If you spend time in the Religion and Beliefs forum you know that there is a lot of disagreement, warring and strategic verbal combat. The Christians vs the atheists.....
As an adamant believer in Jesus Christ, I just want to apologize to all of the people who have ever been mislead, hurt, confused or abandoned by any believer at any time in their life. If we couldn't answer your questions, I apologize.If we ran you away from Jesus with legalism, I apologize.
If we made you feel isolated, rejected, and unloved, I apologize. The Bible says that we are to bear one another burdens, and so we shall.
We love you, but because we are human with human failings, we may not always successfully convey our message of love in the best way. We have to talk about right and wrong for that is the nature of our belief. We have to defend the faith for that is our assignment. We have to correct error for that is our mandate. And, so, we proceed.....hoping that we do not cause any pain along the way.
Certainly, our heated discussions in the forums will continue, but, we truly do not want to leave anyone scarred.....
But - you do cause pain. No matter how many times we tell you - you still do the same things.
This is - I must admit - an "odd" definition of the word "love" and one of the many, many reasons I do not believe the hatred you spread. Sorry.
Kristian Love. Tough, "I know better than you," love.
You can keep that sort of love sweetie pie.
Tantrum now I know that your belief is your belief and you do have a right to post in any thread that you wish to post in however be nice about it
It is Tantrum or anyone's right to post in any thread without your supercilious permission.
And it is not necessary for anyone to be nice about it.
Religion is a slimy mess of nonsense that is more harmful to the health of the world than drugs of all kinds. It is our right, even our duty to post on here to put the counter view; especially as the forums seem to be flooded with prosyletising preachers at the moment.
Atheism and militant secularism are a slimy mess of nonsense that are more harmful to the health of the world than drugs of all kinds. It is our right, even our duty to post on here to put the counter view; especially as the forums seem to be flooded with self-obessed, nihilistic narcissists at the moment.
Always the one for words, Sab Oh. I gotta hand it to ya, friend. I like your fighting spirit.
mark dont know GOD,and if he fills pain its only because he cant run all of GODS people into the ocean,its got nothing to do with our words!!!
Can you try to make the spelling readable please? I know you don't read anything but the bible, but even the bible spells well enough to read the hate.
Mark,
This is the first time that you have called me a nice name....Thanks
A very kind and diplomatic post. However, I hope that you don't think that people are atheists because of bad experiences they had with believers. That is hardly the case with the vast majority of atheists.
Thanks for that, I just wrote it that way because the majority of atheists that I have just encountered here at the Hub profess their atheism is a result of a negative experience with Christians.....
Yeah, in some of the deeper or rather more revealing posts this has been the case....that is the reason for the apology....can you imagine, people so hurt that they renounce Jesus.....that ought not be, but it is.
It is your mandate that scars mankind, stop your mandate and you will stop the scarring.
It's no wonder there are so many wars caused by religion. Can't you see the danger in your dogmatic thinking?
Nope.....I just sound like someone who has convictions.....
I don't think there is anymore danger in my dogmatic thinking than there is in your dogmatic thinking...
Then, you will continue to scar mankind and we will never have peace, we will always be forced to live in a world of hatred and fear.
You can't scarred me ,even if you try hard !
So the 'drama' continues !
GOD !
Hell tantrum if you are not beleiving God then why you are taking part in this section and saying drama to all.
I think you are doing drama of not believing of God, in fact actually you love so much too God and you want to know him or talk him
I will post in any thread I like as this is a free forum. If you don't like what I say don't read me LOL!
and about me wanting to talk to God.... GET REAL !
Yes, just that: hell.
I think you said it all.
Always the same 'love'
No wonder some philosophers say love & hate are not far apart !
Leslie, this is a most humble post from a believer's heart. I understand where you're coming from and believe your heart is sincere, though, as you can see, it leaves you wide open for attack from the opposing 'non-belief'. I believe they see it as another act of trying to convey your belief onto others by stirring sympathy. That's my interpretation. It's not a RIGHT or WRONG post. It's just something that would open the door to more of the same warring.
Well, it seems you people like it that much ! Always coming back for more
People overly convinced at how clever and adorable they are, are absolutely nauseating.
Sab Oh
I agree entirely self-deception is an awful thing....
