Seeking Answers

[Jeffersonian76]

i'm guessing you are taking medicine & or seeing a doctor for your condition. the Lord says. "blessed are those who believe & have not seen". 2nd Corinthians teaches: "while we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternal". on earth, over 99% of everything we believe is because we see it. most people believe there are trillions of stars above us but no one will ever see them all. study 1st Timothy 2:7 & 2:15 + John 14:28 & 16:13. the devil is working against you. he sees a weakness & he's pouncing on it. do you know that the devil has no power against the believer unless the believer let's him? ( James 4: 6&7 ). that's true. seek the help of a trusted Christian pastor or perhaps there are learning cd's to assist you. the earth is around 6 to 7,000 years old. the Rose books of Bible Charts, Maps & Timelines & Chronicle Guide To The Bible + Ken Hovind & Ken Hamm will set you strait. be ready to put a lot of hours into this as it is well worth it. there is historical proof of the earth's age. carbon dating is not accurate as the flood disavows that. both Ken guys are experts on the age of the earth. you are correct in not believing in evolution. in recent decades, evolutionary scientists are turning away from their studies because they can"t
find any proof. there's a funny saying about evolution: "evolution says nothing plus time plus chance equals everything"! if evolution did exist how was confidence, concentration, laughter, love, tranquility, sadness, sarcasm, & emotions created? right? billions of years have not passed since creation. i think it's Ken Hovind who explains the age & event comparisons really well. more than you wonder about this, even more, be willing to put the study time into this.

Thanks! Great feedback and response.

This is actually another thing I struggle with...I've come across so many Christians who believe that God created evolution. I'm just saying this in the sense that, there are so many conflicting views within like minded people that I get stuck saying to myself, so which ones is correct? I know at the end of the day all that's needed is to accept Jesus, but I struggle with the road to "get there" because of that and so many other questions.

Thanks again though. Really appreciate it

 

[Lynx]

Thanks, I really appreciate your response.

So that's where I get stuck...I completely understand that some things may not have answers, but no matter how hard I "try" I can't get over that. How did/do you do that?

Like, I know this sounds silly, but one other thing kind of related to this is I'm afraid that since I can't find concrete answers to my questions, I am (I promise I'm only talking about myself personally here) blindfully claiming something when I'm afraid for me, it may not be the "correct" something. That scares me...

Not sure if I explained that properly but hopefully it makes sense. Thanks again

What are you claiming that you are afraid is not correct? That the Earth is 6,000 years old?

The only true claim is, we don't know. We can't even claim that we will find out in heaven, because we don't know God will tell us when we get there. The only 100% true and verifiable claim we can make on this matter is, I don't know and neither do you.

 

[Lynx]

Thanks! Great feedback and response.

This is actually another thing I struggle with...I've come across so many Christians who believe that God created evolution. I'm just saying this in the sense that, there are so many conflicting views within like minded people that I get stuck saying to myself, so which ones is correct? I know at the end of the day all that's needed is to accept Jesus, but I struggle with the road to "get there" because of that and so many other questions.

Thanks again though. Really appreciate it

If evolution was a thing, we would have fewer allergies now instead of more. But instead we have more allergies than ever, as our genetic code continues to degrade over time and iterations.

The Bible does say something about avoiding pointless arguments like that though.

 

[Gideon300]

Thank you! I'll check out those names you mentioned.

You are welcome.

 

[Magenta]

This is actually another thing I struggle with...I've come across so many Christians who believe that God created evolution. I'm just saying this in the sense that, there are so many conflicting views within like minded people that I get stuck saying to myself, so which ones is correct? I know at the end of the day all that's needed is to accept Jesus, but I struggle with the road to "get there" because of that and so many other questions.

None of that is really important compared to knowing whether there really is a God and if there is, what His purpose for you was in creation.

