As some of you know, I'm a Christian. I believe in the Bible as being an awesome manual for life. It has many tips for healthful eating, a happy lifestyle, making others happy, and a number of other things. I am particularly fond of the phrase, "do onto others as you would have them do unto you." I think the world would be a much better place if everybody followed that guideline.
From what I have observed, Christianity isn't a popular belief by many of the members of this forum. That's OK, I respect that. I could never, ever hate or think less of anybody because of what they believe. I believe that no religion or belief is 100% true, all have their own faults and errors.
What hurts me is the image that has been created about Christians. Alot of people think of Christians as the kind of people that buy TV time to beg for donations in exchange for blessings or some holy water or other nonsense like that. People abusing God and tarnishing the Christian name in exchange for monetary profit. That really bothers me to no end.
Why am I a Christian? Is it because I fear eternal torment and death? No. It's easy to see why people despise Christianity because of the threats of God's wrath and hell and whatnot. I don't believe in that at all--I believe that God is a God of love, one that extends to humans the option to live for eternity with Him. All you have to do is reach out and take it. No amount of good or bad deeds (or monetary contributions) can get you into Heaven, you are saved by grace and faith.
People ask why God is a God of love if the world is the way it is now. Well, the problems of the world isn't God's fault. It's ours. The thing about God is, he doesn't force people to do anything. He doesn't run a dictatorial government, he allows people to make their own decisions and choose their own beliefs. If you don't want him in your life, he won't force himself in. If you want to end your own life, he isn't going to stop you.
I am not a Christian because I hope to become obscenely rich through late-night infomercials or anything like that. On the contrary, I have no desire to be rich at all. Like so many people on this forum, I want very much to help people. I could care less if someone gave me a brand new BMW for my birthday. All I want is the ability to make people happy and to show them love.
I went on a mission trip to India a few months back, and it changed my life completely. I had never seen that level of poverty before (it doesn't exist in the USA), and my eyes were opened. In India, there is alot of spiritual darkness, people terrified of their gods. In the area I was, there was a problem with children at the school I stayed at being taken for sacrificing. I could never imagine something like that happening.
I was able to help bring smiles to hundreds of people while I was in India, and I can say that there's no feeling like that in the world. It feels absolutely incredible to make other people happy.
Introducing my faith to these people changed their lives as well. Instead of being in fear at all times, they now could live without being afraid of the demands of their 2,000+ gods, instead they can live in peace. They now have hope, a reason to keep living and to be happy, they have something to look forward to instead of being bothered with what they'll be in their next life, being on an endless cycle of reincarnation. That's one good thing about my Christian beliefs I guess.
I don't mean to offend anyone, but I really couldn't attempt to channel spirits or talk to the dead, or believe in my consciousness staying here on earth after I die. That just scares me. I don't want to talk to someone's angry ghost, or worry about an entity feeding off of me. As for my consciousness remaining, it would hurt me to no end continuing to see people suffer and die over and over forever.
About the popular Christian belief that spirits go to God right after they die..I do not believe that. The Bible (God's word) says that, "..the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing.." My faith believes that when humans die, they stay in the ground, and their "consciousness" remains dormant until they are brought back to life when Jesus returns. Kind of complicated, and probably doesn't seem possible to alot of people
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Anyways, that's a brief (maybe not so brief!) summary of my beliefs. If you have any questions or contradicting beliefs, please feel free to share!