I would suggest you read your own posts. You are both experts in this field.
Maybe some, but not all...but I do hear ya!
Tantrum,
Some of us were born for war...
The OP IS a post of defiance, it IS a call to war, or didn't you get that?
Nullus <----- The name of the Atheist a God. (from the glossary of latin terms)
Nullus is offended anytime anyone mentions God... It is the Atheists duty to defend Nullus by proclaiming that there is no God thing.
Nullus must really get upset with me and this forum..... I hope he can get over it
You'll have to ask the Atheists, Nullus only speaks with Nullus' faithful followers, of which I am not one. ( I'm not sure Nullus is a he?)
EDIT: I do understand that one of the ways Nullus communicates with the Atheists is by sending them into a powerful anger/rage anytime anyone insults or does anything Nullus finds offensive. Causing Nullus' Followers to insult and demean the person that so offended Nullus. So if you have a bunch of Atheists mad at you it is probably pretty certain you have angered Nullus in some way.
Well, that being the case, I'll just put Nullus in the same box as other man-made powerless gods.
anything we post gets that kind of reaction,so post what you wont and dont worry what the hate mongers say!!!nice job leslie
Thanks Davidsonofjesie........
Hey, I just got your name.....how cool!!!
Thanks donotfear, I appreciate you.....
I hear what you're saying, and I think that those that have an ear will hear and the others will scoff...it's all good because if one heart is touched than it is worth the drama
Unfortunately, it feels very patronising when you say that you have a mandate to correct our errors. I do not think that I am in error because I do not choose to follow an organised religion. I have my own thoughts and beliefs, but I do not feel that I have been given a mandate to start imposing them on other people.
You also cannot apologise for other people, unless they have agreed to it beforehand. Stop worrying about our errors and what you perceive to be lack of beliefs and get on with living your own life (much more productive for you)
I believe that 'patronizing' is the key word here. Although the outward intent may not be to browbeat a belief system onto others, it can be perceived as a form of subliminal 'shaming and blaming'.
donotfrear,
Thanks again, but I really can't help the subliminal or overt perception of others, I just have to believe that those who can receive it will. Appreciate your comments as always.
CMHypono
If I told you that I was sorry that you continue to eat an abundance of sugar or because you choose to continue in an unhealthy eating habit, would you consider it patronizing?.
I have experienced lies and deceit first-hand I am not angry I have learned that you cannot trust everyone who calls themselves Christian, but what you can do is keep yourself right if you are a believer of God that is all that matters and forgive the ones who are lost.
As an atheist I deal with isolation, rejection, and love by forming those connections with other people, not God, it seems to work out okay.
Time for some more biblical love from the one true god!
(The Lord saves Sampson from standing trial for 30 murders and arson by allowing him to kill 1000 more men.) When he reached Lehi, and the Philistines came shouting to meet him, the spirit of the Lord came upon him: the ropes around his arms become as flax that is consumed by fire and the bonds melted away from his hands. Near him was the fresh jawbone of an ass; he reached out, grasped it, and with it killed a thousand men. (Judges 15:14-15 NAB)
Oh the love just drips from every word!
Wasn't there a justification for this massacre?
Is there also justification for killing homosexuals, non believers, women who are raped being forced to marry their rapist etc.
I could make a list up for you if you like, but it would include you and every other human animal and life form.
How terrible! And after all the love handed out in the bible it must shock you to the core!
When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are about to enter and occupy, he will clear away many nations ahead of you: the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. These seven nations are all more powerful than you. When the LORD your God hands these nations over to you and you conquer them, you must completely destroy them. Make no treaties with them and show them no mercy. Do not intermarry with them, and don't let your daughters and sons marry their sons and daughters. They will lead your young people away from me to worship other gods. Then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and he will destroy you. (Deuteronomy 7:1-4 NLT)
If this is what the old man was like......
What would you like to know?
They are a forgotten people who had their children removed to "proper christian homes" where they were raped, tortured and used as slaves.
Our Prime Minister has just apologised to them for it.
You still here? I mean if you are do you have a minute?
I thought you were gone. I actually opened myself up for a bunch of heat. It's a hub I redid, and you are the resident Bible expert.
