How can people believe in God? The question I mainly want to be answered is the people that lived 'before Christ'. They did not have the bible to follow, the did not have jesus die for our sins, they did not have any way of knowing who 'god' was or how to follow him.

So did all the people before this said 'christ' just die? They didn't accept christ into their hearts, which according to your religion means that they will suffer eternal damnation.

How can people believe in God?
Stop distracting yourself with things. . . and stuff.

The question I mainly want to be answered is the people that lived 'before Christ'.

They had their own interpretation. Their own mythology.

They did not have the bible to follow, the did not have jesus die for our sins,

The bible is just another (heavily edited) interpretation.
And you can find something akin to Jesus in almost any interpretation you study.
For example:

When goodness grows weak,
When evil increases,
I make myself a body.

In every age I come back
To deliver the holy,
To destroy the sin of the sinner,
To establish righteousness.

He who knows the nature
Of my task and my holy birth
Is not reborn
When he leaves this body;
He comes to Me.

Flying from fear,
From lust and anger,
He hides in Me,
His refuge and safety,
Burnt clean in the blaze of my being,
In Me many find home.

Bhagavad Gita

Anyone can tap into this "Jesus" state of awareness, but many choose not to. Some are fortunate enough to be born in a spiritually or materially fortunate family, but many throw this opportunity out the window and screw around with the many distractions in every which direction they choose to look. But every so often comes along a "Jesus" type of entity, and kinda gives them a taste of the Trinity, which interacts with their cycles and patterns. It can cause a change in the way they view the Universe and their place in it, and maybe, someday, they will reach the "Jesus" state of awareness as well.


they did not have any way of knowing who 'god' was or how to follow him.

They can't know God because they didn't read some book?


So did all the people before this said 'christ' just die? They didn't accept christ into their hearts, which according to your religion means that they will suffer eternal damnation.

I hope you now have a better understanding of what is meant by Christ Awareness. Oh and that whole eternal damnation thing, do you really think those whom spew a message such as that are spewing the message of Christ?

The question I mainly want to be answered is the people that lived 'before Christ'. They did not have the bible to follow, the did not have jesus die for our sins, they did not have any way of knowing who 'god' was or how to follow him.

So did all the people before this said 'christ' just die? They didn't accept christ into their hearts, which according to your religion means that they will suffer eternal damnation.

This thread pretty much explains all of your questions:

http://www.totse.com/community/showthread.php?t=2135726

Also, there are little to no christians on this forum.

^you're right




They can't know God because they didn't read some book?





How are they expected to know of the existence of someone who has no way to show themselves. Or is this covered in the 'old testament'?

\How are they expected to know of the existence of someone who has no way to show themselves. Or is this covered in the 'old testament'?
There are different rules for the people who lived in the Old Testament times.

I think however your question should not have been "How can you believe in god" but "how can you believe in the god of the bible?"

There are different rules for the people who lived in the Old Testament times.

I think however your question should not have been "How can you believe in god" but "how can you believe in the god of the bible?"

That was not even an important part of the first post.

Well apparently the people before Jesus were worshipping the living God of Abraham and everything was fine and dandy. Then God decided to change his mind and send in his son, who is also God at the same time, combined with the holy spirit...Basically in short it's just stupid.

Why can't we not all just believe in the one living God like the ones before Jesus did. Oh Nope sorry, rules have changed sunshine..Now you gotta believe in Jesus Christ and accept him as your "lord" (whatever the hell that means)..and only then will you enter paradise. Never once did Jesus say "i am God, worship me"...In fact he always referred to God as someone else, even going to the extent of praying to the One God. None of this three way trinity bullshit that these so called Christians come up with. They are just full of blind faith and are not willing to look logically and rationally at the text. They will take a few quotes out the bible and fabricate and exaggerate it. Not even a single once does it mention in the complete bible the word "christian", never does it say become a christain, let alone all of these dumbass sects that assholes like Joseph smith make up, and have more dumbass followers accept it as divine truth.

However, back to the topic. Your thread only really applies to Christianity. I suggest you look elsewhere.

Check out the Phamacratic Inquisition (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4555365073003895154), interesting video.

How are they expected to know of the existence of someone who has no way to show themselves.

