Old Testament Genocide

[Alabaster]

It may be "disgusting", but it is how I see it. To me, it shows a lack of care.

And again. . . . . your "know that I know" level of belief that you have spoken "absolute truth" isn't proven to me.

I can't make you believe the truth. I can only tell you the truth.

 

[Deavonreye]

In turn, I can't make you see why an extreme pious viewpoint isn't necessarily an absolute truth.

Maybe we should just leave our bottom lines as they are because we've hit an impass. I know you are a very caring person who actually does care about people, and I really DO respect that.

 

[Alabaster]

In turn, I can't make you see why an extreme pious viewpoint isn't necessarily an absolute truth.

Maybe we should just leave our bottom lines as they are because we've hit an impass. I know you are a very caring person who actually does care about people, and I really DO respect that.

Piosity is abhorrent to me.

All I offer to you is the truth of what God is holding out to you freely: a relationship with Him as your loving Father.

An impasse is God's opportunity to break through. I care that you just take some time and ponder these things, and ask the God you don't believe in to be patent with you and show you something of Himself--personally. Then, wait for it, instead of talking incessantly against Him in your cerebral way. He is Spirit and He will meet your spirit head on if you wait!

 

[jasoncran]

Piosity is abhorrent to me.

All I offer to you is the truth of what God is holding out to you freely: a relationship with Him as your loving Father.

An impasse is God's opportunity to break through. I care that you just take some time and ponder these things, and ask the God you don't believe in to be patent with you and show you something of Himself--personally. Then, wait for it, instead of talking incessantly against Him in your cerebral way. He is Spirit and He will meet your spirit head on if you wait!

we cant force him to repent, let it be.

 

[Deavonreye]

jason. . . "repent" of what? Not being able to believe what you state as true? How does one repent of that which they don't believe?

 

[jasoncran]

jason. . . "repent" of what? Not being able to believe what you state as true? How does one repent of that which they don't believe?

point made for me, you dont believe are you are in sin and thus unable to see what you are in need of.

 

[Alabaster]

jason. . . "repent" of what? Not being able to believe what you state as true? How does one repent of that which they don't believe?

One will only come to repentance as a result of a move of the Holy Spirit who reveals one's sin, and causes him to have sorrow over it.

Until then, we can pray for you.

 

[Deavonreye]

point made for me, you dont believe are you are in sin and thus unable to see what you are in need of.

This has nothing to do with "sin". It has to do with my ability to HONESTLY "believe" your religion. A person can't just "believe", or else, tell me why you can't "believe" in Isis.

As for "things people do wrong", I strive just as hard as any one of you to not do what I shouldn't do. If I do something wrong, I work towards not doing it again. Same as you all.

 

[theLords]

This has nothing to do with "sin". It has to do with my ability to HONESTLY "believe" your religion. A person can't just "believe", or else, tell me why you can't "believe" in Isis.

As for "things people do wrong", I strive just as hard as any one of you to not do what I shouldn't do. If I do something wrong, I work towards not doing it again. Same as you all.

There's a big difference between "salvation through works" and "salvation through grace."

 

[Alabaster]

This has nothing to do with "sin". It has to do with my ability to HONESTLY "believe" your religion. A person can't just "believe", or else, tell me why you can't "believe" in Isis.

As for "things people do wrong", I strive just as hard as any one of you to not do what I shouldn't do. If I do something wrong, I work towards not doing it again. Same as you all.

You can believe in Isis until the cows come home, but she won't hear you when you talk to her. She doesn't love you, and she doesn't remove your sin. She doesn't exist, so when you die you will realize you will have invested your life in a crock of poo.

Do you want to experience that regret?

 

[Deavonreye]

You can believe in Isis until the cows come home, but she won't hear you when you talk to her. She doesn't love you, and she doesn't remove your sin. She doesn't exist, so when you die you will realize you will have invested your life in a crock of poo.

Do you want to experience that regret?

