Originally posted by @rajk999It is said by a non-Christian, however. 😀 And the "faith" that was a "given" for so many years faded and disappeared in the end after all. Having said that, trying to walk-the-walk in some fashion continues to be the attempted plan - indeed, in that respect not an awful lot changed even as the 'grip' of religious dogma has vanished. I realized that morally sound behaviour and action did not need dogma to drive and guide them. Indeed, it turned out that the right way to live was the enduring given, and not the faith.
Nicely said.
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Those who ridicule or minimize the importance of reading the Bible and prayer think they need no education or assistance to live a life that is pleasing to God in a sinful world, think the indwelt Holy Spirit of God doesn’t need to be strengthened (if they believe He exists at all), think thanking God for His blessings, asking for His forgiveness from sins and praising Him for what He has done are all unnecessary, and apparently think they know God’s will.
They rely solely on unidentified and unquantified “good works” to justify themselves before God and have really completely removed God from the equation. Apparently in their view, the behavior of an atheist who does good works and a believer who does good works should be exactly the same - praying, going to church to worship and sing praises to God, and reading the Bible are unimportant. Only unidentified and unquantified “good works” count.
They live in the flesh and will die in the flesh, never knowing or caring to know God.
It makes you wonder whether such people really believe in God at all.
03 May 18
Originally posted by @secondsonI think the problem is much more endemic than that sir, across many religions.
Talking about Rajk again I see. 😉
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Originally posted by @ghost-of-a-dukeI think it’s much more common world-wide for Christians to be persecuted for their belief than for Christians to be persecuting others.
I think a healthy relationship with God (even if said God doesn't actually exist) is a relationship that improves a person's behavior in their everyday life and gives them a sense of purpose. An unhealthy relationship is one that makes them feel justified in persecuting others for not sharing their beliefs.
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03 May 18
Originally posted by @suzianneI’d be curious to hear what your sorority sister and fellow psych major thinks when she gets back to you. It makes sense, as God is obviously an authority figure to most Christians and a Christian’s father is typically (not always) the first and most prevalent authority figure he or she encounters.
No, really. (Trying to get the ones with the knee-jerk down-thumbs to reconsider.)
There are volumes written about the relationship with our fathers in psychological literature. I really never made the leap into the idea of substituting God for our father-figure in these writings and how that may explain the unsatisfactory condition of some people's f ...[text shortened]... tian about a month after I did. I'll try to get back in touch with her and see what she thinks.
<<No, really. (Trying to get the ones with the knee-jerk down-thumbs to reconsider.)>>
Matters not at all to me. You have to wonder, though, about the mental health of someone who derives pleasure or satisfaction in clicking a thumbs-down symbol on the forum of a chess website.
What a small and petty existence in such a big and beautiful world.
03 May 18
Originally posted by @fmfThat's patently hysterical, coming from you, as every single time I've shared in this forum how God has moved in my life, and yes, that includes "behavior and purpose and action and outcomes and the impacts on fellow human beings" resulting from it, you invariably come in, guns a-blazin', trying to shoot me and my testimony down. So please, don't you dare sit here and try to bemoan the content of this forum; you have no ground to stand on with your lame criticism of an environment caused by you because your entire purpose in this forum seems to be to attack Christianity from every angle, every day. Now I don't know who came in here and peed in your Cheerios, but please stop trying to get all Christians in this forum (or at least those you don't like) to pay penance for it.
It's always intrigued me that only a tiny proportion of what gets talked about here on this forum is about behaviour and purpose and action and outcomes and the impacts on fellow human beings resulting from religion and philosophy and ideology (i.e. spirituality, whether it be theistic or atheistic), whereas I would have thought it ought to be 80%+ of what would be entailed by talking about the effect of god figures and "relationships" with them.
03 May 18
Originally posted by @suzianneThis is not true.
That's patently hysterical, coming from you, as every single time I've shared in this forum how God has moved in my life, and yes, that includes "behavior and purpose and action and outcomes and the impacts on fellow human beings" resulting from it, you invariably come in, guns a-blazin', trying to shoot me and my testimony down.
03 May 18
Originally posted by @suzianneI post as a non-Christian here, if that is what you are getting at.
