Why I’m no longer a Christian

[Kaitlin the Wolf Witch]

duststorm wrote:

<quoted text>
If you had devoted one thimbleful of the time you've spent learning nonsense to applying yourself to the word of God,

"Word of god?" You mean, your book of lies called the buybull?

Of course I've read the bleeding thing!! How'd I know it was shit *without* reading it?

[Kaitlin the Wolf Witch]

duststorm wrote:

<quoted text>The Long Trip This tract shows them falling into the abyss. It's horrible. http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0009/0009...

Translation: "We must continue to use fear and lies to win people over to the love of our jesus!"

Sweet cheeks, you need to get laid.

[duststorm]

HipGnosis wrote:

<quoted text>Now what kind of loving God would bitch and whine that he really wants to save his failed creation, and then turns right around and BRAGS about "hiding" the truth from those he chooses at his own whim?
Do you guys ever think about your own doctrine?

Oh yeah, we think about our own doctrine, all right. And when we think about it, it gives us impetus to tell others the gospel. Then they scoff. Then we try again. Then they mock. Then we try again. Then they curse. Then some of us curse back.

Here's another hard-to-contemplate verse: Rom. 9:18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

[duststorm]

Kaitlin the Wolf Witch wrote:

<quoted text>
Thanks for the laugh!!

You're welcome.

[Chess Jurist]

Huh wrote:

<quoted text>Jack Chick the racist fool.

He's made a fortune off of fools.

[HipGnosis]

AnnieJ wrote:

<quoted text>
If I remember correctly...Hip might like this one...
http://www.youtube.com/watch...

Great tune, real nice rendition. thx.

[Chess Jurist]

T-Town Clown wrote:

<quoted text>Clownie is really getting to ya huh X

The clown merely makes a fool of himself but is too slow to realize it.

[Chess Jurist]

HipGnosis wrote:

<quoted text>In addition to your last paragraph, note that Nicodemus came to Jesus "in the night", or in other words, in secret. Being a member of the Sanhedrin, he apparently didn't want his colleagues to know he was consorting with the blasphemer Jesus.
So, Jesus imparts this saying to this one man, in a private conversation. At no time does Jesus repeat this saying to anyone else, much less do so in public. Taken at face value, it obviously was not intended to be taken as dogma. But humans just lo-o-o-ove to find any way they can to elevate themselves above their fellow heathens, in this case even from other professed Christians. So much for the pretended humility of the believer.
On your larger point, there are other instances in which the writer places his characters in a scene that sounds good on paper, but make no sense at all in historical or cultural context, the vast majority of which are found in John and/or Matthew.
One such would be the alleged dialogue between Jesus and the Pharisees about Psalm 110:1 - "The Lord said to my lord..." (Matt 22). Supposedly Jesus puts an entirely new spin on an ancient Temple song known to all devout Jews. But the spin only works in written form. Jesus and the Pharisees weren't writing to each other, they were talking, and the dialogue makes no sense at all as a spoken conversation. Yet we're to believe that the Pharisees not only could make out the nuance in spoken form between "Lord" and "lord", but that they were allegedly "speechless" at this blasphemous new spin on an ancient scripture, and were apparently so embarrassed they never asked him another question in public (which itself is contradicted in the other gospels).
The best part is, it also only works if they were speaking >Greek< to each other. In Hebrew, God's name is never written - the closest is to use YVWH, or in later texts, HaShem. Conversely "Adonai" was used for "master, ruler, king, etc". So, this psalm, which any 1st-century Jew would be as familiar with as we are "Amazing Grace", would have read something like, "Y'VHW l'adoni" or, "God said to my king".(source: http://www.qbible.com/psalms/110-1/ )
Obviously Matthew has the Jewish characters in his fiction speaking Greek to each other. Absolutely ludicrous.

More good stuff.

[Mr Wiggley]

And yet another division of the christian church...
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/03/10/widow-su...

Deny it if you wish...

