Where are all of God's true people?
Posted by:
Jodes
()
Date: August 21, 2003 01:43PM
I am very disillusioned about church now because the people that I thought were my friends turned out to be wolves in sheeps clothing. I am trying so hard not to be bitter and angry. I try to imagine that they really do not see how they are treating others and they are trying to remove planks from others eyes and not their own. When I first became a Christian, I was encouraged to not have ungodly friends and even limit my time with family if they weren't "saved", I was told that they just don't understand. I was truely loving these church people and loving God and now I am very alone and can't find a good place to worship. I question all that I know because so much of it was passed on to me through others by their convictions and me going by "faith" and trying to submit to leadership got me in a place that I feel I will never come out of. Is God so real, does He love me enough that He would not let me jump from one fire into another? I need my God to save me!
Where are all of God's true people?
Posted by:
VTHokie
()
Date: August 21, 2003 07:58PM
Try visiting different churches, even ones you would never think to attend. Enter each one with an open mind. Sometimes we carry predjudices from one church to another, thinking they will be the same.
I am familiar with most churches in the area. Some I don't like that much. They are either too centered on non-church related stuff (politics) or they are run by despots. Some are too wishy-washy and some are too dogmatic. But most are just good people gathering together to worship God. I'm a member of a Methodist church, something I said I would never do because I grew up a Presbyterian. But I really like the people at the church.
I am familiar with most churches in the area. Some I don't like that much. They are either too centered on non-church related stuff (politics) or they are run by despots. Some are too wishy-washy and some are too dogmatic. But most are just good people gathering together to worship God. I'm a member of a Methodist church, something I said I would never do because I grew up a Presbyterian. But I really like the people at the church.
Where are all of God's true people?
Posted by:
richardmgreen
()
Date: August 24, 2003 07:20AM
Personally, I ditched the follower label and decided to formulate my own religion based on what I consider to be the truth. I believe the real God has yet to be actually revealed.
Where are all of God's true people?
Posted by:
VTHokie
()
Date: August 26, 2003 07:57PM
The problem with "finding God" is that you never know what you have found. When all you have is a nail, everything becomes a hammer.
Where are all of God's true people?
Posted by:
richardmgreen
()
Date: August 26, 2003 09:16PM
I think God can be found by examining the way the world works.Quote
VTHokie
The problem with "finding God" is that you never know what you have found. When all you have is a nail, everything becomes a hammer.
The failure of most religions is that they talk about a god who defies nature rather than a God who defines nature.
Where are all of God's true people?
Posted by:
VTHokie
()
Date: August 27, 2003 09:33PM
Yes but you are examining God by looking at a small subset of what He made. God is not in the oak tree anymore than I am in the model airplane I made in 6th grade. Man is a better example because man was made in God's image. Most creatures on Earth generally act the same but only one built an MRI machine.
I remember reading a book or article that stated that man, from an anthropological basis, came into being "suddenly". Their theory was that man was a space traveler. The Bible uses the Garden of Eden. But both recognize that man is special and separate from the other creatures. That's a good beginning IMHO
I remember reading a book or article that stated that man, from an anthropological basis, came into being "suddenly". Their theory was that man was a space traveler. The Bible uses the Garden of Eden. But both recognize that man is special and separate from the other creatures. That's a good beginning IMHO
Where are all of God's true people?
Posted by:
richardmgreen
()
Date: August 28, 2003 06:52AM
Quote
VTHokie
Yes but you are examining God by looking at a small subset of what He made. God is not in the oak tree anymore than I am in the model airplane I made in 6th grade.
(RMG's reply:But the laws of how the tree lives and how it fits in to the rest of the world will give insight into God. There is a spark of God in everything.)
Man is a better example because man was made in God's image.
(RMG's reply: Considering man's inhumanity to man many times, I prefer to believe that man isn't living up to his Godlike potential.)
Most creatures on Earth generally act the same but only one built an MRI machine.
