I do not know what to believe.

Over the last few weeks I have been reading various religious, atheist, alien, prophecy threads over the net and particular over ATS + BTS. I find myself really confused. Although I classify myself as an agnostic, I have felt myself being more and more confused the more I read. I'm feeling very self-conscious atm because I feel under pressure to make the right decision.

Some threads tell me that religion is a hoax and was only enforced to control those on earth. So this is preventing one from living a pleasurable life where they can make decisions and do things if it feels good and does not hurt anyone else.

Other threads tell me that modern religion has got it all wrong and it is really self-gratification and survival that is most important.

Other threads tell me that Yahweh and nobody else is the true God almighty. His son Yahashua the Messiah that will save mankind in the second coming.

Other threads tell me that I should pray and believe in Jesus as God because he is an element that makes up the Son, the Father and the Holy Ghost.

Others tell me that Jesus is God's son. Jesus is the messiah of mankind, but not God himself.

Other threads tell me that mankind's true God is the God of Abraham.

I just get so confused because if God is real and I have not believed the right way, I might be punished. How do I know what the right way is...I don't! I do not want to be deceived by a false god or a false profit, but I just feel so confused. Sorry to repeat that word, but it's just how I feel.

When it comes down to it, I think I am a good person. I have my faults and weaknesses like everyone else, but I generally treat everyone with respect. Does this cut it and ensure my entry into heaven? Some will say yes, some will say no.

If God is real, how will he judge me? Will he look at my life and see how many of his commandments I did and did not keep? Will he allow me into heaven if I have a generally moral character? Will he forgive me for ANY sin I commit in this life? Or do the gates of heaven open to those who deep-down BELIEVE in God's existence and authority? How am I to know?

A legitimate concern for sure, I understand why you are confused. This board is wealth of information, some of the information is truthful, other is false.

I will recommend some threads to you, because within these threads the truth is found.

www.belowtopsecret.com...
(The Hebrew Tetragrammaton Or God's Name)

www.belowtopsecret.com...
(is the trinity a biblical doctrine?)

www.abovetopsecret.com...
(Hell is a Conspircacy Theory- Proved False, From The Bible)

www.belowtopsecret.com...
(Bible Translations compared)

www.belowtopsecret.com...
(Bible Prophesy End Time Marker) This one focuses on one scripture relating to world events.

Wow
Are you searching for the truth or hoping to be told the way to go.
Obviously by your comments, your faith leans toward the Christian side of of the religous beliefs.
The simplest advice is to get a good translation (something credible with modern language and accurate translation) of the bible, and start reading at Matthew.
Luckily you will find in there the hope of two classes of people, the Little flock, and the great crowd.
Have you considered that Heaven might not be for everyone, and that you could have a more suitable purpose with everlasting Earthly life?
Just a couple thoughts...
The thing about the "other" books not included in the bible, and books like Revelation also....first we have to understand the basic teachings of Jesus.
I mean beyond Love God and Love your neighbor. There is more than that, of course none greater than to Love God, but after reading Jesus teachings a few more times you should find a deeper understanding of your purpose here, and if you are inclined to be his follower, you will recognize that informing everyone about his Fathers kingdom was Jesus greatest priority.

And as far as if God will punish you....my belief is only if you make a stand against him on the day of Armegeddon will you suffer his wrath without hope of a ressurection. Forgiveness is a real big attribute of love thank goodness!

Peace

reply to post by Dark Ghost

If God is real, how will he judge me? Will he look at my life and see how many of his commandments I did and did not keep?

That is the religion of Egypt and the Book of the Dead, where you have a scale that weighs the good and the bad, and if it goes the right way, you are allowed to pass on to the next stage.
That is not how it works.
It is all or nothing and not measured in degrees. Think of a class you choose to take in college that is pass/fail and you do not get a grade.
Being born again is passing through death in Jesus who has already passed and you get what he deserves.



[edit on 27-5-2009 by jmdewey60]

Only one thing you should listen to...that would be your own heart....that little voice you hear in the silence. If you listen long enough you will find your answer....that I am sure. For many years I searched until I found Jesus again...or he found me.

This is a decision others can't make for you.

Coming from a Christian, open yourself to God, push all other 'spiritual' thoughts to the side and see what happens.

Blessings...

I know how you feel !!i have been in two religions in my life..the first catholic ,when i started really looking into it i lost my faith,then i became a jehovah's witness for the past twenty six years have been a good witness,going on ministry ,attending all the meetings,etc ...then i was stupid enough to look jehovah's witnesses on the web,found some things i would rather not know.


Do i believe any longer ,i really do not know !!

Actually what you are realizing is not uncommon. In fact, it's just the kind of things I started to realize before finding truth.

You can not trust what men say. At all. That was a big step in gaining understanding for me. It occurred to me that if you ask a question into the world itself, then you can pretty much expect to hear back many many possible answers.

So which one do you trust? None of the above! Obviously this includes me as well.

Once you figure out men can not be trusted, then you will start asking questions in the right direction. What is the only thing you can trust? Your own understanding.

