Hello. I thought that it would be nice from me to introduce myself properly instead of just lurking around here, and I thought that now would be a good time to do it since I'm in a mood for posting.
So, what should I tell you about myself. I think I'll just tell some basic stuff about me and you can ask me anything you like if you're interested.
So, my name is Niko, but I prefer to be called Nicky when I'm referred to in an english conversation, because its much easier to say, because we pronounce the name differently in Finnish than an English-speaking person would pronounce it.
As said, I'm a Finn, and to you, who don't know where Finnland is, I can tell that it's in between of Sweden and Russia. And I hope that you know where Russia is though. =P
I'm 18 and I go to high school here in my town, Nokia. Yes yes, you can tell me all about the telephone, some just think that I'm fooling around when I say I'm from Nokia. They just say that I can't be, what am I trying to say, because Nokia is a cellphone brand. I might as well say that I'm from Siemens or Motorola. But I'm not, I'm from Nokia, and this town existed before the cellphone and the cellphone's name comes from this town, as some may have guessed knowing that Nokia is a Finnish corporation. ^^
Well, what would you be interested in.. Well, if I would have joined a baseball-forum, I probably would tell how long I've played, but this is a bible-truths-forum, so I think I'll tell you something about my religious background.
Before I start I would like to say that our church-culture is far different than the american. Peope in here don't go to church every sunday and it's not concidered as a bad thing. You go when you feel like it, it is not an obligation, not a religious or a cultural one. And of course there are those people who go attend church every week, but the majority doesn't, and there is nothing speacial about it and they may be even concidered as active christians if christ is a part of their everyday live.
Almost every children in Finnland is baptized, and in their 15's most of the youth goes to a confirmation camp, where they teach about the bible and about Jesus and about the doctrines. (I can tell you about their teachings, if you want to know more.) After the camp there is a confirmation ceremony where you confirm your faith in christ. After that you are a full member of the church and you can marry and be a godfather and a godmother and you can partake in the supper.
Now about me and my background. I come from a protestant (Lutheran) family. We didn't go to church very often, but I was raised as a christian. I went to the confirmation camp and enjoyed it there. I didn't find any new answers though, but I enjoyed the fun and the good spirit in there.
After my camp I thought that I had so much fun that I would like to share that experience with others, so I decided to go to a training, after which they can hire you as an assistant to the camp. Well, guess what I learned during that training? I had my hopes up that I would at least learn something spiritual. Nope, I spent two years, hour once in a week (not on holidays or vacations) on that training, and they taught me how to build team spirit and how to entertain and I was taught different games that I could play with the "little ones" on camp, as they were referred. I learned nothing new. No spiritual knowledge. Just games and fun stuff.
Well, I worked at two different camps after the two years training. I made few friends and I'm VERY grateful for that. But then the climax of this story is about to come. I hope that I have not put you into sleep with this long posting. As I said, I'm in the mood for writing. I hope that someone would actually enjoy reading this too.
But let's enter the climax: The second camp, end of the summer.
There was a bible study, where you could ask any questions that were bothering you. There were the priest, the director of the camp and the assistants, which includes me. The "little ones" were asking questions and we tried to answer them. I noticed, and the friend of mine noticed too, that I gave better answers to some of the questions than the priest! How come I can answer to some things even the bible-educated priest, who has spend at least 5 years studying theology, can't find an answer to? What has she done in those 5 years if I, a 16 year old boy back then, could give more satisfying answers to the groups questions than the priest? Well, I thought that the situation was totally absurd. =D
After the camp I went to the church's training again, it was like an extension to the training I had. And I learned one of the most important things there: I didn't learn anything! I was wasting my time there, I didn't learn anything new of God, so I quit.
About a year after that I withdrew my membership from that church. It was a shock for my mother. She thought about how terrible it would be if I would die before her and wouldn't receive ceremonial burial in the church and about how I can never get married in a church and things about that. That is probably the main reason why I quit the church. The church institution is more important to people nowadays than the truths of God.
Even people who do not believe have their children baptized in Finland. It is a custom, the child receives a name that way. People who don't believe have also church weddings. The institution is more important than God to them. The church offers different kinds of services and ceremonies, but they do not offer the truth.
But let's move on to the truth. I had problems about good and evil and lucifer turning from good into evil by his own will without God planning it to happen. If God foreknew everything, wouldn't that mean that God knew that Satan is going to turn bad? If God is good then how come there is evil, because when God created the world, He must have known that evil would have come into existance. But how is this possible that God created evil if He's good. I figured out myself that good wouldn't exist without evil. But the bigger thing that I stumbled upon was that if God is love, how come a place called Hell exist, where people are tormented for absolutely no good reason? Why wouldn't just kill them?
Well, I asked many questions and when I researched, God lead me to this site. Since then I have studied intensily and now I don't feel like I'm on thin ice anymore. I feel like I finally stand on the rock. Finally I know things. Finally much of my questions have answers. Finally I feel that I have a God, that you can truly say, is LOVE. I found the God, who I can love with all my heart. He doesn't torture people for all eternity. God chastens and raises us to be His children. We are all important to Him, every sinner out there is important to God and He will save every one of them trough the Lake of Fire. I finally can call the gospel the gospel.
For ending I would like to thank God for leading me and you here to get to know the truth.
Please ask me anything you'd like to know, I'll be happy to answer.
And I feel like I have to apologize for making this post so long and I'm proud of you if you have succeeded to read this all way trough. I would say you are pretty patient, you have sleeping problems for not falling asleep reading this five metres long post, or maybe you're interested in what I'm saying. ^^
Your brother in Christ,
Nicky
(This post can contain multiple typing errors, because it's 2:22 am now and I'm not a native english speaker, so forgive me. ^^)
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Topic: Northern Newbie signs up ^^ (Read 5216 times)