ANy one a CHristian post here

[boots555]

I here ya. It is through the hard times that we grow. When things are going well we forget God. It was C.S. Lewis who said that "God shouts to us in our pain."

[boots555]

The hardest part about being a Christian is being Christ like. I screw up over and over again yet his grace is still there to carry me to the end.

[Amorphic]

i cant get comfortable with the idea that some higher power is carrying me or guiding my actions

i see the results of my life as being directly related to the actions i take and the skills i have.

i dont see divine intervention as being relevant in a modern, religiously devoid world

[lotaquestions]

The hardest part about being a Christian is being Christ like. I screw up over and over again yet his grace is still there to carry me to the end.

agreed, i have to constintly remind my self that i am an example. any personal tips on how to be more christlike?

[boots555]

i cant get comfortable with the idea that some higher power is carrying me or guiding my actions

i see the results of my life as being directly related to the actions i take and the skills i have.

i dont see divine intervention as being relevant in a modern, religiously devoid world

I suggest you read about Anthony Flew. The most popular Atheist of our day recently converted to theism. He spent many years of his life attacking Christianity and theism. Just recently he converted to theism. This news rocked the atheistic community. It is God who gave you life. It is God who chose where you would grow up and live. Its is God who gave you the Body that you have.

[Amorphic]

I suggest you read about Anthony Flew. The most popular Atheist of our day recently converted to theism. He spent many years of his life attacking Christianity and theism. Just recently he converted to theism. This news rocked the atheistic community. It is God who gave you life. It is God who chose where you would grow up and live. Its is God who gave you the Body that you have.

isnt it the biological chromosomes from my parents that gave me life?

the soul may be something god given if it exists, i believe my body belongs to biology though.

[boots555]

He was a philosopher and Scholar at Oxford. I have some of his books. His conversion came after a series of debates he had with the Christian Philosopher Gary Habermas. They had become friends.

[Carlos_E]

I'm a gay Christian.

[boots555]

isnt it the biological chromosomes from my parents that gave me life?

the soul may be something god given if it exists, i believe my body belongs to biology though.

The Bible tells us that God Predestined the years and days we exist. The soul is a interesting topic and we could go into it if you like.

[Amorphic]

I'm a gay Christian.

for a moment i thought you typed catholic...that would have been a paradox.

[Amorphic]

The Bible tells us that God Predestined the years and days we exist. The soul is a interesting topic and we could go into it if you like.

predestination is a dangerous concept....and a very complicated one as well.

[Carlos_E]

for a moment i thought you typed catholic...that would have been a paradox.

Try telling that to Catholic priests!

[shifty_git]

Try telling that to Catholic priests!

Try telling that to choir boys!

[boots555]

predestination is a dangerous concept....and a very complicated one as well.

Yes I know.

Predestination vs. Mans free will

[Amorphic]

Yes I know.

Predestination vs. Mans free will

feel free to explain your point of view, im always interested in hearing things

[boots555]

I believe man is both predestined and free to choose.


http://www.rzim.org/resources/jttran.php?seqid=79

[Johnny_Rotten]

I didn't know you were gay, Carlos. PM me hahaha.

[Carlos_E]

I didn't know you were gay, Carlos. PM me hahaha.

Post some picts first.

[Johnny_Rotten]

Edit




You're waaaay outta my league, right?

[Johnny_Rotten]

rejected in public...haha damn..

[DSM4Life]

Sorry but i can't afford to be a Christian

[Carlos_E]

rejected in public...haha damn..

Not my type man but a friend of mine would be all over that. I'll hook you two up.

[xlxBigSexyxlx]

lol this thread will get nowhere

I don’t believe in God. My god is patriotism. Teach a man to be a good citizen and you have solved the problem of life. — Andrew Carnegie

All thinking men are atheists. — Ernest Hemingway

There may be fairies at the bottom of the garden. There is no evidence for it, but you can't prove that there aren't any, so shouldn't we be agnostic with respect to fairies? -Richard Dawkins


meh....the bible just doesn't add up to me
but if you use it for your own good, fine by me

[rockinred]

I believe man is both predestined and free to choose.


http://www.rzim.org/resources/jttran.php?seqid=79

I am Christian..... I don't believe in the doctrine of predestination.... I have studied it for many years... I found that if you attempt to somewhat understand God's relation to time and how he is not confined to it, you will understand why the Bible speaks on matters that people elude to predestination. It is an interesting topic though.

[rockinred]

-A life that is born again is a miracle that happens every day. IT is the greatest miracle of all. Other miracles happens at time when the word of God needs to be moved. We see this at the time of Moses and Elijah and the New testament saints.

-There is only three options for Jesus. He was eigther Lord, Liar, or Lunatic. No scholar would agree that He was some schizophrenic.

-Your third point is true. But this is not the case of those who saw him. I can go into more detail if you like. He was seen by more than 500 people at one time. Paul tells us most of them were still alive in his day.

