Believing In An Actual Jesus

[Odë:hgöd]

.
• 1Cor 9:1 . . Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?

• 2Tim 1:12 . . I know whom I have believed

Paul could honestly say those things because he experienced a close encounter with
a real Jesus. (Acts 9:3-6, 22:6-10, and 26:12-18)

Well, to be honest about it; I have never once experienced a close encounter with a
real Jesus like Paul did. So I cannot attest, beyond a hint of sensible doubt, that the
Jesus I believe in is authentic. In point of fact, I can't even be 100% sure, beyond a
hint of sensible doubt, that the Paul I believe in is authentic.
_

 

[Lamb]

.
• 1Cor 9:1 . . Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?

• 2Tim 1:12 . . I know whom I have believed

Paul could honestly say those things because he experienced a close encounter with
a real Jesus. (Acts 9:3-6, 22:6-10, and 26:12-18)

Well, to be honest about it; I have never once experienced a close encounter with a
real Jesus like Paul did. So I cannot attest, beyond a hint of sensible doubt, that the
Jesus I believe in is authentic. In point of fact, I can't even be 100% sure, beyond a
hint of sensible doubt, that the Paul I believe in is authentic.
_

So do you believe?

 

[hedrick]

That's OK. I'm not sure whether you're real either.

 

[Odë:hgöd]

.
Faith is believin' somethin' that ain't so.
(Mark Twain)

People all 'round the globe exemplify Twain's observation.

Muslims believe the Koran is 100% reliable. Hindus believe the Vedas are 100%
reliable. Mormons believe the Book Of Mormon is 100% reliable. Jews believe the
Talmud is 100% reliable. Christians believe the New Testament is 100% reliable.
Buddhists believe Dharma is 100% reliable, etc.

The thing is, religions that deal with paranormal activity (a.k.a. the supernatural)
are beyond the scope of empirical evidence.

Every so often I get asked how I know that my religion is right. My answer is: I
don't know if it's right. Then of course they want to know how it is that I believe in
my religion when I don't know whether it's right.

That's a fair inquiry. Most of the people who ask me those kinds of questions are
genuine; they're not trying to trip me up and make a fool out of me. They are
honestly curious. So I tell them, in so many words, that though I don't know if my
religion is right, my conscience tells me it is; in other words: I cannot shake the
conviction that the religion I believe is right.

Why does anybody believe what they believe? Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, Bahá'í,
Hare Krishna, Jehovah's Witness, Mormon, Catholic, Baptist, Judaism, Voodoo,
Wiccan, Jain, Druze, Native American, etc, etc, etc. The answer? Because it grips
their heart-- the core of their being --which is very different than persuading
someone with logic and reasoning.

People brought into a religion by logic and reasoning can be taken away from it by
logic and reasoning. But someone whose heart is gripped by their religion, is not so
easily removed regardless of how strong the opposition's argument

I've heard it said, by more than one pundit, that voters typically select political
candidates based upon how they feel about them; and then use thinking to defend
their choices; which is doubtless whey there is so much debating in the sphere of
religion. When people defend their religion, it's likely they're actually protecting
their feelings about their religion; and of course we all know that emotions are
incoherent.

For example: back in the early 1980s,I attended a special class called "How To
Witness To Jehovah's Witnesses" taught by a lecturer who had been in that system
for nearly three decades.

The former Witness didn't train us to hammer JWs in a debate because even if you
best them scripture for scripture, they will not give up on the Watchtower Society.
Their unflinching premise is that the Society is right even when it appears to be
totally wrong. They are thoroughly convinced in their own hearts that the Society is
the voice of God, while the oppositions' voices have no more validity than that of a
squeaky little gerbil.

It's said that the pen is mightier than the sword. Well; it's been my personal
observation that, in matters related to religion, the heart is mightier than the mind.
_

 

[pinacled]

.
Faith is believin' somethin' that ain't so.
(Mark Twain)

People all 'round the globe exemplify Twain's observation.

Muslims believe the Koran is 100% reliable. Hindus believe the Vedas are 100%
reliable. Mormons believe the Book Of Mormon is 100% reliable. Jews believe the
Talmud is 100% reliable. Christians believe the New Testament is 100% reliable.
Buddhists believe Dharma is 100% reliable, etc.

The thing is, religions that deal with paranormal activity (a.k.a. the supernatural)
are beyond the scope of empirical evidence.

Every so often I get asked how I know that my religion is right. My answer is: I
don't know if it's right. Then of course they want to know how it is that I believe in
my religion when I don't know whether it's right.

That's a fair inquiry. Most of the people who ask me those kinds of questions are
genuine; they're not trying to trip me up and make a fool out of me. They are
honestly curious. So I tell them, in so many words, that though I don't know if my
religion is right, my conscience tells me it is; in other words: I cannot shake the
conviction that the religion I believe is right.

Why does anybody believe what they believe? Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, Bahá'í,
Hare Krishna, Jehovah's Witness, Mormon, Catholic, Baptist, Judaism, Voodoo,
Wiccan, Jain, Druze, Native American, etc, etc, etc. The answer? Because it grips
their heart-- the core of their being --which is very different than persuading
someone with logic and reasoning.

