Christians...why on earth would I worship this guy?

Question

So here's how the story goes.

God tells us there is ONLY one way back to him. If you fail in your lifetime to find this one way then you are doomed to an eternity in h**l.

Now, he does provide us with a guidebook on how to find that way, but here's the problem. This is quintessentially the most important book EVER to land in human hands. This is the key, and yet, god in his infinite wisdom allows that book to be filled with both supposed truth, fact, allegory, metephor, history, geneology, actuallity, and wisdom. It is then our responsibility to sift through all of that and figure out which is which. Thanks god...

Then...he allows that book to be passed through so many hands, and so many interpretations that there is no conceivable way that what exists today is even remotely the same as what was written originally.

THEN...as if that weren't enough...he has so called representitives around who can help you determine what is what, but each one of them provide different and contradictory answers, so the burden of discovering absolute truth falls on you. Salvation is in your hands alone, but there is no bearing on what is ACTUALLY true.

THEN...oh yes there is more...he tells you that the only way to discover that truth for yourself is to read this mess of a book...pray...and listen to your feelings. WHAT WHAT WHAT??? My eternal salvation rests in how I feel? No fact...No evidence...just FEELINGS??? We call this faith.

But now, as if this already weren't a logistical impossibility...this tricky s****.god plants evidence all over not only this planet, but this entire universe that actually contradicts his very existence. Thanks for that god. So much stuff found in our planet contradicts so much of what is said in that oh so very important book. And I'm supposed to believe this book on FEELINGS???

Tricky man, very tricky.

So please...if my salvation is so important not only to him, but to all of you...

Tell me how this guy deserves the smallest iota of my respect, let alone my worship.

Answer 1

Well I can certainly see that God's actions have left you in a confused state and you are trying to understand.  

Let me start by saying that your first paragraph is essentially true.  There is only one way back to God.  And in the end, those who have not taken that way back to God will end up being cast into the lake of fire and suffer eternal death.

IT is true that the Bible is the most important book to be given to mankind as it outlines in plain language exactly what that One Way is.

The bible also contains a lot of information and history as well as wisdom and poetry.  It is in effect an education in itself.  When you went to school and studied, there was a lot of information that was presented to you in textbooks that you may never need or use, but that doesn't mean that it is useless to everyone else.  e.g. Did you really need to know the story about Newton's apple in order to understand gravity?  In what way is your life influenced by the fact that a man hundreds of years ago wrote a play called Romeo and Juliette?

All these are things that may not directly influence your life, but to someone else they may be important.

The One Way is spelled out in detail and is there for you to read it.  It was YOU who turned away from God when you sinned.  It is YOUR responsibility to seek Him out again.  He will accept you if you seek Him.

The Bible has indeed been translated over and over throughout the years.  But with very few exceptions, each translation is directly from the original source.  So there is very little corruption or deviation from the original scriptures.  Have you ever heard of the concept called Preservation of Scripture?  No, it is not some process for preserving the pages that the scripture is written on.  It is an argument that, considering the importance of the message of the Bible, God, Himself has taken measures to insure that the Bible's ultimate message will remain unchanged.  There may be those who intentionally alter the scripture for malicious purposes, but those revisions will be short lived and ultimately disappear.  God, Himself promises that His Word will live forever.  

Priests, Pastors Reverends and other forms of leaders of numerous denominations may often have differing views on certain concepts.  What is or is not a sin, how a person should behave, the mechanics of certain ceremonies, etc. are all examples of denominational differences.  But the fundamental path to salvation, is the same with all of them.  They will all tell you that there is only One Way and they all agree on what that One Way is.  An analogy would be that depending on where you live, you may have different standards of living, different professions, and different accepted behaviors.  But in spit of all that, you still are born, eat, grow, interact with others and then die.

The feelings that you are so concerned about is your conscience.  God has visited upon us all His laws.  It resides within each of us.  When we do wrong, we know it within.  That is the feeling that you are referring to.  It is the Holy Spirit calling you to return to God.  But beware, brushing it off or ignoring it too often and for too long will make you numb to the Spirit's call.  If that happens, it will be much harder to return.  It may taking a life changing event, and those are usually very uncomfortable.

Just because someone tells you that there is evidence contradicting the existence of God doesn't make it so.  In my life, I have never seen anything that suggests that God doesn't exist.  Feel free to provide an instance if you know of some.

Your salvation is important to Him.  And as one of His servants, it is important to me as well.  Why does he deserve your respect and worship?  Because He created you.  Because He loved you enough that He personally took on flesh and allowed Himself to be killed in order to pay a price that you can't pay.

If you want to ignore all this, the choice is yours.  But He will still be there, whether you want it or not.  He will be waiting for you as long as you live.  Afterward, it will be too late.