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I'm guessing you already believe in alot of things you cannot see. How about heat. It's -8 with a -35 wind chill where I live. I can't see the heat in my house but I know it's here because I feel it working. I can't see gravity but I do not fly off into space, because it is there. You cannot see electricity, just it's effect. Belief in God requires faith. When you believe in Him and surrender your life to Him you will feel Him working in you.
I'm not trying to sound like a hypocrite (in case I come off like that), but it's kind of hard to believe something you do see for yourself.
Seeing and hearing are sensory . . . the knowledge you seek is not. It is an internal experience of the soul. We each have different degrees of sensitivity to it . . . but it can be learned and you can be trained to awaken your sensitivity in meditation. The only requirements are sincerity and openness.
It continues to be a great mystery to me how the gift of Faith is dolled out.
There are many fine atheists on this forum who I believe are sincerely honest, loving, and intelligent people who would be hard to distinguish from good Christians, if not for their proclaimed atheism.
I can't help thinking about the apostle Paul, who's revelation was referred to as "scales falling from his eyes". As if the revelation was less of an internal transformation, but more of a light going on.
I wonder if many of the proclaimed atheists I've referred to are much closer to Christ, than some of the hard hearted Christians I see here.
Location: Everybody is going to hurt you, you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for-B Marley
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Quote:
Originally Posted by studedude
I'm guessing you already believe in alot of things you cannot see. How about heat. It's -8 with a -35 wind chill where I live. I can't see the heat in my house but I know it's here because I feel it working. I can't see gravity but I do not fly off into space, because it is there. You cannot see electricity, just it's effect. Belief in God requires faith. When you believe in Him and surrender your life to Him you will feel Him working in you.
I wonder if many of the proclaimed atheists I've referred to are much closer to Christ, than some of the hard hearted Christians I see here.
It is indisputable . . . by their fruits. Having a Christlike attitude toward life and others reveals one's true beliefs . . . regardless what they profess. I forget who was responsible for them . . . but I loved the ads that said . . ."Being Christian didn't use to be a spectator sport."
It continues to be a great mystery to me how the gift of Faith is dolled out.
Doled out? Either you have it or you don't. It's a choice, not a "gift". Salvation is the free "gift". There is plenty of evidence in what is seen to know that there is a Creator...it's up to us to want to get to know Him.
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There are many fine atheists on this forum who I believe are sincerely honest, loving, and intelligent people who would be hard to distinguish from good Christians, if not for their proclaimed atheism.
Ppffhhht...what??? How do you know that? Do you personally know any of the atheists here, or any of the Christians for that matter?? So everyone is wrong who doesn't behave just like you??? I think that says more about you as a professing Christian than anything else. You cannot speak for ANYONE ELSE here or in real life.
How DO you distinguish between atheists and Christians??? YOU don't. Only God knows what is truly in someone's heart. Judge not, lest ye be judged.
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I wonder if many of the proclaimed atheists I've referred to are much closer to Christ, than some of the hard hearted Christians I see here.
Again....WHAT???!!! You are really something else. You claim to be a Christian but yet you stand in defense of atheists (seen you do it many times and we are no strangers to each other's postings) and have the audacity to say they are closer to God than Christians???? You need to take a step back and re-evaluate exactly what you are proclaiming to be.
If you have a problem with what I am saying to you, then you need to read this scripture:
Luke 17:3
So watch yourselves. "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.
Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
How does one know that God does not exist? The God exist question is something that the secular movement uses quite often in their toolbox.
All I know is we are nothing but an organism with a small life span. Whatever the supreme power created the heavens and earth along with all the other creations that abound, I doubt that I would want to mess with it.
Thus the reason I am not an atheist.
Doled out? Either you have it or you don't. It's a choice, not a "gift". Salvation is the free "gift". There is plenty of evidence in what is seen to know that there is a Creator...it's up to us to want to get to know Him.
Ppffhhht...what??? How do you know that? Do you personally know any of the atheists here, or any of the Christians for that matter?? So everyone is wrong who doesn't behave just like you??? I think that says more about you as a professing Christian than anything else. You cannot speak for ANYONE ELSE here or in real life.
How DO you distinguish between atheists and Christians??? YOU don't. Only God knows what is truly in someone's heart. Judge not, lest ye be judged.
Again....WHAT???!!! You are really something else. You claim to be a Christian but yet you stand in defense of atheists (seen you do it many times and we are no strangers to each other's postings) and have the audacity to say they are closer to God than Christians???? You need to take a step back and re-evaluate exactly what you are proclaiming to be.
If you have a problem with what I am saying to you, then you need to read this scripture:
Luke 17:3
So watch yourselves. "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.
Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
I'm lalala singing........~~~~
(....take a deep breath....count to 10.....think of beautiful things....)
I wonder if many of the proclaimed atheists I've referred to are much closer to Christ, than some of the hard hearted Christians I see here.
Again....WHAT???!!! You are really something else. You claim to be a Christian but yet you stand in defense of atheists (seen you do it many times and we are no strangers to each other's postings) and have the audacity to say they are closer to God than Christians???? You need to take a step back and re-evaluate exactly what you are proclaiming to be.
Perhaps you need to take a step back and re-evaluate what he actually said . . . i have bolded the relevant words.
Quote:
If you have a problem with what I am saying to you . . .
Unless you are identifying yourself with hard hearted Christians . . . I didn't see any reference to you. There is nothing hard hearted about Jesus . . . so anyone who is . . . can hardly proclaim to be in Christ . . . by their fruits.
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I think that says more about you as a professing Christian than anything else. You cannot speak for ANYONE ELSE here or in real life.
