Can't focus on words...so long.

It's a personal choice, Voice and Amp. To me, marriage means a great deal but it might not to other couples. It's just whatever your personal preference is.

You know, I have a bunch of Finnish family friends who have children, live together, the whole typical family thing with all the things listed above (responsibility, love, commitement, ect...) except for one thing:

THEY AREN'T MARRIED.

It doesn't mean they don't love eachother as much as any married couple. They just...AREN'T a "married" couple.

So, does marriage matter all that much in the grand scheme of things?

Just a question to be thrown out (and probably ripped to shreds knowing these boards )

There are some countries that arent christian, and marrige isnt even an idea

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Originally posted by QueenOfHell:

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have asked that though. In fact on Friday something happened that I don't want to relate, and I asked, "God are you really there? Are you real?" and I got a feeling that was undeniably assurance of Him. It's just a warm feeling that comes in your heart, and just goes everywhere. Plus I was outdoors at that time, and there was something about the wind and the sky and sun that was just assuring.

Apparently Johnny Depp is god then because I get a warm feeling in my heart when I look at pictures of him.

Different feeling.

To me marriage is ( apart from commitment, resposability etc. )partly an act to make it official because as you said aguagon you can love a person, live and have children with him without having to marry, so no, marriage is not as big a deal as everyone makes it seem. But you also have to be aware that if you plan to get married you are giving your word that " you will love this person until death....." and therfore should live up to it.

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Just so you know, Johnny Depp is god.
He's a sex god, an acting god....

He's friggin pretty too.

Earth, you focus too much on a time that you thought God wasn't there. What about all the times he was, or could've been there? I mean you may not be the most fortunate person but you most certainly aren't the least either. You may not have had the best of everything but you atleast had something and that's more than what some have. Instead of focusing on the things that aren't good, focus on the things that are. For example, your alive, you have clothes on your back, food on the table, and a roof over your head. You have friends and family that care about you and you're able to get online and come to YN to tell us these things. That's more than what some people have.Your life may not be perfect, but noone's ever is. Look at the advantages of your life and be thankful for those. Look at the disadvantages and be thankful that it isn't worse. You may feel weaker because of what happened but think of all the others that are going through the same thing. Do you have any advice for them, don't you want to help these people? Take your experience to help others. And because of that, you will be a stronger person. Good Luck, and Im sorry you had to go through something like that. Nobody deserves that.

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Originally posted by yogore:

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I pray to God every night to keep my family and I safe while I sleep. And I've woken up with all of my family every morning. That's an answer.

But you can't say "God are you real?" or "Is the Bible real?" and get an answer. Your family not being harmed is not proof that there is a God. if you didn't say that, it wouldn't mean something would happen to them.

Sorry, been at the beach ...

It may not mean that something would happen to them but my prayer is my reassurance that something won't happen to them. It helps me sleep better at night knowing I have God watching over my family and I.

And of course the prayer doesn't mean something won't happen to them...if it's in God's plan to have a fire burn my house down, killing my parents then my prayer doesn't destroy His plan. And, yes, before you say it, it doesn't seem fair that a God would do something terrible to a good family like this. But, again, God works in mysterious ways. Maybe he slays my family so that I may go somewhere else and share my love.

The ambiguity of it makes Christianity and the concept of God seem unbelieveable to non-Christians but Christians like hubbaloo and I who have undeniable faith in this being---and truly wish to have this faith in Him---don't see anything unbelieveable in this concept.

Here it is in my mind: God exists. When I pray, God chooses to answer my prayer as best fit to His grand plan (his answer may be to not do as I wish). Oftentimes I pray to simply thank Him because I have been given a wonderful life. His answers (or, in some cases, non-answers) to my prayers don't tell me He exists---I already believe he exists or I wouldn't be praying in the first place. His answers simply give me more understanding to life.

I don't know if I'm making any sense, I feel like I'm rambling, but I just want others to understand why Christians think of and believe in this God the way we do.

Oh wow....

That's a bit sadistic, with the teddy bear and what not...

Hahahaha...

Just so you know, Johnny Depp is god.
He's a sex god, an acting god....

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You fantisize about your dress and your husband, and you have fake weddings with stuffed animals.

My friend tried to get her five year old brother to do that bacause she thought it would be cute. Then she left him to get dressed and she left the toy in there and when she came back the toy was tied to the ceiling fan with a makeshift noose.

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That was God's way of making him better. He took him to a place where he would no longer feel any pain.

But you see, when I was six and hoping God would make my father better as a birthday present (I turned six the day he died) the part about him 'Being in a better place' just made a worse place for the rest of my family seeing that after he died, my dad's side of the family shunned us.

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have asked that though. In fact on Friday something happened that I don't want to relate, and I asked, "God are you really there? Are you real?" and I got a feeling that was undeniably assurance of Him. It's just a warm feeling that comes in your heart, and just goes everywhere. Plus I was outdoors at that time, and there was something about the wind and the sky and sun that was just assuring.

Apparently Johnny Depp is god then because I get a warm feeling in my heart when I look at pictures of him.

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Because it didn't fit with His plan to help you.

Oh, that's comforting.

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You just have to assume that there is something better coming for you.

If you lived my life for a day, you'd plainly see that things can't get any better. The abuse in my family has killed my self esteem, my self-worth, and all of my social skills.

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All of these things that happened to me, made me stronger.

Lucky you. Everything I've experienced has only weakened me, especially when the one and only God I believed in for the first 12 years of my life ignored me.

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Not everything in life is fair and not everything happens the way we want but in the end, we get a much bigger reward.

