Can You Connect to God Without Religion?
Is there a difference between God and Religion? There is definitely a difference between God and religion. God is someone I have a relationship with. My view on God can be altered by many factors in my life. It can be affected by my relationship with my own father or even by my culture and the people I spend time with.
I see religion is a set of beliefs that have guidelines for behavior associated with them. There are many religions with many differing beliefs and rules. I don’t think God needs religion. He wants to have a relationship with me. It is so easy for me to get confused and think that my relationship with him has rules of engagement. I love knowing that God cares about me and that my relationship with him does not need a lot of order and structure. I want to participate in religion or church to celebrate his holiness, but it’s not a condition of knowing God. Do you believe you can you connect to God without religion?
If you have questions, we’d love to hear from you. Use this form to be matched with one of our mentors. Mentors are trained volunteers with real life experience. They can answer questions, point you to other resources or just listen when you have something to say.
Your mentor will email you using our secure system, The Mentor Center (TMC). TMC ensures your privacy by protecting your information. If you want to keep talking, just hit reply. The conversation is free, confidential and non-judgmental. You can keep talking to your mentor as long as you like and there is never a fee. If you’re curious, start a conversation. We’re ready when you are.
See the complete list of questions
Comments are also welcome!
Seon—
I appreciate your comments and your interest in conversation about these things. I’d like to address some of your concerns about the Bible, but first would you please tell me some of what you believe about man’s origin and if you have specific beliefs about God and Jesus? It would help me to better understand where you’re coming from if you know what I mean.
To respond to some of your comments
The reason our culture finds sexual relations between close relatives as unacceptable is that their offspring often suffer from debilitating mental and physical problems due to the denigrated gene pool. Remember that Adam and Eve were created with perfect genetics. Therefore, their offspring would have been nearly perfect as well. It would have taken many generations before the genetic mutations would have accumulated sufficiently to cause abnormalities when close family members had relations. This is also why our early ancestors lived so long. Their nearly perfect genetics precluded their succumbing to the thousands of diseases we suffer from, and their tissues would not have broken down as quickly as ours do. That’s why there was no reason for Adam and Eve’s children and grandchildren not to marry brothers and sisters and cousins. (You’ll notice from scripture that the life span of man gradually decreased, no doubt as a result of mutations accumulating within the gene pool.)
It wasn’t the serpent who decided to speak, it was Satan himself acting through the serpent to deceive Adam and Eve.
Second Peter 1:20-21 tells us, “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” Therefore, the aged John was writing through the direction of the infallible Holy Spirit to record the events that God wanted him to recall and record. John’s account of the Revelation was written around 96 A.D., and it too was directed by the Holy Spirit. (As for age and ability, did you know that Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes was 90 when he left the bench?)
Looking forward to your answer to my first question . . .
Tom-
This page would be easier if we could reply to each others reply.
Anyway, I don’t believe in talking snakes or that god created women out of a man’s rib. Plus if the story was true Adam and Eve’s children would have to have sex with each other!
Oh yeah and I don’t believe humans lived to be 900.
Most scholars admit the gospel of John was written in 90 AD. That would make John at least 90 (assuming he was in his 20’s or 30’s when Jesus died) can we really rely on eye witness testimony of a 90 year old man?
As for Luke, the earliest copy we have comes from the third century.
I still respect your faith and freedom of religion, I just can’t believe every single word of the Bible.
Chris- So all of a sudden God changed her mind and went “Ok now I will only reach people through Jesus” I don’t buy it, I just think they are more than one way to worship God.
Seon–
By the way–Matthew and John were two of the twelve apostles who Jesus personally called to walk with him. Mark and Luke wrote of Jesus only a few decades after Jesus ascended back into heaven. Luke in particular tells us that he used eye-witness accounts and personal testimony of those who knew Jesus to write his gospel account. There were accounts of Jesus written by those who were not followers of his which evidence his miracles, teachings, and resurrection. The resurrection is one of the most studied and investigated occurrences in all of history and the evidence shows quite conclusively that it was true.
Seon–
The first mention of God’s provision of a savior was in Genesis 3:15–“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.”
God is speaking to Satan to tell him that the seed of the woman, Jesus, would one day be put to death by sinful people in seeming victory for Satan, only to have Jesus come back to life and one day completely destroy Satan forever.
There were hundreds of references in the Old Testament to the coming Messiah although his specific name wasn’t given. Those people who placed their faith in the coming Messiah were considered righteous by God; such people as Abraham, Rehab, David, Moses, etc. The people of Jesus’ time had the OT scriptures and could have placed their faith in him; some did, most didn’t. Today we have the blessing of knowing from history that Jesus Christ lived a perfect life, died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin, and came back to life three days later to prove that he had conquered death and the sin in our lives. Therefore salvation has always and only been through faith in Jesus Christ.
Have you turned from your sin (repented) and trusted in Jesus Christ as your Lord Seon? You aren’t promised tomorrow!
seon…God has promised to reveal himself to any person on the planet who wants to know him. that is b.c. or a.d. the fact jesus has some, lived, healed, died and rose again is yours for the experiencing. there is no need to fight what is true. reach out and receive christ today. he is knocking on the door of your heart even now. blessings!
Hey Tom, well if that is going to be your definition of fear then yes we should fear the creator of the universe. I aways assumed we had to live in fear of him and be afraid. But I agree with that definition.
Chris, I don’t believe Jebus “Sabed” us. The gospels were written decades after his alleged death by people who didn’t even know him.
And if he is the only path to God what happened to people before Jesus came and what happened to people in his lifetime who didn’t know about him?
seon…if jesus suffered so on the cross to sabe us, we shouldnt think we can go to the father without him and his mediation on our behalf. hebrews 7.25. i pray jesus become so real to you today!
Seon–
Webster’s New World Dictionary’s second definition of “fear” is: “respectful dread, awe, reverence”; “to feel reverence or awe for”.
This is the kind of “fear”/love we should have for the Lord God Almighty . . . respect for his power and omnipotence, awe for his glory and omniscience, and reverence for his holiness and perfection, not to mention his great love for us.
I would be honored and feel greatly loved if my child showed respect for my authority, revered me for my wisdom, and stood in awe of my love for him (my child).
We show our love for God in the same way, exhibited by our obedience to him.
Good point, but I believe there is more than one way to connect to god. Would you want your children to fear you or love you in their own way?
Thx Karen 4ur reply. I think you understand and are able to discriminate between “god’ and religion. That’s great…because so many people don’t!(and can’t). God, if you believe in his “all mighty”, obviously can’t be perceived from our earthly being. But having said that, he can be perceived from his work in our innermost being…if you pay attention! It’s so simple!
Well put Chris. Feel the power!
Hello Karen.
What a good and refreshing post!
To “answer your question”: “Do you believe you can you connect to God without religion?” I would have to say that if you do not connect with God FIRST then religion can’t exist. Why all organized religions want you to believe you “need” a “middle man” (church/temple etc.) to access to God? Is He not such God available to all of us without conditions, such as imposed by organized religions? Religions have bottled up God in a small and manipulative package. Karen, no need to expand on this no more.
God is here and now for everyone (free of charge and forever)!
Chris
Jamie:
Physicists are presently investigating the illusory quality of reality:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/08/27/fermilab_hologram_universe_test_2d_or_3d/
All we perceive is data via our senses into our brains. All we know to be true is that we think and therefore we exist. GOD can only be found in the hologram within our dreams.
Hi Jack, I have been doing some reading of the site you linked and others beyond that. From what I am reading the physicists do not seem to be saying that the universe is an illusion, but that there are multiple planes beyond our 3-dimensional perception of height, width, and depth. The singularities of black holes are theoretical window into those other dimensions. Our 3 dimensional perception is like a holographic projection of those other dimensions.
So we are not living in a Matrix-like illusion; the world around us is still very real and tangible.
I would agree that there is a spiritual reality around us that we are relatively unaware of. God is Spirit and our rejection of Him has resulted in a broken connection to Him. That’s why we are relatively unaware of that spiritual realm. Our only hope of reconnecting with God and restoring that connection with Him is for Him to reach out to us. He has done that in many ways but the culmination of all that is the person of Jesus. Through Jesus, God entered into our physical reality and revealed Himself to us. Jesus said, “If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father [God]” (John 14:9) He then allowed Himself to be killed so that He could pay the penalty for our rejection of Him and free us from the destiny of destruction that our rebellion brought us. He then rose from the dead so that we could receive new life in Him and be guided by into in our lives. Through Jesus, we now can have a much clearer connection with God in His spiritual reality. We also have the hope of when we die that we will be reunited with Him for all of eternity, just as He had originally created us for.
