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December 23rd, 2013
03:29 PM ET
A Christmas apology, and the seeds of hopeOpinion by Rachel Held Evans, Special to CNN
I’m sorry that this season has become about fights over manger scenes on public property, about complaining when clerks say, “Happy Holidays,” instead of “Merry Christmas,” about rampant commercialism and faux persecution. I’m sorry that Christians in the United States can be so entitled when we’ve long enjoyed majority status, when we can be so blind to our own privilege. It is ironic, really, because in the church calendar, the seasons of Advent and Christmas call us to reflect upon and celebrate what Christians believe was the most radical act of humility of all time - the incarnation. The doctrine of the incarnation holds that the God of the universe, in his love for humanity, emptied himself of his power and became human, like us, in the form of Jesus. The word incarnation literally means “to make into flesh” and refers to the apostle John’s teaching that “(t)he Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14). “No one has ever seen God,” John explains, but Jesus “has made him known.” In other words, if you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus - Jesus, who was born as an oppressed minority in an occupied land, Jesus who was an immigrant, Jesus, who surrounded himself with the poor, the sick, the marginalized and the “untouchables,” Jesus who was criticized by the religious for hanging out with sinners, Jesus who treated women with dignity and respect, Jesus who taught his disciples to love their enemies, to give without expecting anything in return, to overcome evil with love, Jesus who suffered, Jesus who wept, Jesus who - while hanging on a Roman cross - said, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Quaker theologian Elton Trueblood put it this way: “The historic Christian doctrine of the divinity of Christ does not simply mean that Jesus is like God. It is far more radical than that. It means that God is like Jesus.” It means that God suffers, God forgives, God fellowships with the poor, God cares for the sick, God loves His enemies. Even as a lifelong Christian, I struggle with doubts about God. I struggle to make sense of the violence in the world, the violence in the Bible, the violence in my own heart. I don’t have all the answers. But even when there’s nothing left to my faith but a little seed of hope, that hope is in the incarnation, in the radical teaching that God loved us enough to become like us, and that when God wanted to show us what he was like, God showed us Jesus. Rachel Held Evans is the author of "A Year of Biblical Womanhood" and "Evolving in Monkey Town." Evans blogs at rachelheldevans.com, and the views expressed in this column belong to her.
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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(CNN) - This week we celebrate Christmas, and as a Christian, I want to say I’m sorry.
Ok people no need to Panic and get into a mall brawl or into an stampede like wild animals, although people do get in stampedes when they Panic. It is quite clear that she was just having a case of seasonal anxiety. It is a by product of shallow and hollow doctrines. Those who really, really Trust in God and in Jesus Christ God's Only Son WILL NOT Panic!! All others will.
I don't see anyone panicking here. You, however, seem to be a bit hysterical.
What is interesting and yet disappointing, requires patience. What is see is
1. that non believers possess the compassion of God,
2. they see the short coming of religion, which is dead and evil,
3. they know that not all religion is true.
what is disappointing is that, you understand how God feels, and you turn the Satanic deceit and false religion on the truth
can anyone come up with another peaceful Savior aside from Christ?
It is Christ doctrine that puts violence to the curb,Christ sets you free from personal wrong, Christ supernaturally guides you. It is Christ that covers the entire world, and Christ gives you eternal life.
"can anyone come up with another peaceful Savior aside from Christ?"
peaceful? you mean until the end times? your 'peaceful' savior opens his daddy's seven seals, releasing War, Famine, Plague, Death, etc. on the world, killing 2/3 of the earth's people. murdering people because they don't worship you is peaceful?
King James:
And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
swords sound peaceful to you? ruling with a rod of iron sounds peaceful to you? treading the winepress of wrath sounds peaceful to you?
Satan does not sound peaceful, rejecting the savior does not sound peaceful, and justice sounds like a tool for a righteous kingdom. the war on sin, aka, the birth of Christ, is peaceful because it redeems, and sanctifies us from our helpless condition.
knowing about God is one thing. after that you realize what a battle and difficulty it is to TRUST, in God. Moses was not allowed into the promised land. Every "man of God" had their blatant times of Satanic miscalculation. there is a war within you ,and the God of this world, is a liar, thief, and killer.
It is very important that you look to the supernatural light for wisdom. It is different than the intellect of your fallen flesh.
sorry, i don't worship satan either. he's just another part of the christian mythology.
if you try hard, you may find you can be a good person without believing in an invisible sky fairy. instead of doing good so you can get into heaven, you actually do good just for the sake of doing good. love your brothers and sisters - but don't waste time with ghosts, fairies or deities.
and there is no such thing as 'sin'. that's a disgusting concept meant to control worshipers through guilt, fear and ignorance - the pillars of religion.
sin is a man made concept, austin. it does not exist outside of the minds of believers
And a very Merry Christmas to you too.
and if you're looking for other mythological figures of 'peace', what about Buddha?
also, check Jainism. they're religion is so peaceful they strive not to kill even a bug.
there are many more...
Exactly.
"Jesus who treated women with dignity and respect,"
guess the author missed Mathew 15:21-28
21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”
23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”
24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”
25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.
26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.
hmmm... jesus doesn't seem so compa.ssionate in this story. making a woman, who's daughter only you can help, call her entire race "dogs" before you will help is disgusting and inhumane. but of course once jesus hears the woman call herself a dog ready to beg for scraps, he cures the little girl and tells the woman she is worthy. doesn't seem like he treated the woman or her daughter with dignity OR respect.
A gift from Jesus is worth more than anything, 'cuz it's from Jesus.
What kind of god refers to someone as a "dog" because of her race? Guy sounds like a bigot.
The master's table would be feeding the dogs anyway with crumbs. The woman had faith that Jesus could help her child, and Jesus healed her. The text is fine, and Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the Son of God, sent by God to die for the sins of others that believe him, repent of their sins, and do the will of God.
@ hearties.........some one hundred, or a thousand
Like an abusive husband says he beats his wife for her own good? That kind of "gift"?
this is not true. what is at work in this parable is that Jesus ALLREADY KNEW her heart and faith. and the way Jesus takes this, is a way that He can draw out her faith, which He clearly knew about her.
He draws out her faith by being demeaning and insulting. Much the same way an abusive spouse draws out love through shame and disrespect.
in nearly every parable Jesus uses symbolic approaches. There are plenty of other items that are not supposed to be taken out of context. The entire bible is just like this. if you compare the israel/dog picture, it conflicts with the outreach of the Savior of "all" mankind.
Rubbish, an all knowing god could do better, unless Jesus was not all knowing and was not god. Then it makes sense.
BATC, The Holy Spirit is the Helper, the Comforter and Healer.
What this reveals, is that wisdom and obedience is a process, and we all faulter. We all have a lifelong journey and struggle. It does not all come at once as perfection.
None of that is justification for that behavior, instead it is a rambling rationalization for your supposedly perfect, non-offensive god-man.
Blessed are the Cheesemakers, do you think that Jesus was NOT against the Israelites treating others as dogs?
you are basically insisting that the point He was fighting against was actually what He was carrying out as an insult.
that kind of seems like deceitful fraud. why don't you try reading in to a bible commentary instead of taking the lesson out of context . it seems that this is a false accusation. that would be telling.
First of all, this is not a parable. It's a narrative of what supposedly actually happened.
Second, if Jesus already knew her mind, why was it necessary to humiliate her, marginalize her, demean her and force her to grovel, beg, and call herself a dog, deserving of only scraps from the master? If Jesus is so loving and compassionate, why did he act like such an asshole?
I agree. I have no idea why Christians think that this story is so wonderful. Jesus acts like an asshole and a bully.
I think they've heard the story so many times that they don't really see what it's saying, that Jesus, who had the power to help, first ignores the woman and her child, then calls her and her people a racist slur, and finally, after she kneels and begs and admits she's a dog that only deserves scraps from the master's table, he "graciously" heals the child.
