Koi

The truth and the promise of eternal life and the ability to provide both. Because Christianity, in a way, has nothing to do with 'Religion'. When he walked on earth, Jesus was an amazing guy, but, again, shunned the religious piety of the day. Let me explain more fully: Too many religions are bogged down with sets of rules and regulations that are man-made - a 'Do this act and God will bless you' mentality, 'Don't do this or God will be angry.' Some religions have rituals that get close to superstition. Some have regulations about dress (Islam), the length of hair (Sikhism), what you can and cannot eat (Judaism, Buddhism and Islam) - the list goes on. various reasons (many laudable) are given for these practices, but nevertheless, the important issues get clouded by unnecessary human-made laws. The difference with Christianity is that it is concerned with the relationship between God and humankind. Sadly, over the years that relationship has gone wrong because of our disobedience of God's rules of life. If you don't believe this, just look at the mess the world is in (wars, hunger, famine although there is more than enough food to go round as just a few examples) as a result of us thinking we know better than the Creator who made it all in the first place. As a result of our disobedience we have brought death and destruction into the world. Since we are sinful ('for all have sinned in God's sight', said St Paul once) there is nothing that we can do to earn our favour or to make things right with God (despite what Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons and other sects will tell you). God knew this, and so he gave us a way out. He would sacrifice his only Son - part of himself, as a means of atoning for our sins - just as the early Jews would sacrifice a lamb or dove to ask for forgiveness. This sacrifice would be once and for all, for all people, for all time. Jesus would be the sacrifice, and at the moment of his death, Jesus would take the sins of everyone on his shoulders and wipe them out. All we needed to do would be to accept this sacrifice with thanks, and to follow his way as a result. Of course, the story of Jesus did not finish there. Jesus was God incarnate (God in human form) and therefore was perfect - sinless. As sin was the cause of death - and spiritual death at that, Jesus, being sinless, could not stay dead - and his resurrection to glory on the first Easter Day opened the way to everlasting life with Him - if only we believe and trust in him. Thus was God's love for humankind - and still is. "For God so loved the world," wrote St John, "That he gave his only begotten Son, so that whoever believed in Him would never perish, but have everlasting life". In this way, the relationship between us and God was restored, and we can look forward to the great Christian hope (more an 'expectation'than hope!) - that God's kingdom (ie God's way of doing things, not sinful man's) can be glimpsed in this life, and that we can look forward to a glorified life with him beyond the grave. So, to conclude: Christianity is involved in a restoration of a loving relationship between God and Humankind. Just like a father or mother would welcome home a wayward child who returned gome. This was achieved by Jesus' crucifixion and death on the Cross. His resurrection demonstrated the victory over death, and the hope of life with him for ever. To become a Christian is also not riddled with rules and 'Religion'. There are just three steps: 1. Repent. This means to say sorry for everything we have done wrong - including ignoring God duringour lives and to promise to turn away from evil whenever we can. We will still sin, of course, as humans are, well, human! But if we continue to ask God for forgiveness he will give it. 2. Accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. To accept that he died for us on the Cross, that he took away our sins through his sacrifice, and that he opened the way to everlasting life through his resurrection. 3. Say 'Hello' to a new way of life - God's way. Say 'Hello' to a whole new family across the world - all colours, all nationalities and so on, with one thing in common - all loving God and accepting Jesus as Lord. So there you are. No rules, regulations, mindless ritual. Yes, some churches use ritual, and use rules, but these are unnecessary peripheral things. Christianity is a restored relationship. It is often a hard road to travel - Christians are often ridiculed, laughed at, derided, and, in some parts of the world, even persecuted. But the truth is this; that only when you live life God's way, through Jesus, does life seem to have any real meaning - and only then does life feel so good. To me, is the fact God is not perfect and has His mad moments shown through anger and frustration in the Old Testament.

Modern Christianity is not so attractive to me but since there is only one, I prefer to think my Christian God has flaws but has a great heart, like the most of humanity, He is not sanitized and always perfect.