Christian tropers, join together!

Also, I don't mean to sound like I'm trying to promote bullying, but I really do think that there's something wrong with this person, either mentally or spiritually.

@Smokey Well good luck, yeah I think you just go and maybe have contact information and talk about getting in an adult Catechism class but I've never had to convert and we have one Catholic Church in town so usually you just became a part of it by being an already baptized Catholic and going. So I don't know I'm a Cradle Catholic is what I'm saying.

Undigested Knowledge.

Because they believe in something that scares/saddens them? Been there, done that.

The belief that God hates you might be not be very pleasant to have, but I fail to see why it's less valid than any other unproven beliefs based on personal spiritual experiences.

At least this person can't be accused of wishful thinking.

Yeah, but I've never seen someone that allows their depression to affect their faith to such a degree that they think that God hates them, specifically, and refuses to hear anything different whether from other people or from the Bible.

Just like I've never seen whatever yutz I came across a few months ago saying that Jesuits were responsible for the death of Frederick III and that the United States was actually supposed to be the new Jewish homeland and Israel was a collaboration between the Pope and...HITLER.

@dRoy: I'm a very lapsed Catholic, as I've said here previously (and on the Filum Romanum thread), so, kudos for your dedication. Have a good Lent.

@Actual ash on one's forehead on Ash Wednesday: Interestingly enough, I've never had to do that (and I thinky my parents never had to do that as well, and my father is fairly devout and dedicated).

How do you know that it's their depression that's causing these beliefs, rather than the other way around?

To be fair, I personally believe that you're probably right about that. But if we replace "depression" with "wishful thinking", "fear of death" or some other thing that would be more appropriate, couldn't the same be said for any faith?

I realize that I'm sort of arguing just for the sake of it at this point, but what I'm trying to get across here is that from my point of view, one unproven belief is no different from the next, which makes all attempts to criticize one while defending another come off as kind of hypocritical.

ffs, this is the one place outside of church I thought I could just be a Christian without having to worry about pointless religious debates. Can't we just agree to disagree and move on?

I agree that this isn't the place to get into a argument about religion.

Also, who else is a Methodist Christian?

I used to be, but then my family moved to a Baptist church.

I was like 4 when it happened and barely remember anything about it (I remember I think a Nativity play and then a "kid's talk" thing where we talked about the parable of the two men that built their houses on sand and rock) so no big loss.

Is it okay if I recommend theologyweb.com as a great place to have religious discussions/debates? So, has anyone noticed the use of sarcasm in the Bible? Like God saying that the Israelites have wearied Him with their sins?

I've heard it said that God was only fooling with Adam and Eve when he claimed he didn't know where they were when they were hiding from him in the Garden.

Alright then, I won't bother you any more. I extend my sympathies towards any future members who won't be deemed "Christian enough" by some of you.

Goodbye.

No one said you weren't Christian enough. People just wanted this thread to be a place where we could talk about our religion without it turning into big debates.

And I didn't say that the guy I linked to wasn't Christian, I was just confused as to how he was so sure that God "hated" him.

Yes, sometimes big debates aren't wanted in some threads.

The incident with Adam and Eve reminds me of a parent trying to get their kids to admit to wrongdoing themselves rather than jump immediately to the punishment stage. Like:

Dad: Does anyone know why this lamp is broken?

Jonny: It was Susie's fault! She decided to play ball! And your fault for having another kid!

Susie! It was the dog's fault! He wanted to play ball!

Another example would be when one of the Apostles (I forget who exactly) had that "contest" between Baal and God and made quips like Baal being on vacation or in the bathroom or otherwise being too busy to light their altar.

Thank you. Smokeycut gets it.

Look, this being the internet, Christians get mocked, laughed, and sneered at enough already (and don't even front like they don't, you know full well they do). When I remembered this thread, I thought I could maybe have a place where I won't have to worry about that happening. Can't I have that? Can't I just have this one bloody place where I can talk about Christianity without fear of people turning up their nose and scoffing at me? Not if Corvidae has anything to say about it, I guess.

Maybe it's my fault for getting my hopes up. I should've known I'd be disappointed sooner or later.

edited 12th Feb '16 12:09:12 PM by PhysicalStamina

Elijah was a prophet, not an Apostle. Accuracy nitpick aside, that was a great scene. On another thought... what do you guys think of this? I have jokingly wondered how the second coming of Jesus could be mistaken for an alien invasion... even though it's more Return Of The King.

On the Benevolent Alien Invasion page, "Some religious groups interpret the references to "kingdom of God" or "kingdom of the heavens" or "kingdom that will not be brought to ruin" in The Bible this way. Beings from the heavens recognize that man cannot rule man, so they come to Earth, start a world war that ends up wiping out existing governments and corrupt religious organizations, set up a new government, bring dead people back to life, and help humankind to clean up the earth over the next millennium. Some even see Signs of the End Times in the events of the past century"

edited 12th Feb '16 12:48:25 PM by bookworm6390

Heh, sort of, I guess.

What would everyone's reactions be if Jesus showed up in the next week?

I'd probably ask Him around a billion questions about various verses.

I'd ask him "Can you give your birthplace a hand, please?"

And...maybe hug him xD

edited 12th Feb '16 2:20:51 PM by theLibrarian

I would want to ask a trillion questions about everything. Like, what was occurring on a microscopic scale when the miracles were performed.