First post, basic questions

[PerpetualSeeker]

Hello Perpetual Seeker, first off, since I see that you are a new member, welcome to CChat


Here are a couple of resources for you to consider, for starters anyway (the following sites and the main documentary/movie from the Is Genesis History? site give evidence for a Young Earth Creation, just FYI).

1. https://answersingenesis.org/​

2. https://isgenesishistory.com/​

3. https://tubitv.com/movies/683766/is-genesis-history ~or~ on YouTube (both are free)​

​

It may be helpful for you to understand who the cast is for the documentary, so here they are:

• Kevin Anderson, PhD – Microbiologist
• Steve Austin, PhD – Geologist
• Steven Boyd, PhD – Hebraist
• Robert Carter, PhD – Marine Biologist
• Arthur Chadwick, PhD – Taphonomist
• Danny Faulkner, PhD – Astronomer
• George Grant, PhD – Pastor
• Paul Nelson, PhD – Philosopher of Science
• Douglas Petrovich, PhD – Archeologist
• Marcus Ross, PhD – Paleontologist
• Andrew Snelling, PhD – Geologist
• Kurt Wise, PhD – Paleontologist
• Todd Wood, PhD – Biologist
• Stuart Burgess, PhD – Mechanical Engineer (Bonus Features)
• Douglas Kelly, PhD – Theologian (Bonus Features)
• Larry Vardiman, PhD – Atmospheric Physicist (Bonus Features)

Of course, there is also Theistic Evolution for you to consider too, which attempts to show how the two sides (Evolution and what the Bible has to say about the Creation) can be harmonized.


I don't believe that what He said (in the Sermon on the Mount .. Matthew 5-7) has anything to do with Creation/Evolution, but here it is anyway.

Matthew 5​

17 Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.​

This is a bit of a different topic, and since this post is already a long one, I'll stop here for now (and talk about the point above in my next post (Dv).

May the Lord bless you in your seeking to find Him and know Him!!

~Deuteronomy
p.s. - one last thing, since you told us that you've been a lifelong Christian seeker, what is it about Christianity that makes you want to become a Christian (if you don't mind me asking)

Thanks so much for the detailed response. I've heard of the young earth "theory" and had not believed it was well regarded by the majority, but I will definitely watch the documentary and report back my thoughts. I'll also check out your link on Theistic Evolution.

Also thanks for the clarification on the statement I somewhat inaccurately attributed to Christ, you're right it does not appear to address/include anything related to creation/evolution. Do I still have to believe everything in the Old Testament to be a good Christian?

Regarding your last question, I have always noted that on the whole Christians are some of the most kind, squared away, successful people. I would like to be like them, and who doesn't want to know they have secured their pace in eternity? I have attended Christian churches and called myself a Christian on many occasions, but I don't actually feel I am all the way there. I often hear of having a relationship with Christ, I have prayed fervently but not ever "heard" him address me. I will admit however, whenever I have called on him for help, things always seem to work out.

I didn't plan on bringing this up in this response, but now I'd like to go ahead and get it out there because I feel it's related to the current discussion: I've been told at times in the past I should (for lack of a better term) "prostrate" myself" before God and basically have a highly emotional (crying, etc.). This brings up another of my concerns, we humans with our capacity for emotion and imagination can easily conjure up all manner of imaginary effects. If I have to access Christ through an emotional experience who knows if it is real or something I created myself? I'm going to label this my question #3.

Again thanks for your response. Anyone please feel free to address my response here.

 

[PerpetualSeeker]

I realize I have only responded to one individual but I'm going to leave it at that at this time. The amount of responses are a little overwhelming and I have a LOT of research/reading to do of the things many of you have offered and pointed out. I'll come back here after I've put some time into those, and again thanks for every response here, they all help!

 

[PerpetualSeeker]

I'd like to make a small edit to a previous post where it appears I didn't complete a sentence but the Edit/Delete links have disappeared. Is this typical that they they will disappear after a few minutes?

 

[Charlesiii]

Thanks so much for the detailed response. I've heard of the young earth "theory" and had not believed it was well regarded by the majority, but I will definitely watch the documentary and report back my thoughts. I'll also check out your link on Theistic Evolution.

Also thanks for the clarification on the statement I somewhat inaccurately attributed to Christ, you're right it does not appear to address/include anything related to creation/evolution. Do I still have to believe everything in the Old Testament to be a good Christian?

Regarding your last question, I have always noted that on the whole Christians are some of the most kind, squared away, successful people. I would like to be like them, and who doesn't want to know they have secured their pace in eternity? I have attended Christian churches and called myself a Christian on many occasions, but I don't actually feel I am all the way there. I often hear of having a relationship with Christ, I have prayed fervently but not ever "heard" him address me. I will admit however, whenever I have called on him for help, things always seem to work out.

