MysticTeal Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 Today I met with my Bible Study group. This is the second time I've joined them. Normally, they would be studying Revelation, but since it's so close to the Holiday, they decided to have a potluck type Thanksgiving. It was all good and gravy, until they started talking about the Kardashians, Paris Hilton and a few other Celebrities and shows. I felt like we were gossiping and not being thankful enough. It was weird. Sorry, this is my rant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midniterider Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 How much thankfulness is enough? :-) Is God really a narcissist? I know the bible makes God look that way but really, why would God, the all powerful being insist on praise from his creations? I don't tell my children, "Praise me! Sing songs about me all day long." As God, I would not want all that praise. And being all knowing I would know that a lot of people would just be kissing my butt to get a free pass into heaven. Heaven, where eternal butt kissing is done. I don't think God would want to listen to all that crap forever and ever. I suspect that the 'real' God, if there is one is quite different from the one portrayed in the bible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midniterider Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 Gossip can be bad. And at the same time hilarious. Years ago my spouse and I were fundamentalist church-going Christians and also foster parents. The wife let a church friend know that a foster child of ours was going to be adopted by a gay couple (two males). The church friend let another church friend know who in short order called up my wife so they could praaaaaaaaaaay for this terrible thing to be stopped!!! God's will in the matter. My wife had to deal with her fanatical fruitcake fundamentalist friend but I personally enjoyed watching this fruitcake get all worked up about it. :-) God's will apparently was that the two men were supposed to have the child. I don't believe we discussed pending adoptions of other foster kids after that. :-) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MysticTeal Posted November 22, 2013 Author Share Posted November 22, 2013 Well it was sort of a conversation you had to be there to fully understand and hear. It was the tone of voice they used...almost like looking down on the Celebrities because they thought they were better. So basically judging them. I did not like that. I have a soft spot for the rich and famous, so that is probably why I felt uncomtorable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MysticTeal Posted November 22, 2013 Author Share Posted November 22, 2013 Gossip can be bad. And at the same time hilarious. Years ago my spouse and I were fundamentalist church-going Christians and also foster parents. The wife let a church friend know that a foster child of ours was going to be adopted by a gay couple (two males). The church friend let another church friend know who in short order called up my wife so they could praaaaaaaaaaay for this terrible thing to be stopped!!! God's will in the matter. My wife had to deal with her fanatical fruitcake fundamentalist friend but I personally enjoyed watching this fruitcake get all worked up about it. :-) God's will apparently was that the two men were supposed to have the child. I don't believe we discussed pending adoptions of other foster kids after that. :-) Hahahah.....yes I agree it can be funny, as long as it is tastefully done. Thanks for sharing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MysticTeal Posted November 22, 2013 Author Share Posted November 22, 2013 For some reason I cant edit my post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midniterider Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 Well it was sort of a conversation you had to be there to fully understand and hear. It was the tone of voice they used...almost like looking down on the Celebrities because they thought they were better. So basically judging them. I did not like that. I have a soft spot for the rich and famous, so that is probably why I felt uncomtorable. Someone is always better than someone outside his group. lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midniterider Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 For some reason I cant edit my post. No edits till you hit about 25 posts I think. Welcome to Ex-c.net. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MysticTeal Posted November 22, 2013 Author Share Posted November 22, 2013 How much thankfulness is enough? :-) Is God really a narcissist? I know the bible makes God look that way but really, why would God, the all powerful being insist on praise from his creations? I don't tell my children, "Praise me! Sing songs about me all day long." As God, I would not want all that praise. And being all knowing I would know that a lot of people would just be kissing my butt to get a free pass into heaven. Heaven, where eternal butt kissing is done. I don't think God would want to listen to all that crap forever and ever. I suspect that the 'real' God, if there is one is quite different from the one portrayed in the bible. Well I do not have the correct theological answer or anything like that, but maybe God wants everyone to remember to praise Him because it is good to remember Him. So like a reminder so we do not stray off course. I do not think it is about any butt kissing. There are many negatives in this world. It's good to stay centered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MysticTeal Posted November 22, 2013 Author Share Posted November 22, 2013 While I am ranting...here is another thing. I've had other Christians tell me I was demon possessed, and that I was being used by Satan. It really hurt me to hear these things. Humans can be so cruel and insensitive. When I was called possessed by the enemy...it has stuck with me to this day. We all need to be responsible with our words. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RenaissanceWoman Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 While I am ranting...here is another thing. I've had other Christians tell me I was demon possessed, and that I was being used by Satan. It really hurt me to hear these things. Humans can be so cruel and insensitive. When I was called possessed by the enemy...it has stuck with me to this day. We all need to be responsible with our words. Oh no. I too was told this to my face by my pastor -- on two separate private occasions, and in five (yes 5!) thinly veiled sermons. (Directed at me, and lots of people knew.) Since you're new here, long story short: There was a lot of un-Christ-like behavior in the music ministry (extreme favoritism, exclusion, politics, public humiliation, inconsistent rules, inconsistent "punishment", etc.), and at the urging of fellow musicians and singers, I was encouraged to broach the subject with the leaders. (I was one who was humiliated often by the insecure little director, who was apparently threatened by my talent, willingness, and friendships with the other members.) Leadership agreed but did nothing, and the problem got worse because the music leader was even more mad at me. I kept pushing -- it was wrong, and people were gossiping and quitting. I was giving these people on average 20 hours a week of my time and talent (1000 hours a year for several years), never missing a rehearsal or performance, filling in any time they needed a back-up singer or piano player, really stepping up to the plate. I had passion and commitment! One elder told me several times that he was my "biggest fan," and the head elder told me repeatedly what a blessing I was to the congregation. But as the gossip grew in the music ministry and spilled into the congregation, the pastor became frustrated and starting accusing me of being "a wedge of Satan to divide the music ministry, and the entire church ministry as a whole." Believe me, it hurts. And when you are still a Christian and doing everything for them and ultimately "for God", and sacrificing great amounts of time, money, and energy to make things better, it really throws you into a terrible loop of self-doubt and despair. Cruel words, indeed. Let me tell you, my dear, you are a good person, you are a decent human being, and you are worthy of love. Do not let the evil words of insecure people lodge into your brain. You are the better person. Consider their accusation to be a badge of honor -- you have struck on some truth that is uncomfortable for them, which means you are the real leader. You have value in this world, and you are doing the right thing to question and explore. If I could, I would hug you and tell you everything's going to be ok. Be free! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amateur Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 While I am ranting...here is another thing. I've had other Christians tell me I was demon possessed, and that I was being used by Satan. It really hurt me to hear these things. Humans can be so cruel and insensitive. When I was called possessed by the enemy...it has stuck with me to this day. We all need to be responsible with our words. No. No, you are not. And Paris Hilton, the Kardashians -- they are just people. As an atheist, I see them as people like the rest of us, simply people with regular human qualities. If someone calls themself a xian, they should see those celebrities as simply sinners, like all of us, as per their bible, no better or worse than anyone else. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Marty Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 While I am ranting...here is another thing. I've had other Christians tell me I was demon possessed, and that I was being used by Satan. It really hurt me to hear these things. Humans can be so cruel and insensitive. When I was called possessed by the enemy...it has stuck with me to this day. We all need to be responsible with our words. This is what they tell you when you are not accepting everything they are feeding you without question. They want robots that will hear and accept whatever is said without question. Gay people are evil, Rock and Roll music is evil, having sex before marriage is evil, kissing while dating will lead to sex before marriage which is evil. god needs 10% of your paycheck (gross earnings, of course) every week, and on and on and on... I, too, am a musician, and was in a church/school as an adolescent and becoming an adult. I was told I was setting my self up for demon possession because of the beat of rock music. Not the lyrical content (because that would presumably exempt christian rock music), not the lifestyle or the look, it was the beat* that was evil. Even as an 8th grader, that was the most ridiculous thing I could have imagined, yet I was ostracized and singled out for the remainder of my time there because I didn't run from what I was interested in to the chapel to pray for forgiveness. *My teacher told me the beat is hypnotic and would open my mind up for possession by demons. He compared it to the trace like state of Voodoo practitioners and the notable coincidence that there are drum beats during Voodoo rituals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
