Why I Am No Longer A Xian

[Antlerman]

That would be putting too strongly. But it is somewhat correct. You can actually forget about the Old Testament and just stick to the New. You will go further towards understanding God.

Following suit then can we forget about the New Testament and just keep going in our understanding of God?

 

 

No. Jesus is the only way to God. Without Jesus Christ, people are lost.

I'm not lost, and I know it. So does that mean I have Jesus? What does it mean to you to "have Jesus"? To sign your name on the church register that says, "I hereby state I believe in your doctrines"? Does it mean to say the name Jesus repeatedly claiming to believe in him?

 

How exactly do you judge someone as lost? What is your criteria? Legal documents? Or do you go deeper than that? Moreover, what exactly do you mean by "lost"? Not part of the church? Could it have anything to do with what is inside them? Again, how do you judge another?

[JayL]

That would be putting too strongly. But it is somewhat correct. You can actually forget about the Old Testament and just stick to the New. You will go further towards understanding God.

Following suit then can we forget about the New Testament and just keep going in our understanding of God?

 

 

No. Jesus is the only way to God. Without Jesus Christ, people are lost.

I'm not lost, and I know it. So does that mean I have Jesus? What does it mean to you to "have Jesus"? To sign your name on the church register that says, "I hereby state I believe in your doctrines"? Does it mean to say the name Jesus repeatedly claiming to believe in him?

 

How exactly do you judge someone as lost? What is your criteria? Legal documents? Or do you go deeper than that? Moreover, what exactly do you mean by "lost"? Not part of the church? Could it have anything to do with what is inside them? Again, how do you judge another?

 

 

 

What is mean is that you'd be lost in terms of having direct experience with God.

 

From what I read so far from this board, nobody on this board had a direct, personal experience with God. Yes, you attended some churches. You nodded to some meaningless doctrines. And you used to consider yourself Christians, etc. You may have even earnestly studied the Bible. But NONE of you can say you had direct, personal experience with God. Because if you did, you will not remain the same person. You would be totally in love with the most wonderful person there is. It is my contention that such a direct, personal experience is only possible thru faith in Jesus Christ. Knowing what I know now, I woujld not even waste my time with other religions.

 

But that is just me.

[blackpudd1n]

That would be putting too strongly. But it is somewhat correct. You can actually forget about the Old Testament and just stick to the New. You will go further towards understanding God.

 

So how come the Roman Empire's book helps us understand God?

 

A key point from this 2000 year old book (and remaining THE best seller all thru 2000 years! ) is that God is Love. ( 1John 4:16 ) This idea turns out to be the key notion in understanding God.

 

...Except in the two countries formerly known as Czechoslovakia during Communist rule. A popular Czech author, whom I have had the pleasure of meeting due to him being the uncle of an old friend, out-sold the bible on the black market for a good ten years.

[Deva]

From what I read so far from this board, nobody on this board had a direct, personal experience with God. Yes, you attended some churches. You nodded to some meaningless doctrines. And you used to consider yourself Christians, etc. You may have even earnestly studied the Bible. But NONE of you can say you had direct, personal experience with God. Because if you did, you will not remain the same person. You would be totally in love with the most wonderful person there is. It is my contention that such a direct, personal experience is only possible thru faith in Jesus Christ. Knowing what I know now, I woujld not even waste my time with other religions.

 

But that is just me.

 

You are big on pigeonholing and judging a bunch of people you don't know. How is it that your God is so limited or so cruel that he could not /would not make himself known to everyone?

 

What exactly is a direct, personal relationship with God? Did you audibly hear his voice, see an apparition, or was it just reading the Bible?

 

I have heard all my life about this so-called big change that is supposed to come over people who are Christians. I don't see it. They are just like everyone else. I have seen a lot of bad behavior from self identified Christians. In fact, just last week I witnessed some.They are as self-absorbed, and self-centered as everyone else. There is a church on every corner in almost every community in the US southern states. So many people say they are Christians and yet look at the society we have. How do you explain this? Are there only a few true Christians? If so, hasn't God's great plan been a huge failure?

[mymistake]

[...]

What is mean is that you'd be lost in terms of having direct experience with God.

 

From what I read so far from this board, nobody on this board had a direct, personal experience with God.

 

But there were some of us who thought they had a direct, personal experience with God.

 

Yes, you attended some churches. You nodded to some meaningless doctrines. And you used to consider yourself Christians, etc. You may have even earnestly studied the Bible. But NONE of you can say you had direct, personal experience with God.

 

Of course anybody can say it. Saying words is cheap. Anybody can say it. On the other hand having objective evidence that it happened is priceless.

 

Because if you did, you will not remain the same person. You would be totally in love with the most wonderful person there is. It is my contention that such a direct, personal experience is only possible thru faith in Jesus Christ. Knowing what I know now, I woujld not even waste my time with other religions.

 

But that is just me.

 

You are wrong about a great many things.

[Antlerman]

I'm not lost, and I know it. So does that mean I have Jesus? What does it mean to you to "have Jesus"? To sign your name on the church register that says, "I hereby state I believe in your doctrines"? Does it mean to say the name Jesus repeatedly claiming to believe in him?

 

How exactly do you judge someone as lost? What is your criteria? Legal documents? Or do you go deeper than that? Moreover, what exactly do you mean by "lost"? Not part of the church? Could it have anything to do with what is inside them? Again, how do you judge another?

 

 

 

What is mean is that you'd be lost in terms of having direct experience with God.

I have direct experience of God all the time. This means I'm not lost. Correct?

 

From what I read so far from this board, nobody on this board had a direct, personal experience with God.

I cannot count how many times I experience God. Pretty much every time I meditate in incredible, infinite depths. Additionally I've been experiencing God for pretty much every second of the day over the course of the last 4 months in calm, clear, open awareness. You must not have read anything I've written. Go read in the Ex Christian Spirituality forum. A great many Ex Christians have deeply significant spiritual experiences.

 

I'll share a link to my first experience of God which happened prior to adopting Christianity for me. I experience what I describe in the link pretty much regularly now. "I'm home", so to speak. Link: http://www.ex-christ...post__p__318390

 

Yes, you attended some churches. You nodded to some meaningless doctrines. And you used to consider yourself Christians, etc. You may have even earnestly studied the Bible. But NONE of you can say you had direct, personal experience with God.

None? I have, and do all the time now. What makes you say I haven't without knowing one thing about me, until now?

 

Because if you did, you will not remain the same person.

I didn't. I haven't. Just because I find the practice of your religion to not work for me does not mean my life isn't radically changed from direct experience of the Divine. Don't mistake your religion with God. That's idolatry, you know.

 

You would be totally in love with the most wonderful person there is. It is my contention that such a direct, personal experience is only possible thru faith in Jesus Christ.

I experienced what you'll read in that link prior to becoming a Christian. The experience had nothing to do with having a prior belief in Jesus, or finding God through that. Later on, Jesus became part of that language about God that Christians use. You can also find connections to God through other symbols of the Divine, such a Shiva, Krishna, Vishnu, etc. It really depends on your cultural upbringing to offer those symbols to connect to God through. I'm not knocking Jesus for that at all. I'm just saying you cannot take your experience of God through your symbol of God and say other symbols of God are not equally valuable for others. Eventually all the gods fade away in as you experience direction Unity with the Divine. "I and my Father are One", has really meaning to you as well. There is no you any more. There is only God, and that is who you now are.

 

If you wish to compare experiences and descriptions of how you experience God with me, I'll be happy to. I think you'll see God is bigger than any religion. Please read my signature line below.

 

Knowing what I know now, I woujld not even waste my time with other religions.

Then it's working for you for right now. That's great. If you at some point find it needs to be grown beyond it, then you will know it. You have to be first true to that inside you in its yearning for the Divine. To place your religion or your beliefs above that, is idolatry.

 

Have you ever heard of the Christian mystic Meister Ekhart? Here's what he said that I think is very powerful, insightful, and true.

 

"I pray God to make me free of God, for [His] unconditioned Being is above God and all distinctions."

 

Imagine that. God beyond God. Do you understand what the concept of the Logos is?

 

But that is just me.

If you know it is, then you should be wise to not judge another.

[Thumbelina]

 

 

Thumbelina: Eh, Hinduism is a lucrative business; I've seen documentaries and former Hindus spill the beans about it. They worship practically everything, their legs, rats, cows and Jesus is actually one of their gods. I realize the 33 million was a mistranslation but it does not negate the fact that Hinduism promotes idolatry and salvation by works, therefore good workers can boast and look down on others.

As a child, before I got to the age of twelve, I observed Hinduism and thought it does not appeal to reason. Lo and behold, a couple years ago I saw an MD being interviewed and he said he spent a little over twenty years putting aside his religious beliefs as much as he can and he investigated the major religions of the world to see which one is most logical. When Hinduism was brought up, he dismissed it as "non thinking" (he's Indian from India). I was thinking wow, I figured that out as a child just by observing their rituals but really, the HS told me.

 

 

 

The reason this is how you understand this religion is because of the way you understand yours. The symbols are gods to both of you that see their religion in this light. The superficial layers of both religions creates idols. Yours may be more mental than physical, but idols none-the-less. There are those that know the underlying truths beyond the symbols. The problem is getting those that worship external "things" to understand. That is very hard and probably why so few of them are known. Antlerman is having that same trouble with you. Worshipping something tangible and external is much easier.

 

 

 

Hello, I remember you

 

...........

 

You will dismiss my EXPERIENCES?

I was under 10 years old when I came to my conclusions. I did not realize that the HS was enlightening me at that time. I had a personal encounter with God around the age 5 or 6 and after my encounter I noticed Catholics praying to their plaster Saints and it struck me as silly as I did not need objects for God to communicate with me when He did. I saw the Hindus with their idols too and I had them and the Catholics down as image worshipers.

I had to occasionally go to religious knowledge class in school but I was aversed to going with the nun, I was not going to let ANYBODY tell me to bow to idols.I was CONVICTED on that.

 

I saw Muslims too and I was curious about why the women covered up soooo much. The two Muslim girls I went to school with were nice and quiet. Between the age of 10 and 13, I looked at the Muslim men and I thought that they were controlling and wanted women as property. I was around other belief systems that scared the crap outta me. A lot of secularists were immoral and full of crap, from toe to head! so I knew that is something I did NOT want. God did not impress me to want to join any of those religions nor did I want to remain secular but I knew God loved me.

 

BTW, observing secular living, Muslim men wanting women as property, Hindu men (in the news) were killing their wives (I think one chopped off his wives' private part and was carrying it around in his pocket) and men in the bible treating women as property made me very cynical and sarcastic and I realized that God's timing was PERFECT in that He reached out to me BEFORE the cynicism set in. I also got a taste of bible prophecy by age 13. I fully understood this text : Gen 3:16 even though no one taught me about it. I was observing life but in hindsight I realize that God was revealing His truths to me based on the environment I grew up in. I UNDERSTOOD that all of that mistreatment of women came about because man was disobedient to God; I don't know how I did but knowing what I know now, I'm like "WOW!"

 

...................

 

I do not dismiss Aman's and others' experiences, I just disagree with the source. I choose not to expound at this time because Aman is CLOSED to the bible and I don't want to be a bible thumper as I see he is passionate about his beliefs. Also, he got me to laugh so I like him too. I'd much rather thump on the atheists (some of them), they don't care much (some have very tough hides), I tell them their lack of belief is crap they tell me ditto to my beliefs and it's kinda fun/sad in a weird way *smh* I need to say this prayer for them: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."

I love them but they are troublemakers.

[Thumbelina]

 

 

Hey, I thought Mr. uber mischievous forgot about lil' ol' me

 

 

LivingLife said: We atheists will fall for the wiles of teh autiechrist? Geez Thumb, we know all teh signs and wonders this twit is supposed to perform but IIRC, it says the "very elect" will be deceived.

 

The text does not say that even the elect will be deceived, it says that IF POSSIBLE the elect shall be deceived; the delusions will be that great. Just as the Christians ESCAPED the seige at Jerusalem because they knew the sign, God's elect will know how to identify false prophets who do not have the law and the testimony.

 

Here's the text:

 

For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Matthew 24:24

 

 

LivingLife said: Last time I looked, atheists are not following signs and wonders, it is the woo woos. We do no need anything to validate our lack of belief, it is the woos that need constant validation.

 

What you don't know is atheists are potential woo woos (Par is already a king woo woo ). It is the signs and wonders that will cause some atheists to obey antichrist.

 

 

 

LivingLife said:I think I speak for all when I say we are at peace with our unbelief ...

 

No God, no peace.

 

 

 

 

 

LivingLife said: ... and if you or anyone perceive anger, it is not at your imaginary god, but the mere fact we were gullible to believe the lie and were conned out of funds that could have been better appropriated by our charity if they were channeled to organizations that actually help the destitute.

 

 

Now SOME atheists use their money to run propaganda campaigns against religion. Shouldn't they just be living life? After all, they believe this is their ONE life to live.

 

 

ETA: This from a statement on Page 5 you made

 

I made a lot of statements on page 5 but I reckon you decided to post this after you left page 5 and you were lazy like me and did not want to go looking for the particular quote?

[JayL]

Hey Thumbelina,

 

 

Greetings in Christ.

 

 

I heard good things about you from our atheist friends. Thanks for ministering here.

 

 

Best wishes.

[Thackerie]

Hey Thumbelina,

 

 

Greetings in Christ.

 

 

I heard good things about you from our atheist friends. Thanks for ministering here.

 

 

Best wishes.

 

Tomato, tomadda ... ministering, attention whoring.

 

If this is going to devolve into tag-team trolling, let's call the whole thing off.

[LivingLife]

No Thumbelina, it is the woo woos that would be deceived (pretending that any of this were real) as one need only see who were the folk that got all wet and horny with the last apparition of teh holey man sent by gawd, you know the tattooed freak from Canada that took up residence in woo land Florduh and was praised by all the christian leeders as the real deal, shit folk from SA were raving about him.

 

Remember the great Todd Bentley? All teh woos were following him for teh latest moove of gawd then he got his dick caught in an assistants pussy and all of a sudden he is no longer teh man of gawd. Lotsa back peddling by the likes of the great evangelical wooish leeders and he is being spiritually counseled but is now divorced and pretty much fallen off the face of the earth, IOW no longer relevant.

 

Name one atheist that followed that dork? I can probably find oodles of Utoob shit and all the folk there were woos, NOT atheists.

 

All these great movers of your faith merely confirm what we have come to conclude, it is all man-made-make-it-up-as-you-go-along shit.

 

The only excuse you apologists have is the thinly veiled no true Scotsman fallacy which you are trying to pedal here. None of you wankers have read all the extimonies here or else you would know that most of us are well versed in your delusion and defended it for decades.

 

I really wish the end time shit was real and that 2012 is teh year of the rapture, we would at least be rid of your ilk and their mundane waffle and BS. Sadly we shall have to suffer the wiles of the delusional for some time to come, but we are making ground where folk are educated by real science and not some quasi-creationist BS they try pass off as educayshun.

 

To the new dude that says teh babble is the top seller for the last 2000 years, hellooo dumbass, the printing press only came about in the 1500's. Do some research before making stupid statements like this that you hear from the bull-pit.

[Margee]

Hey Thumbelina,

 

 

Greetings in Christ.

 

 

Thanks for ministering here.

 

 

Best wishes.

this is the best entertainment.......

 

Because you make so much sense and think for yourself and you are so full of Christ's love....................I am almost ready to serve him again.

Praise god!!

[JayL]

Hey Thumbelina,

 

 

Greetings in Christ.

 

 

Thanks for ministering here.

 

 

Best wishes.

this is the best entertainment.......

 

Because you make so much sense and think for yourself and you are so full of Christ's love....................I am almost ready to serve him again.

Praise god!!

Hey Thumbelina,

 

 

Greetings in Christ.

 

 

Thanks for ministering here.

 

 

Best wishes.

this is the best entertainment.......

 

Because you make so much sense and think for yourself and you are so full of Christ's love....................I am almost ready to serve him again.

Praise god!!

 

 

 

Well, you had my answer on your testimony.

 

Take your sarcasm and get lost.

[JayL]

Hey Thumbelina,

 

 

Greetings in Christ.

 

 

Thanks for ministering here.

 

 

Best wishes.

this is the best entertainment.......

 

Because you make so much sense and think for yourself and you are so full of Christ's love....................I am almost ready to serve him again.

Praise god!!

 

 

 

Or you can be serious and write another testimony of your life. Then we can talk.

