Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Religion and Spirituality
 [Register]
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.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 05-14-2010, 10:41 AM
 
23,838 posts, read 23,084,400 times
Reputation: 9408

Advertisements

Quote:
Originally Posted by LABART View Post
The Spanish Inquisition ended a long time ago. No one likes being forced into what they should and should not believe. That is why the Christians should butt out of everyone elses business, and keep check their own lives.
Forcing belief and spreading the word are two very different concepts. No one forces you to go to church. No one forces you to open the door when a Christian comes knocking.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 05-14-2010, 10:45 AM
 
45,400 posts, read 26,992,566 times
Reputation: 23761
I just read through the list from the OP. Let me see if I can summarize what he expects from Christians.

Christians are to be poor, low in esteem, distant from God, passive, aloof, and we should be live by what we see. How would these characteristics attract anyone to the faith?

He complains about being too invasive of others generally (#5) and personally (#6) - and at the same time complains that we hang out among ourselves too much (#9). Which is it?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-14-2010, 10:51 AM
 
Location: Crossville, TN
1,327 posts, read 3,673,107 times
Reputation: 1017
Quote:
Originally Posted by Memphis1979 View Post
But who is the Christian Coalition? If you look at its leaders, they are largely political figures, or have extremely close ties to political leaders.

I'm not disagreeing with you, just saying it is debatable. Politics is a very powerful tool and the christians are using it to their advantage. I know that some politicians will jump on the bandwagon, but that's for their political gain. Then the next day their politics will be somewhere else.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-14-2010, 10:54 AM
 
Location: Sango, TN
24,869 posts, read 24,344,453 times
Reputation: 8672
Quote:
Originally Posted by AeroGuyDC View Post
What would reading the whole Bible, from cover to cover, really accomplish? Sure, the story would likely be much clearer, but it should be pointed out that its not really a story at all. It was never intended to be a chronological set of events leading to some sort of climax and followed by some sort of conclusion like a novel. It was intended to be a book of guidance. Are you of the opinion that the books of the Bible that have been excluded over the centuries would actually tell people to kill, tell people to idolize, tell people to use God's name in vein? Are you of the opinion that those missing books are the key to understanding God's will, and without them its impossible? What exactly do you think is missing? The books of the Bible that were left out are indeed a mystery, but does that really detract from the overall message of Christianity? I don't think it does.

God's words are all to often misconstrued, but in reality they are very simple. The message of salvation is clear. The Ten Commandments are clear. The message of judgement is clear. The message of end times is clear. Instead of bashing Christians, who will also be judged by God himself, why don't you take the time to learn what it really means to be a Christian instead of using society's blemished religious record to form your opinion?
Some of the missing books paint a not so holy picture of Christ. They make him more of a man, which is my belief. Romans couldn't have that, so they removed them. The protestants didn't like the angelic books that are contained within the Catholic bible (yes, the catholic bible contains more books than the KJV, or any of its revisions).

Yes, I believe that several of these books hold more to the story, and the church didn't like them because they cast doubt on their view.

And actually, the bible cannon was meant to be read as a story. The Nicene council put them in the order they are in, because it told a chronological story, which was important to them.

You yourself make it sound as if you have doubts about some of the stories in the bible. Thats good if you do. Not all of the bible, is reality. Much of it was written to teach a lesson, rather than to be taken as a literal translation and story. HOWEVER, many evangelical Christians believe that they are literal meanings, and thats dangerous.

When you cast doubt on one story, it casts doubt on many parts of it. Maybe homosexuality wasn't that much of a sin? Maybe women are allowed to wear pants? Maybe you shouldn't sell your daughters virginity?

Thats why its important for anyone who takes the bible as the literal word of God, to read it. Otherwise, they are simply following dogma written thousands of years ago that have no bearing on our world today.

The message of end times was written by a old hermit in a cave, hallucinating on mushrooms, and many people on the Nicene council didn't want it on there. But, literally, it was put in because they needed an ending.



