When Christians insist that it's their way or the highway, they open themselves up for resistance.
Do we really “trust in God”?
- Thread starter Aneeda72
- Start date
Well if you believe the Bible, the earth is only 2000 years old. Or is it 6000?
MarciKS
SF VIP
- Location
- Great Plains
Not all of us are like that.
If you can question your belief based on some posts on an internet forum, you're belief wasn't very strong to begin with.
MarciKS
SF VIP
- Location
- Great Plains
I don't ever question my faith. I'm more concerned about being around so many judgmental non-believers.
It depends on your definition of abusive. Sometimes on threads there can be a bit of rudeness, names might be called, education levels might be questioned, your spelling and grammar might be challenged by the spelling and grammar police, what you write might be misinterpreted, and other stuff can happen.
I am a Christian, Catholic, and I question my belief all the time, especially in stressful times but it does not harm me, or anyone, and I am strongly in my belief for the questioning of it. The old “seek and you shall find” answers. But not gold, you never find gold, or money, or untold riches.. You do find answers, and the answer is often NO!
You are welcome to discuss whatever here, why not?, everyone else is
Very true Keesha. We think of ourselves more highly than we should. This can also mean we take things on more seriously and hold ourselves to a higher or more self incriminating perceived standard, even higher than God's, which can trap us into a psychological never forgiving cycle. Life is about letting go. Watch out for the cycles of energy. If we can forgive others, the mission isn't accomplished until we also forgive ourselves. That means believing and acting according to our spiritual ideal.Yes. Retribution from a past life. Yes trauma from complex PSTD but the strangest thing is that I can forgive others who have severely wronged me but have a really hard time forgiving myself.
I mentally torture myself and if Gods message is not to harm any of his children, I need to remember that I am one of his children also. Yesterday was a light bulb moment which I hope I never forget. I’ve had a very strange and unusual life . If a stranger ever caught glimpses of my life they might instantly draw conclusions. Not that I care all that much but it’s also something I need to let go of.
So I’m currently working on loving myself as I love others. Forgiving myself as I forgive others and letting anything that doesn’t serve me go.
There is a beautiful prayer for those that are "belief challenged". "Lord I believe, Lord help my unbelief".
We can become aware of what we believe, or stay "open" to receive. If we will receive it we can learn. Otherwise we have closed minds. Not much can drop in a closed up mind...lol.
Of course Not!
Aneeda72
Well-known Member
I disagree. People make points, good points, points we should think about and research, points that bring questions. As for judging how strong someone belief is, someone you don’t even know, wow, just wow. No one gets to judge anyone belief except God.
Aneeda72
Well-known Member
Yup lots of drama
Aneeda72
Well-known Member
Then refuse to go to Christian heaven, you do have a choice. Go, or don’t go. You will not be forced into heaven.
Aneeda72
Well-known Member
Well, some animals kill and eat us, just saying.
Aneeda72
Well-known Member
There are always stupid people everywhere insisting they are right, when they are not. Remember the old saying “my minds made up, don’t confuse me with facts”. This saying was popular when I was a teenager, but oh so true now in oh so many ways.
grahamg
Old codger
- Location
- South of Manchester, UK
I suppose it is worth listening occasionally to those who profess to have a great deal of faith, or those paid to try to minister to others, in all kinds of situations people find themselves in(?).
A minister/vicar I once knew told me that before he became ordained he'd had money troubles, and went off somewhere with thoughts of ending his life, so awful did the world appear to him for a while. He became a very well liked vicar of the church of England, and although I cant remember any of his sermons, (one of which my eight year old daughter did her best to disrupt, much to the annoyance of the vicars wife!), he did speak of St. Francis of Assisi quite a lot.
A minister/vicar I once knew told me that before he became ordained he'd had money troubles, and went off somewhere with thoughts of ending his life, so awful did the world appear to him for a while. He became a very well liked vicar of the church of England, and although I cant remember any of his sermons, (one of which my eight year old daughter did her best to disrupt, much to the annoyance of the vicars wife!), he did speak of St. Francis of Assisi quite a lot.
Warrigal
SF VIP
- Location
- Sydney, Australia
I understand the 6000 years was a figure calculated by some English bishop. Perhaps someone asked him how old the earth was and he tried to oblige by counting the generations of the geneology of Jesus listed in the NT. Perhaps he didn't like the evolving science of the day which revealed fossil evidence that supported current theories of evolution (which existed before Charles Darwin, by the way). Whatever the reason, he was wrong, not only in the number, but also in looking for scientific answers in a theological text.