Not in my life. Things can only get worse for me.

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What about me? Was ignoring me and not answering my prayers while my dad took his anger out on me God's way of taking away my pain? I went to church every sunday and read the bible; I wasn't supposed to deserve that. I've asked so many christians why God let that happen to me and none have been able to give me an answer. I prayed to God so many times when I was younger and always received nothing. I lost my faith in him because of that. But I prayed to him last year for the first time in who knows how long, because my depression was at the lowest it could possibly be, and of course he still didn't answer.

I am a christian but don't have the perfect lifestyle. For starters, my dad left me when I was a baby, my brother committed suicide when I was 6, my best friend died in a fire when I was 7 and my grandpa died that same year. I've always felt that I didn't belong to my family, that I was the odd one. Every boyfriend I had cheated on me, I never really got the best grades or anything, etc. I could go on forever but Im making a point not telling a story. All of these things that happened to me, made me stronger. I got intouch with myself and talked myself out of doing stupid things (stupder than whatI've already done) I havr actually gained so much and have a different way of looking at life because of the things I went through. I have knowledge of things and understandings of situations that alot of people don't have. And the strength that I've gained is great because now I can help others and give them strength to overcome it and become better people. Not everything in life is fair and not everything happens the way we want but in the end, we get a much bigger reward. You just need to believe and keep the faith. Chances are, if we don't believe in a higher power of some sort, then we won't believe in ourselves.

Sanctity of marriage? Isn't that an oxymoron?

The Greeks and Romans and Egyptian people had their own gods. They believed in them, probably more than most people believe in their own god today. The Greeks and Romans and Egyptians MADE UP their gods, as a way to try and explain away the "unexplainable". But now you see, there's a thing called science that explains the "unexplainable" and is excepted UNIVERSALLY.
Religion is simply a way to try to explain what you don't know for sure and give you "hope" that "something better" is really out there.
Religion is mythology, or rather, becomes mythology.

What makes this god so much truer than the roman gods or the greek gods or the egyptian gods?

Nothing except "his word". But whjat makes his words better than the other god's words?

And may I also point out that this thread has gotten off topic?

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Originally posted by EarthGoddess:

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That was God's way of making him better. He took him to a place where he would no longer feel any pain.

What about me? Was ignoring me and not answering my prayers while my dad took his anger out on me God's way of taking away my pain? I went to church every sunday and read the bible; I wasn't supposed to deserve that. I've asked so many christians why God let that happen to me and none have been able to give me an answer. I prayed to God so many times when I was younger and always received nothing. I lost my faith in him because of that. But I prayed to him last year for the first time in who knows how long, because my depression was at the lowest it could possibly be, and of course he still didn't answer.

In my mind, God is an imaginary entity we rely on to give us the feeling that everything will be alright in the end. If you want to waste your energy in him, go for it. But in all reality, there is no Holy Spirit in the sky watching over us. If there was he wouldn't let a child suffer needlessly her entire life.

Because it didn't fit with His plan to help you. It must have let something else happen for you.

You just have to assume that there is something better coming for you. He couldn't stop your father from abusing you, because your father still had his free choice, and though He was probably very sad about it, He couldn't take your father's freedom of choice. That was Satan's plan before he was cast out of Heaven, you know, that everyone wouldn't have a choice. They would be forced to be righteous.

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Originally posted by yogore:

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I pray to God every night to keep my family and I safe while I sleep. And I've woken up with all of my family every morning. That's an answer.

But you can't say "God are you real?" or "Is the Bible real?" and get an answer. Your family not being harmed is not proof that there is a God. if you didn't say that, it wouldn't mean something would happen to them.

I have asked that though. In fact on Friday something happened that I don't want to relate, and I asked, "God are you really there? Are you real?" and I got a feeling that was undeniably assurance of Him. It's just a warm feeling that comes in your heart, and just goes everywhere. Plus I was outdoors at that time, and there was something about the wind and the sky and sun that was just assuring.

quote:

That was God's way of making him better. He took him to a place where he would no longer feel any pain.

What about me? Was ignoring me and not answering my prayers while my dad took his anger out on me God's way of taking away my pain? I went to church every sunday and read the bible; I wasn't supposed to deserve that. I've asked so many christians why God let that happen to me and none have been able to give me an answer. I prayed to God so many times when I was younger and always received nothing. I lost my faith in him because of that. But I prayed to him last year for the first time in who knows how long, because my depression was at the lowest it could possibly be, and of course he still didn't answer.

In my mind, God is an imaginary entity we rely on to give us the feeling that everything will be alright in the end. If you want to waste your energy in him, go for it. But in all reality, there is no Holy Spirit in the sky watching over us. If there was he wouldn't let a child suffer needlessly her entire life.

I'm reeeeeally athiest.
But I still want to get married.

I don't know, it might be something to being feminine. Your mother made plans for you to marry. You fantisize about your dress and your husband, and you have fake weddings with stuffed animals. The weddings had nothing to do with god or government, it has to do with goals and dreams. And to get married and take the ultiminte commitment, you're giving someone your life, and that's the biggest thing you can give. It's so much more than just saying I love you.

Plus, when it does work out, you can laugh in your divorced parent's faces and say, "Ha, I can do something you can's, so pppppffffffftttt!"

Hahahahaha...I'd love that.

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I pray to God every night to keep my family and I safe while I sleep. And I've woken up with all of my family every morning. That's an answer.

But you can't say "God are you real?" or "Is the Bible real?" and get an answer. Your family not being harmed is not proof that there is a God. if you didn't say that, it wouldn't mean something would happen to them.