jaybird18c

No hostility. Just trying to show empathy. It’s got to be hard when all that free speech is up in your face all the time. It’s even worse when it’s shoved down your throat!

There seem to be a lot of things “in your face” all the time. Theology is just all up in your face, isn’t it? That’s rough man.

Just two true statements from different perspectives. The command from our perspective is to "repent and believe" (Mark 1:15). But is anyone "willing" to believe apart from an act of God? I say no. From God's perspective, as with Ezekiel's vision in the valley of dry bones, They will remain dead unless God breathes life into them.

If you say you're something, but you're missing a key component of what that something is, are you still that something just because you identify with or feel like you're that something?

I'm not saying people throughout history haven't killed each other for countless reasons including religion, even in the name of christianity. What I'm saying is that you don't see many christians running around killing others over their faith. It's just a stupid generalization. But those seem to be in generous supply here.

He would if you ever got over yourself.

Here's an example, regardless of Catholic/Protestant, regardless of denomination. Jesus is the Son of God. The deity of Jesus Christ is a historical, fundamental, and essential belief included in what it means to be christian. A mormon does not believe in the deity of Christ. Therefore, they would be considered as a christian cult. That's just a classification. I mean, they and others calls themselves christian. However, they don't believe in a fundamental aspect of what a biblical christian believes. Anyone can call themselves anything they want. It doesn't make them that thing. A person calls themselves a skydiver and hangs out at the DZ. But if they don't own or can borrow a rig to jump. Are they really a skydiver?

We may disagree on non-essential details. However, there are core fundamental beliefs that every christian agrees on if they are in fact christian.

Yeah...you see lots of christians running around killing folks over their faith.

Muslims who die for their faith are obviously convinced and committed. I'm not arguing against that. However, I would say that they probably wouldn't die for their cause if they knew it to be false. Likewise, Christian martyrs also would not have died for what they knew was false or a lie. They knew It was true. They and over 500 others witnessed it. They died heinous deaths because they refused to deny it. That gives credibility and reason to believe. "Chuck Colson, former special counsel to President Nixon and founder of Prison Fellowship, said that when the Watergate scandal broke, he and 11 other men—some of the toughest and most powerful in the world—met secretly, came up with a story, and swore to maintain it. But these powerful men broke. Quickly. Colson said, I know the resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved it to me. How? Because 12 men testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead, then they proclaimed that truth for 40 years, never once denying it. Everyone was beaten, tortured, stoned, and put in prison. They would not have endured that if it weren’t true. Watergate embroiled 12 of the most powerful men in the world—and they couldn’t keep a lie for three weeks. You’re telling me 12 apostles could keep a lie for 40 years? Absolutely impossible."

Now THAT is just silly.

Kind of like when gowlerk posted the video "Reason to Believe" by Tim Hardin earlier. Singing is good!

Amazing grace how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me I once was lost, but now I'm found Was blind but now I see 'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear And grace my fears relieved How precious did that grace appear The hour I first believed Through many dangers, toils, and snares I have already come This grace that brought me safe thus far And grace will lead me home When we've been here ten thousand years Bright, shining as the sun We've no less days to sing God's praise Than when we first begun Amazing grace how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me I once was lost, but now I'm found Was blind but now I see

No. That’s not it. But what they did supports my belief. Miracles don’t change the heart. You can always reason them away. You’ll always ask for a bigger and better sign. God is the only one who can change the heart. Miracles just point to the truth. God caused me to humble myself, my conscience being more aware of the depth of my sin and my ultimate fate apart from Christ. He also made me realize the lengths to which he went on my behalf to secure eternal life with him.

(1 Corinthians 1:18) For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

The world is full of charlatans. The day will come for them just like everyone else. "because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” Plenty of people have died for what they strongly believed. Terrorists flew airplanes into the World Trade Center. They were committed to their religious belief and cause! However, I do not think they would have done that for a cause they knew was false. In other words, people aren't usually wiling to die for a lie, especially a horrific death. The great martyrs of the christian faith died for what they knew was true. What they had seen with their own eyes. That's trustworthiness! The world is broken. It's full of bad things happening to all sorts of people all the time. If God ended it today, you would stand guilty before him and receive the just punishment you deserve. Because he allows this broken world to continue, you are given time to take advantage of the only good opportunity you have.

You're the one crying "sounds like a PA there." Must have affected you a little. Thought that came to my mind when I saw that: Someone from "White Men Can't Jump" crying foul on the basketball court.

Don't be so thin skinned. There shouldn't be any crying in here.

So what happens when that "feeling" isn't as strong or it goes away? Do you divorce when she no longer meets or cannot meet your needs...or are you committed enough to do the hard work and stay and continue to build the relationship? Feelings are flimsy. They're not the basis for anything. They're the icing on the cake for sure. However, they can drift and sway with the current. Good luck with that. I've been married for 28 years. The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever.

Are you saying you can't have reason to not believe something in the same way that you can have reason to believe?

Well good for you! You keep it up! Just stop eating crayons and licking windows.

Trust is developed over time by someone demonstrating commitment to another. It is grounded in actions. God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. That is love in action. Dude. Are you married. Did you base your marriage solely on "feelings?"

Ha! Ha! Good one. You so clever! How long did it take you to come up with that one?

No it doesn't. Peter lied when he was asked if he knew Jesus to save his own skin. Then what happened. He and the other disciples were witness to the crucifixion and resurrection. Jesus even said that Peter would be responsible for founding his church. Then most of them were martyred because they would not deny what they knew to be true. That demonstrates trustworthiness!

Did Judas discount the trustworthiness of the other eye-witnesses? Besides, I think he committed suicide for his mistake. And he wasn't around for the crucifixion and resurrection. Judas was looking to Jesus as the prophesied Messiah who would come as a conquerer and lead the liberation of the Jews out from under Roman occupation and persecution.