Medjool Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 http://www.reallivepreacher.com/ I'm interested to get some others' perspectives on this guy. To me, he is such a lovely writer. And he has been disillusioned with modern christianity for years, even coming back to faith from seeing clearly the lack of prayer answers and the bible contradictions...all the things that bother a lot of us here. I'm just wondering...are there a lot of christians out there like him? And if so...does it make xtianity more appealing? I have to say I'm compelled a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
par4dcourse Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 http://www.reallivepreacher.com/ I'm interested to get some others' perspectives on this guy. To me, he is such a lovely writer. And he has been disillusioned with modern christianity for years, even coming back to faith from seeing clearly the lack of prayer answers and the bible contradictions...all the things that bother a lot of us here. I'm just wondering...are there a lot of christians out there like him? And if so...does it make xtianity more appealing? I have to say I'm compelled a bit. Does a good picture with Santa make you want to believe in him again? Belief in a super spook can't be turned on and off at will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroboros Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Talking about unanswered prayers, there was one prayer that I consistently did for many, many years that I never got answered. To lead someone to Jesus. Seriously. I can now rejoice in the fact that I never caused anyone to become a slave under the mind-altering meme-virus, but while I was Christian it did bother me a lot. I went out and evangelized probably several hundred times, and prayed to God for a miracle that someone would be saved, but ... nothing. Isn't that kind of strange? God refusing to answer that most important and simple request? I just realized when reading the article, that this was always a problem for me, and lingered in the back of my head, that God can't even answer this request. And I find it strange that for some people, there's no problem at all. Why is that? They are better to trick people? They are bette con artists? Maybe I was too honest about my belief and I wanted people to be saved for real, and not by manipulation? I don't know. But you can tell the author of that article have a similar desperation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hereticzero Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 I agree with par4dcourse. Are you that hungry for a religious experience? How many different ways do you want to hear a fable until you believe what you hear? How can you make a fable more appealing? The story of Jesus is a fable based upon the OT fable of the fall of man. Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived a little boy and a little girl in a magical garden called Eden. In this magical garden there was a god, who made them earlier that very day! This god gave the little boy and girl everything their hearts desired but god said they could not eat from a magical tree called the Tree of Knowledge aka, the Tree of Good and Evil. It was a beautiful tree and one that made you desire its fruit. It was appealing to the eyes, just as god knew it would be. That afternoon, the little girl was enthralled by a talking snake who claimed god said it was ok now to eat the magical fruit that was so appealing. After all, god made talking snakes too, so wouldn't the snake be telling her the truth? Who wouldn't take the word of a talking snake? (I would have built it a fucking church!) So the little girl ate the fruit and gave some to the little boy who also ate it. Suddenly, the little boy's and girl's minds were allowed to function. The magical fruit gave them the ability to reason and think for themselves. 'Wow!' exclaimed the little boy, who noticed for the first time the girl had boobs. 'Wow!' exclaimed the little girl who noticed for the first time the boy also had boobs. They felt guilty because they were aware of each other's nakedness and they hid themselves from god. God came looking for the little boy and girl but could not find them even though god knows everything--god could not find them because they hid! The first game of hide and go seek would be their last! Those little scamps! Pulling one over on the almighty Geehova! Such biblical jocularity! God put the children in a garden in order for them to fail in the first test god gave them. They were supposed to fail. How can you put someone of a limited mentality (they were only a few hours old by biblical mathematics) into a situation where they would be forced to use reasoning skills they will not have until after they eat the fucking fruit? God cursed all of his creation because two little children at a piece of produce! God was all knowing, he knew the children were going to fail and did nothing to try and change the outcome. God cursed us because god is a cruel fucking monster! Fortunately this tale is FICTION! Fiction is a make-believe story. The concept of Jesus being god who came to earth to save us because God threw a tantrum in the garden of eden, is FALSE. The story of eden did not happen. Therefore, you cannot claim god sacrificed himself for the sake of pretending a story is true because someone believed it! You cannot bend fiction until it gives you the truth without LYING somewhere in the middle of the story. The magical story of Jesus and his miracles are FALSE, they are based upon the idea that the story of eden is true. You cannot take a story that is false and then claim another story is true because it is based upon a fable. The reasoning skills for this is astounding. There is no logical way to arrive at the same outcome when one story is patently false and the other story is unproveable and shown to be fraudulently written. Stories written to deceive, whether for good or bad, are still fables of deceit. How do you arrive at your insistence to worship at the feet of a fable? If you believe god-man came to earth, walked on water, healed the sick, raised the dead, committed suicide upon the cross and rose again from the dead, you are dellusional. You can't put enough peacock feather boas and whitewash on the story of Jesus to make it true no matter how badly you want it to be. Even if you do not believe any version of the stories of christianity, based upon its murderous history, which is as violent as any violent Islamist today, I don't understand how you can claim there exists a palatable version of christianity you want to run back to. What drives you to want religion in your life? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophronia Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 To get back to the OP, I have read the Real Live Preacher. During my Christian days I really enjoyed his video posts where he would talk about the Bible and stuff. If I was going to read a Christian blog, his would probably be on my list. The main reason I stopped reading it is because it seemed like he was spending less time talking theology, and more time talking about depression, medication, and personal issues. While it might benefit some to read of his struggles with mental health, I found it boring (in general I think that depression blogs verge on the whiney). I'd rather hear him talk about the Bible. But then, maybe his Bible is the reason he's depressed. Who knows? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medjool Posted February 11, 2008 Author Share Posted February 11, 2008 I agree with par4dcourse. Are you that hungry for a religious experience? How many different ways do you want to hear a fable until you believe what you hear? How can you make a fable more appealing? The story of Jesus is a fable based upon the OT fable of the fall of man. The concept of Jesus being god who came to earth to save us because God threw a tantrum in the garden of eden, is FALSE. The story of eden did not happen. Therefore, you cannot claim god sacrificed himself for the sake of pretending a story is true because someone believed it! You cannot bend fiction until it gives you the truth without LYING somewhere in the middle of the story. The magical story of Jesus and his miracles are FALSE, they are based upon the idea that the story of eden is true. You cannot take a story that is false and then claim another story is true because it is based upon a fable. The reasoning skills for this is astounding. There is no logical way to arrive at the same outcome when one story is patently false and the other story is unproveable and shown to be fraudulently written. Stories written to deceive, whether for good or bad, are still fables of deceit. How do you arrive at your insistence to worship at the feet of a fable? If you believe god-man came to earth, walked on water, healed the sick, raised the dead, committed suicide upon the cross and rose again from the dead, you are dellusional. You can't put enough peacock feather boas and whitewash on the story of Jesus to make it true no matter how badly you want it to be. Even if you do not believe any version of the stories of christianity, based upon its murderous history, which is as violent as any violent Islamist today, I don't understand how you can claim there exists a palatable version of christianity you want to run back to. What drives you to want religion in your life? I really don't know how to answer this. I guess I am missing the comfort and wonder of religion. I can't go back and believe just like I can't go back and believe in Santa Claus. But the bittersweet tone of reallivepreacher...it makes me miss my old liberal faith a bit. I'm just trying to figure out if there is any place for it at all in my worldview...I mean, just as a myth. Going into it, knowing that it's a myth, drawing wisdom from the bible just like you draw wisdom from any literature and ancient stories - the metaphors and all. I could never believe in any of it literally. I don't even feel like the resurrection is compelling or even important. And reading the bible...it really is hard to read it without having all the old programmed messages filter what I'm reading (not that I've picked up the thing in the past 7 or 8 years). But I guess I want some part of it...my siblings are liberal believers and are also scientists...I've been trying to figure out how they can possibly stomach church, and I think that it is because they don't take any of it literally. They just try to glean what's real and true and meaningful from their experience at church and leave the rest behind as ancient stories. Why can't I do that? It would be so much nicer to be part of what my family believes. I used to go to a very liberal church where the pastor used all sorts of modern fiction in his sermons to illustrate timeless themes of grace, love, wonder, mystery, etc. And people would stand up and share their deepest struggles in life. There was no judgment, just acceptance and sharing one another's burdens. It was such a lovely community. I'll never live in that part of the country again, so I don't know if I could even stomach THAT kind of church anymore. I know that kind is rare. Maybe I should just try the Unitarians whenever we move back to the U.S. Anyways, I know I'm rambling. I don't know if anybody knows what I mean, but mostly, I was just wondering how people here respond to reallivepreacher, because he is not the kind of fundy narrow-minded, judmental ilk that we rant about here (or the kind I rant about regularly IRL). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medjool Posted February 11, 2008 Author Share Posted February 11, 2008 To get back to the OP, I have read the Real Live Preacher. During my Christian days I really enjoyed his video posts where he would talk about the Bible and stuff. If I was going to read a Christian blog, his would probably be on my list. The main reason I stopped reading it is because it seemed like he was spending less time talking theology, and more time talking about depression, medication, and personal issues. While it might benefit some to read of his struggles with mental health, I found it boring (in general I think that depression blogs verge on the whiney). I'd rather hear him talk about the Bible. That was the very same reason I stopped, too. It got kind of droning for awhile there, then I forgot about it until the other day. I was also not interested in his dramatic bible stories, or dramas, or whatever he called them. But the general tenor of his blog, that all-inclusive, non-dogmatic, almost agnostic kind of faith was always nice to read. But then, maybe his Bible is the reason he's depressed. Who knows? lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Harley Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 ...wonder of religion... what 'wonder of religion'? it sucks the life out of everything... Goddidit... it's an artefact that does its job nominally well, and is grotesquely over engineered to entertain a few tiny beings clinging to a rock in eternal, frozen night... where's the wonder in that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medjool Posted February 11, 2008 Author Share Posted February 11, 2008 ...wonder of religion... what 'wonder of religion'? it sucks the life out of everything... Goddidit... it's an artefact that does its job nominally well, and is grotesquely over engineered to entertain a few tiny beings clinging to a rock in eternal, frozen night... where's the wonder in that? Hmm, I guess I would rather say 'wonder in life' or 'wonder in truth' as expressed in religion.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medjool Posted February 11, 2008 Author Share Posted February 11, 2008 Actually, I'm much more interested in what people think of reallivepreacher than in what they think of my currently muddled thoughts in the midst of my messy deconversion journey. Can we steer the discussion that way? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Harley Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 ...wonder of religion... what 'wonder of religion'? it sucks the life out of everything... Goddidit... it's an artefact that does its job nominally well, and is grotesquely over engineered to entertain a few tiny beings clinging to a rock in eternal, frozen night... where's the wonder in that? Hmm, I guess I would rather say 'wonder in life' or 'wonder in truth' as expressed in religion.... and ctually, I'm much more interested in what people think of reallivepreacher than in what they think of my currently muddled thoughts in the midst of my messy deconversion journey. Can we steer the discussion that way? I don't see that they're not compatible... you're seeing something in his stuff that's making you nostalgic (in the clinical sense, not the colloquial one) it's interesting to see why... So, again if life is an artefact it's not that amazing... and the 'truth' thing is bollocks since it's an abstract concept, even if everything else is an artefact... Just reminding ya... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophronia Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 you're seeing something in his stuff that's making you nostalgic (in the clinical sense, not the colloquial one) it's interesting to see why... Nostalgia... that's a disease of the nostrils, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Harley Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nostalgia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. S. Martin Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 What do I think of reallivepreacher? I read the story where he felt like he failed because he couldn't convert anyone, but the other team had five converts. The next day he discovered the converts were mentally challenged people who could not remember the prayer they had prayed and obviously did not understand conversion. I'm getting to the point where I feel confident that Christianity really does all within its power to get people into the faith by any means necessery, and will resort to force or deceit without a scruple. This is all I need to know to feel thoroughly disgusted with the religion. I guess for me, this story is "the straw that broke the camel's back." I gave religion five decades of my life. I think I did a fair investigation. Live preacher is probably okay as a person but I'd steer clear of his religion. However, there's no harm in going back to give church another try if you like. I did exactly what you propose and it lasted about three weeks. It was so empty, not to mention that I could not share the people's joy that I had "returned." (I went to a church where I had attended several years earlier.) I must say I am impressed with Hans's unanswered prayer. I am also reminded of another story he posted about--where he returned to his home country where his family did not know of his deconversion. He didn't tell them. Instead he joined in with the speaking in tongues and no one noticed that it wasn't real. What about that verse in the Bible where it says God will not be mocked??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabula Rasa Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 That afternoon, the little girl was enthralled by a talking snake who claimed god said it was ok now to eat the magical fruit that was so appealing. After all, god made talking snakes too, so wouldn't the snake be telling her the truth? Who wouldn't take the word of a talking snake? (I would have built it a fucking church!) So the little girl ate the fruit and gave some to the little boy who also ate it. Suddenly, the little boy's and girl's minds were allowed to function. The magical fruit gave them the ability to reason and think for themselves. 'Wow!' exclaimed the little boy, who noticed for the first time the girl had boobs. 'Wow!' exclaimed the little girl who noticed for the first time the boy also had boobs. They felt guilty because they were aware of each other's nakedness and they hid themselves from god. God came looking for the little boy and girl but could not find them even though god knows everything--god could not find them because they hid! The first game of hide and go seek would be their last! Those little scamps! Pulling one over on the almighty Geehova! Such biblical jocularity! OMG Heretic you've got me laughing my ass off!! But you've also summed up how utterly nonsensical the story of the fall is. The fall story to me is the biggest objection to christianity. I remember there was a book called "Games People Play" which was about mind games and the fall sounds just like Now-I've-Got-You-You-Son-Of-A-Bitch! God setting humanity up just so he could Self righteously condemn them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redadare Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 Talking about unanswered prayers, there was one prayer that I consistently did for many, many years that I never got answered. To lead someone to Jesus. I'm against Religious callers at the front door, whether they be Mormons, Christadelphians, Jehovah Witnesses etc. They are all sects anyway. There are 8 gifts given to the church and we are told to strive for the more important ones. Apart from that, just let things go and don't force it. I've been in situations that just happen so its not my doing. So to try to be the one to bring another to the knowledge of God is a great ideal, but your own faith should never depend on that. That job may be given to someone else. I am more than fortunate in that my faith is rock solid. Years ago at home I was suddenly 'hit' with the revelation that the Bible was true from cover to cover. Very strange happening as I was not seeking God, I was living a very happy married life with no financial worries. Yet it happened. It has opened my eyes to a completely different world. It all made sense to me then. Its so straight forward, I'm amazed I didn't see it before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deva Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 I am more than fortunate in that my faith is rock solid. Years ago at home I was suddenly 'hit' with the revelation that the Bible was true from cover to cover. Very strange happening as I was not seeking God, I was living a very happy married life with no financial worries. Yet it happened. It has opened my eyes to a completely different world. It all made sense to me then. Its so straight forward, I'm amazed I didn't see it before. I'll bet if you carefully looked at the surrounding circumstances of your life at the time you could discover the reason why, for you, suddenly the Bible was true from cover to cover. What does that mean actually, "true from cover to cover?" In what way? How is it "so straightforward?" Do you have any explanation, other than divine favor, why you were treated to this revelation and the rest of us think it is a man-made collection of books riddled with fiction, contradictions producing mental confusion and metaphors usless to day-to-day life? Why are you writing this little testimony? Does it benefit anyone other than yourself? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Harley Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 Only 'true' bit in all the bibles I've ever seen is the publishing history.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Harley Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 I'm against Religious callers at the front door, whether they be Mormons, Christadelphians, Jehovah Witnesses etc. They are all sects anyway. There are 8 gifts given to the church and we are told to strive for the more important ones. Apart from that, just let things go and don't force it. I've been in situations that just happen so its not my doing. Theny why are you fundangelising here you hypocrite? Get thee hence, thou pox ridden spawn of a pustule riven drab and a dung boy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hereticzero Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 I am more than fortunate in that my faith is rock solid. Years ago at home I was suddenly 'hit' with the revelation that the Bible was true from cover to cover. I'm sure you will astound us all with your proof of this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabula Rasa Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 I am more than fortunate in that my faith is rock solid. Years ago at home I was suddenly 'hit' with the revelation that the Bible was true from cover to cover. Very strange happening as I was not seeking God, I was living a very happy married life with no financial worries. Yet it happened. It has opened my eyes to a completely different world. It all made sense to me then. Its so straight forward, I'm amazed I didn't see it before. Read in the Bible about how much God loves killing people and you might change your tune. Someone once did a count and the rough estimate is Jehovah killed about 32 million.( Cataclysmic examples are Noah's flood and the destruction of Sodom and Gommorah.) And you call this a loving God? I reeaaally don't think so.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Harley Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 I have a picture of God's love from the OT... it's god drowning evil people (who are trying to save their evil children and failing) and an evil tiger with it's evil cub waiting to get drowned... I have the feeling redadare is the arse who Kevin banned a couple of weeks ago with the John Wayne AV... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The-Captain Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 I have the feeling redadare is the arse who Kevin banned a couple of weeks ago with the John Wayne AV... Banned for shaming the Duke no doubt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. S. Martin Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 I would like redadare's post removed and this thread returned to topic. This is a topic that interests me and I came to see where things are at--what ideas and opinions people are coming up with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. S. Martin Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 I am more than fortunate in that my faith is rock solid. Years ago at home I was suddenly 'hit' with the revelation that the Bible was true from cover to cover. Very strange happening as I was not seeking God, I was living a very happy married life with no financial worries. Yet it happened. It has opened my eyes to a completely different world. It all made sense to me then. Its so straight forward, I'm amazed I didn't see it before. Probably at the height of an orgasm. Maybe we have to keep your post after all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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