Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
It seems some Christians have the idea that telling non believers their "conversion" story complete with some accompanying story of a "changed" life since "finding Jesus." is going to convert me. The whole "I am Second" Christian video series shows this idea. I am never convinced by these as proof that some supernatural force is intervening in their lives. These same stories can be told by any person of any religious faith. I encourage any Christian to watch this Muslim video and notice all the similarities to any Christian "conversion" story. Same themes. My life changed when I became Muslim. I find peace in Allah. I feel complete in the Muslim faith. My life has been transformed since I am Muslim now. I'm sure Jewish and Hindu people can give their own "testimony" stories. Sorry, they all just show me that indeed beliefs can give people peace but it doesn't mean there is a supernatural force at work. The idea of Santa Clause gives children peace around Christmas time but that doesn't mean Santa is real.
The problem that you had here was that you had gone extreme. I do not say it is a bad thing as Moslem. However, the Jurassic age had gone, hence to live and let live was what fashionable.
The rules were here to help the fallen. But the people turned them upside down, because they deemed themselves smarter. And the oppressed had gotten defensive. Then the vicious cycle might went on.
No matter what your grandma said about the past. It is always your own choice to live a life of your own or your grandmas'. Was it love that your grandmas' casted her unbearable shadows over this child liken the pure white paper?
The sort of person you are is much more important than whether you have a faith or not. I know a few terrible Christians, who are highly unpleasant people, I also know many non believers who are wonderful people and do their best to help others. The crazy dogma which states you have to get 'saved' to go to heaven, and the rest however good they are go to hell is SICK!
If you don't care for Christiany don't join. Simple.
I don't like android phones, yet you don't me ranting against them. As it is written, if you don't believe in abortions don't get one.
I think the rising tide of anti-theism is largely due to politics. Taking your Android example, no one that I know of is asking you to elect them because Google, but there are candidates who get a large part of their vote because Jesus. Many discriminatory laws are written based on religious values (and in many cases it is debatable where the "values" really come from).
Also, testimonies are often employed as a tool to recruit and to raise money, most of which is spent on salaries and facilities rather than helping people. Testimony/witness is out there being performed saying "join and contribute". This is a world wide forum, but mostly US. In the US we are free to present the other side and say maybe you should look closer at how you are being recruited and not join and not contribute.
I've never seen the point of "conversion" stories, regardless of belief system. I don't care why someone has become a Christian, a Muslim, an atheist, a Jew, or anything else.
If you don't care for Christiany don't join. Simple.
And if you care for Christianity, don't proselytize or try to compel non-Christians to embrace your sensibilities and rules and politics. That will make your proclamation quoted above literally workable.
Of course in the main it IS that simple anyway, at least while the US remains a secular democratic republic. But this is a place where we come to debate and discuss these very issues, so with respect to THIS venue, my version of your aphorism above is this:
If you don't care to discuss Christianity and its (de)merits here, don't. Simple.
And similarly:
If you fault non-Christians for critiquing Christianity here, or claim they are obsessed in some unseemly way about it, you don't understand the very purpose of this forum. If we stopped expressing our views you would continue to express yours, I have little doubt ... yet somehow that is okay, isn't it?
I've never seen the point of "conversion" stories, regardless of belief system. I don't care why someone has become a Christian, a Muslim, an atheist, a Jew, or anything else.
I don't know. I'm curious about how things got to be the way they are. I actually DO care why someone changed their beliefs. It's just that when it comes to metaphysics, most of the time there isn't even an understandable reason, much less a good one. My boredom with conversion stories is likely equal to yours, but not because I wouldn't be curious in the first place. I just want a narrative that I can have a useful takeaway from. "I felt unjustified guilt and this belief system promises that if I follow it I will be forgiven" is not a useful life lesson in anything but fixing one wrong with another wrong.
It's okay if you don't like hearing those testimonies. Most people don't and frankly most people won't. That's to be expected.
However, those kinds of testimonies are a "back to basics" of Christianity, and what we should be doing instead of passing laws to force non-Christians to act like Christians.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
