(October 28, 2011 at 3:13 pm)Ace Otana Wrote:Quote:you need to seek with the intention to follow Odin should you find truth to the claims of Norse.Fixed.
Why seek 'your' god?
You don't find 'truth' through feelings and delusional thoughts. Or seeking things or beings that others claim to exist.
I see what you mean about Norse, that's a good point, and really this idea of seeking God can be used with any religious belief and you will have followers tell you that they have received conviction that their god from their religious background is real and is the true God. So how does one decipher which is which? Who is right and who is wrong? They can't all be right because they contradict each other in deep ways, one has to be true, but which is it?
If we decide which one is true based on what the followers have done we'll find that all religious beliefs are out, everyone has done something evil and ruined it for a group. If we base our decision on our parents we'll just be victims of religious adoption, never coming to our own conclusions about God. If we base it on morals we'll find that all religions present some kind of restricted moral code which can make them seem more believable than others. If we decide there is no higher moral code or way than our own then we actually decide to worship ourselves, even though we can't stop ourselves from dying, getting sick or becoming victims of crimes. So what do we do?
I guess we have to decide if we need God. Yes, we have to use our feelings. Some people, like you Ace, are very satisfied with the life they have and may not feel guilt for the past or relive their pain, some people have their own methods to stay positive and do things as they like to do them, using their common sense to make decisions that will create a better life for them while they're here and viewing the world as it is, full or life and rebirth, seeing nothing more.
But not everyone sees the world like this, some of us want to know that there is justice for people who have died in pain or on a whim, like myself. We want to know that the millions of people who perished in turbulent weather, turbulent times, in misery, in hunger, in shock, in sadness, that they will have their time of reckoning and they will be in a better place. Some of us want to know there is a way to stop the anger or hatred we have, to control the fear or the envy, to stop us from hurting ourselves and others with the circle of slefish decisions we tend to make. Some people need God because they know that in their own hands their lives are wasted, but in God's hands their lives flourish and they will be renewed.
Christianity was the only place where I was told that God loved me, cherished me, gave up his life for me, made a path for me, will guide me, will change me, will never leave me and even if I commit inexcuseable evil he'll forgive me, and I don't deserve any of this, which is why it's so amazing, because I know I don't deserve it. You can call someone's thoughts delusional, but until you've set foot in their shoes, until you understand what they have been saved from your point will never be made. You simply cannot convince someone who has experienced the transforming power of Christ to stop living for him, but you can easily derail someone religious.
"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:6