Merged A God of Love / The Living God

[Johanabrahams]

Then why is it you people never say the same thing? Africa is infested with prophets who all claim to to have a monopoly on the truth. Get in line.

They all say the same thing. God is our Father. We have a living Father of Love.

"Get in line"

 

[Johanabrahams]

I've negotiated coexistence agreements with Balaka and Selka in CAR. Served in South Sudan and the DR Congo and met all the prophets there. I've met a few preachers in Botswana. I know what your kind bring and shame on you for it.

Yep. I agree. And I am speaking to them about it also. Getting much conflict from their side too. Abbaddon can tell you about that.

If you had any decency you'd take you sick false piety and go home.

Now you are putting me in their shoes.

But even more. You say I am "sick and false".

My Grace is growing towards you. As a mother should have towards her child. No punishment. Just ruling by the Truth and Wisdom. For these words and this Life I got a court order in "Die Herberg" against me.

 

[Pixel42]

And you do not need revelation that man ruling is wrong. Just open your eyes.

I would certainly agree that humanity is making a mess of running the planet, but I don't think imagining there's a god who will solve all our problems for us is the solution. Recognising that we're on our own and taking responsibility for fixing the problems we're causing seems a much more effective way forward.

 

[PartSkeptic]

I would certainly agree that humanity is making a mess of running the planet, but I don't think imagining there's a god who will solve all our problems for us is the solution. Recognising that we're on our own and taking responsibility for fixing the problems we're causing seems a much more effective way forward.

You think?

Not according to a scientific study (found by coincidence just this morning! )

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-017-0151

Here, we quantify moral distrust of atheists by applying well-tested measures in a large global sample (N = 3,256; 13 diverse countries). Consistent with cultural evolutionary theories of religion and morality, people in most—but not all— of these countries viewed extreme moral violations as representative of atheists.

Notably, anti-atheist prejudice was even evident among atheist participants around the world.

The results contrast with recent polls that do not find self-reported moral prejudice against atheists in highly secular countries, and imply that the recent rise in secularism in Western countries has not overwritten intuitive anti-atheist prejudice.

Entrenched moral suspicion of atheists suggests that religion’s powerful influence on moral judgements persists, even among non-believers in secular societies.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/07/anti-atheist-prejudice-secularity

The countries had populations that were either predominantly Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Muslim or non-religious.

Participants were given a description of a fictional evildoer who tortured animals as a child, then grows up to become a teacher who murders and mutilates five homeless people. Half of the group were asked how likely it was that the perpetrator was a religious believer, and the other half how likely he was an atheist.

The team found that people were about twice as likely to assume that the serial killer was an atheist.

BTW: One only has a fear of God if one has reason to fear God - that is, a propensity to immoral behavior that would lead to punishment. Otherwise one can be God-loving.

 

[abaddon]

You think?

Not according to a scientific study (found by coincidence just this morning! )







BTW: One only has a fear of God if one has reason to fear God - that is, a propensity to immoral behavior that would lead to punishment. Otherwise one can be God-loving.

Rubbish. I neither love nor hate any god. I am an atheist.

 

[PartSkeptic]

Rubbish. I neither love nor hate any god. I am an atheist.

Obviously I was not talking about you, but the people you attack.

What about the study?

 

[Porpoise of Life]

Obviously I was not talking about you, but the people you attack.

What about the study?

What about it? You clearly posted it as a 'take this atheists!'. You explain its relevance to the thread.

Ad far as I'm concerned, I don't see how a study showing that anti-atheist bias is prevalent shows us anything about the merits of religion.

 

[Marcus]

I disagree with you.

Please provide a reputable scientific poll to support your statement.

Really? You want a poll to prove that theists are enamored of an afterlife? Does this mean that you don't believe in the afterlife yourself? When you die, that's it, no heaven, no hell? Are you sure that you are a theist? If you believe in God, but not in heaven, you are in the minority.

I'm not finding a poll of theists in general, but here is an article that explains how the "vast majority" of Christians believe in Heaven, with details of the various denominations.

 

[abaddon]

Obviously I was not talking about you, but the people you attack.

What about the study?

I don't attack people. I do attack nonsense ideas.

The simple fact is that at no point in human history has any flavour of deity been shown to be true. Until that happens, why should I or anyone else have faith in any deity at all. Faith, after all, is the excuse people present for believing things without any evidence at all. That is irrational.

Do you personally have faith in Vishnu? Why or why not? How about unicorns? Or pixies? Do you have faith in those? Why or why not?

And why on earth are you expending any effort at all defending those whose faith would outright condemn yours?

 

[Johanabrahams]

What about those people in some African villages who go by the holy bible and literally burn people to death for "witchcraft" as their book commands?

Well I can add many such stories. It is not new. Others did that to Christians too some time ago. It is just the way of human beings.

I've seen videos of it happening and it's sickening. It's unbelievable that it still happens in Christian communities in this day and age, but it has.

Yep. I know about that. It is "sickening" to you specially because you believes that there is no life after the "burning". To me it is just going to God faster and without much suffering that old age brings.

Is that okay with you, god?

What is important is that they accepted God as Father. That does not mean they are grown ups. They need to grow out of their baby "age" as they were born again as gods and they need to live now as gods.

