I am a Christian

• [[#God will show you the way]]
• [[#Prostor, vrijeme, materija i Bog]]
• [[#Answering the hard questions]]
• [[#Wise words and random thoughts]]
• [[#Resources]]

Skup mojih privatnih tekstova i razmisljanja. Vrlo cesto trazim odgovore na neka pitanja koja neznam kome postaviti. Vrlo cesto odgovor pronadem kada ga najmanje trazim. Slusajuci podcaste, razlicite debate ili predavanja. Ponekad je tesko oblikovati odgovore u neku smislenu cjelinu i upravo zato je ovo idealno mjesto za razradu ideja i osobnih razmisljanja. Velik dio svoga zivota zivio sam bez vjere, bio sam previse ponosan kako bih uopce dozvolio Bogu da me vodi kroz zivot. Mozda jednoga dana ovi moji tekstovi pronadu put do necijeg srca i pomognu onoj malenoj iskri da se pretvori u plamen.

God will show you the way

If we only follow logic and science as a guidance through life than here is one interesting idea. Physicist Roger Penrose calculated the chance of the universe coming into existence perfectly as it is. How our universe is actually fine-tuned and so perfectly created it allows life to be born. Science provide answers that either approve or disapprove a theory. If science is silent our questions are for someone else to answer.

To have existence developed by pure luck, without any intelligent design, the chance is $3.32x{10}^{123}$ That is 10 to the power of 123 than multiplied by 3.32. Now imagine this while having these numbers in mind. You flip a coin by randomly tossing it into air, and it lands on had 10, 20 , 30.... times in a row. When will you start to question the luck? Is it really by pure chance or is there something more?

I was identified as an agnostic following the science and logic. But very often, deep inside i had an idea that there must be something more. Some smart people told me i was actually an agnostic because atheism completely rejects spirituality. When atheist dies he is nothing more than flesh and bones. Think of power switch and a light bulb, you go off and that's that. If you ask me it is much harder to accept atheism than any type of theism.

After opening my heart for a possibility of something more than just power switch going off, i started to question different religions. Is there a chance that maybe, just maybe there really is more than i am willing to admit? Let the question sink in.

There are many testimonies and inspiring stories of people accepting Jesus. I would like to pass on my own sad stories and difficulties of life that led me to Christ. It's just another story out of many.

I have found the truth, 15.08.2025.

Prostor, vrijeme, materija i Bog

Ako vjerujemo da sve oko nas ima svoj pocetak i kraj. Ako je zivot na Zemlji posljedica evolucije i ako je svemir nastao kao posljedica velikog praska. Ako je veliki prasak uzrokovan nakupljanjem vodika, helija i svemirske prasine, nabijenim cesticama atoma. Tada nam logika govori da ono sto je uzrokovalo stvaranje prve materije, stvaranje prostora i vremena, tada to nesto mora postojati van prostora, mora postojati van vremena i nije materijalno. Logicno jel tako? Nesto je stvorilo prostor, vrijeme i materiju. Znaci da je postojalo prije svega i izvan svega. Isto tako, to nesto je moralo donjeti svjesnu odluku da u odredenom trenutku odluci pokrenuti stvaranje svemira. Ako vas pitam sto vam prvo pada na pamet reci cete da je to sigurno Bog. Ali to nemora biti krscanski Bog. To moze biti Allah, moze biti Budha, moze biti bilo kakva druga bozija figura. Ali ja ti sada kazem da sam siguran kako je njegovo ime upravo Jahve, Ja Jesam.

Kada su farizeji^[1] pitali Isusa, “Za koga se ti izdaješ?” Isus im odgovori: "Uistinu, uistinu, ja vam to kažem, prije nego je Abraham bio, Ja Jesam (Jahve)." Evandelje po Ivanu 8:58.

U knjizi Izlaska 3:11-15. Mojsiju se iz goruceg grma obratio Bog. Mojsije ga je pitao "Sto da kazem ljudima kako ti je ime?". Bog mu odgovori: "JA JESAM, KOJI JESAM. Tako reci sinovima Izraelovim: JA JESAM (Jahve)".

