Magill- Thankyou you for your sincere inquiry. I apologize for taking so
long to respond but nevertheless, I am seeking your audience now!
>
> I'm a lurker on the errancy list. If it wouldn't be to much trouble, there
> are a few questions I would like to ask concerning your views on
> christianity.
>
> 1. After 15 years of being a casual observer of the christian faith, I now
> consider myself a skeptic. Unless a supreme being appears before me and
> states that he is the one true god, is there any other way for me to
> believe in the existence of such an entity?
Magill- Not really. Think about what Christ said to the pharisees in His
story about the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man vehemently desired
that he would be allowed to warn his still living friends of the demise
that they would ultimately face. Jesus said that they would not believe
even if one was raised from the dead. Do you recall this statement in
the Gospel of Luke?
Furthermore, think of the children of Israel in the wilderness who were
eyewitnesses to the plagues of Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea and the
Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night.Yet the Bible
records that 23,000 perished in one day because of their UNBELIEF.
In Hebrews 11:1, we read that, " Faith is the substance of things hoped
for the evidence of things unseen." What does this mean my friend?
>
> 2. Why should christians have to rely on the bible to inform them of the
> word of god, when an all powerful god should be able to send the message
> face to face?
Magill- Have you ever read Hebrews chapter 1? The Biblical answer is
right there.
Let me ask you this question. What if all of the sudden you came across
a hive of bees in their honeycombs? Let's say also that you desired to
speak to them. What would you have to do? The answer is simple. You
would have to become a honey bee. In the same way God stepped out of
eternity and into time and became a man. His name is JESUS CHRIST and
what a mission He fulfilled for you and me. He bore the punishment you
and I deserve for our sins. He took our place and paid the penalty in
full in blood so we wouln't have to and thus we through Jesus Christ are
reconciled to the Father. Then He had eyewitnesses give an account via
the inspiration of His Holy Spirit. We have more available to us today
in terms of the fuller revelation contained in His written Word- The
Holy Bible than say Ezekiel or Isaiah or any other Old Testament
prophet. The Old Testament conceals what the New Testament reveals.
>
> 3. As a child I was impressed by Cecil B. DeMills' "The Ten Commandments".
> After reading the book of Exodus, I changed my mind about Moses. Is there
> a good reason for anyone to consider this "lawgiver" a man worthy of
> praise?
Magill- lets just say that Moses was a man who for forty years thought
he was somebody. Then for forty years he learned he was nobody. Then he
learned for forty years what God could do with nobody. Moses is
characterized as the meekest man on earth. Now meekness isn't just some
whimpy quality. Instead, it is power under contol. Let me suggest that
it takes more power to remain passive and in control than it takes to
fly off the handle.
Furthermore, Moses even though he was denied to enter the promised land
got to enter anyway. God snuck him in later. Do you remeber the account
of Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration? Enough said. I'll leave it to
you to figure out the implications.
>
> 4. Without threats or bribes, is there any way that you could convince me
> to become a christian again?
Magill- No threats or bribes will work. Remember that satan and 1/3 of
the angels fell with full knowledge of their Creator. They and are now
appearing to mankind and even to our U.S. Government as alien beings,
ufo's and the like. James says, Thou beleivest there is one God thou
doest well. Even the demons believe and tremble. All I can tell you my
friend is that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and
knowledge of the Holy is understanding. When we speak of fear as
recorded in the Holy Scriptures, we are talking about a Holy Reverence
here for the Omniscient Creator of the Universe.
Remember though the words of the apostle John under the influence and
divine inspiration of The Holy Spirit. "Perfect love casts out fear!"
Think about it. God is love my friend.'
>
> 5. In order for most people to feel that they are honest and knowledgeable
> about a subject, they tend to research more than one source or reference.
> You do not appear to do this. Why?
Magill- For one thing the Holy Bible has more documentation and more
validity in terms of eyewitness testimony and scientific validity as
well as historic accuracy than any other recorded written source on
earth. For example, the New Testament alone has over 25,000 copies of
the original manuscript from the orignal sources.
The next closest example in the english literature world is Homer's "The
IIyiad" which is heralded by modern scholars as the epitomy of modern
translation assurety and boasts 600 manuscript copies from the original
sources.
>
> 6. You appear to take pleasure with the thought that some people are going
> to end up in hell. Why?
Magill- I take no pleasure in such a thought. In fact I at times have
spent many a nights with the Lord agonizing over the demise of my fellow
man.
In fact, the greatest pleasure I have ever known and I'm choosing my
words carefully, is to see a lost soul snatched out of satan's kingdom
of darkness and be transferred into God's Kingdom of Light. Let me
suffice it say that on that day when the believers and non-believers are
on opposite sides of an uncrossible gulf, I don't want anyone to be
able to look across the eternal chasm at me and look me directly in the
eye and say why didn't you warn me? Why didn't you tell me?
Love my friend is far greater than saying what people want to hear. Love
is telling them what they must hear even if it means they hate you for
it.
>
> Over the past two years, I have broadened my mind considerably where
> religion and politics are concerned. Having access to the Internet was
> like a breath of fresh air. I never realized there was serious opposition
> to organized religion until reading the information that the mainstream
> press didn't seem to touch. Realizing that one does not need to be a
> biblical scholar to understand the bible has made me realize that there is
> more to life than the seemingly narrow-minded christian point of view.
Magill- Christians never came up with the idea that their religion was
narrow and the only way. If you want to find a cause to blame than blame
Jesus Christ Himself. He was the one who said,"Narrow is the road to
life and few people find it but broad is the road to hell and many
people travel upon it.
Jesus is also the one who said unambiguously, " I AM THE WAY, I AM THE
TRUTH. I AM THE LIFE, NOBODY COMES TO THE FATHER BUT THROUGH ME!"
Magill- This is no surprise to me my friend. I'm speaking of the
oppostion you are citing. Jesus said that, "No student is greater than
His master. If they persecuted Me they will (guarantee) persecute you."
It's like what Paul also wrote to confirm what Christ had already said-
"Anyone who lives a Godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted."
Magill- James, I too have read many a book on many different religions.
I know more about most religions than their own adherents. But no
relgion does what Christ did for me. He paid the price for my sins. In
fact, Christianity is the only religion on the face of the planet that
comes from the premise that I was never good enough to enter heaven.[
Christianity says that Jesus Christ came to the earth and did for me
what I could never do for myself because of my fallen sin nature. At one
point in my life, I was a new age guru far ahead of my time. I even
conducted creative visulization and relaxation seminars as well as
hypnosis sessions not to mention tarot cards, the ouji board and the
like. I could have been called a witch or a sorcerer or many other
things.
>
> I will look forward to your comments.
Magill- I hope they have shed some light in the Name of Jesus Christ!
>
> James N Bragge
> jimb@3lefties.com
IN HIS ETERNAL GRIP,
JSM
>
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