A Buddhist really wanting Christian answers

[Pandemonium]

I'm considering sending my ds to a Christian infant/primary school and am worrying endlessly about it. I'm a Buddhist but this school is the best one in my catchment area (amongst other poorer performing Christian schools) so my concerns are that I really do not understand the concept of God and what ds will be taught about 'Him'.

As a Buddhist I appreciate the teachings of Jesus, sometimes referred to as a Boddhistva by buddhists; but what is God? I really was brought up to understand in that God was an omniscient male who created the world, an external kind of spiritual presence who understood everyone's deepest souls.

Do Christians currently think the universe is overviewed by this supernatural figure and is this taught to children? Or do Christians believe that God exists as a force within themselves only? Does anyone believe in Heaven, really?

a hard thing to try and put in words. yes, God is the creator of everything, has always existed, everywhere, forever - but also knows each of us, everthing about us. i believe He sits with us now - you can know Him as well as you want. is just a case of believing it, then you can feel it, understand it. unlike me, i'm just tired.

think a c of e school will teach something like that.

ok. Is God a sort of person then?

yes - to me He is Father God - a person. just as i was humanly created - by my parents - i believe i was also created by God, the person - not just some kind of force like in Star Wars. Christians believe in the trinity - father, son, holy spirit - expect you know that - is the three persons of God, in one.

So who created Him?

He wasnt created. He has just always been. Have heard how physicists try and solve it. matter cannot be created only changed, so everything has to come from somewhere - and theyre stumped, because they cant answer it without a Creator of some sort already existing.

Gosh, these are deep questions for late on a Thursday evening.

I think Christian's believe that we are created in God's image, by him and that he is there to love us and support us. However, we are blessed with free will which is why we are able to make so many mistakes - God doesn't tell us what to do. He shows us how to lead our lives and if we live as he would wish then we will get closer to him.

I think Christians on the whole do believe in Heaven but I don't think it is the image of sitting on a fluffy cloud all dressed in white. That said, I am working on what Christian's mean by heaven as people's view seem to vary.

As to who created God, I recently asked the same question myself so I would love to hear some answers on that one!

Does 'He' take a physical form, or is 'He' an entity? If 'He' is just an entity how can he embrace us?

but if god is all powerful as you must believe why does he create tsunamis and hare lips and war etc? those things aren't free will

why does he persecute the people of bangldesh for intance with constant floods and hardships

How does an entity absolve us of our sins.

why are catholics ridden with guilt?

earth quakes?

cerebal palsy? cancer?

God doesn't persecute the people of Bangladesh, people do, Greed does, Goverments do.
I know someone with a harelip who is incredibly happy, He doesn't feel persecuted.

He did take a physical form - Jesus - about whom the New Testament was written. But before Jesus went he said a few times he would send another counsellor as he called him - the holy spirit. not a physical form like us but still a person - just a supernatural one. as for embracing - if you can see God as someone you can have a relationship with and not just be in awe of or scared of - as in various supersticious stuff - then you can feel embraced, spiritually, physically, emotionally. the closer you get, the more you feel.

Jesus was his physical form. He embraces with his love, making us feel cared for and supported. A bit like sending (((((hugs)))) over MN - not real hugs but they can still make the recepient feel cared for.

Some people feel his presence via other people. I have been doing a course on the Christian faith lately and somebody was telling the story of their confirmation at Church and how they felt a great heat and power that left them shaky and emotional after the bishop said a prayer over them. That isn't an everyday occurence by any means but the lady in question felt touched by the Holy Spirit/God. I can't imagine what that is like - sounds scary to me.

sa for being absolved of sins - thats why Jesus died - to take our sins - past, present and future on himself. that way, if we believe he did and that God sent him, then we are forgiven. we just have to believe it - and stop doing them.

why have sin in teh first place?

if god is all powerful why can't he make the world a perfect place to live?

why did god create murderers?

if he's really there why not just show himself to all of us?

thereare no anwsers

Explain sin, SDOT. what is a sinner?

god created sinners too.. ie murderers.. I just see them as a sad stastic of society whilst you see them as evil..

too many questions. God didnt create murderers - altho its fair to say He created us all and knew us all - what we were potentially capable of at the beginning of time - everyone of us. so, yes, why didnt He do something about it back then and save all the trouble?

the old testament tells of an angel who fell - and became what we see as evil - the devil, whatever. Jesus called him Haedes. he wanted to be more than the rest, was greedy, jealous, wanted power etc. all these things can be seen in us - some more than others - and so its these things that lead to us being evil.