Jesus did not claim to hear God. Those around him heard Gods voice. Jesus claimed to be God. (If you have seen me you have seen the father)

Good points....definitely either Lord and who he claimed to be or a lunatic liar... CS Lewis brings some good points on that subject.

I do disagree and I don't believe in the Trinity and I have read the Bible and found that Jesus actually defends himself when people try to make him God many times. At the beginning of Hebrews there is even a question on whether Jesus is more high ranking than an angel and Paul refutes it. If any early Christians believed he was God himself this discussion would never take place. He claimed to be God's son. Not God the Son... We should be careful how far we take this argument..

John 10;22-42
22. At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem;
23. it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon.
24. The Jews therefore gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, "How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly."
25. Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these bear witness of Me.
26. "But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep.
27. "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;
28. and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand.
29. "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.
30. "I and the Father are one."
31. The Jews took up stones again to stone Him.
32. Jesus answered them, "I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?"
33. The Jews answered Him, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God."
34. Jesus answered them, "Has it not been written in your Law, `I said, you are gods'?
35. "If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken),
36. do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, `You are blaspheming,' because I said, `I am the Son of God'?
37. "If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me;
38. but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father."
39. Therefore they were seeking again to seize Him, and He eluded their grasp.
40. And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was first baptizing, and He was staying there.
41. And many came to Him and were saying, "While John performed no sign, yet everything John said about this man was true."
42. And many believed in Him there.

Many people say that because Jesus said "I and the Father are one" eludes to he is somehow saying they are the same.... It is oneness in thought... Later in John Jesus also tells his dicsiples "I and the father are one just as you and I are one".... this would mean oneness in thought and purpose not meaning they are all the Father....

which also means that by seeing his actions is like seeing the Father who is Spirit and not physical.....

[Johnny_Rotten]

Hahaha Carlos,

i'm not really gay bro, just mucking around. But i will say damn you have an awesome phsique. A lot of hard work & dedication right there bro.

Respect.

[Diary of a Mad-man]

I want to say I have respect for all of you for being true to your beliefs and not trashing everyone else. We are all playing nice. If I could throw something in though, here is kind of how I feel.

I dont trust humanity in the least bit. Humans are lying pieces of crap that do anything neccesary to get what they want. My FIRST problem with ALL organized religion, is that it is the word of HUMANS (no matter what you say), being passed down thousands of years on media formats like, um papyrus. You cant tell me that kings and rulers (this is not just Chistianity) didnt have their hands in the writing to get what they wanted done. King James is the example everyone uses. I just dont buy the concept of a chain of humans either hearing what god says or writing it down correctly and it being translated to my language that didnt exist back then.

I REALLY dont like when someone starts getting aggressive with me telling me what god thinks and what the afterlife is like......because Im pretty sure they dont have a clue. People get a power trip from acting like they know the supernatural and you dont. They are higher on the afterlife foodchain than you and want everyone to know it. Kinda weird actually. Guess Im talking from bad personal experiences on this one.

My biggest confusion is fundamentalists, or believing word for word of the Bible. Things like "god put dinosaurs on the earth to test my faith" are a laugh riot. Arent any of you disturbed by the thought of a god just ****ing with you?

God: welcome to the afterlife, were dinosaurs real?
You: uh, well there were big bones everywhere and.....
God: LOLOLO ****ing idiot!!!!
**Trap door to hell opens up dumping you into eternal hellfire.
God: I kill me.

Fundamentalist ideas I cant buy: Story of Adam Eve (rip ripped out, talking snake), earth is 10,000 years old, earth created in 7 days, etc.

[CheddaNips]

Who is Jesus? Wasnt he on tv or something. . . like a cartoon?

[Lexed]

first I gotta say Carlos... you are looking great. second im agnostic

[Hoggage_54]

Yesterday's prophet is today's schizophrenic

[jaydub]

i pray when i need something

[jaydub]

and i'm an awesome christian... i've helped many ladies find god in the middle of the night...

[ecto9]

I had a 666 thread when I reached that post count. Anyone know why that got deleted? lol...

Along other lines, Christ said religion that is acceptable to God is: To visit the widows and Fatherless in there affliction...In other words, to help other people who are less fortunate than us that need love. NOt to just sit in a church pew listening to sermons then going home and thinking that is enough...

[Carlos_E]

first I gotta say Carlos... you are looking great. second im agnostic

Thanks man. Off season pict. I'm 5'6" trying to get 220 by end of June.

[rockinred]

(long winded)
Some good comments on here... I'd like to say a few more things... I have heard a lot bash the Bible around here and a lot of it can be attributed to those followers that have caused it throughout the years.... holy Crusades, slavery, money, doctrines, power, etc... obvious things.

The Bible itself is a compilation of books written over many years.... There are historical, poetic, prophetic, and inspirational writings and not just one type. These translation have been written and re-written throughout the years. Many, including Christians, will take something written and take it completly out of context to apply it to various beliefs and things. It is by far the most complicated and deep thing to read.