Their Father died for their sins. So He is never going to reject them according to His grace. Sure He will correct them as He does with anyone that does wrong. But to throw away His baby because she "dirties her napies" is not the attitude of God the Father.

It's your command, after all.

In your opinion as somebody that does not know God. But stay with us. You have the opportunity now to learn more about Him.

 

[Johanabrahams]

No, you love yourself enough to tell me who you are. You love yourself so much that you absolutely insist on telling me who you are. Modesty is not part of your nature; you are the most important thing you know of, and you want to ensure that we all know it.

If you think so. I am not here to force your opinions.

But remember. I am witnessing about God and not about myself. I am exalting Him.

Sure He is ranking sky high in my esteem.

 

[Johanabrahams]

Prove it.

I am busy. You already got something from God. Perseverance. It will assist you to gain much more. And much more is available.

 

[Porpoise of Life]

Well I can add many such stories. It is not new. Others did that to Christians too some time ago. It is just the way of human beings.



Yep. I know about that. It is "sickening" to you specially because you believes that there is no life after the "burning". To me it is just going to God faster and without much suffering that old age brings.

Claims of love and forgiveness in one post, and in the next you want to burn infidels to death to protect them from themselves...
You're full of something allright, but it isn't love.

 

[Johanabrahams]

Give 'em hell love, JA.

Whatever God wants to "flow through us" That is the mystery. God our Life and alive in our bodies which are sacrificed to Him. We glorify Him and He glorifies us. No prideful boasting. Just an unselfish living for one another.

 

[Johanabrahams]

You claim to be a Christian pastor.

According to tradition of the human beings that is where I am put. They have to just classify everything.

But according to your own holy writings and religious traditions, these claims are heretical and will buy you a one way ticket to Hell.

Yep as my history is showing I am not readily accepted. Actually I am mostly rejected. But so was Jesus in His time. It should not be new to you.

It's always very puzzling to me when people buy into a certaim mythology, claim that its characters are real, and that their rituals and metaphysics and whatnot are the ultimate truth, and then turn around and try to sell their own weird ideas that have no basis in whatever religion they claim to follow.

Same with Jesus. So again there is sacrificing on behalf of the human beings.

So very godlike.

 

[Porpoise of Life]

No, no, what I mean is that you have latched onto a pre-existing mythology, and try to derive your power from that, but simultaneously ignore it and construct some grand fantasy where the regligion you claim to believe in is false, and you are super duper special. Not a sign of great minds.

You have basically written a Star Wars fanfic where you are a force sensitive unicorn born from Luke Skywalker and Obi Wan, while claiming that you adhere only to the official Star Wars canon.

 

[Johanabrahams]

http://www.oddee.com/item_98878.aspx

I'm sort of noticing a pattern with people who pretend to be a god. It generally doesn't turn out well.

You have classified me now with totally another group of people again. Well as I stated earlier. So humanlike.

But seems that Jesus who also "pretended to be God" ended in totally another sphere again. Seems humans struggle to get their classification right. Maybe they should realize that their judgments are not really worth the effort. Maybe judgments should be left with God.

We should then find another way to be. This "other way" might bring in more happiness if it is more according to what we were created to be in the first place.

 

[Johanabrahams]

"Nope"? Just because you've had a website or "living this life" in your community absolutely does not refute the fact you're making **** up as you go along.

Children do not really understand the life of their parents.

Basic logic isn't apparently your strong suit.

The "basic logic" of the child differs with the "basic logic" of the parent.

Jesus also ****up. That is good enough for me. He knew why He ****up and so do I.

And there are you. Struggling to make sense of this "mystery"

 

[abaddon]

You have classified me now with totally another group of people again. Well as I stated earlier. So humanlike.

But seems that Jesus who also "pretended to be God" ended in totally another sphere again. Seems humans struggle to get their classification right. Maybe they should realize that their judgments are not really worth the effort. Maybe judgments should be left with God.

We should then find another way to be. This "other way" might bring in more happiness if it is more according to what we were created to be in the first place.

Nope. You so classified youself. Do I accept your claim that you are any form of god? Not even slightly. Do I accept that you are my mother? Nope, It was my duty to formally and legally identify the gently cooling corpse of my actual mother. All you have are deeply offensive claims to all and sundry. Was it my actual mother? Of course not. It was cooling meat, she was long dead. After that, I had occasion to do the very same with my father.

Nothing happened to give rise to any expectation that there was anything else. They died. End of story.

 

[PartSkeptic]

Really? You want a poll to prove that theists are enamored of an afterlife? Does this mean that you don't believe in the afterlife yourself? When you die, that's it, no heaven, no hell? Are you sure that you are a theist? If you believe in God, but not in heaven, you are in the minority.

I'm not finding a poll of theists in general, but here is an article that explains how the "vast majority" of Christians believe in Heaven, with details of the various denominations.

You missed the point. You propose a reason people WANT to believe in an afterlife. I think your reason is wrong. I think people believe in an afterlife because they accept that others have insights and have been told there is some sort of heaven and hell.

Personally I do not think it is a binary either/or, but the same place with degrees of pleasantness and unpleasantness. Those above 50% it is heaven, those below 50% it is hell. And I think souls reincarnate.

BTW - Your link?