Dads gone nuts

[thethinkingrebel]

Okay this will be long. Basically I went to church today. Came back and started reading my bible. A few moments later, my dad who has a penchant for disregarding my faith as nonsense and hypocrisy. Decided to ask me if I "REALLY believed all that".

I told him I didn't want to discuss it. But he carried on anyway. He mocked my YEC beliefs, and claimed that fossils cannot be produced quickly. Inevitably it resulted in silence and animosity, which I did not provoke.

A short time later my older sister came to visit. Of course my father just had to bring it up again. It led actually to me answering some questions for my sister. But of course I had to tell her about the lake of fire. But this is all being dragged out of me. I didn't even want to talk about it. I just wanted quiet and to be left alone.

When my sister left. He went nuts, telling me that if I say anything to my neice or sister about her (my neice) being pregnant outside of wedlock he will hit me. He says I am judgmental and a hypocrite, that people are probably laughing at me and he wants me to be normal like everyone else. I just don't understand. I didn't even want to talk about it, is he possessed or something.

He's always been a bit iffy but this is ridiculous. I just wanted to read my bible!

 

[jaydee]

Okay this will be long. Basically I went to church today. Came back and started reading my bible. A few moments later, my dad who has a penchant for disregarding my faith as nonsense and hypocrisy. Decided to ask me if I "REALLY believed all that".

I told him I didn't want to discuss it. But he carried on anyway. He mocked my YEC beliefs, and claimed that fossils cannot be produced quickly. Inevitably it resulted in silence and animosity, which I did not provoke.

A short time later my older sister came to visit. Of course my father just had to bring it up again. It led actually to me answering some questions for my sister. But of course I had to tell her about the lake of fire. But this is all being dragged out of me. I didn't even want to talk about it. I just wanted quiet and to be left alone.

When my sister left. He went nuts, telling me that if I say anything to my neice or sister about her (my neice) being pregnant outside of wedlock he will hit me. He says I am judgmental and a hypocrite, that people are probably laughing at me and he wants me to be normal like everyone else. I just don't understand. I didn't even want to talk about it, is he possessed or something.

He's always been a bit iffy but this is ridiculous. I just wanted to read my bible!

I'm sorry you're having to deal with that. As your father, he should respect your religious decisions, whatever they might be, and leave you to them. I'm assuming this probably happens regularly in your house, and by now he should have learned to keep his mouth shut about it. You're his daughter, you don't deserve to be talked to that way. While I agree with keeping family matters such as your niece being pregnant, to family and not discussing them, it was extremely wrong for him to threaten hitting you.

Again, I'm sorry you had to go through that. I don't understand why some people can't leave others alone about what they believe in.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

He is being used by the devil to persecute you and bring torment into your life. If you can keep reminding yourself where the real source of the abuse is coming from it will help you stay calm and relying on God. Do what the Bible says to do for people who persecute you.

 

[thethinkingrebel]

@Jaydee Thank you very much. I am his son by the way but what you said still stands. I've spent a while out of the way and I can't understand why he would have been so angry.

@Jethro This is the only conclusion I can come to. I have been waivering somewhat with sin and I think this is an attempt to make me feel as vulnerable and miserable as possible, maybe even depressed. Thanks brother.

 

[Kidron]

Your bible will tell you that once Jesus enters a family life, its a normal chain reaction for unbelievers who are their family members, to not deal with it very well.

If you are a Jew in Israel for example, and you become a Christian, the family will just disown you.
If you are an Iranian in Iran, they might try to kill you.
So, in America, what the unbelieving family does is provoke you and try to continually make you feel as if you are a fake., and that its all fake.
See,..... "no prophet is accepted/honored in their own hometown".
That is to say........its very very difficult for unbeleivers who have known you all your life to accept that you are now a Christian.
Dont expect them to.

Jesus said that once he came on the scene, and someone in an unbelieving family believed in him, then you could expect to have .....

Luke 12:51-53
King James Version (KJV)
51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:

52 For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.

53 The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

So, do you feel it?
Its not a lot of fun is it.?
See how it works?
And this is one of the ways you know that Christianity is real.
Its the only "faith", that causes unbelievers to freak out.
And the reason is because the presence of the Holy Spirit agitates the devil in an unbeliever.
And when i say "devil", what im saying is that the nature in an unbeliever is the same as the devil.
Have you noticed they act like devils when "Jesus" is around?
The bible bothers them.
The presences of a true believer bothers them.
See how it works?
So, this is not a subject that you hear much about in Church, but its a fact.
Persecution usually begins at home, and its a sure fire sign that the convicting power of the Holy Spirit is angering the relatives.

I can only tell you that the siblings of Jesus didnt believe in him ither.
John 5:7
So, you are in good company my brother.


