. God decides that it is sufficient enough to know that in the beginning, He exists. This is powerful statement as it is supported only with faith (takes commitment on our part), shows His sovereignty and simplifies what we need to know at this point of time. There is always the chance to ask Him one day.
God possibly loved the thrill of rebellion as a change of heart seems to be the best show of our real love isnt it? well, i feel that God could have known better ways to show love without this much suffering so as to prove our love back at His own love for all of us. better ways far beyond what our limited minds could ever imagine/fathom... unless the logic of things isnt created by God...
The questions is put in the wrong direction. It is not that God wants to show His great love by sacrificing His Son which is the reason for creating us. It is God is full of love and wants to share that love with us.
I love this quote in Rick Warren's purpose book:
If there were no God, we would all be 'accidents' the result of astronomical random chance in the universe. you could stop reading this book, because life would have no purpose or meaning or significance. there would be no right and wrong, and no hope beyond your brief years here on earth.
wow. well, it seems that other than God, we live in a pretty sad meangless place. as i mentioned, its really a great moralle/emotional/psychological booster for the weak hearted or those who really see no light in life or are not satisfied with what they see(hence no hope). God brings an eternal purpose! I am so darn important like everyone else! we can all be christians and go to heaven forever and ever! heck this world for everything is temporal! dont you see how dismissive earth would become in our heads? pollution scare? oil scare? terror scare? nothing man! these are just things that bring us closer to our deaths hence to God! Hurray! Acing exams? Putting in effort in secular activities for good of mere mankind? NO! Church is more important! Put greater emphasis on what god purposed us to do!
For those who put their lives in God’s hand can be assured that their lives have significance. The bible does not say that God has a purpose for everyone’s (ie all the people in the world) life … only those whose lives is in His hand. It is not that everything else is unimportant and can be ignored. It is that we have a destiny that God planned for us and it is up to us to fulfill that destiny. This is better than having a God that doesn’t care about what kind future you might have. Actually, if you don’t bother to find out and pursue God’s plan for your life, it is your loss (as far as God is concerned) as you have missed the significance and sense of achievement you can have if you do pursue that purpose. Many have testified the significance of what they are doing when they followed God’s leading.
This is the greatest relief to all people who would hence see no great significance to todays unfair unjustified reality BUT towards a relative, intangible, all-good, all-wonderful, all-fair pseudo-reality. isnt this the best most convienient comfort from this world's astrocities? men from all walks of life have battled a mental battle of sanity and meaning and many refuge in the supernatural as a stronghold of inner peace against the unfair treatment of this world. in the end we question is religion the truth of our destiny OR is it merely a great refuge from all secular problems and inner peace? well for one thing, in both cases, religion is the best option in life today as which ever the answer, WE WIN. hahahahahhahaha...
Psychology can help but cannot solve all problems. There are problems with physical, spiritual, relationship, socially, etc where God has addressed before in the bible. So the conclusion can be either God is the greatest psychologist of all times or He is the God Himself and made us in His own image; meaning, in our lives on earth, we can understand how God relates to man by the way we related to one another (parents/chidren, brothers/sisters, husband/wife, etc).
Here's a short simplified metaphorical analogy about God and us.
There was once, a magical boy who was so full of love and needed to give love.
He decided that he could magically create a bunch of little men who cannot see him but know of his great powers and love for them.
the boy also gave them the edge of autonomy and independence to do what they want, whether the boy approved to it or not, as the boy loved the little men so much.
Perfecting the men, the magical boy lost his right arm, but this was all out of love the boy had for his little men he created.
this sacrifice of his hand, made the little men touched and they commemorated that day and hence those men loved the magical boy so much. and the magical boy loved the little men.
of course subsequently, some were rebellious as they chose to not love the magical boy, but the magical boy never failed to love them all the same.
I cannot finish this story as it's getting more and more difficult to understand God's story, even though it is necessary for logical salvation, however, i guess i have to continue to persue this matter till i die trying.
Not good analogy – as God does things out of genuine need to show that love. God also paid a price for His love to a people we know do not always have the capacity to return or even appreciate the sacrifice. It is a regretful, not something we can make light of.
earthly possessions only provide temporary happiness for money is insecure, looks fade, achievements are forgotten... so be God driven. But hey, isn't this unfair? of course nothing on this earth beats eternity God offers! plus, many DO NOT want to have an earthly legacy. i don't. i just want to live my own life and be happy in whatever ways i think would make me happy and if i am unhappy as a result, i try or die trying. is this not good enough /noble /harmless a purpose? of course, it cannot beat eternity.
It is OK. The bible recorded that there are people who is satisfied with 5 fold, 2 fold and even have their talents in deposited in a bank. As for me, I would like to live it to the max for eternity.
the bible says 'a pretentious, showy life is an empty life, a plain and simple life is a full life.' How full a life, is a life with God really? does it depend on your ability to accept the unknown? What does it take to embrace God's existence and be 100% certain its not just a space or a void... does it take a personal experience? conscience stubbornness? fear? promise of a heaven? the existence of an unfair earth? well, this is barking up the wrong tree and not exactly answering directly the question of God's existence. in fact we cannot directly answer the question because no body has the answer.
God is there if you reach out to Him. He is not there is our mind is closed. Those who can experience Him are those who really seek God. Those who missed are those whose mind is shut off. God said ‘I stand on the door of your heart and knock. Those who open, I will come in.’ God also promised that we can perform greater things than what Jesus Himself did, if we follow Him. Many have take up that challenge and demonstrated powerfully of what God can do thru them. Many also are average Christians who is satisfied with doing the bare minimal and plan to get to heaven silently.
your inner security can best be protected by God. outer security is only guarded by what you manage to get in this world. its true cos nowadays, healing from sickness means going to the doctor. miracles could happen but the fact that God might not answer you because you didn't ask with the right motive or that it is not the right time etc... are possibly just unarguable excuses to inconsistencies in miracles. the fact that divine intervention is so rare and almost non-existent, it is questionable of its existence in the first place. do not be upset if you feel difficult in believing in a God for i believe it wasn't our fault God doesn't come so obviously as anyone wished religion should, despite all its mass acceptance and all, for everyone has their own reason and their own different personal version of God they rely on.
Supernatural feats are done for a reason. It is not something that is done to show off or a short-cut to solution. Nor should these be the only reason for us to believe in God. Greater is the one who have not seen, yet believed.
is Christianity one of the most successful among all other quests for refuge and strength, or have i been blind to The unseeable answer that has been playfully playing with my heart?
Following Jesus is not selling your soul to a life that parallels exploitation. or is it?
No one can serve two masters. if we cant serve our own self (monetary wellbeing /work /interests) but serve God, we are dismissing life as a whole. we are not important as what God said we were but we become his minions made to worship him with all our hearts and serve Him. we are not slaves though cos we are promised heaven, but we are told not to see the promise of heaven as basis for our faith. so are we slaves or are we not slaves? our reward is worshiping the Lord who created us as one people. complexly, its supposed to be desirable although many might not want to admit how ____ it is.
Those whose lives are touched by God are far from being exploited. They testified with gratitude to healings of lives, finding purpose in an otherwise meaningless or even wasteful life, finding freedom from bondage, finding peace and patience, being a better person, overcoming personal difficulties, etc, etc. How can these be called exploitations? Exploited means being used and then dumped after use. It is more like God is exploited by man than the other way round!!!
compare the gigs one by Muse and one by hillsongs. whats the diff?