If you want to find out more about how Jesus brings freedom and real connection with God have a look at http://issuesiface.com/why-we-care. I would love to hear you impression of the video there.
Aldo:
GOD speaks to all of us in dreams. No one is special. All the varied forms of religious books where written when scientific inquiry did not exist. In this and the last century humanity is now in the position to understand reality better than ever before. Pride has no place in this discussion, since all who exist today can discover the factual foundation for GOD. The only thing that stands in the way is fear. Fear damages rational thought and in fact destroys brain cells. GOD wants all of us to be fearless in our search for the truth.
Canadian Jack, you have said that your knowledge of God is based on facts.
The Bible tells us in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
What that means is that no one can come to know God except he comes by faith, which is a gracious gift which God extends to every man even though we don’t deserve it- Romans 12:3.
The bottom line is that God can only be known through His Word, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”- Romans 10:17.
Jamie:
It is more likely than not that we are nothing more than holograms. Go to this site:
http://rt.com/news/space-evidence-universe-hologram-195/
Our innovative GOD created this illusory universe that is as real as our dreams. Dreams are our own holographic projection within our brains while we sleep. In dreams GOD speaks to us and informs us what is expected of us before we die. In my dreams I have learned that neither this universe nor any of us ceases to exist. Our souls are eternal as is the Universe that surrounds us. Its is through our mortal existences that we learn the joy of life. Even in death we should be joyful for another journey will soon in another developing baby somewhere else in the Universe.
I don’t understand how mathematics make life an illusion. Matter can be explained mathematically (eg. the arrangement of atoms, molecules, etc) but that doesn’t make matter any less real.
Jamie:
Illusory in the sense everything is mathematical. The holographic nature of existence isn’t a matter faith but of Physics. GOD exists because our bodies create endorphins when we give to the poor. We experience an endorphin rush when we smile or pray. What mindless mechanical evolutionary process would care a wit about how good we would feel when we are generous. . Only a caring Creator would ensure that we would be rewarded when we did good. Neurologists have witnessed that happy people tend to be more intelligent than people who are depressed. Joy will cause a growth of brain cells. Who but a caring creator could reward our joy with increased intelligence.
jamie…God has established for us the reality of who we are and real natural life. now he invites us to participate in his spiritual life as we receive jesus as our lord and savior to remove the real sins that seperate us from him. blessings!!
I guess I get hung up on the ‘illusory existence’. How do you prove that without stepping outside of the illusion and seeing what is real? Otherwise you are talking about faith that this life is an illusion.
James:
Most religions are defined in books. My knowledge of GOD is based on facts not faith. Religion is based on faith not fact. Mathematic defines existence, Mathematic principles define all that exists or might exist. Science has stated that the effect cannot exceed the cause. Mindless evolution cannot produce Mindful humans. Evolution if examined carefully displays a purpose. Theoretical physicists have determined that what is before us is merely a Holographic projection. GOD almighty has created this illusory existence so our souls can understand the joy of being alive. All life must be protected for all life is holy. This what I know to be true.
Hi Jack, I guess the answer to the question lies in your definition of religion. Merriam-Webster has two relevant definitions, “1) the belief in a god or in a group of gods; 2) an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods” If you are using the first definition you would have to say that religion–a belief in God–is essential to be able to connect with Him effectively.
How would you respond to the second definition? Do you connect with God according to an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies and rules? I think you have said that you connect with God through meditation; is there a regular pattern that your meditation takes? You have said that there are ways that God wants us to relate to one another and to Him; are those rules? You have expressed some beliefs that you have about who God is; could all of that be considered a religion?
Would you choose a different definition for religion?
” Can You Connect to God WITHOUT RELIGION”. From some of your posts you have answered the question in the negative. In doing so you have relied on your religion as an argument. That is totally illogical and not persuasive.
to chris:
i forgot one thing:
our spirit is divided into three part- conscience,fellowship, and intuition
roman 9:1, 8:16 proves that conscience is part of our spirit
john 4:24, roman 1:9 proves that fellowship is part of our spirit
1 Corinthian 2:11 proves that intuition is part of our spirit
to chris:
dream is the vision. i mean real communication with God. it can only happen in the spirit, because our spirit is the mingling spirit.
John 4:24
“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truthfulness.”
roman 8:16
“The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God.”
1 Corinthian 6:17
“But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.”
