Thank you for a great question, and it is a good one.

We have the Bible because it is God’s ‘Workshop Manual’ for humans. (I have a Workshop Manual for my 40 year old car. My car and I are good friends and have been so for 23 years.)

For about 1,400 years after Jesus came back to life only a few people could read and write. The ‘Church’ told the people about God and the Bible was chained to the pulpit so it could not be stolen. They were hand written and cost a heap of money. Later on a man, Mr Gutenberg, invented a printing machine. Before long books were cheap. Today they can be made for just a little money. That’s good and God wants everyone to be able to read His Holy word. It sort of changed the world. Books were cheap. The Bible changes people’s lives for the better if they want to.

So I guess God had these days in mind with 6 billion people on the earth so everyone who wanted to, could read it. It is so very different to AD 60 to AD 80 when The Bible was first completed. You know that to God thousand years is like a day and a day is like a thousand years. His times, and timetable is very different to ours. It makes me think that the ‘Second Coming’ of Jesus (he said he would come back) is delayed until all peoples have heard the “Good News”.

Here in Australia we have, in many ways forgotten the Bible. Sixty years ago almost everybody went to church. There was no TV, little radio, not much crime or violence and in our house we did not bother to lock our houses when we went out. Almost no stealing or violence.

Since then we have got TV, many 24-hour radio stations, plenty of money and plenty of ‘Grog’ (alcohol) and lately a huge drug industry and plenty of violence. There is almost a killing or a murder a day now. How very sad. Drugs particularly are a huge industry. A Christian is often ‘the odd man out’ and a non-drinker is almost rare.

In China, population 1,300,000,000, people are very hungry to have the Bible. There are many missionaries there and the Chinese Government print millions of Bibles every year, although they try to force all Christians to go to the “Three Self Movement” churches. Independent churches are banned - but they still thrive. There are never enough Bibles so Bibles and CDs are taken in there often, legally and illegally.

In China, 50 years ago, 50 people had to share one Bible. They would carefully cut out one page, copy it by hand and pass it on to the next person. They were keen! We are not. Maybe its because we have plenty of money.

The full question had two parts, one public and one private!

Q70:  Does God approve of sex?
And: Have you ever had sex?

 “Yes” to both questions.

Me first: I am a dad, a grandad and a great grandad, so yes I have had sex.

God and sex: God is a ‘Supernatural Being’ and quite unlike us who live on earth so I would say, God does not need or have sex as we do.

If you meant Jesus, He obeyed God’s rules and never married so would not have had sex. Please disregard books that have been written saying he secretly married Mary Magdalene, or that Jesus was homosexual, etc.

People write those books to gain publicity, a name for themselves or just to sell books and make money. Many like to read ‘The latest thing’ on anything that is controversial at the time. They soon fade away.

As for sex, read on.

God made sex especially good and an absolute delight for humans.

Please note: Horses, sheep, lions, leopards, tigers, buffaloes, eagles and cheetahs, to name a few, have sex once a year. For the rest of the year they forget about it. Humans can have sex every day if they want to and this is how God planned it.

But, God planned for humans to wait until marriage before having sex and then to stay faithful and only have sex with their wife or husband. We humans are an impatient lot and we think we know what is good for us, so some have sex with many people and play around and they 'reap a harvest' of trouble. That is so sadly true in many lives. There are many sexually transmitted diseases and some of them make you sterile (can’t have babies).

Sex with the right person is utterly lovely, delightful

and makes one feel really good and satisfied.

The horrible side is shameful, degrading, humiliating and painful and sometimes fatal. It is called Rape! A large powerful male (not a real man) can force a girl to have sex with him against her will just because he is stronger. A pure and lovely girl is often mentally ruined for life and likely can never feel ‘normal’ again. The shame is painful and cannot easily be ‘forgotten’ and some victims even commit suicide.

If this has happened to you - don't commit suicide.

God CAN help you! I can pray for you too.

What a weird lot we humans can be: We can make something bad out of something good!

Sorry, there is no short answer to this one.

I write this on 27/10/09. Two days ago 120 people were killed in two bomb blasts in Baghdad, in Iraq. Many victims were innocent Muslim women and children. Why? For thousands of years disgruntled and unhappy young people have taken out their anger on other people.

(It happens in Perth today) And…those unhappy people look for a leader to lead them and give them ‘counsel and guidance’. We all need ‘counsel and guidance’ at sometime in our lives and sometimes we choose the wrong person. Muslim Mullah’s (religious leaders) can be harmless and peaceful or militant and hateful of others who do not fit their way of thinking. That’s important because it applies to other religions a well.

An example: One Christian man ‘lost his way’ too.

Rev. Jim Jones began as a good pastor, a charismatic man (charisma: special power of individual to inspire fascination, loyalty, etc.) and quite soon had a large church. That grew and he loved people ‘loving him’. Later he said that God had told him to go to South America and live as a big Christian ‘family.’ They did. Later he said: “God has told me that ‘the end’ is near and the best thing to do is all to die together and go to heaven now.” Nine hundred died by poison. The ‘end’ did not come. He had ‘lost his way’.

Around 600 years ago Muslims led the world in art, literature, leaning, and culture. Not so now! The ‘radical Muslims’ believe that Allah is leading them to rid the world of all infidels (non Muslims) and suicide bombing is a cheap way, and the bomber is told “You go straight to heaven for killing infidels.”

I know that it will stop somehow, sometime. Today, 80% of refugees come from Muslim lands and 60% of the world’s poor come from Muslim lands. Many Muslim are just ordinary folk like you and me and just want to be left alone to live their lives with their family.

Someone is ‘on the wrong road’ there. This world does not stay the same but I believe that God is still in charge and things will change.

Please note: ‘Father Abraham’ is the ancestor of Jews, Muslims and Christians (all of the same ‘family tree’) and we all believe we are right. I wonder what God thinks!

Sorry but this one cannot be a short answer either.

The full question was rather long:

Q72:  Have you (Mr Harris) always been a Christian? If not when did you start believing? And WHY?" And: How did you change from suicidal to normal?

Also it seemed the last question might have been the most important one?

So look for the 3 parts answerered below:

Have you (Mr Harris) always been a Christian?

I guess as a child, I was introduced to the Bible in a Sunday School by a truly ‘Serious Christian’ man of whom I remember only one thing. I cannot recall his exact words but the idea was that wrongdoing hurts God. I resolved then not to hurt God. So, for much of my life I lived by that - and my Mum’s attitude also helped me to always ‘do right’.

At 16, I began attending a church in Perth. From there I went to quite a few Christian camps. Over 1.000 people aged 16 to 25 years all living in tents was a life changing experience! I went to these for five or more years. I learnt a lot of good things.

At one in Geraldton, I heard a girl tell of her life story. I knew then that she had true Christianity - and I did not. I wanted what she had. Her name was Nancy Douglas.

I got true Christianity soon after and began to discover that God was good and being a Christian was a great life.

Over the next ten years I got married, had four children and my only son died of cancer at four years old. It was very hard on my three older girls but I did not know it then. A year after his death as I got baptised and a clear voice said: “You’ll be working with children.” I had no idea what it meant because all my life I made things and worked with my hands. I forgot about it.

Four years later I had a fall at home and broke my back. Four months in hospital. All hell was in my heart. “Where are you God? I need to get up and walk!” etc.

It did not happen and I got quite suicidal and quite angry with God for several months. My bum hurt a lot. A friend told me of a “genuine healer, a sister Philomena in The Philippines has a truly genuine gift of healing.” I believed it!

A missionary said to me: “Peter, if God is going to heal you, there is no need to travel overseas, He can do it here.” I took his counsel, and did not go.

Soon after that my minister came for a chat. I unloaded all my anger on him. When I had finished he said: “Peter, is Jesus Sovereign Lord (the king) in your life?”

I was caught. Did I truly believe or not? I finally answered, “Yes, He is.”

He came back with: “Well, if that is the case, does that give you the right to tell Him what to do for you and when to do it? Don’t you trust Him?” He went home soon after that. Not long after that, a guy knocked on my door. A Commonwealth Government man telling me, “I am from the Commonwealth Rehabilitation Service. I am here to get you a job.” No phone call, no letter and no business card.

My home was quite a way from Perth by the edge of the forest.

I fancy he may have been one of God’s messengers. I never saw or heard from him again. To cut a long story short I finished up at Murdoch Uni. as a foundation student in 1975. (Nobody on my family had ever been to Uni.) I became a teacher and taught disabled kids for seven years.

My wife sued for divorce in 1984. I resigned teaching in 1985 and took a holiday. I went to Bible College for two years. I began Scripture teaching in 1988 and they have been the best years of my life. Twenty-three years! (At the time of writing this answer.)

I have ‘learned the hard way’ that God has been directing my life … and that He can trusted.

I hope that was not too long.

Had I got up and walked I would have missed out on 4,000 to 5,000 great Year 7 kids over 23 years of Scripture teaching. Are you one of my past students reading this?

Consider writing a comment about my answers ~

you know me and my wheelie chair!

 

Thank you for a lovely question.

Maybe it is the only way for God to teach us to show compassion. Basically we are born selfish. Babies and young kids yell to get what they want – and get it too! Later we all learn that there are things we cannot be selfish about.

Christianity is renowned all over the world for how it shows compassion to all people, with help in times of trouble. Also with medical clinics, hospitals, etc. Often where there is none provided by the nation's government – and most treatment is free.

I have noticed that most people who have been ‘down in the pits’ with serious illness, depression or the loss of a loved one, gain true compassion for someone in need and are always ready to help.

A life of ease and comfort makes most of us selfish and uncaring. It does take a shock, or a revelation of need, to develop compassion. How great and kind compassionate people are.

 

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The Answerer

The Answerer - Peter Harris, answered children's questions from his many years of teaching "Scripture" classes.
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