Jehovah's Witnesses versus Atheists

Question:
What is the difference between Jehovah's Witnesses and Atheists? Don't they both NOT believe in God?

My Reply:
JW's believe in "a" god, and believe they are the only ones who are worshiping the correct God (the Lord in the Bible). Yet they misinterpret the Bible and choose to skip over the scripture/passages that don't agree with their beliefs.

So technically speaking, JWs are not Christians, for they separate themselves from Christians and recognize them/us as subjects for conversion to their (mis)understandings.  But JWs are also not Atheists, for they do believe in "a" God.  Some even claim Christ's name, but focus more on His teachings for good works than His doings and free gift of salvation.  Here's a good link to help understand more about JWs.

Atheists, on the other hand, have CHOSEN not to believe in (a) God at all. It's not that they don't know, for those are "agnostics". And it's not that they're trying to find out, for those are "seekers".  Atheists are people who CHOOSE not to know, while also rejecting and fighting everything that points to the possibility of God's existence.  Here's a good link to help understand more about Atheism.

---Pastor Andy

Why Do People Believe In Many Religions?

Question:

Why do people believe in so many religions and not just one?  I'm just trying to figure out why so many people believe in DIFFERENT religions?

My Reply:

OK, what I hear you asking is NOT why are there so many religions, but why do people often believe in more than one for themselves, or why won't people commit to just one.  If that's right, then I think it’s because:

1. People don't want to commit to just one religion, just in case if the one they choose turns out to be the wrong one.  So instead, they take the "best parts" of each one and form their own...like with a martial art, you take what movements work best for you and incorporate them into your own style;
2. We live in a society where nobody wants to claim one way as right and another way as wrong. Instead, they decide to harmonize them all and consider them all acceptable.  That way, they don’t offend anybody in their stance (or lack of), and in their eyes, everybody wins.
3. They just don't know which one is the right way. So by believing that they all lead to the same destination, or that each is beneficial, they don’t have to learn about any or make a decision about either.  

The problem with all of these reasons is that Jesus Himself said that only He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and that nobody gets to the Father but through Him.  God is also a Jealous God in that He’s not willing to allow any false-gods or religions to share His glory.  It’s not selfishness in a sinful way, but in that only He is worthy of such a honor, glory, and the title of "God".

Check out this site for more on these questions http://www.barna.org/ 

---Pastor Andy

What Religion is "Right"?

Question:

All the time I hear stereotypes about religion (especially Islam), please tell me your opinion.  Do you believe one religion is more right than another?

My Reply:

So you want to know what religion, in my opinion, is more right than all the others? Well first of all, to say that only one is right is to say that all others are wrong, for since they’re all different, there can only be one that's right, right? Let's look at some of the popular religions today, and what they offer:

Some Popular Religions Today

But I suppose that what’s “right” really depends on what you hope to get out of it.  For example:

• If you’re looking for cheap harmony and false enlightenment, then maybe Buddhism is right.
• If you’re looking to pride yourself among others and believe in reincarnation, then Hinduism would be the right one.
• If you're hoping to have many spouses and inherit a planet when you die, then Mormonism would be right.
• If you’re in search of harsh, empty discipline with a background in hatred, rage, deception, and revenge, then Islam is the right one to be a part of.
• If you’re looking to live a life based on many of the "better" parts of other religions from, combined by an author who started a religion because he wasn't making any money in writing science fiction, then Scientology is right for you.
• If you’re into healings and never having sex again with your spouse, then Christian Scientists would be right for you.
• If you like the idea of casting spells and calling upon the powers of evil, and calling it “white magic”, then Wicca’s the right religion for you.
• If you’re interested in mostly just celebrating traditions, then Judaism would be right.
• Post-Modernism is a popular religion (or belief system), which is mostly the ways of the world…that one may be right for you.
• Of if you’d like to just take a little bit of each religion out there and form it into your own, then New Age or Universalist-Unitarianism would be the right one.

If You're Searching for a Religion

There are also a bunch of other religions out there, all making false promises of one form or another, but hey, since "truth is relative", who knows? One of them may be the one you’re searching for.

If You're Searching for God

But if you’re searching for the One and Only True God, and would like to know God personally, as well as inherit eternal life with Him, or to “go to heaven” when you die, then honestly, no religion is right…...but this is keeping in mind that Christianity is not a religion.

