He had his points and I had a duty to uphold (to a certain extent; defend) my faith. His points were strong and I was nearly left scrambling for what was left with what i merely had to say.
To me religion is something personal. It is the relationship between God and yourself.
He, my friend, thinks religion is holding us back and curbing us; confining us with something we cannot see nor grasp, a state of mind that most non-believers feel that all is man made. To them; We believers believe what we want to believe and it is all played and hyped up by our minds.
He had his points. I couldn't say much because i personally feel everyone feels the Almighty differently. It defers from one to another. One's relationship with the Lord is unique, and everyone experiences His presence differently.
I have felt Him in more ways than one, but others might say this is just me making myself believe so. But like i said earlier..I BELIEVE, because I just know. It is a hard concept to comprehend if you have not experienced it. No one will believe you when you say it out loud and one cannot use logic to explain it.
I don't blame them, cause if you dont believe you just don't, and i respect that.
Alright i'm beating around the bush and creating loop/trap holes for myself.
Regardless, after that conversation, i just felt something was bothering me. I did not stand up for my beliefs as i should have. I have a strong faith but weak in knowledge and lack in confidence in this field.
I picked up the bible, randomly flipped a page and started reading.. and this was what i read;
When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up to the mountain.
He sat down and His disciples gathered around Him.
Then He spoke and began to teach them:
Fortunate are those who are poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Fortunate are those who mourn, they shall be comforted,
Fortunate are the gentle, they shall possess the land,
Fortunate are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied.
Fortunate are the merciful, for they shall find mercy.
Fortunate are those with a pure heart, for they shall see God.
Fortunate are those who work for peace, they shall be called children of God.
Fortunate are those who are persecuted for the cause of justice, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Fortunate are you, when people insult you and persecute you and speak all kinds of evil against you because you are my followers.
Be glad and joyful, for great reward is kept for you in God.
Matthew 5:1-12
He sat down and His disciples gathered around Him.
Then He spoke and began to teach them:
Fortunate are those who are poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Fortunate are those who mourn, they shall be comforted,
Fortunate are the gentle, they shall possess the land,
Fortunate are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied.
Fortunate are the merciful, for they shall find mercy.
Fortunate are those with a pure heart, for they shall see God.
Fortunate are those who work for peace, they shall be called children of God.
Fortunate are those who are persecuted for the cause of justice, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Fortunate are you, when people insult you and persecute you and speak all kinds of evil against you because you are my followers.
Be glad and joyful, for great reward is kept for you in God.
Matthew 5:1-12
This is why i believe. I have experienced Him in ways i cannot clearly explain. All i hope for is; You respect that i have beliefs and i respect your beliefs.
I just want to make it clear that i have no intentions of converting nor instilling my beliefs in you, but i just want understanding, respect and harmony.
I just want to make it clear that i have no intentions of converting nor instilling my beliefs in you, but i just want understanding, respect and harmony.
(a tribute to waylunn for making this possible. without this bible, this would not be possible)
10 comments:
Then again, it might not be fair to say that atheist have not experienced what you have experienced which is why they can't comprehend it. An atheist and a believer might have experienced exactly the same feeling/experience; they just attributed it to different things.
I hope that was comprehensible. It's similar to say, two people who survived an accident which statistically has a 1/200 survival rate. One of them attributed it to the touch of God. The other, thinks it was pure luck. They experienced and felt the same thing but both differ in their views.
No offence meant. I hate dabbling in religion with friends because too many people are way too sensitive about religion.
TYYYY!!!
no no..none taken.
Hence like i said in the post, it all boils down to what you believe in. something like what you said; experience it differently? I'm fine with people having different beliefs and i respect that.
All i ask for is that similar respect and not undermining my beliefs. that's all.
Hey Nicholas,
Jesus loves you. Don't let the devil tell you otherwise. :)
Wise words from a wise 'man'. hahaha.
Vanessa love,
what's with "nicholas"? It sounds and looks weird when you write it down. It doesnt sound weird when i hear you saying it though..hmmm
YES! OMG i have those exact words written in a note in my bible by this wise "dude"..lol
just that the word devil is substituted with satan.
missing you loads love..
"Jesus loves you" always reminds me of:
http://autocompleteme.com/2009/11/23/signs-of-a-co-dependant-relationship/
and
http://autocompleteme.com/2010/02/05/better-safe-than-sorry/
Hopefully that isn't disrespectful. It IS FUNNAY!
Oh yes, and mutual respect is important. Though that does not mean criticism should be silenced, as long as it is done respectfully.
And a healthy debate is also often helpful. I would suppose that your friend gave you some food for thought which perhaps made you think deeper about your faith and hence improved your understanding of it. (Such a deed cannot be a work of the devil.)
Should I get a Blackberry? I can get a new phone in 3 months. Have you seen the Blueberry in Malaysia? HAHAHAHA!
I am one person who adores the blackberry cause;
1. it looks very professional
2. very business like
BUT i have to admit the iphone is a better deal. i hate the touch screen but browsing and what nots are way cooler and more user friend.
i would say the only up side of bb is the keypad=)
Vanessa... i m the new devil now... =( sniff...
Thanks for making the decision harder. Haha
But I'm not a fan of the iPhone. I was thinking for of Nokia E71. It has the BB keypad too. Reason being I am more familiar with the Symbian OS that Nokia uses. Do you get cool programs with the BB?
Okay, I know this is a bit late, but well said nicholas. Couldn't have put it better in any other way. =)
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