A question for Christians

[Anon 0]

I'm a regular poster here, but I'm not ready to just be totally open about this yet. Hence, the anonymous logon.

I've been exploring religions over the last few years, and I'm really starting to feel like Christianity is, well, to sound cheezy, calling me. It feels like my whole life has just been turned on its ear and I don't know which way is up anymore.

I just have a couple of questions, and I know I'll get honest answers from you all.

1. How did you know you were a Christian?
2. Were you raised a Christian, or did you choose to become one?
3. How did you know it was the right choice?

[piisfish 140]

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raised a Christian

was no choice, and not sure it's right.
but here you'll also find jews, muslims, atheists, bhuddists, satanists, gays, soldiers, even a reverend... you name it, you'll find it... but who cares, most have 1 religion or belief in common : skydiving

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[Ron 10]

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I'm really starting to feel like Christianity is, well, to sound cheezy

The more time I spend looking at religion...

The more Religion itself sounds cheezy to me.

I was raised a Christian. But I don't believe it.

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[JRock 0]

That is why it is called Faith.
You just know.
Raised Christian.
I am down with JC.

[nacmacfeegle 0]

1. How did you know you were a Christian?
2. Were you raised a Christian, or did you choose to become one?
3. How did you know it was the right choice?

1)I didn't know it but I guess I believed it.
2)Raised as one form an early age.
3)It wasn't my choice per se to be raised in a christian family. I chose another way when I became mature enough to ponder life and its meanings.

I feel closest to Budhism, but I like to retain an open mind.

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He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

[scotman 0]

I love how my life is different now and it's not because of me...it's because God loved me first...spoke to my heart...I believed....and out of love for his mercy and GRACE....I try to follow HIS will from HIS word. I pray for ALL my fellow skydivers..that they seek God...if they never have. He is real...and it's NOT a "do good religious" thing...it's a relationship.

[JoeyRamone 0]

Well if you call having to go to Sunday school as a kid, then to church being a Christian well that sucks.

I hated church, the firkin mean ass nuns, etc. I hate all the fakeness associated with most churches and religions. I still do. I feel they are a crock of shit.

Now on the other hand I do believe in some type of spirit, or higher power, GOD, Jesus what ever you want to call it. I do not attend church and never will.

I do get on my knees every morning and every night and take some time to thank whoever for my life and all the blessing in it.

I do know a few true Christians, people that have never raised there voice, crossed the line, etc. They are far and few between.

If you feel it go with it, what do you have to loose? Nothing. You need to do what is right in your heart, don't not take what I say or anyone else on this site. You need to sleep in your bed at night and you need to be right with GOD or what ever when you die.

I feel my higher power and I have a good deal going, I should of been dead Ten times over, I am still here...Why? I have no clue but I feel we all have some type of mission, good or bad.

Hell I am grateful to have a roof over my head, food on the table, cloths on my back and a wife and 4 kids that love me. Nothing else matters to me outside of that.

Tim

[crzjp20 0]

well i wasraised in a christian home. My parents put me in bible study wehn i was like 4... so... but when i hit high school i had questions. And alot of them. I looked at alot of religions and looked at alot of faiths. But what ui found was that everytime i looked at something different i felt like God was calling be back to christianaity. I felt like he wanted me, and i felt like he really cared about me. I never found this in anyother religion, or faith.

How i knew i was a christian was when i had a life changing experience when i asked Christ to be my personal Lord and Savior. It literaly changed my life. I gave up so much trash, and i gave up so much stuff that was just waiting my life. I ha peace, and i had joy. And i still haev these things to this day.

as for knowing it was the right choice... well its faith. I personaly believe that christianity is the only way to christ and salvation. And i have faith in that decission. I dont condem people to hell for other faiths, i simply dont a gree with them. And i have faith in my choice and in my God.

if you want more info or anything feel free to send me a private message and ill be glad to help you in any way.

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Fear is not a confession of weakness, it is an oportunity for courage.