Mr. Ed
Be what you is not what you what you ain’t
- Location
- Central NY
I’m sorry you feel that way, sickness and death are meaningful moments of life, not to be feared or frightened of but to be experienced and embraced.
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Phoenix
Senior Member
- Location
- Oregon, U S
Some people believe in God and some don't. We can't be justifiably lumped together.
Evidently some people believe that though in spite of all the science showing otherwise. I was talking to a guy at work a couple years ago and he was talking about the religious quacks who actually believe the earth is flat. I replied "What about the nuts who think it's only 600 years old?" To which he replied "Oh, there's actual proof of that!" Turns out he's a believer in that. I mentioned carbon dating and he says it's bad science and not real. O-kay.
Phoenix
Senior Member
- Location
- Oregon, U S
I was raised around people who believe like the guy you were talking to. I no longer spend time with them, haven't in years.
If questioning ourselves is harmful, (and I agree to question yourself too much can be destructive, blaming yourself for everything for example), I'd suggest this aspect could be outweighed by those it might assist as another forum member has suggested, and I certainly did not read your posts as being harmful at all.
Bear in mind too, that there is this man Richard Dawkins who appears to have made it his life's goal to try to undermine all religions, (what makes him think he has to so help us all out of our "delusions", as he would characterise it, you have to wonder?), so you've a way to go yet before you reach "his great heights"!
Oh dear,
I don't like Richard Dawkins but I also dislike Christianity and its influence on education and other national decisions. Especially at the moment, I think we are in big trouble and this has a lot to do with religion. Right now we could use a picture of Jesus wearing a mask and saying "well maybe we should wash our hands and wear a mask".One of the worst problems with Christianity is what it did to the pagan temples and knowledge that set medicine back a few thousand years and still plagues us today despite our public education system and advanced science.
I am so hurt by the culture war we are in bringing us to violence in the US because those who put their faith in science and those who put their faith in their religion are pitted against each other. Our liberty depends on science and our knowledge of that has been replaced with a Christian mythology of the founding of our democratic social order.There is a serious Christian divide between those who want to give Christianity all the credit for our success and those churches that preach distrust of our government and misunderstand our social order and this has become violent and we may see even more violence led by well-meaning Christians who have sown the seeds of war on the status quo.
Forgive me, perhaps I should receive a warning that I must get out of the thread. I don't want to be banned but everyone knows "In God we Trust" has strong political ramifications. This is the wrong time to discuss "Do we really "trust in God", because of the life and death importance of this question. "Do we really "trust in God" should not mean at this time, not wearing a mask, and that goes directly to the forbidden subject. How do we get people to see this is about public health issue instead of an individual freedom issue when the churches are very politically involved and someone very important, would have us believe God gives him the authority to lead while the churches preach distrust of government and support this man who is very disruptive to the status quo. That makes want we believe about God very important and how do we keep this a light and inconsequential discussion? I am sorry,
. I wish I never got involved in this thread if it means being banned, but it is too late now- there are serious consequences to what religious leaders do and what people believe. We are experiencing violence because the pandemic is killing people and leading to many problems. Not a good time to discuss religion.
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Absolutely. "Nature is red in tooth and claw." Don't get too warm and fuzzy about animals "forgiving" us.
Phoenix
Senior Member
- Location
- Oregon, U S
And we kill and eat them.
MarciKS
SF VIP
- Location
- Great Plains
if people don't believe in God or have any faith in him...no picture of God is gonna change that.Oh dear,
One of the worst problems with Christianity is what it did to the pagan temples and knowledge that set medicine back a few thousand years and still plagues us today despite our public education system and advanced science.
There is a serious Christian divide between those who want to give Christianity all the credit for our success and those churches that preach distrust of our government and misunderstand our social order and this has become violent and we may see even more violence lead by well-meaning Christians who have sown the seeds of war on the status quo.
Forgive me, perhaps I should receive a warning that I must get out of the thread. I don't want to be banned but everyone knows "In God we Trust" has strong political ramifications. This is the wrong time to discuss "Do we really "trust in God", because of the life and death importance of this question. "Do we really "trust in God" should not mean at this time, not wearing a mask, and that goes directly to the forbidden subject. How do we get people to see this is about public health issue instead of an individual freedom issue when the churches are very politically involved and someone very important, would have us believe God gives him the authority to lead while the churches preach distrust of government and support this man who is very disruptive to the status quo. That makes want we believe about God very important and how do we keep this a light and inconsequential discussion? I am sorry,