11 Reasons I am a Christian

I recently read a post off of tumbler entitled Ten Reasons I'm an Atheist,  and this post is based off of it. Basically I am taking there comments and commenting off of it. You can find the whole article I read here. Please go read it, so you can see both views fully. I will put the first part of each of there comments on my post to let you know where I am coming from. I would like to really quickly say that this article is not meant to offend anyone, so please don't read it like that. It isn't even meant to convert anyone; I am just giving out my beliefs, and would like you to consider it with a truly open mind.
 
  I would like to take a moment to explain what being a Christian means to me just because so many people call themselves Christians but have totally different beliefs. I believe that everything written in the Bible (versions such as KJV, NIV, ect.) is God's word to us. I also believe that the only way we can reach God is through His son, Jesus Christ who was fully man and fully God, and came to earth to pay the penalty for our sins. With that in mind here are ten reasons I believe that Christianity is true. 

1.

  If we truly had one creator speaking to prophets, it would do so consistently, not contradictory as thousands of different religions have proven.

   Every prophecy written in the Old Testament has been completely accurate. The only prophecies in the  New Testament that have not been fulfilled are the ones about the end times, and since time is still going on then there is no reason that they should be fulfilled yet. Why does God no longer give out prophecies? It is because he has already told us everything we need to know, and that is in His word. If there were still prophecies that God was telling prophets, then the bible wouldn't be complete.
  Other religions may claim to have prophets, and those prophets may make mistakes, but the Bible warns about false prophets, and there are a lot out there.

   2

 “Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then He is not omnipotent. Is He able, but not willing? Then He is malevolent. Is He both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is He neither able nor willing? Then why call Him God?” – Epicurus

   God could prevent evil, if he wanted to, but although he hates sin, he will not force us to stop doing it. Here is why. Say you created a Robot to love you. It would do everything that you wanted, perfectly. But because you programmed it to do that it was programmed to do serve you it would never be real love, no matter how much you loved it. So God allows us the choice to love and obey him, or to not love and disobey him. He didn't want to create robots, so he gave us self will. 

3

  
It is better to find your own answers and make an educated decision, than to intentionally remain uneducated and make a fearful one.

  The above statement basically says that there is no absolute truth. If there is only one answer, but everyone is looking for "their own" answers, everyone will be wrong. My decision of Christ is not based off the fear of hell, it is based off evidence I see all around me. Evidence such as that nothing blowing up, such as a big bang, has ever pushed molecules together to create any form of life, in fact every explosion I have ever heard of tears things apart and destroys them. Also, I have never seen (currently or historically) evidence of one species becoming another species. It's not happening today, or we would have seen it and every fossil they come up with has been proven a mistake or a fraud. When I look around I see intelligent design, the world had to be created by something of some intelligence, it's to complicated to be be random chance. I also people having a sense of morality. All cultures have some sense of right and wrong, that only makes sense if we were designed to be "good" by a sinless, perfect Creator, and if He created us to know him, then I want to. That is some of the evidence I have for my beliefs, none of those reasons include fear but they do include evidence and logic.

  

   4

 
    If I were to astonishingly find myself face to face with a supreme being, I would expect to be judged on my life as a humanist, and how I treated others, (just as most Christians plan to be judged on character, not on the actual Ten Commandments) . . .

   

  This statement is not well researched because if you call yourself a Christian and expect God to judge your right to be let into heaven on whether or not you followed the ten commandments, you aren't really a Christian. All throughout the book of Romans we are told that the law was given to us to show us how bad of sinners we are. No one can keep the full ten, let alone one, when put to God's standard (even looking at someone with lust is adultery). God will not let you into heaven if you even break one. That's how Christians are different from every other religion we don't base our salvation on works. God gave us a way out of the punishment we deserve, by allowing someone else to pay it for us. The only reason Jesus could die when we deserved it, was because he never sinned. All God requires of us is to accept the sacrifice of Jesus and believe that he is God. Our works mean nothing.

       5

   Even though all religions exist, there is no such scientific evidence that will favor any one of them. . . Religious followers all the time ask atheists to prove the non-existence of God but are in a fix when asked to prove the existence of God. . .

  I will not defend any other religions, but if you think that the Bible is not backed up by science, read Job. Keep in mind this book was written before scientists really existed and yet it talks about the water cycle, water currents, the earth being round, and so many other things. I have already mentioned some of the ways I know God exists, such as intelligent design and morality, and there are many others, like the accuracy of the Bible and the survival of the Bible. It's just many people don't really look at the facts honestly, and say they are irrelevant.

             6

 It amazes me on the amount of time religious followers spend in supporting their beliefs. They pray, chant, preach, sing hymns, bow, mumble, kneel, make unnatural movements with their bodies. . . But is there any evidence that these activities promote the personal well-being of a person and give positive results? The answer is no. . .

   I do praise my God. I do pray to him, I read the bible, I go to church to worship him in song, and to listen to the message. What good does it do me? Honestly, none. But if my God created me and I chose to go my own way, yet he still loved me enough to send his son to die for me, so that I wouldn't have to go to hell, although I deserve it, then I want to spend my life praising him. Nothing I do hurts other people, all I do is praise my God for what He has done. 

