Cynicism about Jesus as an Easter 'treat'

[OzSpen]

Today I've had an article published in a secular Australian ejournal, On Line Opinion, 'Cynicism about Jesus as an Easter "treat"'. I'd appreciate if there are any among you who is interested in interacting with me about the content of the article.

Even more, I would like you to participate in the Comments section of the journal. Here's your opportunity to put apologetics into practice.

At one point I stated: 'Don't be so ridiculous as to expect Australian secular people to support the original meaning of Easter. We are into chocolate and not that religious stuff!' [To read the full article, visit http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=19656]

If you approve of the article, would you please 'retweet' and 'like' the article, using the buttons at the top or bottom. Also, there is a new +1 at the top of the page, which is a new Google feature to help my search engine rating.

Also, would you be so kind as to make comments about the article
(you will need to be logged in - open an account - to be able to do this)? All of that is FREE. I know there is an active and sometimes hostile atheist on this site. I'll need your assistance with some apologetic answers if challenged.

If you have friends who are interested in defending the faith in a hostile environment, would you please advise them of this link to the article and encourage them to participate.

Blessings in Christ,
Oz

 

[reba]

Wow that is cool OZ.. It is easy to be in a Christian forum and speak up for Christ another to do so OUT THERE
I dont have a tweet account so you got alike

 

[OzSpen]

Wow that is cool OZ.. It is easy to be in a Christian forum and speak up for Christ another to do so OUT THERE
I dont have a tweet account so you got alike

Thank you for your encouragement, reba.

I live in a very secular society that needs exposure to the Gospel and an apologetics thrust. That's what I've attempted to do in this article.

There are 4 comments already and most are not kind. Why don't some of you with a gift of apologetics tackle some of the presuppositions or tactics driving these people's replies. See: http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=19656

Oz

 

[Jim Parker]

You are going head to head with the contemporary pagan society which is offended that anyone (even God) would have the audacity to suggest they might not be just as good an moral as a body can be but, rather, that they should consider submitting to God's will for their lives so that they might have life more abundantly. How dare you suggest that they should not be the captains of their fates? (Harumph!!!)

But, by God's grace, someone, somewhere got the message.

Good on you.

jim

 

[OzSpen]

You are going head to head with the contemporary pagan society which is offended that anyone (even God) would have the audacity to suggest they might not be just as good an moral as a body can be but, rather, that they should consider submitting to God's will for their lives so that they might have life more abundantly. How dare you suggest that they should not be the captains of their fates? (Harumph!!!)

But, by God's grace, someone, somewhere got the message.

Good on you.

jim

Jim,

Thank you so much for your encouragement. It's hard going when I live in such a secular society.

It's difficult when there is so much antagonism towards the faith and there was not one other person to join in defending the faith - I'm not saying that that means agreeing with me. It doesn't mean that.

Where are the Christians who are prepared to speak up in a secular society that delights in the theme of Frank Sinatra's song, 'I did it my way'.

If we take a read of the 'Comments' section we meet folks who don't want to face the content of the article but are happy with dumping their anti-Jesus views on the forum and me.

You stated: "by God's grace, someone, somewhere got the message". That's the reason why I continue to do it. I pray that someone might be caused to re-think.

I had morning tea today with a retired evangelical Anglican rector. He was kicked out of Anglican churches in Queensland by liberal Anglican bishops. These bishops had so much hostility towards Gospel-preaching rectors.

Before he retired, he accepted a position as a chaplain at a very large Brisbane hospital. He returned to the chapel at that hospital recently, only to find it is no longer a Christian chapel. It is multi-faith, with pictures representing Baha'i, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, etc hanging on the wall. But the chaplain is allegedly 'Christian'. Do you get it??

Oz

 

[JohnDB]

Well you seem to have a talent for attracting all the atheists. LOL

But you seem to be holding your own with them quite well.

Just as an opinion...
Ignore their ad hominem attacks but question their motives for their anger against Christianity.
Especially since we promote loving kindness for our fellow man and a great amount of altruistic charities come from the Christians.