Kind of like when he went up to a fig tree out of season and killed it because it didn't have any figs on it. Not much of a god if he didn't even know what season it was.
Or when Abraham told Sarah to lie and say she was his sister (she was, but she was also his wife), and sent her as a gift to two different kings because he was afraid they would kill him for her. Nothing says loving like being whored out by your brother/husband to save his skin.
well said.
When you're under the spell, even a story like Job appears heartwarming.
Tears of joy.
Yes, it would seem as though Jesus was treating this woman with contempt, but He was trying to teach His disciples a lesson. The Canaanites were old enemies of the Jews and they [Jews] typically treated them with contempt, and this incidence Jesus was acting in the same way His disciples would have acted, but then He showed mercy and compassion to this woman and healed her daughter as an example of how they should act. Jesus had already encountered other none-Jews (the Phoenician widow, the demon processed wild men, and had treated them all with mercy, the Samaritan woman at Jacobs well and He told a parable which included a none-Jew— in the story known as the “Good Samaritan”. In all these incidents Jesus was trying to educate His disciples in tolerance of others.
wow! your voice can go a long way !
"Jesus was trying to educate His disciples in tolerance of others."
+++ there was nothing in that story that said jesus was teaching his disciples tolerance. he said he has only come to help the jews and degraded the woman. he only helped her after she begged and agreed she was from a race of dogs. you're trying to make this look like a nice story, but it's not. jesus was cruel to the woman until she agreed caananites were dogs. if anything, jesus was teaching racial prejudice and bigotry.
common. sarcasm.
nope. an honest assessment. jesus was a jerk. because he's your 'savior', you don't like to admit it. but he was. he was a racist jerk. deal with it.
"Yes, it would seem as though Jesus was treating this woman with contempt"
So you imply he didn't treat her with contempt but give no real justification for such poor behavior. Teaching someone "lessons" does not justify insults. He did treat her with contempt until she sufficiently kissed his ass and then and only then, did he help.
Blessed are the Cheesemakers, if there is truth to the idea that sarcasm was used as way to rebuke His disciples,and that the lesson here is not literally the woman, or what He said to her, would you be able to find meaning that Israel idolatrous selfishness was the issue, and not the woman?
do you think we can find other examples of this in the bible? where it is a riddle? you can take absurd stories from the old testament and draw misguided conclusions because, Israel was seriously misguided, as we all can be, and the selfish idolatry can be gathered only in a mature context.
Good grief, that's about the most ridiculous rationalization I've ever heard. Jesus uses racist slurs against a woman and her people and humiliates her by making her kneel and beg and admit that yes, she is indeed from a race of dogs, to teach his disciples how NOT to act?
What a laughable thing to say. Really, that's just stupid, plain stupid.
Nicely written.
@sam stone : free will and an omniscient god are incompatible
Why do you claim this?
It feels like groundhog day. That has been answered so many times. And it would be easier for the original commenter if you used the "Reply" link instead of starting a new thread.
L4H will explain that she doesn't like to butt in on conversations. L4H doesn't understand that the express purpose of a relply button is for joining the convo.
L4H rationalizes a lot in this vein.
L4H lacks the fortitude to stay in a thread and see an argument taken to its reasonable conclusion. Religion is for the weak, and he is an especially weak specimen.
HAPPY NEW YEAR !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXzLV2OCrt8#t=0
Are you being intentionally obtuse?
Okay, here goes one more time
if god knows what i am going to do before i do it, and god cannot be wrong, then i have no choice but to do what the OMNISCIENCT god knows what i am going to do
none of the chritstian bloggers have been able to provide a rational respnse to this. Neither you, nor gopher, nor robert brown, nor larry of arabia, nor ae, nor jw, etc etc etc
robert brown has run from this
larry of arabia
sam , don't be scared. Seek His voice on your own brother! Deep down you desire this.
You sound like a date rapist. C'mon, baby, you know you want it.....
What's the best way to honor Jesus?
