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I'll deal with both question and try to do it honestly and straightforward, Mike.
First, the hostility from the Christians in here is palpable. Why such hostility from BF and Thoreau and Mike Way, not so much from you, Mink and Mystic though he can be a little caustic at times? I mean this is a discussion forum. If everyone was posting about how they led their Aunt Mildred to the Lord and what position you pray in things would get really dreary in here, wouldn't they--or is this the kind of riveting stuff that keeps Christians glued to their seats coming back for more?
A little controversy is good for any discussion so again I don't get the hostility especially since I have never knowingly told a lie about Christianity that I am aware of. I said there's no secular historical evidence for Jesus, that's the truth. I said gospel writers jimmied the gospels to read how they wanted it to read, that's the truth. I always gave examples eg. Mark long ending was tacked on 300 years after Mark was written by churchmen to work in a command from Jesus they wanted in there to preach to all nations. That's really deceptive stuff from Christianity but it's the truth as well, albeit a drop in a lake of bad stuff the Christian leaders to promote their faith. To quote Jesus, "If I tell the truth why do you not believe me?" John 8:46.
But the Christians in here act like the Pharisees Jesus was talking to:
BF and Thoreau: "Are we not right in saying you are a heretic and have a devil?" John 8:48
Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Way
I haven't posted on this thread so leave me out of your little hate fest!
See what I mean about palpable hostility from Christians, folks?
You haven't posted on this thread, Mike but you HAVE posted on a dozen other threads of mine and have been very hostile to me as well. It's like you feel this compulsion to defend Jesus, maybe because you feel it's your Christian duty or something. I can assure you Jesus isn't offended because he doesn't even exist.
Last edited by thrillobyte; 02-02-2023 at 09:39 AM..
See what I mean about palpable hostility from Christians, folks?
You haven't posted on this thread, Mike but you HAVE posted on a dozen other threads of mine and have been very hostile to me as well. It's like you feel this compulsion to defend Jesus, maybe because you feel it's your Christian duty or something. I can assure you Jesus isn't offended because he doesn't even exist.
Awww. You took down the rest of your post about prayer.
What I want you three and any other Christians in here to do is this: post a prayer in here collectively that Jesus or God intervene in my life to teach me a good lesson in some way that I shouldn't be blaspheming his name or criticizing him. You'd be doing me a great favor because if something bad really happened to me that I could tie to Jesus intervening in my life in answer to your prayer, that intervention would convince me that I should reform and come back to Jesus. Win for you, win for me, win for Jesus--winners all around, right?
But you three won't do it and I'll tell you why you three won't do it: because you three are terrified that if you do pray for my salvation via some miraculous intervention from God and nothing happens, it will show to the world, certainly everyone in here that Jesus and god are completely ineffectual at bringing someone back to him. In a nutshell, they simply don't care--assuming they even exist.
So that's my invitation to you. Let's see you put your money where your mouths are. I'll be honest. I'll report back if something happens or if nothing happens. The ball's in your court, Mike, BF and Thoreau.
I don't mind letting it be known that I pray for many posters here on city-data regularly.
The fact is that as far as it goes with you thrill, you've been given an extraordinary gift that is yours for the taking. You've already been given everything you need, and you didn't have to lift a finger for it since you were born into it. It's your inheritance, and is rightfully yours. Your reconciliation with God is as simple as a short trip to the nearest confessional.
Only the most humble people get "miraculous intervention" from God, precisely because they are keenly aware of the fact that they are so undeserving of such an extraordinary grace. How are you working to excel in the virtue of humility so that you can one day see God?
I don't mind letting it be known that I pray for many posters here on city-data regularly.
The fact is that as far as it goes with you thrill, you've been given an extraordinary gift that is yours for the taking. You've already been given everything you need, and you didn't have to lift a finger for it since you were born into it. It's your inheritance, and is rightfully yours. Your reconciliation with God is as simple as a short trip to the nearest confessional.
Only the most humble people get "miraculous intervention" from God, precisely because they are keenly aware of the fact that they are so undeserving of such an extraordinary grace. How are you working to excel in the virtue of humility so that you can one day see God?
You know, Mike I took the request down because I thought it an improper thing to post. It's best if the whole thing is ignored. I thought I moved fast but you and Mink move faster. It's like you have an alert on my posts.
I don't mind letting it be known that I pray for many posters here on city-data regularly.
The fact is that as far as it goes with you thrill, you've been given an extraordinary gift that is yours for the taking. You've already been given everything you need, and you didn't have to lift a finger for it since you were born into it. It's your inheritance, and is rightfully yours. Your reconciliation with God is as simple as a short trip to the nearest confessional.
Only the most humble people get "miraculous intervention" from God, precisely because they are keenly aware of the fact that they are so undeserving of such an extraordinary grace. How are you working to excel in the virtue of humility so that you can one day see God?
The bold is absolutely false in my experience, Mike. There was nothing remotely humble about me as an atheist prior to my encounter!! It seems most people here would say nothing has changed after becoming a theist!
That's some serious grasping at straws. Spiritual forces aren't real and prayer is pointless and fake, but the gods will be angry and make the person sicker if you pray for them. LOL
The only "tangible results" I'm hoping for when I pray is a better conformity of my will to God's.
You're conflating "lust" and "sexual desire", which is a common mistake people make. Your first sentence, what you rightly condemn, is actually the very definition of lust in Christianity. The "feeling" you described in your second sentence is just sexual desire. It's biological and is not sinful at all, though it can of course lead to sin or become disordered.
If you made an effort to understand these nuances and distinctions, you may be able to overcome your confusion and psychological hang-ups with regard to sex.
ooops, you misinterpreted. The reason people got sicker was because they found out people were praying for them. If they didn't know people were praying for them they were fine. It was the fear generated by the knowledge they were being prayed for eg. the anxiety generated by the expectation that if they didn't get well people would lose their faith--that caused them to get sicker. In other words, it was all in their mind; there wasn't any outside supernatural powers influencing their getting well.
You're saying there is a difference between lust and sexual desire. They're peas in a pod. When you feel lust for someone you're feeling sexual desire. People can split hairs on it but they're essentially the same.
ooops, you misinterpreted. The reason people got sicker was because they found out people were praying for them. If they didn't know people were praying for them they were fine. It was the fear generated by the knowledge they were being prayed for eg. the anxiety generated by the expectation that if they didn't get well people would lose their faith--that caused them to get sicker. In other words, it was all in their mind; there wasn't any outside supernatural powers influencing their getting well.
I see. Well that doesn't sound like a Catholic theology on prayer. I mean people of all religions (and no religion) pray. It doesn't necessarily mean that they have any idea what they're doing, why they're doing it, or what prayer is supposed to be.
Quote:
Originally Posted by thrillobyte
You're saying there is a difference between lust and sexual desire. They're peas in a pod. When you feel lust for someone you're feeling sexual desire. People can split hairs on it but they're essentially the same.
So you simply don't care to make an effort to understand the distinctions we make in Catholicism, and more importantly WHY we make these distinctions?
A lot of things would make a lot more sense to you if you did.
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John 8:48
That's some serious grasping at straws. Spiritual forces aren't real and prayer is pointless and fake, but the gods will be angry and make the person sicker if you pray for them. LOL
