Anonymous #2 8w

They are different gods. They command different things so u can’t rly make conclusions on what to actually do with ur life with this thinking

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Anonymous #1 8w

Sure it becomes real for the people believing it, but this doesn’t reflect the ACTUAL truth. When people say their god is supposed to dictate everyone’s actions, changing laws due to their beliefs, what are we supposed to do with that? We can’t just say “ok sure that’s true for u so I’ll let your god tell me what to do”

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Anonymous OP 8w

No all three of them interpret the words of God differently. Literally all three refer to the one God as the God of Abraham and the “origin story” of all the religions remain the same in the Christian Bible, the Torah, and the Quran. That’s simply just a fact.

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Anonymous OP 8w

God condemns those who judges others especially those who aren’t believers. Jesus often called out the religious elite for their hypocrisy.

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Anonymous OP 8w

The only difference between the three religions is their belief in what Jesus represented. The Jews thought he was a heretic. The Muslims thought he was an esteemed prophet. The Christians thought he was the Son of God.

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Anonymous #2 8w

There are some trivial deviations in doctrine, but they remain all pretty consistent. In fact, the first 5 books of the Bible is the Torah and the Quran uses a lot of the same stories mentioned in the Bible.

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Anonymous #2 8w

Sooo, god calls his believers to live a certain way, but don’t tell others to live that way bc that’s judging them? And also he does condemn nonbelievers too, especially those who used to believe and now don’t. So this causes believers of all kinds to try to save / force their beliefs on people who they think are going to hell. God wants that. It’s called spreading the word

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Anonymous #2 8w

U can say these differences are trivial, but these separate interpretations have led to a ridiculously wide range of lifestyles and actions among religious groups. Doesn’t matter if the god itself is the same being when people can interpret its word in such wildly different ways. For all intents and purposes, they are worshipping different gods.

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Anonymous OP 7w

Nah it’s more so cultural adaptations to God’s words. Like Arabian culture is pretty different than Jewish culture, and of course like the Romans spearheaded the Catholic Church. I actually recommend reading the texts of all three. You’ll be surprised by how much it overlaps. It’s just people infuse tradition into the Word of God, and that’s why it appears to be so “drastically different.”

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Anonymous #2 7w

Overlaps…lol, I mean the Torah is EXACTLY the first five books of the Bible, like Jesus was literally a Jewish man. The Bible makes it very clear he was a Jew. The Muslims talk about Hagar, Abraham’s maidservant, and her birth to Ishmael which started the Muslim nation. That story is in all three texts. So it’s very clear it’s the same God. It’s just a matter of how different cultures apply the texts according to their tradition, which Jesus warns about in the New Testament.

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Anonymous #2 7w

Abraham also gave birth to Isaac which started the Jewish nation. That’s why God tells him, his descendants will be as many as the stars above.

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Anonymous OP 7w

No. There’s a difference between judgement and counsel. One is punishment, the other is genuine advice through the lens of love. It is up to the individual to decide whether they want to accept God into their hearts and the Bible makes it very clear we are not to force beliefs onto anyone. Unfortunately, imperialists completely ignored that and twisted his word. In some towns Jesus was rejected, and he NEVER forced them to listen to them. He simply listened, and left the town and let them be.

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Anonymous #2 7w

Sure, but the bottom line of all this is still the threat of hell. Which (understandably) strongly motivates people to “save” the world with their belief system. One example is abortion..the argument that it’s morally wrong is often rooted in religious beliefs. And religious people say you’ll go to hell if u get an abortion, and that it’s murder and evil. But not everyone sees it that way, especially if you dont have a Bible telling you that life begins at conception. This is just 1 example

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Anonymous #2 7w

I understand all this, and yeah sure we can say it’s the same god in that sense. But effectively what we have today is different gods with similar histories. And going back to the original post, i still think it’s valid to say “the Christian god”, as opposed to the version of god that Judaism/ Islam worship.

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Anonymous OP 7w

The Bible literally says in Exodus if an injured pregnant woman is hit and the baby dies, the abuser’s penalty is a fine, but if the woman dies, it’s considered “life for a life” penalty. Additionally, there’s no verse in the Bible that says those who get an abortion are going to hell. Science tells you life begins at conception. The Bible says the soul is created at conception but that doesn’t mean the fetus has the same status as a human. The fetus’s soul will be in heaven.

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Anonymous OP 7w

The threat of hell is not what should compel a believer to come to Christ. Unfortunately, that’s the narrative that has been pushed. The belief in Jesus, who represents perfect love and goodness and truth should be what compels. Also, God is the final judge, so it’s not as black and white as other people might frame it to be.

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Anonymous OP 7w

I’ll give u the point though that hell motivates people to save others, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with sharing beliefs as long as it’s not forced upon someone.

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Anonymous OP 7w

It would be better to rephrase the question to “Are you a Christian” then. What we have today are not “different gods” but three doctrines that interpret the words from “The God of Abraham” differently.

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Anonymous #2 7w

At the end of the day, the idea of hell IS black and white. You either are tortured for eternity, or you are in some state of joy for eternity. That’s it. And for people who believe in this kind of reality, it is very scary to imagine their loved ones going to hell. So beliefs are continuously pushed onto people, through fear of literal torture. You can say that it’s not what god intended, but that is the real and logical conclusion brought about by the threat of hell.

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Anonymous OP 7w

And with all the abortion stuff- why don’t you tell that to the pro life movement? That maybe a chill pill needs to be taken? That the Bible doesn’t say all this stuff they preach? It’s hypocritical

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Anonymous OP 7w

The idea of hell is not black and white actually. The Bible is a little vague in terms of how many types of hell and what each one entails. Additionally, there wouldn’t be a judgment day if the path to paradise or hell was so black and white. Beliefs shouldn’t be pushed through the lens of torture but yes, I agree with you that unfortunately a lot of Christians do force it upon people even though God tells them not to. Jesus warns a lot about those who call themselves “Christians” but…

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Anonymous #2 7w

If that’s the most widely accepted definition then I can switch to that !

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Anonymous OP 7w

…do not follow his teachings.

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Anonymous OP 7w

Babes I am trying 😭😭 I’m just a girl, I’m not the pope 💀people just assume stuff and don’t actually read the Bible but like to claim they’re super devout and pious.

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Anonymous OP 7w

It’s the most historically and theologically correct definition, though most people probably interpreted it through your thought process.

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Anonymous #2 7w

Real^ that last one

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Anonymous OP 7w

But I still maintain that the idea of hell itself is black and white, and ridiculous. There are literally only 2 options, which boil down to infinite happy or infinite agony. All based on what, some pretty vague stuff as you’re putting it. A book which has been interpreted a million different ways. You’d think, with the gravity of the situation, god would’ve been clear in their guidance on how to get the good option. God would’ve known how many millions of people would misinterpret it

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Anonymous OP 7w

I went to 12 years of catholic school, and the teaching my entire life was, Hell is complete torture and agony. So you better stay in Catholicism, bc hell is the only other option. And it’s just so so beautiful and loving that God is saving us from this hell he created….It’s simply so fucked up that this is being taught. And I believed it for so so long

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Anonymous OP 7w

God DID make it clear the guidance on how to get the good option. He made it extremely clear: faith in Jesus Christ. He did not make it clear for those who don’t believe because that’s not the point, but I get what you’re saying.

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Anonymous OP 7w

Catholicism has been known to twist Biblical doctrine from the original text, ex. praying to Mary, hence the Protestant Reformation…

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Anonymous #2 7w

Also God makes it very clear that there exists no human authority anymore who determines “new doctrine” so I respect the pope but I don’t see him as someone whose ideas I submit to.

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Anonymous #2 7w

My other gripe w that- god supposedly created us as intelligent smarty pant humans, he values our intellect, yet, for the most important decision of our life, we need to have faith. Faith in a story, and a highly fractured religion, based on ancient texts, with no real continuing evidence. If this was the truth, it would be completely evident and obvious in all aspects of life and in science. Don’t create me to be a logical human if my salvation depends on faith (aka abandoning logic)

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Anonymous #2 7w

That’s what you say, as a Protestant lol? Like this is where it becomes a headache, god supposedly created this religion for us to get to heaven, yet everyone has different ideas of what is true. It’s too messy for me to take seriously atp

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Anonymous OP 7w

There would not be a hell if the devil did not fall from grace and seek to destroy mankind. There is a ton of evidence that points to God, though God is outside the system, so he can give you as much information as you’d like, but it’s up to you and the end of the day to believe. It’s not that hard to believe. It’s very easy. It doesn’t mean you can’t doubt or not have questions, in fact God invites questioning, but at the end of the day you just gotta have faith and that’s enough.