So please, don't you dare sit here and try to bemoan the content of this forum; you have no ground to stand on with your lame criticism of an environment caused by you because your entire purpose in this forum seems to be to attack Christianity from every angle, every day. .
Originally posted by @romans1009Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Those who ridicule or minimize the importance of reading the Bible and prayer think they need no education or assistance to live a life that is pleasing to God in a sinful world, think the indwelt Holy Spirit of God doesn’t need to be strengthened (if they believe He exists at all), think thanking God for His blessings, asking for His forgiveness from si ...[text shortened]... or caring to know God.
It makes you wonder whether such people really believe in God at all.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(Matthew 5:3-10 KJV)
See anything about reading the Bible over and over ?
See anything about professing faith like a parrot?
How about praising God like a hypocrite?
You think God likes that?
You stupid Christians do not have a clue what is faith and what God wants
Faith is supposed to get you to do the things listed by Christ in Matt 5.
In Matt 25 Christ said that it is those people who do these things will get eternal life.
If you do not do them you are cast out of the Kingdom of God.
03 May 18
Originally posted by @suzianneThank you for your take on my observations on what I think the predominant preoccupations of the debates here are ~ and what I think they ought to be ~ and how I see this as reflecting on the "health" of certain posters' dispositions towards their god figures.
Now I don't know who came in here and peed in your Cheerios, but please stop trying to get all Christians in this forum (or at least those you don't like) to pay penance for it.
03 May 18
Originally posted by @ghost-of-a-dukeLet me clarify. I had a wonderful relationship with my father. I was always his "little girl", even after I had grown into a woman. He called me "Sunshine". I respected him a great deal and he was a great man, my yardstick that I now judge all other men by. He died twelve years ago, and I still miss him every single day.
You not think the Parable of the Lost Son, (among others) made such a comparison between 'earthly fathers' and God?
It never occurred to me to examine others' complaints about God in light of their own relationships with their fathers, which most often diverged from my experience. I just don't have the same viewpoint on the issue as they do.
"And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if [he ask] a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall [your] heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" - Luke 11:9-13 KJV
I would say, "well, yes, of course," where they might read the same passage and think, "well, my father never gave a damn about me, what makes me think God feels any differently?"
Savvy?
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Originally posted by @rajk999Did Jesus pray while He was on earth? Did he tell others to pray? You took a short section of the Sermon on the Mount and applied it across all the Gospels.
[i]Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the p ...[text shortened]... ese things will get eternal life.
If you do not do them you are cast out of the Kingdom of God.
What do you have against people praying? Do you think Christians shouldn’t talk to God? Should they not receive wisdom from God by reading the Bible?
Did Jesus Christ command others to spread the Good News in what became known as the Great Commission? How does one do that without talking about their faith? Do you think people learning about Jesus Christ and what He did for them is not important?
There are plenty of verses in both the Old Testament and New Testament about praising God. You’re not aware of that?! Who said anything about hypocrisy? Those who worship the Father must worship Him in spirit and in truth. Know who said that?
Stupid Christians? There you go with the hate again. I see you’ve got a fresh supply to spew. Where does all that hate in your heart come from?
What is faith to you? Condemning people to hell while you puff out your chest over your unidentified and unquantified “good works?”
Good works are important, but they don’t get you into heaven, amigo. They are evidence of salvation - not a requirement of salvation. If they were a requirement, Jesus would not have told the thief on the cross next to Him that the thief would be in paradise after the thief expressed faith in Him.
Does God want you to constantly insult people, be at their throats and condemn them to hell? Is that following the commandments of Christ?
03 May 18
Originally posted by @rajk999Please tell us how "what Paul said" is somehow transformed in your head into "directly from the mouth of Jesus Christ".
I have been doing this for over 40 years. Been through all those scenarios and maybe one day you will realize that the only truth is directly from the mouth of Jesus Christ as recorded in the NT, and this truth is the only route into the Kingdom of God. Right now you are an immature Christian wallowing deep in the mire of false doctrines and the crooked and ...[text shortened]... u continue in Gods goodness you have a good relationship with God, otherwise you are cut off[/b]