Tithes, to burn or not to burn?

[white_raven23]

I used to be a devout Buddhist and an idol worshipper!! EEeeek how the two can be combined beats me.

 

Okay Pug, hate to tell you this, but you are still an idol worshipper. That symbol at the front of your church behind the guy droning on and on.....likely plastered on the outside of your building too, even perhaps hanging around your neck.

 

Kinda looks like this:

 

That is an IDOL my friend. A physical man-made representation of the deity you are trying to commune with (even if it's just the cross without a corpse hanging off it, still the man-made symbol of THE guy).

 

I was converted to Christianity in a violent way(another story, tell you another day)! The idols didn't want me to leave! My faith is weak. But i'm trying my hardest.

 

 

You had little statuettes coming to life and clinging to you legs?

 

Come on. Either you need medications for delusions and hallucinations, OR you are being unnecessarily dramatic about not wanting to abandon prior beliefs yourself. I'm betting it's the latter as you tossed us the tid-bit that you were "violently" converted.

 

We understand a religious conversion is a very emotionally charged experience. Gives you a high. One that gets harder to maintain.

 

If that's what you want, you may as well do drugs.

[Eponymic]

Yeah, i'm a baby Christian. The "answers" do not seem right or intelligent! I'm still "examining" every pastor's sermon for "false" teaching. If my statements/responses are trite and ignorant, put it right; debate; this is a forum right?

 

Does the fact that a lot of answers you hear aren't quite right bother you? If so, why do you think that is?

 

Read 80% of Bible. Enjoying Psalms now. Ya, very little Bible knowledge. Relationship with God a little better.

 

And the more you study, the more your relationship will get rough if you're really listening to what the Bible is saying about approving murder, discrimination, slavery and so forth. How are you managing to justify all of the genocide and atrocities you've ready about so far?

 

Not lapping up ~ see above^_^ Sorry, I'm not cute. More like sceptical!

 

Glad to hear you are skeptical, it's certainly not a bad thing when used properly.

 

Nobody is impressesed with my dedication ~ instead they are worried! I fellowship badly AND I hate the singing! I just want to hear the sermons and participate in Bible class. Much to know and question.

 

I don't care how good of a Christian you are, BAD MUSIC is BAAAD MUSIC!! And generally, Christian music just plain sucks. Occasionally they get it right, but normally... no.

 

I used to be a devout Buddhist and an idol worshipper!! EEeeek how the two can be combined beats me. I was converted to Christianity in a violent way(another story, tell you another day)! The idols didn't want me to leave! My faith is weak. But i'm trying my hardest.

 

I would very much like to hear more about this.

I have a severe problem with you not having any trouble with you being forced to change your spiritual beliefs (much less any process of non-destructive thought). And if you were a Buddhist, I'm gathering you were hardly being violent or harmful to others. And if that is inded the case I think it's something to very much look at that you were taken violently from a non-violent situation. I mean really!

 

Of course not. Don't be silly. On the contrary, you are my teachers. I'm here to learn.

 

Brilliant, I certainly hope so.

 

No need glow. That's temporary. Sometimes, there are dry periods. It is a hard journey. Church is for fellowship and receiving His Words. I have to walk alone with Him. I need His help and guidance. It is so much easier to be God-less. I'm just the fool who thinks i can't go it alone and need some being like Jesus Christ to help me every breath of my life journey. Me weak, you strong.

 

Let's break this down.

 

Church is for fellowship & receiving his words- It's a hard journey because it's hard for anyone to be willfully brainwashed. And that's what fellowship is, a bunch of people convincing you, or convincing themselves that all this mythology is real.

 

I have to walk alone with Him. - You have Church...and fellowship...yet, you're walking alone with him. You probably see what I'm getting at here already.

 

You're not alone! You have many people influencing your point of view and telling you what & how to believe. If you were walking alone, you'd be studying the bible by yourself & not going to church (which would actually be more Christ like when you get down to it).

 

I need His help and guidance. - Why HIS help? Because some people forced you to follow Him? Because obviously before you seemed to be willing to follow with out him. Really, I need a bunch more info about you to say anything more, but I'm guessing that there's more to this than you simply being weak. Although, if you know you succumb to other people's will easily, then you should definitely about accepting anything as a belief that's forced upon you.

 

It is wednesday night after all, they will patch up the holes in his brain washing.

No holes to fill. I'm thoroughly awashed with the Holy Spirit. That includes the brain too. Just as you are brain-washed by Science and no god beliefs.

 

Wow. Do you realized how you just affirmed his statement?