          7

I will not follow any laws or rules which teach rape, murder, and evil and to follow blindly without questioning. 

   Christianity tells us to obey the Bible, God's word, which says that rape, murder, and any evil is wrong. Also God does not ask us to follow blindly, he gives reasons for us to do as He commands. Reason one being what he did for us, other reasons being because he wants what is best for us, and by following His commands we are living the way he created us to live. I'd like to note that although this person does not believe God exists they still have a sense of morality. 

8

 I always strive for the truth, and anything that hinders me from doing so I cannot put my trust in. . .

  

  Another thing that God has instilled in us as humans is the desire for truth. Truth is absolute. The same yesterday, today, and forever. If there is no absolute truth then that is an absolute truth, and therefore there is absolute truth.we shouldn't put our trust in things that are not true. That is why I have put my trust in God and His word. I see nothing else that is true.

   

  9

 What I have seen religion do to people horrifies me. Everything from people strapping bombs to their chest to murdering innocent people.

  That is not Christian, as I have mentioned before, before He left earth Christ commissioned us to tell people about him, not to kill people. Also we are to live our lives for God, we are not to kill ourselves. Some religions are like that, and that is very sad. But that is direct rebellion against God to murder or commit suicide.

10

 Reading Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Charles Darwin, Bill Maher and having conversations with my step-dad, my high school Biology teacher and many more amazingly smart people.

Talking/ reading  things from "smart people" is great. I honestly believe Darwin was a genius, with his theory of micro-evolution (very different from macro-evolution), but even smart people can be wrong. I also have read a lot of science stuff, and have had good conversations about science and Christianity. I even listened to a debate with Bill Nye, and I learned things from it. But all the evidence that I have seen for both sides leaves me to believe that God exists and the Bible is true. 

 11

 My eleventh reason is not derived from the post. 

  I am a Christian because I see what a horrible person I am. I understand I can't reach God on my own, and I desperately want to. So I accepted the gift of Jesus taking my place, and because of that His blood covers my sins and I am clean before God. I can be with my Creator, and the Creator of everything. That is all there is to being a Christian. It is the most amazing thing I have ever done. 

So those are my 11 reasons.

  I would love to talk with you if you have questions or comments, but I urge you to really think about this. In fact, if you really want to know whether or not God is real I challenge you to the 30 day experiment. Read the Bible everyday for an hour for 30 days, starting with John. Pray that God will show you the truth. 

  Here are some more  resources, if you're curious,

  Again, please comment with anything you have. I would love to hear it.

  

Book of the Day- Divergent by Veronica Roth

 Book of the day:

Divergent by Veronica Roth.
  This was a really good book. The plot is exciting, thrilling, the whole edge of your seat thing. No kidding, It was a great book. Everyone knows it is going to be a movie soon, and my opinion of that is, Hollywood is evil, they will ruin it, but the book is so good, the movie will still be pretty good.

  I recommend this book for anyone who's into books with action. Actually, you should just read it, and figure out what you think.

  The rest of the series is not half as good as Divergent. Roth brings in poorly written love stories, a confusing plot twist (seriously confusing), and a very unexpected, and unnecessary ending (at least it clears up the poor love story.) But even though some people say not to read the series because after the first book the go down hill, I still think it's worth it.

  Happy reading.
  New post every Friday. Follow me please!
 

Euroquest

  If you are a writer, then you've dreamed about going to Europe, or at least traveling. If you're a Christian, you've probably at least thought about going on a missions trip. That what Euroquest is, a missions trip to Europe.(Surprise!)

  I want to go to Europe this summer with Royal Servants. Obviously this is expensive, and I can't do it a lone. I know that you don't know me, you have no idea who I am, but I do ask that if you want to see the truth of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection spread around the world you would go to the link at the bottom of the page and contribute.
  If you can't afford it, but are still a Bible-believing Christian, I ask that you would please pray that if it's God's will I can make the money.

  (There is more info about the trip, and specifically my reasons for wanting to go at my gofundme page.) Here is the link. http://www.gofundme.com/7pohlk

  Thank you.
 Subscribe to my blog if you want, and feel free to comment, with any questions you might have, I'll try my best to answer them.

Pros and cons of People watching

I am sure you are wondering (or maybe you're not) what people watching actually is. People watching is simply watching people usually in public places such as malls, or bus stops, for  various reasons, the number one being that you are a stalker, or a creep, but not everyone participates in this sport for those reasons. Another reason to people watch is if you are an actor, a psychologist, or like I am a writer. Watching people can teach you a lot.

  So that brings us to our first pro.
   1)Watching people can teach you a lot. No matter what the reason you enjoy watching people, from your artistic pursuits, to your mother shopping for her fourteenth pair of heels, after you've already tried them all on (watching because you're bored), you can learn from watching. Such as learning how people react to a certain situation, how people dress, walk, and the way people convey their emotions.

  2) People watching is a good way to pass the time. Everyone knows people are interesting, so instead of breathing over someones back trying to get them to hurry up, why not sit and watch some people? It's like a reality tv show, only it's actually reality.

