Is Man's Ego the main reason from preventing you to accept Jesus as your personal Savior?
462098
You wanted an answer, so here it is.\n\nShort answer: No.\n\n***\n\nReasons I'm not a Christian\n\nSummary:\n\n1. Christianity is a “me” religion.\n2. I wasted over twenty years being one and it never benefited me. In fact, it caused considerable harm.\n3. Jesus probably never existed.\n4. Even if Jesus *did* exist, he did not fulfill the requirements of Jewish Messiah as outlined in the Jewish bible.\n5. Even if Jesus *had* fulfilled Messianic requirements, the Messiah was never meant to be God; just a human.\n6. Even if Jesus existed and *had* fulfilled the Messianic requirements and *was* God, the Jewish Messiah was only ever for the Jews, and not the Gentiles.\n7. There is no need for the Christian idea of “salvation”. There is nothing from which to be saved. Adam and Eve didn’t bring death into the world. There is no devil; there is no eternal hell.\n8. The basic theology of Christianity is pure insanity.\n9. The Jesus portrayed in the Christian bible is not a being of love.\n10. Jesus is nothing original and nothing new.\n11. Christians are inconsistent with their views.\n12. The idea of Jesus paying for our sins is completely unethical.\n13. Fear-based belief systems are damaging; a form of emotional abuse, and can hardly be considered valid.\n14. Belief in a deity is not required for a person to be good.\n15. Emotional blackmail isn't my thing.\n\n***\n\nDetailed explanation:\n\n1. Christianity is a “me” religion.\n\nThe very basis of Christianity is incredibly selfish. If I believe in the Jesus story, it helps absolutely no one but me. Whether I believe because I want to go to heaven, or because I want to stay out of hell, it's still all about ME. No one benefits if I believe because I "love" God, or because I fear hell. No one, that is, but ME.\n\n2. I wasted over twenty years being a Christian and it never benefited me. In fact, it caused considerable harm.\n\nThat's basically it in a nutshell: I've been there, done that, got the tee-shirt - and I don't want to do it again. \n\nChristianity taught me to be ashamed for being me; that I was a "sinner" by genetic default, born bad and rotten to the core; that it was my fault that someone killed a guy over 2000 years ago and I should feel personally responsible; that God wouldn't want anything to do with me unless I took a metaphysical bloodbath. I was taught that I was second-rate for being a woman and that my role here on earth was to submit to my husband and pop out babies. That it was my fault that my ex raped me because I was a woman and I was too tempting for him.\n\nDid I have self-esteem issues? You bet I did.\n\n3. Jesus probably never existed.\n\nOutside of the Christian bible, there is absolutely NOTHING that is both historical and contemporary (of Jesus) to show that he ever existed. While there is enough literature left to fill a library from the time that Jesus supposedly walked the earth, NONE of it mentions Jesus.\n\nHere are some of the authors from the time Jesus allegedly lived:\n\nApollonius Persius\nPausanias\nArrian Phaedrus\nMartial Valerius Falccus\nColumella Phlegon\nJuvenal Statius\nDio Chrysostum Pliny the Younger\nJosephus Seneca\nFlorus Lucius Quintilian\nEpictetus Pompon Mela\nLucian Tacitus\nPaterculus Valerius Maximus\nAppian Petronius\nAulus Gellius Philo-Judaeus\nLysias Theon of Symran\nLucanus Suetonius\nJustus of Tiberius Silius Italicus\nDamis Pliny the Elder\nDion Pruseus Plutarch\nFavorinus Ptolemy\nHermogones Quintius Cutius\n\nThis list is from John E. Remsburg's book "The Christ: A Critical Review and Analysis of the Evidence of His Existence". \n\nThese authors were from the time of Jesus' alleged life, or within a century after - yet apart from a forged passage in Josephus' works - just ONE passage! - there is to be found no mention of Jesus whatsoever. (Most historians agree that this passage was forged, and if Josephus had truly believed that
760967
Jesus represents the human self we "put on" when we became afraid in the Garden (a symbol of our perfect state of being); we fell into sleep, but nowhere does it say we woke up.  \n\nThe Christ is our true Self (not a representation, but the actual Self); that is why it doesn't make sense that Jesus seems the only one who is truly loved, while the rest of us must do something, or make a choice (which is hardly a real choice), before God will include us in His exclusive club.  \n\nThe whole concept is twisted; was redone to suit the kings and the clergy in the old days, in order to control the masses.