(RMG's reply:Recently, they're implanted monkeys with computer chips and the monkeys played video games. See Popular Science over the last 4 months or so. Real big things are in store).
I remember reading a book or article that stated that man, from an anthropological basis, came into being "suddenly". Their theory was that man was a space traveler. The Bible uses the Garden of Eden. But both recognize that man is special and separate from the other creatures. That's a good beginning IMHO
(RMG's reply:I believe that genetic experiments will cause mutated animals with human like thought and abilities.)
Where are all of God's true people?
Posted by:
VTHokie
()
Date: August 28, 2003 07:57PM
Yes but the animals will not be able to implant the chips themselves. Only man can do that. The only reason a monkey can play a video game is because man taught them (and made the video game).
Man's "inhumanity" is proof of man's fallen nature. We resort to our animalistic roots so to speak. It's also weighed by man's ability to love each other and act with grace.
We tend to think of God as a celestial old geezer sitting in a floating version of Atlantic City loving us all day long. A fat Mr Rogers so to speak. I'm guessing it doesn't work that way. For all we know, he could be sitting by the door with a rolling pin. We don't know. But if you look at the best in people, I beleive you get a glimpse of God.
Man's "inhumanity" is proof of man's fallen nature. We resort to our animalistic roots so to speak. It's also weighed by man's ability to love each other and act with grace.
We tend to think of God as a celestial old geezer sitting in a floating version of Atlantic City loving us all day long. A fat Mr Rogers so to speak. I'm guessing it doesn't work that way. For all we know, he could be sitting by the door with a rolling pin. We don't know. But if you look at the best in people, I beleive you get a glimpse of God.
Where are all of God's true people?
Posted by:
LET31257
()
Date: August 29, 2003 12:51AM
I also got myself in trouble following the church leadership. I realized that what they believe and how they treated me are a reflection of their own convictions or the pastor's. What is important is to develop my own views concerning God and try to sort things out for myself instead of playing "follow the leader". I really believe my former church think they were being very "Christ-like" in how they treated me. If only they could see things from a different point of view. I ended up ditching most of what I was taught and starting over. Church had become a burden instead of a joy. Talking to only Christians, as defined by the church, limited my personal growth. I guess the hardest part of recovering has been dealing with all the scripture and damning comments they threw at me. There is an element of truth in what they say, but taken as a whole their purpose was to bring me back into subjection to them. They more resembled proud Pharasees than Christians. You will come out, It happened for me. This takes time. I frequently had flashbacks and moments of discouragement, but they faded as time went on and I understood things more clearly.
Larry
Larry
Where are all of God's true people?
Posted by:
richardmgreen
()
Date: August 29, 2003 04:52AM
Quote
VTHokie
Yes but the animals will not be able to implant the chips themselves. Only man can do that. The only reason a monkey can play a video game is because man taught them (and made the video game).
(We'll see how long it'll be until the monkeys evolve, I'm sure we'll be able to invent mondeys with 5.0 gig). Yes, man is doing the operations but man didn't get here by himself either.
We are partnering with God by engaging in scientific endeavors.
Man's "inhumanity" is proof of man's fallen nature. We resort to our animalistic roots so to speak. It's also weighed by man's ability to love each other and act with grace.
(Man's fallen nature or man's true nature? Man is a wanting animal. That is, I believe if he doesn't attach himself to the divine.
And I believe no religion has yet been adopted that fully does that.)
We tend to think of God as a celestial old geezer sitting in a floating version of Atlantic City loving us all day long.
(RMG's reply: I don't. The world is a turbulent, violent place many times and God is the author of all of this pain and misery as well as the good. The Devil is merely a subcontractor).
A fat Mr Rogers so to speak. I'm guessing it doesn't work that way. For all we know, he could be sitting by the door with a rolling pin. We don't know. But if you look at the best in people, I beleive you get a glimpse of God.
(RMG's reply: Seems to me that God shows you the face that you give him. Karma.)
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