Do What I Say!

[Mongo]

Around the early eighties, my sister and cousin got a hold of the book, "How to Live Like a King's Kid" by Harold Hill. During that time, Oral Roberts started preaching similar, "live by faith" messages and published, Miracle Seed Faith".

 

As with all social revolutions, it took years for this kind of philosophy to become very popular.

 

Now it seems to me that in the nineties, people started to talk about hearing god tell them this and god tell them that. I remember several friends agonizing over what was and wasn't god's will. Even as a fundy, (with developing scepticism at the time) I found much of this foolish because for me, there were no lack of good deeds to be done in the world. Pick one, shut up and get to work.

 

Yet, there seems to be this extrordinary emotional effort to be in one-on-one contact with god and to hear his specific direction rather than a philosophical direction.

 

My interpretation was that these people were substituting doing good works for another less difficult task that they then can claim god told them to do. I also felt it made an obvious decision, look so much more holy.

 

I think many people get some wacky ideas on what god is telling them.

 

Do you guys see this as a new trend? Any thoughts out there on this?

 

Eric

 

So glad I'm saved - that is saved from christianity, fundyism and mind control!

Freethinking Rocks!!!"

[chefranden]

Yet, there seems to be this extrordinary emotional effort to be in one-on-one contact with god and to hear his specific direction rather than a philosophical direction.

 

Welcome to the board

 

I don't see it as a new trend, personal relationship seemed to be all the rage back when I was in god's army. One of the things that woke me up was that this relationship always appeared so one sided. I had some friends that swore that Jesus told them what color socks to wear every morning. Maybe they used some kind of divination moves -- like closing the eyes, letting the floppy bible flop open and pointing to a verse before opening the eyes. What ever, Jesus just never said anything to me.