Matthew 16 verses 15-17

 

[Jeffersonian76]

Oh I was dead set against becoming a Christian especially, but also anti organized religion heh, yep, they were all wrong as far as I was concerned and I thought that way for over thirty years heehee (very stubborn!). It is great that you are seeking and see value in it due to your wife... and I cannot say there is any magic formula, of course we discuss these things ad nauseum here, and it is true God must draw you, and it could be for a certain fact that that is actually what is happening with you right now... and those given to Jesus by the Father WILL come to Him and He will cast none out. So I do hope you end up with us on the other side of eternity, and I will just end by saying that my faith journey was really the biggest adventure of my life, and I do not regret one second of it. I will also add that I hope you are praying...

Thank you, I am. And I'll stop blowing up everyones mailboxes after this haha..jist a final thought for the day for me.

What does confuse me relates to exactly what your just said. I have always been the opposite of that (I've always "believed" God existed- just not 100% in what capacity. But always gravitated toward Christians)

Ironically, in high school my wife was an atheist. Shes actually a molecular cell biologist. I used to always argue with her saying that God must exist. And I've always believed Jesus existed (Just sadly as of now, similarly to how Jefferson did).

Then, in college believe it or not, she met a born again Christian and they became really great friends....fast forward not long at all, she became a born again Christian! Like....what???? How can she do that but me, some one who has always felt like there HAD to be truth to the bible and that God (specifically Christian) exists can't do what she did from Atheist to born again?

Idk...it's just honestly depressing. I would love to do what she did and you did, and I'll keep trying. But those arguments we used to have were almost 20 years ago. She was able to have faith and turn it on almost like a switch. Never asked any questions...I tell her mine and make her head spin lol but she never did that. Its just frustrating is all I'm saying. Sorry for another book...

 

[Magenta]

Thank you, I am. And I'll stop blowing up everyones mailboxes after this haha..jist a final thought for the day for me.

What does confuse me relates to exactly what your just said. I have always been the opposite of that (I've always "believed" God existed- just not 100% in what capacity. But always gravitated toward Christians)

Ironically, in high school my wife was an atheist. Shes actually a molecular cell biologist. I used to always argue with her saying that God must exist. And I've always believed Jesus existed (Just sadly as of now, similarly to how Jefferson did).

Then, in college believe it or not, she met a born again Christian and they became really great friends....fast forward not long at all, she became a born again Christian! Like....what???? How can she do that but me, some one who has always felt like there HAD to be truth to the bible and that God (specifically Christian) exists can't do what she did from Atheist to born again?

Idk...it's just honestly depressing. I would love to do what she did and you did, and I'll keep trying. But those arguments we used to have were almost 20 years ago. She was able to have faith and turn it on almost like a switch. Never asked any questions...I tell her mine and make her head spin lol but she never did that. Its just frustrating is all I'm saying. Sorry for another book...

Do not worry about blowing up our mailboxes LOL this is a public forum and you can post as much as you like or not... totally up to you. And I must apologize for giving the wrong impression, as I very much believed there was something, and I could go along with people calling that something God, but I could not accept the Biblical God even though I thought Jesus, hmmm, what I thought of Jesus was it was so unfair He had to die for our sins. I was not really against Jesus and yet He was too closely tied to the Bible God and Christianity, can we just have a little less of Him? But no, many spiritual traditions tip their hat at Jesus, and even if I went to some new age whatever, they might mention Him! That did bug me. Even so I absolutely loved talking about God and hearing people's God stories! Especially after I got clean and sober, which happened after I cried out to that God I did not believe in for help! Yes, I cried out to that God I did not beieve in for help and really quite suddenly after about twenty four years of drinking and drugging I no longer had the desire to use mind and/or mood altering substances. I had already had a pretty profound God encounter a few years before that, one that in all honesty probably went a long way to saving my life, but none of that convinced me. I was a tough nut to crack...

 

[Jeffersonian76]

If evolution was a thing, we would have fewer allergies now instead of more. But instead we have more allergies than ever, as our genetic code continues to degrade over time and iterations.

The Bible does say something about avoiding pointless arguments like that though.

That's interesting! And thanks - I do agree in the end it's pointless and a silly thing to think about considering all that's needed is to believe in Jesus. But for someone like me who gets caught up on these things, it's doesn't seem pointless, but once again I don't believe in evolution so this is a bad example lol. But I can't help it. I wish I could but I can't. When I see so many people who accept Jesus, but have different "unimportant" beliefs or views on how they got there, it causes me too struggle to get there. For some reason it's just how my brain works.

