In class we spoke about Christianity in away that I never heard before. I always went to church just because my grandmother would make me. As I got older I stopped going to church. Just a couple of weeks ago I went to church with my grandmother. I don't know if its because I am baptist but, I never knew that god was considered a thief. And I never knew that God was killed because of that. It bothered me because if Jesus is the son of God why didn't god help him? Where is God? was he in heaven waiting for Jesus to come there? The whole story changed my perception about God and Jesus. I couldn't understand why God would even change in his currency knowing that it was not such a good idea. I had this discussion with many different people and they all say that Jesus was not considered a thief and that he was crucified because he was going around telling people he is the son of God. This is why I don't know why they teach religion in colleges let alone make it a requirement to take. I am very confused about who god is and let alone if I believe in what we are saying about him. I believe that there is a god and I do believe that we do have a creator and something that rules the after life and that looks over us. But it is just hard for me to believe things that are man made and people can control others by having people believe in what they say and do than necessarily may not be true. How do I know a religion group or a certain person didn't make that up about Jesus being a thief. I just don't know what to believe and I am glad that I was not baptised now because it is my decision to decide what religion I want to believe in.
3 comments:
The last sentence of your post is the part to remember.(It is your decision to decide.) All the other things you have many years to figure out. Enjoy the ride
Chonte-
You raise a series of questions, some of which are easier to address here than others. According to the Bible, Jesus was crucified by the Romans for treason. That's why the title "King of the Jews" was hung over the cross and why he had the conversation about the phrase with Pilate. (See Mark 15:26 and John 19:19 for examples.) What I said in class was not that Jesus was a thief, but that the Romans brought him up under the charges of a thief. (The Greek term is lestes and you'll find it used in the Bible in Mark 14:48, Mark 15:27, Matthew 27:38, and Matthew 26:55.) A lestes is a robber, a brigand, a revolutionary-- and anyone who questioned the Roman government in any way (something Jesus clearly does)was put in that group. It's the reason why Pilate, in the freeing of a prisoner, offers Jesus and BarAbbas; both are seen, according to Pilate, as lestes. And it's the reason Jesus is crucified with lestes on either side of him-- that's the group he's been put with by the Romans.
You raise two larger questions. One-- why God allows suffering (of anyone, but especially of Jesus)-- is a very difficult question that can't be answered quickly in a blog comment, though there's a lot of good writing on it. The second--about being given new information that causes you to question your faith-- is a bit easier to address succinctly. I believe God gave us minds to use, not to waste, and God didn't put historical facts or scientific principles out there to trick us or test us. There should never be a question we're afraid to ask because it might call our faith into question. Faith can make a space for, reconcile itself with, and stand up to any knowledge we obtain.
I think everyone questions their faith this is what makes us so unique. We have the ability to question everything we do.
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