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pandabear
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11 Dec 2011, 5:55 pm

artrat wrote:
Many atheist here assume that everyone who has some kind of faith is a Christian.

I don't think that is true.

artrat wrote:
This is just as judgmental as the Christian fundamentalist.

If an atheist were to assume that everyone with some kind of fath is a Christian, then he would be incorrect.

artrat wrote:
If anyone speaks against atheism they get insulted.

Why should they be insulted?

artrat wrote:
no one should be criticized for what they believe in.

Why not?



ruveyn
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11 Dec 2011, 6:23 pm

artrat wrote:
If anyone speaks against atheism they get insulted. I am a theist and I am very tolerant of all beliefs.
My beliefs are my own damn choice and no one should be criticized for what they believe in.


Do you tolerate nonsense? When you hear nonsense do you not speak out against it? Anyone who declares a belief in public invites disagreement and criticism. The only position that might not be assailed is silence. Yet even silence has its critics.

ruveyn



artrat
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11 Dec 2011, 6:43 pm

ruveyn wrote:
artrat wrote:
If anyone speaks against atheism they get insulted. I am a theist and I am very tolerant of all beliefs.
My beliefs are my own damn choice and no one should be criticized for what they believe in.


Do you tolerate nonsense? When you hear nonsense do you not speak out against it? Anyone who declares a belief in public invites disagreement and criticism. The only position that might not be assailed is silence. Yet even silence has its critics.

ruveyn

I think that the believing in Jesus and the bible is nonsense but I try not to offend Christians or jews.
I do speak out against it but try to be respectful of others beliefs.
I should have wrote " no one should be insulted for their beliefs"
Expressing opinions does not matter to me but people should be tolerant of others beliefs.
Insulting a religious person would be the same thing as insulting a homosexual but worded differently.
There is never any good reason to be a bigot.



lostonearth35
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11 Dec 2011, 7:10 pm

If you want to label me as Christian, it's only because I was baptized. I'm agonist and was brought up that way by my parents. Religion was never a big deal with us and it shouldn't be with the rest of the planet but it is and that's why it's a mess that will never be fixed. :( I am so sick of hearing how wrong it is to have a religion and that I shouldn't celebrate religious holidays like Christmas because we have never really dug deep into its religious meaning like the rest of the world, it's just a holiday where we eat a nice meal, gather around our tree, give each other nice gifts, and just feel good and happy that we are able to. :)



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11 Dec 2011, 9:25 pm

lostonearth35 wrote:
If you want to label me as Christian, it's only because I was baptized. I'm agonist and was brought up that way by my parents. Religion was never a big deal with us and it shouldn't be with the rest of the planet but it is and that's why it's a mess that will never be fixed. :( I am so sick of hearing how wrong it is to have a religion and that I shouldn't celebrate religious holidays like Christmas because we have never really dug deep into its religious meaning like the rest of the world, it's just a holiday where we eat a nice meal, gather around our tree, give each other nice gifts, and just feel good and happy that we are able to. :)


You're an agonist?
Is that at all the same as a masochist? :lol:

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12 Dec 2011, 12:45 am

rocklobster wrote:
But I want to know about the people who are Christian on this site. If you are, why do you follow God?

I am here to answer the OP question.

Yes, I am a Christian, a follower of Christ, because I believe Jesus Christ is who He said He is and that he died and came back to life after three days for me to be free and to have hope for the future. I believe what God teaches us, through the Bible, the principles for living a life worth living, and I love Him. That is why I follow Him.



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12 Dec 2011, 1:06 am

*it's pretty ethical and therefore a pathway to God
*it helps to stay connected to my christian parents
*I can drop some bits that I'm un comfortable with and/or combine it with other beliefs/faiths like Buddhism or Judaism and that improves my walk with God
*it makes me a better person


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krazykat
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12 Dec 2011, 10:27 am

Vexcalibur wrote:
There are so many agnostic cancer patients out there that Jesus does not appear to.

Why not? They could all be converted that easily. And then not only would they no longer have cancer, they would not go to hell either.


My mom made the first move by either asking the hospital chaplain to pray with her, or accepting the offer made by the chaplain.

That is not something every Agnostic cancer patient is ready or willing to waste time on, and some would not be converted even if Jesus showed up with balloons and a bouquet of flowers in front of the nursing staff.

It was my mother's choice to take that chance.


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12 Dec 2011, 10:32 am

krazykat wrote:
My mom made the first move by either asking the hospital chaplain to pray with her, or accepting the offer made by the chaplain.

That is not something every Agnostic cancer patient is ready or willing to waste time on, and some would not be converted even if Jesus showed up with balloons and a bouquet of flowers in front of the nursing staff.

It was my mother's choice to take that chance.

So, is your claim that every agnostic cancer patient that calls a chaplain to pray with her/his will get cancer cured by a revelation that will also as a bonus ensure she/he will not go to hell as will never doubt of God again?