Isis was just an example. But I have just as much reason to believe in Brighid than any other deity. I have no evidence of your god hearing me, loving me, or even "removing sin". I have no evidence that states he exists.

It doesn't matter. As I stated, I do just as well as christians do in "repenting of doing things wrong". The issue is that a person cannot "repent" of, or be made to believe a concept. So, unless a deity gives me actual reason to believe, all there is [then] are words in a book and some followers. That is not enough to warrant a real belief.


Now, I must get to bed. Got to bed late last night staying up for the Yule eclipse.

 

[Alabaster]

Isis was just an example. But I have just as much reason to believe in Brighid than any other deity. I have no evidence of your god hearing me, loving me, or even "removing sin". I have no evidence that states he exists.

It doesn't matter. As I stated, I do just as well as christians do in "repenting of doing things wrong". The issue is that a person cannot "repent" of, or be made to believe a concept. So, unless a deity gives me actual reason to believe, all there is [then] are words in a book and some followers. That is not enough to warrant a real belief.


Now, I must get to bed. Got to bed late last night staying up for the Yule eclipse.

Repenting to the air does nothing. Repenting to God through Jesus Christ actually removes the sin from us, and our burden of guilt is literally removed, and we are made pure once again.

As I have said a couple times before: Ask God to reveal himself to you personally, and wait. He loves to reveal Himself to those who challenge Him. He's up for it!

 

[Deavonreye]

Alabaster, I asked for this "revealing" . . . literally for years. I could "pray to Jesus a prayer of repentance", . . . . but in reality, I would only be able to see it as "a repentance to the air". It would be as it had always been, even when I went down to the alter to fervantly pray, . . . and while there, . . . . a silent cold nothing met me.

What I DO know is that the threads I have comment on are things that I could NOT abide with . . . when the silent cold nothing is all I found. . . and still commit to it in any reasonable way.

 

[Alabaster]

Alabaster, I asked for this "revealing" . . . literally for years. I could "pray to Jesus a prayer of repentance", . . . . but in reality, I would only be able to see it as "a repentance to the air". It would be as it had always been, even when I went down to the alter to fervantly pray, . . . and while there, . . . . a silent cold nothing met me.

What I DO know is that the threads I have comment on are things that I could NOT abide with . . . when the silent cold nothing is all I found. . . and still commit to it in any reasonable way.

A heart that already is set on rejecting things against its own human sensibilities, not 'abiding' the truth offered and set forth by God already in His written word---is closed.

Open your heart. Ask expecting His answer, willing to receive it, and you shall see it.

BAM!

 

[Deavonreye]

Alabaster, . . . I've already stated that in the past, before I even had questions about religion. . . and when I was firmly in it, . . . I DID "open my heart", "asked expecting to receive an answer", "being very willing to receive it", and BAM, . . .nothing happened, and I got up from the alter wondering why I felt nothing during my time there. Now this wasn't a single event, . . . it happened time after time after time after time . . . . . . . . . . . . etc.

As I will continue to say, . . . it takes more than what I've been "given" before I recognize it as being supernatural. It is just a book to me . . . some nice things written, . . . some awful things, . . . but basically powerless to me.

 

[Alabaster]

Alabaster, . . . I've already stated that in the past, before I even had questions about religion. . . and when I was firmly in it, . . . I DID "open my heart", "asked expecting to receive an answer", "being very willing to receive it", and BAM, . . .nothing happened, and I got up from the alter wondering why I felt nothing during my time there. Now this wasn't a single event, . . . it happened time after time after time after time . . . . . . . . . . . . etc.

As I will continue to say, . . . it takes more than what I've been "given" before I recognize it as being supernatural. It is just a book to me . . . some nice things written, . . . some awful things, . . . but basically powerless to me.