But sorry for the many replies, I'll review all the materials everyone has shared with me and go quiet for a bit lol. Hopefully some of my struggles can be answered through that.

Thanks again!

 

[Jeffersonian76]

What are you claiming that you are afraid is not correct? That the Earth is 6,000 years old?

The only true claim is, we don't know. We can't even claim that we will find out in heaven, because we don't know God will tell us when we get there. The only 100% true and verifiable claim we can make on this matter is, I don't know and neither do you.

Sorry, not whether the Earth is 6k years or not. I'm afraid that I'm accepting the wrong "belief" when something else might be correct.

For example, throughout history there have been hundreds if not thousands of religions (or just spiritual beliefs in general). Howcome so many people in antiquity and before that and after believe so many different things? I also think about Emperor Constantine...without his vision, would this "belief" I personally want to believe in (Christianity), have become so prevalent? Maybe it still would have found a way because its the truth after all, but I'm not certain...does that make any sense?

I'll review everything everybody has shared with me here before I start another thread. Hopefully these things can get cleared up by doing that. Thanks again for responding

 

[Lynx]

Sorry, not whether the Earth is 6k years or not. I'm afraid that I'm accepting the wrong "belief" when something else might be correct.

For example, throughout history there have been hundreds if not thousands of religions (or just spiritual beliefs in general). Howcome so many people in antiquity and before that and after believe so many different things? I also think about Emperor Constantine...without his vision, would this "belief" I personally want to believe in (Christianity), have become so prevalent? Maybe it still would have found a way because its the truth after all, but I'm not certain...does that make any sense?

I'll review everything everybody has shared with me here before I start another thread. Hopefully these things can get cleared up by doing that. Thanks again for responding

Actually that makes the most sense of everything you said so far. Lots of people say lots of things and they are all mutually contradictory. How do you know this particular one is the right one?

For myself, I know that God has personally proven to me multiple times that he is paying attention to my life and cares about what I am doing. But that's just me.

As Peter said to Jesus, where else can we go? You have the words of eternal life. It's the only religion I've ever found that actually works. It doesn't work very well if you care mostly about making money, but it's the only one that works consistently if you care about people.

 

[Lynx]

I appreciate that you don't want answers that tell you to accept everything "On Faith". I get it. Eventually all things come down to faith, but this does not mean you must accept everything without reason.

Questions of age come down to a definition of time. Yet we know "scientifically" that what we call time is not an absolute, it is relative. Time is dependent on other more fundamental elements in creation, it can and does constantly change. We know for example gravity and velocity can both alter time. There very well may be other things that alter time. Quantum Physics suggests that two particles placed as far apart as possible in the universe, billions of light years apart, can have simultaneous interactions with each other with no "Time" involved. Other scientists are proposing an asymmetrical universe. They believe the "Big Bang" did not create a uniformly expanding universe. Some parts of the universe may be expanding faster than other parts so time may be faster or slower depending on where in the universe you are at the moment.

To argue "time" in the sense of creation is pointless and futile. We do know God is not limited by time, other than that it remains a mystery. I choose to embrace the mystery and move on.

Just one more...

"Time is an illusion. Lunch time, doubly so."

- Douglas Adams

 

[Dino246]

So my question is...what does the bible say about the billions of years from creation until now? I've researched this a lot but can't find any explanation that would help me. When God created everything in Genesis, he also (I know not right away) created man/woman. But what occurred in all those billions of years since creation? From what I've seen the oldest human remains ever found are a little over 3 million years old. Dinosaur fossils are hundreds of millions of years old. How does the bible explain this? Was there just silence from God for billions of years? Then billions of years later the Old Testament was written? Did people exist during those billions of years? If so, where are their remains? Does the bible discuss this?

Hello and welcome to CC.

In short, the Bible says nothing at all about billions of years, because there haven't been billions of years. The timeline presented in Scripture is a few thousand years, and that is fully consistent with all scientific discoveries (just not all the interpretations thereof).

