Questions for Christians

in #religion7 years ago (edited)

tough questions with Sleepy Gary.jpg

[This is Part 1 of a mini-series. Part 2 Here.

Like many Americans, I was raised in a Christian household, and attended many Christian services through many years in my youth. I always had questions, but my indoctrination had already provided me all the answers I would ever need as a child when these nagging questions arose. Later in life, when I had finally broken the chains that bound my mind, I wasn't satisfied with "It's just that way because God." It led me to abandoning Christianity in search of something else, and after all my learning the only, intellectually honest, and scientifically tenable position is Agnostic. "I don't know." Does God exist? I don't know. Since God is beyond the reproach of laboratory equipment and experiments, God is also scientifically meaningless. There can be no satisfactory answer provided by science, despite Fundamentalist-Materialist's claims to the contrary. These outlandish claims are as factually devoid as the assertion that earth is 6,000 years old, or that the sun revolves around the earth.

As an agnostic, I don't pick on just Christianity, it just happens to be the religion I am MOST familiar with, and the religion which I encounter more frequently. I have a stunning amount of questions for other major faith groups, but for now I have only composed an interrogation specifically for the most popular monotheist branch in the good ol' U S of A. I am currently sharpening my knife for Atheism, cause we're going to gut that fish soon, too. All religions are officially on notice: I will use Logic and Reason to dispel the illusions with which you confuse the minds of Humanity.

With that diatribe out of the way, I present to you my 'Questions for Christians". Here is but a small sampling of the questions I have asked over the years with no satisfactory answer being offered and even fewer that are consistent from one denomination to the next, let alone church to church. The answers I have received, WHEN they have been answered range from the bizarre to the scripturally unsupported. If you can answer them with scripture and not theologians guestimating, you'll earn a special place in my heart.

Now, on to the main event!

1a: Where does god reside?

1b: Where was god before Heaven was created?

2: When were the angels created?

3: What happened in Genesis 1:27?

4a: When was Adam created?

4b: Who was created in 1:27?
4c: Why did God not create Eve exactly when he created Adam?
4d: Why didn't God know from the start that Adam would be lonely?

5: Why was man created?

6a: Where does God reside?

6b: Where is he now?
6c: Is he within the hearts & bodies of sinners?
6d: Is God omni-present?

7a: When is Satan mentioned by name?

7b: What does he tell God that he was doing?

8: Why does Jesus say they don't worship the Father here or in Jerusalem?

9a: Why does God not know where Adam is located in the garden?

9b: Why did God not know immediately that Adam & Eve had eaten the fruit?

10: If God is omniscient how was he unaware that Adam & Eve would eat the forbidden fruit?

11: Why did God create Humans if he knew we would have our hearts filled with wickedness?

12: Why did God never mention Heaven or Hell for people prior to the arrival of Jesus?

13: Which animals did Noah consign to extinction afer exiting the ark?

14a: If God loved his son, why did he send him to be brutally tortured and murdered?

14 b: Why did God require the brutal mistreatment of his son before he could be satisfied?
14 c: Why did he subject his son to such horrendous treatment if he knew people would still turn their backs on his sacrifice?
14d: Would you send your child out to be tortured and murdered for your pleasure?

15a: The 7th commandment is "Thou shalt not kill." WHY, in his infinite wisdom, did God see fit to have his son Jesus murdered by the people he is trying to save from sin, even though he says killing is a sin?

15b: By committing sin they can be freed from sin?
15c: Did the people who carried out Jesus's execution end up in Heaven or Hell?

16: Why does God find the aroma of burnt flesh and blood pleasing?

Thanks for reading this with an open mind, I look forward to thoughtful discussions. Take care and have a good day.

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Totally agree with @sleepy-Gary. But my greatest problem has always been which version of God I should trust. All of the religions have similar stories so how can I choose one over the other? Still looking for the answer.

One religion depends on faith but other religions depend not on faith but work.

Ephesians tell us all I need to know 2:8 It is by FAITH that we are saved not from ourselves, it is a Gift of God. And you are spot on in my opinion Joeyarnoldvn. God is love!

Agreed. Great. Thanks mister, Same Name Man.