On the last night of his human life, Jesus said: “You are my friends if you do what I am commanding you.” (John 15:14) He also said: “If you love me, you will observe my commandments.” (John 14:15) Clearly, there is no better way to honor Jesus Christ than to learn and follow his teachings.
Merry Christmas!
Interesting: For some reason, the words in the above post are on the 'banned' list. What does CNN have against Merry Christmas?
Your expression of Merry Christmas shows up just fine, as do mine on other threads. It would appear they are not banned.
@midwest rail : Your expression of Merry Christmas shows up just fine
Mine has hidden characters in it. When I tried to post it (twice), the first time it wouldn't post and the second declared it a duplicate. The third time, I included the hidden characters. So, CNN is blocking it.
I have typed Merry Christmas several times and had no problem. And CNN would not be responsible anyway, WordPress would.
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas
Not a problem L4H
And by the way Xmas was made a federal holiday in 1870 in the US
Good old fashion paranoia.
Merry Christmas.
Can't you see your own comments? They both clearly show what you say is being blocked. As do other comments.
Amen!
i twisted up some purple kush and communicated with the spirit
@tallulah13 : I like my life. It's a good life and it's enough for me.
If you have lived long enough, you realize that this life we have is a life of hardship. We may pretend that this hardship doesn't exist, but it does. We're always being tested – be it in school, from one's so-called friends (you're not wearing ... ), on these forums, or even in today's video games. Sometimes we pass and sometimes we fail. Why would ANYONE want to be told they 'fail'. We don't. Instead, we ignore the failures and pretend that we only get passing or excellent 'grades' in our tests.
When we're young, we are constantly sick (this cold, flu or something going around). When we're older, our health beings to fail. Only in the middle can we pretend that all life is good. Of course, in the middle of one's life, they're striving to make a living, build a family, raise that family and save for retirement. And again, all people remember are their victories while they work their life away.
@tallulah13 : I can see why some people may desire eternal life, but I have no interest.
Nor do I – at least this life as we know it. However, in heaven, all life's troubles pass away. And that eternal life is worth looking forward toward.
error: our health begins to fail
I'm 51 years old and I have worked hard for everything I have. I have been sick and I have been healthy. I have seen amazing things. I have laughed a lot. I have lost loved ones to terrible disease. I have had good times and bad times, I have loved and been loved. I don't need eternal life. I don't want eternal life. This life has been enough. Why is that so hard for christians to understand?
@tallulah13 : I don't need eternal life. I don't want eternal life.
What if you don't have a choice, but only WHERE you spend it?
I'll worry when you can prove that your hell actually exists.
@tallulah13 : I'll worry when you can prove that your hell actually exists.
Then you'll have a long time to worry – eternity. After all, the evidence will be irrefutable once Christ returns. And at that point, it is too late to change your mind.
Heard it a thousand times, Live4Him. And it's still not evidence.
Don't trouble Christians with that pesky evidence thing. They always come up empty handed on that one. Well, actually, the evidence is against their bible stories, so they try to squelch that side of evidence.
Love them mustard trees and talking snakes ha!
saying it don't mike it so, live4him
where would chrstianity be with the empty proxy threats blathered by pious god wannabes like live4him
meet jeebus halfway,live4him....show a bit of initiative
or, pull the crucifix out of your rectum
LIve4Him, unless of course the Mormons are right and they baptize me after I die, then I can accept Jesus and get my own planet.
If you don't want eternal life, you will definitely not get it, for only he/she who seeks it finds it.
So, in order for Christians to understand you, the Christians have to agree with you?
@Live4Him,
"However, in heaven, all life's troubles pass away"
You have no verifiable evidence that any such thing happens - you wish it to be so.
Besides, that schizo god of the Israelites could cook up some new scheme at any time during "eternity"...
Eternity: You consist of a finite amount of information. You also must change or there can be no experience of "you". Bits flip. However often that happens and however large the amount of information you consist of, one day there's no you.
Merry Cristmas people, I hope you all got what you want.