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12 Dec 2011, 12:13 pm

I was raised Catholic, Presbyterian, and Methodist, but was never totally "sold" on some of their beliefs. Whenever I questioned them, they just said "it's a mystery, or, you just have to have faith."
Then I met someone who let me ask why. And then they showed me why. They do not rely strictly on blind faith.
"Faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld." Hebrews 11:1
They didn't require that I use "their" Bible. They showed me from my own copy, and from others I had around the house. They all said the same thing.
That's why I began to study with Jehovah's Witnesses. Experiencing the fact that none of them shy away from tough questions or challenges to their faith. Their willingness to work together even if they don't always get along. The fact that they believe God is real and actually has a name so you can get to know him. That's why I became one of Jehovah's Witnesses.
I believe in Jehovah God and his son Jesus Christ. That they made the ultimate sacrifice for me even though I'm a total nobody. That's why I am a Christian.



mikecartwright
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12 Dec 2011, 4:55 pm

I believe that Christianity is the truth Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Messiah King of Israel.



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12 Dec 2011, 5:17 pm

Vexcalibur wrote:
krazykat wrote:
My mom made the first move by either asking the hospital chaplain to pray with her, or accepting the offer made by the chaplain.

That is not something every Agnostic cancer patient is ready or willing to waste time on, and some would not be converted even if Jesus showed up with balloons and a bouquet of flowers in front of the nursing staff.

It was my mother's choice to take that chance.

So, is your claim that every agnostic cancer patient that calls a chaplain to pray with her/his will get cancer cured by a revelation that will also as a bonus ensure she/he will not go to hell as will never doubt of God again?


not to mention that even if a devout christian sees jesus while jacked up on drugs it wouldnt mean anymore than the lsd trip of the singing universe.


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12 Dec 2011, 9:00 pm

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVRqdhfFAXw&feature=related[/youtube]



krazykat
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13 Dec 2011, 8:51 pm

Vexcalibur wrote:
krazykat wrote:
My mom made the first move by either asking the hospital chaplain to pray with her, or accepting the offer made by the chaplain.

That is not something every Agnostic cancer patient is ready or willing to waste time on, and some would not be converted even if Jesus showed up with balloons and a bouquet of flowers in front of the nursing staff.

It was my mother's choice to take that chance.

So, is your claim that every agnostic cancer patient that calls a chaplain to pray with her/his will get cancer cured by a revelation that will also as a bonus ensure she/he will not go to hell as will never doubt of God again?


I make no such claim as it would be an easily nullified argument.
The opposite of every is some will not, and I can tell you right now not everyone who prays is going to be cured. Not everyone is going to receive a revelation. I'm sure there could be a blatant Athiest who recovers from a stage IV metastasized cancer death-sentence spontaneously with no appeal to divine intervention at all.

My mom did not live long enough to form any doubts about what happened, she died of congestive heart failure a week after being declared cancer-free.
Even then, it is perfectly healthy and natural for Christians to have doubts.
I could not even be sure of my own existence if I did not doubt it first as doubting leads to cogito ergo sum.

I only made a statement about what I saw happen around the last week of my mom's life and the impact it had. I'm not arguing anything, take it or leave it.
Drug-addled hallucination or not, my mom died happy and I was pushed in the direction of becoming a Christian.
I gained a clarity of thinking I never had before, I KNOW why the world is the way it is.
I wish I could explain it, but it would be like trying to explain to a crowd of belligerent blind people what the experience of the color blue is like.

So, that is my answer to the OP's topic of why I am a Christian.
I will now take my leave of this thread and you guys can have fun with your derail-fest :roll:


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pandabear
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13 Dec 2011, 9:09 pm

krazykat wrote:
I wish I could explain it, but it would be like trying to explain to a crowd of belligerent blind people what the experience of the color blue is like.

So, that is my answer to the OP's topic of why I am a Christian.
I will now take my leave of this thread and you guys can have fun with your derail-fest :roll:


Are we really that bad?



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13 Dec 2011, 9:53 pm

krazykat wrote:
Vexcalibur wrote:
So, is your claim that every agnostic cancer patient that calls a chaplain to pray with her/his will get cancer cured by a revelation that will also as a bonus ensure she/he will not go to hell as will never doubt of God again?


I make no such claim as it would be an easily nullified argument.
The opposite of every is some will not, and I can tell you right now not everyone who prays is going to be cured. Not everyone is going to receive a revelation. I'm sure there could be a blatant Athiest who recovers from a stage IV metastasized cancer death-sentence spontaneously with no appeal to divine intervention at all.

My mom did not live long enough to form any doubts about what happened, she died of congestive heart failure a week after being declared cancer-free.
Even then, it is perfectly healthy and natural for Christians to have doubts.
I could not even be sure of my own existence if I did not doubt it first as doubting leads to cogito ergo sum.

I only made a statement about what I saw happen around the last week of my mom's life and the impact it had. I'm not arguing anything, take it or leave it.
Drug-addled hallucination or not, my mom died happy and I was pushed in the direction of becoming a Christian.
I gained a clarity of thinking I never had before, I KNOW why the world is the way it is.
I wish I could explain it, but it would be like trying to explain to a crowd of belligerent blind people what the experience of the color blue is like.

If I were to guess. Your new belief is that the universe is the way it is because god will help you(or your loved ones) to avoid cancer, and the rest can drop dead. It is a feeling of being the chosen one whilst you try to ignore that you are believing in a very arbitrary god.

But I am out of Character. *Switches from Hannibal Vexcalibur to Socratic Vexcalibur*


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