[LivingLife]

No dude you GTFO. Margee is a long time member here and if you do not like her or anyone else's sarcasm, piss off. This site is for *glances to the top* yeah WTF ex christians.

[Antlerman]

I do not dismiss Aman's and others' experiences, I just disagree with the source.

Considering there's only one God, then your disagreement is with that one Source.

 

I choose not to expound at this time because Aman is CLOSED to the bible

I'm not closed to the Bible. I'm closed to closed-mindedness, such as you demonstrate. I find great value in the Bible.

 

I don't want to be a bible thumper as I see he is passionate about his beliefs.

I'm not married to my beliefs. I passionate about what I experience, the fruits it bears in my life.

[bronxo]

You will dismiss my EXPERIENCES?

I was under 10 years old when I came to my conclusions. I did not realize that the HS was enlightening me at that time. I had a personal encounter with God around the age 5 or 6 and after my encounter I noticed Catholics praying to their plaster Saints and it struck me as silly as I did not need objects for God to communicate with me when He did. I saw the Hindus with their idols too and I had them and the Catholics down as image worshipers.

I had to occasionally go to religious knowledge class in school but I was aversed to going with the nun, I was not going to let ANYBODY tell me to bow to idols.I was CONVICTED on that.

 

I do dismiss your experiences, you are being delusional. A lot of kids have imaginary friends when growing up, but most of us realise they are just that when we mature.

[blackpudd1n]

What is mean is that you'd be lost in terms of having direct experience with God. From what I read so far from this board, nobody on this board had a direct, personal experience with God. Yes, you attended some churches. You nodded to some meaningless doctrines. And you used to consider yourself Christians, etc. You may have even earnestly studied the Bible. But NONE of you can say you had direct, personal experience with God. Because if you did, you will not remain the same person. You would be totally in love with the most wonderful person there is. It is my contention that such a direct, personal experience is only possible thru faith in Jesus Christ. Knowing what I know now, I woujld not even waste my time with other religions. But that is just me.

 

I did. I had lots of "direct, personal experiences with God". And then I was diagnosed with bipolar. Funny, that.

[Deva]

Hey Thumbelina,

 

 

Greetings in Christ.

 

 

Thanks for ministering here.

 

 

Best wishes.

this is the best entertainment.......

 

Because you make so much sense and think for yourself and you are so full of Christ's love....................I am almost ready to serve him again.

Praise god!!

 

 

 

Or you can be serious and write another testimony of your life. Then we can talk.

 

 

Jay, you aren't serious yourself, how can you think we can take you seriously? Go home to momma and leave us adults here alone so we can have a serious discussion.

 

Yeah, you are really gettin us all fired up for Gawd. GTF out of here. Don't let the door slam your ass on the way out.

[mymistake]

Well, you had my answer on your testimony.

 

Take your sarcasm and get lost.

 

JayL are you trying to offend the moderators?

 

Don't you remember me warning you that people around here don't want your version of Christianity so thank you very much but don't try to shove it down our throats? I tried to start off with you on the right foot but it's like you don't even care. Now you are telling people to get lost on our forum.

[bdp]

That would be putting too strongly. But it is somewhat correct. You can actually forget about the Old Testament and just stick to the New. You will go further towards understanding God.

Following suit then can we forget about the New Testament and just keep going in our understanding of God?

 

 

No. Jesus is the only way to God. Without Jesus Christ, people are lost.

 

bull fucking shit. You can't be a physicist, you don't have the brain capacity.

[bdp]

But that is just me.

 

...an idiot.

[bdp]

 

 

Well, you had my answer on your testimony.

 

Take your sarcasm and get lost.

 

You first, cocksucker - her testimony should be off limits to you and any other asshole who would come here and spit all over it. Fuck you, cunt.

[Margee]

Hey Thumbelina,

 

 

Greetings in Christ.

 

 

Thanks for ministering here.

 

 

Best wishes.

this is the best entertainment.......

 

Because you make so much sense and think for yourself and you are so full of Christ's love....................I am almost ready to serve him again.

Praise god!!

 

 

 

Or you

can be serious and write another testimony of your life. Then we can talk.

 

bite my apple!!

 

I didn't mean to give to the reputation point by the way............

[bdp]

I don't know why ANYONE would want to talk to j-boy at this point. Rotten fruit right down to the core.