Please help me with this

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My friend sent me this message and i dont really know how to respond his whole family is Athiest as background info and i posted it here cause hes a protestant (non-denominational) or was a protestant so any help would be appreciated

“please try to keep an openmind to this message and realkize im not trying to disprove anything but im under alot of religious pressure so plz dont get pissed off. heartbraking to me as it is i needed to share it with you. i think tthere was proof on the news that may disprove christianity. there were pictures that had been taken by teklescopes or something and correct me if im wrong or if u saw the story cuz i had top leeve during the middle of it but there were pics of mars’ surface and three of the pictures were of figures that looked very clear and humanoid looking. i have always been openminded to accept if christianity was real or not but i think it istn anymore. not just that but other things to. like virgin women who were pregnant and gave birth to godly children has occured in many religions before christianity. what if and rmbr im not atheist thinking i just wanna know the truth. what if christianity was a fabricated tale made by sojme village or king to keep people out of panic. the thuoght of nothingess for ever scares the **** out of us as human beings so, thinking openmindedly, is it hard to beleeve that christianity is untrue? plus, i know this will get u reel pissed off but i need to say it, but, some of the things we have in christianity originated from paganism…like the christmas tree. the triangular pin tree is a symbol in the pagan religion and signifies some sort of rebirth. see the relation? despite my dying to wish christianity were true, i no longer believe in it.”

any advice as how to respond to that? 😦 😦 😦
 
Pray for God to show you it’s true. And then if you don’t see anything, pray some more. Keep doing that every day for like a year like I did at first, then come back and ask for more advice if you don’t see anything.
 
well i know its true because hes been struggling for a very long time with this, but i hope theirs still some time before his family sinks him back into their beliefs and “open mindedness”
 
james_dillaplai said:
well i know its true because hes been struggling for a very long time with this, but i hope theirs still some time before his family sinks him back into their beliefs and “open mindedness”
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No I mean he needs to pray to see that Christianity is true, to build up his faith. That’s the simplest thing he can do.
 
james_dillaplai said:
there were pictures that had been taken by teklescopes or something and correct me if im wrong or if u saw the story cuz i had top leeve during the middle of it but there were pics of mars’ surface and three of the pictures were of figures that looked very clear and humanoid looking.
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Except that the figures are actually blurry details in a huge panoramic photograph snapped on the edge of Mars’ Gusev crater by NASA’s Spirit rover in early November, and posted on NASA’s Web site on Jan. 2. Check out this link.
 
So much to respond to!
First of all, I don’t think anyone is going to get “pissed off”. All sorts of questions are asked around here and some of us are more then happy to answer.

Where to begin?

Well with regards to the Mars photograph - take a look at the original picture - it’s massive! Whatever resolution that picture was taken with it is very detailed. Whoever found the so called humanoid figure had to zoom into the picture so close that I believe that it took several years to find this figure within the picture. Talk about finding a needle in a haystack! Now even the zoomed picture doesn’t look that convincing - for a person it looks awfully stony. Anyway, it really isn’t proof of anything except that some amateur has too much time and that a stone happens to look like a person.

Now with respect to the Pagan myths that tell of a virgin giving birth. First and foremost these are pagan tales, though the birth may sound like that of our Lord, they stories actually quite different. None of these stories give a message quite like Jesus, none of these stories were related to the faith of ancient Israel and on the whole are reflective of an entirely different theology. Despite the vast differences between these tales and Christ, you may wonder if the birth of Christ is a copy? Well, as many early Christians will point out - there stories, unlike Christ - did not occur. We expereince the Risen Lord, you cannot experience some Egpytian deity. Not only that, but they are said to be glimpses and even foreshadowing of the Christian faith. Christ was not a copy of these stories, it is indeed very much the other way around.

As for Christianity being a fabrication to keep people out of a panic. This is completley basless for several reasons. First of all, when Christianity came, there were already dozens of various faiths through the world. If Christianity was made-up to comfort people - it was unnecessary, the various pagan religions could already play that function. Regardless, if one looks at the real origins of religion they won’t see it as a system of control, but as an expression of understanding. The various pagan religions came about because of man’s desire to understand his meaning and purpose.