This indicates the mingling of the Lord as the Spirit with our spirit. Our spirit has been regenerated by the Spirit of God (John 3:6), who is now in us (v. 19) and is one with our spirit (Rom. 8:16). This is the realization of the Lord, who became the life-giving Spirit through resurrection (15:45; 2 Cor. 3:17) and who is now with our spirit (2 Tim. 4:22). This mingled spirit is often referred to in Paul’s Epistles, in Rom. 8:4-6.
kevin…to see that God does at times communicate thrugh dreams see….
génesis 37, 41, Daniel 4, Matthew 2.13, Joel 2 with acts 2. blessings!
God does not communicate through dreams.
” Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:23)” We are made up of three part. Body,soul, and spirit. Body is our physical body, soul is mind, emotion and will, and spirit where you contact God. Genesis 1:26, “Let us make Man in our image,according to our likeness..” Shows that we are to express God. When Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the Tree of knowledge of good and evil, his spirit was corrupted. Why did Jesus died? because of the sin embedded in our spirit, He had to die for us. When he died on the cross, Corinthian 15:45, God became the Life Giving Spirit. So what? So He can finally dispense into our being to become God-man (we are here to express God) but not in the Godhead and our spirit is mingled with his Spirit.
Romans 8:11
“And if the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you.”
1 Corinthian 6:17
“But he who join to the lord is one spirit”
Ephesian 2:18
“For through him we both have access in one Spirit unto the Father.”
This is our goal. our goal is to be filled with Him!
What does this mean? Church is not a physical building but a spiritual building. In the Bible, building doesn’t mean building an actually building, but building the Body of Christ which is us. Matthew 16:18 says “i will build my church,” meaning he will bring his people. As you can see,we see the connection.God is the head, we are the Body. what is the Body? Body is the Church, knit together as one. As a member of the Body of Christ, we should have the same opinion and the same enjoyment of God. But now with all the protestant, catholic, we became religious. We don’t want to be religious, but a God-man, man filled with God, and God filled with man. In Exodus, God showed them the manna which came down out of heaven. They ate, and they were filled with the heavenlies. old testament is a picture for the understanding of the new. In Exodus, crossing the red sea symbolizes the baptism, leaving the world to go to the kingdom of God. Israelis using the blood of lamb and eating the lamb during passover symbolizes the blood of God, how He died for us and we ate. We ate God and filled with Him. meaning we are being expressed. The Bible is not a book about laws. The 10 commandments is the Testimony of God. God gave it us so they would know who God is. (first five shows he’s a jealous God, he does not want people express other things, last five shows loving and a caring God.) The whole reason why Moses took 40 days is because he was having a fellowship with God. his face became white because his spirit penetrating through our soul. his mind and emotion and will was all on God. And that fellowship was about the Tabernacle the Church where God can talk with men. see the connection? we are the church. we can contact God by using our spirit (the 3 part of tabernacle symbolizes the body, soul, and the spirit). what a wonderful book! there is no way men could have wrote Bible without God. praise him!
This is right!
Sincere thanks for your life-saving perspective. Religion subtracted from my relationship with God. Pick a team…I choose God. The sects can battle between themselves. Never felt closer ????
OK Canadian Jack . . .I mean Rational Mind. I read this article you describe as “scientific truth.” Among other things I read:
–“how universes ‘might’ collide, if they exist”
–“the multiverse theory”
–“Scientists believe” (not “have proved”)
–“Not everyone believes the theory”
–“There are many different variations on the multiverse theme, but they all are limited by our inability to observe them empirically.” (I.e., your guess is as good as mine and none of them are scientific.)
–“We’re trying to find out what the testable predictions of this picture would be, and then going out and looking for them.”
–“the collision of only two universes in some way or another.”
–“we assume”
–“The leap here”
–“No predictions have yet come to fruition.”
–“more likely”
–“likelihood”
I appreciated the article because I grew up enjoying science fiction, and this article brought back fond memories.
Now it’s your turn. Please answer the 9 questions I gave you.
Greetings Tom:
Have you gone to the site I provided to you and read it carefully? If you had you would know the Universe is eternal. It is you who choose what to read and not read. I cannot engage in any dialogue with someone who refuses to accept scientific truth.
RM–
If you’re looking for someone to have a conversation with you about your beliefs, that’s only going to happen if you’ll answer questions posed to you. I asked you at least 9 in the last post, but you didn’t respond to even one. That seems to be the same scenario as when you were posting as Canadian Jack. I’d ask you why you changed your posting name, but I shouldn’t expect an answer, right?
