I love God, but what religion?

[SlaveofHim]

Hi,

I have a firm belief in God and know that He is there for me, but I’m having trouble with religions. The three I’m looking at is Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. So I came here to hear the Christian side, so could you help me out.

 

[twopekinguys]

Hi,

I have a firm belief in God and know that He is there for me, but I’m having trouble with religions. The three I’m looking at is Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. So I came here to hear the Christian side, so could you help me out.

Do you have some particular question in mind?

 

[MrZetterlund]

Sweet! I’ll come back to this post later thisafternoon!

 

[SlaveofHim]

Do you have some particular question in mind?

I don’t really understand the Trinity or Jesus being the son of God as I believe God wouldn’t need a son since He’s God. But Christianity has some good things so I just want to know more about it before I made a decision on which path to follow.

 

[FCEGM]

I don’t really understand the Trinity or Jesus being the son of God as I believe God wouldn’t need a son since He’s God. But Christianity has some good things so I just want to know more about it before I made a decision on which path to follow.

Two resources would be helpful in your study of Catholicism: The Catechism of the Catholic Church, available online here:

vatican.va/archive/catechism/ccc_toc.htm

And Frank Sheed’s Theology for Beginners; this book is especially helpful on the doctrine of the Most Holy Trinity.

amazon.com/Theology-Beginners-Francis-Joseph-Sheed/dp/0892831243

 

[Catholic1954]

No one understands the Trinity and we will not be able to explain it to you. The Trinity is frequently represented by an equilateral triangle (the one with 3 equal sides and angles), three sides, but one figure. So also the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit; three persons but one God. God the Father as Creator, God the Son as Redeemer and God the Holy Spirit as Sanctifier. Good luck in your search, settle for nothing less than the Truth.

 

[Della]

I don’t really understand the Trinity or Jesus being the son of God as I believe God wouldn’t need a son since He’s God. But Christianity has some good things so I just want to know more about it before I made a decision on which path to follow.

One way to see the Trinity is this, the Father spoke his Word from all eternity and the Holy Spirit is the co-eternal Love of the Father and the Son. God is three Persons but one being.

Another way to look at it is to look at ourselves. We are mind, soul, and body and yet we are one being. Without the mind the body and the soul cannot function as they should and without the soul the body dies. All are needed to make one person.

God has revealed himself to us as the trinity of Persons. It is what he has told us of himself. And he has created us in his image to be like him. We didn’t come up with this concept–it’s not a man-made idea.

God became man to redeem man after man disobeyed God. God could have left us in our fallen state or he could have destroyed us and started over, but because he is Love, he became one of us, thus restoring us to the divine life he intended us to have in him.

 

[WhitSunday]

I’m so glad you’re interested in Christianity! I hope people at CAF can help answer your questions and give you good information.

I’ve done some looking around myself, and I’ve decided that Christianity, particularly Catholicism is best for a gazillion reasons…sorry if any of this is stuff you already know, but here’s my top 5 reasons for being Christian in general, Catholic in particular:

1. JESUS! I know you say that, if God is God, He doesn’t need a Son…but the point is, Jesus came for OUR sake. God knew we needed Him so badly, and He loved us SO much, that He wanted to come and be one of us, and die a horrible, messy (Have you seen the Passion of the Christ?) to redeem us from the sins that separate us from Him. Any God that loves me and all humankind enough to give up Heaven’s beauty and perfection for scorn, , suffering, rejection and because He wants me to be able to see heaven, too, even though I don’t deserve it, is a God worth loving and serving.
   As a Catholic, I have the privledge of getting as close to God as is physically possible here on this earth through the Mass and Blessed Sacrament (aka the Eucharist or Communion.) The Catholic Church teaches that the Holy Spirit miraculously transforms the bread and wine of communion into the Body, , Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. Yeah, it’s crazy, but AWESOME! :thumbsup:Every Catholic church has a tabernacle which contains a piece of consecrated bread (known as a Host), which basically means that Jesus is in every single Catholic church 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year! I could go on for ages about Jesus and God and all (because I’m head over heels in love with Him), but I’ll move on…
2. The Catholic Church. Jesus wasn’t just satisfied to come and tell us “I love you,” He set up a whole Church to tell us how to find Him and love Him–essentially, how to say “I love you, too.” I had so many questions, and no other religion could answer them the way that the Catholic church did.
3. Mary and the Saints: we’ve got a whole family in heaven and on earth, Mother, Father, sisters, brothers, all looking out for us, praying for us and giving us examples of how to live our lives right. We can look at the lives of people that the Church has assured us are in heaven and see that somebody else has been through the situation we’ve been through, or at the very least something similar.
4. The Sacraments. One of my non-Catholic professors commented snidely that the Catholic church takes care of people “from womb to tomb.” In this case, that’s a very good thing. We need it. At Baptism, God sends His Holy Spirit upon us and we are made adopted sons and daughters of God almighty (how sweet is that?!) In the Eucharist, Jesus gives us His own Body and to strengthen and nourish us. At Confirmation, our Baptism is “confirmed” and we are given the grace we need to be good Catholic s. The Holy Spirit gives men and women grace in the Sacrament of Marriage, and equips priests in the Sacrament of Holy Orders. And when we’re in need of repentance and forgiveness for the sins we’re bound to commit, the Church directs us to the Sacrament of Penance (or Reconcilliation) to cleanse us from our attachment to empty things and bring us back to the Light of God’s love. Finally, when we’re really physically, emotionally, or mentally in need of healing, we can go to the Sacrament of the Annointing of the Sick, and unite our suffering to the suffering that Christ endured on earth, which gives meaning to sometimes agonizingly confusing struggles. (Annointing of the Sick used to be called Last Rites, because many recieve the sacrament on their bed).
5. Mystery and an Afterlife. Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular accepts that we, as humans, and even God’s Holy Church, do not always have the answers. Not everything is perfectly explained–there is room for an element of wonder and mystery. When I was a kid, everything was exciting and new because it wasn’t all perfectly understandable (like electricity). God knows we can’t handle knowing everything, so He gives us what we need and encourages us to trust Him when we don’t get it. This sort of thing is seen in the many miracles that the Saints have performed by the power of God and the times when Mary, (Jesus’ mom, and by extension, the Mother of God) has appeared to people to give them messages from God. These miraculous, inexplicable, highly unusual occurences are God’s way of reminding us that there is more to life that what the outside world offers us. I’ve already referenced Heaven, but, personally, I love a religion that tells me that isn’t the end. That no matter how many bad things happen to us on earth, things will be okay someday. (More than okay–beyond our wildest dreams). We have hope in a hopless world and comfort in a painful existence.

I hope this helps. Sorry it’s so long…it just kind of spilled out

 

[wardrandolph]

I don’t really understand the Trinity or Jesus being the son of God as I believe God wouldn’t need a son since He’s God. But Christianity has some good things so I just want to know more about it before I made a decision on which path to follow.

The Holy Trinity is a mystery.God the Father,God the Son and God the Holy Spirit:We firmly believe and confess without reservation that there is only one true God,eternal,infinite and unchangeble,incomprehensible,almighty,and ineffable,the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit;three persons indeed,but one in essence,substance or nature entirely simple.(Catechism of the Catholic Church=CCC).The Father,Son and Holy Spirit always was and always will be.Jesus said I and my Father are one.Now Jesus came into the world(another name for Him is Immanuel which means God among us)concieved by the Holy Spirit,born of the Virgin Mary to die for us(to ransom us and pay for our sins).This is the love of God,that while we were in sin,He loved us enough to pay the altimate price to redeem us.But not only did He die for us,He arose from the dead and therefore we have Hope in our own reserrection because of Him.Hope this helps.May the Holy Spirit lead you to our Lord,Rovky.

 

[A_Lion_Of_Islam]

Choosing a religion to follow can be confusing… I guess many people consider one of these three great religions based on the fact that these make the most sense out of all the world’s great religions…

Differences aside, all the three religions Judaism, Christianity and Islam believe God as the creator and the master of his creations…

Of all this, Islam believe God is one… Islam does not believe in the trinity, it actually refutes the concept that God has sons or daughters… God reveals himself in a chapter of the holy Qur’an in the following verses…

Translation: Chapter 112: Al-Ikhlas (The Unity, Sincerity, Oneness Of God)

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

1. Say: He is Allah (God), the One and Only;
2. Allah, the Eternal, Absolute;
3. He begetteth not, nor is He begotten;
4. And there is none like unto Him.

 

[DihydrogenOxide]

That’s beautiful that God is “nudging” you to gain faith in Him. :hug1:

There is so much I can say about Christianity, but it’s hard to start somewhere when you’re taking to someone who wants you to start at the beginning. ^^

Below is a link to a resource site is a fantastic resource for those looking into Christianity. So much is answered by this site that would take me forever to explain on here. Feel free to look through. Fisheaters is a beautiful practical guide to the Church.

As a reply to your question about Jesus, as a Christian, I believe that there is 1 God who is comprised of 3 divine persons- The Father, Son, and Holy Spririt. This is a mystery. Think of the clover. It has 3 leaves, but it is one clover in all.

God bless you and help you with your discernment.

fisheaters.com/beingcatholic.html

 

[TheosisM]

I don’t really understand the Trinity or Jesus being the son of God as I believe God wouldn’t need a son since He’s God. But Christianity has some good things so I just want to know more about it before I made a decision on which path to follow.

