Thank you for your sanity. People are so misguided to believe that there's an invisible man in the sky who watches alll of us all day and every day and listens to trillions of prayers. I'm a cancer survivor and if, there is a God, I thank him for allowing me to be near one of the best hospitals in the world with the best doctors.
It pains me to hear comments like this. Not because people aren't free to make their own decisions, but because, in my experience, there is generally a real lack of intellectual curiosity from people saying it. A few points:
- Unless someone is ready to make the argument that Jesus Christ is NOT the most documented/studied human being to ever live than you would have to concede that his life, death, and resurrection all have evidence to support such. His lineage is also recorded all the way back to Adam. No other God or alternate religion includes a resurrection on earth of it's primary focus (Jesus Christ). The alternative to creation has far less evidence to support it. Try to find a solid argument about how life sustaining water made it's way to earth and is kept on earth.
- From a medical standpoint, the early hospitals and medical schools in US were started by Christians. Even today look at the hospitals in most areas and you will find just how many have Christian foundations. Many of the others have their basis at universities....also founded by Christians. Here is a brief history of earliest in US:
https://www.equip.org/articles/christianity-and-the-origins-of-hospitals-and-modern-medicine/The advances in western medicine through Christian foundings and education of medical professionals have led to advances in medicine that are unprecedented along with access to such advances for the non elite classes. The cancer you survived today may not have been curable if not for these advances.
- I'm quite sure there were people who reached out to you when going through your issues that offered prayers and other forms of love and I doubt you took the time to discount the impact of their beliefs.
- The first Beatiutude in Mathew, Ch 5 (first bk of new testament) as part of the sermon on the mount is "God blesses those who are poor (in spirit) and realize their need for him"...This is the foundation. The world is created in a way that we need God. God offers redemption from sin (intentional alienation from God) through Christ only. Accept that Christ died despite being blameless so that we could be made right with God. Doing so allows you to overcome our individual and the world's greatest obstacle: death. God promises a new world without the negatives of this world. A glorious existence with unbound love and happiness. There is a reason most feel that they "don't fit in here" or are never really happy or fulfilled here. It is because earth is not your home.
- Happy for a anyone who survives health and other issues but I humbly ask anyone who considers themselves a non-believer to read the entire new testament from start to finish. Today the new living translation is easy to read and follow. A chapter a day is a good start and will take 5 minutes a day. As you do so, right down any questions you have and ask those you would consider strong believers to answer them whenever you feel as if you are ready to ask (or feel free to PM me). Pray in any way you can and ask for wisdom and understanding. Don't expect immediate results. All relationships are a process. Also don't expect complete clarity, there are things withheld from us for our own good and some clarity takes longer than others. If you do that and still don't believe than at least you can say that you attempted to do the work. Other than praying, reading the word is the next best way to reach out to God. "Seek and ye shall find". "Ask and ye shall receive". "Knock and the door shall be opened". God/Jesus love you. try loving them back.
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