 

[Knotical]

Well you seem to have a talent for attracting all the atheists. LOL

But you seem to be holding your own with them quite well.

Just as an opinion...
Ignore their ad hominem attacks but question their motives for their anger against Christianity.
Especially since we promote loving kindness for our fellow man and a great amount of altruistic charities come from the Christians.

To build on this, if you look at the climactic scene in "God's not Dead" there is usually an underlying reason why someone who "doesn't believe in God" will hate Him so much. Which is ultimately an odd concept, but usually stems from a moment in their past where something happened and they blame God for it, going so far as to assume that God somehow owes them something.

 

[AncientOfDays]

It amazes me that people argue over and celebrate all of these holidays. To me, Easter, Christmas, etc,etc. is EVERYDAY of the year. Not just one day a year because somebody decided to celebrate it then. I carry the birth, life, death, resurrection of my Lord Jesus Christ around in me every second of every day.

 

[JohnDB]

It amazes me that people argue over and celebrate all of these holidays. To me, Easter, Christmas, etc,etc. is EVERYDAY of the year. Not just one day a year because somebody decided to celebrate it then. I carry the birth, life, death, resurrection of my Lord Jesus Christ around in me every second of every day.

Where this may be true...
This thread is about an article written by the OP (whom we have known for years) in a secular magazine popular in Australia.
Your rant is a side issue deserving a completely different thread so to not hijack this one.

To build on this, if you look at the climactic scene in "God's not Dead" there is usually an underlying reason why someone who "doesn't believe in God" will hate Him so much. Which is ultimately an odd concept, but usually stems from a moment in their past where something happened and they blame God for it, going so far as to assume that God somehow owes them something.

Where that may work in movies it usually doesn't work in real life. What the outcome of such replies will be is the attacker will look like an idiot jerk...
Your "movie scenario" might play out...but probably not.

 

[OzSpen]

Well you seem to have a talent for attracting all the atheists. LOL

But you seem to be holding your own with them quite well.

Just as an opinion...
Ignore their ad hominem attacks but question their motives for their anger against Christianity.
Especially since we promote loving kindness for our fellow man and a great amount of altruistic charities come from the Christians.

Thank you John for this excellent feedback. I took your advice and have just made a short post to this article of mine to try to understand where the steam is coming from.

Why don't you and some others join me in responding to the article, 'Cynicism about Jesus as an Easter "treat"'.

 

[Knotical]

Where that may work in movies it usually doesn't work in real life. What the outcome of such replies will be is the attacker will look like an idiot jerk...
Your "movie scenario" might play out...but probably not.

The real point is those who call themselves atheists, and those who truly are is remarkably different, for the very reason I mentioned. Sure, it may play well in a movie, but it is rooted in reality. There are plenty of people who identify as atheist yet they actually do believe in God, just hold Him in contempt because of something they expected Him to come through on and didn't. This just highlights two things. One: That they may have attended church and developed a false understanding of who God is. Two: They may never were called in the first place.

 

[Jim Parker]

But the chaplain is allegedly 'Christian'. Do you get it??

My friend has done a Bible based 12-step at various local jails for the past 35 years. He now goes to the county jail once a week. There is also have a Muslim imam who visits.

There is a full time Chaplain, an employee of the county, who oversees it all.

One day, my friend stopped by the chaplains office to find him giving a yound man several books on Islam because he didn't think he wanted to be a Christian any more and was thinking about Islam. My friend started talking with the young man and, after a few minutes, the chaplain asked him to go to another office to continue the conversation. He did so and the lad ended up renewing his commitment to Christ.

But the "Christian Chaplain" would have been content to have him convert to Islam and spend eternity in hell because he is not a shepherd; he's a hireling.

In another instance, when my friend was a volunteer chaplain at the county hospital, the lesbian Chaplain on staff and her friend tried to corner him by asking what he thought about being a gay/lesbian Christian.

It's all over the place.

jim