So that you can be a blessing to others.

So you can be the hands of Christ to those who suffer. So that you can extend the love of Christ to those who suffer.

So that you can share the gospel (the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ) with those who have not heard the gospel.

So that you can bring joy into the lives of others.

So that you can bring beauty into the lives of others.

So that you can help other Christians to grow in their relationship with God.

So that you can grow in character (by the behaviors listed above) to be like Jesus Christ -- so you will be a pleasure to be with for eternity (in the kingdom of God).

Our Universe is His "art project"; that is why it is so incredibly beautiful.

And our Universe is His "scientific and engineering" creation; that is why it is so full of science and engineering, and we are learning this as we crawl in his footsteps via mathematics, physics, cosmology and molecular biology.

As a rational person, I conclude that all religions are NOT the same. For instance...

Buddhism teaches that there is no God; Atheism also teaches that there is no God; one form of Hinduism teaches that the entire universe is God; another form of Hinduism teaches that there are millions of Gods; Islam teaches that God exists but he can NOT come down to earth in the form of a man; Judaism also teaches that God exists but he can NOT come down to earth in the form of a man; Christianity teaches that God exists and that he is all-powerful and so he can voluntarily choose to come down to earth in the form of a man (Jesus).

If it is impossible for ALL religions and world-views to be completely true (since they contradict each other at various points), then it is possible that all of them are partially true to varying degrees, and that one of them is the one that has the greatest amount of truth within it.

The question then becomes, does Christianity present the most truthful picture of God?

For instance, we ask the question "Does God exist?" If the truth is Yes, then Buddhism is wrong (when it says that God does not exist). And similarly, Atheism is wrong (when it says that God does not exist).

And, "Is the Universe God (or did God create the Universe)?" If the truth is that the Universe is not God, but that God created the universe, then Hinduism is wrong (when it says that the Universe is God).

And, "Are there millions of Gods, or is there only one God who is eternal, and who always existed?" If the truth is that there is only one God who is eternal, then Hinduism is wrong (when it says that there are millions of gods).

And, "Given that God exists, can he come down to earth in the form of a man"? If the truth is "Yes, he can", then Islam and Judaism are wrong when they teach that God can not come down to earth in the form of a man.

It is by going through this chain of reasoning that I am led to infer that Christianity provides the truest picture of God (from among the various religions and philosophies in our world).

It is in this sense (as described above) that we can say that the Christian God is indeed the ONE True God.

The Bible tells the story of (a) God (b) who created the Universe and (c) who created human beings (d) in order to have a relationship of love with us. (e) We have moved away from God, but God has pursued us, (f) in the form of Jesus Christ, who came to earth in human form. (g) Jesus taught us about the love that God has for us, but (h) he was rejected by human beings, and was crucified. (i) On the third day, he came back alive and was seen alive by more than 500 people over a period of 40 days. (j) He did this to show us that God has power over death, and to show us that he has the power to resurrect us as well for eternal life.

This is the core of what the Bible is about.

Is this message credible? Yes, absolutely.

(a) There is scientific evidence for the existence of God.

(b) There is scientific evidence for the creation of the Universe.

(c) There is scientific evidence for intelligent design (creation) of human beings.

(d) There is scientific evidence that indicates that Human beings are created for relationship with God.

(e) There is scientific evidence for the existence of a moral law across human cultures and societies; when we disobey the moral law, we move away from God. When we disobey the moral law, we cause harm to ourselves and to society and we develop all kinds of psychological problems. When we make a habit of obeying the moral law, we feel at ease with ourselves and we are less likely to become psychologically or mentally ill.

(f) There is strong historical evidence (from outside the Bible) that a man named Jesus actually lived on earth, that he performed miracles, that he gained many followers.

(g) There is historical evidence (form outside the Bible) that Jesus was a good man and he taught people to love one another, and that God loves us.

(h) There is historical evidence (form outside the Bible) that Jesus was killed under Pontius Pilate (the Roman governor).

(i) And there are historical indications (from outside the Bible) that Jesus was indeed resurrected from the grave. And that his disciples were so impressed by this that their lives were completely changed, and they became powerful witnesses of this truth (that Jesus had come back from the dead).

(j) Given that God has the power to create the universe, and to rise from the dead, it is clear that he has the power to resurrect us as well for eternal life.