Greetings Tom:
I am but a humble student who learns from others. GOD gave man the intellect and the will to create the NET. With the Net all of GOD’s children have access to knowledge that never existed before. There is no reason to believe that we here on earth are the only beings in the universe who have souls. There is no reason not to hold to be true that there are trillions of souls in the universe. At death each of these beings releases the soul to migrate to a different baby in a different world. Scientific research will soon prove that we live in a multiverse. The multiverse will prove that existence is eternal. As another poster has correctly stated with a multi verse heaven would be redundant. I have taken the time to share with you the site that explains the concept. If you have any question after reading it, I urge to contact the scientist which will prove absolutely that there is a multi verse.
http://rt.com/news/173816-universe-bubble-multiverse-space/
RM—
I have some questions for you:
–Based on the science of physics, the universe had a distinct beginning and is winding down to cessation; so why do you say it’s eternal? How do you know?
–How do you know God communicated primarily through dreams, particularly if, as you state, most of us have forgotten them? How would we remember what we forgot?
–If God places no reliance on words, why did he take the time to reveal himself in the Bible, a book which bears every evidence of being supernaturally inspired?
–You state, “God never published nor authorized any religious book.” How do you know that to be true?
–Since a couple of decades ago there were only 3.5 billion people on earth but today there are 7+ billion of them living right now, where did all the additional souls come from to fill the extra 3.5 billion people?
–What do you mean by “a portion of God in the other person”?
–If a person rationally understands that they are a child of God, are they then completely without pain, sorrow, disease, or death? If not, how can that be “heaven”?
–You say “this (is) my creed I have no rational reason to have another.” Why are you rationalizing this creed and not some other creed? What is your foundation for your beliefs? If I rationalize a completely different creed, does mine take precedence over yours?
–Finally, how do you know what “rational thinking” is? How do you differentiate rational from irrational?
Greetings Chis:
Homo Sapiens have existed for at least 100,000 years. The bible on the other hand has existed for about 2 thousand years. The book that you believe in spoke to a minimal number of souls that existed since humans first walked the earth. The GOD that truly exists causes each of our souls on our death to be reborn in another human baby at its birth. GOD has literally created what could be our heaven here on earth. It becomes heaven when we recognize a portion of GOD in the other person. Once we understand with our rational minds that we are all Children of GOD than will our lives be heavenly. We are in fact related to each other and the best we can do is to treat one another with unconditional love and respect. This my creed I have no rational reason to have another.
rational Morris…what makes the bible so distinct from all other books and confirms its divine origin, is its prophesy. over 300 prophesies about the coming of the messiah all fulfilled in the person of jesus made hundreds of years before his birth, including the exact year of messiahs death according to Daniel 9.25 to 27. the bible also prophesies of the end of our age and the 2nd return of christ found in Matthew 24, luke 21 and the book of revelation. no need to be in the dark about what has happened, is going on or will happen in this world, God has already forewarned us. we have no excuse to not understand. blessings!!
The true GOD can only be found by rational thought. GOD gave us the highest mammalian intellect in order to use it to find the Creator. The Universe that this one GOD created is eternal. GOD primarily communicates with us through dreams. GOD never published nor authorized any religious book. Most of us will read the same words and arrive at our own unique interpretation of them. This is why GOD places
no reliance on words. GOD communiques us best by narrative dreams most of us have forgotten
Hi Dave. It’s always interesting to hear the views of others. I’d like to address several things you wrote and ask you some questions that I hope you’ll answer for me.
It’s not really a matter of our having a choice whether to “accept or reject” God but of having the choice whether to be obedient or disobedient to him. Millions of people believe in (accept) God, but they do not obey his commands. But how do we know what God wants us to do? How do we know we are living our lives to please and not anger him? According to your post, it would seem you believe you must be pleasing God because you have a fantastic wife, a beautiful son, and things are going well for you. So what would you think if tomorrow something terrible happened to your wife and son? What if you lost your job and contracted a life-threatening disease? Would you suddenly change your mind about there being a God? Would you think that you had done something bad and that God was punishing you for it? Does your reference to praying to God and “presto it worked” reveal a view of God as being a genie in a bottle, simply awaiting your next command?
I understand that statistically only about 2% of people living in the UK are Christians. If this statistic is anywhere close to being accurate, I wonder who the people were whom you asked about which book to read/study to know more about God? It couldn’t have been anyone who really has a relationship with God or they would have told you that the Bible is God’s revealed Word to mankind and that by humbly reading it you would come to understand much more about him and yourself. The Bible is the only ancient book about God that is without error—historically, scientifically, or archeologically. It is the only ancient book that specifically SAYS it is God’s inspired Word to us (2 Timothy 3:16). Without the Bible, mankind would have no idea what God expects of his creation. Doesn’t it make sense that God would WANT his creation to know the details? The Bible explains about man’s sinful condition and his need of a Savior. It explains about how God loves us so much that he made a way for us to have our sins forgiven. It reveals that without having our sins forgiven, we will spend eternity separated from him in hell. You say you have “joined the church of me.” So how are YOU going to have YOUR sins forgiven on the day YOU die?
You say you were told, “. . . take time to “tune in” your heart for i believe gods language is that of feelings, not words.” The Bible tells us, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). Therefore, we cannot trust our heart. Neither can our feelings be trusted. Feelings are temporary and completely circumstantially driven. (Again, how would you “feel” if one of your family got hit by a car?) Does having a good feeling about something make it right?
Please consider Dave, that your belief system has no solid foundation. There is nothing that at the end of the day you can have any certainty about. While you may feel good and seem to be having a great life, your life will be over in a flash and then you’re going to face eternity. Without a firm foundation, how can you have surety about what comes after life?
Finally, I think it’s fantastic that you have an interest in God, prayer, etc. That’s a long way from being an atheist. But you need to be grounded in the truth of the God of the Bible—the one who will ultimately hold you accountable for how you’ve lived your life. You need to realize that while God HAS indeed, made himself known in his creation, simply knowing “of” him is not enough. That’s like knowing about a cure for your cancer but not availing yourself of it. Jesus said, “Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).
I look forward to your response . . .
Ho im dave from cambridge,uk,ive been reading these emails for some time now & although i have respect for peoples beliefs,most of what ive read drives me nuts!!,i for one believe that not only can we connect with god without religion but i feel that god prefers us to do so,he (or she) gave us free will yes?,the freedom to except or reject?,up untill 8 yrs ago i was an athiest,a real hardcore one too,i got into a dreadfull state & was almost suicidal,so,with nowhere else to turn i decided to pray & hey presto it worked,i began feeling better within minutes & years later not only recovered but now have a fantastic wife,& a beautiful son,so,i firmly found god & still pray and thank him/her for saving me but yet every time i ask wich book i should study to get to know god better i get the same heart felt reply “none of them”!,i was told that i wasnt to follow ancient writings so blindly to wich quite frankly there isnt a shred of evidence that proves any of them where actually written by god!!,use your free will & talk to god like you would talk to your best friend on the phone,take time to “tune in” your heart for i believe gods language is that of feelings,not words,dont be one of the sheeple!,ya dont have to go to some grand building once a week or whatever to connect with god,you dont have to turn to your priest,iman,rabbi or whoever for guidance or advice,all you have to do is put that book away (whatever it may be),go into your garden in the evening (for example),gaze at the wonder of creation,take time to tune in,then ‘pick up the phone’ & speak from your heart,that is connecting with god,without religion & i for one have a wonderfull relationship with god,a great life,& all because i joined the church of me.x
Mr. Kamran–
Thanks for asking these questions. They are good ones. Let me try to briefly explain:
There are many religions in the world and they all have their own ideas about who God is and how a person can be good enough to one day go to heaven or reach nirvana or become something greater. Obviously, they cannot all be right because they all believe something different. So how can we know the truth about God? What if God has told us about himself and what he expects? Wouldn’t God want us to know these things? Of course he would. God used holy men to write down what he wants us to know about himself and his plan for mankind. Those writings are what are in the Bible. The Bible tells us it is his word to us. Since God cannot lie, we can know the Bible is true.
Man’s religions (Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, etc.), are based on what man thinks he can do to be in a right relationship with God when they die. All of man’s religions teach that you can “do” something good enough to overcome the bad things you have done against God . . . bad things like lying, stealing, hating someone or even dishonoring your parents. Man is basically very prideful and so he wants to do something himself to earn good favor with God. However, God tells us in the Bible that there is absolutely nothing man can do to make up for the bad things. That’s because we are imperfect people trying to be perfect, and we cannot be. The Bible also tells us that God loves us so much and wants a personal relationship with us so much that he personally made a way that we can be forgiven for our sins against him. God sent his Son Jesus Christ (basically Jesus is God in human form) to live a perfect life and then die to pay for man’s sins. He took the punishment we should receive. After being buried for three days, Jesus rose from the dead to prove he had the power over life and death and over the sin in our life. If we want to have a loving relationship with God, we must turn away from sinful things and turn to Jesus Christ in faith and trust. At that point we are made right with God, we become a child of God, and we know positively that we will go to heaven when we die. It is all because of what God has done for us and nothing about what we can do for God. That’s why biblical Christianity is the ONLY way to God. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me.” (John 14:6). There is no other way to heaven than by Jesus.
