If someone wants to step forward and speak for the Christendom sects, or for the various pantheistic religions, or for fringe stuff like Islam, Mormons, or atheism, go ahead.
I'll answer these from the perspective of a Christian.
Originally posted by Maj
I do not believe in the existence of a benign entity that created and fostered the Earth and/or its human species.
While you have the right to believe whatever you wish, I happen to disagree with you.
Originally posted by Maj
I do not believe that after I die I will either end up in a "Heaven" a "Hell" a "Limbo" or any spatial or temporal location.
In this you are correct. The Bible does not teach of the existence of any sort of 'afterlife'. The various false sects adopted this doctrine to make their religion more palatable to prospective converts.
Originally posted by Maj
I do believe that there is more to life than cold, hard facts and the reality of simply being another animal on another planet. Do I believe in God? You tell me. I don't even know who or what "God" is anymore.
It sounds to me like you are searching for answers, and that you have a sense of the spiritual. Keep looking, and remember to let your heart tell you what is right.
Originally posted by Maj
So to all of you out there, regardless of your beliefs, here are some questions I garnered from the shallower recesses of my mind.
Is God a He, a She, or an It? What or who exactly is God?
God is known better by His name, Jehovah. This is an approximation of it, as unfortunately no one alive speaks Aramaic as it was originally pronounced. Some pronounce the Tetragrammaton (4 letters that spell His name in the various texts of the Bible) as YAH-weh. As to who He is, his name means He Who Causes to Become, or more simply, The Creator.
Originally posted by Maj
Who created God?
If we take His word for it, no one. He claims to be "...the Alpha and the Omega..." Nothing came before Him, nothing will exist after Him.
Originally posted by Maj
Who wrote the Bible?
Jehovah inspired humans to write down His words so that they could be carried to everyone. The Oxford Literary Society, a group that takes sadistic pleasure in winnowing down politician's speeches, removing contradictions and meaningless phrases, and publishing what is left(usually just "Good evening. Good night."), took their turn on the Bible, and came to the conclusion that it was the work of a single author.
Originally posted by Maj
When was it written?
It was written over a span of 2,500 years, and despite having more than forty human authors, it maintains a common theme and writing style throughout.
Originally posted by Maj
Where does God exist? What does God do?
He currently resides at #1 Palace St., City of Jehovah, Heaven. You may address all correspondence c/o Jesus Christ, who will listen for the phrases Dear Father, In the name of Your Son, and Amen, as keywords to begin transcription.
Originally posted by Maj
Who was Jesus? What did he do? Where did he go?
Jesus was the first thing God created, and is a powerful spirit being, practically a god. The Bible likens him to a god in John 1:1-5. God sent him to earth as a human born of Mary, with the purpose of creating a new covenant with all the people of the earth to bring about an end to this system of things and re-make the world as a paradise as it was in the time of Eden. After making this covenant, Jesus returned to heaven to prepare for the upcoming battle at Har-Mageddon, where he will lead God's army to victory over Satan.
Originally posted by Maj
Why do the doctrines of one religion counter those of others?
Because they are the works of humans, and as such are flawed.
Originally posted by Maj
How can monotheism and polytheism both be "correct" belief systems?
They cannot.
Originally posted by Maj
Does an afterlife exist? Where is it? How do you get there? Is every human that has existed there?
No. The Bible teaches that "...as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing."
Originally posted by Maj
Who were the first humans to exist?
Adam and Eve.
Originally posted by Maj
Do only humans enter the afterlife? What do you do in the afterlife? Can evidence and knowledge of an afterlife exist or can there only be a belief of its existence?
The Bible teaches that when a human dies, he exists only as a memory of God, and that those who have not by their actions taken their name from the Book of Life (apparently a symbolic reference to God's memory) will be resurrected after Armageddon and given the choice, after seeing what is being offered, of either serving God forever as a perfect human, or joining Satan in utter destruction.
It is worth noting that many people have seen what they believe to be the spirits of the dead, in seeming contradiction to the Bible's stance on life after death. These spirits may well be nothing more than figments of overactive imaginations. But Satan has an army of fallen angels at his command, and a vested interest in making people believe that God is either not real or not as depicted in the Bible. It is by no means a stretch of the imagination to believe that he has ordered his demons to trick humans into seeing all manner of ghoulies, ghosties, long-legged beasties, and things that go bump in the night. At least, it's no stretch for me.
Originally posted by Maj
Were only humans created or were all other organisms also created in conjunction with humans? Why do humans exhibit so many similiar behavioural and physical characteristics as other animals?
The Genesis account of creation tells that everthing, down to the last neutrino, was created by God. Humans exhibit similar characteristics to animals because we all breathe the same air, eat the same food, and live in the same places. How much sense would the world make if Humans were silicon-based lifeforms while everything else was carbon-based?
Originally posted by Maj
Why was the Earth chosen? Why do other planets exist when all that was needed to create and place humans was one planet?
Perhaps God intends for man to fill not just one world, but the whole universe some day. Who can say for certain?
Originally posted by Maj
Some of these questions are obviously "Christianicentric", and my only excuse for that can be because I have not had the opportunity to experience the "experience" of other religions. I hope that made sense :/
I understood what you were getting at. You've always seemed to be adequately eloquent for your needs.
Originally posted by Maj
My belief is that to dispell the beliefs of others is to dispell your own since what more do you have as evidence than faith.
Ah, but faith is evidence! It is, "...the guaranteed expectation of things to come, the belief in that which is not evident, yet held to be true."
Originally posted by Maj
What makes your faith any "better" or "stronger" or more correct that that of others?
Jesus answered this one with a parable. If every faith was a tree, and you were walking amongst the orchard of faiths, how would you decide? You would take the tree whose fruit was wholesome, and pure. The trees bearing rotten fruit you would chop down and throw in the fire, to make room for the good tree. Judge a religion on the behaviour of its followers and proponents.
Originally posted by Maj
But that's just my belief. I could be wrong.
-Maj
You're only human.