In addition to the items mentioned above, there are a lot of scientific, historical, archaeological reasons to believe in the Bible. Some of these reasons/ evidence are presented on this website.

See below for a brief explanation.

God is absolute truth. We are too small to understand all of God. However, we can still understand a lot about God and about his Character.

Christianity provides us with a lot of such understanding about God and his character. Christianity is however not intended (by God) to provide us exhaustive knowledge about God.

All religions have portions of truth within them. However, I have come to conclude that of the various religions and philosophies in the world, Christianity has the greatest amount of truth within it.

As a rational person, I conclude that all religions are NOT the same.

For instance, Buddhism teaches that there is no God; one form of Hinduism teaches that the entire universe is God; another form of Hinduism teaches that there are millions of Gods; Islam teaches that God exists but he can NOT come down to earth in the form of a man; Judaism also teaches that God exists but he can NOT come down to earth in the form of a man; Christianity teaches that God exists and that he is all-powerful and so he can voluntarily choose to come down to earth in the form of a man (Jesus). It should be evident to any rational person that all of these statements above (from the various religions) can NOT all be true.

If it is impossible for ALL religions and world-views to be true (since they contradict each other at various points), then it is possible that all of them are partially true to varying degrees, and that one of them is the one that has the greatest amount of truth within it.

This is a rational inference (above).

After many years of investigation, I have come to the conclusion that Christianity is indeed the religion (or world-view) that is the one with the greatest amount of truth within it. Note that there is nothing irrational about that claim, and therefore it can quite logically and rationally be true. And many individuals have come to the conclusion (after many years of study and investigation) that this claim is indeed true about Christianity.

Protestants do not believe in prayer to Mary or to any human being (or saint) who is dead or alive. Protestants also believe that salvation is a gift of God and is not something we earn by our good works (by good things we do). Protestants do believe in doing good works; however the good works are things that we do in obedience to God, and in showing our love and gratitude to God. These good works do not earn us our salvation, because the salvation was a free gift from God.

All Christians, no matter what denomination, believe in certain common things. They believe in the Christian God, in salvation through Jesus Christ and his death on the cross, in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and in the future resurrection and judgment of all human beings, and in eternal life with God for those who have committed their lives to Jesus Christ. These beliefs are called "Verities" or "Primary Doctrines", or "Primary Teachings". These teachings are necessary for a person to be a Christian.

In addition to these beliefs, there are certain secondary teachings, which are not essential for a person's salvation. Examples of such teachings include (a) baptism – whether only believing children and adults can be baptised, or whether even babies who don’t understand the gospel can be baptised; (b) the age of the earth – is it 6,000 years old, or 10,000 years old, or 4.5 billion years old; (c) evolution – did God use evolution as the means to create life, or did he not use evolution to create life; (d) music – should there be music, guitars, pianos, pipe organs in church or not; (e) dress – what kind of dress and clothing can be permitted in church; (f) church government – should churches belong to a collection of churches or should each church be independent; (g) church leadership – should the church be governed by a board of elders, or by an individual pastor or minister, or by a denominational leader or bishop etc.

Different groups of Christians can choose to take different positions on these secondary teachings (doctrines) and still be Christian. A group of Christians who choose a certain set of these teachings, generally become a denomination.

Examples of denominations include Baptists, Presbyterians, Methodists, Congregationalists, Assemblies of God etc.

And groups of Christians who take particular positions on secondary doctrines, gather together to form a denomination that holds to a particular set of secondary doctrines.

For example, Presbyterians believe that it is ok to baptize infants; Baptists believe that infants should not be baptized, and that baptism should be performed on children and adults who are old enough to understand and accept the gospel.

Draw a big circle and label it "Christian". Draw a smaller circle INSIDE the big circle, and label it "Baptist". This shows the relationship between Christian and Baptist.

"Christian" is the broader term (it includes more people within its definition). Any person who believes in the following items is a Christian.

All Christians, no matter what denomination, believe in certain common things. They believe in the Christian God, in salvation through Jesus Christ and his death on the cross, in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and in the future resurrection and judgment of all human beings, and in eternal life with God for those who have committed their lives to Jesus Christ. These beliefs are called "Verities" or "Primary Doctrines", or "Primary Teachings". These teachings are necessary for a person to be a Christian.

In addition to these items above, Baptists believe that infants should not be baptized, and that baptism should be performed on children and adults who are old enough to understand and accept the gospel.

All true Baptists are Christian, but not all true Christians are Baptists.

Such Christians typically attend churches that are called non-denominational churches.

Such churches believe in the primary teachings of Christianity, but typically do not insist that their members should believe a particular set of the secondary teachings. They are open to differences in position or perspective on the secondary teachings.

All of these denominations, believe in certain common things. They believe in the Christian God, in salvation through Jesus Christ and his death on the cross, in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and in the future resurrection and judgment of all human beings, and in eternal life with God for those who have committed their lives to Jesus Christ. These beliefs are called "Verities" or "Primary Doctrines", or "Primary Teachings". These teachings are necessary for a person to be a Christian.

In addition to these items above, Presbyterians believe that infants can be baptized.

Baptists believe that infants should not be baptized, and that baptism should be performed only on children and adults who are old enough to understand and accept the gospel.

Baptists believe that baptism should be done with complete immersion of the person in water.

Presbyterians believe that baptism can be performed by sprinkling.

Methodists used certain methods for the bringing people to God, including using teachers who traveled in circuits across various towns to teach people about God.

Assemblies of God believe that when a person receives the Holy Spirit, they will speak in another language (which other people typically can not understand). This is called "speaking in tongues".

The Methodists, Baptists, and Presbyterians tend to not believe in "speaking in tongues".

Many Roman Catholics believe in these teachings above.

In addition to these, Roman Catholics believe that God has appointed one leader (called the Pope) to be the leader of all Roman Catholics. They also believe in the importance of tradition (whereas Protestants believe in the Bible over tradition). Roman Catholics also believe in prayer to Mary, prayer to the Saints (who were good Catholics who are now dead), purgatory (a place people go to before they go to heaven).

Some Roman Catholics believe that the good works that they do, contribute to their salvation (or to reducing the amount of time they would have to spend in purgatory after they die). So such Roman Catholics would believe in salvation by Grace + Works.

However, other Roman Catholics believe that salvation is purely a gift of God (salvation is by grace not by works), and that good works are merely done in obedience and gratitude to God. This position is the same as the Protestant position on the question of whether good works contribute to salvation or not.

Protestants do not believe in prayer to Mary or to any human being (or saint) who is dead or alive. Protestants also believe that salvation is a gift of God and is not something we earn by our good works (by good things we do). Protestants do believe in doing good works; however the good works are things that we do in obedience to God, and in showing our love and gratitude to God. These good works do not earn us our salvation, because the salvation was a free gift from God.

On the other hand…

In addition to the Primary Teachings of Christianity, Roman Catholics believe that God has appointed one leader (called the Pope) to be the leader of all Roman Catholics. They also believe in the importance of tradition (whereas Protestants believe in the Bible over tradition). Roman Catholics also believe in prayer to Mary, prayer to the Saints (who were good Catholics who are now dead), purgatory (a place people go to before they go to heaven).

Some Roman Catholics believe that the good works that they do, contribute to their salvation (or to reducing the amount of time they would have to spend in purgatory after they die). So such Roman Catholics would believe in salvation by Grace + Works.

However, other Roman Catholics believe that salvation is purely a gift of God (salvation is by grace not by works), and that good works are merely done in obedience and gratitude to God. This position is the same as the Protestant position on the question of whether good works contribute to salvation or not.

Short answer = yes.

Long answer = If the constellation you drew is not too complicated (e.g., up to 10 stars maybe) the odds are very high that there is a sky somewhere in the universe where such a constellation would be visible.

Why? Because... There are an estimated 100,000,000,000 stars in our galaxy (the Milky way); and there are an estimated 100,000,000,000 galaxies in universe... So the total number of stars in the entire universe is about 10, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (ten thousand billion billion). With this many stars, the odds are very very high that any pattern of constellations that you draw would be present somewhere among all of these stars...

Part of a manuscript (copy) of a book called the gospel of Judas was discovered recently. The copy is from about 300 AD, i.e., about 300 years after Jesus. The book claims to have secret knowledge that was supposedly given to Judas by Jesus. Some of the information in this book is different from what is presented in the New Testament gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John).

I would trust the New Testament gospels much more than the so-called gospel of Judas for the following reasons:

The New Testament gospels were written shortly after the time of Jesus, whereas the "gospel of Judas" appears to have been written about 200 years after Jesus, although the earliest known copy is from actually 300 years after Jesus.