I didn't plan on bringing this up in this response, but now I'd like to go ahead and get it out there because I feel it's related to the current discussion: I've been told at times in the past I should (for lack of a better term) "prostrate" myself" before God and basically have a highly emotional (crying, etc.). This brings up another of my concerns, we humans with our capacity for emotion and imagination can easily conjure up all manner of imaginary effects. If I have to access Christ through an emotional experience who knows if it is real or something I created myself? I'm going to label this my question #3.

Salvation is not about what you do for Christ - it is about accepting and believing what He already has done for you. The people of Israel who were bitten by the snakes did not need to do good works or prostrate themselves before God. They just needed to look to the bronze serpent (which came from belief). Jesus likewise compares Himself in this way - those who believe on Him will have eternal life. That is where the Christian's assurance of salvation comes from. Our good works are a result of what Christ has done - not a means for us to earn it. The irony is that those who endeavour to earn it do not have it - as it has already been paid for in full by Christ and we cannot earn it.

Numbers 21:6 - 9
And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

John 3:14 - 15
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

 

[GWH]

I had those questions in 1968 and found the following answers that are discussed in more detail in my thread "Apologetics: Witnessing to Atheists", but briefly I agree with those who believe God is revealed via creation, which is studied by the physical sciences, including paleontology, and via Truth/Logos, which manifests metaphysical reality. Their intersection is indicated in Genesis 1 and John 1, which speak of God creating the physical world via the Logos/Word, and by Romans 1:20, which says creation reveals God's power and (moral/loving) nature. Permission to believe creation took longer than six 24-hour days is granted by 2Peter 2:8. Science seeks to answer how and when; Scripture answers who and why.

You are correct to believe in a loving God, who created humans who operate via faith rather than robots that operate via being programmed, because that would have been too easy. Because death is verified, it is logical to seek salvation/resurrection to heaven, which is given to all who reflect God's love, logically enough (Rom. 5:5). Hell is where/when justice is achieved via something like reaping karma in accordance with the life for life principle, after which evil souls are destroyed.

Again, my complete answer with Scriptural support is in the other thread, but I can copy and paste it here if you desire.
Welcome to CC!

To this reply I would add that you should not be misled by some to substitute emotionalism for faith.
We walk by faith, not from miracle to miracle.

 

[KelbyofGod]

I'd like to make a small edit to a previous post where it appears I didn't complete a sentence but the Edit/Delete links have disappeared. Is this typical that they they will disappear after a few minutes?

Yep. And it's most helpful tool for someone like myself who otherwise would edit endlessly. Lol

 

[Freed18]

Hi all, I'm a 68 y.o. male who has wanted to be a Christian my whole life but have never quite been convinced. I'm surrounded by friends and even family who are not and I've never felt that I have the facts to successfully defend a decision to take the full plunge. My parents were Methodist and I have attended several Churches in my time as an adult, at one I even regularly hosted a Seeker's group in my home. I prefer the more modern non-denominational Christian churches.

So without further ado let me post a couple of questions I hope you can help me with:

1. How do Christians explain the fossil record? I know that Jesus made a statement essentially saying that he wasn't sent to contradict/repudiate what had been written but to validate it. It would be much easier for me to fully accept the New Testament without the Old, but if I have to believe the Lord created every creature as it is now I have a problem with that.

2. I also find it hard to believe that a loving God would create beings and place them in a world based on provable facts that literally trains us to not believe anything we can't verify and then require us to have faith, and if we don't burn us forever in hellfire (there's that Old Testament again).

Those are my biggest sticking points that I'm happy to discuss and I appreciate and feedback.

Alan

Hi, and welcome to the site.
#1...Just as God made Adam and Eve as fully mature human beings, so too did He create a fully mature earth.

#2...Life is a series of choices, all based on faith in something.
When you asked out a girl, in your dating years, did you have proof they would say YES ?
Did you have proof that you would graduate from second grade, or get out of high school alive ?
Where are the proven facts that you will survive the next stop light you go through, without getting broadsised ?
Yet you keep on driving.
God gives us choices, based on His promises.
If you want to be a Christian, you gotta believe His promises, without having a reem of printed facts.

 

[Deuteronomy]

I'd like to make a small edit to a previous post where it appears I didn't complete a sentence but the Edit/Delete links have disappeared. Is this typical that they they will disappear after a few minutes?

Our editing time here is 5 minutes, period. The preview button is something that can be helpful, but if you still miss something and need to edit a post, the only way to do so is to write another post, explaining that something needed to be edited in your previous post but that time was up before you could do so, and then make your corrections there.

MANY have asked for additional editing time over the years, but to no avail. So again, 5 minutes is the length of time that we are given here to make edits (once we post), and not a second more.

~Deuteronomy