[DaveBjork 0]

I too felt drawn to God. I ran away from that feeling until I was in my twenties and had run my life into the ground.(Drugs, alcohol, divorce etc.) I asked God to help me out and He did. He not only provides salvation through Jesus, He will show you how to live your life now. Not to say that my life is smooth or easy, but He is always there for me and continually shows me things about myself and also teaches me more about Him. Place your faith in Him, and He will open your eyes. He is amazing. Feel free to email me with any questions.

[Iamthebest_391 0]

Hey, I'm going to PM you a guys name and e-mail. He's a Safety & Training Advisor who I konw.

He told me being a Christian is not a religion. He said there is a difference between religion and a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Sorry, I'm new at this but I will tell you. My life changed for the better.

G.

[wilmshurst 0]

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1. How did you know you were a Christian?
2. Were you raised a Christian, or did you choose to become one?
3. How did you know it was the right choice?

Alrighty...Christians in da house!!

I was raised a Christian and went to mass with my mother from an early age (also did a bit of the Sunday School thing). It was when I was finishing High School that I decided that I needed to establish for myself that God did really exist. At that stage it was about looking for logical reasons for the existence of God.

Since then (I am now in my late 20s) God/Jesus/the Holy Spirit have become more and more apart of my life. I've looked for love and happiness in alot of other ways but in most cases have found only hurt and emptiness. I know God exists and that He loves me first and foremost because He has told me and because I feel/experience His presence and His love in a way as real as I experience a feeling of euphoria from skydiving.

I have not deeply explored other religions but know that Christianity is right for me in the same way that I have not been hanggliding but know that I would rather skydive.

Good on ya for asking these questions. Life as a Christian is not necessarily easy, but you can't beat the retirement plan.

Bless ya dude.

The only thing worse than a cold toilet seat is a warm toilet seat.

[chuteless 1]

You are correct...that summation is fact.

Bill Cole

[Luv2Fall 0]

1. The moment I accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and
Savior.

2. I chose to become one after much exploration
into different philospies "ms?" and religions.
A couple of people on this thread hit Christianity
on the head by stating it is not a religion.

3. Christianity is based upon faith. I have no doubt
that I made the right decision based upon life
experiences, drastic changes in my life and the
peace I have within myself. Having said that, I
do not participate in organized religion or worship.
I do recommend, however, for anyone who is new
in Christ - find a good church....worship, study
and come to your own conclusions.

Contrary to popular belief, a Christian is neither perfect nor ever will be as long as we are in this body anyway.........you're still human and still possess the old nature. Your old nature is, for the most part, in constant battle with your new nature.

If you take this route, remember there are things you can judge in other people "by their fruits"; however, for most anything else........let God be the judge - not you.........you're accountable for yourself in the end - not anyone else.........they are accountable to/for themselves only.

[Skyrad 0]

Hi,
To answer your questions I'll do so but not in that order.

2) No I was raised a Muslim. I started to feel like I knew that God was there but it was as if he couldn't hear me somehow, like there was a barrier between my prayers and his answers. I also had a huge problem with the Wahibi element that seemed to be insidiously taking over Islam in the UK prior to 9/11.
I had prayed in Churchs as well as Mosques from a young age. When eventualy a friend asked me to go to church with them one sunday. I did and felt something that I hadn't experienced before.

