Welcome to Gaia! ::

Hey, ask any questions you want; that's half of why we're here, to learn from each other.

And don't worry about feeling ignorant. That happens to all of us. It's been happening to me a lot lately. Don't worry about it. I feel ignorant when I look at your sig and wonder who these guys are.

1. Right or wrong way to pray? Heh ... well, Jesus did create the "Lord's Prayer" as a way of teaching us how to pray, yeah. He didn't like the needless repetition of pagans ... and I'd wager that extends to ritual prayers as well, but that's just my theory. If we take the Lord's Prayer as a general guideline ... (and I'm using the classical phrasing here, just 'cause that's how I remember it best) :

Our Father, who art in Heaven ... -- we're addressing the Lord.

... Hallowed be Thy name ... -- we're admitting that He is the Holy One, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Hey, a little sucking up never hurts; besides, it's the truth.

... Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. We pray for Him to rule over us, and that His plans will be done in all things. His will is more important than ours, and we need to remember that.

Give us this day our daily bread ... -- We ask for what we need. Short, sweet, to the point.

... and forgive us our trespasses ... -- we ask forgiveness for our sins; that's always important, considering how many sins we can rack up in the course of a day.

... as we forgive those who trespass against us. It's partly a reminder to ourselves that we're to forgive others as He forgives us ... and partly a warning to ourselves that He will do so. Which means we shouldn't hold grudges, 'cause He might do the same.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. We don't want to sin, and we ask Him to keep us safe from sin.

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Giving praise to God is a good way to end things, same as you'd praise someone who was doing you a favor like fixing your car or giving you directions. But with God, we want Him to have the credit forever, because that's how long His goodness and holiness last.

Now, again, this is just my interpretation of the Lord's Prayer. I don't see anything in the Bible that says we have to have certain poses, or use certain words, when we pray. And personally, I think the Lord's not impressed with words. To paraphrase a friend of mine ... God managed to make His Word into flesh. Our words aren't nearly so strong.

Me, I don't pray ritually; I don't even pray formally. I go out on my porch, sit down on the step, and address God as though He were sitting in the chair nearby. "Good evening, Lord; things were pretty good today, and I appreciate it. I'm a little concerned about the sensei's family, but I know You're going to keep an eye on them. And thanks for letting me walk today; after all the walking I did yesterday, I thought for sure I'd be too sore today, but You got me through it." Kinda like that.

But again, that's just me.

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2. People raised in different faiths ... actually, Paul covered that. I'm looking for the exact spot now (I'll edit this when I find it), but as I understand it, God will judge these people based on how they followed the law He has written in their hearts. These are the things they feel regardless of their culture.

If you know anything about fantasy novels, think about Drizzt Do'Urden -- raised in a treacherous, murderous society, but following the instinct in his heart that his people's ways were wrong. I suspect God would judge Drizzt kindly.

But ... "still really good people"? Well, there's the trick. According to the Bible, nobody is a "good person". None of us. Not Christians, not Jews, not anybody. That is, none of us is good in God's eyes. Check Romans 3:10 and 3:23.

We may be "good" by human standards, but God's standards are a lot higher. Only He can make us free from sin, so only He can make us "good".

But what's important to remember (and this is being totally selfish here) is ... it doesn't really matter how God will judge somebody who's never heard His word. What matters is how He's going to judge us ... because we have heard His word.

Glad to help ... but check back later. Somebody else might have something to add.

thank you also...I understand I just feel really bad for those people who were born atheist or something like that because they were just following what they were raised with just like us I'm glad I was born into a Christian family

I think she meant people who'd never heard of Jesus, because of where they live. I mean, I agree with you, but ... there's always those who haven't heard of Him. Thus, "Go into all the world; preach the gospel to all creation."

yes I do believe that

Romans 10:9-10 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved

You do not have to be baptized to be saved, but it is considered by most churches a big step in proclamation of your rebirth as a Christian being, especially full immersion baptism.

That would be so nice if you and your family went to church together. You would be able to talk about things together. Do you have brothers and sisters that would go too?

Many churches also have vacation Bible schools (with crafts and that type of thing) and activities for teens too. My Grand is going camping at the beach for a week full of Bible study, bonfires and of course swimming. Finding a church that had activities like that (you don't usully have to be a member) might help you to make friends with other Christians your age. Or are you older than that?