Posted on 06/25/2008 7:24:15 AM PDT by svcw
Just a thought.
It occurred to me that those on FR need a place to discuss religion, religious thought, denominal issues all things religious without worrying about hurt feelings or bruised egos.
This would be a bare knuckle discussion.
If you have thin skin or are easily offended it would be better not to participate.
If I had the kind of faith you presumptuously accuse me of having, it would not be commendable. It would be pathetic, ignorant, tragic and—in no way contradictory to ignorant—dishonest. Fortunately my faith is one-hundred-and-eighty degrees different from your mistaken image of it.
If there is an afterlife, it would behoove you to find out as much about it as you can now. If I’m right, you’d rather stay ignorant because you’re too enamored of your current views to run the risk of having to change them. If I’m wrong, then why not make the relatively small investment of reading at least one book by a former atheist who set out to disprove Christianity and ended up a Christian? There are multiple such books out there. The authors have attributes not everyone possesses: keen intelligence, persistence, the resources and knowledge to do in depth research, intellectual honesty, and the willingness to admit, when appropriate, “I was wrong.”
God must be judgmental because His Perfect Righteousness demands Perfect Justice in the face of unrighteousness.
Reading the mind of another poster, e.g. attributing motives, is a form of "making it personal."
Click on my profile page for more guidelines pertaining to the Religion Forum.
Hmmmmm . . . wellllll, I can report best on my own experiences and observations . . .
Initially, there was routinely “Holy Spirit Goosebumps” whenever I spoke/prayed in tongues.
I don’t recall feeling led to give any message in tongues in a meeting. I occasionally had part of an interpretation.
Over time, the “Holy Spirit Goosebumps” went away and satan certainly tried to convince me that I’d sinned to much or Holy Spirit had left me or some such . . .
One day as I was prayerfully pondering the issue . . . The Lord seemed to impress on me with above average forcefulness . . .
“Were you saved by faith or feelings?”
Faith, or course!
“Is it Scriptural?”
Of course.
“Welll, continue on—walk by faith—when you pray in tongues—without faith it is impossible to please Me. Trust that My Spirit is putting meaning to your sounds AND TRUST ME WITH THAT.”
So I have—most of the time! LOL.
Actually, I’ve known a lot of people who make more noise privately than they do publicly.
Yes, there’s a lot of showy hogwash in Pentecostalism.
But there is in NON-Pentecostalism as well—it’s just a different flavor. The showy Pride is not quite so sticky-outy-in-neon-lights—except to one’s spirit—if there’s sufficient discernment.
My own sense is that because Pentecostalism is more the OPPOSITE OF
“A FORM OF GODLINESS BUT DENYING THE POWER THEREOF”
that satan attacks all such much more relentlessly and much more forcefully than nonPentecostal/NonCharismatic groups. He knows that DEMONSTRATED POWER OF GOD IS MUCH MORE DAMAGING TO HIS KINGDOM.
Millions of Christians in China and South and Central America as well as Africa came to Christ BECAUSE OF THE MIRACLES—just as in the New Testament.
Interestingly, in locales with seminaries that are quick to tell folks how all that is past tense, fewer miracles occur—rather like Christ in Nazareth.
OK. So what is your idea of educational discourse? I’m serious, let me know and I will try to follow your rules in posting here in the SBR.
Thanks for sharing. Well put. I am LDS and we are a bit sedate in our worship.
:O)
Oops, excuse my posts referring to the Smoky Backroom. I didn’t realize this thread had been moved.
That is mostly the apostles creed, with some flavor I was sure a Freeper or two would have heard it before.
google— “Rich Mullins Creed”
But it still wraps up my Christian Beliefs nicely.
For one, it provides people with a reason to write scripture on the internet.
Probably deep-down, truthfully an agnostic with leanings and a desire towards believing in God.
OK
Sounds good to me. I appreciate the honesty.
If there is an afterlife, I really don’t think anyone knows about it, that is not dead.
Who said God is not judgemental? Perhaps His judgement is passed before He creates each one of us?
It seems so. Have you ever met a person who says they are ‘reborn’ who hasn’t hit bottom? I haven’t.
I’ve been a Christian for 39 years now, so yes, I have seen people come to the Lord because of many reasons. Love, M
I'd say, in the time you've spent replying to me, you could have at least skimmed the first page of replies on the thread I linked. You might recognize some names. [chortle]
It's really a shame you can't be bothered with the rest of it, it's an ongoing thread and people are still vying for the Best Supporting Actress (Drama) nomination. In any case I must admit that, in all the time I've been here, I never realized that the Mods are closet Mormons, and Jim lets them run roughsod over everyone.
You posted: I believe God is not nearly as judgemental as men are against other men. Not that we won’t be held accountable, I’m just saying we tend to love to critique, criticize, and judge each other based in our own interpretaions and opinions. We are human afterall.
***
I believe (and that is an important way to start, in my opinion, because we all have our own faith, and we all believe our own positions to be correct, or else why have them?) that the bible teaches Christ is the one way to salvation, and that salvation is a gift of grace from God. I believe it now, but I do wonder if those who die without having believed will be given another chance to do so after death. I hope so, but I don’t want to take that chance, and I DO believe in salvation through Christ.
Another chance after death may not be biblical, but then again, salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus was not biblical either, at the time Christ made that sacrifice. God changed the “rules” from the Old Testament when he sent His Son to earth. He was merciful. He could be merciful again...
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