The God of the Bible is One God but is three persons in the One God; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Each is separate but also fully God. Together they make up the One God. While this is not easy for us to understand, God tells us this in the Bible and so we know it is true.
Mr. Kamran, God wants you to know him personally. He loves you and wants to have a relationship with you. He wants you to know him and to one day be with him in heaven forever.
I hope this at least partially answers your questions. Please ask anything more you would like and I’ll try to answer.
Hi, I’m from Pakistan. My religious is Muslim. I just want to get information and research about Religious and GOD.
Who is GOD expect religious example Muslim(Islam) Christianity (Bible) Hindi (Buddhist) and Jerusalem (Jews) etc.
Can you explain is real GOD human? I believe GOD is not human and other something else.
Hope you understand what I saying?
Luiz—Thank you for your comments.
While it is correct that man-made religions have led millions of people further from God than toward him, that doesn’t mean that all organized religions are completely wrong about God. Many people have finally come to God who started out following religious dogmas but realized that God wanted them to have a personal relationship with him. My first “experience” with godly ideas came through the Catholic Church, even though they do not hold true to biblical truths in many areas of their teaching.
Let me ask you Luiz: Where are you now in your own spiritual journey? Are you still seeking a personal relationship with God? Do you know that the Bible tells us you can only have that relationship by turning from your sins and trusting in Jesus Christ?
I’d like to hear back from you.
Hi,
I’m from Brazil. A country where there a lot of religions you are free to choose. I’m not the kind of guy that would join any religion, but I do believe in God. I also believe God is much more than dogmas and protocols religions set up and make believers to follow. For me these things are man made and there’s nothing to do with God. So, if I’m asked if there’s a way to contact God without religion, I will answer that the only way you may contact God is out of the religion world.
Hi Arman. Thanks for visiting this page. If I understand you correctly, you are willing to change your religion in exchange for money?
The religion one belongs to is based on the person’s beliefs about what it takes to be right in the eyes of god. Religion is not something that can be bought or sold. Religion is not like a membership club that you can buy your want into.
There are hundreds, maybe thousands of religions in the world. Each one has a different view of what it takes to reach heaven, or nirvana, or to come back to earth as someone or something else. They are all contrary to each other. Did you know there is only one religion that teaches that you can do nothing to get to God? That is biblical Christianity. You have broken God’s law by lying, stealing, lusting, or hating. The penalty for doing any of those things is eternal separation from God in hell. All your best efforts will not pay for what you’ve done wrong. But God sent his Son Jesus Christ to take the punishment you deserve and to die on the cross to pay for your sins. He then was buried and rose from the dead after three days to prove he was God. If you will repent (turn from your sins) and trust in Jesus Christ, you will become a child of God and will have a home in heaven when you die. This can’t be purchased by you because Jesus has already purchased it for you. You simply need to take the free gift he offers.
As a follower of Jesus, a Christian, you will also have the Holy Spirit of God to show you the way to live and how to please Almighty God. He will meet your needs. You need to realize your sinful condition, humble yourself before God, turn from those sins and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord.
hi i am pakistani muslim but i am living in kuwait i want chenge religion for money and for marry help me thanks
Jack, your continued silence on my questions speaks volumes–or am I, as you suggest in your last post, too “irrational” for you to respond to?
Jack, I have never once disputed with you that an archeological find has been made that conclusively proves the Bible’s account of the Exodus. What I have said is that our inability to find the evidence does not mean that the event never happened. You have also been unsuccessful in producing an archeological study that conclusively establishes that the Hebrew people came to rule over the land of Canaan in any way other than the Exodus. Obviously there was a nation of Israel and we do have archeological evidence of King David. There are just missing pieces of evidence that have not yet been found.