Now with various pagan imagery with respect to something like the Christmas tree. It is true, there are many cultural items that have pagan origins. What I don’t understand is how this leads to Christianity being false? For example, the Christmas tree, if indeed it was originally pagan, and we now use these trees to commemorate the birth of Christ - so what? That is a reoccuring theme in Christianity, as the good news spread to various pagan cultures in history, the Christian converts instead of throwing away their practices rededicated them to Christ. Thus in the Christian context the Christmas tree has lost its pagan meaning and has been rededicated to God. How this disproves Christianity - I haven’t the slightest idea.

Overall, I think your just being overwhelmed at some new information - but that information does not lead to Christianity being false. Perhaps you have an incorrect understanding of Christianity? The fact that there are pagan narritives of virgin births and pagan cultural items in Christianity in no way disproves the fact that Christ is risen.
 
Thank so far for your help and i dont know why he would think that life on other planets would disprove Christianity and to Faith of Abraham i misunderstood your message sorry
 
bengal_fan said:
why would life on another planet disprove Christianity?
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I have seen some say that if there is intellegent life on another planet, then who is to say that they, too, are not in the image and likeness of God. What is there state in relation to the fall of man? Further, some have said that it would prove that since we are not alone in the universe, it must prove that we were not created by a diety but it is just a random occurance of the evolution of the universe.

All of these have holes in them and do not cause an issue for a beleiver. It is only those whose faith is in trouble that are shaken.
 
ya he really wasnt to strong in his faith he was kinda a cafeteria christian which i cant say i really approve of at all. and ya i guess that the other life thing makes sense if you put it that way to a person with a weaker faith
 
It may be that Satan and his angels have been cast out of the Garden and taken flesh form as Adam and Eve did, promising leaders of the world strength and power in exchange for worship, and they have little time left.

As is said to have happened in apocryphal Enoch which Jude in the NT refers to.

Matthew 24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Matthew 24:38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

Matthew 24:39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

If anything, alien life only confirms God, it doesn’t replace Him.
 
james_dillaplai said:
My friend sent me this message and i dont really know how to respond his whole family is Athiest as background info and i posted it here cause hes a protestant (non-denominational) or was a protestant so any help would be appreciated

"please try to keep an openmind to this message and realkize im not trying to disprove anything but im under alot of religious pressure so plz dont get pissed off. heartbraking to me as it is i needed to share it with you. i think tthere was proof on the news that may disprove christianity.
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That can’t be - because Christ is the proof.​

there were pictures that had been taken by teklescopes or something and correct me if im wrong or if u saw the story cuz i had top leeve during the middle of it but there were pics of mars’ surface and three of the pictures were of figures that looked very clear and humanoid looking. i have always been openminded to accept if christianity was real or not but i think it istn anymore. not just that but other things to.
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How does anything on the Martian surface disprove even one thing that’s Christian ?​

Even if there were men on Mars - there is no reason to believe this, but let’s suppose it for the sake of the argument - how is that any argument against even one single doctrine ? If there were a statement that there cannot be intelligent life anywhere but earth, that would be an objection - not a disproof. Nowhere in any creed or doctrinal statement or catechism is that said, nor in the Bible.
like virgin women who were pregnant and gave birth to godly children has occured in many religions before christianity. what if and rmbr im not atheist thinking i just wanna know the truth. what if christianity was a fabricated tale made by sojme village or king to keep people out of panic. the thuoght of nothingess for ever scares the **** out of us as human beings so, thinking openmindedly, is it hard to beleeve that christianity is untrue? plus, i know this will get u reel pissed off but i need to say it, but, some of the things we have in christianity originated from paganism…like the christmas tree. the triangular pin tree is a symbol in the pagan religion and signifies some sort of rebirth. see the relation?
Click to expand...

