Boy (now a man) who claimed he died and went to heaven, now says it was all "Malarky."

2seaoat wrote:So your belief in God is because you are going to get something in return.....that is why Matthew 6 is so important, because it establishes that each of us have a direct connection to God, without folks like you telling us we are going to get some goodies if we believe and listen to your "loud praying".

I see you are continually trying to build a straw man to represent my faith in such a way you can tear it down in front of others and make it look like some kind of a "bad" thing.

I have not prayed aloud, as you say. Rather I have shared various verses of The Word that seemed to me to be pertinent to whatever the discussion at hand was.

It is heartening though to see that at least someone on here knows a little of the bible. Seeing as how you are familiar with Matthew, surely you are also aware of The Great Commission? (Matt 28: 16-20) I was asked, by you as I recall?, about my faith and I shared my view of that. Are we as Christians not charged with doing that?

But you go on and keep slinging barbs at that false straw man of me you have built for yourself to attack if it pleases you. It bothers me none if you think my faith falls short of what you think to be perfection. I've attacked no one else's faith on here and given no cause, so far as I know, for anyone to attack mine. If I mention my faith or share elements of it, that is because it is part and parcel of who I am as a Christian.

ConservaLady wrote:

I haven't told you or anyone what to do.

Yeah? Then why the constant lecturing? Just to hear the wind whistle through your empty head?

Unless someone actually asked them to do it on Sunday morning when it's appropriate, whenever someone's preaching, what they're really saying is, "I'm better than you, so I'm in a position to correct you, so I'll tell you how you can be more like me, which I assume you want to be." That's extremely obnoxious and arrogant.

Just shared a few bible verses.

Thanks, but I've already got a Bible. Got several, in fact. Heck, one I have has the four major translations side by side so they can be compared. And I've actually read it! I know what's in there. I don't need you lecturing me on it. Just because I don't believe it doesn't mean I haven't read it. In fact, reading it is the reason a lot of non-believers don't believe it. Plenty of atheists like the Bible... we just don't think it's fact. There's a lot of good you can get out of the Koran, the Tao, other Buddhist teachings, etc. One atheist friend of mine keeps trying to get a good copy of the Bhagavad Gita, just because he's intrigued by the mythology, even though he knows he won't believe it. I've got everything from the Book of Mormon to the Satanic Bible in my house, and I don't believe any of 'em, but it doesn't mean they're not interesting.

We're all adults (hell, most of us are pretty old already) and we live in America... we've been exposed to all that stuff, nobody needs your Billy Graham act.

 Not sure why that is so upsetting to you?

Your obnoxiousness, and your presumption that we're a flock of sheep you need to lecture, is what's annoying. Look around you -- nobody here's wanting to be like you. If anything, you're an advertisement against Christians. Like I said, you really have no idea who you are. Unless, as I think, you're actually a parody... then you know and you're playing to that. And if so you've probably got more contempt for Christians than anyone you're dealing with.

 The words are not my words.  I'm a Christian.  It's what I do.  It's part of what being a Christian is about ...

Oh, like hell it is. If the Bible Belt has a buckle, I live on it. I have been around Christians my entire life, and few of them act as obnoxiously as you do. There are some who go around proselytizing, yeah, but they tend to make even other Christians uncomfortable. I used to work at a black gospel radio station, helping church groups run live shows on Sunday mornings, and none of the people I worked with were as obnoxious as you are. They were all pretty nice, actually, and there wasn't a one of 'em I disliked. While you are pretty much insufferable.

Don't try to put your behavior off on "being a Christian." That's horseshit. You do what you do. That's on you. Dave down the street who goes to church every Sunday and Wednesday and prays every night and never pesters anybody else about it doesn't deserve to have you trying to excuse your behavior with "that's what being a Christian is about." No, it's not. You don't represent most Christians I know any more than Mohammad Atta represents most Muslims.

and I could point you to scripture on that if you were really interested.

Oblivious to the last, aren't ya? "I'm not overbearing and obnoxious... and here, I'll do some more of my overbearing obnoxious behavior to prove it!" Ye godz.

What you do with the information is up to you.

I could tell you what to do with it...

And yes, you do seem very angry at anything Christian.

You are mistaking the reaction you are getting for "anything Christian." Bring me a Christian who's a good and decent person, and you'll see a much different reaction from me. I still won't believe what they believe, but I'll assume they practice it because of good intentions. And I respect much of the philosophy, even if I don't believe in the godhead. Like I said, I worked at a gospel radio station and liked everybody there very much. And after my dad died my mom married a guy who used to be a minister -- he's a great guy (although you might not like him because he's not a big fan of right-wingers). Wouldn't change a thing about him, 'cuz what he believes is working for him, and he doesn't try to change me, either. I am far from angry at "anything Christian." I'm not angry at "anything Muslim," either, although I'm for killing terrorists. Any religion has a subset of radicalized assholes, and there's no reason to like those individuals. But, for the most part, most believers have good intentions and are just trying to find something to help them get through their day. I don't fault anybody for that and I hope it works for them.

You, unfortunately for us, and yourself, aren't one of those. You're somebody who thinks pretty frickin' highly of yourself (with no justification that I can detect) and presumes you're in a position to lecture the rest of us, because you seem to think we need your instruction. We don't.

You're wrong on politics, to the point of appearing imbecilic and downright bovine in your zeal to be led to slaughter. You're wrong in your approach to religion, to the point that you drive people away. You're just... a terrible person, really. You should think about that. I mean, if you're really so nice and all, why are you getting the reaction you get?

Like someone once told me, "You don't have to explain yourself to me. I just suggest you ask yourself."

 I was just wondering why that is?  If you had some bad experience or something?

Yeah, I'm having one right now.

Of course I've had bad experiences with Christians. I live in Mississippi, it's pretty impossible not to. Even the Christians at work are constantly griping about how miserable they are because some sanctimonious "friends" of theirs are shunning them on Facebook for not putting up enough Bible verses or whatever. They drop by my desk and subject me to their sob stories all day. One of my co-workers is churchy as you can get and is constantly unhappy because her radicalized brother and his friends (who "home-church" because they can't find a local church that's crazy enough for 'em) are judging her for something or other. He's mad at her because she loves animals and joined the ASPCA, which, for some lunatic reason, he thinks is an organization that wants to "take away his guns." I kid you not. He got all his friends to unfriend her on Facebook for posting ASPCA things, which they found wanting. I mean, when your religion puts you in opposition to preventing cruelty to animals, then ya done fucked up somewhere, budreaux. But, that's where we are.

So, bad experiences? Yeah. I got knives pulled on me a couple times in high school from Southern Baptists who didn't like it that I didn't go to church. One of 'em I scared off by talking, the other I had to hurt a little bit, but I don't hold that against all Christians, because they aren't the only examples. Most believers are well-meaning and have good intentions.

Like I said, you -- or the character you're playing, anyway -- just don't happen to be one of 'em.

But you don't have to explain yourself to me.  I just suggest you ask yourself.

And there you go again, judging and then thinking you're in a position to "suggest" how I can improve myself and be more like you.

It's silly, really. You're a parody. I mean, even the name you've chosen, it's pretty obvious. What kind of person defines themselves by their political belief and wants that to be the first thing you know about 'em? Either a cultist who wants no identity but the group they belong to, or somebody who wants to make sure they're taken as a satire of the thing they're pretending to represent. It's ham-handed. Not to mention ham-headed.

It's fun enough, I love a chance to rail at a cliche, but, c'mon. You're laying the shtick on pretty thick, aren't ya?

Oh, my Lord!  Holy Smokes!. Jeeezus Christ!  (no pun intended ... okay, I just lied about that   )

Seriously, folks?   No wonder I quit coming here so much anymore.

EmeraldGhost wrote:Never argue with a "true believer" .... that's my rule!   It's pointless and usually you just further entrench whatever their beliefs are.

So ya'll are really gonna sit here and argue theology with a "true believer"  evangelical?   What a waste of time and energy!  What is this now? ... some kind of apologetics debate forum?    

Doncha know she's got all the cherry-picked answers right there in her buy-bull book?  What are ya'll thinking?   You're gonna change her mind or something?   And esp you 'Oatie' ... I'd think you'd have better sense than to waste your time trading bible verses with our new Church Lady.  And the personal attacks?  Don't ya'll know you're just further entrenching all those religious ideas and persecution complex she's got in her head?

Oh, well, as the young girls like to say  .... " whateva! "  Ya'll have fun with it.

And just for our very own Sister Christian ... I have a little ditty for ya from one of my very own prophets ...  Billy Joel!  (and don't forget to say a prayer for me!   )

EmeraldGhost wrote:
Oh, well, as the young girls like to say  .... " whateva!

Maybe that's what they said to you, Pop. Only thing I ever heard 'em say was

I do not care what a person believes, but Matthew 6 tells us all these people with all the answers which have to go through them to be a Christian....well guess what....I have a direct line, and I do not need people of limited intellect telling me what the bible says. I find it analogous to a person bringing a car into the mechanic to repair something, and a person opens the car's manual and declares that the problem is the set screw on the brake lens. Now the mechanic would tell a fellow mechanic to just leave......like get the F out of here you F'ing moron.....but when somebody who claims to be a Christian starts cutting and pasting the equivalent to the set screw, I must say it would be hypocritical for me to tell someone the truth.......so you normally just smile and shake your head in vague complicity in the fantasy and interpretation of that person, but on a forum.....when it is repeated to draw attention to some one......well I will tread lightly for a while because a person could be sincere, but just not that smart.

EmeraldGhost wrote:

So ya'll are really gonna sit here and argue theology with a "true believer"  evangelical?   What a waste of time and energy!  What is this now? ... some kind of apologetics debate forum?    

Ah, now, I just like target shooting... and a target presented itself. It's all fun. I don't even think "she's" legit. Hell, half the time I wonder if she's not you.

I know it's a waste of time, but, what the hell, it's practice. If it bored me I'd just dismiss it.

It's play. "The world will little note nor long remember what we say here."