Welcome. As far as the Trinity, please read a post in my personal blog on the subject, that attempts to give some clarity on what Trinitarians believe. I strongly advise ignoring all analogies given, as they all fail on some level, and since you don’t understand the Trinity, it will only confuse you more, and may even lead to heretical notions on the nature of God that are similar to the Trinity.

onecatholic.wordpress.com/2009/10/14/explaining-the-trinity/

Simply, the Trinity means that there are three distinct Divine Persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) who are of the same “essence” (also called substance, being, divine nature), which makes them one God. These Persons are not merely expressions of someone. They are not manifestations of one Person (meaning, it is wrong to say that they are simply ways that God presents Himself, or “faces/modes” of God). They are not stuck to each other like some sort of three headed person. They really are three, distinct Persons, who are not each other. So, when we say that these three Persons are one God, we mean that they are of the same Divine essence, and share a unity (of will, purpose, intent, love, etc) beyond what we can imagine on this earth.

God (I assume you are talking about the Father) did not “need” a Son. God does not “need” anything. Trinitarians believe that the Father, Son, and Spirit have eternally existed. There was never a time when the Son did not exist. Being “the Son” is Jesus Christ’s eternal relationship with the Father. On the other hand, we believe that when the Son was born on this earth to Mary, He did not have an earthly father. His Father is the Father in Heaven. This is very important: while Jesus Christ did not appear on earth until 2000 years ago, He did exist before that (with no beginning) as the Son.

 

[Teneas]

I don’t really understand the Trinity or Jesus being the son of God as I believe God wouldn’t need a son since He’s God. But Christianity has some good things so I just want to know more about it before I made a decision on which path to follow.

While others are correct, that none of us will truly understand the Trinity, there is a simple explanation that human minds can grasp.

St. Patrick picked up a three leaf clover once, and held it out to a crowd that didn’t understand the Trinity. Three leaves to make one flower/plant.

Another good explanation is an apple. Three distinct things to make one. Skin, meat and core.

While I can never explain why God would make himself and call himself the son.

 

[SlaveofHim]

Thank you for the warm welcome and answering my question. I have another question. I do find the trinity hard to grasp along with the idea of Jesus being the Son. I’ll try to read more about it though. Till then would it be alright to to simply leave these aspects and worship God since I understand Him and love Him?

 

[A_Lion_Of_Islam]

Thank you for the warm welcome and answering my question. I have another question. I do find the trinity hard to grasp along with the idea of Jesus being the Son. I’ll try to read more about it though. Till then would it be alright to to simply leave these aspects and worship God since I understand Him and love Him?

So you dont believe that one god is three… Do you believe that God is one and that he is perfect in every way? How would you worship him the way you want? He is your creator…

You need to live your life (worship him) the way God wants you to because he is the master…

 

[mackbrislawn]

Hi,

I have a firm belief in God and know that He is there for me, but I’m having trouble with religions. The three I’m looking at is Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. So I came here to hear the Christian side, so could you help me out.

You believe in God, but why? Where did your belief come from? Ask this question…

In our western culture, what was it that preserved the belief in God down through the ages? That is, what religion taught us to believe in God, and to believe in Holy Scripture? For us who are descendants of western European culture, it was the Catholic religion that kept the belief in God and the Bible alive for us. Protestantism in turn inherited its belief in God and the Bible from the Catholic church.

 

[AJTheMan]

Hi,

I have a firm belief in God and know that He is there for me, but I’m having trouble with religions. The three I’m looking at is Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. So I came here to hear the Christian side, so could you help me out.

Just to get you brainstorming: Is it possible that God should not be limited into one religion? Is it possible that God is the religion and that he identifies with many religions? Could this big, big god be so confined into one single religion?

Food for thought.

 

[A_Lion_Of_Islam]

Just to get you brainstorming: Is it possible that God should not be limited into one religion? Is it possible that God is the religion and that he identifies with many religions? Could this big, big god be so confined into one single religion?

Food for thought.

God revealed only one religion… that is to submit to his will… so if U choose to worship one God, then thats the religion for you…

 

[aspirant]

I have a firm belief in God and know that He is there for me, but I’m having trouble with religions. The three I’m looking at is Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. So I came here to hear the Christian side, so could you help me out.

Welcome, friend.

I see that people are recommending some introductory books about Christianity. I would like to recommend that a Bible for reading the Gospels and Peter Kreeft and Ronald Tacelli’s Handbook of Christian Apologetics (or , same authorsHandbook of Catholic Apologetics) should be among them.

 

[AJTheMan]

God revealed only one religion… that is to submit to his will… so if U choose to worship one God, then thats the religion for you…

There have been something like 1,000 religions in humanity’s history that claim to have divine knowledge of God/the gods. Choose carefully, I suppose.