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The Gospel

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What????

kurious_kathy said:
Metaphor? Good question for everyone. What is your life metaphor? That has alot to do with how you believe and what is important to you? So what is you life metaphor???
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I don't have a "life metaphor". I have a life, with varied interests and activities and people around me. Sometimes I'm a geek, sometimes I'm an in-your-face queer activist, sometimes I'm an somewhat-overly-aggressive volleyball player, sometimes I'm a hard-nosed skeptic.

Is this "life metaphor" bit from your old self-help books? It sounds like it.
 
Why christianity, and not one of the other hundreds of religions?

When I was a Christian I felt no void and now that I'm an atheist I feel no different.
 
Richard G said:
Because it is the truth, a truth of moral absolutes. And it goes against todays humanism which says there is no absolute right or wrong. Man in rebelion does not want to be constrained by the knowledge of a righteous God who will judge them.
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I agree. But being a moral person won't get you into heaven?

And I definately feel my rebellious nature in the past is what he used so I could come to a place of acceptance. I needed him. That's all I know. And when I started to reverence God and fear him, that's when he showed me mercy and shared himself with me. You can't see him but you know he's there, just waiting.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowlege if you ask me? But so many want to just stay living an unfullfilled life in the flesh. If we walk in the spirit we are completely satisfied. My own experience was there was a huge spiritual void without him!
 
quote:
Originally posted by kurious_kathy
Metaphor? Good question for everyone. What is your life metaphor? That has alot to do with how you believe and what is important to you? So what is you life metaphor???

Life is like a man. Lazy, smelly, sometimes hard, and generally not as long as you might have wished.

Whoops. That was my life simile.
 
kurious_kathy said:
But being a moral person won't get you into heaven?
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That reminds me, I need to have my long distance reinstated so I can give Gandhi a call. It's not cheap to make a call that far into the core of the earth.
 
bluess said:
As Lisa said, I'm happy for you.

You may want to consider that a particular religious book resonates with you as a result of your upbringing. For myself, not having brought up in Judeo-Christian household, I find that the bible and the torah make no sense and provide no spiritual or emotional resources.

That's the weird thing about it. It seems most have to believe the gospel before God's word comes to life. At least that's what I've observed. Can we call it soul searchin maybe?
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kurious_kathy said:

That's the weird thing about it. It seems most have to believe the gospel before God's word comes to life. At least that's what I've observed. Can we call it soul searchin maybe?
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No. But we can call it post hoc rationalisation, if you like.
 
Marquis de Carabas said:
Have you read the Bible? If I believed in Him, I'd be afraid of that psychotic bastage.
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I know why she fears him. If I had an omnipotent diety threatening me with eternal pain unless I obey him, I'd be a little frightened too. However I ask Kathy this in hopes that I can find the source of her conversion which I believe is the fear of an eternal afterlife of pain.
 
Re: Re: Let me do my dutch uncle routine, 'kay?

I have sought many answers in phsycology and philosophy as well. But they really couldn't satisfy me? ... now I am a new creature in Christ. Renewing my mind and spirit. God's truth with my own makes me complete. I no longer feel a void!
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I can relate, to a degree. Because I feel much the same way about my own abandonment of supernatural beliefs and the Christian faith in which I was raised.

I did not find satisfying answers in religion - I saw too much intolerance and conflict and hatred born of organized Christianity. I did not find spiritual answers in philosophy either - I agreed with those I was inclined to agree with, and disagreed with those I was not, so I learned little.

But I did find peace in finally recognizing that we are natural creatures, here because of forces we can measure and understand and learn about as our species' knowledge grows. Is there a God out there somewhere? I do not claim to know. If I recognize God at all, it is (to borrow Carl Sagan's definition) as the sum of the natural laws that govern the universe; not as an entity anything like us, not as a presence that cares about us as individuals or even as a species, but as the source of the excellent mechanisms that made all life possible.

And this was an extremely positive and freeing realization in my life. It renews my mind and spirit every day to know that I am here for a short time, and that I should do my best to treat the people I know and love with care and respect. I make the most of my creaturehood by trying to make the world a better place in any way I can, because when I die, that's the end of me. This does not depress me - it is the way of all life. I do not feel a spiritual void, because I know what I truly am - a living creature with a consciousness capable of recognizing the wonders of life and the world around me. I find joy in experience and knowledge and wonder, and in my fellow human beings; I do not need to hope for a glorious afterlife, because this life, here and now, is as challenging and interesting and glorious as anything I can imagine.

That truth is what makes me complete.
 
Re: Re: What????

kurious_kathy said:
I see it a little different. There any many belivers, but how many have chosen to be disciples? Not just hearers but doers of the word.
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So what do you do, kathy? I mean, besides hanging out in skeptics forums. I'm really curious.

It's not about being a do gooder, but a God seeker. I really believe he loves to prove himself. How can we know him if we aren't even reading the Bible anymore in our society. You don't have to go to church to do that do you?
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Nope. This being the 21st century, we don't even have to buy a bible. We can turn on our electronic computing machines and have one display on our monitors.

And reading this electronic Bible, I do indeed see many stories of God proving himself. There are floods and plagues and rains of fire and brimstone and the sun standing still and people rising from the dead and so on...