[duststorm]

Henry wrote:

<quoted text>
I doubt it. Fairy tales!

You doubt. That is your perogative. Don't doubt too long. Time is passing swiftly.
Job said, "My days are passing more swiftly than a weaver's shuttle."

[Mr Wiggley]

duststorm wrote:

<quoted text>The Long Trip This tract shows them falling into the abyss. It's horrible. http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0009/0009...

Funny sh1t...thanks for the laugh Dusty...

[Mr Wiggley]

WasteWater wrote:

<quoted text>
That's a good one!!! ROTFLMAO
Can a bipolar bear shit in more than one place at a time?

Wouldn't it have to be a bi-shitter to do that??

[HipGnosis]

duststorm wrote:

<quoted text>
For what it's worth:
If you have ever made wine .....(yadayadayada bunch of stuff completely irrelevant to the discussion yadayada)... Basic Vinter's 101a.

It takes that many words to dodge the question, does it? Christianity is tough to defend, ain't it, esp. when it's new-age made-up dogma of man?

The question is, modified to accommodate your dosey-doe around the question - why do we never hear that one MUST become a new >bottle< to be saved? This teaching made in public is the exact same message as in the private conversation with Nicodemus.

[Mr Wiggley]

Kaitlin the Wolf Witch wrote:

<quoted text>
Thanks for the laugh!!

Awwww darn...Ya beat me to it Kait...
Oh well...

[HipGnosis]

G_O_D wrote:

<quoted text>
'Baptism' and 'born again' were and are Jewish rituals and beliefs.
They are both still part of the process of converting to Judaism as well as renewing one's commitment to Judaism.
Christian baptism is a mockery of the religion of Jesus.
I blame Paul.

Sure it is. Even Wesley can be found to expound upon the concept. It's all just preacher fodder to fill a service between the "ritual" plate-passing and flesh-eating. What's funny is to watch born-againers argue with fundies about whether baptism is necessary to salvation. That ol' Bible accommodates all manner of rituals one MUST do to be saved.

And then they say it's about faith alone, with a straight face.

[Chess Jurist]

Kaitlin the Wolf Witch wrote:

<quoted text>
Yup! Here's her post:
<quoted text>
Chick-dot-com. Is that a friggin' hoot, or what?

Too funny.

[HipGnosis]

G_O_D wrote:
<quoted text>
"Don't make fun of the simple-minded." - Allah

Kaitlin the Wolf Witch wrote:

<quoted text>
"Don't make fun of Allah." - The Simple Minded

Now THAT'S a good LOL!

[HipGnosis]

duststorm wrote:

<quoted text>Oh yeah, we think about our own doctrine, all right. And when we think about it, it gives us impetus to tell others the gospel. Then they scoff. Then we try again. Then they mock. Then we try again. Then they curse. Then some of us curse back.

I know, we all know, you come here primarily for your persecution fix. You oughta be in a Chick tract titled "God's Laziest Martyr". The only time you've ever been cursed that I know of is when you have the audacity to claim it's this horrific God's plan when innocent children are killed indiscriminately. I truly don't want to know such a God, or a "believer" who can contain such a thought without self-immolating.

duststorm wrote:

<quoted text>Here's another hard-to-contemplate verse: Rom. 9:18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

Not hard at all, actually. This is what you say when the rest of what you say makes no sense, spiritually, logically, morally, no kind of way. "Don' be questionin' Gawd! He kill ya soon as look atcha!" Fear is Christianity's chief motivator.

[HipGnosis]

Mr Wiggley wrote:

<quoted text>
Wouldn't it have to be a bi-shitter to do that??

Naw, man, it just has to cry and crap over here, laugh hysterically and crap over there......

[macumazahn]

Mr Wiggley wrote:

And yet another division of the christian church...
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/03/10/widow-su...
Deny it if you wish...

And the inexorable descent towards Brownian motion among cults-of-one conntiiinnnnuuuueeessss....