How did things get this bad?

[Hokulele]

If he hasn't convicted each one of us of our sins then we have an even bigger problem because he has just left us.

Or never existed in the first place.

 

[kurious_kathy]

While I'm not trying to deny that this goes on all over the world, it seems to me that it is more... virulent in the US. Maybe it's just reported more from the US. I dunno.

California is burning because gays are people too? This is a new low for you, Kathy.

Call me nuts, I don't care, it's not a coinsidance that all these Calif. fires have been going since this judge made that ruling.

And I don't hate gays, I hate their sin. They need to acknowledge it's sin and then God will heal them. Nobody is born gay, that's just an excuse. God will judge people for their sin so I am obligated to share that knowledge with others. Jesus died for all the sins of this world, but once he comes inside us with his Holy Spirit we can't enjoy sinning anymore, the Holy Spirit convicts us of it. Do you get that? God is Holy and His laws are just. Just look at the warnings in scripture about who won't enter Heaven sometime. Do you even know where those are?

I had to go through this confrontation with the Lord about my own sin 4 years ago. I am his child now and he wouldn't allow me to continue on that dark path which does destroy our lives. I started reading scripture and confessing my sins, and he forgave me. Now I walk in the light but it wasn't this way that long ago. I broke every singel one of those Ten Commandments and and ashamed of it. I just wish I had truly come to know the Lord a long time ago so more of my life could have been useful to him. Now I have a powerful testimony of what Jesus can do and I will continue to share that in hopes He can use it to reach others.

P.S. It's not okay that they are trying to enforce laws to quiet the teaching of God's word either. He addresses homosexuality as a sin in scripture and people threaten us for making that known? That's wrong and unfortunately we are probably going to see more pastors in jail because of this. I am upset about that. It's a violation of our constitution and the freedom of speech.

 

[Kopji]

Does anybody have any advice? I don’t want to sever ties with my family but this election, and also my admitted atheism, has driven a wedge between us I don’t think we can overcome.

There is a lot you could do short of completely severing relationships, but taking a break from them for a while doesn't sound like it could hurt. It sounds like that in a real sense - they are ill. When people are sick it is sometimes a good thing to give them space to get well. Act with compassion and work with them slowly.

Not to sound harsh, but belief that is expressed in a way that issues threats of insane violence is almost certainly a medical problem because it can destroy lives. Discussing religion and politics is probably going to be unproductive: they are ill.

 

[kurious_kathy]

Or never existed in the first place.

He has always been our creator God, please don't let others deceive you. He loves us so much he gave his son to die for our sins. Jesus took our place so we could be reconciled to our Heavenly Father and have a relationship with him. And to me when it all comes down because of Jesus I have everything. Nothing this world puts me through can take me out of his hands. Don't you want that peace in your life? You can know this truth too, just seek God with all your heart. He is the one who rewards us when we do. Once Jesus revealded himself to me it took away every doubt I ever had. I'll hope and pray that for you too.

 

[Kopji]

Here is a short list of the history of California fires. The fires always come this time of year and are statistically unrelated to political votes about legal definitions of marriage.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/10/22/state/n181734D34.DTL&feed=rss.news

Additionally, to accept that God causes fires in Southern California killing innocent people and burning their houses as a kind of chastisement for what people in Northern California did - is simply evidence that if God exists he is a bad aim.

(Poe's Law on Kathy).

 

[Kopji]

Or God is evil?

_ November 1966: Loop Fire, near Angeles National Forest in Los Angeles County. 2,028 acres, 12 firefighters killed. Power line.

Maybe that fire in 1966 was due to God's revulsion against the civil rights movement.

 

[Kthulhut Fhtagn]

Call me nuts, I don't care, it's not a coinsidance that all these Calif. fires have been going since this judge made that ruling.

You act like these are the first fires California has ever had. Hey, and Hurricane Katrina was because New Orleans is a land of sin. As we all know a hurricane has never occured near a freaking coastal city.

And I don't hate gays, I hate their sin.

I've lived with fundamentalists and homophobes for my entire life, this is code for "I hate gays". It's logically meaningless to claim that you hate a person for who they are and not the person themselves since the two are inseparable.

They need to acknowledge it's sin and then God will heal them.

What are the success rates of religion run homosexual retraining camps?

Nobody is born gay, that's just an excuse.