Bog nije "zauvjek", nije "bio" ili ce "biti", on jednostavno JE. Jahve ili "Ja Jesam".

Boga nema jedino ako je svemir beskonacan, zauvjek i oduvjek. Nema pocetka ni kraja, kako u prostoru tako i u vremenu. Ako je svemir nastao u odredenom trenutku tada je ono sto ga je stvorilo sigurno Bog. Jer jedino je Bog nematerijalan, bezvremen i dovoljno inteligentan da donese odluku pokrenuti prostor i vrijeme.

Answering the hard questions

Here i will list both my own questions i wish to be answered but also other questions i find interesting or even provocative. Format of Q&A i will follow is list the questions first, than provide an internal link to the later part of the note where i explore the answers. Something like "table of content".

• Question: Authenticity of the Quran and The Holy Bible.
• Question: Why does a loving God allow suffering and evil?
• Question: Evils of Christianity.
• Question: Church as an institution is wrong.
• Question: Divine revelation. How does The God reveals himself to us?
• Question: What is the meaning of Jesus being Son of Man?
• Question: How do we know Jesus really rose from the dead?

Answer to authenticity of the Quran and The Holy Bible

Muslims very often point out how their Quran is true and reliable word of allah because there is only one unique version (with different translations only) originally written in Arabic and transferred through centuries as such. They often say how Holy Bible is corrupted, there a many different versions of the Bible and it has been changed over the years so we cannot trust it as a reliable.

Differences among Bible versions are usually related to translation choice, not contradictions in the content or meaning. In fact, the sheer number of preserved manuscripts (over 5,800 in Greek alone) makes the Bible the most textually reliable ancient book in history. Its message has remained the same for centuries: God’s plan to save humanity through Jesus Christ.

What many Muslims probably do not know is why there is only one version of Quran.

Zayd ibn Thabit was the personal scribe of the Muhammad himself. Serving as the chief recorder of the quranic text. Zayd ibn Thabit is also one who got the order from Caliph Uthman to burn and destroy versions of the quran that did not match what they wanted it to match with the sole purpose to make it centralised and controlled. Like a state financed newspapers. That is the real reason why there is only one version of quran. That is a historical fact. To find out more about the event please visit the wikipedia article about Zayd ibn Thabit.

For Muslims, Quran is the greatest miracle of islam and prophet Muhammad. For Christians, greatest miracle is not The Bible but the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Over 25,000 ancient manuscripts of the New Testament have been cataloged, including more than 5,800 Greek manuscripts. Additionally, there are approximately 10,000 Latin manuscripts and around 9,300 manuscripts in various other ancient languages like Hebrew or Aramaic. Historians will use the historical method of research to prove something right or wrong. Some of the criteria for historical method are: Look into the earliest and most reliable source of the information, confirm the different biases from the time period and draw the conclusion.

Answer to Why does a loving God allow suffering and evil?

This is one of the oldest and deepest questions in human history. Scripture teaches that evil did not originate with God. A Christian must understand that God gave humanity free will. The freedom to love, but also the freedom to reject Him, freedom to sin. Evil and suffering entered the world through sin (Genesis 3). By becoming human in person of Jesus, he accepted the pain and suffering. Paying the ultimate price by dying on the cross.

While God may permit suffering for a time, He also promises to redeem it. The worst evil ever committed, the murder of the Son of God, became the means of the greatest good: salvation for all who believe.

God gave humans the ability to choose love. But true love must involve the possibility of rejection. To remove the capacity for evil would also remove the capacity for genuine love, freedom, and goodness.

Evil is the absence of good, like darkness is the absence of light.

Answer to evils of Christianity

First, we must begin with a sincere, humble, and unequivocal acknowledgment that horrific acts were indeed committed by people who identified as Christians and, in many cases, by the institutional Church leadership. We must not try to excuse, minimize, or hide this pain.

The brutality of the Crusades, the abuses of the Inquisition, the violent expulsion during the Spanish Reconquista, and the economic support of slavery were not merely mistakes. They were profound sins that betrayed the very core teachings of Jesus Christ.