1) I went on an Alpha course. The Alpha course is run in something like 48,000 churchs and locations around the world. It is a non denominational course which originated in my church HTB in London. Its designed for people who aren't Christians or 'Lapsed' Christians who want to know more. Its run over ten weeks and is one evening a week. Each week covers a different area of Christian belife. I garentee you there is one near you. Theres no problem with not being a beliver because thats who the course is aimed at. Don't agree with something? Great! Tell them so. The purpose of the course is not to try and talk you into becoming a Christian , its for you to find out more about God and I supose is more of an introduction. Then its upto you to decide if you want to develope your relationship with him. At any point of the course you can say, Nah, not for me and walk off. No one is going to go knocking on your door. Its compleatly upto you. How did I know it was the right choice? Because after all those years of standing and calling God with a brick wall between us all of a sudden I went round the corner and found a open window, I prayed and God answered me though the Spirit. That window was Jesus, it was like looking for God through a frosted glass then finding a lens that focused everything into clarity, Jesus is that lens.
How did I know I was a Christian? I used to argue all the time. I was a aggressive charicter and half the reason I enjoyed the Alpha course to start with was because I could go and argue as much as I wanted. Then on week four I went off to Empuria Brava in Spain. I was on a rented 285 canopy, it was my 50th jump. They called a 50 jump wind hold. I got on the load. As we rolled down to the runway they called a 100 jump minimum. As we took off it turned to a 200 jump minimum. Just before I exited I decided to say a little prayer thanking God for the privlage of being a Skydiver. I jumped and all was fine until I had a slamer of an opener. I then started flying backwards over the road and over fields. I was still flying backwards over a cabbage field when I was preparing to do a backwards PLF. I looked down at the middle of the large field below me and realised with horror that what I'd taken to be cabbages were in fact what appered to be eight foot high Hop poles about two meters apart squared covering the whole field.
I turned and was side on to the wind trying to get out of the field. I started to pray and then all a sudden the most amazing calm came over me and I knew every thing was going to be OK. The wind died and I just made it out of the field, turned and landed into wind. I landed in the most beautiful field of wild flowers and made the softest landing ever. My canopy just hung over my head on landing. Behind me was a bright yellow sea of rape plants and all around me red and white wild flowers. I touched down and felt like I'd been caught by the hand of God. The sun shone down on my face and I didn't feel alone. In front of me was a small building to either side trees along the edges of the field and then the hop poles. I came back to the UK and my personality changed. Where I'd had a hard heart it softened, where there had been anger there is now calm. When I'd be irritated with people I now feel compassion. I recived what I now know to be the gifts of the Spirit. Its not airy fairy its very real. The most real thing that you'll ever experience.

3) How did I know it was the right choice? I've become the person that I always wanted to be. I'm, not perfect but I know what God wants of me and am happier for it. Someone once said that Guilt is the difference between the person you are and the person you'd like to be. i feel more happy about who I am. People open up to me more, I am happier and never feel lonley anymore. I feel a freedom that I never experienced before.

Check it out you can't loose and have everything to gain.

http://alphacourse.org/default.htm

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[wallygator 0]

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He told me being a Christian is not a religion. He said there is a difference between religion and a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Sorry, I'm new at this but I will tell you. My life changed for the better. ]

this statement IMO is 100% accuate. I was raised with catholisism and ukrainian orthodox and been exsposed to many other doctrines along the way. the wuestion i get most is are you a christian. to me and the way i see it is that i have accepted jesus christ as my lord and saving grace. so yes i am a christian. if i chose not to spread the word or go to an institutional type gathering then i am not a practising christian. i believe that anyone that accepts the fact that god and jesus are real and are there for us then you are a christian. it is acceptance of blind faith that leads us the right way as it is quoted.. my favorite passage is ''I stand at the door and knock, and he who so ever answer i shall enter and sup with him and he with me'',
keep the faith, Jah guide and protect

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who Jah bless Let no man curse.

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[pajarito 0]

That's one heck of a story!

[Skyrad 0]

Its true, once you ask God into your life amazing things start to happen.

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[GARYC24 3]

I wanted to suggest a song to listen to.
" Draw near to You"
music to me is not only inspiring..most songs actually come from passages..Like the one above.
Others are "On Eagles Wings" and "Better is One Day"
Sorry to keep this short..

[Luv2Fall 0]

Great testimony my friend.........I agree 100% with Jay on this one.

[Shotgun 1]

I am not a Christian, but hopefully you will not mind if I answer your questions too...

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1. How did you know you were a Christian?
2. Were you raised a Christian, or did you choose to become one?
3. How did you know it was the right choice?

1. I knew I was not a Christian because I have never believed in God or in the Bible.

2. I was raised a Christian, in a mostly-Baptist family. Not the most devout Christians, but we usually went to church at least once a week.

3. I know it is the right choice for me because I have "faith" that there is no God or Higher Power (other than nature, and I guess you could say I "worship" nature by having respect for it, though I don't know if it really counts as a "higher power" since it is something tangible and we do have some control over it).