You remember it.
You don't remember someone.
You remember One.
You could say that you imagine it.
However, our current idea of what imagination is, differs quite dramatically from Blake’s theory of Imagination, which is similar to my own.
http://www.bartleby.com/221/0915.html

There is no Natural Religion
http://www.newi.ac.uk/rdover/blake/nonatrel.htm

The Argument. Man has no notion of moral fitness but from Education. Naturally he is only a natural organ subject to Sense.

I. Man cannot naturally perceive but through his natural or bodily organs.
II. Man by his reasoning power can only compare & judge of what he has already perceiv'd.
III. From a perception of only 3 senses or 3 elements none could deduce a fourth or fifth.
IV. None could have other than natural or organic thoughts if he had none but organic perceptions.
V. Man's desires are limited by his perceptions; none can desire what he has not perceiv'd.
VI. The desires & perceptions of man, untaught by anything but organs of sense, must be limited to objects of sense.

Conclusion.
If it were not for the Poetic or Prophetic Character the Philosophic & Experimental would soon be at the ratio of all things, and stand still, unable to do other than repeat the same dull round over again.

Application.
He who sees the Infinite in all things sees God. He who sees the Ratio only sees himself only.

Therefore God becomes as we are, that we may be as he is.
____________

Imagination is the only thing that really exists.
That is our original and eternal sensory organ.
EXPLORE YOUR IMAGINATION

Before the bible, they had pagan sun, moon, star worship.

Most all religion, come from this proto-religion. Most all religions have heavily influences from astrology.

There is no God, there is only man's timeless facination with heavens.

There is no God, there is only man's timeless facination with heavens.

Thats a fairly ignorant thing to say. Then again, so is saying there is a God, but I don't think that would bother me as much as it would you.

Simply because all of the worlds major religions are stories based on astrotheology and entheobotany, changed and altered and corroded over thousands of years, doesn't mean the origins of those spiritual traditions are meaningless. Or that there is no God.

Yea, i grew up with strict religious principles and eventually asked myself the same thing. I was taught that a book (the bible) was the "word of god" and pretty much the highest authority on earth. I then wondered what people did before the bible was created. I mean even after jesus died, im sure everybody didnt come up with the idea that you have to be "saved" and blabla...from what ive learned people jus had sacred texts back then...it wasnt a bible but storys writen by individuals and it was just there personal testimony about god... it wasnt till a few centurys after christ that sum ppl decided to bring some all together in a book...this is when there was only one church and you didnt have all these diffrent denominations...what I dont understand is how a lot of conservative christians can accept a book that was created by catholics, then about 1000 years later martin luther comes around with a new philosophy, takes a few books out, puts a new emphasis on faith, but yet they acuse catholics of having a different bible and worshipping wrong and all of that....i can go on forever about a lot but my main point... i think everyone can find god simply by having that desire about where you came from, and what your purpose is. I feel our whole life force is like god manifested in us... i think its because ppl are so caught up in life with things that dont matter...that they forget how strange and beautiful it is to be alive...growing up were jus taught to accept tha way things are and that puts limits on our minds..i dont know.. i just think that our relationship with earth (how we both need eachother to survive) and how a civilization jus appeared outa nowhere 6000 years ago is enough to make u believe in something more than this materialistic world that we see... but yea as for the christian ideas and beliefs...I believe that the message in the bible is heavily misinterpreted...just used to control tha masses and such. they have manipulated us enuf to trap our minds and to control tha majority of stupid ppl who believe anything they hear.

The Christ is absolutely timeless.

The Christ is absolutely timeless.

Fuck you, he 'lived and died'. And we have the years set up based on his time.

Fuck you, he 'lived and died'. And we have the years set up based on his time.

No, no, The Christ did not die for the Christ was never born and is not subject to the physical in any way, shape, or form. Once you pass beyond shapes & forms - there he is! Smiling....laughing.

I'm not talking about "Jesus". I can't really comment on him.

The Christ is the Way and the Life & the only way to the Father of the Mind "God".

and yet - there is still the most blessed void!

How can people believe in God? The question I mainly want to be answered is the people that lived 'before Christ'. They did not have the bible to follow, the did not have jesus die for our sins, they did not have any way of knowing who 'god' was or how to follow him.

So did all the people before this said 'christ' just die? They didn't accept christ into their hearts, which according to your religion means that they will suffer eternal damnation.

those were the jews
read the read about the first 2 thirds of the bible and youll find out

read the read about the first 2 thirds of the bible and youll find out

I have better things to do.