I am not sure what to say, slingblade, because I am afraid of being patronising, insensitive and heavyhanded. It sounds as though you have suffered terrribly at the hands of this man. I realise you were replying to KK but as she quoted me I thought I would say that I feel for you although I am not saying I know what you have been through.
I am very well aware of how far away from perfect I am.
Indeed.
Absolutely. Being honest, though, can be very difficult, especially with oneself.
Yes. Your example, though, did sound particularly extreme, whether someone be religious or not.
Regarding myself I think that I will respectfully disagree here. I am one of the more cynical and bitter believers and am not sure what effect God has on the world - at the moment I feel uncomfortable when fellow Christians talk about how God has answered prayers regarding the minutiae of their lives.
Why do you feel uncomfortable when other believers proclaim that god has worked a miracle specifically for them? I’m trying to understand what part you’re uncomfortable with.
Whereas clearly, some who have the light of god shining in them find it obscures their humour appreciation.
Kathy - as you may have noticed from a couple of replies meantime, god telling people all that #### only works if they are like that anyway. People don't change, they just think they do.
Mine has been quite different from yours. Indeed, it was the humility and selflessness of the Christians I met over a long period of time that drew me to the Faith.
??????? NO WAY!
Even that's a big statement for a christian. I can see you coming down under with me, mate.
I'l try and articulate why.
Yes, there is something to this. I do not understand why a God would indeed be interested in finding you a parking spot to go shopping in the rain but doesn't seem interested in the rather more important elements of people's lives. To me this just doesn't make sense. I think that God is more interested in us growing up and becoming mature people who have more accurate understandings of the world learning through the school of hard knocks, learning the consequences of our thoughts and actions than sparing us a little inconvenience. One example: the mother of a friend thanked God that a glass that was knocked over on a table didn't spill its contents on the floor - she seemed to think that God stopped this happening. I do not believe in that God.
I do not attend a church that goes around proclaiming miracles and I am very sceptical of people that do. I don't think that someone who states that they have experienced something miraculous is discounting faith or not relying on faith. If miracles do happen I don't understand how they fit together with a God that continues to 'ignore' a whole heap of other prayers and situations. But they may happen and I think I would be foolish to close my mind to the possibility.
I do not think that there is a right kind of faith, rather, that God may answer the prayers of those of any faith and none.
Most people know that the "rooster lollypop" thing was a joke. For those who don't, well, you don't care, remember?
Oh Kathy, please tell me you were aware that Mr. Clingford was making a self-effacing joke. All the Christian sites I've ever been to (including Mr. C's favorite, "Ship of Fools") are just as prone to have spiteful, rude and downright nasty people as JREF. When I spent some time at Rapture Ready, I got told, in no uncertain terms, many times that I was going to hell, and believe me, they were quite happy about it. Some of them wanted to be there to watch me be tortured and dreamed of listening to my screams.
But you are....