Historical
If you view it from a historical perspective, every real scholar agrees that it is the most concrete historical record for that area and whether you are a believer or not this is indisputable at this point. It is an account of history for a group of people that wanted to follow (their) God and recorded it.

Poetic
many poems and psalms are written for various reasons and accounts in lives. With meaning and messages inside of them...like other poems written.

prophetic
this is the one that is most revealing/controversial... Daniel prophecied about kingdoms in Earth coming and going such as the Roman Empire.... early writing reveal that this was written well before the Roman empire conquered and prior to that many skeptics thought it was written after...not anymore.

Inspirational/parable.
Many things are written that talk about our deep inner feelings... that everyone feels regardless of time and cultures... nothing archaic or old about these writings... in fact I have read many books in a higher education learning environment and nothing comes close to the deep topics discussed in the Bible... what is interesting with modern belief is that the mind is suppose to be more evolved and smarter, yet; things in this department seem to be digressing.

Things written about the snake and apple are called parables...deep secrets hidden in the writings... not necessarily literal.... this is how Jesus said he glorified God for revealing things to the "simple" while hiding them from the "wise".

The thing that is real to me, who was also an athiest for many years, is it is history for some and an explanation for others. It is very real in a lot of different ways...take into consideration that every follower written in the Bible has a history of drunkness, idolatry, murder, and every other alleged sin.. no one is claiming to be more pure or innocent. But they all Loved God. It explains the biggest things that need answers.....life and death and suffering and why all these exist.

It is not a simple book that is archaic as many try to point out... many translation have altered little words or sentences, but the overall integrity and message has stayed the same... the dead sea scrolls have proven and debunked the skeptics on this.

Really it depends on what you want and what you are looking for when reading.... most people don't read the bible and their opinion is based on what society has taught about the bible...

[Amorphic]

Yesterday's prophet is today's schizophrenic

haha, that totally makes sense to me

[browboy]

Yet another believer here! I appreciate many of the thoughts being expressed here. I think in todays post-modern society, we try much to hard to define who God and Jesus are. We, in our finite minds, cannot even begin to fathom or understand God in his undying love for us. I also think we need to be careful about "shoe-horning" scripture into trying to prove our own point of view. We need to be sure to exegete it properly, and look at the context of who was writing it, who it was being written to, what was the current culture, etc. I think it was Boots that mentioned the Lord, liar, or lunatic thought. Josh McDowell has a great, easy read, book with that title. If you are interested in really doing some soul searching, it would be a great place to start.

[xlxBigSexyxlx]

[lotaquestions]

(long winded)
Some good comments on here... I'd like to say a few more things... I have heard a lot bash the Bible around here and a lot of it can be attributed to those followers that have caused it throughout the years.... holy Crusades, slavery, money, doctrines, power, etc... obvious things.

The Bible itself is a compilation of books written over many years.... There are historical, poetic, prophetic, and inspirational writings and not just one type. These translation have been written and re-written throughout the years. Many, including Christians, will take something written and take it completly out of context to apply it to various beliefs and things. It is by far the most complicated and deep thing to read.

Historical
If you view it from a historical perspective, every real scholar agrees that it is the most concrete historical record for that area and whether you are a believer or not this is indisputable at this point. It is an account of history for a group of people that wanted to follow (their) God and recorded it.

Poetic
many poems and psalms are written for various reasons and accounts in lives. With meaning and messages inside of them...like other poems written.

prophetic
this is the one that is most revealing/controversial... Daniel prophecied about kingdoms in Earth coming and going such as the Roman Empire.... early writing reveal that this was written well before the Roman empire conquered and prior to that many skeptics thought it was written after...not anymore.

Inspirational/parable.
Many things are written that talk about our deep inner feelings... that everyone feels regardless of time and cultures... nothing archaic or old about these writings... in fact I have read many books in a higher education learning environment and nothing comes close to the deep topics discussed in the Bible... what is interesting with modern belief is that the mind is suppose to be more evolved and smarter, yet; things in this department seem to be digressing.

Things written about the snake and apple are called parables...deep secrets hidden in the writings... not necessarily literal.... this is how Jesus said he glorified God for revealing things to the "simple" while hiding them from the "wise".

The thing that is real to me, who was also an athiest for many years, is it is history for some and an explanation for others. It is very real in a lot of different ways...take into consideration that every follower written in the Bible has a history of drunkness, idolatry, murder, and every other alleged sin.. no one is claiming to be more pure or innocent. But they all Loved God. It explains the biggest things that need answers.....life and death and suffering and why all these exist.

It is not a simple book that is archaic as many try to point out... many translation have altered little words or sentences, but the overall integrity and message has stayed the same... the dead sea scrolls have proven and debunked the skeptics on this.

Really it depends on what you want and what you are looking for when reading.... most people don't read the bible and their opinion is based on what society has taught about the bible...

long post but im glad i read it. good points

[Lexed]

and if you still bash on me then your gonna burn in the fires of hell