I had a discussion with this with another poster awhile back who conceded that a person can, indeed, be born gay. However he refused to concede that homosexuality was not a sin. I assume I'm going to have to go through this all with you again. But please, show me one peer-reviewed paper from the "homosexuality is a choice" crowd and I may start to give that statement consideration.

God will judge people for their sin so I am obligated to share that knowledge with others.

I'm curious what the punishment God has lined up with his followers who judge others in his stead?

Jesus died for all the sins of this world, but once he comes inside us with his Holy Spirit we can't enjoy sinning anymore, the Holy Spirit convicts us of it.

Emphasis mine. Where does the bible say that if a man accepts the Holy Spirit sinning is no longer a temptation nor even enjoyable?

Do you get that? God is Holy and His laws are just.

They very well may be just but your interpretations of them are not.

Just look at the warnings in scripture about who won't enter Heaven sometime. Do you even know where those are?

I know them fully and 100%. The debate is on their meaning, none of the scripture was ever originally meant to be taken literally. And if something in scripture is shown to be logically invalid than by all reason you must either reinterpret the scripture or throw it out. For instance, the idea of an eternal sentence of punishment is logically consistent with the concept of a god who does not enjoy tormenting us.

P.S. It's not okay that they are trying to enforce laws to quiet the teaching of God's word either. He addresses homosexuality as a sin in scripture and people threaten us for making that known? That's wrong and unfortunately we are probably going to see more pastors in jail because of this. I am upset about that. It's a violation of our constitution and the freedom of speech.

No one is telling you that you cannot believe what you want. I simply want you to keep it in your home and out of my face. And if you choose to ignore that then you can expect only a harsh rebuke from me, I don't care special pleading you can throw out in defense the bottom-line is that your message of God's intolerance is unappealing and offensive to mine and many other's ears. Please show me a single pastor who has been jailed for simply speaking his mind and in which his words cannot be interpreted as fighting words...fighting words are not covered in free speech.

 

[Henners]

He has always been our creator God, please don't let others deceive you. He loves us so much he gave his son to die for our sins.

According to the book I read, he was lent for a weekend and then went back home.

 

[arthwollipot]

Oh my. I'm going to have to get back to this, but right now I have to go.

 

[Mashuna]

I broke every singel one of those Ten Commandments and and ashamed of it.

I'd be more than ashamed if I'd murdered someone. Do the police know about this, Kathy?

 

[Kthulhut Fhtagn]

I know them fully and 100%. The debate is on their meaning, none of the scripture was ever originally meant to be taken literally. And if something in scripture is shown to be logically invalid than by all reason you must either reinterpret the scripture or throw it out. For instance, the idea of an eternal sentence of punishment is logically consistent with the concept of a god who does not enjoy tormenting us.

Excuse me, I meant to say a "logically inconsistent with the concept of a god who does not enjoy tormenting us." For some reason I can't edit that post.

 

[maxfrost]

I will agree that it seems worse now than in the past. Even though the past was pretty bad. E.g. people claiming that Kennedy (the first Catholic to run for president) would be a puppet of the Pope.

[pedantry] Al Smith was the first Catholic to be nominated for President by a major political party. Kennedy was the first Catholic to be elected President. [/pedantry]

 

[westprog]

OP - A worrying, very wearing situation which could really get you down, but I'd go with autolite's views in #14.

I emphatically would not. Breaking away from your family is something to be done as a last resort when the situation is highly destructive. It really should be a matter of absolute survival only. These are the people you'll turn to if you need a kidney. So they have insane/bigoted/irrational views - so what?

Friends you tend to pick because you have things in common. Family you stick to in spite of having nothing in common.

N.b. I'm not commenting in any way on Autolite's situation. I'm just referring to the OP, and whether the barking mad views described therein are justification for abandoning the entire family altogether.

 

[Silly Green Monkey]

Remember, the uncle was physically threatening.

My parents probably feel the same, and my sister's into the Secret (or was last I heard, I don't bring it up), so I tend to keep to the family I've made for myself rather than going with the one I had. There's precedent--I grew up with just the six of us despite having lots of relatives in the same city, they didn't think my father was legitimate.

 

[TMiguel]

OMG, Mental Hospital for all of them, seriously, they will hurt some one.

 

[slingblade]

Call me nuts, I don't care, it's not a coinsidance that all these Calif. fires have been going since this judge made that ruling.