It wasn't until I didn't trust men any longer and no longer accepted what people said or claimed that I started to find real answers.

[edit on 27-5-2009 by badmedia]

Originally posted by illece

I know how you feel !!i have been in two religions in my life..the first catholic ,when i started really looking into it i lost my faith,then i became a jehovah's witness for the past twenty six years have been a good witness,going on ministry ,attending all the meetings,etc ...then i was stupid enough to look jehovah's witnesses on the web,found some things i would rather not know.


Do i believe any longer ,i really do not know !!

Hey there brother/sister!?

The World Wide Web, can be just that.... a web that entangles your faith, especially if you are a JW!!! Because of it, many have left.

The web has definitely tested my faith, but my rule of thumb is... "truth ALWAYS withstands the heat". Now, I am more convinced THAN EVER that I am in the right place. If you ever have any questions or any particular doubts, please please please... feel free to U2U me.

Just remember, God has given us the wonderful gift of free will, and a wonderful manual called the Bible, so with that gift comes great responsibility before God. It's a gift that must be used wisely!

PEACE!

reply to post by Dark Ghost


I certainly understand why you would be confused Dark Ghost. There are lots of opinions and false teachings about God and Jesus Christ. Eternity is real and each of us will enter eternity one day. Some of us take it seriously but most don't.

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." - Matthew 7:13,14

What this is telling us is that most people won't choose God, but instead, will follow along the road that leads to an eternity apart from God. This is easy to understand. Christians are a minority and we always have been all through history. And as we can see happening right in front of us in the United States today, anti-Christian movements are on the rise. I would rather deal with being in the minority now and be on the narrow path that leads to heaven than on the wrong path that leads to eternity in hell.

God has a plan for your life Dark Ghost and it is the spirit of God that draws us to Him. "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day." - John 6 verse 44.

It is the spirit of God that draws us to Himself. Even before we decide to accept Jesus as our Savior, the Spirit convicts and works at drawing us to salvation. I'm sure this may confuse you even more because I'm just another in the crowd that has told you what I personally believe. But what I believe is backed up by a mountain of evidence. I started a new thread earlier today but I posted it incorrectly and so I had to redo it. It is titled "101 Scientific Facts & Foreknowledge from the Bible." I'm not using this space to promote my thread but it will present you and everybody else who has the same doubts as you with evidence to help clear up any confusion you may have.

God bless

I really applaude your honesty and open heart it`s refreshing ,especially in this highly cynical and judgemental world we live in. My advice to you is get to know Jesus,read the gospels,open your heart and ask Jesus to show you that He is real.He will..He loves you as you are and offers forgiveness of sins all you need to do is ask.If you do that you will know deep in your heart and soul that when your time comes to leave this earth you will be in heaven with Jesus,you don`t need to worry about any punishment or judgement because Jesus already paid the price for all of us and all we need to do is ask Him to forgive us and live in our hearts.It almost seems to simple.But it is just that simple

reply to post by Dark Ghost

I just get so confused because if God is real and I have not believed the right way, I might be punished. How do I know what the right way is...I don't! I do not want to be deceived by a false god or a false profit, but I just feel so confused. Sorry to repeat that word, but it's just how I feel.

Right away, anyone claiming to be a prophet can be disqualified.
Anyone who claims they know who God is, they need to be written off, except for the historical Jesus, who actually did know God.
[Naming a god is a form of magic, as in casting a spell. Knowing the proper names of gods would allow you to invoke them as spirit guides through the netherworld. (another Egyptian Book of the Dead reference) Pharaoh was angered by Moses for not giving him God's name. He would not allow Moses to leave Egypt because he was using that as a way of coercing him to cough it up. What Moses told Pharaoh, "I Am", was not a real name and was meant to frustrate him, because he could not use it to conjure God with.]
Forget anyone who claims that somehow you can receive free will. That is another form of magic. Let's say you do not have free will. Someone says if you do this and you do that, the result is you now have free will. Do you see the problem here?
Run away from anyone who claims that your salvation is based on anything other than free grace. It is a gift, and is not earned.
Avoid anyone who says that there are many paths and they lead to the same place. Otherwise why are you asking?
Stay away from anyone who assumes titles, like Priest, or Father. Jesus is our priest and God is our Father.
Do not believe someone who asserts the claim of an ability to change or do away with any law of God that they choose.
Jesus came to magnify the Law and to establish the Law, since it had been, in a manner of speaking, disestablished by the Pharisees who belittled the Law to where they could keep it, and then turn around and judge others who, in their opinion, did not.


[edit on 28-5-2009 by jmdewey60]

Btw, don't worry that god is going to get mad at you for not believing in things. He isn't.

9Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?

10Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

11If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

He will understand and knows why. To say he wouldn't is to suggest that God is worse than any parent in the world.

What you are talking about when you say "I have not believed the right way, I might be punished." would be to do it out of fear, and that will be done in vein.

Do you think he wants you to do it out of fear, or out of respect and because you understand and are making the correct choice?