 3) People watching can inspire  you. This is kind of the same as learning, but it's not quite the same. Over-hearing half a phone conversation, or watching a guy help a girl up after tripping (shame on you for not being the one to help) could totally jump start you're next novel!

Of course, there are cons to every good thing, and this good thing has one as well. Here is the single con of people watchng.
  1) Someone might think you are a stalker, and call the cops on you, adding long hours of paper work that could have been spent using all the ideas you had gotten from watching the person who tried have you thrown in jail.

  I of course believe the risks are worth it. So go into the world and watch people!

  Please follow me! simply hit the button in the upper left, or/and subscribe via email. Comments and thoughts are welcome! New blog out every Friday!

Who Are You?

  My experience with pageantry, and well, life in general has taught me that you really need to know who you are. The world admires people who know who they are. 
 
  So how do you even find out something like that? How do you "get to know yourself" ? One thing is to listen to people. What do they say about you? Christy is a sweetheart. If everyone says that than it's probably true. So you know your nice. People say a lot, like just randomly, and if you're listening you can find out a lot. "Ask Randi, she know a lot about hair." Randi is obviously classy. "I wish Kira were here, she would brighten the mood." Kira is uplifting.

  This works in reverse too. You can find out a lot about your bad traits. like I'm really nice, but I hate to take compliments. I've learned both these things from others talking. Did I think I was nice, not really. Did I think it was a big deal that I never accepted compliments? No, but now I know there is such a thing as too humble. Even if I don't agree I can just thank them.

  By knowing who I am, I can make those traits bigger (or smaller) and become more of an individual. T
 
 I love this quote thing, it's so true, have a personality, and don't copy others. You'll be happier.

 Please follow me whether its through the follow button, or email subscription. Next week I'm going to post about the pros and cons of people watching!

The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

  Everyone has had cancer effect their lives, and you've probably already read a book or two on cancer. This book goes way deeper than the other cancer books I've read. It asks the deepest question known to man, what is our purpose?

  John Green is one of the most elegant writers that I've read in a long time, he can describe things in a few sentences just as good as another author would take four. His characters were painstakingly real, and his plot was simply heart-breaking. But he missed it.
 
  According to his characters the purpose of life is to have our best life now, and to hope that at the end we liked our choices, and maybe if we are really lucky someone will remember us.

I know there is more than that, and if you read a different book, with an open mind, I'm sure that you will agree that the point of this life is preparation for something bigger, so much bigger and more beautiful. If you read this book with an open heart, you will know the answer to the age old question, the question that separates humans from animals, what is the purpose of life?

 If you really want to know the answer read this book, the Bible (I suggest NIV). Don't roll your eyes. Just read it with an open mind. I have a purpose, and when I die, I know what will happen. Do you know for sure?

Treasured Trash

  Everyone knows the saying that someone's trash is another man's treasure. I have a full box of another man's "trash" but it is in fact treasure to me.

   The box that holds them, laying in dust under my dresser, is the kind of box one would expect to find treasures in. Pale green, with a silver, metal clasp on it. Very pretty, very simple. It's the kind of box I love to open, because I would want to know what was inside. It's the kind the kind of box that needs you to put something special in it.

  So what, you must be wondering (or not) is in this box, that means so much to me? Memories fill it. Have you ever noticed how you're most precious memories, the most treasured things you have, are the things that least matter to anyone else? Your memories are rarely appreciated by a stranger, as the would appreciate money, or food, but yet my memories are really more important than all the money in the world. They are even more important than, dare I say it, than chocolate sweets. I had to say it, I dared myself.

  One memory is represented by a heart shaped, metal hair clip, its red sparkly covering now chipping. It was given to me by a boy I never meant. He was my brother's pen pal, he lived in another country, Kazakhstan, and he sent me the clip, telling my brother that I was beautiful, although he had never seen me, nor I him. The memory is so precious to me, and to you it may amuse for two minutes, it may touch your heart for three, but you will forget soon, because it is my treasure, but it is not yours.

  Another memory is represented by an ugly little doll, who I once thought to be beautiful, with purple hair, and huge eyes of the same color. She was my favorite toy when I was young, if she was not in my hand she was sitting on my dresser, watching over me in the way only a toy could. This little toy is a reminder of my sweet, and quickly fleeting childhood.

  My box of treasure has many other things as well, postcards, from a family vacation; a yellow bracelet, made by my favorite soccer coach; a candy wrapper, from missionaries who went to Israel; all these things, these memories, are my "other man's trash," but some of my deepest treasures.

Hello

This will be my first post on my blog, so I'm going to introduce myself.
  I'm a sparkly kind of girl who loves pageants, writing, drama (the on stage kind) and just about any form of public speaking possible.
 
  My hopes for this blog is just to share some of my writing and thoughts with the world. I plan on having a new blog up every Friday, so stop by next Friday.
 
  I have no reason for this picture, other than it is absolutely awesome. Makes you think... why is the fish jumping? Leaving everything it knew to go to a strange place? Why is it different? Will the others ever follow?