francesco Posted November 23, 2013 Share Posted November 23, 2013 While I am ranting...here is another thing. I've had other Christians tell me I was demon possessed, and that I was being used by Satan. It really hurt me to hear these things. Humans can be so cruel and insensitive. When I was called possessed by the enemy...it has stuck with me to this day. We all need to be responsible with our words. that's what happen when they can control you, it's easier to told u that u are evil or demon possessed and letting you go knowing you are "demon possessed" and cannot be corrected Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kolaida Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 How much thankfulness is enough? :-) Is God really a narcissist? I know the bible makes God look that way but really, why would God, the all powerful being insist on praise from his creations? I don't tell my children, "Praise me! Sing songs about me all day long." As God, I would not want all that praise. And being all knowing I would know that a lot of people would just be kissing my butt to get a free pass into heaven. Heaven, where eternal butt kissing is done. I don't think God would want to listen to all that crap forever and ever. I suspect that the 'real' God, if there is one is quite different from the one portrayed in the bible. Well I do not have the correct theological answer or anything like that, but maybe God wants everyone to remember to praise Him because it is good to remember Him. So like a reminder so we do not stray off course. I do not think it is about any butt kissing. There are many negatives in this world. It's good to stay centered. I understand where you're coming from. You probably see the good in God and want to honor and respect that. It probably bothers you to see others as shallow and disrespectful. The truth is unless you are going to be shallow and not take the beliefs seriously, Christianity is going to a long and hard road and will probably leave the bitter taste of disappointment in the mouth. I used to have similar thoughts around this time of the year, but now I am much happier that I let that all go. While I am ranting...here is another thing. I've had other Christians tell me I was demon possessed, and that I was being used by Satan. It really hurt me to hear these things. Humans can be so cruel and insensitive. When I was called possessed by the enemy...it has stuck with me to this day. We all need to be responsible with our words. Okay, what the hell? WHO tells you that you are possessed? That is one thing I liked about the brand of Christianity my parents practiced, as Christians, you could never be possessed. No one is possessed, that's just stuff people say when they don't like what you are saying or doing. And other people think they are possessed when they most likely have some kind of disorder that needs actual therapy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midniterider Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 How much thankfulness is enough? :-) Is God really a narcissist? I know the bible makes God look that way but really, why would God, the all powerful being insist on praise from his creations? I don't tell my children, "Praise me! Sing songs about me all day long." As God, I would not want all that praise. And being all knowing I would know that a lot of people would just be kissing my butt to get a free pass into heaven. Heaven, where eternal butt kissing is done. I don't think God would want to listen to all that crap forever and ever. I suspect that the 'real' God, if there is one is quite different from the one portrayed in the bible. Well I do not have the correct theological answer or anything like that, but maybe God wants everyone to remember to praise Him because it is good to remember Him. So like a reminder so we do not stray off course. I do not think it is about any butt kissing. There are many negatives in this world. It's good to stay centered. Perhaps it is good to remember God. But not become OCD about it. These days though I just try to be nice to people. I agree it is good to stay on course and stay centered and live in moderation. I would hope to apply moderation to all thoughts, even religious thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mydisplayname Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 How much thankfulness is enough? :-) Is God really a narcissist? I know the bible makes God look that way but really, why would God, the all powerful being insist on praise from his creations? I don't tell my children, "Praise me! Sing songs about me all day long." As God, I would not want all that praise. And being all knowing I would know that a lot of people would just be kissing my butt to get a free pass into heaven. Heaven, where eternal butt kissing is done. I don't think God would want to listen to all that crap forever and ever. I suspect that the 'real' God, if there is one is quite different from the one portrayed in the bible. Well I do not have the correct theological answer or anything like that, but maybe God wants everyone to remember to praise Him because it is good to remember Him. So like a reminder so we do not stray off course. I do not think it is about any butt kissing. There are many negatives in this world. It's good to stay centered. That's a pretty good answer you gave. When I was a believer I used to say that praising god is a way of growing spiritually and that's why god requires it of us. That being said, if you look at some of the traits of a narcissist then you'll notice that god has quite a few of those traits. Here's the ones I feel is applicable to god: - Detesting those who do not admire them - Flattery towards people who admire and affirm them - Hypersensitivity to any insults or imagined insults - Difficulty with empathy The counter argument can be made to say that god did create everything and thus deserves to be narcissistic. I just feel that narcissism is not a godly thing. Why be like that? Why not lead by example? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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