The idea that the Earth is billions of years old is founded on theories from atheists who "didn't want to let a divine foot in the door". All the fossils can be explained with the global flood of Noah's time (Genesis 6-9). The "millions" versus "hundreds of millions" of years is forced upon the atheists by their pre-existing belief in slow, gradual processes having modified the Earth's surface, whereas rapid burial and layering of sediment is observable in recent formations such as the areas around Mt. St. Helen's in Washington State.

The ministry "Answers in Genesis" provides a wealth of information on the subject. If there's a specific question, they probably have a dozen sources answering it... much of it available on YouTube.

You're welcome to your beliefs, but I encourage you to keep an open mind rather than coming at your questions with preconceived answers.

 

[JaumeJ]

The geologic column had grown so much since I first studied geology, from a few million hears to some ungodly number today. I understand how to apply it, how it functions, but I do not believe it at all. Our Father does not lie, nor is there untruth in the Word.
So many know to follow these absurd theories while truly believing our Maker. Contradictory? No, Faith.

 

[RodB651]

One thing I really struggle with relates to the age of the earth. This ties into a few others questions I have, but I'll ask those seperately.

I'm not trying to offer you an answer on this. My thoughts on this subject are just that.. My thoughts.

בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃ - Genesis 1:1 in Hebrew.

The two letters I have highlighted in blue are not translated anywhere. They are the Aleph and Tau. They are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. They SEEM to indicate the end of the previous beginning. I think there was something going on here before Genesis 1. Then Genesis 1 happens, and you have a new heaven and earth you could say. We see that again at the end of Revelations. I think whatever was going on before Genesis was what the dinosaurs lived on. I don't have any scriptural proof text or anything else to support that. Its just something I think about from time to time.

Even if what I think is true, it doesn't matter. It doesn't change anything. I don't dwell on it. 😊

 

[Karlon]

Thanks! Great feedback and response.

This is actually another thing I struggle with...I've come across so many Christians who believe that God created evolution. I'm just saying this in the sense that, there are so many conflicting views within like minded people that I get stuck saying to myself, so which ones is correct? I know at the end of the day all that's needed is to accept Jesus, but I struggle with the road to "get there" because of that and so many other questions.

Thanks again though. Really appreciate it

i have never heard of a Christian believing that God created evolution. supplemental: if you often say to yourself: "i can't do stop doing this", or "i can't stop thinking about this sin" or anything similar, know that your brain records all that & it gets installed in your condition response so you end up believing that you really can't do this or that. so throw out the old garbage as the expression goes, & fill yourself up with, " i can do this", or " i will do that"! so many times, i heard in my lifetime of smokers saying, "I can't stop smoking". well, that's why they still are smoking!!!!!

 

[RodB651]

Full disclosure, I can't just believe out of "faith". I just can't. I've been told to do so or I "must" in the past...that doesn't help me.

It doesn't happen for a lot of people. You have multiple beliefs among users here and they may tell you that you gotta have faith, but how they define that is probably different. I hear this from a growing number of atheists who ask believers "Is that all you have,.. Faith is your argument?"

I understand their point. We've (Church folk) have been at this for about 2000 years and we've come up with all kinds of doctrines, teachings, denominations, and such and you HAVE to dot your "i" and cross your "t" the way we do or you're going to hell for eternity...

What do I think of faith? .. I'm like everyone else, I can't explain something deep within that I just know. It doesn't just have to come from the scriptures for me. I see Him in the patterns of the night time sky, I see Him in nature, I see Him in the things of everyday life. I remember the things my Grandmother would tell me years ago, things I thought were either silly or things I just wanted her to be wrong about. She wasn't wrong. I see the many things she wrote in one of her old Bibles. I miss that Woman very much!

Whether that helps or not, I don't know. Just continue your walk with Jesus. It is your walk!

 

[Lynx]

i have never heard of a Christian believing that God created evolution. supplemental: if you often say to yourself: "i can't do stop doing this", or "i can't stop thinking about this sin" or anything similar, know that your brain records all that & it gets installed in your condition response so you end up believing that you really can't do this or that. so throw out the old garbage as the expression goes, & fill yourself up with, " i can do this", or " i will do that"! so many times, i heard in my lifetime of smokers saying, "I can't stop smoking". well, that's why they still are smoking!!!!!

"God used evolution to create life" is the most popular form of "Oh come on, we can all believe the same thing!" compromise theology. It's kind of like how the Catholic Church incorporated a lot of gnostic elements to placate people from other religions. You've never met anybody who said they believed this?

 

[Karlon]

"God used evolution to create life" is the most popular form of "Oh come on, we can all believe the same thing!" compromise theology. It's kind of like how the Catholic Church incorporated a lot of gnostic elements to placate people from other religions. You've never met anybody who said they believed this?

never have met anyone saying that. remember that sayings, habits, cultures & beliefs differ from area to area, even within 1 country. lot's of things are territorial.

 

[Jeffersonian76]

Actually that makes the most sense of everything you said so far. Lots of people say lots of things and they are all mutually contradictory. How do you know this particular one is the right one?

For myself, I know that God has personally proven to me multiple times that he is paying attention to my life and cares about what I am doing. But that's just me.

As Peter said to Jesus, where else can we go? You have the words of eternal life. It's the only religion I've ever found that actually works. It doesn't work very well if you care mostly about making money, but it's the only one that works consistently if you care about people.

Thanks. I really hope I can get there. I 100% have always been drawn to Christianity...whether it's because of proximity or a "force" I am unsure.

This may sound silly, (as do many of the things I say probably) but I am a huge proponent of Jeffersonian principles. I devour history and political science material. I know there were many other founders of the US (many of whom were Christians), but he in particular amazes me. His writings and beliefs on how government should operate etc. I think I sort of "gravitate" toward his spiritual beliefs as well because of that...

To make that make more sense, I ask myself...if Jefferson's spiritual beliefs were incorrect, why did God allow him to play such a major part in the foundation of one of the most influential countries in history? (I apologize if you or any one who reads this isn't from the US, I know there are countless other great countries around the world).

I don't know...these are the silly things I sit and contemplate.

But anyways, thanks again for taking the time to respond. You and everyone here have shared some great insight.

 

[Magenta]

I can't just believe out of "faith". I just can't.

It doesn't happen for a lot of people. You have multiple beliefs among users here and they may tell you that you gotta have faith, but how they define that is probably different. I hear this from a growing number of atheists who ask believers "Is that all you have,.. Faith is your argument?"

Jumping in here based on what OP said in OP and Rod's response... because our faith is not based on "nothing."
Empirical evidence builds our faith as surely or more so than anything else people believe and have faith in.

Also, Jeffersonian, I wanted to let you know that I was reminded of your dilemma as I drove to work this morning... I listen to Christian talk radio (do you do that? Do you attend a church, or have a church home, or are you looking? Perhaps attending your wife's church? So you are exposed to a variety of Christian teachings? kari55.com is online and available 24/7/365, although Friday evenings is foreign language content and Saturday during the day they have health-related infomercials. Otherwise it is ad free and hosts a variety of teachers and expositors. I find listening to a wide variety more helpful than listening to just one, for I can learn even from those with whom I disagree more largely). Any ways, a program was on as I was driving to work and they were talking about Jews for Jesus. As you can maybe imagine, some Jews are particularly difficult to convince of the Truth of God's revealed written Word as per the New Testament, and even parts of the Old Testament are often deliberately hidden from them by their Rabbis because they point too clearly to Jesus. Whoa haha all these tangents LOL. The point is them speaking of Jews for Jesus reminded me of a youtube channel called White Chair films (also available here => I am second <= that is a link) with over 150 films featuring the real stories of real people who met the real Jesus. You may benefit from listening to some of them. It does seem obvious to me that God is drawing you and certainly your heart is being prepared but your mind is still "hostile." I met a woman once at one of the Alpha Courses I attended in person as a volunteer after coming to believe... she claimed she wanted to believe and had been coming to the Alpha Course for many years but was still not willing to surrender all her yeah-buts. It seemed an odd predicament to be in. And Jesus did criticize those who followed Him for the wrong reasons. I pray you find the right reason... that the only reason to believe is made shockingly clear to you in a personal encounter you will never be able to deny.