People brought into a religion by logic and reasoning can be taken away from it by
logic and reasoning. But someone whose heart is gripped by their religion, is not so
easily removed regardless of how strong the opposition's argument

I've heard it said, by more than one pundit, that voters typically select political
candidates based upon how they feel about them; and then use thinking to defend
their choices; which is doubtless whey there is so much debating in the sphere of
religion. When people defend their religion, it's likely they're actually protecting
their feelings about their religion; and of course we all know that emotions are
incoherent.

For example: back in the early 1980s,I attended a special class called "How To
Witness To Jehovah's Witnesses" taught by a lecturer who had been in that system
for nearly three decades.

The former Witness didn't train us to hammer JWs in a debate because even if you
best them scripture for scripture, they will not give up on the Watchtower Society.
Their unflinching premise is that the Society is right even when it appears to be
totally wrong. They are thoroughly convinced in their own hearts that the Society is
the voice of God, while the oppositions' voices have no more validity than that of a
squeaky little gerbil.

It's said that the pen is mightier than the sword. Well; it's been my personal
observation that, in matters related to religion, the heart is mightier than the mind.
_

What is your religion?

 

[Lucian Hodoboc]

I don't know if my
religion is right, my conscience tells me it is; in other words: I cannot shake the
conviction that the religion I believe is right.

Would you advise other people to obey their own consciences when it comes to choosing their religious beliefs? Don't you think that one's conscience can be corrupted from birth as a result of the fall, or altered by the devil during their early years of their lives?

 

[Odë:hgöd]

.

Would you advise other people to obey their own consciences when it comes to choosing their religious beliefs?

YES

Don't you think that one's conscience can be corrupted from birth as a result of the fall, or altered by the devil during their early years of their lives?

YES
_

 

[Lamb]

A Christian's heart is not just "gripped by their religion" as the OP has stated in a post above in this thread. A Christian is given faith by God's grace in order to believe. That isn't the same as other believers of false religions who think they are right.

 

[Bluezone777]

I don't think Ode has a relationship with Christ. Everything he said here points to him having a religion and a lot of knowledge about the Bible and Jesus but ultimately have no relationship with Christ which is the key. If you find your way into heaven it will not be because of how much you know Jesus but whether or not He knows you. It's not to say that knowing a lot about Jesus and the Bible is a bad thing but it is no substitute for Jesus knowing you. Jesus spoke of such people who know Jesus but Jesus doesn't know them and what their tragic end ultimately is in Matthew 7.

There's clearly something keeping you from Jesus. I don't know what it is and perhaps you might not know either but there is something there. It was that way with the rich young ruler whose love for his wealth was the stumbling block that held him back. If he had confessed to being unable to do what Jesus commanded him to do which was to sell his wealth and give it all away then he would have been given the ability to do what man cannot however instead he took his wealth and walked away in despair because he choose his wealth over God and was left a poorer man for it.

 

[Odë:hgöd]

.
A fellow once informed me that he knows there's a Jesus because he spoke with the
Lord just that morning. Well: I was curious about Jesus' voice so I asked the guy if
Jesus was a tenor, a bass, or a baritone? Does he speak fast or slow? Does he speak
with an accent? Does Jesus rattle on or break up his talk with a generous amount of
pauses, like Carl Sagan?

Another person I encountered online said they hear God's still small voice in their mind
when at prayer. Well; I suggested that maybe they should seek counseling from a
mental health professional if perchance they were experiencing onset schizophrenia.
(But more often it's likely just people's imaginations running away with them.)

NOTE: Mother Teresa went as a missionary on the strength of a number of "interior
imaginative locutions" she claims to have received from Christ himself beginning in Sept
of 1946 and ending some time in 1947.

Locutions are neither apparitions nor visions: they're imaginations, i.e. daydreams, viz:
they are neither visual nor are they audio. Teresa never actually heard anything with her
own ears nor saw an apparition with her own eyes.

The locutions ceased once Teresa got a post in India and for the next five decades she
experienced not so much as a glimmer of the Lord's presence; which eventually caused
her quite a bit of anxiety, and doubts as to whether her coming to India was a mistake.
(Along with that, she also began to question if there really is a God out there.)

Her anxiety became so stressful and confusing that in the final weeks of her life, Teresa,
at the urging of Henry D'Souza, the Archbishop of Calcutta (a.k.a. Kolkata), agreed to
an exorcism-- performed by Father Rosario Stroscio --if perchance demons were
clouding her mind. Father Stroscio, 79, is reported to have said Mother Teresa
appeared dazed, and behaving strangely at the time of the exorcism.

FYI: The ritual wasn't performed to rid Teresa of possession, rather, to ward off any
demons that might be pestering her so she could have some peace of mind.

My point is: relying too much upon voices and/or scenes taking place in one's mind (e.g.
locutions) can be risky because if and when they cease, the silence can lead one to
worry whether God doesn't like you anymore.
_