I especially like the posthumous pardon given to Alan Turing. He was a multidimensional hero of the 20th century that was unjustly persecuted by a Christian government, England.
He was a genius mathematician that secretly broke the German codes. This changed the course of the war and hastened its end before Hitler completed the atomic bomb. Because of the secrecy, most people were unaware of this, not the government though. Turing also developed some of the most important pure mathematics of the 20th century with his work on decidability and computability. In the process he defined the general computer and ushered in the Information Age.
You'd think he'd be a household name as a hero of mankind. Unfortunately, he was arrested in 1952. His crime? He was a ho.mose.xual. That was a crime in England. He tried to stop it with drugs. It failed and he killed himself. This is a perfect example of the harm a government with a state religion can do.
Sad that a great country like England would commit such a crime against humanity, but I am glad they apologized, and finally pardoned him just before Christmas this year.
They should have given him a posthumous knighthood.
Absolutely.
I love the idea, but there is no posthumous knighthoods. Maybe they can create a new order for Turing, the Turing Order, for posthumous awards.
i dont want to get involved in every thread, but no one should be throwing stones. God certainly loves him.
Your Christian brethren over in Africa disagree with your opinion, Austin. They are still jailing gays.
Indeed. With the encouragement of evangelicals in the US Uganda contemplated making homosexual acts punishable by life imprisonment or death.
tom tom, this really is not biblical but true that Satan punishes people through government, He is the accuser. Jesus did not put people in jail. that is different from rejecting the atonement and obeying the Holy Spirit. disobedience is a spiritual misery, and then seperation. you can either be born twice into righteousness, or die and then die again.
It's time to appease Austin and give him his daily award. The award for the Fundy Method of Inquiry & Verification. For those who don't know how the method works, it's really quite simple:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YIj4rLYo0c
@Award Notification Department : The award for the Fundy Method of Inquiry & Verification.
What's the award for the atheists on this forum – The Disparagement In Lieu of Evidence Award
There's nothing wrong with admitting that there are still mysteries to the universe, ScentedTissue4Him.
@Billy : There's nothing wrong with admitting that there are still mysteries to the universe
While claiming to know the final answer? This is plain silly.
@L4H
What's sillier, L4H? Admitting that one does not know the answer to something based on evidence presented, or assuming the beliefs of others from ancient folklore with regard to magic when there is no evidence of said magic; when no one can demonstrate said magic; when no one can demonstrate an absolute truth from their alleged god without circling back into the man-written source of their belief? Sources of unknown authorship I might add.
@Doris : What's sillier, L4H?
You are a hoot! Your post is so full of non sequiturs! Do you ever try to present a logical argument or do you just post to entertain yourself?
Made sense to me. Try reading it slower.
Oh you're quite the hoot too, L4H. But prove that any of what I said is wrong.
you're a fine one to talk about logical arguments, L4H
How many times have you won your own award, L4H?
You do understand that if there were evidence there would not be what you label as disparagement. You claim a god based upon stories that are proven to be incorrect; if there were objective evidence you would be able to produce it. There is no evidence so why are you surprised that it is not a convincing story.
Read the article. Without sounding argumentative, I'll just be a "Christian"...and wish Rachel the very best of the Holidays have to offer.
I apologize that we do not observe the birth on the proper day and that the observance was changed for man's convenience and ego accomodation. Jesus deserves better.
His fault. He should have left better records.
absolutely wrong, the record He offers you is a personal, internal record, the promise of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a sanctifying spirit that bears the truth of God's word on a persons heart. This is a supernatural seal where He will reveal His presence within you . This is the record that you can be sure of , and share with others. We do not revolve around a God outside of us , but the promise is within you.
Today.
A supernatural seal, Austin? Who notarized it for "him"? Elmer Fudd?
the god you revolve around is entirely in your delusional little head
Sam, If you appreciate the life you have, if God is the creator, then you should seek eternal life. I tell you the truth , greater is He, than what spiritual suicide has to offer. and the truth of this CAN TRULY, come to the door of you heart and mind, if you want the real life. and the real truth.
i am not motivated by religion , but the truth that was supernaturally seeded into my heart and mind. Through the resurrection.
