Some Questions about Christianity

Hello all. I have some questions about Christianity here. These aren't an attempt to start a fight, I just want to hear the Christian side of these things, considering I've never heard of the Christian side of these points:

1) I've had the Trinity concept explained as 3 faces of the same thing, with "The Father" who is unknowable; "The Son" as the human face of God, telling us how we should conduct ourselves, and our connection to "The Father"; and "The Holy Spirit" which is like some sort of "Goodness field" that fills all related with true Christianity.

a) Why is necessary for God to be divided into three? Why couldn't we have a "Father" who is knowable?

b) Why do some Christians pray to Jesus when Jesus told us that we must pray to "Our Father"?

c) Why did Jesus come to Earth in the Flesh?

d) What is Jesus's role now that he is in heaven?

e) If God is the God of everything, and not just Christians, and there are certainly many great/kind people who are not Christians, does the "Holy Spirit" fill only Christians?


2) Unrelated, but I am confused with a certain story in Genesis. It does not clarify (infact it confuses the issue of) whether Ishmael was a baby or a teenager when he was sent out with Hagar.

According to Gen. 16:16 Abraham was 86 years old when Ishmael was born. And according to Gen. 21:5 Abraham was one hundred years old when Isaac was born. It follows that Ishmael was already fourteen years old when his younger brother Isaac was born.
According to Gen. 21:14-19, the incident took place after Isaac was weaned. Correct me if I'm wrong, but back then this was at age 3, no?
This means that Ishmael was 17 when he and Hagar went away.

But then, there's all this stuff that makes it seem that Ishmael was a baby:
Gen 21:14 shows that the child was put on her shoulders. A 17 year old boy. In Gen 21:15, Hagar casts the child under some shrubs. Again, "casts" a 17 year old boy. As you can see, the whole story puts forward an impression of a small baby, not a teenager.

I'd just like to hear the Christian/Jewish viewpoint of this. Perhaps there's something I missed that explains it? Perhaps I'm looking at the wrong translations? I don't know.

Thanks in advance for the help.

I guess I'll tackle one and leave the rest to other's...first, I do wanna say I consider myself Christian but I was raised in the fanatical Pentecostal Church of God in Christ (just think evangelicals x 10) so my views, no matter how hard I try, are still tainted and somewhat fanatical.

b) Why do some Christians pray to Jesus when Jesus told us that we must pray to "Our Father"?

Christians have two scriptural basis that I know of for praying to (actually in) Jesus' name...

The first is John 14:6

Jesus said:

"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

To Christians this means to get to the father one must accept Jesus Christ. In my religion this also means we start all prayers "heavenly father in the name of Jesus" so we pray to God in Jesus' name because he is the intermediary of sorts. We are asking Jesus to hear our prayers and stand before the Father as our representative...as he did on the cross.

Second scripture is John 15:16

Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

Same concept as the first. Jesus stands as the intermediary between us and the Father...now, this is needed because of the broken covenant (Adam and Eve).

Okay, this is just how I was taught to pray and why…maybe other Christians have different scriptural basis for praying in Jesus' name.

my only reference:

Bible.

I suppose I get it. It's more like "Jesus, please ask God to help me with....". It's just that I've heard so much like "Jesus please help me with.....".

That aside, I'm still curious about the other questions. I'm sure someone considers themself competent enough to answer some of them?

Good questions!

I'll take a shot at the "Trinity".

This isn't official, just my take on it.

The New American Bible
Saint Joseph Edition
Gospel of John, 1: 1 & 2

In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.

snip.....

Gospel of John, 1: 14

And the Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us,
and we saw his glory,
the glory as of the Father's only Son,
full of grace and truth.

snip....

Gospel of John, 1: 18

No one has ever seen God. The Son,
God, who is at the Father's side, has
revealed him.

Gospel of John, 14: 10 & 11

Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves.

Gospel of John, 14: 16

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you.

I believe that the Love of the Father for the Son and the Son for the Father pours out to enfold us in the Spirit that gives us the grace to pray and live with faith and then flows back to the Son and the Father. A never ending flow of love.

Hi,im new to this so bear with me,LOL.First off I was raised christian,baptised the whole deal,but have sice come to question alot.I have also had many disscussions with very religious people,and none can answer the biggist question-If everything has a beginning and an end,then where did God come from?All I hear is He just always was.Also when I ask for evidencethey say " well you have air to breath" and so on,but when asked about the paranormal or extraterestial they say that is the Devil.And yes ,you can refer to the bible all you want but that is many mens words and can be interpreted in many different ways.Can someone help?

The same question could be asked where did the Universe come from. Perplexing isn't it. Even String Theory doesn't explain how something always was.

Please, I doubt anyone can fully explain the trinity on this board. I cant even do it. The trinity is by far the most complex peice of dogma that the Catholic church has. YOu can state the dogmas but to understand them is an entirely different thing. I know theology majors that cower from this question simply because of the complexity of it. It is impossibly hard to comprehend/ understand. Least of alll explain.

I know Brothers who still dont fully get it. Believe me this is way over your head.

I can do my best to explain the catholic dogma but I dont even fully understnad it so I do not wish to. All I can say is that its all in the Niciene Creed....

Keep on mind as you read the creed that all three of thr trinity are one nature. That is the devine nature. and each action is approprated to each "person" of the devine nature. The divine nature is possesd by all of the three but it is one nature. THat devine nature is the nature of God. All three are sepreate but one. One God. The son is God the Father is God and the Holy Spirit is God. There are not three gods but One and the three share in the devine nature.....

(my gosh I cant believe im attempting this im goign to stop)

Read the creed and pay major attention to the commas. Each clause is important. When said in mass many over look it but it is a verry important peice of theology it contains alot of information and enlightnemnet on the Trinity.

We believe in one God,

the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

I hope that helps

- Mizar
Defender of the Heavens

If you want some Trinity here you go:

www.numberman.net...

Apologies for resurrecting this ancient thread, but I had some more questions, this time specifically about the Bible.


1) Is the Bible the ONLY knowledge we need? I ask this because someone had told me this. 2 Tim 3:16 says that "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work". This would suggest that the Bible is for 'righteousness', and through that, being equipped for 'every good work'. Does the Bible say anywhere that no other knowledge is necessary? Does the Bible recommend anywhere, the learning or education or studying of anything else (religious or otherwise)? Or is the Bible all we need?

2) What does the Bible say about equality? I'm hardly a biblical scholar, so my perfunctory search lead me to about 3 passages (Jobs 31:13 and Proverbs 22:2 and Psalms 33:15). They all exhort that God MADE everyone (the rich, the poor, the man, and his manservant/maidservant), and that God watches everything they do (which probably means they will be equally liable for their deeds), but what about beyond that? What about man and woman? Are they equal? Or about slaves? Which brings me to my next question...

3) There are many passages in the Bible about slavery, no doubt. But is there anything about freeing slaves? Or helping them? I find only that if a slave is injured by their master so much so that their tooth or eye is destroyed, they are to be set free.


Thanks in advance!