Calling out ThinkOfOne

@philokalia said
I am actually surprised. I thought you would have been an atheist from a younger age and it would not have started with doubts about a book which already is treated as exceptional by many Christians.

If you are past the point in your life - in terms of your age - when you are still able to scrutinize the credibility of the foundations of your religious beliefs and be autonomous with regard to how you identify yourself in terms of those religious doctrines, then so be it. It's a very widespread phenomenon among theists of all stripes.

@fmf said
If you are past the point in your life - in terms of your age - when you are still able to scrutinize the credibility of the foundations of your religious beliefs and be autonomous with regard to how you identify yourself in terms of those religious doctrines, then so be it. It's a very widespread phenomenon among theists of all stripes.

Does such a point even really exist?

@philokalia said
Does such a point even really exist?

It would depend on the individual. You seemed to think my 'point in life' should have come at "a younger age". You are projecting your own assumptions onto what I said and framing it in terms of age - or one's stage in life,

Having said that, I would imagine for countless millions of theists, they are not able ~ at any point in life ~ intellectually, emotionally, socially ~ to scrutinize genuinely the credibility of their beliefs.

Nor are such people able to be autonomous as to how they identify themselves in terms of religion ~ certainly with the religion of their family and of the community around them as the backdrop to their contemplation.

@fmf said
As an aside, the Book of Revelation is the reason I am no longer a Christian. A proper contemplation on its source and credibility and purpose was the thin end of a wedge for me about 20 years ago and it led to other reflections and contemplations which in turn led to me being an ex-Christian. I've been through it here on this forum several times so I am not going to go through i ...[text shortened]... in for you. Suffice to say, I sincerely believe the Book of Revelation is a hoax. That was an aside.

Revelation is unique from the rest of the scriptures except for Genesis, both
Genesis and Revelation share things outside of man’s time on the earth either
before man was on the earth, or in our future. Revelation is also unlike most of the
other scriptures in that those who wrote the other books did so as the Lord led
them to share, be it in a letter, a gospel, prophetic vision, or whatever it was that
God gave. That was not the case with Revelation, John wasn’t reflecting about
what he was going to say in the book of Revelation, he was told to write what he
saw and heard, many things Jesus and angels told or showed him, sometimes in
symbolic terms where things were immediately explained others not. No other
book do we see Jesus taking someone aside and saying write this down, this is
also the one book that gives warning about adding too or taking away from the
message.

Revelation 1: 10-11
I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

I’m sure the devil and his angels hate it too; their end is sure and coming quickly. It
does seem to provoke reactions from all who read it for and against.

@kellyjay said
John wasn’t reflecting about
what he was going to say in the book of Revelation, he was told to write what he
saw and heard, many things Jesus and angels told or showed him, sometimes in
symbolic terms where things were immediately explained others not.

I don't believe the writer [or team of writers] ~ whoever this "John" name might supposedly refer to [or to which group of people it might refer] ~ was told to write what was written. Jesus had been stone dead for decades. I have no reason to believe "angels told or showed him" anything. I am fully aware of what Christians believe about it. I don't believe it. That makes me a non-Christian. And I know full well what your torturer god ideology prescribes for me.

@fmf said
I don't believe the writer [or team of writers] ~ whoever this "John" name might supposedly refer to [or to which group of people it might refer] ~ was told to write what was written. Jesus had been stone dead for decades. I have no reason to believe "angels told or showed him" anything. I am fully aware of what Christians believe about it. I don't believe it. That makes me a non-Christian. And I know full well what your torturer god ideology prescribes for me.

Nor do I believe the Abrahamic God revealed his wishes to Muhammad through a visit by the "archangel" Gabriel in a cave in the 7th century. That makes me a non-Muslim.

@secondson said
Revelation 12:10
And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Taking your cues from the enemy divegeester?

You're in the wrong camp.

Jospehw, you have called me:

An enemy of god
The accuser of the brethren
An ashole
A moron
A pinhead

I’m a Christian!!

I wonder where @Suzianne is right now...no doubt she will conveniently not see your viscous invective and then come along and attempt to box my ears for defending myself.

@fmf said
Do you believe God torments those who are damned in a burning fire that lasts for eternity?

Let me guess...no response.

😀

@philokalia said
It is OK to be liberal in your interpretation of things in the Bible

What do you mean by “it is ok”?

What do you mean by “liberal” in this context?

@philokalia said
I doubt that.

And if you did, you had over a decade to refine it so you could actually write it without half of the things grossly overlapping and you could have also chosen to phrase it in a way that is still needling without being some blunt, super-biased slop.

The 14 elements of the torturer god ideology posted by FMF are absolutely bang accurately representing what sonship has been stating in this forum for at least 10 years across countless threads. Your doubt is irrelevant .

@kellyjay said
I believe what it says, and that God does what He does, for the reason He says He is going to do them.

Do you believe that there is a literal beast with 7 heads and ten horns that will somehow appear on Earth?

@philokalia said
but I am well aware that the number of people who willingly pervert Christian truths are through the roof

But just now you were saying that you were “ok with liberal interpretations of the bible”

You don’t seem to know your own mind Jacob.

@philokalia said
I am actually surprised. I thought you would have been an atheist from a younger age and it would not have started with doubts about a book which already is treated as exceptional by many Christians.

If you excercised some cognitive effort and paid attention to what was posted in this forum instead of turning up every few days and spouting off about basically sweet f*** all .... other than how you are disappointed with FMFs posting style...you might learn something and subsequently be in a position to make a relevant post.

@divegeester said
Let me guess...no response.

😀

I think it's pretty clear that SecondSon believes his version of God "torments those who are damned in a burning fire that lasts for eternity" but doesn't want to say so unequivocally ~ knowing that my terminology, which he dislikes, fits ~ and so he hides behind silly forum banter instead. KellyJay, to his credit, believes what he believes and is - in this instance anyway - open about it.

What a sweet double header of posts:

Dive talking about how I need to be around here more to ... be more familiar with the drama and banter that they constantly reference to derail people, and

FMF suggesting that SecondSon is avoiding the topic because he does not want to use the gross terminology he endorses and suggesting that someone else is deflecting.