Being brainwashed means to forcibly persuade someone to believe or accept a specific agenda or doctrine. No one forcibly made us believe in science or stop following the Biblical God. On the contrary, which seems to be the truth by your statements thus far, plenty of people have been forced to believe in Christianity.

 

 

Hope you learn how to think for yourself and assert your own will.

Many positive thoughts for you on your journey Pug.

[Skankboy]

I used to be a devout Buddhist and an idol worshipper!! EEeeek how the two can be combined beats me.

 

Me as well. Would you be willing to elaborate? Specifically, what type of Buddhism you espoused and exactly what you mean by "idols"?

 

I was converted to Christianity in a violent way(another story, tell you another day)! The idols didn't want me to leave!

 

Okaaaaaay... You REALLY can't just say something like that and not elaborate...

[Angel]

Me as well.  Would you be willing to elaborate?  Specifically, what type of Buddhism you espoused and exactly what you mean by "idols"?

Okaaaaaay...  You REALLY can't just say something like that and not elaborate...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I can almost bet on it, that they rebuked a demon out of him... that can be pretty violent.

[Eponymic]

I can almost bet on it, that they rebuked a demon out of him... that can be pretty violent.

 

And a pretty big sham as well.

[BeccasStillSeeking]

"Please God please, help me to keep my faith!"  Well, here I am.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

"Please, God, tell me you're there and that you actually care about me. Nobody else does. Please, if you can't make the abuse stop, tell me YOU love me, at least, ok?"

 

*twenty years of nothing*

 

"Uh, God? Look, I've worked my ass off being a good person, and have stuck with you in spite of your silence, but there's a lot of stuff in your church and holy book that make no sense whatsoever. Frankly, I can't see any omnipotent, omniscient deity being as much of a psycho, narrowminded asshole as these guys are making you out to be. I'm really starting to suspect that Christians do not have Clue One about the Divine, and just made a bunch of stuff up to justify their really pretty horrifying actions. If you want me to remain Christian, could you please tell me? Because I'm ready to run off screaming."

 

*total silence for another six months*

 

"...you're not really there, are you?"

 

*nothing*

 

...and so I'm here.

 

But I suppose you believe that your Sky Daddy's silence was somehow my fault.

[BeccasStillSeeking]

WWJD?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

WDWFingC?!?????!?

[BeccasStillSeeking]

I don't get why you made my words tiny. Over 30 years of my life were spent believing in God and Jesus and trying to obey out of love for them.  You have no idea the tears that I cried while in the process of trying to hold on to my faith, or the prayers I prayed down on my knees. I love my children and husband more than you'll ever know and to see you minimize this pisses me off.  There is no way for one second, that I would allow my children to fry in hell over a little tiny cry or bring my husband to the same fate that would await me IF it were real.  How dare you!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

He's a Christian prick with a bible where his heart should be, who thinks he's here to "exorcise our demons". He doesn't CARE how hard we struggled to hold on to our faiths, or what we did it in the face of. He's just here to wave the Jesus flag and expect it to impress us.

[BeccasStillSeeking]

Differences between pug and Cerise:

 

Pug + prayer = answered!

 

Cerise + prayer = unanswered!

 

Pug = still lovey-dovey christian

 

Cerise = disillusioned ex-christian

 

Hey pug...why does your god play favourites?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

In my early twenties, my conclusion was, "God's an asshole."

 

Now I think Yahweh simply does not exist, and some people are just better at self-delusion than others.

[Angel]

I used to be a devout Buddhist and an idol worshipper!! EEeeek how the two can be combined beats me. I was converted to Christianity in a violent way(another story, tell you another day)! The idols didn't want me to leave! My faith is weak. But i'm trying my hardest.

 

This is the quote that I was originally after when I stated that I bet he had a demon in him that they rebuked. I have seen some pretty nasty stuff when dealing with something like this. I was almost bit once. Ther person was growling, clawing and snapping at me like they were a rabid mutt. You don't know whether to laugh becuase of how stupid they look, or beat the crap out of them with a blunt object for attacking you.

 

There was one time that someone "rebuked" one out of me... again, ALL EMOTIONALISM. The mind is a very complex thing. If you think you are sick and really dwell on it, nine times out of ten, you will end up being sick. Just like I am sure you can convince yourself that you have a demon in you. You can talk or think your way into making something seem like reality. I think that is what happens with tongues (at least with me) and I also believe this is what happens with casting out demons (at least with me). Hope that I am making sense, not the best with words!

[Ouroboros]

WWJD?

Who Would Jesus Dump?

 

Who Would Jesus Dupe?

 

Why Won't Jesus Die?

 

What Would Jugglers Do?

