[Alpha Kodiak]

Originally posted by Imperator Fyron:
I think I need to repost this, because it keeps being ignored, and it is much more important than these silly arguments over the alleged prophesizing powers of the Bible:

All of these arguments are nice, but they detract from the heart of the matter. None of you yet has successfully answered my question as to why you accept Christian mythology (please read back a few Posts to see what mythology is if you do not know the real definition) and reject all other mythology as being false. Why is Christianity so special as to be right, and everything else is wrong?

Ok, you asked for it....

Actually, what I am about to post is not some grand proof of Christian theology, and will probably not convince you of anything much, but it is the story of how I came to be where I am in my spiritual walk.

When I was entering fifth grade, far more years ago than I would like to admit, and through a variety of circumstances that are somewhat complex, I wound up in a private Christian school. As my parents were not particularly active in their faith, it was rather odd for me to be there, but, as I said the circumstances were somewhat complex.

As I went through my first year there, I noticed a difference in the way that my teachers cared for the students that did not come through in other schools. This is not to say that the teachers in other schools did not care for the students, but for me at that time, there was something powerful in the love that they showed. Being a Christian school, there were classes in the Bible, and I started learning the basics of Old and New Testament theology at that time. I was particularly struck by the passages speaking of man's sinfullness and God's active seeking to restore the relationship between man and Himself.

I knew even then that while I tried to be good, I would not always succeed. Fibs (lies) to cover silly pranks came all too easily. It was easy to show favoritism to popular kids, or to grow angry if I did not get my way. At any rate, it became clear to me that I was not able to meet God's standards on my own.

It was then that I turned to the promises of scripture such as:

"But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God which is through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth to be a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." Romans 3:21-26

I no longer had to be good in my own strength! All fall short of God's glory, but He has provided a way of escape:

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23

Ok, I can hear the protests already - "You can't use the Bible to prove itself." I know that, that's why I said earlier that this is a description of how I got to where I am now. A better question is to ask me, why do I still hold to this belief, and why do I have confidence that it is true?

Christianity in its pure form is not a religion, in that it is not man striving to do what he has to do to reach God. It is God reaching down in love to sinful man and restoring a relationship that was lost when man rebelled against Him. I have that relationship, and I know that it is real. I cannot prove it to you, but for me to deny it would be like me denying that I am married to my wife. He has been with me through times of joy and times of sadness, times of trouble when I had no strength to go on alone.

You also ask about those who believe differently, I have already said that I do not make my own judgment of them. I believe that God loves all people, and I believe that He wants to redeem all people. I also know that all are sinful and cannot make it to God on their own. How God deals with people who have not been exposed to Christianity, or those who believe other faiths is up to Him. I am responsible for how I respond to what has been revealed to me.

You are really pulling out the long Posts from me, something that is unusual for me. But this is actually the short form of why I believe what I believe. I could have written much more, and still offered no more proof. I have not posted this before because I know that it will not satisfy you, but you have asked for it repeatedly, so there it is.