The Bible is clear: the history of God's people is filled with both acts of great faith and acts of terrible failure. The presence of sin in the Church’s history does not disprove God, but tragically proves the human need for redemption and the persistent power of sin, even among those who claim the name of Christ.

In these dark periods, Church leaders often twisted the scripture to fit political narratives or even wider public agenda.

• The Crusades were often framed as "holy wars", a concept fundamentally opposed to the picture of spiritual warfare (2 Corinthians 10:4). They mixed the heavenly mission with a violent earthly and human ambition to bring back the land lost after 150 years of Islamic jihad in which one third of known world was being occupied.
• The Inquisitions. This involved using state power to coerce religious conformity, a profound violation of the principle that genuine faith must be a free, personal choice made under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Through history we had three main eras. The Medieval Inquisition (1184 - 15th century), The Spanish Inquisition (1478 - 1834), The Roman Inquisition (1542).
• Slavery. While slavery was a tragic institution in many ancient cultures, the Bible’s emphasis on the inherent dignity and equality of all people before God (Galatians 3:28). The early Church played a significant role in its eventual abolition. Those who defended or profited by slavery was twisting biblical passages, ignoring the overarching narrative of freedom and justice.

Answer to Church as an institution is wrong

Many people share the belief how church often commits sins even though they preach against it. Many people will say how they like Jesus and the values found in a Bible, they just don't trust the institution of church. If you apply same standard to everyone else you will notice how all institutions have individuals doing terrible things. Why go to school? Why follow the laws? Why go to doctors? It is not an institution issue. It is a sin issue. Christians are not perfect and by definition people are broken.

Having faith without being part of a bigger community, being part of a church is not the way to live faith. At the center of Christianity is a man dying for our sins, saying "Father forgive them because they don't know what they are doing."

Answer to Divine Revelation

God's presence in our lives slowly builds up. The fullness of God revelation came in a form of Jesus Christ.

Answer to Jesus, Son of Man

Mark 10:45; "The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."

”Sin Čovječji je jedan mesijanski izraz koji se koristi u smislu dolasku Mesije, odnosno da je Isus onaj kojemu je dana sva vlast, kraljevstvo, slava… Zato kad Isus za sebe koristi taj izraz da je on Sin Čovječji, to znači da je on taj novi Mesija. Židovi tog vremena bili su upoznati s tim izrazom – koristi se u Knjizi o Danijelu – i znali su na koga se odnosi. Isus je njime naviještao je da je Mesija”, kazao je fra Goran naglašavajući kako taj izraz Sin Čovječji znači da je to netko tko pripada čovjeku.

”Mi znamo da je Isus Bog, ali on je i čovjek. Uvijek je bilo hereza koje su htjele kazati da Isus nije čovjek, da je samo prividno čovjek, da je Isus na križu samo prividno patio, ali On je i tada i bio čovjek. Isus je, kako molimo, pravi Bog i pravi Čovjek pa ovaj naziv Sin Čovječji znači da je Isus zbilja ljudsko biće. Bog se utjelovio, postao je nama jednak. Sin Čovječji znači jest čovjek. Isus je u potpunosti Bog, ali je ujedno i ljudsko biće. Isus Krist je došao u tijelu, od Boga je, to je vrlo važno ispovijedati da je Isus Krist došao u tijelu. Kaže se da će antikrist nijekati upravo to da se Isus utjelovio, jer ako se Isus nije utjelovio, ako nije postao tjelesan, onda nije ni patio za nas. Isus je tijelom bio izmučen, izmrcvaren, razapet… Zato je vrlo važno kazati, vjerovati i znati: Isus Krist je došao u tijelu. On je u svojoj suštini nije samo Bog nego i ljudsko biće pa izraz Sin Čovječji označava da je Isus Mesija, da je Isus Bog, ali i čovjek. On je zbilja dio našega života, naše povijesti, ali i naše sadašnjosti i naše budućnosti”, kazao je fra Goran, dodajući kako je za njega najljepše tumačenje izraza Sin Čovječji, ime Emanuel – Bog s nama.