Austin
"... if God is the creator, ..." is the key. No evidence outside of your head.
IN santa we trust, the bible being from old, may not be evidence to your physical demands. furthermore, the Holy Spirit, truly is evidence. and my testimony is true,none the less insufficient for you. But it would not be insuficcient for you, within your own soul. What I have, what I speak of -supernatural evidence, you too can experience. until you do experience what we have, atleast remain as one who should and could.
Making a decision against God, and not seeking, is your free will, and a huge mistake. today, stay in the neutral, and trust that the only evidence will never be in old physical evidence, and only personal confirmation.
Take it to Oprah, Austin. Be sure to let us know what day you'll be doing your demonstration of the proof of the Holy spirit so that we'll know to tune in.
The mere fact that you feel you have some truth that you preach to others identifies you as a delusional little twit.
I do not seek ETERNAL life. It would be boring, nothing but praising the celestial pr1ck forEVER
the point is also a promise, the He is preparing the heart of those who He knew before the world, written in the book of life.
The good shepherd will find His sheep. and the promise of proof and evidence, you will only find within you when you seek it . you will NEVER, have intellectual proof of God. NO ONE WILL.
Sam when i was a kid, i used to hear them talk about eternally praising God, and i said the same thing. I was like "oh my gosh that sound so dull, I despise the church songs". but then God showed me something absolutely exciting , He amazes me with His incredible wit and the way He teaches me just floors me.
and the catch is this, that you will check out of your flesh which is a prison of doubt. you will not have the doubt, and the tired metabolism, or the anxiety. You will be free from what you do not know and understand. and you will have a heavenly proportion of joy, which no one here has.
Well that's comforting, Austin, since I don't like to think even the most handicapped among us to have zero intelligence. I mean even a rock has more intelligence than Peter Pan for obvious reasons.
I have plenty of joy, Austin. I'll have a lot a bit later with the grand kids. But "heavenly proportion of joy"? LOL. You need to get Gullible's Travels out of your ass and stop thinking from down there.
austin: free will and an omniscient god are incompatible
For I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I've committed unto Him against that day! ~2 Timothy 1:12
not really, because He is not in to the outward ceremonioal rituals at all. what He wants is a daily intimate relationship where you trust Him constantly for the evils surrounding you and your situations. and to get beyond the convenience of life and to live for the gospel reaching every corner of the earth.
Goodness, you must do His Hair to know all this, Austin.
snerk.
I have a supernatura gift of prophetic vision. To all you natualists, I could sit in a room with you, show you my data, which is real evidence, and tear the sin of unbelief up with just my testimony. and then the spiritaul force at hand , your stubborn heart, is the next issue that requires the help of God. You may not get it with a stiff neck.
I want you to get the help you need, from He who is faithful to forgive ALL men. You are justified if you seed truth in earnest.
I wish you could accept a persons testimoly for what it is without defaulting to a delusional heart. Stop hurting yourself and those around you and TRUST in the Lord.
Ezekiel 36:26 ►
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh
John 1:12 ►
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God–
I think what you possess, Austin, is a chemical imbalance and delusions of grandeur. However, I wish you a happy Christmas.
friend, why do you not want eternal life as you stated, if you want life here?
I like my life. It's a good life and it's enough for me. I am content with what I have. I can see why some people may desire eternal life, but I have no interest.
really, what you might admit to yourself, is that God may be there, and you don't care. and you should understand what is wrong about that, and really, there is no way out of that fear, because you are His creation. He does love you.
I'm sorry, Austin. You can't threaten me into believing in god and wishing for an afterlife. I'm not afraid of death. I'm not ready for it, but I accept that someday I will die, ready or not. And then I will cease to exist and eventually be forgotten. It's all perfectly natural, and there's nothing to fear about it.
the God of Israel? from Gullible's Travels? Delusion.