And i'll give you some advice.
Dont be provoked.
If you become provoked the Devil will just run with the situation.
Instead, just decide that you will let them believe what they want, until such time as God saves them or delivers you from them.
Until then, if you try to win with words, all that will happen is that you will inflame the situation.
The best thing you can do, is Pray and ask God to change hearts and minds.
You cant do it, and if you try, you will just make it worse.
So, agree when you can, and ignore when you cant, and be nice all the time.
Do not provoke, and do not become provoked.
Stay calm, love, and be patient and pray.
Thats your strength.




be blessed,


K

 

[thethinkingrebel]

Your bible will tell you that once Jesus enters a family life, its a normal chain reaction for unbelievers who are their family members, to not deal with it very well.

If you are a Jew in Israel for example, and you become a Christian, the family will just disown you.
If you are an Iranian in Iran, they might try to kill you.
So, in America, what the unbelieving family does is provoke you and try to continually make you feel as if you are a fake., and that its all fake.
See, "no prophet is accepted in their own hometown".
That is to say........its very difficult for those who have known you all your life to accept that you are now a Christian.
Dont expect them to.

Jesus said that once he came on the scene, and someone in an unbelieving family believed in him, then you could expect to have .....

Luke 12:51-53
King James Version (KJV)
51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:

52 For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.

53 The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

So, do you feel it?
Its not a lot of fun is it.?
See how it works?
And this is one of the ways you know that Christianity is real.
Its the only "faith", that causes unbelievers to freak out.
And the reason is because the presence of the Holy Spirit agitates the devil in an unbeliever.
And when i say "devil", what im saying is that the nature in an unbeliever is the same as the devil.
Have you noticed they act like devils when "Jesus" is around?
The bible bothers them.
The presences of a true believer bothers them.
See how it works?
So, this is not a subject that you hear much about in Church, but its a fact.
Persecution usually begins at home, and its a sure fire sign that the convicting power of the Holy Spirit is angering the relatives.

I can only tell you that the siblings of Jesus didnt believe in him ither.
John 5:7
So, you are in good company my brother.


And i'll give you some advice.
Dont be provoked.
If you become provoked the Devil will just run with the situation.
Instead, just decide that you will let them believe what they want, until such time as God saves them or delivers you from them.
Until then, if you try to win with words, all that will happen is that you will inflame the situation.
The best thing you can do, is Pray and ask God to change hearts and minds.
You cant do it, and if you try, you will just make it worse.
So, agree when you can, and ignore when you cant, and be nice all the time.
Do not provoke, and do not become provoked.
Stay calm, love, and be patient and pray.
Thats your strength.




be blessed,


K

Thank you so much. Amazing advice I will follow it!up:

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[for_his_glory]

Sometimes our own family can be our worst enemy when they lack knowledge and understanding in Gods word as it's not so much Satan using them, but like Jesus in the scriptures below, your family sees you as you once were and not who you are now in Christ. Just bridle your tongue as James says and love them and pray for them. It's hard at times, but God will give you endurance.


Mark 6:1-6
1 And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him.

2 And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?

3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.

4 But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.

5 And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.

6 And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.

 

[thethinkingrebel]

Sometimes our own family can be our worst enemy when they lack knowledge and understanding in Gods word as it's not so much Satan using them, but like Jesus in the scriptures below, your family sees you as you once were and not who you are now in Christ. Just bridle your tongue as James says and love them and pray for them. It's hard at times, but God will give you endurance.


Mark 6:1-6
1 And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him.

2 And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?

3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.

4 But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.

5 And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.

6 And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.

Thank you

 

[Christ_empowered]

Unbelieving or minimally believing (is that even "believing" ? Hmmm...) friends and relatively can be a real downer. My own immediate family looks on my Christianity as a means to control my behavior so I don't do crazy things anymore. Kinda creepy. I think that's one reason I haven't gone to church in a long, long time...I look at it as a form of social and behavioral control because of how my parents approach my faith.

Anyway, just know that you're not the only one. The Scripture Comprehender provided proves that point. I don't want to get psycho-babbley on your situation, but I imagine that, as an unrepentant sinner, there are certain problems your father is facing that come to the surface when he sees you reaching out for Truth. As in: how can this kid have Faith, Hope, and Love, when all I have is (job, house, spouse) ? I get that from some people, too. Its a sort of "Just WHO do you think you are to be a Christian when you've done ___ and I've done ___ and when did you become so ridiculous? I mean, you believe in ___ ?"

 

[stovebolts]

My Dad is kind of the same way. He thinks that he Bible is a bunch of fairy tales and made up stories. He actually leans more toward Islamic beliefs because when he was stationed in the middle east, he had an appreciation toward no locks on the doors because a thief could loose their hand if caught stealing.

When he gets argumentative about the Bible, I'm usually pretty good at shutting him down quickly, but respectfully. He's not used to people actually knowing what the Bible says and I'm fairly versed in YEC from a scientific POV so instead of challenging his POV, I ask him questions about his POV in scientific terms that are way over his head.

That being said, I would never talk to him about the lake of fire etc. When he goes there, I just nod and say, "Yup, some people get some pretty crazy idea's. That's not what I believe" and then I do not feel compelled to give him food for foder if you know what I mean.

