Many thanks to the people who answered my post in this thread. I hope that I did not come across in an offensive way - I sure did not mean to.

I am, indeed, honestly trying to learn. I know that when it comes to God and Christianity I am very much a novice, there is so much that I do not know (and I bet that I will never stop learning).

Pastor Roger, many thanks for your kindness. And Melody, many thanks for your sincere and kind reply. I, too, know many atheists and they are wonderful, giving and caring people. I know how you must feel about your husband and his family. It breaks my heart as well to think of all these wonderful people running the risk of going to hell.

Sometimes it is indeed so hard to believe God loves us. I think that that is what so many people struggle with, and that that causes the lack of belief. Because of being unable to believe in something so good, like I said in my previous post.

I am grateful that God loves us and I am grateful for Jesus, and what he has given us.

Quote - Oh and btw....those who have never heard the word of God and those who lived prior to our Lord's time on earth are taken care of.  I do not have the verse right now, but I believe it's in Romans or Hebrews.

Yes, I remember that now, and that is a comforting thought *smiles*

Thanks so much again,

Kit

Thank you for your response Evangelist  

Your kind words mean a lot to me. I have just been given a Bible and will be reading in it and learning. Thank you as well for your advice on where to start!

And yes, I shall trust God to plaxce me where He wishes me  

Thank you so much again,

Kit

Many thanks to everyone that answered this question  

And my apologies for the delay and not having been around for a few days.

When I posted this question, the first time I was here, I was feeling rather awful mentally and as I had received the coins as a gift for Christmas and did feel so awful, I was about ready to try anything....but did not wish to try them because I was worried about God's view on these matters and indeed if perhaps it would invite not so nice things.

I have decided not to use them. The only way to get better is indeed to work on it myself and to have faith in God.

Many thanks again...and Willow..that sounds horrible what happened to your mom. I am glad that it stopped! I definitely would not like something like that to happen.

I do like unicorns and reading about elves and fairies and such, dragons.. . But it sure is better not to try and meddle with things.

Thanks so much again,

Kit

I am sorry but I don't really understand what is going on in this thread. Quite a few harsh words are going on but the questions asked are those that I wonder about, as well. I wonder about many things, that is why I hope to learn here.

I, too, wonder about salvation, though not necesarrily how the Protestant faith sees it but Christianity in general. As can be seen in my other threads and I also wonder if one needs to be baptized to be truely reborn.

I, too, wonder about things like people being so good in life going to hell because they may not have knowledge of Jesus or, like me, doubt from time to time, or wonder if they are worthy. The things going on in the world sometimes make it so hard to believe in a loving God, and in Jesus. Not because I feel that God should stop all the horrible things, but because I feel that people get so used to all the darkness and hatred and such that is around them, that something so good seems so hard to believe.

I admit I doubt, and don't know the answers to so many questions. I admit that sometimes I find my faith shakey because I fear I am doing things wrong in my faith so God and Jesus won't hear me, or sometimes even wonder if God does exist, though deep down I know He does..but still..(I hope I make some sort of sense).

And as for the Bible, I am ashamed to say that I can not make much sense of some of the quotes even, because of the way that they were written. How to find the right message when struggling with the words as they are? And there are so many different versions and translations of the Bible too, and people saying there are lost chapters, and what might they say?

All in all, Sleeker is not the only one with questions and doubts and simply not knowing things. I am sure many of us are looking for the truth, seeking knowledge. I know that I am.

Therefore I cannot understand the harsh words in this thread...

  This is a fun thread.

Anyway, my fave animals are cats. I live with two felines, have another one that wanders in often, and some that wander in sometimes. I also like the big(ger) cats like the lynx, tigers, leopards etc.

Oh, and I love caterpillars. They are ust so cute! I like butterflies and moths as well.

I love just about any animal really but some bugs and all spiders make me go eeeeeeeeeeps!

I admit to not having checked if there was a thread on this already , I just wanted to ask about it.

Is Christian jewelry okay to wear? Or is there anything about it in the bible (as in not wearing religious symbols etc).

I used to have a necklace that was silver, thin, with a pendant in the shape of a book - hard to explain but it had two silver parts that came together and looked like a book, with the engraving "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the bible tells me so".

I really loved it, sadly don't have it anymore after moving a lot of times, but I would love to have and wear something like it again. It might bring some comfort when needed, as such things can do.

Kit

Not sure about them being cult shows, and I don't watch a lot of telly these days, but here are some of my fave series/programs (I think I will likely get some grief over some!)

In no specific order:

Ally Mc Beal (though it has stopped now)
Stargate
Star Trek (any of them, really)
Sex and the City *hides...I can't help that it is called that!*
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (okay...I WILL get some grief over this but I admit that I watched it mainly because of Spike, who, yes, is supposed to be a vampire in that series)
Top Gear (a car program)
Scrapheap Challenge (people building all sorts of stuff out of scrap heaps within a set time limit)

Some series/programs that I used to watch but they aren't on telly anymore:

Life goes on
Catwalk (about a group of musicians)
Babylon 5
Uuhhh another sci fi series that I can't remember the name of but it was really good and I remember it was about a squadron called the Wildcards or something like that.

Kit

My idea of modest clothing is pretty much as has been said before. I never wear tops that would make me feel worried about bending over.

And I am a trousers kind of woman - I have one or two skirts but hardly ever wear them because they gives me trouble walking  , they are down to my ankles. I am a shorty anyway so a lot of clothing tends to be too big for me. And with trousers I need to worry less about how I sit. It is rather cold, wearing skirts and dresses around here.

I think that as far as feminine clothing goes, I am not quite the trendsetter. I love to wear hooded tops, comfy jumpers, walking boots/shoes, that sort of thing. Practical for the weather here and very comfortable.