Would you like me to look at it? You do realise my views, so I guess your up for it.
Yeah I started a thread in extreme hub makeover and yes I am up for it, that's why I came to you.
Faybe I think the hub is fine, and an interesting view of the subject you have chosen. I see no problem with the content, it is accurate enough.
I would suggest you load the adwords keyword tool and hunt down one hot keyword for the front end that will work with your hub then build other keywords in under it.
https://adwords.google.co.uk/select/KeywordToolExternal
I would also use this nifty tool to check your keyword density as it is one of only a few tools that will penetrate hubpages to your hub.
http://www.articleunderground.com/webma … -tool.html
You could look at changing the url and cutting and pasting the whole thing to it. (It will keep the capsules and formatting)
Maybe give the reader a little less slack, and drive it home with a few less words and short capsules. (again just cut the bottom off the long capsule and put in a another capsule under the long ones and cut/paste into them. You will need to keep your key-wording tight and very relative to contents. Any thing I have missed just give me a holler!
Afterthought. You may also want to rewrite the summary text that google takes off the first capsule to keyword nice and tight, as it is hard to get that right when you are writing on subjects like this.
I hope this helps, if not you may need one of the wiz kids here.
Thanks, I tried the Keyword thing at the beginning, but that was four weeks ago, and I didn't know how to use it. I was looking at how long the capsules were and cut a couple down. Thanks I will work on it more, and then it will be new, sort of, and maybe catch some views after all.
Cool. Sorry if it sounded like I was telling you how to suck eggs, but I did not know how much you knew, so erred on the low side.
Wow that underground thing is incredible. It showed up stuff I never heard of! I might have to bookmark and go over it with someone who knows a little bit more than me.
It is good isn't it? Check each field it puts up, change the wording, run the tool till relevancy hits 100%
Yeah i don't know but you might be getting a residual check from me one day. I can work with that kind of information. I am in awe.
Very pleased Faybe, no need for the cheque though! Money does not motivate me at all these days!
Not what you wanted to hear?
That's OK, I never expect to be answered when it does not suit the agenda.
I think I'll let a piece of one of my novels (which I haven't completed yet) help express me view:
____________________
"You need to get yourself back to the infirmary," Marcus said. It was more a hope than it was a request. He had already witness the man locking them into the room, so it was obvious he had no intention of leaving anytime soon.
From inside a drawer in the desk, Robert pulled out a bottle of brandy. He gulped it half down and wiped the residue from his lips. "You know what, Marcus? I've been sick nearly all my damn life, but I've never let it stop me from doing my work. At least, not until yesterday."
Robert's road to madness had become sidetracked by self-pity. By playing along, Marcus hoped he could somehow convince the man that returning to the infirmary was in his best interest. "Do you think it's the gas from the day before?"
"If it was, why hasn't it affected you?"
"I don't know." A better response might have led Robert to believe it had, but there was no time for backtracking now.
Robert let his head fall back "It's not the gas. It's just that cruel bastard God taking another swipe at me. Trust me, Marcus; he doesn't love us all the same."
"If you hate him so much, why believe in him?" An avid believer himself, Robert's statement went against everything Marcus knew.
Robert took another chug out of the bottle. "To hate something that doesn't exist makes you insane, and I'm anything but insane." Marcus could beg to differ, but he remained silent, willing to listen to the conversation to see where it was headed.
Gesturing to the sky with his bottle, Robert continued on with his philosophy. "You need to believe in something before you can detest it. Trust me, Marcus, I'm the strongest believer there ever was." Marcus nodded as Robert sat the bottle on the desk between them and stared at the label. "You see, God crippled me at birth before I ever had a chance to do him wrong. As if that wasn't enough, he compromised my immune system, making me the perfect host for every hungry virus on this planet. He did me in good, before I ever grew old enough to spit in his eye and question his judgment."
Marcus let out a sigh. As much as he wanted to argue with Robert's logic, there was no changing a philosophy instilled at birth. The best he could do was change the topic. "So, what would you like me to do next?"
Confusion passed over Robert's face. "You're still onboard after all that? Either you're highly dedicated, or you're a complete idiot."