But where are all these wonderful signs today? Vague stains and foodstuffs that sortakinda look like Jesus or Mary? Faith healers that are exposed as frauds? Fortunetellers that only guess or repeat what you told them? Prophets that can't agree with each other? How is God proving himself now? If he loves to prove himself as you say, why should anybody have to seek him out? The truth would be right there, staring them in the face, with no need of metaphorical voices in the wilderness or spiritual voids. Where's the pillar of fire over downtown Vancouver? Where was the rain of frogs or plague of locusts over the Gay Pride Parade last week?
 
Tricky said:
Why are so many Christians offended when people point out the errors, contradictions, illogic and immorality depicted in the Gospels?
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Could it be they are just frustrated trying to share with others that seem to put it down rather than support it? We are all just pilgrams here trying to get home. As you must well know Christians believe different ," We are in the world not of it!"
 
Re: Re: Let me do my dutch uncle routine, 'kay?

Thank you for replying directly.

So, you tried “psychology and philosophy as well.” And what did you try before that? And why? I’m asking because I suspect that you’re a seeker – not a sophisticated seeker as yet, but nonetheless capable of exploring the world of thought. That’s good. When Christianism fails to fill the void, try filling it with knowledge. Yes, just plain old book-larnin’: biology, geology, paleontology, anthropology, and any other ‘ologies that come your way. History’s good too, and it doesn’t have to be just the history of religions.

(BTW, kathy, you might try composing off-line in Word, paying attention to the red-underlined words. Those are misspellings, and the software is alerting you to that. You’ll come over less dippy if you take a moment to correct such things. Also, try to use the question mark at the end of a question. You seem to be using it now to signal that peculiar lift at the end of a declarative sentence that we currently hear in several dialects of American English.)

Yes, I’m patronizing you. Not because I’m any kind of sophisticated seeker – I’m a pitifully ignorant man – but because you can do better than you’ve done here, and the sight of an adult being willfully foolish makes me exasperated.
 
Yahweh said:
Actually a lot of the people on this board are former Christians, some even of the evangelical variety. So, a lot of us did believe Jesus was as awesome as you say, but not any more.
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Did you ever endevour in the studies of the end times.
It is said many will abandon the faith, but that does not make it right?
If you left your first love I feel sorry for you. Jesus is my #1 priority in life and will remain so." Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness then the rest will be added. I don't want anything if it doesn't come from his hand.
Don't you feel remorseful for abandoning the faith. I could never do that knowing the truth and being set free now!
Power over my demons you might say.
 
kurious_kathy said:
I don't want anything if it doesn't come from his hand.
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This is a blatant lie. Computers, cars, medicine, food, houses, clothes, pretty much everything we own comes from the hand of man. You say these are things you don't want, can I assume you're going to do without the said items from now on?

Don't you feel remorseful for abandoning the faith.
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I didn't abandoning the faith. I simply discovered and accepted that it is false.

I could never do that knowing the truth and being set free now!
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By your own words; "Jesus is my #1 priority in life and will remain so.", you are not free. You are a slave who has been fooled into thinking you have freedom.

Did you ever endevour in the studies of the end times.
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Yes. Christians have been claiming it is the "end times" for the past 2000 years. Studying the end times garbage is one of the catalysts that inspired me to think critically about Christianity. Think about it, 2000 years and not a single prophecy fulfilled, how many times does something have to be wrong before it's wrong?
 
kurious_kathy said:
Did you ever endevour in the studies of the end times.
It is said many will abandon the faith, but that does not make it right?
If you left your first love I feel sorry for you. Jesus is my #1 priority in life and will remain so." Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness then the rest will be added. I don't want anything if it doesn't come from his hand.
Don't you feel remorseful for abandoning the faith. I could never do that knowing the truth and being set free now!
Power over my demons you might say.
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What exactly is coming directly from God's hand? If he's giving out candy, I'd be wary of old men giving out candy.

Unless you're into that kind of thing.
 
Beleth said:
On the contrary. We have chosen to look at everything and have concluded that different things are worthy of attention than you have.

You see, from our viewpoint, you are the one who has chosen to stay blind.
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On the contrary, I have chosen God's truth over demons lies. And believe me when God woke me up it wasn't pretty. I had to learn fast to test those spirits because I was listening to them a very long time. Astrology, Phsycics, Numerology, and yes phsyco babble too! All New Age Beliefs.
At least now I know in him I have refuge. He won the victory not me. I just had to learn to trust and obey! He is the authority here not us. It's whether we acknowlege him as our creator. I think that's what makes the difference.
We are all unique individuals with different talents, gifts and abilities, but are we using them to glorify God or ourselves?He has the power not us and certainly not the evil ones. That's why hell was created for them. But it seems many are following deceptive spirits these days and will be lost forever in the abyss with the demons they serve!
 
kurious_kathy said:
On the contrary, I have chosen God's truth over demons lies. And believe me when God woke me up it wasn't pretty. I had to learn fast to test those spirits because I was listening to them a very long time. Astrology, Phsycics, Numerology, and yes phsyco babble too! All New Age Beliefs.
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Funny how nearly everyone else here is able to avoid such superstitions without recourse to another superstition.
 
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