I must be overlooking something - because I don’t.​

The pagan origins argument is absurd. Wheel-barrows & fireworks were invented by the Chinese. The Senate & the Capitols are of Roman origin. NT Greek is the everyday Greek of the non-Christian & pre-Christian world in which the NT was written. Christians invented the book - but just about everything else they took from the societies in which they lived. Throw out everything pagan (no one ever defines what they mean BTW) - & the whole of society collapses. Reading, writing, mathematics, ships, the domestication of most animals, armies, police, cities, houses, burial, are all pre-Christian.
despite my dying to wish christianity were true, i no longer believe in it."
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Carry on looking - those who seek Christ, will always find Him - they would not seek Him had they not begun to find Him. The important thing is never to despair, never to give up: then He will be found. Because He always comes to us first. Always.​

any advice as how to respond to that? 😦 😦 😦
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I hope that helps 🙂​

 
bengal_fan said:
why would life on another planet disprove Christianity?
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Exactly. The bible says that God made “the worlds” (plural) and that He created “all things, visible and invisible”. I think that Mars photo is much like people seeing the Virgin Mary on a bagel - just people seeing random patterns as something that looks familiar. But even if there is life on other planets, so what? God made us all, no matter where we live. There is only one savior of all, and that is Jesus Christ.

I am a devout Catholic and allow for the possibility of intelligent life on other planets. God is much bigger than most of us give Him credit for.

God bless you,
Paul
 
james_dillaplai said:
Yes that did help thank you
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Good 🙂 About this:​

  • like virgin women who were pregnant and gave birth to godly children has occured in many religions before christianity
  • don’t be impressed by it. The similarities to Christ, however many, or old, or widespread, or impressive, are completely beside the point 😃 And most of them are not even similarities, unless one strains & forces them to be.
Here’s why:

We are not redeemed by Adonis, our sins are not forgiven because of Krishna, salvation is not in the name of Mithra, it was not Horus who died for us: Jesus Christ has done all these things, is all these things, has supplied them, granted His Spirit, has given us communion with His Father & with one another.

No one else has done this. He has done all this, & far more: He has done so much for us, that eternity will not be enough for us to exhaust what he has done for us; there will always be more to discover of the salvation He has won for us.

Mary is the mother of this Saviour - not Isis or some other goddess or half-goddess; & she is unique, because her Son is Unique. Not because she is Mary; there were several Maries in the NT, not just her. So it is pointless to try to make him nothing very much - very little about Him is unique anyway. Only the really important thing - that this particular Jew is God made man for our salvation. That one tiny detail makes Jesus Christ utterly different from all these others, infinitely wonderful & totally incomparable. There is no one like Him, these “gods” least of all. They are nothing.

There are other “dying gods”, other mothers of gods, other god-men, other Jews, other Jesuses (there are at least two in the NT), other crucified men, other teachers with disciples. But only this one is God dying for our sins, with a date in history (that we mention each time we say the Creed).

To understand why He is so important, it is no good looking at Adonis or Horus or the rest of them: for none of them is Him. Jesus Christ, & only Jesus Christ, is Jesus Christ - so what is the point of looking at Mithras 🙂 ? What does he know of Jesus Christ ? Absolutely nothing. Go to Jesus Christ if you want to appreciate Him for what He’s worth - don’t bother with them.

FWIW: where there are similarities, maybe God wished them to be there, as hints & shadows of the glory & splendour & greatness of His Son. Those little gods would then, on this theory, be (at best) like scattered glimpses of light before the full light of the day that He brings by His Rising. There are no accidents with God - Jesus is the Lord, & nothing is outside His Lordship; including what looks like Him, but is not Him. So look to Him - don’t be side-tracked

Ihope that helps 🙂
 
concerning the space pictures NASA had a similiar picture of a rock that looked like a mask until the vechile rotated around it from other angles and the rock no longer resembled the mask.
So, I am guessing if the probe did a close up, or changed angles the rock would not appear to be human.
 
Just going to say the only reason i couldnt think of anything to write back is because i was in shock that his faith was challenged by a picture of a rock which looked “humanoid” (thanks to Erich for providing a link to the picture) not because i would believe that stuff too and thank you all for helping as far as i know the problem has been resolved
 
Tell him to watch or read the Chronicles of Narnia so after you can talk about some history with him.

Society was really starting to talk about the possibility of life on other planets and some people thought finding alien life would disprove Christianity. C. S. Lewis wrote the Chronicles as an exercise in what Christ might have looked like if there was life elsewhere. The fiction series explores how God could save the creatures on other worlds without it shaking our faith in Him here.
 
amazing how people can be so credulous about “news” photos which prove absolutely nothing, and about which there is no evidence whatever, yet cannot accept the abundant real evidence of the truth of Christianity attested by clouds of witnesses from Jesus’ day to the present.
 
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