Worship
when we worship, we are absorbed in the songs. come on lets admit for once, i know worship is at its best with effects of dimming lights/ special lighting and sound effects/ exciting and talented singers that can work the crowd/ great band playing. ambiance moves us to tears. it creates sudden rushes of cold air that you know isn't the air con, the fact that everyone in the hall sings as one together is so beautiful, the unity, the togetherness, the right everyone is doing as one... it is emotionally uplifting that brings all to a inner high. but is this occurance anything spiritual or is it an addictive rush of human emotions of appreciation/ unity/ passion for something? songs we know so well makes the session even more sentimental and what more with beautiful meaningful lyrics so revolutionary or bitterly romantic, it is heart-stopping and worth what you're worth that moment. oh not forgetting the well written songs with addictive tunes and bridges that makes you anticipate, choruses that repeat lines, bringing you into a trance of holy estacy... people jump and scream, raise hands and dance to a new song that makes the worship session even more explosive! well, it seems worship to me becomes a gig. or a party. worship is familiar a scene if ever you club or went to a U2 concert. worship is now, for who for what and when. thats all. worship is secularly useless. only done to please God but hey, now, who is enjoying the rock concert now... is God enjoying our emotional estacy thats not necessarily religious all the time, OR are we merely worshiping in hopes of achieving a great inner uplift? well, if churches throw in alcohol/drugs wouldn't we worship God better? Alcoholics would tell you how alcohol makes you express yourself more truthfully/earnestly as you speak your mind and ignore all reputation. wouldn't God want that state more? well, besides, the only difference clubbing/partying has with worship today is the content(celebrating the sexual or religious). wow how big of a difference is it then?
Agreed. But please note that Hillsongs are only a few years old. For thousands of years, Christian worship are not with ‘pop songs’ God looks at the heart, not the voice of our mouth.
Any secular persuits are not spiritual goals hence not worthy enough purposes.
Without God as your purpose, life is trivial, petty and pointless. Any other purpose is simply not eternal enough. Success? Happiness? Kindness and generosity? NO. in fact, a pseudo-one is best! a purpose so intangibly given to us, non-existently best for all, impossibly attainable by all, uncannily rewarding for God is there. but not there. but you get eternal life and heaven. thats enough for a purpose. This is what God is to us. the epitome of our existence. life's purpose. God is the answer to why and the creator of why.
you know what, yes we should not persue materialism or money as they deter us from whats important. but why don't we NOT pursue ambitions, happiness, success, hobbies, interests or care as they also distract us most righteously from what God created us for.
all earthly pursuits end in a depressing note. they are temporal, empty, useless persuits. so we should all pursue God and his purpose. But why cant God be my savior? I do wish He would be more clear with me in telling me He actually IS there.
- We are put here: to prepare for eternity OR are we put here to put our faith to the test OR to ascertain our ability to believe in a God.
- Earthly imperfections (failures, unfairness, inequality, delinquency, terror, chaos) are more assuring of sanity than religious perfections.
God promises our lives will be more abundant (full). Nowhere does it say our lives on earth have to be mournful or boring. Yes, there are people who teach this but this view is not considered right anymore because we believe that God gave us the world to enjoy in it (without resorting to vices). We do not have to wait until we reached heaven to be happy.
The bible creates a confident society. God rehabilitates and takes care of the souls and inner assurances of social misfits, dissatisfaction, imperfection and most prominently, unfairness of people in this imperfect world. materialism(plastic surgery to fashion) is wrong although it radically creates self-confidence and inner strength. Wrong because it is unfair as not everyone can achieve it/ can afford to. hence, many refuge in the confidence one can get from possibly nothing(as what non-believers believe): the concept of religion. thus is it immoral to conclude that religion work best for the poor, needy and unsatisfied as it brings them justice and equality they deserve inside their hearts to what life blessed/enabled the more fortunate, happy and satisfied?
God does not take care only the poor and those who needy. God is needed by everyone as emptiness, loneliness, depression, bondage to vices, imperfection, etc is also applicable to rich, not too rich and to the poor. God’s purpose is for us to live our lives with peace, love, joy, patience, gentleness, kindness, etc. Any one who ask for these, God do give.
I guess for the more fortunate, happy and satisfied, religion is a humbling concept to keep those more astray-proned from becoming overly selfish/ignorant/arrogant/complacent. and religion would offer even more than what they already have. this is a plus.
God is not a religion. It is a relationship with the living God. Hence it is not a security blanket.