I would hate to see how long it takes for you to clean out your spam folder, Austin.
my desire is no threat. you are not ready to fully reject God. no one is. there is something bothering you that has a grip on your decisions and i do understand that.
is there any way that you would agree to atleast be open, to God showing you His presence in love? even if it was supernatural and not acedemic?
Austin just wondering if you took part with Rick Perry (Gov. of Texas) when he was praying for rain ?
Austin, I have no idea what you are talking about.
I am not looking for a god because I don't need a god. I am not a child who needs a supernatural father to take care of me. I am not interested in eternal life. I am not interested in heaven and I am not afraid of hell. I will just live my life until it ends and then I will be dead. And that's how it should be.
I would believe in god if someone provided irrefutable evidence of the existence of a god. Humans have worshiped literally thousands of gods, and there's not a shred of evidence for any of them, not even your god. Emotional stories and anecdotal evidence don't count. Human emotions are very easy to manipulate and eyewitness accounts notoriously flawed.
I do not want the same things you want and I am not interested in your god or your sad delusion of prophecy. Sorry.
hey friend, i did not hear about that. but we should pray to God about everything, like when you sit and have coffee and talk to your table of friends, we should tend to our relationship with Him, before we do anything else. He is involved in every little detail. and so is the destroyer.
10As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
Oh goodness – we certainly don't want the destroyer. We got a pretty good glimpse of him in Ghostbusters. Not fun!
Talalluah, I am concerned for you if you don't mind. the irrefutable evidence you are talking about is available. and matter of fact, it is a divine promise that He will pour out His spirit as the evidence. and He wlll over rule all of your doubt and dependence upon a dead fact in a vial, or a book. The spiritual life that He gives, is glorious compared to your intellectual understanding. he can not go back on His promise , that He will pour out His spirit, if you ask Him to .
you see, the evidence you are talking about is a dead intellect. The evidence of God that is true, and real, and eternal life, He PERSONALLY DELIVERS. why do sidestep the personal design of the Holy Spirit, the Counselor, the Comforter, The Helper.
You do not know what evidence is.
I'm glad that your special feelings make you happy, Austin. For some that is enough. But emotions are easy - people have made fortunes by manipulating human emotions. Did you know that religious activity can increase endorphins in the brain, creating a sense of euphoria and well-being? Chocolate has the same effect.
I am an honest person and I was raised to seek the truth. Emotions aren't fact. If I am to believe in any god, then I will need real evidence. So far no one has provided any.
Talullah, you are an incredible, special ,compassionate, person. and where ever you may go, I would never want to change who you are. My best wishes for you!
You as well, Austin. Happy holidays.
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Christianity is built upon a LIE ...
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...................... http://www.EvilBible.com
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Did you ever see the faces
Of the children, they get so excited.
Waking up on Christmas morning
Hours before the winter sun's ignited.
They believe in dreams and all they mean,
Including Heaven's generosity.
Peeping 'round the door to see what
Parcels are for free in curiosity.
And Tommy doesn't know what day it is.
He doesn't know who Jesus was,
Or what praying is.
[CHORUS]
How can he be saved
From the eternal grave?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BWiYJ3yykw&w=420&h=315]
My nephew is 4 and he knows who Jesus is. and you should hear the questions he asks, and the way the kids sing in choir. your view here is a sick shot , a cheap shot, and spritually criminal satanic assault, on CHILDREN. over what, a little present? the situation , our Creator is REAL.
Jesus Blesses Little Children
13 Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. 15 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” 16 And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.
Really Austin? Did you tell him the name of Paul's 500 witnesses? Did you tell him the names of the Gospel's authors? Or did you just make something up?
you can drive yourself nuts with all types of conspiracy theories can you not?
I have personal evidence of the living God. He saves in supernatural ways. look in to it with an open heart, and ask Him to show you without a bad att.itude. it was hard for me, because I hated the bible too. Ill pray for you.
