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I am not hurting... my Jewish family has been one of those hurt in the name of Christianity... We neither need or want to be proselyted to.....
I read what you're writing, but don't really understand it.
I was hurt as a child by a rock thrown by another kid that accidentally struck me above the eye. The wound was nasty, lots of my blood was shed, I went to the emergency room, it healed and I moved on. Every time I see a kid or a rock, or a kid with a rock, I don't react negatively or lash out because I'm no longer hurting from the incident. The kid didn't intend to hurt me, but because his aim wasn't perfect, I was still injured. That doesn't mean all kids are bad, or all rocks are bad. It does mean that people's actions don't always play out as they'd hoped.
The other part I don't understand, is that if you weren't hurting and didn't want to have anyone speak the gospel to you, why do you keep bringing up your pain, why keep posting in this thread? If you honestly don't want to hear, read or see these things, since you live in the United States, you're blessed with the freedom to not click on this topic. Yet, you still do.
Maybe you're one of the 144,000 and you just don't know it yet...
Call it what you will, the origin of the word is what it is. You said you read the bible, right? So, you know who sets the target, if you truly understood the entirety of the works. You're also misusing "abomination", just FYI.
Blowing your top isn't a sin. Ephesians 4:26 "In your anger, do not sin."
Now, if you blew your top and allowed the anger to dictate selfish actions, that's a different story.
My next question is: Do you have any points not based on stereotypes & mass generalizations? You can no more claim to know what's in the heart of "all Christians" than you can "all Atheists". That sort of thinking is what leads down the road to suffering. And, it does indeed miss the mark.
I've never once seen a Pastor try and make anyone feel worthless, in fact it's the exact opposite. Therefore, your stereotype misses the mark.
I've also known many atheists and agnostics who fell prey to drug addiction and alcoholism. Generalization on your part, also missing the mark.
This isn't to say there aren't church leaders who should be locked up for life or there aren't atheists deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize. It just means we're all flawed and we all miss the mark. Denying it doesn't alter the fact.
As for your generalization on who profits:
~The starving children I help feed profit from my faith.
~The children saved from Joseph Kony profit from my faith.
~The single mother's struggling to provide for their children who receive furniture and household goods for free from Bridging Inc.- Serving Families in Transition. profit from my faith.
~The hundreds of homeless people in Phoenix who wore brand new sweat shirts on cold winter nights profit from my faith.
(and to add, I've never shared the gospel with any of these people, as my actions are witness enough)
It simply doesn't fit into the neat little package you're trying to force it into. Classifying all Christians/Atheists/Buddhists/Muslims/whatever as evil is the same as racism, and (here it comes) that also misses the mark.
I'm sorry if this angers you so, but it's the truth. And like all truths, God gave you the free will to accept them or reject them. For some, like the one who hung next to Jesus, it isn't until the moment before death that they open their eyes and see.
Question for NIKK: have you honestly studied the biosciences and as a subset, the history, mechanisms, deep scientifically based understanding of and latest research on Evolution? How about Geology? Archeology? Engineering? Your posts surely don't indicate that, but if you haven't done so, how on Earth can you actually claim to be in a position to reject them out of hand?
Can you explain to me the logical and detailed mechanism and structure of the electronic fuel injection system in whatever car you drive? Are you in a position to argue with the mechanic when you take it in when it's not running too well? Are you going to yell at him and say :"I believe it's a mystical ghost in the computer system, or in the fuel tank! I even think I saw a ghost come out when I refilled the gas tank last night!"
And yet, right on this thread, you claim:
"I have studied the truth and know all other religions are a lie. I am aware of many other religions and cultures, but I study the truth in God's word, so that when confronted by false doctrines or religions I can spot them a mile away and keep my distance."
Wow! I wish I was that omniscient! Meantime, I'm thinking you don't really know absolutely everything, certainly not about all the world's religions, and certainly not about the scientific topics I took over 15 years and three (and a half) accredited degrees to learn. I even took about 5 years earlier in my life to study Christianity, so I know a tiny bit, but I'll defer to your obviously higher level of studied and thoughtful knowledge there. Matter of fact, have you applied anywhere near the same level of study, with frequent tests and evaluations, to your knowledge base as I did to mine?
I'm not being arrogant or snobby or uppity or whatever you'll call me to deflect from the topic. I'm just honestly curious how you can so adamantly and confidently dismiss most everything I and other atheists, and most of the world's scientists, have to say in conclusion to their careful studies.