God takes away our guilt when we confess our sins and our records would be cleared. A crime or any act considered sinful is a breaching of a particular general moral standard of any society. But then is the removal of the feeling of regret from our wrong doing really an sensible practice? how would we ever change our ways then if we have the feeling of guilt removed after committing our wrongdoings. i think humanely speaking guilt has to stay in order for a rational being to repent for its guilt, that causes us to avoid and hence, causes us to redeem ourselves. removal of guilt by mere simply confessing is too easy and dismissive to justify any misdeeds upon oneself or others.
God require repentance. God knows the heart and had demonstrated many times that He is not easily fooled. This means regret and commitment not to do it again. Forgiveness of wrong doing is a powerful solution God gave us because the opposite is a bigger problem – people who commit wrong doing and cannot forgive themselves.
An all loving figure.
who would hate?
who would turn away from?
Who wouldn't even have the heart to-
An all powerful and authoritative figure.
Who wouldn't quiver?
who wouldn't fear?
who would even dare to-
He made, loved hence sacrificed for us.
who would resist?
who would ignore?
who wouldn't follow Him?
see this as a poem to silence any resistance.
see this as a threat to non-Christians.
see this as a poem of his love for us.
see this as a poem of a sad reality we live in.
a poem in a bitter or earnest tone, you decide how you read it.
Everything on earth is temporal.
Christianity is a criminal's 2nd chance. a lazy man's dream. a failure's success.
Christianity is everyone’s 2nd chance, not just the criminal’s. It is our dream, not just a lazy man’s and it is our hope of glory, not just the failure. Those who look down on others who need God or think it is an emotional handicap failed to know God and what He can do for them.
oh and by the way, rick warren also emphasized that the bible also told us never to be driven by rehearsing resentment and anger or wallowing in guilt but instead to ask for forgiveness and follow God's purpose, not your own. well, God takes a great role as a self-help psychologist as well as a adviser/motivator. but, God is better than any human psychologist/adviser/motivator as he has the perfection, he has the role-model figure, he has power, he has the love for us all, he is never wrong, and all-knowing all understanding... or so He was depicted as... of course millions would stick to the most effective self-help/purpose organizer of all time ever created. imagine a God that heals all sick, gives purpose, forgives, loves, promises a better place, sacrifices yet never complains like a human.
Rick is just stating that if God can forgive us, why do we need to suffer unnecessarily? God is not only for the emotionally ‘handicap’ He is God of the universe and our job is to recognize this God connect with Him.
this concept is so desirably essential for a human entity. flawlessness of it is covered up by faith and impossibility of it is covered up by fear and His sacrifice.
How simple is our relationship? Rick Warren sees Your purpose actually making life alot easier. CS Lewis sternly upholds how difficult instead, life would be when anyone decides to follow Jesus in book Mere Christianity. both are fervent and smart believers. so how easier or how difficult would life then be if ever anyone decides to believe in You? CS lewis and rick warren's words are not God-breathed. the bible is. and how is an imperfect human decipher the right view of Your word if the 2 intelligent men cannot even agree on something so simple as to whether life would be easier or more difficult when we follow you. both answers tell about religion in different manners. Religion's condition should NEVER be relative in view or vastly opinionated, its too important to be this uncertain and vague an issue. how easily then Lord, do You come to me? i am waiting.
Different people’s experience with God is all different. So it is OK to have different people sharing different aspects of their experiences with God. There is no opinionated or subjective view. We are encouraged to learn from everyone, not just the intelligent few.
oh, i also feel God believed in elitism. the disciples are like A star scholars for Singapore. yet he loves all but it is blur information whether God loved some more than others. stories of a Shepard leaving the 99 to find the 1 or embracing the prodigals son over the consistent other shows that God could just be as unfair as the world we live in. And accurate or not in the lost scriptures that didnt make it into the bible, there was a scandal Jesus seemed to have with Mary Magdalene where it was written He loved her more than the disciples and they got jealous. no matter how scandalous or false it could be, Jesus loving someone more than any other may not come as a surprise so heck with the shock. it isn't shocking.
Look at the Christians around you and the church and you are wrong on your first point. Also the agnostic stories and Dan Brown’s novel have been thoroughly debunked and discredited that it is pointless to repeat here.
