How close are Christians to their god?

Hi,I’ve only just discovered this site, so haven’t had much time to digest its contents as fully as I’d like. However, one thing has caught my eye already, namely the number of posts by Christians that bemoan a failure in others to understand the true nature of their religion.But is this all that surprising? My own experience tells me there are almost as many flavours of Christianity as there are Christians. Time spent on these forums does nothing to clarify the situation.So before getting involved in any of the debates, I’d be very interested in getting some feedback from Christians regarding one very particular aspect of their faith, namely the nature of their own personal relationship with their god.Thanks in advance to anyone who wishes to share their views on this subject.

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Well we do have a broad range at EvC, most clearly illustrated by the gulf between Jar's moderate dharmic/Anglican take on Christianity and Faith's literalism.I'm sure they'll pop up to speak for themselves...Panthers are my favourite after Cheetahs by the way. Edited by RickJB, : No reason given.Edited by RickJB, : No reason given.

I have learned a lot from interaction with other people concerning my personal faith and belief in God. In 1993, when I made a serious proclamation to God in front of a large group of people, I actually experienced quite an emotional catharsis and believe to this day that I became aware of God more fully at that point in time.While I respect those who always put internal logic and critical thinking skills ahead of any so-called Leaps of Faith, I am glad that I took my leap. I believe that God is real and personable. I don't need to hear a verbal voice in the air or even a confirmation from another human to verify that God is real.At EvC, Jar has given me a different insight into faith that I had never encountered before. Almost Jewish.There is a learning curve for a beliver which starts at what they have been taught and ends at what they actually decide to believe.
Of course you have heard it said that an untested faith is a weak faith.One of these days, I will clarify and expand upon this topic more thoroughly when I make a belief statement in the columnists corner. To answer your question as to how close I am to my God, I can only say that I am unaware of Him being near or far...He just is.I would declare Him to be much nearer to me than Him being distant and unknowable, however. He speaks to me in so many different ways.

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“There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, "All right, then, have it your way” --C.S.Lewis

So you think there's an end to the learning curve? (Or a start, for that matter?)I would think that one would aspire to getting continuously closer to God by learning more.

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I've lately been immersed in the writings of C.S. Lewis and Ravi Zacharias. I shall post commentary on them both to help distinguish between the average understanding of God and the greater understanding of God. Reading through "Mere Christianity," certain parts really catch my attention and help to describe what is at a time ineffable for me. I find myself in agreement with C.S. as he describes it in this way:"I think everyone who has some vague belief in God, until he becomes a Christian, has the idea of an exam or of a bargain in his mind. The first is result of real Christianity is to blow that idea in to bits. When they find it blown to bits, some people think this means that Christianity is a failure and give up. They seem to imagine that God is very simple-minded. In fact, of course, He knows all about this. One of the very things Christianity was designed to do was to blow this idea to bits. God has been waiting for the moment at which you discover that there is no question of earning a pass mark in this exam or putting Him into your debt. Then comes another discovery. Every faculty you have, your power of thinking or moving your limbs from moment to moment, is given you by God. If you devoted every moment of your life exclusively to His service you could not give Him anything that was not in a sense His own already. So that when we talk of men doing anything for God or giving anything to God, I will tell you what its really like. Its like a small child going to their father and saying, 'Daddy, give me sixpence to buy you a birthday present.' Of course, the father does, and he is pleased with the child's present. Its all very nice and proper, but only an idiot would think that the father is sixpence to the good on the transaction. When a man has made these two discoveries God can really get to work. It is after this that real life begins. The man is now awake." -C.S. LewisFor a Christian, we are not measured by people who call themselves Christians. The measure of our faith is whether or not we attribute that life the way Christ has designed it. Anything less is simply another religion which everyone, on some level has. I'm convinced of this.I ask that you listen to at least one track of this Christian apologist and philosopher. This might help you to understand why we believe as we do.Oops, something lostEdited by nemesis_juggernaut, : Close italics

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“Always be ready to give a defense to
everyone who asks you a reason for the
hope that is in you.” -1st Peter 3:15

What are you saying here--that everyone has a religion of some sort?

Im not sure that closeness with God is achieved the same way that it is with other people.Take me and you, for example.We can learn more about each other through communication. Being on the web, we have no non-verbal communication, unless I were to prejudge you based on your avatar! however....Reading each others posts, compiling replies, and forming an opinion of the character of the other person is our means of forming (or not) a bond.God, IMB and by contrast, offers another dimension of impartation.I think that another way of getting closer to God, for me at least, is getting closer to others who know or claim to know Him. The good vibes kinda rub off on everyone!

The problem I have with that is that a lot of people who "claim to know Him", don't.I mean they reallly, really, really don't. To paraphrase Jed Clampett, "When they tell you 'Howdy', they've told you everything they know about God."When I said "learning more", I didn't mean learning more "about God", per se - and I certainly didn't mean learning from those who claim to know Him. I meant learning in general.The more we know about the creation, the better we know the Creator.As you said, you can only know me by what I post - what I create. Do you form your own ideas about me from what I post or from what others post about me?

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Yes, I do. But allow me to clarify a bit because, admittedly, that statement alone without some further explanation is vacuous. Its customary when we think of 'religion,' that we associate it with temples, and steeples, and chapels, and bowing in reverence, and tomes containing social mores and a standard of ethics coming from a metaphysical realm. And for the sake of being clear and concise, I don't usualy quarrel over this notion. But this is only one meaning, the common meaning, of religion. A religion is something held onto with special ardor and praise. That could literally be anything that any one of us holds on to with great esteem. This could be money, our own abilities, sports, sex, entertainment of a wide variety -- but more accurately, it could speak more of ourselves. The religion of self-worship. This is the most often form of worship in the history of mankind. Pride. I mean, on some level we all could understand this. We are all guilty of it, if it is indeed something to be guilty for. This is a very broad view of religion, but I think it is a religion nonetheless. Anyone that has such a high commitment must ultimately be praising that thing and giving oblation to that thing. Why must it only encapsulate a Deity that one could scarcely identify in mere words? Why wouldn't it most aptly be seen in the praise and worship of ourselves? Indeed, it does. For however broad that defintion may be, that, nonetheless, is worship -- its a religion in itself through the worship OF the Self.

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“Always be ready to give a defense to
everyone who asks you a reason for the
hope that is in you.” -1st Peter 3:15

hello, welcome to evc. don't be silly, there's only ONE kind of christian!i also feel fairly confident is saying that you're not a true scotsman, if you catch my drift.

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Hello arachnophilia, For now I’m happy to remain a gentle little soul (no religious overtones intended). Brave is brave, but dead is dead. This caught my eye, but I don’t know anything about you or your beliefs, so checked out a few of your earlier posts to try to get some context. I found this:- The ”strict literal reading of the bible’ line raises plenty of questions, but may be another debate for another day. Today’s question is simple. What is your view of those who believe themselves to be Christian, but do not match the qualification criteria, as you understand it?

What qualification criteria?If someone says they are a Christian, why would anyone doubt it?

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

They might be telling a lie.

Yup, even Christians lie.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion