Wtf is up with churches in the US?

[HeadCrusher]

Haha, fair point!
Well, once my soon to be founded Church of Sound has enough followers religions shall peacefully be united in sound.

 

[xFkx]

let me just say that i come here bringing the gospel. Rejoice in truth for ye are the first to find out that the whole world was created by ZORB 34 minutes ago when he decided to have a dump in a multiversal toilet. You naysayers can't disprove this for all is ZORB, and any scientific facts and laws of nature that speak against this have been also created by ZORB 34 minutes (or 35 acctualy right now) ago to give you doubt and a strange urge to have an enema.





Nah nah nah.

 

[El_Gato]

 

[pipaguapique]

Aaron, why has god given my father cancer and is now killing him without even giving him a chance to have a grandson and leaving my family emotionally and financially in ruin? All Im saying is true.

I like to think there isn't a god, because if there is, Id like to smash his face to pieces

Dios es movido por Fe, no por misericordia. There's millions of people out there ill, starving children and people doing harm. I would love for God to fix that like magic, but it has to start in everyones hearts first.

Don't you think im just throwing out words out there without even knowing man. My mom was diagnosed with cancer three years ago, we went through a lot, and she always seemed pretty calmed about it. Because she had Faith in her God. One Year later, after kimos and all of that, she is now cancer free.

but guess what...that wasn't it. a year ago. She had a brain hemorrhage, and 2 micro strokes in the brain. right after she had gone trough the Cancer man!!!. Did i blame God? no. I have no idea how He works or why He made us go through all that, but i know that he gave us life, and He can take it back whenever he wants to.

Right now my mom walks, talks, she forgets a couple of things here and there, but some people would not even know that she went trough all that if i didn't tell you this.

 

[PhilR]

Dios es movido por Fe, no por misericordia. There's millions of people out there ill, starving children and people doing harm. I would love for God to fix that like magic, but it has to start in everyones hearts first.

Don't you think im just throwing out words out there without even knowing man. My mom was diagnosed with cancer three years ago, we went through a lot, and she always seemed pretty calmed about it. Because she had Faith in her God. One Year later, after kimos and all of that, she is now cancer free.

but guess what...that wasn't it. a year ago. She had a brain hemorrhage, and 2 micro strokes in the brain. right after she had gone trough the Cancer man!!!. Did i blame God? no. I have no idea how He works or why He made us go through all that, but i know that he gave us life, and He can take it back whenever he wants to.

Right now my mom walks, talks, she forgets a couple of things here and there, but some people would not even know that she went trough all that if i didn't tell you this.

God saves. If you don't get saved, well, that must be something else. But nthing to do with God because GOD SAVES.

All the credit, none of the blame.

 

[DanLights]

Phil's words are mine. Your mother got saved, but does everybody get saved? Of course not. So god felt like destroying a family was the thing of the day? You don't know how he works, you just know he gave us and life and can take it away whenever he "perfectly" feels like it? And you still adore and follow him?

People are hungry but god does not cure them because they need to have faith? Your god is selfish. He created us so we could pray and adore him? Your god is a humongous cunt. He is responsible for absolutely everything? Your god is a sadistic murderer and torturer. He gave us free will so we could think for ourselves? Then he's not responsible for what we do, we are. Right?

He gives us free will and then virgins are cryin ketchup because humanity is losing faith in their god? Holy shot did god make a mistake? I don't quite see the word perfect fitting with him. And if you NOW proclaim he isn't perfect, you suck at religion

 

[Aaron Smith]

Aaron, why has god given my father cancer and is now killing him without even giving him a chance to have a grandson and leaving my family emotionally and financially in ruin? All Im saying is true.

I like to think there isn't a god, because if there is, Id like to smash his face to pieces

I'm not even going to begin to pretend to have a specific answer for your situation, or claim that I understand how God is working in this (and my indecision has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I don't know you or your family personally). But, it is clear to me that if God is loving and only good (which I believe He is), then it is not entertainment for God, and it brings Him no pleasure to see anyone suffer.

I know it seems to make sense to ask- if God exists, and is holy and good and just, then how could this happen? How can God maintain a status of righteousness and his sovereignty if there are kind, peaceful, generous people suffering in the world? However, I really think that's the wrong question to ask, because it assumes that God owes something to man...that He is required to reign on our terms only; that He must cater to our own finite, minuscule analysis of the difficult situations in this world that we cannot comprehend. To make that assumption really just puts us on His throne and says that we know better than He does, which is incredibly pretentious. I don't see how anyone can expect to receive any kind of revelation and understanding from God unless they come at it from a position of humility.

I know that still doesn't answer the question of why your dad and your family are suffering, or likely make you feel at all any warmer towards God, but I can leave you a bit from a sermon that helps crack open the pain/suffering issue (from a pastor/theologian who has affected me greatly, John Piper):

The terrorized and troubled world exists to make a place for Jesus Christ, the son of God to suffer and die for our sins. The reason there is terror in the world, is so that Christ could be terrorized. The reason that there is trouble in the world, is so that Christ could be troubled. The reason there is pain in the universe, is so that Christ could feel pain. This is the world that God prepared for the suffering and death of His son; this is the world where the best display of divine love could happen...because the Bible is [very] clear what the highest and most beautiful display of love is: Romans 5:8 - God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. God wanted to show His love for us how? ...in that while we were yet sinners (there had to be sin), Christ died (there had to be death) for us. This world of suffering exists, so that God could love like He could only love in this world.

You can back up and say "I wouldn't have done it that way". Well, you're not God, and I am thankful...I think it's really arrogant to say that you, before the creation of the universe, would have greater wisdom than the Almighty, to design a universe in which the fullness of the panorama of His perfections would shine more brightly than in this one.

 

[ratsapprentice]

However, I really think that's the wrong question to ask, because it assumes that God owes something to man...that He is required to reign on our terms only; that He must cater to our own finite, minuscule analysis of the difficult situations in this world that we cannot comprehend. To make that assumption really just puts us on His throne and says that we know better than He does, which is incredibly pretentious. I don't see how anyone can expect to receive any kind of revelation and understanding from God unless they come at it from a position of humility.

So you're saying the countless millions of children that are born into war and poverty should be thankful?
That it's fine, they may die a slow and horrific death, but ultimately it is God's will?
God surely cannot expect people to be able to have faith in him when he does this?
He does owe people a decent life, he created the fucking universe according to you, that's the least he could do.
All of your reasoning is based on faith, which we do not have.
It's only pretentious for people with faith to question God.

 

[DanLights]

Aaron, I totally respect you and admire the way in which you confront such discussions, but I just can't find the sense in that quote or pretty much any pro-religious text (my mother read to us some texts by a certain famous 100year old nun from Venezuela, I swear I felt like puking at such disgusting words, I wish I could find that and post it here). So if you say you do not agree with his ways, you simply admit he's better and let him kill your family for some reason you don't know? And still love him for ever and ever? When did Mr god actually EARN your trust in such a blind way? When Catholics killed and burned millions of people and things that contradicted or did not concern their interests and slowly shoved their beliefs down everyone's throats (or slit the ones who didn't swallow them) until it became family tradition and so your mum told you about god and how nice he is because she was told the same thing by her mother and so on? Is that when the great divine power earned your blind trust and faith?

I still can't believe we're in the year 2010 and people still hang on to millenias old fantasies, we should be on flying cars instead of bombing ourselves for our gods for Sneap's sake

 

[El_Gato]

Derailing and answering only what they please

*keep waiting for an answer*

 

[SocialNumb]

I would LOVE to hear how you possibly could have come to such an enlightened state of mind so as to boldly proclaim that there is no such thing as a serious question about God, or that no one in the world could possibly know a darn thing about Him.

That's not what I said. I said "There is no serious discussion to be had about "God"" In other words, no one has seen or met "Him". Hung out, actually know "him", the way you know a friend or family member. Not whether "He" exist or not.

