Apologetics- Why You Believe What You Believe

[Androopy]

Here's a bit of a hot topic. As followers of Christ, we have firm confidence in the fact that we know Jesus Christ as our savior. We know that we have sinned against an almighty god who despises sin and we are deserving punishment (hell). But Jesus Christ died on a cross as the atonement for the punishment. We just have to repent of what we've done, believe that Jesus is the son of God and did in fact die on the cross, and confess to others this great news.
But what about everything else? Why do we believe that Paul wrote most of the new testament? What tells us that the old testament isn't mainly a bunch of myths written by crackpots? Why do we believe that the bible is even the least bit valid?
This is the basis of apologetic. Those that have "grown up in church" or even those who've only been Christians for a short time, it is usually good to believe what you're being taught in church or sunday school or wherever. But, in this age of questioning, we're lead to ask why it is we believe something. The answer "well, at my church, the pastor said"...that doesn't work anymore. While we may regard it as the truth (and it often is), we've got to provide solid evidence for those who don't believe.
The main point of this thread is to debate this and perhaps post some apologetic findings.  

[Thorns and Spices]

As a non-Christian, my biggest problems with Christian belief is less about who wrote the bible (does it matter?) and more to do with the actions of god vs. the belief in god as omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent and merciful. The god of the OT seems much more believable as an entity (not omniscient, certainly not benevolent etc) than the god of the NT, who is claimed to be all these things simultaneously. As a polytheist, I don't believe my gods are omni-anything, though they can be benevolent, they can be merciful, they can be incredibly loving, and they are terrifically powerful and wise. But as a polytheist, I don't have to grapple with the problem of theodicy.

Anyway, my primary issue with Christian belief is how a merciful, just god can condemn eternally otherwise good people who simply don't believe he exists. The problem of Hell as a place of eternal punishment is problematic also; how can it be just for there to be infinite punishment for finite crimes?

I also have trouble with a loving god who considers you deserving of punishment by default. How can an omnibenevolent god feel this way? Why would you follow any god - omnibenevolent or otherwise - who felt this way?

My major issue is not understanding how, from a practical perspective, Jesus would be necessary at all. If god is omnipotent and can forgive all sin, why would he need Jesus in order to do this? He could just wipe everyone clean from sin once a week, or whenever you asked, without the whole rigmarole of Christ.

I also have problems with the rejection of the more early non-canonical gospels wholesale. I understand there were a variety of reasons why they were not included in the canon, such as a problem of where to fit them in the narrative or the ideas clashing with the more generally or widely accepted ideas of the time. However I don't get why so many Christians reject them totally rather than reading and cherishing them as examples of early Christian thought and belief, if not as sacred texts relevant to their personal beliefs. As such, perhaps it is important for the apologetic to know why they personally prefer the canonical books (or indeed non-canonical books over some of the canonical ones). For example I find it interesting that Luther removed a few books from the bible when establishing Protestant canon... he also very much wanted to remove Revelation as he thought it was non-sacred but there was backlash against this idea so he did not.

I think these are pretty common problems with some of the major beliefs in Christianity that apologetics may wish to familiarise themselves with and develop answers to. I do not expect anyone to answer these questions for me here. I am just putting them forward as ideas for apologetics.  

[Dawn Landers]

I believe Christ died on the cross and I belive in pre coming of Christ and I acepted him as my lord and savior long ago.

Reason for pre coming

1. Why would Christ keep his people truly of him to face tribulation? That is stupid.

.........
I have the ability to see through the tricks of the enemy as clear as day and I think perhaps I have the ability to since fallen angels around me sometimes known as demons.

Back in High School some teens were playing those magic boards with the magnifying glass talking about spirit guides and astral projection, something told me to tell them their spirit guides are actually demons going to Hell and want to drag you with them your soul.

"They aren't demons, they are good and nice to us." The girl said.

"They are actually demons and they are only being nice to you so they can gain your trust, bring you into a cult and then kill you off and then drag your soul all the way down to Hell." I said.

Then suddenly I felt some invisible negative energy coming towards me angry and I rebuked it. The girl looked at what ever I was rebuking and I remember she said her spirit guide was glaring at me really upset.

"Can you see spirit guides? Your hand is directly on point with my spirit guide." The girl said.

"I cant see them but I can since the energy they give off, negative energy can quickly grab my attention." I said.

....

I think I can since pure good energy to, but since I am 99.8 % of the time swarmed with positive I slowly pick up on it.
.......

One time in the winter I was scraping my mothers car and suddenly I felt this intense wave of negative energy coming at me far down the road and I felt it getting closer and closer to me, I had to rebuke it and I slowly felt all that evil energy retreating from me.
.......

Sometimes in my thoughts I hear evil conversations going against me in my faith in Jesus Christ. I would think a conversation to it and it would respond back just as intelligent as me in my thoughts but all hateful and always my mocker.
........
One time I commanded two brutal folks in Jesus name peace stand still, the two suddenly stood still and their bodies would not obey them to fight.
.....
Oh and back in my old school those negative conversations in my thoughts I told you about,they tormented me saying all evil vile words at me it was clear they hated God with a intense burning passion spoken onto me. It got so bad I called it the spirit of Satan and I declared them thoughts are not my thoughts because God is my daddy and I love him.  

[Dawn Landers]

I know I posted before but I want to post again. For me faith is behind me for it evolved into reality that Christ and etc is all real.I personally can fill God's fire on me when I am about to do something sometimes, I wouldn't be surprise If the fire of God is inside of me and I wave my arms at the sea and it splits into two allowing me to walk across. Heck, I already used the power of God to stop people from fighting long enough.