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Anonymous OP 7w

Yeah it’s a lot to handle. I was in your position too at one point in my life as I was studying the Bible, but God makes it incredibly clear. Humans are imperfect and twist to fit their own wants and needs, and it causes headache for the rest of us

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Anonymous OP 7w

I’m not a Protestant lmao, but that’s part of the reason why the Protestant reformation happened, because the Catholic Church was twisting biblical doctrine and being extremely hypocritical.

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Anonymous #2 7w

And god just allowed satan to do that, for the plot I guess, introducing unimaginable amounts of human suffering into the world, bc that will allow us to find god through it all and prove we ~love him~. Totally necessary…if god created literal reality, he knew satan was gonna rebel, he knew evil was gonna exist, then he created evil too. For what? There is no good answer. Does suffering really need to exist in order for us to love god? Of course not.

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Anonymous OP 7w

Ah you make a good point, but I have to ask would it truly be free will if angels and humans were not given the choice to do good or evil?

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Anonymous OP 7w

And I actually find Christianity very hard to believe, although it used to be the most natural thing to me. Growing up being taught only about Jesus, and this god, of course it’s easy to believe. But having learned more about natural history, human history, psychology, sociology, etc etc, it is much much harder to restrict my mind to this one religion and simply have faith. I see it now as one of many religions that humans have created bc it’s in our nature. And that’s a beautiful thing still

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Anonymous OP 7w

Why said you have to restrict your mind? God told us to be knowledgeable, to be scholars. Religion does not contradict science, but gives you meaning and understanding of the absolute truths that build this universe. When you understand how the world and universe works, you are understanding the mind of God.

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Anonymous #2 7w

who*

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Anonymous #2 7w

If evil never existed, if we weren’t biologically wired to do “evil” things, why would we be tempted toward it? Also I don’t believe that anyone has 100% free will anyway, but that’s beside the point. My point is that evil, suffering never HAD to exist for us to love god and get through this life.

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Anonymous OP 7w

We’re tempted toward it because of the devil, and currently he is the “god” of this world who tries to stir up trouble, violence, and confusion among the human population. It never had to exist, though God gave us the ability to choose.

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Anonymous #2 7w

This is how I saw god before I left Christianity, it is the universe, nature, everything good and bad, the awe of existence. And I still feel drawn to the spirit of existence or whatever u wanna call it. It’s just now, I don’t call it the Christian, abrahamic god. I don’t assume it thinks, or interacts with us, or is humanlike, or is conscious. I don’t need to assign it to a religion. Bc I don’t think this spirit of existence exists outside the human mind. It’s a reflection of our ability to

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Anonymous OP 7w

appreciate beauty and have awe for the universe. That’s how I see it now

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Anonymous OP 7w

You absolutely don’t need to assign it to a religion. That’s why I’m non-denominational. I can’t stand a lot of religious environments. I read the Bible and interpret it for myself. That’s an amazing and very valid way to look at it and I also see God like that. He is the Universe, he is within all of creation, he is the beginning and the end, he is eternal. He even says “I am who I am.” I get you and I really empathize. It’s really tough out here, but don’t let it get you down.

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Anonymous OP 7w

I can see you’re really trying to understand and honestly wanted to thank you for such an insightful, rich theological discussion. I am praying for you ❤️

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Anonymous #2 7w

I’m glad you’ve found a way that works for you!!, but I personally don’t see a need to follow a Bible that says a bunch of contradictory stuff, or please my parents who are very Catholic, just to connect to my awe of existence. To me those two things have become very separate in my mind. Although in the past, the Christian god was the most easy accessible way to understand this awe. But now, I’m very proud of where I’ve gotten to in my beliefs, and it never gets me down

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Anonymous #2 7w

Yes def, I am deeply interested in this topic, I think about these things every day, so I’m glad we were able to have a respectful convo, wishing u the best

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Anonymous OP 7w

Very proud of you for making decisions for yourself and trying to actually find the truth, not just to “please authority” or see religion as a “chore.” God loves those who genuinely seek him, and I wish you well on your spiritual journey. 💕💕💕

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Anonymous #3 7w

yeah, it’s kind of an interesting philosophical question. If one singular god exists, matching a religious interpretation or otherwise, I personally would find it reasonable to consider the praise of all 3 to be at least partially directed towards it, even if their interpretation is wrong

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Anonymous #4 7w

however that’s a different thing from specifying “the christian god”, as I would consider that to include most of the ideas that christianity has about this hypothetical being

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