Christianity Is NOT A Religion

I say that Christianity is not a religion because, as you can see, all regions are somehow about trying to fit your pleasures, or about what YOU must do to become right with God, or what YOU must do to earn some sort of reward in this life or the next.  But the Christian Bible says that works and deeds will never make you right with God, nor can anybody ever earn their way into heaven.  See, being a Christian is not about what WE can do, but what JESUS has already DONE.  So the only way to actually please God, is to receive His Son, Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

Also, as a Christian, we understand that, unlike religions, God is God, and His character is not one that we can form or mold.  On the contrary, HE forms US to become more like HIM.

So if Christianity isn’t a religion, then what is it?

Being a Christian is about being in a personal, intimate "RELATIONSHIP" with God through Jesus Christ.  See, religions can’t claim this because they’re too busy trying to please God (or their false gods).  Therefore, since to be a Christian can’t be compared to any religion out there, I believe that only Christianity is right, for it is the only one that is truly connected with and pleasing to the One and Only True God.

---Pastor Andy

What Happens When We Go To Purgatory?

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Dear Pastor Andy, when does a soul stay in purgatory? For example, if a soul becomes  a ghost, then does that mean it's in purgatory?

My Reply:

First off, let's start with your question about ghosts. Understand, there's no such thing as a friendly ghost or a ghost that used to be human, OK? During and a little after college, a friend and I researched "ghosts". We visited cemeteries at night, went to friends' homes that were haunted, etc. and experienced using our spiritual eyes to sense and "see" them. In my research, I learned that all ghosts are demons, and their goals include tormenting people, causing people to kill themselves, possessing people, deceiving people, and confusing them into believing that God either doesn't exist or is not in full control after all. They didn't do this with me, but it was interesting to listen to other people talk about them as if they were dead children or people from the past who were lost between worlds, or who God lost track of and can't or won't help. And from my own experience in battle against them, they're totally evil, completely empty of any goodness, and cold.

The Bible (both testaments) also talks about demons and what they do, and nowhere do we read of them being friendly or former, dead people - they're always referred to as fallen angels, unclean spirits (again though, not previously sinful people), tormenting spirits, evil spirits (and similar names), and demons. They are fallen, evil angels that followed Satan's rebellion against God and lost. They've already been judged, and are bitter and even more ticked off because of this, and are now battling against God's people (they've lost their foothold and are now fighting to regain turf). OK, so they're not your former relatives who didn't make it to Heaven.

Now about your question pertaining to Purgatory: I was reading from the "Story of Christianity: Volume 1: The Early Church to the Reformation", and it says that the infamous St. Augustine was the one who originally suggested the possibility of a place of purification for those who died in sin, where they would spend some time before going to Heaven. But Pope Gregory (590-604 A.D.) turned it into doctrine.

The idea is that those who die in the faith and communion of the Roman Catholic Church, but haven't offered satisfaction for all their sins, will go to purgatory before they attain their final salvation, and their living friends and relatives can help them out of purgatory by offering "masses" in their favor. And to claim authority for this, Gregory claimed that the Crucified Christ appeared to him while celebrating mass.

However, nowhere in the Bible does it even suggest such a thing. I mean, the RCC uses Revelation 21:27 ("There shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie..."), but if you keep to the theology of what Christ accomplished on the cross and in His resurrection, as well as keep this text in context, then you understand this verse is talking about those who have accepted Christ and are saved by His shed blood through repentance and faith in Christ - their (our) names "are written in the Lamb's Book of Life". But remember, the Catholicism is a religion based on penance and works, not faith as the Bible teaches.

Now, what about the part about being able to buy the salvation or our relatives stuck in purgatory? I've looked on a couple Catholic websites and one claims that the "stipend" is only $5 bucks, but that some people like to pay more. Either way, it's assumed that they take it from Luke 12:59, where Jesus talks about the need to reconcile with brethren in the faith, and if we don't then they'll surely take us for every penny we have. But the Catholics, as I'm understanding it, took it way out of context and use it as support to this idea of paying to get your relatives' through Purgatory quicker.

