Hi Carla,

I don't believe that religion was meant to be race specific, it's just the way that cultures have responded to " the God gene",this belief that the mortal life isn't all there is.

Jesus was a Jew, but his message wasn't just for the Jews. It was for the whole world. The Bible tells us to tell the whole world the good news that Christ died for their sins. It wasn't meant to be a western religion, an eastern religion or anything of the kind. It was meant to be a global religion. Before Christianity, my people were pagans, but they converted. I'm glad they did, but others might not feel the same way.

The Bible is a huge book so to randomly open it up and read a passage expecting help to a particular situation is unlikely to happen. The help comes from the principles that the Bible teaches us as a whole - love, forgiveness, kindness,self-sacrifice, mercy. If we know the principles, we can apply them to a situation, and if we can't find peace, we can pray.

I don't think anyone can "sell" Christianity to another person. People can, as you point out, try to bully and brainwash people into believing it, but to have people believe and accept it in their heart, I don't think that is possible unless theywant to.

I don't consider myself to be believing in an "ancient religion", but to believe in the living God, "who was, who is, and is to come". People might say "If there is a God, why doesn't he talk to us? Why doesn't he show himself?" Well, the answer (to the Christian) is he did. 2000 years ago.

For me, the Bible gives us the best guidelines how to live, guidelines that are just as valuable today as they were 2000 years ago. But, what Jesus was teaching was often "alien" to the people of his day. He had his followers, but in general he was despised. Being a Christian isn't always easy. Other religions are tolerated far more than Christians are. These words of Jesus have proved very true for me in the hostlility I've receieved as a Christian, and have also brought me much comfort:

"If the people of this world hate you, just remember that they hated me first. If you belonged to the world, its people would love you. But you don't belong to the world. I have chosen you to leave the world behind, and that is why its people hate you. Remember how I told you that servants are not greater than their master. So if people mistreat me, they will mistreat you. If they do what I say, they will do what you say. People will do to you exactly what they did to me. They will do it because you belong to me, and they don't know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin.

Everyone who hates me also hates my Father. I have done things that no one else has ever done. If they had not seen me do these things, they would not be guilty. But they did see me do these things, and they still hate me and my Father too. That is why the Scriptures are true when they say, "People hated me for no reason."

I will send you the Spirit who comes from the Father and shows what is true. The Spirit will help you and will tell you about me. Then you will also tell others about me, because you have been with me from the beginning.

I am telling you this so you will not give up your faith. You will be chased out of the Jewish meeting places. And the time will come when people will kill you and think they are doing it for God. They will do these things because they don't know either the Father or me. I am saying this to you now, so that when the time comes, you will remember what I have said."
(John 15-16)