I do admit to having some tops that are a bit more tight fitting. They are, however, not overly revealing.

Don't worry too much about other people's opinions, that would be my advise. Just wear whatever you feel comfortable in and what feels right for you.

And, though this may not sound very nice, you can't please everyone no matter what you do. So really, I wouldn't worry.

First of all, thank you Joshua, for your kind welcome  
And thank you for saying that my questions aren't silly...I was worried that at least one of them was as nobody has posted a reply. I understand it is perhaps a very difficult question, though.

And hi again Cris
 

To answer your questions - the first session went okay. The mental health nurse thinks I have post traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. I was a bit disappointed however as I would have liked to have some real guidance in how to get better, but all I received was a recommendation for medication which after looking it up seemed to be quite risky, and another appointment in three weeks to see how I cam getting on. I shouldn't complain, it is just that I am rather clueless in what to do to get better.

Aye, my friends live in the USA. First meeting up there, in Ohio, then up to Canada, then back to the USA. Not too sure yet how long I will stay but I hope for about 2 weeks altogether. I am very much looking forward to the convention, as well. The people that went last time had such a lovely time!

There are mountains in the UK, but I live nowhere near them. There are the Scottish highlands, for one. And the Snowies in Wales. Around here there are a lot of hills, which is nice. I live in a valley and the scenery is beautiful. In Holland, nopes, no mountains. If I recall correctly there is one tiny hill and that has become a tourist attraction  

Aye, I am Dutch. And as to your question, I am not too sure. I think that the Dutch people and those of Belgium used to be from the same kind of background and the Germans from another background. As for the UK, I am not very sure either. I know that part of the UK used to be Celtic. I think that that was more the northern part of the UK. And there were the Picts in Scotland. The British are kind of a mixture as it is because of the Sacson (I hope I spelled that right) invasions, the Romans who occupied Britiain for a fair while, and other people who moved here in the first centuries A.D. And I think that you are correct as to the Slavic people but again, not sure. I know that there were so many different tribes- for a lack of a better word, that it is hard to be sure. So nopes, not a stupid question at all as I am not sure either  

Oh, did I say hi to you yet Tom? Hiya! *waves* and thanks for the compliment. Your English looks fine to me =)

Kit

Personally I like the Harry Potter books.

I didn't enjoy the first two films too much, but I had been looking forward to the third one, as that was my favorite book. I was quite surprised with the film. I agree with the review, there were quite a few things changed or missing, but by itself it is rather good, especially compared to the first two.

Scary? I think some bits might be a bit scary for younger viewers. I reckon that the ..what are they called again..dementors? might give them a bit of a fright. But that is just my opinion.

Yes, there is witchcraft in Harry Potter. If you focus on that then you get the witchcraft=evil conclusion. To me, that is not what Harry Potter is about, however.

There is a lot of good that kids can learn from these films as well. Putting the entertainment aspect aside. Harry is a boy who has been raised in not very pleasant circumstances, then learns that there is so much more out there than he is used to. He finds friendship. And it is a very loyal friendship, too. And there is the love his parents had from him, which plays a big part in the books. In fact, the biggest defense Harry has against evil is not some wicked, destructive spell, but love. Just as love was what saved him when he was just a baby.

If looking into it deeper, and if people read the books up until the most recent one, it is also very much about Harry's inner struggle against his own darkness because he is very aware that he has this inside of him.

On a side note - it is very hard not to love the world. At least, in my opinion. God created so much beauty all around us. There is such lovely nature, so many beautiful places. And the wildlife. I do not think I could go through life not enjoying these things. And those are just a few examples.

And I do agree that people have been given creativity and imagination. Why would God give us talents if we are not to use it? I love writing poetry, I love listening to music, I love reading. Fiction does not have to be evil and bad. Non Christian music does not have to be bad.

Just my opinions...

Kit

Hi Cris,

Aye, I agree. The perfect church will be hard to find as we are all humans. I hope to find one that will feel right for me. One where I feel comfortable and where I feel that they are truely worshipping God, as you say.

I have always liked the Salvation Army as well. I would likely pay them a visit if they had a place a bit closer. Something to look in to, but I think that as it stands it is an hour and a half by bus from here, which would be difficult for me at the moment.

They do do good work. I remember in Holland the Christmas parcels they gave out to people in need, as well as to the police and the firemen on duty on Christmas. Very kind.

Thank you again,

Kit

I will be praying for them.

Kit

Hi there!

She will be in my prayers. I hope that all will be well!

Kit

Thank you once more, sincerely  

No luck finding a church yet - yesterday I was so very tired as I had not been sleeping well (big storms outside at night time), so slept for a big part of the day, and the same today - I only woke up at about 3 PM, shame on me! Feeling somewhat better after all that rest though, done some housechores and the such.

I hope to feel well enough soon to find out more about the churches in this area. I bet it is worth it, indeed.

Thank you again so much for your concern, and for your prayers.

Kit

I thought this an interesting topic, so I wanted to add my opinion.

Mind you, I am far from an expert on the bible or God.

But, my reasoning is that God told us what sin is. When we do things that God does not see as correct, and are against His will. Thus, all those things are likely to be the things He is against.

I think that, of course, He would be able to do all those things if He wishes to. As a previous post says, He has done things that He would not want us to do, in His judgement.

How could God sin against Himself? It would not make much sense to me. That would mean Him doing something against His better judgement. Breaking His own guidelines.

Then again, these being the guidelines he set out for us, like a father with his children.

I do not quite feel capable of speculating on it all. I am but a human, I can't quite comprehend the nature, or might of God. I hope I made some sort of sense!