Christians anonymous

[Morpheus]

Greetings Morpheus:

Merry do we meet and well met we are (indeed).

You misunderstand me--my issue was with the blatant removal of Alms from the Liturgy--meaning that our responsibility to the needy was to be ignored and all monies would be used for Oblations.

IMO--there is never any arguement that would excuse our obligation to those who are in need.

Peace and Love on the path of your choice...

Blessed be...

Ok, then, excuse me if Iam in error, but again, why would you object to funding for a Christian School?

Jesus also stated that the needy we will always have with us.

Did they point you out, and humiliate you in some manner because you didn't give, or give enough?

If not then, ?

As well, most people do not know that Paul is an early Near Death Experiencer, and shares his Experience, which occurred after being dragged from a city and stoned to death for his, "Heresy", by Jewish leaders.
Eventually after suffering through his travels for the sake of the Good News,
he was martyred.
Curious why some people are, "anti - Paulean".

LadyTerra, I can completely understand why you wouldn't want them to take from the poor to fund a school. It really should be kept separate, so people don't think they're donating money to the poor when really its going to something else. ((hugs))

Merry do we meet and well met we are (indeed).

To me the very name by which the Religion is called (Christianity) implies that we should live our lives as Christ did--by reaching out to our neighbors and doing whatever we possibly can--ever keeping in mind that it is each individual's right to choose.

What our neighbor (Morpheus) is unable to comprehend is that I did not attempt to change the hearts of the people in that Church. I simply accepted that that was their chosen path and mine lay in another direction.

I am solely responsible for the choices that I make and ultimately answerable for the actions that I take and I choose to put the needs of others ahead of my own ambition. I share and counsel (freely) with no remuneration--or thought for my own advancement and give of what I have--as long as it does not interfere with the Spiritual advancement of another.

"Feed a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish and he is fed for a lifetime." His words ring true on so many levels and He is still dear to my heart and one of my most beloved Teachers to this day--eventhough I no longer ascribe to the modern (mainstream) concept of what His "Word" has become.

I liken it unto "The Grapevine Effect"--people will (always) take what they learn and hear and make it their own--it is my belief that Christianity (today) is very far removed from the original teachings of Christ--and so I must continue to follow where my conscience leads and do what I feel is "meet and right so to do".

Peace and Love on the path of your choice...

Blessed be...

[Emvee]

For the first time today I told my mom that I didn't want to go to church. I'm glad that I was brave enough to have the courage to say no but I can tell that my mom is angry at me. I'm old enough to make my decisions, I'm 19 but apparently her & the people from my church think that I'm still a foolish child that will regret her decision.

I don't understand why they can't respect my own decisions & accept the fact that I have different beliefs than them. I don't understand why they must feel all superior, just because they get all dolled up every sunday sitting at church. They are born again christians, I respect their decisions, they have the right to beleive what they want to believe. But why must they always have to control me, putting on guilt trips & making me feel bad for the decisions I have made? Sorry I'm just ranting away, I just can't take this anymore.

[charly233]

I escaped from Fundamentalism many years ago and it still makes me shiver to be told that I am a sinner and that I am destined to hell fire. Recently I was told I was heading to hell by some of the Fundies in this religion chat room on the net. My first crime was stating that in my opinion atheism is not a sin. My other crime was was suggesting that Jesus preached self deification by saying that, according to the bible, "Ye are Gods".

The "Ye are Gods" quote apparently is not to be taken literally. Neither are bible passages indicating that eating shell fish is an "abomination" and that children who "curse" or disrespect their parents should be put to death. On the other hand anti gay and anti women quotes are always read literally.

The vibe is so nasty in there I am not sure if I want to go again. But, on the other hand, there is a right to free speech and I should be able to share my thoughts in a public chat-room without suffering abuse, spiritual terrorism and extreme disrespect.

It seems to me that fundamentalism threatens free speech. At the same time they complain that their free speech is undermined by restrictions put on the amount of hate they can express toward gay people, women and others.

Originally Posted by charly233

The vibe is so nasty in there I am not sure if I want to go again. But, on the other hand, there is a right to free speech and I should be able to share my thoughts in a public chat-room without suffering abuse, spiritual terrorism and extreme disrespect.

There is also the vibe that has been increasingly apparent that some think others should not have the freedom to practice religion. In regards to fundamentalism, I have been called a fundamentalist from time to time, but I certainly see myself not so in comparison to some. Others I do. As I increase my knowledge and understanding of Scripture I end up becoming more stern in my convictions about what it means to truly Follow Jesus.

Seems you have, charly been receiving the treatment of certain Scriptures, perhaps even, "If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him."

However, Jesus came full of grace and truth as said here in John, "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." To speak the truth in Grace is often challenging, the truth often offends people. Surely Christians are not free to speak in certain ways, that is, without contradicting what is said in Scripture.

"We live in an age in which tolerance is a key word. Tolerance, however, must be clearly understood. (Truth, by its very nature, is intolerant of error.) If two plus two is four, the total cannot at the same time be twenty-three.... One must be tolerant of other points of view and respect their right to be held and heard. He cannot, however, be forced in the name of tolerance to agree that all points of view, including those that are mutually contradictory, are equally valid." - Paul Little

[charly233]

Originally Posted by TeeHee

There is also the vibe that has been increasingly apparent that some think others should not have the freedom to practice religion. In regards to fundamentalism, I have been called a fundamentalist from time to time, but I certainly see myself not so in comparison to some. Others I do. As I increase my knowledge and understanding of Scripture I end up becoming more stern in my convictions about what it means to truly Follow Jesus.

Yes. Sorry. I did not mean to tar everyone who is described as a "fundamentalist" or who describes themselves as such with the same brush. I did say that "some" of the fundies had been harrassing me, me not all of them.

Indeed, in another sense, I regard myself as an Absolute Fundamentalist, as I seek to find the fundamental aspects that unify all religions.

I like your Paul Little quote on tolerance.

Hi Charly!

I was a member of a Christian chat room, and after being there 6 or 7 years I decided to leave for multiple reasons. Mostly because simply asking questions about things was really stirring the pot lol. I was becoming increasingly open minded and studying things like pyramids, water and plants. There were fascinating studies done on pyramids that I had read about how water that was in them was used for healing premature babies and others. The pyramidal shape (in particular proportions like the great pyramid at giza) seemed to have an amazing effects on people and water. I read the "Source Field investigations" by David Wilcock, and found it mind blowing, and exciting. So I just mentioned pyramids and what not, asking peoples opinions, and I was warned away for investigating it at all. Many thought "pyramid power" was evil or something. It was completely ridiculous in my mind. I was looking at it from a scientific standpoint. In my mind it wasn't something that should offend religous people. What happened to looking at the fruit? If something can calm the weather, heal, restore plant species, and provide other benefits to society, shouldn't we be looking into it to discover why, and how we can use it for the benefit of all? Shapes are intriging. They occur in nature, some being particularly beneficial. Spirals, pyramids, rose shapes, etc.

There were other things too that I was looking into, and many of my friends there basically told me I was being led astray and to turn back. In my mind though I was finally free from that fear. The fear of "being led astray" and demons hiding behind every wall. I was free from the cage of having to believe what I'd been taught all my life, to seek my own truth. It was amazing, and they all discouraged me, along with my family for that matter. So I left. It was the best discision I could have made. It felt like cutting away a large weight. And I came here because I still wanted to be a part of an online community. I find a lot of things interesting here, and I'm not condemned for my curiousity.