I Wish Things Were Simpler

I know some people will have a problem with this but to each their own, this is my personal wish: I wish everyone believed in God and feared him because that would solve all the worlds problems. If everyone believed in God and not only believed, but feared him and loved him there would be no murder, no hate, no violence, no judgment of others. People always talk about world peace but God has always been the answer to that. It would only work though if you fear God and love him. It is not enough to just say you believe in him. When you fear him and love him you will want to do good for him. You will try your best and take it seriously. You will have strength to turn from evil desires and he will be your enfluence. Just as you spend so much time with someone you begin to behave like them, if we spend enough time with God you will begin to behave like him in all the ways that he allows.

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BlueDiver · 41-45, M

I understand that the Christian end-game is for this to happen - but... I think that the best way to put it is that the way to reach that goal doesn't lie in trying to push others or the world toward that end-game. It's paradoxical and counter-intuitive, but I think that the path toward that goal lies in nurturing love and acceptance in your own heart. It lies in learning to love and accept the sinner and the nonbeliever, instead of trying to convert them. In letting go of the desire to bring people into the flock, so that you can better step into their world and make a difference there. I can't explain this in any way that isn't a little bit mystical, but the truth is that the more that you let go of the desire to convert people - truly let go of it, rather than just suppressing it or keeping it quiet for the sake of trying to accomplish something - then the more people will convert themselves, which at the end of the day is the only way that conversion ever really happens.

Miracle23 · 31-35, F

I do not want to convert people. I want them to seek and find God on their own, because only then will they truly know him for themselves rather than just believe because someone told them to or they were raised that way. To have a strong bond with God you must know him for yourselves, and I don’t think theres anything wrong with wanting the best for people and God is what’s best for everyone.@BlueDiver

BlueDiver · 41-45, M

I was mistaken then - looking at your comment and back at your story, I can see that in all likelihood you weren't trying to convert people, you were trying to nurture a desire for God so that people might find their way to Him.

You say that God is what's best for everyone. That's one of the biggest problems with the Christian perspective - this idea that the Christian perspective and the Christian path are objectively true and right, and that all other perspectives and paths are objectively wrong, because they're not the path that God wants us to take.

It leaves no room for other perspectives - for other people's beliefs. If you leave no room for their beliefs, then they're not going to leave any room for yours. If you can't go 5 sentences without talking about God being the way, then no one's going to listen to any of it.

I think that the best way to put it is that it's good to grow as a person, it's good to help others, it's good to improve your life, and (from the Christian perspective) it's good to find God. But the more that you focus on the 4th item on that list, the more it marginalizes and demeans the value of the first 3 (and any other good things that have nothing to do with finding God). It's like - yeah, you did those good things, but you don't believe in God, which is the thing that really matters.

And I know that you're not saying that anything besides finding God has no value - but by focusing so heavily on it, you... leave little room for the rest. I don't know any better way to explain it except to say that I've known Christians - some quite well - who approach God in very different ways, and from what I've seen, there's extraordinary power in completely accepting other people's very non-Christian perspectives as being legitimate, without any effort to convert them or reminders that God's path is the way or talk about how God is best for everyone or anything of the sort.

It's like that often-misquoted judge not lest ye be judged thing - about casting the mote out of your own eye before casting the mote out of your brother's eye. From everything that I've seen and experienced, I believe that both your own relationship with God, and your ability to help others to find a relationship with Him, are born almost entirely out of letting His Grace (or your own unconscious mind, from my more secular perspective) help you to cast the motes out of your own eyes.

Miracle23 · 31-35, F

It isn’t about “christian perspectives” being right, at least it shouldn’t be. It should be all about God. Simply God and leaving the pride and boasting about “who’s religion is better” aside. I admit some christians don’t even act like christians and for them, its all about themselves being right, and judging others who do not believe in God, or even if you do believe in God but do not go to church they’ll judge you just for not going to church. I am not one of those christians. I will not judge you if you do not believe or if you need to take time to find him in your own way. But I’d be lying of I said I don’t think God is the best thing for everyone. He is who will give you strength when you are weak. And I mean very weak; when you’ve had an awful life and you don’t wanna go on living anymore more than friends and family talking you out of a suicide attempt again, more than masking your pain with drugs and alcohol, more than cutting or numbing yourself he will give you true strength. He loves us so much despite all we do and I understand that each person needs to experience that love for themselves in order to understand it, but at the same time I don’t understand how one could know somebody loves them unconditionally and choose not to love them back. He will help a person stay grounded and patient, and righteous, sinning less if they stay close to him, allowing him to be their influence. He gives us so many blessings and with him all you have to do is ask him for something and you will recieve it. And that is just to name a few. I respect even those who do not believe as a person but in my opinion God is whats best for everyone because he’s God and he can provide us with anything we need and so much love, not because its my religion and I think I’m correct and everyone else is wrong.

I kniw what saying you’re talking about when you speak of taking the log out of your own eye before you take out the your neighbors eye, but I do not think it applies to this case because I am not judging anyone or scolding them for the things they are doing while I am being a hypocrite, doing the exact same thing I am judging them for doing.

I hear what you’re saying and I respect your perspective but this is mine. I believe in God. I love God. I am very protective of God just as you would be protective of any family member and It is just my own personal opinion that the world would be similar, and more peaceful if everyone believed in God for themselves. This is just my hypothetical beautiful fantasy of a world :)