09 May 23
@josephw saidI think there are countless people, around the world, and regardless of their faith, who place their religious beliefs - and living in accordance with them - front and centre in their lives and derive great happiness and fulfilment from it.
The best thing, first and foremost, about being alive, unequivocally and without reservation, is knowing Jesus.
@josephw saidWhat’s the actual living-out-their-beliefs-and-values difference between yourself, who obviously classes yourself as being a “born again” type of Christian, and billions of other Christians whom you personally don’t class as being “born again”?
Personally, I doubt 2-4% of the 8 billion people on the planet are actually born again Christians.
09 May 23
@fmf saidYou're stating the obvious.
About six or so billion human beings are non-Christian and so we can say they don't "know" Jesus: and yet they are living their lives right now and deciding for themselves what's the best thing about being alive.
Are you arguing with me about what I believe is the "best thing about being alive" and suggesting I'm implying it's a universal truth applicable to the entire human race?
And if I am, does that automatically make me wrong?
I simply posted what I believe is the best thing about being alive, as you did, but apparently what I believe offends you to the degree that you feel the need to prove me wrong by stating the obvious.
It's not my prerogative to choose for another what is the best thing about being alive.
I merely stated what I believe.
But since we're on the topic, I also believe that believing the best thing about being alive is knowing the creator is universally the best thing about being alive, for everyone.
09 May 23
@josephw saidNot at all. What you declared was either profoundly misanthropic or you are hijacking words and twisting their meaning in a way that renders you unable to talk to people who hold different beliefs.
I think you're having difficulty dealing with the shock of reading what people say they believe in this spirituality forum.
09 May 23
@josephw saidIf you want people to believe your humanity is undamaged by your beliefs and/or yoyr need to recite your dogma, then perhaps you need to keep dehumanizing stuff like "Without Jesus there is no life" for when you are talking to fellow Christians in a Christian echo chamber.
So you resort to deriding their humanity.
@josephw saidI am neither offended nor am I trying to prove you wrong on this point - but I recognize that you are trying to muddy the conversation by suggesting such things.
I simply posted what I believe is the best thing about being alive, as you did, but apparently what I believe offends you to the degree that you feel the need to prove me wrong by stating the obvious.
Like I said, I think there are countless people like you around the world who place their religious beliefs and 'walking the walk' [regardless of their religion] at the very heart of their lives and enjoy happiness and fulfilment because of it.
09 May 23
@josephw saidSo you actually do mean your declaration "Without Jesus there is no life" to apply to everyone? Even straight after saying "It's not my prerogative to choose for another what is the best thing about being alive"?
But since we're on the topic, I also believe that believing the best thing about being alive is knowing the creator is universally the best thing about being alive, for everyone.
Do you mean that Jews, Muslims, Hindus and other non-Christians have "no life" or are you distorting the meaning of the word for ideological reasons?
356d
@divegeester saidJosephw?
What’s the actual living-out-their-beliefs-and-values difference between yourself, who obviously classes yourself as being a “born again” type of Christian, and billions of other Christians whom you personally don’t class as being “born again”?
