And follow the laws more strictly and start killing disobedient teenagers and people who work on sabbath day.

Uhhh???

Deuteronomy 21:18-21

If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them: Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.

Exodus 35:2

Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death.

OK, in the Deuteronomy story -- they're talking about a son who is a drunk. You have to understand that the Bible does not like drunks. It's talking about extreme defiance of Deuteronomy 5:17. Deuteronomy 21:18-21 is a parable, not a law.

For the Exodus verse...see Exodus 31:13. Also, when they say "put to death", in this context that does not mean to literally kill them. It means to cut them off from his people. And you have to remember that both Deuteronomy and Exodus were well before Jesus’ time. Things were still not too clear. See Luke 14:1-6. Especially pay attention to Luke 14:5.

And it looks like you're reading either the KJV or the NKJ. Try the NIV.

Cut off from his people? Still pretty harsh for someone who just worked on a Sunday to feed his family. I'm actually surprised at all the people who are supposed to be put to death by the bible. Like anyone who gives their children to Molech or someone (whoever it is) and anyone who does not put to death someone who has done this.

I don't think you need to worry about offending anyone who believes in god after I started posting in this thread.

When someone says that they don't believe in God, it doesn't offend me. At all. All it does is makes me want to know why so I can try and answer their questions and possibly bring them to Christ. Yes, it's true, there are some people who will never believe, just because they're too set in their ways. But a lot of people can be changed for the better.

The rest of this post is not for those who are strict non-believers who have horse blinders on their eyes. The rest of this post is for those who are not yet with God, but are open and would be willing to hear more about Christ.

First, it's great that you want to improve your life and enter the kingdom of heaven. Ask yourself why you currently don't believe. It could be for a number of reasons. A lot of people like to believe things only with tangible, proven evidence. Well, I'm not going to lie, Christianity is based a lot on faith. But it isn't "blind" faith, as some people call it. There is a lot of proof of God, but not necessarily the proof that people want to see. It does take some degree of faith. Another common reason for not believing is that you feel you're not good enough for God, or that you're too set in your ways to change (alcohol, drugs, non-marital sex, and other sins). Well, you have to remember that God loves everyone equally, even non-believers. Also, remember that everyone is a sinner, some to a higher degree than others. With God, you can get out of your old ways. It's not like magic, nor is it easy, but you CAN do it (but only with God). My friend was an alcoholic for 20 years. He was so hooked on alcohol, but he had the desire to change. Well, with the help of some Christian friends, he found God and has been sober for 1 1/2 years. But, he says every day it is still a struggle to stay sober. Every day he thinks of drinking. But he stays with God, and he has stayed sober. Some people think that they have to improve their life, then come to God. But that's not what God wants you to do. He wants you to come to Him just as you are, right now. You don't need to improve your life to come to God! You first come to God, then you improve your life. A lot of people think the Christian life is boring, or that it means that you can't do anything fun. NOT TRUE! The Christian life is the best and most fun, but it is different. When you are a Christian, that does not mean that you have to be constantly at church, or never do anything fun. In fact, lots of converts are so surprised at how different Christianity is than they thought it would be. If you think Christianity is just going to be annoying or a drag, you're wrong. It is the absolute best way to live. I think that there is a stereotypical Christian lifestyle that people have programmed in their mind. They see Christianity as being very boring and constantly worshiping God and never having any fun, but that's not what Christianity is all about. If you've ever watched that TV station - EWTN - TURN IT OFF. No offense to them, but they're sending the wrong message about Christianity to people. I think all that is scaring people more than making them want to come to Christ.

To start your spiritual journey, you are going to need a Bible, which is the word of God. Purchase a NIV (New International Version) Study Bible. They are the easiest to understand and best for starters (even I use one). What you have to understand is that the Bible is not like your normal book. It is many, many books put together. Each book is divided up into chapters, and each chapter is divided into verses. John 1:2-4 means the book of John, chapter one, verse 2-4. A good place to start in the Bible is at the beginning of the New Testament, with the Gospels. The Gospels are all about Jesus (well, mostly). The gospels are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Try starting with Mark, it's a good one for beginners. Then, try reading some of the letters (called epistles in the Bible). Romans, Ephesians, and Philippians. My personal favorite is Philippians, but they're all really good. Romans would be my second favorite. Also, read the book of Genesis. Maybe even before anything else. The book of Genesis is all about the creation and beginning of the world.

Why become a Christian? To give glory and honor to our creator and protector, and to ensure a seat in the kingdom of heaven for eternal happiness.

Basic beliefs of Christians: God created the Earth. God created man in His image. God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit make up the Holy Trinity. The Bible is the word of God himself. God loves everyone more than anything. God sacrificed His only son, Jesus, for the forgiveness of our sins and the renewal of our connection with God. Jesus resurrected from the dead three days after his death. Jesus will return.

Do NOT worry about denomination for now. I'm a non-denominational Christian and plan on staying that way. If you want to choose a denomination, that's OK, but just remember that it's not required, nor is one better than another.

If anyone wants any help, information, or has any questions, feel free to post or PM me and I'll do my best...

AJ, you need to quit the holier than thou attitude when it comes to religion. It's fine that you're firm in your belief, it really is, but this whole "change for the better" thing is a little much. Just cool that shit. It just isn't helping your cause.

And believe it or not, that's not me trying to argue. That's me helping you out. Really, there are a couple sentences in that post I would just drop if I had the same goals as you.

The post wasn't aimed at you. I am going to follow what the Bible says, not what you say.

lol God, look at you. You can't even take suggestions from a fellow man.

The Bible says to spread the word of God. If your "suggestions" contradict the Bible, then you're right, I'm not going to take them into consideration. If you don't like my posts about God, then don't read them. No one's forcing you to.