People say these things like it's no big deal. I wish they would look at what they are implying when they say things like you will be punished if you do not believe in a certain way.

They make god out to be like some big fact CEO of some company who is a huge egotistical prick. The kind where you have to kiss their rear out of fear of losing your job. The kind where you can't criticize or question at all and so forth. Sounds more like the attributes one would use to describe Satan rather than god.

You may have heard of fear of the lord, that is a mistranslation. The actual words there is respect, not fear.

Nothing to fear at all. If you love something, you will set it free. If it loves you, it will come back.

reply to post by Dark Ghost


Dark Ghost

Is there One True Religion? Does Absolute Truth Really Exist?

Some people find that question offensive. Given the sheer multitude of religious beliefs worldwide, they reason that anyone who claims to have a monopoly on truth must be narrow-minded, even arrogant. Surely, it would seem, some good is to be found in all religions or at least most of them. Is that how you feel?

....

...continues HERE

reply to post by Dark Ghost


Been there... done that. Ultimately, you need to decide for yourself what you believe. I suggest going to a few religions and seeing what they're like. If you feel that religion is right for you, great. If not, that's great too. Just don't become extremist either way. You're at a great point because you are willing to take into account different views and make a decision based on multiple options. That's a positive thing. I guarantee that no God is going to judge you for merely not "knowing" the truth. If you die still feeling you don't know, God won't punish you for that. They key is in doing what you feel is right in the end.

So whether you become Atheist, Catholic, Buddhist, Muslim, Mormon, Non-denominational Christian, Shinto, or anything else is your own decision, regardless of who might be influencing you to make some sort of choice. Even if you can't make a choice will be okay. Don't stress too much over it, keep an open mind when looking into religion, and I think you'll be okay. Just make sure that whatever anyone tells you that you check your sources, read up on history from all angles, and I think eventually you'll find something that fits your personality.

As for myself, I was raised Mormon, became Catholic, and am now studying up on Buddhism because there are a lot of aspects of it that appeal to me. I'll always have Mormon heritage though I have strong disagreements with the "elect" of that faith, and I'll most certainly remain Catholic despite certain aspects of the history of Catholicism, but I think as far as my moral code and religious ideals go, Buddhism is the best bet for me. I question the legitimacy of Jesus as "Christ" and savior of mankind, which is a struggle because I grew up believing and at certain points "knowing" it because that's what I'd been taught from birth. However, as I become more enlightened as I grow in faith and understanding of the world, my beliefs and knowledge of the world and religion has changed, which is an entirely natural process, and one that I don't think you or anyone else ought to worry about, even though it's a confusing thing while it's going on.

Thanks a lot for the replies guys. It is definitely a tricky issue and even your responses come from a variety of angles. I guess overall I should just thrive to do the best I can do, as well as treat others with respect and compassion.

Whether my current lifestyle lands me into a perpetual state of nothingness, allows me to stand at the gates of heaven, or fall into the pit of hell all I can do is be me.

reply to post by Dark Ghost


By the way... great to meet another WoW player on here!

If God exists, should it matter what (MAN MADE) religion you follow?

Be a good person, look after your fellow man and live a moral life and I'm sure any God worth believing in would not punish you for it.

If joining an organized religion is considered a better way into heaven than living 'like Jesus' than it may be best to avoid organized religions all together and just go solo.

Disclaimer - I am an atheist, but have lived half my life under Catholicism. I consider the belief in a God something commendable, even though my beliefs may differ. I don't, however, believe that someone's faith and belief system should be dictated by an organization, hence my anti-organized religion stance. Religions are man made enigmas. The belief in a higher power and the faith in that power is a personal thing and should remain as such.

[edit on 29-5-2009 by fooffstarr]

You know what, I was in the same boat for awhile. And I come to realize theres no use worrying about it hun. Like I said in another post, I feel as if as long as your a good person in your life and help others when you can, and bring happiness to yourself and anyone around you (most the time, we all have bad days) then you'll surely go to a good place after death.

Originally posted by Jess_Undefined
You know what, I was in the same boat for awhile. And I come to realize theres no use worrying about it hun. Like I said in another post, I feel as if as long as your a good person in your life and help others when you can, and bring happiness to yourself and anyone around you (most the time, we all have bad days) then you'll surely go to a good place after death.

If a christian should ever disagree with you, ask them what they think it meant to believe for the very works sake.

You are basically describing you will reap what you sow.

The only problem in what you say is in terms of hypocrisy, but that is hardly confined to what you say. The hypocrite's problem is they will be doing bad things all the time, while not realizing it, or thinking there is an exception for their purpose.

Such as killing someone. Bad to do, but a hypocrite will think they are justified when they do it. They think it's ok to kill the man who killed and so forth. And so in doing so, they end up doing bad things. Just makes it 2 killings instead of 1. That is the big thing we should watch out for.

You definetly have a point there and thanks for pointing that out. Im going to have to think about that. I can definetly see people trying to find a way around it.