The New Testament gospels were written by disciples of Jesus (Matthew, John) and by immediate disciples of the disciples of Jesus (Mark, Luke) and were accepted by the disciples as being correct. On the other hand, the Gnostic Gospels (of which the gospel of Judas is one) were actually written by other men who did not personally know Jesus.

The New Testament gospels describe events and teachings of Jesus that were common knowledge among his followers. On the other hand the Judas gospel supposedly describes secret teachings that were given only to Judas (so nobody else knew of these teachings). This makes it very easy for the men who wrote this gospel to make up any teaching they wished to, and then claim that it was a secret (and different) teaching given only to one person by Jesus.

The records of Jesus' teachings show that he did not hide things from his disciples. He shared his teachings with all of them. This contradicts the idea of Jesus giving secret teachings to an individual such as Judas.

Mormon missionaries that I have spoken with have confirmed that the Mormon church believes in these even today.

Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, taught this in his King Follett Discourse on April 6, 1844. He states: "What sort of a being was God in the beginning? ...God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted Man... he was once a man like us ... you have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all Gods have done before you, -- namely, by going from one small degree to another, and from a small capacity to a great one, -- from grace to grace, from exaltation to exaltation... (Mormon founder Joseph Smith, Journal of Discourses, Vol.6, No.1, pp. 3-4).

Lorenzo Snow, who became Mormonism's fifth president in 1898, taught "As man is, God once was. As God is, man may become."

I.e., God the Father was once a man on a planet and he evolved into becoming God; and Mormon men can become Gods, like God the Father. When Lorenzo Snow spoke of this teaching to Joseph Smith, in the 1840s, Joseph Smith's reply was, "Brother Snow, that is a true gospel doctrine, and it is a revelation from God to you" (Mormon LeRoi C. Snow, "Devotion to a Divine Inspiration," Improvement Era, June 1919, p.656).

The Encyclopedia of Mormonism confirms this teaching: "This process known as eternal progression is succinctly expressed in the LDS aphorism, 'As man is, God once was. As God is, man may become.'" Encyclopedia of Mormonism 4:1474.

Other Mormon leaders have also confirmed this teaching.

"It is a 'Mormon' truism that is current among us and we all accept it, that as man is God once was and as God is man may become." (Mormon Elder Melvin J. Ballard, General Conference, April 1921).

"From President Snow's understanding of the teachings of the Prophet on this doctrinal point, he coined the familiar couplet: 'As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become.' This teaching is peculiar to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ." (Mormon leader Marion Romney, 1st Presidency, General Conference, October 1964).

"The Lorenzo Snow couplet expresses a true statement: 'As man is, God once was; and as God is, man may become.'" (Mormon leader, member of the Seventy, Bruce C. Hafen, The Broken Heart: Applying the Atonement to Life's Experiences, p.133, 1989).

"Knowing what we know concerning God our Father—that he is a personal being; that he has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as our own; that he is an exalted and glorified being; that he was once a man and dwelt on an earth..." (Mormon BYU Professor Dr. Robert Millet, in an article titled "The Eternal Gospel" in the Mormon magazine "The Ensign", page 53, July 1996).

"…it is the official teaching of the LDS Church that God the Father has a physical body (Doctrine and Covenants 130:22). The belief that God the Father was once a human being rests mainly on two technically uncanonized sources (sermons of Joseph Smith and Lorenzo Snow) which have, however, in effect become normative" (Mormon BYU Professor Stephen Robinson, in How Wide is the Divide, page 87, 1997).

"Nothing I say here should be interpreted as denying the importance for Mormonism of God's corporality and God's nature as an exalted man. Neither am I denying the importance of LDS belief that we humans are literally God's children and can become what God is. These are lynchpins in LDS theology." (Mormon BYU Professor Stephen Robinson, in How Wide is the Divide, page 91, 1997).

"It is clear that the teaching of President Lorenzo Snow is both acceptable and accepted doctrine in the Church today." (Mormon Elder Gerald Lund, The Ensign, p. 38, July 1982).

This Teaching of Joseph Smith and Lorenzo Snow has never been rejected by the First Presidency (top leaders) of the Mormon church.

Be aware however, that some Mormons don't know that this is what their church teaches.