I don't hate the Bible, Austin. It's quite an interesting set of fable. I just despise people who take it too seriously and then try to tell others how to live.
austin: and your delusions show you have driven yourself nuts
I wish we could have a face to face meeting, because you as.sume that i am a troll sitting back here on a power trip, when really who i am, is someone like Paul. I vandalized a church because i could not stomach Christians employing George Bush, and then after that I started having supernatural visions. if i was there now, i would pull out 20 pages of written dreams, with dates and times, and then i would explain what happened after that. and you could not find a single phd who could argue with the supernatural elements of what unfolded , unless done out of dogmatic unbelief and God rejection.
Truly, He has done a work in me.
And Paul was the Joseph Smith of his day. Another delusional loud mouth.
Hitler was more than a loud mouth, and an insult is more than a sentence. its a true reflection. what is loud mouthed about God saving people from the evil that fell upon His creation? shunning such a thing is beyond strange. you can't point your finger at a fallen world and failed people. you have to ask youself, why can I not let God save?
If I was divine and saw a little girl being raped, I would intervene. That's the difference between me and your fairy tale God of Israel, Austin.
Billy, I think it would be fair for you to ask yourself, why do we die? is eternal life real. Is there really evil?
I can tell you that in my journey of faith, that God began to show me the supernatural presence of evil, in a graceful act of salvation. And overwhelmingly merciful considering my hatred for the bible. Try asking God to open your spiritual eyes for your desperate need for truth.
Did you tell your little nephew about baby Jesus's 8 tiny angels : Dasher! and Dancer! , Prancer and Vixen!
Comet! Cupid! Donner and Blitzen! And the most special angel of all, Rudolph the Red Nosed Cherub?!
Evan, thank you for this. I'm getting really sick of not wanting to wish people a Merry Christmas because I'm afraid they will think that I'm one of those awful people. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah (a month late) Happy Kwannzaa, Blessed Yule, Happy Festivus: whatever you celebrate, have a great one and all the best in 2014!
And I want to apologize for people like Rachel who thinks she speaks for all Christians. Christians are flawed like everyone else but we have enough people telling us that (rightly and wrongly) from the non -believing world. I'm getting tired of professing Christians doing the same. You work on your flawed self, I'll work on my flawed self and we'll let the world judge.
Happy Holidays
The honesty of clergy, car salesmen, and politicians
by Erik Voeten posted on December 25, 2013 04:05AM GMT
Thanks to PJT for the link!
Gallup reports that fewer Americans regard the clergy as honest now than at any time since it started asking the question in 1977.
Most people are conditioned to think it comes from only certain sources...salesmen, clergy...not true. It's everywhere, it's rampant. Parents are full of it, teachers are full of it, the entire country is full of it.
From the Europe side of CNN and the pope is Clergy – no ?
Pope at Christmas Eve Mass: 'Do not be afraid' – Then they RCC should quite teaching the FEAR of HELL !
By Catherine E. Shoichet and Erin McLaughlin, CNN
December 25, 2013 - Updated 0922 GMT (1722 HKT)
Merry Christmas .
She has crazy eyes.
Many of the fully committed religious people have that affliction. The eyes appear intense but without depth. It's a sort of cultish, robotical, zombie look.
There is a little room beneath most churches where the silicone chip gets implanted. Think about it...flower print dresses, big floppy hats, a vacant stare and an obsession with pine-cone Jesus. Accident?
We Christians did not start any of the fights involving what you mentioned. The ACLU has been the instigator in most, if not all of them. Do you expect us to just lie down and take their constant berating???? The ACLU is ruining this Country....that is the real issue.
Nah, they're just piling on and enjoying the blood and guts.
you poor, poor,persecutority, ed christians.
someone cannot be elected president without pledging alliegance to your cult
the vast majority of senators and congressmmen belong to your cult
there are states where you have to belong to your cult to hold office, or sit on a jury
the issue is not the aclu, the issue is christians wanting to legislate their religion into our secular laws
but, by all means, enjoy your persecution complex
does it make you feel more like jeebus?
"Do you expect us to just lie down and take their constant berating????"
'We' don't ... but your book does
–Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.– Matt 5:10