Life is not easy and it is not fair. We all have to go through situations that are difficult. In the midst of all the pain and pressure I have found one thing that eases my mind and causes me to feel better. It is my faith in God. I believe that everyone (myself included) is born into this world as a sinner. Not just the pregnant girl or the person strung out on drugs or the people in jail. We have all done something wrong in our lives. And we all deserve to die for all the bad things we do. But the Bible clearly tells us in John 3:16 that God loved us so much that he sent Jesus Christ to die for our sins. The amazing thing is that he didn't stay dead. After three days he rose from the dead. He proved that he was all powerful by conquering death. Through that I see his power and love. I know that if God loves me that much I am not worthless and I can overcome the hard times because God cares about me.
Unfortunately, many people put their faith in so many other things tinstead of God. They put their faith in other people (mom, dad, boyfriend/girlfriend), money/material things, or even their own abilites or appearance. When you put faith in those things you set yourself up to fail because those things, no matter how wonderful they are, will let you down. ONLY God is able to do all things and handle any situation or problem you have. He loved you enough to send his only son Jesus to die for all the terrible things that you have done. If you put your faith in Him he will guide you through all the tough times.
Amen to that! I learned that lesson the hard way.
And that's comin' at ya' from yer local redneck hippie.
Why am I not free to believe what I believe? Who are you to tell the rest of society that we must believe in YOUR god, and that your god is the only one who matters? This type of intolerance is the reason why the majority of our population no longer attends church. Do society a favor and accept diversity.
I didn't find any intolerance in this blog. I just saw someone advocating their belief--as Christians are not only taught to do, but many of them feel a calling to do so. I may be a bit biased in this, but at the same time, there were no attacks made.
And don't get me wrong...I'm a huge advocate of tolerance. But at the same time, you shouldn't tell someone that they shouldn't be advocating their faith.
And that's comin' at ya' from yer local redneck hippie.
I am not telling you what to or not to believe. That is totally up to you. But I have found peace and true happiness in my faith. Its kind of like this. If you had the cure for cancer wouldn't you tell someone. Unless your heart is a black hole, the answer is yes. So many people are unhappy and commiting suicide but no one cares. I'm not "forcing my religion" on anyone. I'm simply giving them the thing that has made a huge difference in my life. What you believe is your decision. I just wanted to share my personal story.
I commend you for standing up for what you believe in. I agree with you 100%. You also have the right to state what YOU believe. You did it in a way that's NOT shoving it down everyone's throat. You're simply stating what you believe. So before attacking you can choose to believe it or not. Personally I believe it and it's the best part of my life. I have tolerance for other religions but I will not say that all religions are right. I believe that Jesus is the only way to get to Heaven and that's my belief. If that sounds arrogant I'm sorry but that's what I truly believe.
I agree with the poster that said you weren't being pushy. However, I do think this is intolerent, in a very subtle way by expressing disapproval for those who chose to have "faith" in other people, money, etc. My abilities have never "let me down", and neither has my husband. I will admit that money has at times (Inflation/decreasing purchasing power of the dollar=eek). I have yet to see someone who sits back, doesn't work, and just waits "for God to handle it" to come out on top of the situation.
If your aim here is just to share your religion and express your beliefs, I think you did an excellent job. If your goal was to reach people with similar beliefs that you have, I also think you did a great job. If your goal was to convert people with completely different beliefs, then you would definitely want to use some better arguments, but it seems like (and I hope) one of the first two is the case here since you seem to be smarter than that.
Cheers!
F*** Religion. Read more here:
http://www.progressiveu.org/020528-f-religion
The warm tone of your comment is appreciated. I am only sharing what I believe and what has helped me through some of the darkest times in my life. I do agree with you because I'm in high school working hard because I intend to go to college and be successful one day. God helps those who help themselves. It would be crazy for me to sit back and do nothing and expect my every need to magically be met. As for faith, I was not saying to not have confidence in what you know you can do or who you are. I was merely stating that those things are temporary, and God is the only thing that will last forever.
I disagree when you say all else will let you down. Money, possesions, some friends (these are not real friends who will let you down) etc. yes. But I believe that true friends and most family, as well as my talents and characters are there for me.
Other than that, I commend you for your faith and way of stating your faith and beliefs.