[Mythra]

In my early twenties, my conclusion was, "God's an asshole."

Now I think Yahweh simply does not exist, and some people are just better at self-delusion than others.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

You got it right, Becca. No use hatin a non-entity.

 

Some people are amazingly good at self-deception, aren't they? All the answered prayers. My ass. Maybe all they are praying for is that the sun will come up tomorrow.

 

Let em try to pray for something that cannot happen with God's intervention. I'm sure the answer to that one will be, "no, sorry. I love you too much"

 

Now that I'm clear of it, christians freakin crack me up. I find em humorous as all hell. Kinda like someone trying to convince me of sasquatch being real. Good for a chuckle if nothing else.

[Panther]

Well, when I was a xtian, we debated about tithing..(no suprise, we debated everything under the sun and argued, LOL)

 

I was NOT one for tithing when I was a xtian. I gave, but what I wanted to and when I could.

Not for nothing, but it really opened my eyes when we would have an ENTIRE sermon on WHY we need to be tithing....*rolls eye*.

They would go over the plans of the new 8 million dollar church they were going to build with stadium seating and why God thought it was necessary that we knock down the perfectly fine church we were in......

 

But I digress.

 

I do not believe tithing, as we know it today is even biblical.

 

They confuse tithing......

 

Tithing in biblical days, I believe, was when donations were made for food and shelter for the wandering "spreaders of the good news" when they were trying to get converts from city to city.

NOT giving 10 percent of an income to a church building.

 

But, just as the church twists everything, it has now turned into giving what you don't have.

 

It would make me sick to see families giving of monies they could not afford to give. They would say "well, god will provide for our electric bill, etc."

Meanwhile, the church would get richer and richer and the poor folks would be staying poor while they still had their basic needs not met. No suprise, there was no "god" to provide for these things.

 

They would claim "your faith is just not good enough if you can't give of your money and depend on god for your needs"

 

 

 

And I know you guys have heard THIS a million times, LOL, it just feels good to vent....

[pug]

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I apologize for being late, but somehow this post slipped past me earlier.

 

Ah, but everybody is holding their breath for your highness's presence. I'm so thrilled you did notice my insignificant post.

 

WTF???  Posting on the Ex-C forum equates to being the "ultimate test" of your faith and relationship with God?

 

Ok sorry, not ultimate. Practice session then? But then again, yaaa, ultimate test.

 

Are you seriously saying that sitting comfortably at your computer, arguing religion with strangers, is a TEST?  An "ultimate test" at that?  THIS typing is somehow MORE strenuous and dangerous than selling all you have, giving it to the poor, leaving your family behind and risking your blood on the trail of tears sharing the gospel in FACE-TO-FACE encounters with HOSTILE Muslims?

 

You're right it's not too serious a test. too easy. But the "hostile" bit? good training when I finally meet that Muslim, he won't know as much scripture as you.

 

I'm sorry, but I find your words ridiculous.  The REAL "Christians" I've read about SUFFERED torture, shipwreck, imprisonment, starvation, depravations of every sort, humiliations and eventually DEATH.

 

The humilation bit? I'm sitting here comfortably and suffering it. Happy? Ya, quite amazing. Definitely ridiculous.

 

Excuse me whilst I blow my nose in your general direction.

 

You should take care of yourself. Here, swallow this Vitamin C tablet.

 

If I were a "Christian" who had TRULY suffered much for "Jesus", I would be personally insulted by your assertion of THIS being your "ultimate test" of faith.

 

BUT you are not a Christian now, right? So let's settle for, being personally insulted as an ex-whatever? Tough.

 

Might I recommend a better choice of phraseology next time?

 

I'm afraid not. You personally are my ultimate test of all the good folks here.

 

[pug]

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I was NOT one for tithing when I was a xtian. I gave, but what I wanted to and when I could.

 

That's what i do now. I did ask a net pal in Australia. She had been a Christian for donkey years. And she told me to do that. She confessed she had never given 10% ever!

 

Not for nothing, but it really opened my eyes when we would have an ENTIRE sermon on WHY we need to be tithing....*rolls eye*.

 

Yeah, and they'll usually ONLY quote from OT.

 

They would go over the plans of the new 8 million dollar church they were going to build with stadium seating and why God thought it was necessary that we knock down the perfectly fine church we were in......

 

We didn't have to knock down the old church. We are building the stadium in another place. It's called a Convention Centre. We are now not allowed to build new churches in Malaysia. (so that old church better stay put)

 

And I know you guys have heard THIS a million times, LOL, it just feels good to vent....

 

This is only the second time I've heard this. Good to know.