”To znači da nije neki Bog daleki, nego Bog blizine. Bog koji me ljubi. To je Isus Krist. On je Sin čovjeka, Sin ljudi, jer je i sam bio čovjek. Ovaj izraz može nam pokazati kako je lijepo biti čovjek. Ako je Bog postao čovjekom, onda je zbilja lijepo biti čovjek. Bog je po Isusu Kristu iznova posvetio ili ‘stvorio’ čovjeka i čovještvo”, zaključio je fra Goran Azinović.

Answer to How do we know Jesus really rose from the dead?

This is the cornerstone of the Christian faith (1 Corinthians 15:14).
There’s historical evidence that:

• The tomb was empty.
• The disciples were transformed from fearful to fearless, willing to die for their testimony.
• Early opponents (like Saul of Tarsus) became believers after encountering the risen Christ.
• Even secular historians admit that something extraordinary happened that expanded Christianity almost exponentially. No natural explanation fits all the evidence like the resurrection does.
• There is also a huge enigma for the modern forensics, the shroud of Turin. It is my personal favorite. It has been studied more than any other relic in history. A few key findings:
  • The image is not painted or dyed. Microscopic and chemical analysis shows that the image is not formed by pigment. It’s a discoloration only on the topmost fibers of the linen, as if it was made by a burst of radiation or light. Discoloration penetrates only for 200 nm in the external cell layer.
  • The image has 3D information. When analyzed with modern imaging techniques, it produces a three-dimensional relief, something no painting can do.
  • Blood stains are real human blood (type AB).
  • Carbon dating from 1988. dated the cloth to the middle ages, around 1260–1390, but this test used a contaminated corner of the cloth that had been repaired after a fire. Later studies argue that newer samples show signs of much older linen fibers.
  • Science cannot yet explain how the image was formed. Even non-Christian researchers admit it’s a mystery.

The Shroud of Turin is that one key evidence that hits all the right spots for me. Even fits the scripture beautifully:

“His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.” (Matthew 28:3)

A true Christian should neither build their faith on relics nor dismiss them with cynicism. Faith is built on the risen Christ, not on cloth fibers. However, if the Shroud is genuine, it stands as a silent witness, a kind of “fifth gospel” written not in words, but in image. It can move hearts and minds toward reflection: “He really did suffer. He really did rise.” It's as though creation itself recorded that instant when light triumphed over death.

Wise words and random thoughts

There are those short moments in a day when you feel a sudden blessing by the Holy Spirit. When something you know for a long time suddenly shapes into an idea you need to share.

• [[#Works or faith]]
• [[#Jesus Christ and deep fake]]

Works or faith

John 14:15;
"If you love me, keep my commandments."

By faith and genuine love for Christ we are to serve Him. Not only love Him and do whatever you want because He will justify on the day of judgment. Greater love is giving and sharing. There is a standard to keep, a calling to accept the truth, and walk the path of righteous.

This is what protestants get wrong. Sacrifice of Christ is retribution of our sins, so we can be saved when our time comes. But accepting the Christ is more than mere words. If our hearts are truly for Christ, our faith is truly with Him, than we are to follow. That does not mean doing more will be worth more, we are all equal in Christ. You are saved or you are damned there is no in between. Doing good, sacrifice and obey are side effects of human love and devotion to Christ.

Jesus Christ and deep fake

We already live in a reality where you cannot trust anything you see on the screen. Rendered graphics and sound can already be so realistic that we already have something called a Deep Fake. Fake representation of the real people is almost no different from the real person. You just cannot see the difference between the real and fake person on the screen. Imagine a future, not so far from today, Son of God is coming back to Earth, real Jesus Christ in his full glory. Would you believe he is real? What a real test of fate that will be.

Resources

internal links

• todo - index TODO note
• molitve
• bible quotes
• from logic to belief
• reason evidence and faith (ENG)
• reason evidence and faith (CRO)

biblija i evanđelje, devotional readings

• biblija.ks.hr *
• lifebible.com *
• bibleref.com *
• biblegateway.com
• bible.com

kršćanski portali

• biblijaiznanost.net *
• hkm.hr
• newadvent.org
• radosnavijest.hr
• novaeva.com
• woh.org

Personal blog

• blogger.com

footnotes