That being said, I will say that I do think the atmosphere at most churches is a good thing. I enjoyed most of the time I spent at church, did a lot of fun activities and made lots of friends. Most of the people I met through church were really good people, and they were a positive, supportive community.

I stopped going to church once I got older because I did not feel right about being part of a community whose main belief I did not share. It's now been about 18 years since I was a member of any church... However, in the past few years, I have really started to miss that atmosphere - the general wholesome gathering of people to create a positive vibe (without the use of drugs or alcohol ;-)... so I have been thinking of joining some sort of non-denominational church such as the Unitarian Universalists or the Church of Religious Science. In fact, last week I went to a drum circle held at the Church of R.S., and it was the exact environment I have been looking for.
Anyhow, I'm only telling you all of this to give you a non-Christian perspective to your question (besides the usual "Christianity is stupid"-type responses that this sort of question often gets ;-)

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It feels like my whole life has just been turned on its ear and I don't know which way is up anymore.

It seems to me that a lot of people turn to God during times like this, and I suppose that is better than finding no solution at all (and especially if you truly do believe in God)... But my personal opinion is that this is the time when you really need to learn how to look to yourself and trust yourself to find the answers. I have certainly been through this myself - I won't go into it too much on a public forum - but I got through it by learning how to tap into my own inner strength and by learning to truly love, care about, and depend on my self.

But whatever road you choose to take, I wish you luck in finding what you are looking for.

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[rocketdog 0]

1) To go along with what _________ said *sorry i can't remember who said it*, you just have to have faith. For me, realizing I was a Christian was an ongoing, gradual process. Mainly, I continually look(ed) at the experiences (good & bad) in my life, and drew my own conclusions from that..... BASICALLY.... there were/are some things that I STILL can't explain to this day.......

......does that make any sense?!

see the world! http://gorocketdog.blogspot.com

[brits17 0]

As many have said here, Christianity is about a relationship with Christ, not religion. So very true... when I came to that point, there wasn't a doubt in my mind whether I could call myself a "Christian" or not. I know it is by grace, through faith alone... and not by works, so that no man can boast (I'm too lazy to look up the reference at the moment).

I went to church throughout high school, although my parents didn't. They tried to instill religion in me at a young age, but I saw them as hypocritical. I explored and read much about other religions, but somehow God kept calling me back to Him. The calling was obvious and I knew that He wanted me as one of his own, if I would just let Him in. I did, and my life is forever changed.

In trying to get to the bottom of your second question, I couldn't help but want to associate free will vs. "election." In order to save my fingers from typing until the rapture comes, here is a great write-up by Ernest Reisinger discussing Man's Will, God's will, and free will... if you will

There is no doubt in my mind that I made the right 'choice' to have the faith I do. I do not impose my views on others, but if one is to ask, I will most certainly share. If you like to read (I'm not the biggest fan but...) there's a good fundamental book called The Case for Faith, by Lee Strobel. It investigates the toughest objections to Christianity and answers them head on. Pretty good stuff.

Ok, thats the just of it in a nutshell. These topics can be expanded vastly, and I could write a book, but I try and keep my posts ASAP (as short as poss). Keep an open mind and heart in your endevour and major props for being bold enough to post what you did (even if you are anonymous). Catch ya on the flipside!

_______________________
aerialkinetics.com

[Raefordite 0]

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I'm a regular poster here, but I'm not ready to just be totally open about this yet. Hence, the anonymous logon.

You will know when you are ready. In the mean time, keep asking questions and reading the book.

[AdD 1]

I agree. Everything I've read that Jesus said makes perfect sense to me. It's the church that turned me off.

Life is ez
On the dz
Every jumper's dream
3 rigs and an airstream

[crzjp20 0]

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I agree. Everything I've read that Jesus said makes perfect sense to me. It's the church that turned me off.

thats the thing here. let me say this and i will see if i need to explain it with what yall say.

Religion is man made, Gods relationship with man is God made.

in other words, the curch is flawed casue it is made by man... hince why poeople get turned off... but Gods relationship is perfect. Its all about the love and grace of God.

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Fear is not a confession of weakness, it is an oportunity for courage.