THIS IS NOT AN ARGUMENT THREAD, THIS IS A THREAD FOR PEOPLE THAT HAVE AN INTREST IN GETTING TO KNOW THE CHRISTIAN RELIGON AND GOD.
If you have questions ask, I will have a bible lesson. The other christians can help and assist me in this endavour. I will have MY bible lessons will have no set dates, they will be every few days. If someone wants to run one of the lessons when I can't then please PM me.
Bible lesson 1: why turn to god? what's in it for me?
Alot of people ask, besides the obvious reward (eternal life), what is in it for me? why waste my time or energy and ocasionaly money? there are five things that I can think of:
1. A sense of companionship. In todays modern world where family ties are becoming thinner and you may need a sense of closeness, god can provide. An example of severd ties: A family sues each other, people don't talk to parents and siblings. A son puts his mother in a nursing home and never visits, ect. America is a country that thrives on a sense of independence, of not needing each other. This country was settled by people who "didn't need family", they left there parents behind to come out west, same with Irish imigrants. This Independence can become lonely and god provides companionship.
2.Forgiveness. Some people, not always atheists, who don't believe in god go through life feeling guilty for the things they've done. They try to rationalize there guilt and tell them selves it was an accident but they can't make the guilt go away. This is for a good reason, guilt is about how we feel that others see us. When we think that people think bad of us because of what we did we feel guilty. God can provide forgiveness from this guilt and trust me, forgiveness is a wonderful feeling. I heard a story of someone who wrote a letter which they signed forever guilty because they had ran over a little boy who died. should they feel guilty forever? In my opinion no, and god can forgive them and take guilt away.
3.someone to face the hard times with. When your down, when your family is sick, when someone dies, god can help us. People who believe in god are far more likely to get through hard times without serious mental issues because of god. You have someone to talk to and someone to help you deal with sadness.
4.A new view and realization that life is good. Christians have a tendancy to see the beauty in the world, some atheists, because of there lack of god, live only for self gratification and fail to see the beuaty of the world and life around them. When you live for others and help and guide them you notice the beauty.
5.The ocasional gift. God is generous, he is a giver. He has given me drink when I was thirsty here is a story: I was riding in my grandapa's truck and dying of thirst there was nothing in the truck to drink. I prayed to god to help me with my hideous thirst and suddenly I began to feel tierd. I layed my head on my grandpa's coat (it was on the seat) but there was somthing hard beneath it. I picked up the coat to move what was hard beneath it and there was a box of juice boxes (I drank like four)!!! Like I said, god gives the ocasional gift. Don't think that if you ask for somthing god will always give it to you. I talk with god as a friend alot but sometimes I will ocasionaly ask him for somthing, somtimes he gives it to me and other times he doesn't. Rember that just because god is generous dosen't mean he is your slave. Ocasionaly thoiugh, yes, he will give you somthing you don't need but want. I didn't NEED a drink then, I could have waited, but I desperately wanted one and god gave it to me. YOU CAN'T CONTROL GOD, HE WON'T GIVE YOU EVERTHYTHING YOU WANT.
Conclusion: god gives us a friend, emotional suport, and sometimes a gift(for me it was juice boxes.) He lets us vent, makes us feel good about ourselves, gives us a new look at life, plus you get to live forever.:D