1051531
I think it has more to do with your beliefs, I was brought up without and today I know Jesus Christ as my savior, we learn the truth and become saved. We live in a christian manner and devote our lives to God.
381683
God is the most important person in my life. I also know that you can go to heaven if you get saved and the way that you get saved is if you believe that Jesus died on the cross from your sins, rose on the third day, and then you have to confess to God in prayer that you are a sinner and that you believe He died on the cross for your sins and ask for His forgiveness on your sins and it is THAT simple, salvation is a free gift, we can't earn it. I am a baptist who believes (let me rephrase that, I KNOW) that this stuff I said is true. My name is Matthew James Needham and don't be shy to contact me on this. my email address is im_proud2b_a_christian@yahoo.com
119515
NO. Jesus was still man and He of course didn't like pain, but in the end He would WILLINGLY do His Father's will. Jesus could have summoned a league of a 1000 angels and could have gone to heaven right then, but He loved us and wanted us to have a way to get to heaven. Jesus came down to save us, because it was His Father's will.
997651
I am a Christian and I'm also a human.  There are some people I'm still struggling to love.  It takes a total surrender to God for that.  For example, there is a man who molested me as a child and it took YEARS to come to the place where I can say I've forgiven him for what he's done.  I fervently pray that he accepts Christ as his savior.  I believe he hasn't thus far because he's afraid he'll have to confess to what he did to me and others.  He was even convicted (plead guilty) and was sent to prison for 2 years, but he maintains his innocence and said his attorney told him to plead guilty because it was a he said/she said case he couldn't win.  I still see this man at a lot of family gatherings.  The balance I've come to is that I am kind to this man, but I'll NEVER let him even pick up my child.  Luckily, I've never had to say that out loud because he's got the good sense not to try.  Sorry to be so long-winded, but I wanted you to see that there are some Christians who are really TRYING to live out the example that God set for us to follow.  It truly is a narrow path and it's difficult to stay on sometimes.
528699
Of course Jesus wants you as you are!  That is why he died for your sins on the cross.  No one is capable of being perfect, no matter how hard we may try!  We are going to make the occasional (or frequent) mistake even after we are saved.  Jesus (being God) was the only one who was perfect, and thus, the only one who could take our place and pay the price for our sins.  "No one comes to the Father but by me".  All the good works in the world won't get you to heaven.  Only accepting Christ's sacrifice for you.  Don't you know the story of the prodigal son.  The son turned his back on his father and left to make a huge number of mistakes (I mean boy did he ever mess up!), but when he returned home a beggar, his father still welcomed him and loved him.  This is how it is with God.  You may turn away from him and make a lot of mistakes, but he never turns away from you and is always waiting for you to return to his loving embrace.
503995
Any Christian who reads the gospels and wants to immitate Jesus Christ realizes that it is God's Spirit in their lives that allows them to accomplish His purposes in their life.  Jesus Christ gloried not in himself, but always in the Father, giving the Father all credit for everything.\n\n"My doctrine is not mine, but His that sent me...He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh His glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him."  John 7:16-17\n\n"...I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things."  John 8:28\n\n"I honor my Father...I seek not mine own glory..."  John 8:49-50\n\n"For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, He gave me a commandment, what I sould say, and what I should speak."  John 12:49\n\n"...the words that I speak unto you, I speak not of myself; but the Father that dwelleth in me, He doeth the works."  John 14:10\n\nJesus Christ gave credit and glory to His Father.  Christians who want to pattern their lives after Christ will do the same.\n\nIf any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me."  Luke 9:23
337871
Remember that your own perceptions of relating to Jesus are yours personally,and do not belong to the church. If someone hounds you,just tell them you try to keep it personal.