Purgatory's not actually accepted by every Christian anymore though, for Protestants rejected it beginning in the 16th century, led by a lawyer-turned-Catholic monk, Martin Luther. Martin Luther is known as the founder of the Christian reformation. His intentions though were to just correct the church's practices, not form a separation or moment. See, in his days (and up to then), the church was corrupt - the Pope in his day threw big parties for his friends, spending almost all the Church's money - and as we've seen already, much of what they pushed wasn't in line with the Scriptures. If you'll look up Martin Luther's 95 thesis, which were complaints against the church, you'll see him mentioning the problems with this that he exposed to the public. But instead of the Pope recognizing the church's wrong and thus repenting and correcting it all, he falsely accused Luther to be a heretic (several others throughout history had attempted to do the same, and they were all burned publicly). And the only reason that Luther escaped prosecution was because of his friends in high places (no doubt from when he was a lawyer).

So to answer your question, Purgatory is NOT real, it's NOT Biblical, and people DO NOT get stuck in it when they die. Its origin came from a (famous) Catholic Bishop (Augustine) and was made doctrine by Pope Gregory in the 4th Century, due to a misunderstanding of the Gospel, and it's currently upheld and supported by the misuse and misinterpretation of Scripture.

Read the Bible daily, take notes, examine yourself often, the church more often, and don't be afraid to ask questions. If their answers go against what Scripture says, pray about it and what you should do. For in the case, the Bible teaches that there's 1 of 2 places to go: Heaven or Hell, but no purgatory. But regardless of which one you go to, you'll be there for all eternity, and the decision of your destination depends on your decision whether or not to follow Christ here in the life.

---Pastor Andy

Confused About Faith and God

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Question:

I want to believe but it's so hard for me to believe in God. A while back I had a lot of faith in my religion (Christianity) and I was the happiest guy in the world because I always felt there was someone who truly loved me no matter what. I would do my best to keep the commandments and in doing so I felt that I was doing the right thing and so no matter how much I would go through I wasn't worried because according to scripture, God would help me get through it. I would even go to church by myself because my mom was an Evangelical Christian and I was LDS so I would sit by myself in church, however I never felt lonely. Recently I lost my faith due to everything that goes on in this world. For example, the Bible says the Earth is only 6,000 years old but I know better than that and I know evolution was the means by which Humans came into existence but then again I had a friend who believed that god used Evolution to create Humanity. In conclusion I don't care if I have to blindly follow my religion because having faith in God made my life soooooooo much better! Even if there is no God I'd rather believe than not. I need advice on how I can gain faith.

My Reply:

So let me get this straight...you were solid in your faith when it came to going through anything in your personal life, and you lost your faith when it came to questions about things outside your life but in the rest of the world?
My friend, I see that your problem was recognizing Christianity as a religion where you had to do things in order to feel holy, and how you feel as your confirmation of God's existence. But being a Christian is about being in a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, and because of this relationship, you are already ARE holy (regardless of how you feel).
There are problems in the world simply because we live in a world tainted by sin. Check here to help with another view on this, as well as other questions: http://www.answersingenesis.org/
The LDS' idea about God and Jesus is also tainted by sin, which may also be what helped you get to where you are now. Have you tried talking with your mom about Jesus? Try reading her Bible (not the book of Mormon). For example, look at John 14:6, and compare that to what the LDS said about Jesus.
To be perfectly honest, if questions about the world are what caused you to fall out of faith, I have to wonder what kept you in the LDS faith for so long?  For example, have you ever seen the golden plates?  History says nobody but Smith has. Have you done research on events and places in the book of Mormon? Archaeology has and continues to prove and give evidence to the Holy Bible and its events, cultures and locations, but nothing has been proven or discovered in terms of the book of Mormon. So what (other than the feeling of God's presence) kept you involved with the church of LDS?  And with so little to base your LDS faith on, why such difficulty in believing in God through Christianity?

---Pastor Andy

A Muslim's Afraid of Death

Dear Pastor Andy, I am a Muslim. I pray five times in day, I read the holy Quran, I listen to hadith, I follow the sunnah of the prophet...but one thing I fear, and that is death. When people talk about death, I get scared. When we die, do we still have thoughts and feelings? I need to know...I need advice.

My Reply:

As Christians, we understand that everybody was made to live eternally...conscious and everything (yes, thoughts and feelings). Only thing is that where we spend the rest of eternity depends on what or whom we choose to follow now.