One thing is certain. I'm coming up on 46 and I'm the only one in the family who has gone to college and has a steady career. I'm also the only one who doesn't have a drinking or drug problem. My life is an expression of my beliefs, and I give all credit to God. When I talk to my Dad, at the least I always let him know that he difference between my and my siblings is that I have God in my life, and it's working out pretty good. In short, "The proof is in the pudding", and I have a lot to show for, and I give all the Glory to God for his great blessings.

 

[thethinkingrebel]

My Dad is kind of the same way. He thinks that he Bible is a bunch of fairy tales and made up stories. He actually leans more toward Islamic beliefs because when he was stationed in the middle east, he had an appreciation toward no locks on the doors because a thief could loose their hand if caught stealing.

When he gets argumentative about the Bible, I'm usually pretty good at shutting him down quickly, but respectfully. He's not used to people actually knowing what the Bible says and I'm fairly versed in YEC from a scientific POV so instead of challenging his POV, I ask him questions about his POV in scientific terms that are way over his head.

That being said, I would never talk to him about the lake of fire etc. When he goes there, I just nod and say, "Yup, some people get some pretty crazy idea's. That's not what I believe" and then I do not feel compelled to give him food for foder if you know what I mean.

One thing is certain. I'm coming up on 46 and I'm the only one in the family who has gone to college and has a steady career. I'm also the only one who doesn't have a drinking or drug problem. My life is an expression of my beliefs, and I give all credit to God. When I talk to my Dad, at the least I always let him know that he difference between my and my siblings is that I have God in my life, and it's working out pretty good. In short, "The proof is in the pudding", and I have a lot to show for, and I give all the Glory to God for his great blessings.

Seems to be working out well for you. Past couple of days have been good. My faith hasn't been mentioned and that's how I like it. If he doesn't want to become a Christian then I'm quite happy not to discuss it! So far so good.

 

[GojuBrian]

Okay this will be long. Basically I went to church today. Came back and started reading my bible. A few moments later, my dad who has a penchant for disregarding my faith as nonsense and hypocrisy. Decided to ask me if I "REALLY believed all that".

I told him I didn't want to discuss it. But he carried on anyway. He mocked my YEC beliefs, and claimed that fossils cannot be produced quickly. Inevitably it resulted in silence and animosity, which I did not provoke.

A short time later my older sister came to visit. Of course my father just had to bring it up again. It led actually to me answering some questions for my sister. But of course I had to tell her about the lake of fire. But this is all being dragged out of me. I didn't even want to talk about it. I just wanted quiet and to be left alone.

When my sister left. He went nuts, telling me that if I say anything to my neice or sister about her (my neice) being pregnant outside of wedlock he will hit me. He says I am judgmental and a hypocrite, that people are probably laughing at me and he wants me to be normal like everyone else. I just don't understand. I didn't even want to talk about it, is he possessed or something.

He's always been a bit iffy but this is ridiculous. I just wanted to read my bible!

You've already gotten great advice and testimony, so I will pray for you that you can follow it.

Christianity is a hard row to hoe.

 

[thethinkingrebel]

Unbelieving or minimally believing (is that even "believing" ? Hmmm...) friends and relatively can be a real downer. My own immediate family looks on my Christianity as a means to control my behavior so I don't do crazy things anymore. Kinda creepy. I think that's one reason I haven't gone to church in a long, long time...I look at it as a form of social and behavioral control because of how my parents approach my faith.

Anyway, just know that you're not the only one. The Scripture Comprehender provided proves that point. I don't want to get psycho-babbley on your situation, but I imagine that, as an unrepentant sinner, there are certain problems your father is facing that come to the surface when he sees you reaching out for Truth. As in: how can this kid have Faith, Hope, and Love, when all I have is (job, house, spouse) ? I get that from some people, too. Its a sort of "Just WHO do you think you are to be a Christian when you've done ___ and I've done ___ and when did you become so ridiculous? I mean, you believe in ___ ?"

That was exactly the point I made. Conviction of sin can lead to all sorts of resistance. If someone mentions Gehenna (hell) then it leads to a consequence for our actions: which no one wants to acknowledge.

People are shirkers of responsibility, Gehenna is the ultimate result of our responsibility as imagers of God.

 

[stovebolts]

Seems to be working out well for you. Past couple of days have been good. My faith hasn't been mentioned and that's how I like it. If he doesn't want to become a Christian then I'm quite happy not to discuss it! So far so good.

Always remember that he is watching you and that your actions will speak louder than any words. You're in this for the long run, so don't get short sighted. Be the best person you can be, and you'll be a beacon of light.

Matthew 5:14-16 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a lamp, and put it under a bushel, but on a lamp stand; and it gives light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

it is the nature of light that it penetrates through the darkness. Evil and Good are like light and darkness. You see, darkness is the absence of light and in the same manner, evil is simply the absence of good.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: