are there christians here?
Fairly straightforward and people were friendly but not overbearing. Sunday nights they went over the Old Testament but I rarely went because of work.
I stopped going when a political flyer was circulated (separation of Church and State) and then made the full break with Christian faith shortly after. (too many plotholes in the Bible and any Christian Dogma)
But I still admire Calvary Chapel for its straightforward and literal approach.
This Calvary Chapel sounds very interesting. Where might one find more information?
_________________
You are like children playing in the market-place saying, "We piped for you and you would not dance, we wailed a dirge for you and you would not weep."
Fairly straightforward and people were friendly but not overbearing. Sunday nights they went over the Old Testament but I rarely went because of work.
I stopped going when a political flyer was circulated (separation of Church and State) and then made the full break with Christian faith shortly after. (too many plotholes in the Bible and any Christian Dogma)
But I still admire Calvary Chapel for its straightforward and literal approach.
This Calvary Chapel sounds very interesting. Where might one find more information?
_________________
You are like children playing in the market-place saying, "We piped for you and you would not dance, we wailed a dirge for you and you would not weep."
GoatOnFire
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sunnycat
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I think...many people stick to their churches partly because they find socializing with others at church gratifying.
I have a need for socializing, but socializing at church has never been really gratifying for me...
I guess some people are drawn closer to God through socializing...
For me, socializing was not a big component in encountering God. I'm not saying that it was not important, because as painful as dealing with people was, there were good things that I got out of it...like catching glimpse of the real world...instead of existing in my own world...and discarding my unrealistic expectations of it.
So I left my former church...
And honestly they don't give a s**t...which bothers me sometimes, but then it is OK...
In my own way I bade them goodbye...and look to another future...
Church isnt god, and religion isnt faith.
I'm not much of a Christian, but I like how my ancestors used to put it: "In Gods name we begin"(in german), whenever starting a task. They didnt just believe, they LIVED.
Would that Aspie do the same.
Believe what you must, but live what you believe. Go where your heart leads you... Stay away from Church!
I'm not much of a Christian, but I like how my ancestors used to put it: "In Gods name we begin"(in german), whenever starting a task. They didnt just believe, they LIVED.
Would that Aspie do the same.
Believe what you must, but live what you believe. Go where your heart leads you... Stay away from Church!
Presupposes that no one's heart is going to lead them into a church, and, perhaps more gravely, that no one attending a church is actively seeking to live their faith. Both hypotheses need to be challenged... I do not think that many would openly argue that the Church is God (it is possible that some in practice may approach this form of idolatry, which would certainly be a cause for grave concern). Thank you for sharing your ancestors' beautiful expression of their faith in their daily actions.
_________________
You are like children playing in the market-place saying, "We piped for you and you would not dance, we wailed a dirge for you and you would not weep."
lelia
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Joined: 11 Apr 2007
Age: 74
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Posts: 2,897
Location: Vancouver not BC, Washington not DC
Yes, I am a Christian, grateful for God's love and forgiveness.
I have been educating some of the people in the church about the bits of me that are autistic and they seem interested, not repelled. My twenty-eight-year old daughter with autism, mental retardation, bipolar and OCD wanders around the auditorium during the service with her coffee cup, blown up and tied latex glove from the nursery, papers taken from a Sunday School while the wee ones watch solemnly, and color crayon. The choir loves watching her play with babies' feet. Once I had to suppress a huge guffaw when she decided to pet a bald man's head, startling him out of closed eye prayer. She doesn't stay long. Next, she crosses the parking lot to the next church to get their coffee and Sunday School papers. Once she has collected her supplies, she wants to go home to cut everything up.
I went to Rwanda in January with www.comeandseeafrica.org and met the neatest people. I'll need to teach them about face blindness so those wonderful people aren't disappointed when I don't recognize them next January. I am now mailing books to two Christian schools. There are no public libraries in the entire country. That hurts my heart. Every country needs the poor man's university. Many of the books I send are about ecology and the environment. And I am supporting and sending seeds to a pastor there who is setting up a, a, hmm, agricultural/children's/vocational center. If the fruit tree seeds grow, I hope to plant them on the Christian school grounds next year to help provide food for the students. I want to experiment with building a chicken tractor too.
Well, on and on.
Why did you ask the question?
I am Christian and I consider myself a Lutheran.
I don't usually go to church. If I want to learn about faith I read the Bible or any other book on a theological subject. If I want to pray I usually do it at home where it's easier for me to concentrate. Good deeds can be done wherever goodness is needed and if God is everywhere, He can be worshiped anywhere at any time.
I don't usually go to church. If I want to learn about faith I read the Bible or any other book on a theological subject. If I want to pray I usually do it at home where it's easier for me to concentrate. Good deeds can be done wherever goodness is needed and if God is everywhere, He can be worshiped anywhere at any time.
What do you do for divine guidance, so Jesus can direct you, moment by moment? The Holy Spirit was sent to be our comforter and guide.
What about the things you find you can't do or the things you don't want to do? Do you know how to transformed by grace through faith?
What about godliness? Do you know how to take on Christ's heart, to see and feel about things like he does?
What about koinonia? God especially blesses us for blessing the brethren. Jesus said that even if we merely give a cup of cold water to a brother we will be blessed. It is an easy way to get blessed. Look up "least of these my brothers" to see what promises Jesus offers us in caring for the brethren.
What about agape? Do you have a heart of love for the unlovely and ungrateful in our world? Or do you simply call acts of charity "agape?"
Do you know how to deal with demonic attack? Those who live a godly life will suffer persecution.
Do you know what gifts of the Holy Spirit you have? Do you know what gifts you don't have? Do you know Christians who are gifted in areas you aren't, to cover for you?
I don't usually go to church. If I want to learn about faith I read the Bible or any other book on a theological subject. If I want to pray I usually do it at home where it's easier for me to concentrate. Good deeds can be done wherever goodness is needed and if God is everywhere, He can be worshiped anywhere at any time.
What do you do for divine guidance, so Jesus can direct you, moment by moment? The Holy Spirit was sent to be our comforter and guide.
What about the things you find you can't do or the things you don't want to do? Do you know how to transformed by grace through faith?
What about godliness? Do you know how to take on Christ's heart, to see and feel about things like he does?
What about koinonia? God especially blesses us for blessing the brethren. Jesus said that even if we merely give a cup of cold water to a brother we will be blessed. It is an easy way to get blessed. Look up "least of these my brothers" to see what promises Jesus offers us in caring for the brethren.
What about agape? Do you have a heart of love for the unlovely and ungrateful in our world? Or do you simply call acts of charity "agape?"
Do you know how to deal with demonic attack? Those who live a godly life will suffer persecution.
Do you know what gifts of the Holy Spirit you have? Do you know what gifts you don't have? Do you know Christians who are gifted in areas you aren't, to cover for you?
Going to church is a good thing for many, but it’s neither necessary for salvation nor a sign that you live a godly life. It’s a social thing, nothing more or less. My brethren know very well how to take care of each other; they understand each other better than I understand them.
Acts of love are acts of charity. Love without charity is worthless and charity without love is vain. ”Agape” is a kind of love, I try love in away that I can handle and people can appreciate.
Those who suffer persecution are not necessarily godly and those who claim to be godly are very often nothing but hypocrites.
The Holy Spirit is to be found where God is to be found. God is omnipresent and so is His Spirit, you don’t have to be in a certain place to be guided or comforted by the Spirit. I don’t know exactly what gifts of the Holy Spirit I have. I see no reason to specialise in a certain area. I think we should all live a life where we, guided by God, strive to do what is right and good in all situations, not just in one or two ways.
I’m not really sure what you mean when you say “deal with a demonic attack”. We should avoid, or deal with, whatever is evil no matter whether we believe we are fighting demons or not.
These hypocrites are usually baby Christians who try on their own efforts to BE good, find they can't and don't know what to do about it. So they fake it. We can be transformed by #1 the renewing of our minds, #2 putting the old nature to death and #3 prayer & fasting.
Doing what is physically right and good in all situations is proper -- so long as you have permission. Paul was not allowed to go to Bithynia by the Holy Spirit (Acts 16:7).
You have a very interesting website. If you want to use the name of God I would have suggested “Yahweh”, the reconstruction “Jehovah” is probably wrong and rather old-fashioned. That’s a minor detail, don’t take it too seriously.
Otherwise I think we can agree about most things. I think that's the shortest discussion about theology I have ever had with another believer, something must be wrong.. ![]()