No, it's not a coinsidance. But it is a coincidence.

Though California wildfires make worldwide news as the latest natural disaster to befall the state, experts say they have been occurring regularly since before the region was settled by Europeans.

"It's a natural phenomenon, just part of Mother Nature's way of cleaning out the forest," California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Daniel Berlant said. "Sometimes we hear, 'This is the worst fire season ever.' But its really an ongoing thing."

...that was written in 2007.

And I don't hate gays, I hate their sin.

I don't hate KK. I just hate everything about her.

They need to acknowledge it's sin and then God will heal them. Nobody is born gay, that's just an excuse.

Because if you found out people can be born gay, you'd have to admit that God must have made them that way, and it would all fall apart on you.

SCARY!

God will judge people for their sin so I am obligated to share that knowledge with others. Jesus died for all the sins of this world, but once he comes inside us with his Holy Spirit we can't enjoy sinning anymore, the Holy Spirit convicts us of it. Do you get that?

No, actually, and it's one of the greater lies that caused me to renounce religion. So you can leave here content in the knowledge that what you've just said WILL drive someone away from Christianity. Thanks! I'm grateful to you for that.

God is Holy and His laws are just. Just look at the warnings in scripture about who won't enter Heaven sometime. Do you even know where those are?

Printed on the cups at Chick-Fil-A.

I broke every singel one of those Ten Commandments and and ashamed of it.

I agree with Mashuna. Who did you kill, Kathy, and did you ever do any time for it?

P.S. It's not okay that they are trying to enforce laws to quiet the teaching of God's word either.

It's not okay to lie, either, but you do it anyway. Feel any shame over that? I didn't think so.

He addresses homosexuality as a sin in scripture and people threaten us for making that known?

I bet you can't wait until you get your first threat! What an exciting day that will be for you!

That's wrong and unfortunately we are probably going to see more pastors in jail because of this.

When you see the first one, let us know. Until then, stop lying. It makes you look sinful, Kathy, just horribly sinful.

I am upset about that. It's a violation of our constitution and the freedom of speech.

Jesus was a pedophile. The apostles were his procurers. They brought him tasty children to sodomize on a daily basis. He even said, "suffer the little children to come unto me." What more proof do we need?


The preceeding was me engaging in free speech. Aren't you glad I have it, and aren't you just dying to protect my right to say such things?

 

[Foster Zygote]

I agree with Mashuna. Who did you kill, Kathy, and did you ever do any time for it?

Well, remember that Moses was angry and broke the first set of commandments. Then God sent him up for a replacement set that makes no mention of murder. So perhaps Kathy seared a kid in its mothers milk.

 

[godless dave]

I emphatically would not. Breaking away from your family is something to be done as a last resort when the situation is highly destructive. It really should be a matter of absolute survival only. These are the people you'll turn to if you need a kidney. So they have insane/bigoted/irrational views - so what?

Friends you tend to pick because you have things in common. Family you stick to in spite of having nothing in common.

Abusive parents everywhere approve this message.

 

[westprog]

Abusive parents everywhere approve this message.

I didn't see any example of parental abuse in the OP. There was a description of physical abuse from an uncle. I note that KF didn't break off relations with his uncle because of it.

KF will no doubt make his own judgement based on his own knowledge of the situation. If he decides that his family are worth sticking with, or not, then he'll probably be correct. If he decides to cut loose the occasional uncle who's out of control, then he's probably right as well.

However, bailing out of a family is like bailing out of an aircraft. It's a drastic step, and should only be taken when the alternative is to crash and burn. Finding a new family is not easy. Friends aren't family - even the closest friends. The reasons for abandoning a family entirely should be extremely substantial.

 

[godless dave]

However, bailing out of a family is like bailing out of an aircraft. It's a drastic step, and should only be taken when the alternative is to crash and burn. Finding a new family is not easy. Friends aren't family - even the closest friends. The reasons for abandoning a family entirely should be extremely substantial.

This is a sweeping generalization that applies to many people, maybe even the majority of people, but by no means to everyone. For many, abandoning a family is like crawling out of the burnt wreckage of an airplane that crashed long ago.

I'm lucky that most of my extended family are nice, but I need them in my life about as much as a fish needs a bicycle. They neither add to nor detract from it.