If you do not believe in God, you better damn well believe in the Devil!!! SUNSHINE247

Agreed. Also, I encourage people to go to Answers in Genesis:
http://AnswersInGenesis.org

Absolutely - you are right on there :)

People should go to the Drudge Report, too:
http://DrudgeReport.com

Hmm. I've consulted that site a few times. Here is part 1 of 2 of my answers based on information found within the bible.

https://steemit.com/religion/@sleepy-gary/questions-for-christians-part-2-the-answering-1-8

I can answer all these questions in four words: "The Bible is mythology."

The Bible is truth. You're held responsible by God to know it and obey it.

Contrast helps in perspective. Look at Dr. Ham.

None of those are questions that should affect your faith in God. We can know without a doubt that God exists because we have eyewitness testimony from a number of people whom God talked to. There are multiple people who saw the risen Christ. For example:

(1 Corinthians 15:3-8 NIV) For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, {4} that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, {5} and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. {6} After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. {7} Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, {8} and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

If Murder is a sin, why did god send his son to be brutally murdered to save the murderers from their sin? He's created an infinite loop.

You weren't indoctrinated. Your were, hopefully, taught the truth about Christianity. You claim to have honest questions but I see people over and over again acting like you do when just don't want to believe. Why don't they want to believe? Because they love their sin too much.

God knew immediately when Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God knew they would sin. God knew where Adam and Eve were in the Garden. God called to them so they would answer. It would be impossible for God not to know everything.

As for all the other questions, do some research on your own. You could have answers if you wanted them.

If you're looking for questions to justify your unbelief there aren't any. Some things we will know. Some things we won't. A lot of things don't matter. None of those things will change who God is and what he requires of us.

Thank you for your reply, I am trying to type this with Love, so I hope I don't come off as harsh or mean.

#1: I am NOT in denial, I simply don't know. I feel like, considering advances in technology recently we are more quickly proving that Life was created vs. ...abiogenesis.

#2: After honestly READING the bible, I have a very hard time accepting the idea that Jehovah is Love. Name one instance in the old testament when he showed mercy, restraint or even UNCONDITIONAL LOVE? It didn't happen.

#3: I WAS indoctrinated. Indoctrination is the method of teaching while discouraging questions. The answers I always received were either "God Works in mysterious ways." or "We can't know God's plan." That automatically destroys the point of asking questions because I already have all the answers I need. Even though, they aren't answers.

Why did God punish the Serpent, Adam & Eve for events HE knew was going to happen and he himself actually caused. Adam didn't do it. God did. God knows everything, so he knew Adam would eat fruit even before he had the idea to create Adam. God STILL created Adam and then punished Adam for doing exactly what God knew he would do. What sense does this make?

Let me ask one last thing: What are some of the characteristics and attributes you can think of that would characterize a demonic entity? Does Jehovah fit any of those descriptions?

Also, I have done HOURS of research. Not only am I updating and providing a more modern translation to the KJV, I am going to do a follow up piece to this where I answer almost every question I posed with the Bible, and bible verses. Because the answer to every question is in there if one opens one's eyes.

Hello! I've consulted the bible, (many versions in fact) and I have curated this list of answers after doing more research on my own. Please review them at your leisure, and thanks for your time!

https://steemit.com/religion/@sleepy-gary/questions-for-christians-part-2-the-answering-1-8

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Gary, you can be agnostic. You can choose to believe in what you want to believe. You can think and feel as you choose to do so. We can say there is no evidence for God maybe....
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We cannot see God, maybe. We cannot see love. We cannot see gravity perhaps. I am not sure if we can see black holes. Scientifically, we can see the problems with carbon dating. Cultures all around the world have flood stories. We are related to each other according to DNA research into the genetic codes. Where does information come from? DNA is code and code is information. Can the big bang and evolution create information? There are so many questions we can ask.
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Watch the debates between Bill Nye & Ken Ham:
http://AnswersInGenesis.org
.
The Drudge Report News:
http://DrudgeReport.com
.
The Info Wars Network:
http://InfoWars.com
.
The WND Network:
http://WND.com
.
The Wiki Leaks Network:
http://WikiLeaks.org

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