____________________
And the moral is ... to hate God you must believe and those that hate God the most believe the strongest ... but in a negative way. Atheists (by definition) don't believe in God, so atheists can't hate God nor can they believe God exists.
Asking an atheists to believe in God is like asking someone to believe there are Martians on Mars. While you may think you can drum up belief through words, you can't, as an atheist isn't seeking something to believe in.
An agnostic, on the other hand, is fair game as they do at least acknowledge God exists, but they share an anger, disappointment, or uncertainty with God, which is why they chose not to completely believe.
If you want to make atheists into believers the process is actually extremely simple ... Figure out how to make a staunch christian totally abandon their faith and then reverse the process.
And this is the interesting part ... Staunch Christians see themselves as on a mission to prove God to others and cannot understand how one can't believe ... whereas atheists see themselves on a mission to disprove God and cannot understand why one chooses to believe. As such, they are polar opposites. That's why they can never be made to agree on religion.
My view? Many Christians see it as their duty to deliver a thousand non-believers to heaven, when in fact, it is only their job to deliver a single believer ... themselves.
For those who believe ... it's written in the Bible that you cannot buy your way into heaven, and yet, I believe many Christians think they can by offering up the souls of non-believers.
And Christians get upset when they are ridiculed for their beliefs, but do they once consider how they ridicule non-believers when they choose not to believe?
My thoughts? Don't waste your energy trying to convert non-believers ... spend it wisely bolstering your own beliefs.
And know this ... many different religions exists, with many exclaiming to be 'the only one' that is guaranteed to 'deliver your soul'. Being that the case, only one can be right. So I ask you ... why would any supreme being allow so many of his followers to choose a religion that would lead down the wrong path, insuring that many would perish in Hell in God's name?
Or perhaps it's much simpler than we all care to believe. We could simply exist while we are alive and we have been led to believe in a supreme being to help us create order in our chaotic world.
It makes sense, as we all fear dying and believing in something afterwords gives us comfort. But if we knew there was no second chance, might some of us try a little bit harder to get it right the one and only chance they get?
Religion isn't all bad. It does teach us important values ... be nice to one another, don't lie, don't steal, don't commit murder ... However, when religion is used as a barometer to judge the worthiness of another individual then it has exceeded the boundaries of its intent.
And if you find that statement to be false, allow me to provide a list of the many famous (or perhaps infamous) men and women of God who have been involved in major scandals.
Belief is a lie when you command others to walk in shoes you haven't worn for yourself and belief is a lie when you use it to vilify others for not believing the same.
And for those few religious folk who are reading this post and fuming about it, saying how it's another atheist trying to control you ... I ask that you consider this ...
No atheist tells you not to talk about God and no atheist tells you not to believe in God. What an atheist DOES say is not to use your religion to pass judgment on others and not to try to convert those who do not wish to be converted.
And above all, atheists are offended when Christians place themselves on a pedestal and look down upon others ... and yet ... there are thousands of people that came together to assist those in need in Haiti ... Christians, Agnostics, and Atheists alike.
Belief does not make one great ... living your own life up to the expectations of your faith is what makes one great. In fact, true faith is silent, as it has nothing to prove. If you truly believe then you see no need to convert others as you made a path for yourself and are determined to follow it - and thus, you see no need to tug others into following along as you already know the road is safe to follow.
There is no need for peace between Christians and Atheists. What's really needed is for Christians to recognize the fact that Atheists aren't broken.
There's always another one, isn't there? Someone setting themselves up as a judge of other people's lives is nothing new here, nor anywhere else,for that matter.
What makes these people tick? How did they ever become so vain as to think THEY could decide what everyone else should do and think? But we've known folks like this all of our lives, haven't we? There is nothing about them I can envy at all.
by Claire Evans 6 years ago
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OMG! (the "G" stands for Gawd, not God) - what is with these athiests?I am not a youngster. And I am not a believer. But I am envious of the serenity true believers appear to find in their life.Now... don't try to proselytize to me, and don't try to prove your faith is the only truth. It...
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by cjhunsinger 8 years ago
As so many believe that America was founded on the principles of Judaism and Christianity and they are, most certainly, wrong, too, it is said that a Believer is one who believes in unproven supernatural deities. This, I find to be a complete misrepresentation and misuse of the word, belief....
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