Your confusion and fear could be due to your image of God. As Christians, we believe that God is a loving God who loves His creation, and INVITES us to spend the rest of eternity WITH Him. Being a Christian also means having a relationship (friendship) with God through Jesus Christ, who we believe was not just a prophet, but God Himself in the flesh, come down to communicate His Word and die (then be risen) in order to reconcile us to Him, We just need to accept His gracious invitation. If we refuse, then we will spend the rest of eternity in the other place, which is in complete isolation from God, and also a good reason to fear death.

It could be that God is trying to communicate Jesus to you in this fear of death. Check out this video for more information on Jesus - the main one I suggest you watch is called "The Jesus Film", but there are other great videos and resources there, also. Scroll down to your chosen language and give it a chance, if not to believe, but then to help answer your question.

Also, feel free to email me if you like.

---Pastor Andy

Mankind's Greatest Threat?

Question:

What’s the greatest threat to mankind?

My Reply:

"Indifference."
Regardless of what religion, faith, or political party you belong to, if we were to stop caring, the world would fall apart.

---Pastor Andy

Proof of Jesus

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Question:

This question has been unanswerable by Christians, do you have the guts to give this one a straight answer?  Their are like (lets say) 1,000 different religions in the world (actually a lot more). Each religion is no more valid than Harry Potter. In other words, each religion is as invalid as any other religion.
Here's the odd thing, Christians believe that if you choose to believe Jesus, you're saved.  But if you choose another religion to believe in, you're doomed, disregarding all your virtuous acts!
It is the exact same thing as putting 1,000 tennis balls in front of you. The only difference is that each ball is marked with a different number. Only one tennis ball is the correct one (suppose ball 24), if you choose the wrong ball, you're doomed! So basically, Christians believe that by blindly choosing the right ball, you are saved! How hilarious!
And don't tell me that there's any proof to your bible. If you really believe there's proof, then Jesus would've just appeared for everyone to see, but he hasn't!  The truth is that you believe that the Bible is true and every other religion is false with no basis at all. You just choose one ball and make up your mind that it's the correct ball with nothing to back it up.

My Reply:

Interesting analogy with the tennis balls. You're right to say that one would have to be the right one, and all the others would be wrong...at least you acknowledge the existence of A truth. That's further than most critics.
But now, in the case of the balls, let's say #24 is the right ball. Christians aren't the ones blindly choosing the balls, everybody else who believes that all the balls are also true are the ones choosing blindly. We Christians believe the right ball has been revealed to us, and so go to pick that ball.
 Now, as for Jesus appearing before tons of people for them all to see: Jesus actually did, only you weren't there to see it. After His resurrection, He appeared to over 500 people at a time (I don't know if they were all clustered in one place or because He's omni present, He appeared in different places). But the point is, we can say, "Oh, well that's what the Bible says." Yeah, but when the apostles preached and wrote their letters about Jesus' resurrection, those 500+ people were still living, and could've disproved their story at any time. But they didn't. In fact, nobody was able to disprove their message, or even prove them wrong. They could only argue with them to confuse their listeners, which they did.
And it's not only Gospel writers who talk about this, but even secular writers of and just after their time have written about the resurrection, the faith, the followers, the beliefs, and the events that go with them.
Basically, if you don't want to believe in anything about Jesus, then base it on the evidence, not personal disbelief. But the evidence all points to Jesus' resurrection.

Check out Josh McDowell's book: "Evidence of Christianity". It's a long read, but no doubt has some of the answers to your questions explained.  Or if you want a shorter book, then check out Lee Strobel’s book, “The Evidence for Christ”.

---Pastor Andy

Trying To Figure Out Reincarnation

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Question:

I have heard non-religious folks say that energy doesn’t come from nothing, and that when you die, it is like your energy is released back into the earth. I think many religions with the belief of "reincarnation" actually share this similar idea...in a way, religions with a belief in reincarnation could be sharing fundamental ideas, because in both, there is some sort of cycle, like a recycling of energy.  In reincarnation, it is believed that the energy or soul, or whatever, is concentrated to "reappear" in another body: human, dog, cricket, etc... but what if the energy is actually released equally to the ground, plants, air, etc? Maybe the idea of reincarnation is partly right. What do you think? Do you think this energy releasing thing that non-religious people believe is similar to the reincarnation belief? Thanks.

My Reply:

Do I believe in reincarnation? No.
Do I believe in resurrection?  Yes, but the 2 are not the same (nor are they close).

Hindus believe in reincarnation in the sense that it's not something to glorify, but something to dread, or an ongoing hell. As I understand it, their hope is to one day stop reincarnating and finally go to whatever they consider to be like heaven or something, and the only way they can do this is by selfish works/deeds. As for things you jump into, that's why they often won't kill roaches or eat cows...because they believe such may be former relatives.

New Agers and the non-religious, on the other side, see reincarnation as something to glorify, a continuous of life in the physical world, like the "spark" or "energy” you mentioned. But in terms of things they jump into, instead of hearing that one was a sacrificed dove or squashed bug, you'll usually hear them say they were somebody of valor (or tragedy) in their "past lives".
I suppose they believe this because they can't (or won't) believe in a spiritual God who wants them to spend (a non-worldly) eternity with Him, who offers salvation freely through grace, should they accept it, versus selfish (or charitable) deeds/works. And though some may in fact believe in a spiritual being who is in charge of the way things work, it's not the Lord.

Christians (meaning those of us who have an intimate relationship with God through Jesus Christ), on the other hand, believe in resurrection. We're told that we'll die physically, but spiritually, we'll go to be with the Lord, and one day in the future, our bodies will be resurrected (but as resurrected bodies), as was Jesus' at His resurrection. We also believe that the Body and Spirit are one, not separate as those who believe in reincarnation believe.

So to reincarnate is to become carnate again...return to life in the physical, fleshy world. I suppose this could also mean plants, for even the Native Americans' religions often talked of the spirits of the trees (though I don't think they believed such were spirits of their ancestors).

But resurrection in the Christian sense is to live again, only in a completely non-fleshy world.  And honestly, among the 2, I suggest focusing your attention on this one.

---Pastor Andy

Why did Abraham make Judaism so hard?

If Abraham had made it a little easier to become Jewish, would Judaism be a great world-wide religion?

For example, if he had omitted the circumcision thing.

My Reply:

It wasn't Judaism back in the days of Abraham, but I know what you mean.

If Abe had omitted anything that God had commanded him to do, then he wouldn't be following God. Actually, Judaism as we know it today isn't anything like "it" was in the days of Abe.
For example, if you'll look at the Patriarchs, their connection with God was based on their relationship with God and faith in Him. The Apostle Paul tells us that God considered Abe righteous through the faith that he had in God, not in keeping with the Law. Granted, they didn't have the Law yet, but God did still require certain behaviors from them, and certain ones, such as circumcision, were more than requirements, they were covenants between God, Abe, and Abe's future children.
Today as Christians, many of us (me in particular) believe that Jesus brought it all around back to how it was in the days of the Patriarchs. We still have standards and expectations that we need to follow, but instead of trying to follow all the laws of Moses, we realize that when in a close relationship with God (through Jesus), we tend to take on (and WANT to take on) God's character and what it means to be His people (and His friends, as the Patriarchs were). 
Most of Judaism today focuses on works, deeds, and tradition. In fact, many get so caught up in all this and their heritage that they don't even believe in God. Orthodox Jews are so caught up in making sure they keep with the law's requirements that they often take God out of the equation, making righteousness fully on their own efforts. 

Heck, if anything, I'd say that "Judaism" in the days of Abe was a whole lot easier than the Judaism that we know today.

---Pastor Andy

Why do atheists attack Christians without merit?

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Question: 

This was actually an answer to a post in Philosophy that surprised me: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;…

Atheists, not scientists, believe its time to end religion. Science never proves or disproves religious origin and all unbiased scientists will cop to that. Only the hard-core atheists use science as evidence for their claims, but they are irrational about it.
The above was a great lead in for:
http://www.deism.com/dogmatic%20atheism.…
Then, a leading atheist, based on science, changes his position.
http://www.biola.edu/antonyflew/flew-int…
There is room for a creator!