Rather, I'm betting that you stopped long ago even trying to learn once you'd found something that resonated with your personal spiritual side, and that was it. And it would certainly be a daunting task now to 1) learn more stuff, and 2) then have it challenge your fervent and comfortable belief system.
Am I close? As to the OP's burning question then: "What if you're wrong?"
Just curious.
Your BFF....
I'll agree with you rifleman, you know a tiny bit. However, a tiny bit of knowledge will not make anyone of us acceptable before God.
It is written, "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." (John 14:26)
The holy spirit who dwells in us will teach us all things. Since the Holy Spirit is God and God the creator, the Holy Spirit knows all things of nature. That is why we developed science. We desired to look into the creation of God, which is the "general" revelation of God, because it speaks of the creator. However, we need more then this general revelation, namely the specific Revelation of Jesus Christ as found in the NT and developed in the OT.
If we did not develope science, your kind would still be feeding crockadile dung to children to prevent teething. The sanitation laws of the OT as found in the law is where we developed sanitation methods from. The washing of doctors hands to prevent the passing of disease from one patient to the next in hospitals. When we go to other countries to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ we not only teach the good news, but we bring in sanitary methods. We build septic systems and storm run-off systems and sewers, so people will not be walking in their own filth. I have done this very thing in other countries myself. We provide health care and medicine, and the list goes on.
Of the end it is written: "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still." (Rev. 22:11) Because they who have rejected God go down and walllow in the mud.
You will not accept what I say and why? Because you are deceived. It is written: "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived." (2 Timothy 3:13). So why do we attempt to persuade? For the hope that some might hear and accept our account and be saved and be washed and be set free. For it is written: "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. (John 8:36)
Jesus Christ is truth. And when you know Jesus you know the truth. And all else is a lie. As I have said, I can see it a mile away and step aside and prevent myself from being defiled. But I am washed in the blood of Jesus Christ. So I am clean. The defilement I speak of is of lying spirits and false doctrine. For any one who does not profess the Lord Jesus has gone away and become filthy.
Rifleman, you hold to the teachings of evolution. But evolution is not science. Jesus spoke of evolution when he said: "3": And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. (John 4:3) The spirit of antichrist is the doctrine of evolution. It was in the world from the time of Jesus Christ. It was developed by the Greeks. Darwin took this doctrine from his grandfathers (Erasemus Darwin) book (Zoonomia) which is the same as "Origins of the Species" BTW. Who got is from the writtings of the Greeks. So the hypothesis of evolution was not discovered by Darwin in the Galapagos Islands, but rather in the anals of history and the writtings of the past. There will come an Antichrist, a specific person who will stand in oposition to Christ, and I say he is already in the world now, but the hypothesis of evolution is the "spirit of antichrist". This spirit decieves and rifleman you have been decieved. As I quoted above, waxing worse and worse!
Since the Holy Spirit dwells in me, I have been able to exceed the teaching of my teachers, my professors (that is of the standard school system). While you oh rifleman are bound by the limitations of your professors, hoping to achieve to one mite of their accomplishments. You are limited by man, but anyone who has the Holy Spirit is limited only by the Spirit of God (as he imparts).
Further it is written "My sheep her my voice". So those of us who are of God are lead by the Father who calls to us and leads us.
Further, it is written, "The peace of God passes all understanding". That through this peace we are also lead and taught of the Father. When we are outside of this peace we know that we must correct what has gone wrong in our lives so that we might remain in His peace.
So, there are many ways which God teaches and imparts wisdom to his Children. That is why I know all other religions are false and all other gods are merely demons, because I know the Father. I know God. It is written, "Let him that glorieth, glory in this that he understands and knows me".
Well he should do. Your Bible tells you to think of yourself as worthless and unworthy.
I think you must have misunderstood something you read. There's a wide gulf between what the bible says and what you're insinuating. We're all God's children, that alone has great value and no one should ever try to make another person feel worthless. Ever.
Whoa now, nobody said they would be doing anything homosexual. But that wouldn't change their nature. They could still be homosexual, but not commit any sin. So the Gay Pride Parade down Gabriel Avenue is still a possibility.
We are to put to death our sin nature. That is why it is written "Pick up you cross daily". We daily must die to self. We must crucify with Christ our ways that are of the Flesh. That would include any Hedonistic desires, the lusts of the flesh, the pride of life. So, anyone with homosexual tendancies would have removed them from their life by the mercy of God.