Going to the altar, while it is good, is not always the way to get God to respond---you have to persist daily. It`s a heart thing. Be willing, and open. This is not religion. It is relationship. Read Luke 18:1-8: NLT

Parable of the Persistent Widow

1 One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. 2 “There was a judge in a certain city,†he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. 3 A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ 4 The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, 5 but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’â€
6 Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. 7 Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man[returns, how many will he find on the earth who hve faith?â€

 

[TaemJ]

...I read a few posts on page 15.. and then a few of the last posts.

Anyone else feel like you're just talking in circles?

That Isis statement did catch my attention though. I could never understand how Christians could so easily scorn Judaism, Islam.. especially when they are so similar, and most of the time ripped from the same pages. I mean, a Christian grows up Christian, indefinitely scorns Islam and Judaism, says their religion is the only right religion. A Muslim grows up Muslim, indefinitely scorns Christianity and other religions, says their religion is the only right religion. Meh. I wanted to type "Is God speaking to both of them?" but then I realized the only answer I would get is that Satan is probably controlling everything around us.. and for some reason the all powerful God can't help Muslims (or consequently Christians if we're the wrong ones) pick the right side. All those Muslims that grow up Muslim are going to hell because God didn't try hard enough to show them the way, or most likely the answer I'll get.. the Muslim (or Christian) didn't try hard enough to grow out of what he was grown into? I know even though I have trouble with Christians and my Christianity, the thought of being Islamic scares me.. because theres a chance that it's the wrong religion and I'd go to hell. Christianity is programmed into my head.

I don't understand how mythology is mythology and the bible is ..the bible either. If you read quite a few mythological stories, they tend to have the same types of stories as the bible.. but somehow, these fall to the wayside and become fairy tales. Some of these stories even seem to be the origins of the bible stories.. like Noahs Ark, The Tower of Babel.. etc.

I feel like Christian communities and generally Gods word and peoples interpretations are more than likely flawed and wrong even though they are unaware of this. The bible even seems iffy to me.. because of all the translations, versions, and religions that have the SAME EXACT RELIGION but altered to their liking. No matter how much a Christian says that their bible is the right bible and it's not flawed, I just can't seem to stop thinking it is.. and how much their statement is from a lifetime of growing up around this.

All in all, I think I'm just waiting for God to speak to me. I'd say it's been about 4 years now where I have been thinking like this.. I pray every night to 'Jesus' and 'God' almost instinctually. Don't know if this was programmed into my brain from a childhood of church and Christian parents.. but I feel like there is no way I can ever be an atheist and not believe in 'God'.

 

[Alabaster]

...I read a few posts on page 15.. and then a few of the last posts.

Anyone else feel like you're just talking in circles?

That Isis statement did catch my attention though. I could never understand how Christians could so easily scorn Judaism, Islam.. especially when they are so similar, and most of the time ripped from the same pages. I mean, a Christian grows up Christian, indefinitely scorns Islam and Judaism, says their religion is the only right religion. A Muslim grows up Muslim, indefinitely scorns Christianity and other religions, says their religion is the only right religion. Meh. I wanted to type "Is God speaking to both of them?" but then I realized the only answer I would get is that Satan is probably controlling everything around us.. and for some reason the all powerful God can't help Muslims (or consequently Christians if we're the wrong ones) pick the right side. All those Muslims that grow up Muslim are going to hell because God didn't try hard enough to show them the way, or most likely the answer I'll get.. the Muslim (or Christian) didn't try hard enough to grow out of what he was grown into? I know even though I have trouble with Christians and my Christianity, the thought of being Islamic scares me.. because theres a chance that it's the wrong religion and I'd go to hell. Christianity is programmed into my head.

Mohammed had the same opportunity to know Christ that everyone had. He rejected Him for a gospel of demons, instead. Look at his fruit today.

don't understand how mythology is mythology and the bible is ..the bible either. If you read quite a few mythological stories, they tend to have the same types of stories as the bible.. but somehow, these fall to the wayside and become fairy tales. Some of these stories even seem to be the origins of the bible stories.. like Noahs Ark, The Tower of Babel.. etc.