My Reply:
I honestly find it odd that Atheists want to get rid of religions altogether, for Atheism seems to have turned into a religion of its own.  Anyway, here's how I understand it all:

It's not that Atheists don't believe, but that they REFUSE to believe in the existence of God...they CHOOSE not to  believe, even when the evidences are staring them right in the face.  (Agnostics are those who just don't know).
But at the same time, we both (Christians and atheists) are out on a mission.
I heard a guy on the radio the other day who said, "When asked if there's anything better than going to heaven, most people say 'no'. But I say 'yes. The one thing that's better than going to heaven is bringing somebody there with you'."  So you see, we Christians are out to introduce people to Jesus, the only one who can save them from death, sin, hell, etc., while atheists are out trying to save them from...(foolishness?) believing in a God that they refuse to believe exists.
I guess you could also look at it in the way that we each witness to people of other faiths. We tell them not of our own opinions, but of Truth, thus trying to persuade them to realize their need to turn  to God and repent.  Atheism, on the other hand, has become a faith that witnesses to people of God-believing faiths with their own opinions about God, trying to persuade them to NOT believe in God at all.
So in the same way that we believe in the urgency of getting the Word out about Jesus, atheists believe in the urgency to "save" people from what they consider as the "foolishness" of believing that God exists.
And so this, I believe, is why they attack us so much...we're “competing” for souls.
In terms of science, I agree that it's mostly about theories. But in trying to prove or disprove God's existence, many scientists have actually become Christians due to the results of their research, especially archaeologists.  So as more and more discoveries are made about the evidences of God's existence, as well as events mentioned in the Bible, atheists may soon have to begin looking for a new source to back up their opinions.

---Pastor Andy

Christianity Borrowed from (Other) Religions?

Question:  What percentage of Christianity do you think is borrowed from older religions and belief systems? Why? Please keep your answer short.

My Reply:

OK, how's this for brief?  NONE of Christianity is "borrowed" from older religions and beliefs.  Although, Christianity is the fulfillment of Judaism, so if you want to consider it as "borrowed", Judaism would be the closest to the answer, I suppose.

---Pastor Andy

Who Really Deserves Eternal Torment?

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Question:  

I am curious as to who in the history of the whole world deserves eternal torment. For this, we will leave Satan out of it. So in other words, "Who really deserves eternal torment besides Satan?" I think Satan is just metaphorical for the side of people that is prone to sin and makes bad decisions, but if you would please leave your religion too because in a way I am making a poll. I won't disrespect your beliefs and I hope you will do the same. I personally don't even think Hitler deserves such torment.

So far in my research, some people said that there is someone in the world that deserves this. So I ask, how do you feel about a human being more forgiving?  If it’s true that God would not forgive someone for his/her sins and I, as a mere mortal, would (and I believe I would be more forgiving, actually, and if you think about it, more just too. Although I am not saying that I am better than God, I want to get that clear right away). Think about this: Have you ever been seriously hurt? If not, think of a time that you were scraped up. Remember the pain…go back to the pain that you endured and then imagine it 10,000,000 times worse and it will never end nor go numb. Think about this. Does anyone deserve that for something as little as not believing?

My Reply:

Who deserves eternal torment?  We all do.  Seriously! I mean, look at us:

• God tells us not to do something and we do it. 
• God tells us to do something and we don't.  
• God calls us to be holy, as He is holy, and we choose to be secular.
• God sends His love, and instead of receiving it, we debate whether God even exists or if His love is sufficient.
• God tells us to make every effort to be at peace with one another, and we choose wars.
• We were given the planet to care for it, and we litter and pollute it.
• We were given authority over the animals, and we abuse them.  
• We were given emotions to feel, and we abuse substances in order to feel numb. 
• God sent His Son and we killed Him. 
• We threw away God's standards and replaced them with our own cultural standards, then complained that God's not fair.  
• And we continue to commit the same sin that Adam & Eve committed that got us here in the first place...we try to live our lives (or certain parts of it) without God. 

Dude, we all deserve eternal torment.  But praise the Lord, He's given us another option! :)

---Pastor Andy

One Way Relationship

Question:  My girlfriend is a different religion from me, and wants me to change my religion.  She says I can't call her because her family doesn't know about me (we're dating secretly because of the religion difference) so I have to wait all day for her to call, just so we can talk.  She also keeps changing her mind about us. Sometimes she's ready to marry me, then she's not. I want kids, she doesn't. She decides when we talk or hang out.  I feel like I am making all the compromises here!  If she keeps changing her mind, I'm afraid she might never agree to marry me. What shall I do?

My Reply:

1. When we come to know Jesus, He made the 1st huge sacrifice by giving up everything He had so we may live. So giving up everything we are in order to come to know Him, follow Him, and become as Him is only fair. Similarly, relationships with people need to be mutually sacrificial. If you're making all the sacrifices and changes, then neither is she ready, nor is she somebody who you need to be with. I'd also suggest asking her if you were somebody she was attracted to in the beginning because of who you are/were, or because of who she envisioned you as being (reality vs. fantasy world).
2. Jesus said in Revelation that He'd prefer we either be hot or cold, but to be warm is gross and he spits such people out of His mouth. Elijah also told the Israelites (1 Kings 18) that they should choose either the Lord or Baal, but they should stop wavering back and forth between each. Jesus also said in Matthew 12 that if somebody's not for Him, they're against Him...there's no fence in between. Similarly, your girlfriend's wavering back and forth is something I'd consider to be a red-flag. She needs to make a choice and stick with her decision. If not, then scrap the relationship. 
3. Changing your religion. If you consider yourself a Christian, then you're not in a religion, but a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. And so to change your "religion" in that case would be like her telling you who you can be friends with, or like telling you that you can't keep your friends (but then maybe she does that already?)
4. She decides when you can talk or hang out...this doesn't sound like a healthy relationship, bro. She may even be seeing other guys on the side (this would explain a lot of what you've already mentioned, such as the wavering between yes and no to your marriage proposal, kids, you making all the compromises, keeping you a secret, etc.). Just the fact that you've stayed with her this long shows you deserve better.
5. Finally, the whole "secret lover" thing hits me the wrong way. I once heard somebody say that if you have to keep the relationship a secret, then you shouldn't be in it.  Plus, just the fact that she insists on keeping you a secret shows that she's nowhere near ready to be in a committed relationship with you.

What should you do? Honestly, what you're in with her is not a healthy relationship.  I'd suggest you get out of it a.s.a.p.

---Pastor Andy

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Religious Polar Opposites?

Question: Are there any religions out there that are polar opposites of each other?

My Reply:

Christianity vs. everything else.

Christianity is about what Jesus has already done to make us right w/ God...it's also about a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It's selfless and communal, for it's about a Kingdom people...the Church.

Everything else (religions) is about what I or you need to do to get right w/God (which is impossible, but people still continue to try). Religions also don't have any sort of relationship with God except like, pee-on vs. big time celebrity under heavy guard, if they even believe in Him at all. And finally, religions are selfish, for they're all about individual righteousness, accomplishments, and being better than others.

---Pastor Andy

Copy Cat Religions

Question:  Christians, how do you explain religions that pre-date Christianity, all having a Christ-like figure? In other words, many figures were born from a virgin, crucified, and resurrected. It's the same story told under a different name! This is documented history...is your religion just a re-telling of an ancient story?

My Reply:
I've heard of some of these stories while talking with a professed-atheist friend of mine, and I'd not only suggest them as "copy-cats" of events in the Bible, but I'd also say that just the fact that such stories even exist shows that so many people, for so long, so strongly desired a savior to come and rescue them from the events of their time.

First of all, we have to remember that Moses predicted Christ's first coming way back, what, 4000-5000 years ago? Then we have Jesus being mentioned in the Psalms, which are thought to have been written about 3000 years ago, Jesus' virgin birth mentioned about 2500 years ago, the prediction of the coming of the Holy Spirit about 2800 years ago...I mean, everything was promised through the prophets of old.

So you figure, the Israelites mingled with other nations, and no doubt shared their prophesies, which gives reason to believe that others may have taken (copied) such stories as their own. But either way, Jesus Christ is the ONLY one to have fulfilled EVERY prophesy about Him, and the ONLY one who was risen from death 3 days later. The Jews admit Jesus lived, died on the cross, and that His tomb was empty 3 days later; the Muslims even acknowledge that Jesus raised up into Heaven; and the Christians (as well as 500+ other people who saw Jesus alive 3 days after they saw Jesus die on the cross at the hands of the Romans) all spread the news.

Also, not many have heard of these other stories you talk of (you don't even have examples or details...sounds more like word of mouth). Yet practically everybody knows of Jesus Christ.



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