You choose to focus on the Exodus event as your ultimate litmus test of the authenticity of the Bible. What about all the other people, places and events that have been established as a historic certainty? The life of Jesus is a much more accessible event because of its relative proximity to our time and the greater amount of historic evidence that we have. There are few serious scholars that suggest that Jesus never existed. There is consensus on the major components of Jesus life, death and impact. The eyewitness accounts that we have collected in the Bible have a high degree of reliability due to the time of their authorship, the existence of copies of those documents that date very closely to the originals, and the vast amount of copies that have survived. Even though these New Testament documents were written 500+ years after the Old Testament documents there is a consistent theme throughout that points to the personal involvement of God in the history of humankind.
Does your God involve Himself in the affairs of humanity, Jack?
Jamie:
I have produced far more studies than you or Tome have,Why is that?.Can you produce one archeological study that proves conclusively that the Exodus occurred . Produced one conclusive study that establishes that the Battle of Jericho occurred. I enjoy the company of rational men and women who understand what you and Tom cannot. Your Bible is the only way both of you are able to find GOD. You reject any objective study that disagrees with your limited points of view. Both of you are in a minority that grows smaller every year. The Bible abounds in inconsistencies which have been noted by the majority of Biblical scholars. GOD did not inspire a work that is so flawed.
Actually Jack, I have read each and every word you have posted and have on multiple posts asked you to give the reasons you believe the things you pose to be true. I am still awaiting even one specific evidence for your beliefs. You obviously are passionate about your beliefs and yet you have been unable to give the basis for those beliefs. Honestly, Jack, are they just things you find appealing to your own senses and things that make you somehow feel comfortable with yourself and the world? I’d really like to know.
At the same time that you seemingly cannot give any tangible reasons for what you believe, you have spent most of your posts trying to convince Jamie and me that what we believe is untrue. Your stated reasons for denying our beliefs are not solid, not factual, and cannot be proven. At the same time, our thorough and complete responses to you have given a multitude of solid, reasonable, and factual reasons for why we believe what we do. So, just what are you looking for or trying to achieve?
Although you have yet to answer any question posed you, I will try once again–
Is there any evidence whatsoever that you would accept to believe in the God of the Bible or for Jesus Christ being the one God sent to be the savior for your sins? Even a simple “yes” or “no” would be appreciated.
Hi Jack, I disagree with the author of the article you linked us to. Archeology is absolutely used to verify the accuracy of historical documents. Perhaps not exclusively but it does play a big part in that. When a find is made that corroborates the testimony of an historical document it gives more credibility to the authenticity of that document. The author of your article goes to great lengths trying to prove that the story of David and Goliath contains contradictions that undermine the believability that it is an accurate historical account. Yet at the same time he points to statements that explain his supposed ‘contradictions’ and says that they are later editorial additions. His argument is weak and is poorly crafted. I am not sure that he is your best source for establishing a argument against the historical accuracy of the Bible.
The Bible’s authenticity is not just based on it’s historical accuracy but on its ability to describe the human condition. All world views recognize that there is something wrong with humanity. All religions set up some way of fixing those problems. Even material humanism sees that humanity needs to improve from its current state. The Bible’s explanation of that fits our reality most clearly, and gives the most logical resolution of all. The source of humanity’s problem is that we are living without the guiding relationship with God. Our quest for self-determination only continues our separation from God and magnifies our problems. It is only when we come to God in surrender to His authority and live as He leads us that we see transformation of our hearts.
All other worldviews/religions seek to ‘fix’ the problem through our own effort. Even your explanation of having multiple lives to ‘get it right’ is based on our ability to deal with the problem on our own. Jesus is the only one who tells us the truth that we need Him to heal us and to guide us. As we put our trust in Him we are made whole because we are living as we were created to: in a submissive relationship with God. It is then that we can be a testimony of His great love and His great power.
Have I understood your view of the human condition accurately? In what ways do you see your worldview deal with the ‘problem’ of humanity?
Tom:
With respect you have not read all of my posts. Tom the Bible that you hold so dear is a suspect historical document. I invite you to look at this web site. Indeed, I invite you to courageously do the research that deals with lack of extrinsic proof for important matters in the Bible. Begin if you wish with this web site.
http://www.awitness.org/essays/archhist.html
Interesting that you should write this Jack: “To test a theory, you require irrefutable objective evidence to establish whether it is true or not. Your theory unfortunately is completely subjective It rests completely on what you want to believe.” I have yet to see one shred of this type of evidence to substantiate even ONE of the things you have proposed over dozens of posts. What does that tell you?