I feel like Christian communities and generally Gods word and peoples interpretations are more than likely flawed and wrong even though they are unaware of this. The bible even seems iffy to me.. because of all the translations, versions, and religions that have the SAME EXACT RELIGION but altered to their liking. No matter how much a Christian says that their bible is the right bible and it's not flawed, I just can't seem to stop thinking it is.. and how much their statement is from a lifetime of growing up around this.

All in all, I think I'm just waiting for God to speak to me. I'd say it's been about 4 years now where I have been thinking like this.. I pray every night to 'Jesus' and 'God' almost instinctually. Don't know if this was programmed into my brain from a childhood of church and Christian parents.. but I feel like there is no way I can ever be an atheist and not believe in 'God'.

I am glad that God has instilled hope in you and that yoiu are holding fast to it. Choose today whom you will serve.

Joshua 24:15 NLT
But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.â€

 

[Deavonreye]

...I read a few posts on page 15.. and then a few of the last posts.

Anyone else feel like you're just talking in circles?

That Isis statement did catch my attention though. I could never understand how Christians could so easily scorn Judaism, Islam.. especially when they are so similar, and most of the time ripped from the same pages. I mean, a Christian grows up Christian, indefinitely scorns Islam and Judaism, says their religion is the only right religion. A Muslim grows up Muslim, indefinitely scorns Christianity and other religions, says their religion is the only right religion. Meh. I wanted to type "Is God speaking to both of them?" but then I realized the only answer I would get is that Satan is probably controlling everything around us.. and for some reason the all powerful God can't help Muslims (or consequently Christians if we're the wrong ones) pick the right side. All those Muslims that grow up Muslim are going to hell because God didn't try hard enough to show them the way, or most likely the answer I'll get.. the Muslim (or Christian) didn't try hard enough to grow out of what he was grown into? I know even though I have trouble with Christians and my Christianity, the thought of being Islamic scares me.. because theres a chance that it's the wrong religion and I'd go to hell. Christianity is programmed into my head.

I don't understand how mythology is mythology and the bible is ..the bible either. If you read quite a few mythological stories, they tend to have the same types of stories as the bible.. but somehow, these fall to the wayside and become fairy tales. Some of these stories even seem to be the origins of the bible stories.. like Noahs Ark, The Tower of Babel.. etc.

I feel like Christian communities and generally Gods word and peoples interpretations are more than likely flawed and wrong even though they are unaware of this. The bible even seems iffy to me.. because of all the translations, versions, and religions that have the SAME EXACT RELIGION but altered to their liking. No matter how much a Christian says that their bible is the right bible and it's not flawed, I just can't seem to stop thinking it is.. and how much their statement is from a lifetime of growing up around this.

All in all, I think I'm just waiting for God to speak to me. I'd say it's been about 4 years now where I have been thinking like this.. I pray every night to 'Jesus' and 'God' almost instinctually. Don't know if this was programmed into my brain from a childhood of church and Christian parents.. but I feel like there is no way I can ever be an atheist and not believe in 'God'.

This disconnect is easy to understand. And you're right. Had you been born in Riyadh, you would have been Muslim. But you were born in the west. . . .that has been greatly affected by christianity. Why? . . . Because political power mixed with the church, creating what we see today. Old religions, that you mentioned, were basically cut down. Practices were either destroyed, or changed into christian festivals. Old deities, sometimes "made into saints" so that those of the "old ways" would be more likely to convert. When Constantine turned Rome to christianity, it resulted in it becoming a world religion because of their power, and conversions were often "at sword blade".

At the same time, Islam was doing the same thing in the east.

So, to say that those ancient religions were "myth", . . . they became so as their memory receded into the past.

 

[jasoncran]

well i raised jw, what then?

i shouldnt leave that crap.

if we are born into something dont change.

one isnt born athiest.