[QUOTE]Originally posted by popcornbird
Ok, here goes. I'll start with my beliefs and end with some questions for others.

I am a Muslim.
In all my years, I have never met or spoken with a Muslim and I appreciate you laying out your beliefs so simply and easy to understand...although I know this is a nutshell version. It is so very similar to my own Christian faith - I am surprised. We have the very same God!! The God of Abraham. There are crucial differences of course, but what you wrote was very good - thank you!

Ok, now my questions..........for Christians.

I will attempt this - but Christianity has so many different man-made denominations that what I say will only reflect my Lutheran teachings as I understand and believe them - although I believe I am Christian first - before Lutheranism - that is simply a group I belong to who all believe and worship in a similar way.

Do you really believe children are born sinful,
yes, we are all born sinful - I believe this because the Bible says so and I believe that the Bible is God's Word and is all I have to go on
and that they need Jesus to *save* them, otherwise they are destined to Hell? In other words.........do you believe anyone who is *not* a Christian is going to Hell?
I cannot say when salvation occurs. It is God's miracle and happens through faith when a person hears God's Word and believes it. I do believe there is a hell. I know we cannot earn our way to heaven, but only go to heaven through faith in God through Christ Jesus. God is so supreme and righteous that He could not possibly stand us the way we are. That is why Jesus had to die - to take the wrath and anger of God and cleanse us of our sinfulness, and make us right with God again. It does not all make sense and seems almost too easy in some ways and even barbaric in other ways - but I believe it happened and because it happened, God redeemed all of his creatures so we could go back to Him someday. I don't know who goes to hell. I only have the hope that I will be in heaven because I believe that Jesus's death on the cross was all that was necessary once and for all, to save me and all people from sin. This is why I go to church - to thank Him for doing this for me and for everyone, to praise Him and seek His help to make me a kinder and more compassionate person that perhaps because of me, someone else may seek Him also, receive His peace and live with Him in eternity. I do not know who is going to hell - only God knows that and He does not want anyone there - He wants all of us with Him!

What do you believe about Jesus? How much do your beliefs differ from our's? Do you worship Jesus, or do you worship God? How do you differenciate God from Jesus? What does Trinity mean? I have never quite understood it, and would like an explanation.
Well, I do believe Jesus was actually God 's Son - that He was both true man and true God at the same time. He could have avoided the suffering at any time but chose not to because He loved us and wanted to take the punishment so we would not have to. God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are the Trinity - three persons but one God. Sort of like ice water and vapor are all the same substance. It is a mystery I do not understand and can't explain. When I worship - I am worshipping all three because they are the same. I might address God in His majesty and supreme power, I might address Christ because as man he understands how I feel and hurt and am tempted and how hard life is, the Holy Spirit is the Comforter - the Spirit who is so close to me at all times and in my heart, thoughts and mind through the Words of the Bible and helps me have faith even when my logical mind fights it and thinks nothing makes sense. When I think I can't pray, the Holy Spirit lives inside me and prays for me because i am lazy, rotten and not like God at all - and so He enables me to be patient and loving and kind to other people. As far as the Crucifixion - I absolutely believe it was Jesus as true man and that he actually was put to death and died - and at that moment, the world turned dark as there was a momentary separation of his human nature from His divine nature and it must have been so horrifying! It is how we are without God - empty and lost. But, he did not stay dead. He rose again, scars healed and was no longer humiliated but exalted, sin and death was finally conquered and after a period of time, He ascended to heaven and there He is at present with the Father. I do not know if they are still separate or not - but the memory of what he went through is surely there for us to remember always and believe. That is why we have communion - to remember His body and blood that was shed for us. It is a moving and amazing thing to drink the blood and eat the body of Christ at a sacramental supper - to be reassured that all of the above events happened and that they happened for me! - and for anyone who believes through faith. I also think believing has become very difficult because wellmeaning believers have acted so hypocritically and made it difficult. They have added too many rules and things to the simple Gospel message. Churches are so organized and have so many rules. I suspect there are many "closet Christians" like I was for many years. I did not know what to believe, just knew something big was out there! I guess I was agnostic. Reading the Bible made things clear for me and this is how I believe. God forgive me if I ever lead anyone wrong or astray or cause anyone to stumble! This world is so very painful and confusing! I am thankful for the opportunity to share my faith here without criticism. Some will scoff i suppose. But I know there is a God and he knows we are trying our best to find Him and live for Him. We are weak and do things wrong all the time. If we had to live a certain way to belong to Him, none of us would be fit. Nobody. I heard a good quote and wish more lived by it - "the Christian Church is no showcase for saints - it is a hospital for sinners"

What does it mean to baptize a child? What do you do in this process, and what does it symbolize?
This one defers widely. In churches that baptize infants (such as mine, we believe that when we sprinkle or pour water over the babies head while speaking God's Word, that God miraculously puts His Holy Spirit into that child and it is up to the parents or guardians to promise to continue to raise that child in the faith so they will continue to learn and understand when they are older. Other churches wait until the child is older and "decides" but we do not believe a person is able to decide such a thing unless the Holy Spirit enables it and so we have a "confirmation" for the older kids to declare their beliefs publicly and thus continue in catechism clases, etc. The above churches also normally require a full immersion while we only require water in any form and the Word. We do not know the actual moment of conversion like some other churches claim such as "bornagain" movements, Baptist, etc. We just believe it happens at some time and the person grows in grace.
Hope I answered clearly enough.