reply to post by AfterInfinity
God doesn't lie either - but he veils the truth from those who consider themselves wise in their own eyes. Finding the truth is a matter of humility
and the acceptance of our need for grace (nobody can be counted pure in the eyes of God - I admit that the theology behind 'the fall of man' is
difficult territory, and though I've made some progress in understanding it recently, I don't feel fully confident yet to discuss at any significant
length)
Perseverance in seeking the person of God is the key. If we knock, the door will be opened. After that, it's just a matter of time until he 'leads
us into all truth' by the power of His Spirit. (The Holy Spirit is NOT a dragon, as posited by Autowrench...)
Christ was the fulfilment of a long-term promise made by the One God, over a period of hundreds (if not thousands) of years, and He appeared in the
precise manner and at the time stated in the ancient prophetic writings found in the Old Testament.
Seeing as Math doesn't lie, we can use a mathematical example here. There are over 60 distinct prophetic passages referring to the birth, life,
ministry, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. A scientist chose 48 of these prophecies, and worked out that the odds of one man fulfilling
all of them (as Jesus did), by chance alone, was 1 in 10 to the exponent 157. That's -
1 in
10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
Staggering odds. Unlikely to be the result of pure chance, and more likely to indicate divine intervention. Once we move past the actual accuracy of
prophecy as fulfilled in Jesus Christ, we can start to discuss His actual nature, and the meaning of His existence as relevant to modern humans. His
activities back then are just as relevant to us today as they were to the first church members, who after Jesus' ascension were led by the apostles
(who were commissioned by Christ to explain the gist of His purpose to the world).
Christ still provides the power to overcome evil in all its forms, and He still gives the authority to administer miracles in His name. I've seen
such miracles take place, and there is no doubting the validity of the actual events. Once we accept miracles, we can move on to discuss their
nature, comparing and contrasting the immediate and lasting effects/ purpose of miracles in different faiths around the world.
Nothing of Christ would have survived, and people wouldn't gone to their agonising deaths, vehemently refusing to deny Him, if He were not who He
claimed to be. If we accept that He was who He claimed to be, we can look at the current situation: He is beyond time and space, an infinite God who
is infinitely concerned with the universe He brought into being. And that means us too - an infinite God can care for each person individually, and
does. Scripture says that the hairs on our head are numbered, and that not even a sparrow falls from the sky without His knowledge.
We are told that the universe is maintained by His word of power - elsewhere Jesus is described as the 'living word'. Mankind will find particles,
and observe awesome and weird stuff going on at the quantum level - but we will not find a unified field theory until we corporately accept the
possibility that God is the force behind the unified field itself. Religion and science are not mutually exclusive. The Old testament tale of the
creation as described in the Book of Genesis might well be considered a sort of parable, like the ones Jesus taught.
edit on 18-7-2012 by FlyInTheOintment because: clarification.
I mean wow... I seriously do admire / enjoy your undying devotion - but more accurately; strength / confidence. I have not seen a
"Christian" with as much reasonable drive as you. I do mean that whether you believe it or not. 