Look, I'm not saying the bible is full of crap. There are many stories in it that everyone should follow, and are universal to all humanity, before and after the establishment of organized religion. Thou shalt not kill, is a universal human truth. Don't lie, don't sleep with someone elses wife (unless you pay for it, then thats ok). Turn the other cheek, love your neighbor as you love yourself, be charitable, and there are countless other good stories and lessons.

But, for every good lesson, there is hate, bigotry, racism, and lots of other stories that have misconstrued by religious leadership to keep people in line from their view of morality.

Thats why everyone should read it, that calls themselves Christians. It might awaken them to some of the beginnings of the hate that is often spewed from the bully pulpit of Sunday morning service.

I am a former Christian, but I still try and follow many of the core beliefs of Christ. I simply chose not to listen to the same crap I was being sold every Sunday from age 0 to age 20. I started asking questions, and my questions aren't generally accepted, because they cast doubt on the bible, and God forbid you cast doubt on a book written by men in 325AD, who never meet, knew, or understood Christ and his message.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-14-2010, 10:55 AM
 
Location: NC
191 posts, read 143,678 times
Reputation: 61
Quote:
Originally Posted by ♠atizar♠ View Post
The only girl I know who had an abortion is a conservative farm girl transplant, who feared her parents response to her pregnancy.

What's your point?

She obviously has no personal responsibility.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-14-2010, 10:56 AM
 
Location: NC
191 posts, read 143,678 times
Reputation: 61
Quote:
Originally Posted by ♠atizar♠ View Post
In other words, you just got caught doing what it is you're bawling about and you have no real excuse, so you play "I-know-you-are-but-what-am-I?"

Funny, in a tragic, sad clown kind of way.

Thanks, I think you're awesome too.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-14-2010, 10:58 AM
 
Location: NC
191 posts, read 143,678 times
Reputation: 61
Quote:
Originally Posted by Memphis1979 View Post
1st



2nd

Why are you changing the subject. No one wants people to have abortions, show me where someone wishes there was more abortions.

You're the one who brought up the death penalty, not me.

That doesnt look like a link to me.

As far as changing the subject, you brought up killing people.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-14-2010, 10:58 AM
 
45,400 posts, read 26,992,566 times
Reputation: 23761
Quote:
Originally Posted by Memphis1979 View Post
I am a former Christian, but I still try and follow many of the core beliefs of Christ. I simply chose not to listen to the same crap I was being sold every Sunday from age 0 to age 20. I started asking questions, and my questions aren't generally accepted, because they cast doubt on the bible, and God forbid you cast doubt on a book written by men in 325AD, who never meet, knew, or understood Christ and his message.
There are no such people as former Christians.

The Bible is authored by 40 people inspired by the Holy Spirit. Christians either understand this or take it by faith.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-14-2010, 11:03 AM
 
Location: Sango, TN
24,869 posts, read 24,344,453 times
Reputation: 8672
Quote:
Originally Posted by DRob4JC View Post
There are no such people as former Christians.

The Bible is authored by 40 people inspired by the Holy Spirit. Christians either understand this or take it by faith.
I strongly urge you educate yourself.

The idea of a complete and clear-cut canon of the New Testament existing from the beginning, that is from Apostolic times, has no foundation in history. The Canon of the New Testament, like that of the Old, is the result of a development, of a process at once stimulated by disputes with doubters, both within and without the Church, and retarded by certain obscurities and natural hesitations, and which did not reach its final term until the dogmatic definition of the Tridentine Council.[1]
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-14-2010, 11:06 AM
 
Location: Sango, TN
24,869 posts, read 24,344,453 times
Reputation: 8672
Quote:
Originally Posted by BluesFanMan View Post
That doesnt look like a link to me.

As far as changing the subject, you brought up killing people.
Sorry about that.

Innocence and the Death Penalty | Death Penalty Information Center

And no, you said that Christians know the difference between killing baby killers, and killing babies.

I am simply pointing out the facts, that we don't just kill killers, we often kill innocent people.

Personally, I'd rather see the death penalty abolished, except in cases where CLEAR, INDISPUTABLE facts are there that someone did the killing. You know, like Dahmer, Bundy, McVeigh, etc.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
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.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:

Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Religion and Spirituality
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 07:31 AM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top