That seems to be a big difference between you and I- our motivations. You're telling me that you would choose to interpret the Bible negatively, whereas I've chosen to take an honest continuing look at it, over years and years of my life, with no preconceived notions of what I want the Bible to say. If the Bible does contain timeless truths inspired by God (if you can entertain that thought for at least a few seconds), then you can never expect for it to make sense if your heart is hardened towards it.

I would now, having read it from no position at all in the past. It is The Bible itself that turned me away from your religion. IMO You really have to do some mental hula hoops to buy it. That's the whole exercise of interpretation.

Pro tip: Your heart is not responsible for your emotions. Look a little higher.

It is true that a Christian needs to be careful that they don't "make shit up", but there is, at times, more to the Bible than just a literal surface reading. An honest, unbiased study and interpretation will take this into account.

Or, someone with brains could of wrote it in a simple non-hidden message way leaving no interpretation to be had. That's why there is so many different versions of Christians. Each group has their own interpretation.

Another difference between you and I, is that my position is safe. The quality of my life has in no way suffered due to my Christian walk, and in fact I massively believe my life (and the lives of many others I've encountered) to be immeasurably enriched because of it. And when I die, I have assurance.

Sounds like Pascal's Wager to me. IMO an afterlife that lasts forever, worshiping a murderer is a nightmare. Christianity has done nothing to me personally. However, I see what it has done to countless many and I don't like it. Religion in general. You might want to check out the videos I posted to understand my position.

I can't possibly see how you can tell me that my faith is as a disease...

I rather know what I know and simply except that I don't have the answers than have faith in a story because it says to. In other words "God did it" is not an acceptable answer to me unless he pops out of the sky, we record it, and there are millions of people there to see "him" with me and says "I did it!" After I would make sure there wasn't any hallucinogenic chemicals in the air and have the film tested for a fake.


Aaron, what if the greatest trick "Satan" ever did was convince people their religious books are the word of "God"? I know you will outright deny this and I don't blame you as don't believe in magic. Just a little thought experiment.

 

[midget donkeys]

[/IMG]

Serve me for I am the one thoust uses words like thoust often and delivered thy people from thy Thunder-dome. And lo! do not thoust eaten from the rock badger for it supports a homosexual socialist agenda.

 

[TheWinterSnow]

All praise Gibson, our father, our lord and savior!

 

[DanLights]

Gibson sucks now, all praise Fender!

 

[TheWinterSnow]

Gibson sucks now, all praise Fender!

sorry Mel, I must be a follower as I cannot think for myself...All hail our one true lord and savior, Leo Fender!

 

[midget donkeys]

This is Blasphemy. Though shall burn in the everlasting pits of Master Blaster. So sayeth the Gibson.

 

[TheWinterSnow]

forgive me father Gibson, for I have fallen to the evil trickery of the devil, Fender. I repent my sins!

 

[SocialNumb]

Satan or the Devil? I thought the Devil was kinda like Gods hit man. (He killed 10 on Gods command. If I remember correctly) It would be Satan tricking you.

 

[paladin shredder]

When people pray to god, they are talking to themselves. When they praise god, they are praising themselves. When they question God, they question themselves. God is an imaginary concept that people believe in because it makes them feel better. Thats why religious people argue about who's religion is best, or what God says they should do. One person's god is different from another person's god, because those two people made up different gods. This is true especially in Christianity, with all of its denominations. The Bible has been interpreted 100's of thousands of different ways, because you have to apply your own subjective opinion to pick and choose what you want to believe from it.

 

[DanLights]

When people pray to god, they are talking to themselves. When they praise god, they are praising themselves. When they question God, they question themselves. God is an imaginary concept that people believe in because it makes them feel better. Thats why religious people argue about who's religion is best, or what God says they should do. One person's god is different from another person's god, because those two people made up different gods. This is true especially in Christianity, with all of its denominations. The Bible has been interpreted 100's of thousands of different ways, because you have to apply your own subjective opinion to pick and choose what you want to believe from it.

your avatar pretty much says it all dude