We do not have to identify with sin nature just because we have one. We reject it and follow Jesus, so there will be no "Gay pride parrades" in heaven, because there will be no Gays in heaven. Anyone who has rejected the Gay lifestyle and desires and followed Jesus will be followers of Christ and will be with him in heaven. There will be no sin in heaven.
. We must crucify with Christ our ways that are of the Flesh. That would include any Hedonistic desires, the lusts of the flesh, the pride of life..
can i ask a question;-do you indulge in sexual desires-if so then you are no better than the gays as you have just shown here in what you say
LUSTS OF THE FLESH
Nor are your beliefs ours; therefore, you shouldn't be surprised when some of us resist. Unfortunately the spreading the gospel has gone hand in hand with the destruction of a people and their culture.
It has never been enough to "spread the gospel", but with it comes the need to change to people themselves. Those videos that ptsum posted are true. (BTW ptsum, I am friends with Albert White Hat's daughter...nice to see him in that video!) Those events actually happened. What you would call "true believers" not only attempted to change our belief systems, but also tried to transform the people into being what we are not. IT amazes me when I hear people sweeping this under the carpet and excusing it away under the words of, "well those people weren't really Christians then" or worse yet, blaming it on the devil as I saw one poster do earlier.
My grandfathers experienced it. My mother experienced it. In its own form, I experienced it at Catholic School and in the fundamentalist churches my ex-wife drug me to. I will never forget the people in the last church (1994) I stepped foot in telling me I should no longer go to powwow (which is a social thing, not a religious thing BTW). I will not forget attempting to explain this to them and the pastor and being told that I wasn't truly one of the saved unless I gave that up. I remember being told I could no longer play in the church band unless I stopped. I remember being told not to pray in Comanche. I remember being told to no longer pray with the pipe, even though those prayers were going to Jesus. OF course, there was the whole hypocrisy thing going on as well. .
This is how I would judge this situation. You can pray in any language to God because if he can know the thoughts and intentions of the heart, he can figure out what you are saying. So to pray to God is Comanche is fine. I think it would have been great for this pastor to have you teach Comanche to people in the congregation so several of you could pray together. I speak in toungues, this is a spiritual language, sometimes I switch to French, Russian, or Finish, so Comanche would be a great addition. I say you can pray with a pipe. The church believes that our bodies are the temple of the holy spirit, so we do not do anything to harm our bodies, so this is what they might have been thinking. I would suggest you pray with the pipe at home or at powwow, but if you went into a local church to just not light it up for the sake of the assembly. I think the pastor might have thought a powwow as some cultic event (wanting you not to go and using the band as a tool to this end). He should have gone with you to Powwow to try the spirits and see if it was harmful to you as a christian. I think it probably is not. But if you could elaborate on what goes on at a powwow I would appreciate it. I think that some play the drums, and sometimes other walk around in traditional dress, ocationally dancing. This is what I have seen, is this correct? Or are there specific events that take place?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fullback32
I am a Comanche....not a white man. The "spreading of the gospel" and being "saved" (in our experience) has not been just a matter of believing in Jesus as being who you say he is. It has also been a matter of attempting to change us into white men...into their image. This has been the the way that evangelizers have gone about their business of spreading the gospel among cultures other than Eurocentric cultures. I do not and will not accept that your Jesus intended this.
I am not a white man either. I am of European decent, but I don't identify with white man. My grandfather (mothers father) had dark olive skin and my father who is from Finland is very pale. The mixture made me look like a white man, but I tan great.
You are right that Jesus did not intend this. Fullback32 I think you are very close the kingdom of God. I feel that you have a good heart.
I had a dream/vision and in the dream/vision I was in heaven and the edge of a multitude of people that was so great that it went into the distance so that I could not see the end of it. At this edge of this multitude of people I was close to the people who looked like Native American (First Nation) people. In heaven they were wearing their traditional dress, they wore feathers and were smiling. Their faces were glistening, like they had oil on their skin. They did not say a word, but just smiled at me. I read in the book of John in Revelation 7:9: "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 10: And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb." I believe that this multitude of people can contain and should contain the Comanche people.
Fullback32 maybe there is a way to reconcil the culture of the Comanche and Christianity. That the Comanche can accept Jesus Christ, but not feel like they are loosing their identity to European culture.
Can you give details of a Powwow? I would like to see a Powwow and see what happens at one.
can i ask a question;-do you indulge in sexual desires-if so then you are no better than the gays as you have just shown here in what you say
LUSTS OF THE FLESH
No.
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