Life after death, interesting read

[mperry]

No offense taken.....im just telling it like i see it, becoming a christian is a personal choice and when your ready you will find it was a good choice. Funny thing is you sound like me many years ago. Looking for reasons not to believe and trying your best to understand something this difficult. It's cool and we all go through it. There are many things to gain by going to a good church that has small groups or men's groups. You get to ask the kind of questions your asking and hopefully talk to some folks who have dedicated their lives to teaching and preaching the word of God.
It really is helpful to talk to a Good Pastor or leader of a church who understands where your coming from. They can answer these questions and concerns much better than me and I'm not so well versed in the bible as to have many of the answers. I will say this....not all folks who are in positions of leadership at churches are great teachers. It's like any other profession, job or leader....some are better than others.

I dont think I'm looking for a reason not to beleive. I think I'm looking for a reason to beleive. And I agree with what you say that it is very difficult. I would say that is the reason I have doubts. I also am not versed in the Bible so I don't even try to understand it. I will say this. My Grandfather who died long before I was born could not read or write but according to my Mother he could quote the Bible. Was he able to do so just because of things he heard or was there something else. I have no reason to doubt my Mother and I see no reason for her to lie about it. Knowing this is what still has me at least partly beleiving that there is something else out there but I still have doubt. I have another question and maybe it is addressed in the Bible. Who created God? Did he just magically appear? If He created the Heavens and the earth where did he come before?

[jcb]

IWho created God? Did he just magically appear? If He created the Heavens and the earth where did he come before?

Totally laying aside any faith issues, and being totally rational, here's my view: The only rational explanation for the existence of the Universe is that there has to be something that is not bound by space or even time.

We have a bunch of stuff in the universe. It hasn't always been there. So either it was created by something that is not bound by space or time, or the laws of physics allow for all this something to be created out of nothing.

What theoretical physicists are trying to do today I find laughable. Trying to explain how "nothing" is not really nothing, but "something" that just looks like nothing. When the only observable "nothing" we have to deal with is the "nothing" we know after creation.

To me, it takes tons more faith to believe in that than it does to believe in God, who by definition is not bound by space and time.

[MLTSPCS]

Do me a favor next time you go fishing and just stop, look around, and listen. I personally just can't see how you could do this and not believe in something much bigger than mankind. And the part you guys are talking about being scared into believing by the can't-afford-to-be-wrong clause is being misinterpreted. What people are saying is that if I choose to live as a believer and strive to be more Christ-like and have higher morals/standards I hold myself to, what is the harm if I was wrong? However, if I choose not to believe and I am wrong, the consequences are eternal. And just looking at us humans, what it takes for us to live, breathe, learn, and so on, how could it all have just come together by an explosion? And where are the evolutionary in-betweeners if we got here from an amoeba or other simple life form? Adaptations happen. Show me one thing to prove evolution. I know I bounced around a ton, but I have so many thoughts on this subject it's hard to keep them all together. There are so many things I see, hear, and just experience every single day that make me believe in my Creator. When i get home from work today and my daughter looks up, smiles, says "Hi Daddy", and throws her arms around me, waiting to be picked up, well that right there is enough for me to know it didn't just explode into all this on its own. Just my $.01 Not my $.02 because I have tons more I believe and would like to say but I will leave it there for now.