656618
Well, you would too if you created the ENTIRE universe!  But seriously, God doesn't have an ego, Satan does, and that's why God threw him out of heaven.   No words can properly explain to the fullest who God is, the only way someone can know who God is, is to have a relationship with Him.  My father is an atheist and he wanted my mother who is catholic to raise us without a religion.  So, I grew up knowing in my heart as a child that there was a God, but not having a religion structure to explain to me.  Well, God gave me dreams as a teenager, which eventually led me to get saved when I was 18.  And by the way, God DID appear to people, as Jesus, and will return again in the future.  God doesn't have an ego, He wouldn't have died on the cross and suffered for our salvation.  God loves us and wants whats best for us.  Satan is jealous of God and people because he can't be god, and he can't get saved like humans.  God won't forgive him so he's jealous that God forgives us, and satan tries to lead us down a path of destruction to hell.
249397
Jesus was the most humble human to walk this earth, wouldn't you agree?  Yet he said that he came to bear witness to THE truth. (John 18:37)  He said he was THE way, THE truth, and THE life. (John 14:6)  He spoke quite clearly about there being NO other true religion than that of worshipping his Father, the only true God.  (Matthew 7:21-23; Psalm 83:18)\n\nGranted, people are not going to listen to pushy preachers, but if we feel we have "the truth" wouldn't it be a very selfish and haughty thing for us to keep it to ourselves?\n\nDo you believe there is only one true religion, the same one as was at the beginning of creation, or do you believe there are many roads to everlasting life?  (Matthew 7:13,14; John 17:3)
1102088
Very correct in your conclusion.  Even those in Jesus time with all the proofs they had still did not believe in Him and a lot of those that did, did not want to admit it as they would be counted as His followers and maybe lose their important job.  Same today with all the evidence, many will not believe if a building were to fall on them to show that was truth.  The extra personal truth is that Jesus is a personal Saviour that knocks at each of our hearts and we have to but let Him in or not.
450496
:}\nEasy with Satan's assistance.\n\nHumans want, by our fallen and selfish nature, to escape his Lordship.\n\nFrom infancy we are concerned with ourselves and our needs\nIt's difficult to suppress the :Me " in favor of the "Him".\n\nSatan then willingly supplies us with all kinds of worldly reasons we can grab onto. Philosophy, pseudo -science, secular humanism, atheism etc.
387170
OK, this is just a thought. But I got into the same thing when I studied John Wesley's concept of "second blessing holiness." [By the way, I used to live near a congregation that was a part of your denomination. You ain'y scary. ;-)] For what its worth, this is what I came up with, and its just my opinion. Sometimes a person reads a verse or section of scripture that REALLY says something to them. Something maybe no one else has ever noticed. The reason for it is that God is trying to show THEM something they need to know. It may nat apply to anyone else. But they miss that part and in trying to share it (which is OK) it becomes something else. It becomes "THIS is the way it is and its this way for everyone!" rather than what it was meant to be, which was "THIS is for YOU, if I wanted everyone else to see it I'd have shown it to everyone else." And its not that God is showing respect of persons in a case like this because I honestly believe that this type of thing is availabe to everyone. No respect of persons there. Its just that different people need to see things in a way that THEY can understand it and so grow closer to God. That's all it is. God dealing with people where they are. But, human ego being what it is, folks make something else out of it. And then theres the other thing where people just try to make it (the Bible) say all kinds of weird and wonderful stuff it doesn't because they want attention and money. And of course there is always ignorance, but that's another topic. But, hey, you can get that at Wal-Mart too. ;-)
1110175
I am only good because my Father who is in heaven sees me through Jesus' eyes.  Jesus paid the ultimate price for my salvation.  No man within himself is good... our righteousness is as firthy rags before God.
625398
Jesus' last words were for us were to tell others about who He is (make disciples).  He also tells us that if we confess Him before men He will confess us before the Father, but if we deny Him before men...To be a Christian is so much more than most think.  The greatest thing we can do when we accept Christ is to share the good news.
547815
When Jesus was on earth He came as a man as the Son of God.  He was flesh and therefore identified himself as a human in order to show the holiness of God His Father.