Why I enjoy church hopping

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had to one up me huh Elvis? šŸ˜›

Now I gotta find a cooler Darwin image (I hate homework)
 
I hear people saying that Christianity is a myth, but I see no proof. Only opinions. I can call your unbelief an opinion, because you have nothing to base your belief on. Your unbelief is your religion. Why should I join your religion? You have nothing to base it on, just your opinion.
 
vinarabo said:
I hear people saying that Christianity is a myth, but I see no proof. Only opinions. I can call your unbelief an opinion, because you have nothing to base your belief on. Your unbelief is your religion. Why should I join your religion? You have nothing to base it on, just your opinion.
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I think itā€™s even less than his opinion. Itā€™s popular liberal shlock. He probably hasnā€™t even truly examined his belief system.
 
I just get steamed when someone says my beliefs are ****, and they have nothing better to base it on. Its easy to say that your belief is garbage, but then expect me to believe in the **** they do.
 
Steven_John said:
Hi humble in doubt,
you bored?
you angry about the or believers of ā€œmythsā€?
you anti religion?

Or are you your name sake?

I am just curious.

Stay well
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Iā€™m on a very long business trip & bored as heck. Anyway, found this site & most people here seem pretty cool ā€¦ and so far I havenā€™t been booted (and I always enjoy talking about politics, philosophy, or whatever). As far as religion goes, I wouldnā€™t say Iā€™m anti-religion. I suppose (like any regiment that imposes psychological discipline on people) it can have its benefits for some people.

I just donā€™t believe any of it happened, itā€™s really quite that simple. I donā€™t think Iā€™ve ever struck an angry tone on this forum (and Iā€™ve been as respectful as possible, albeit voicing opposition to the views of another might be subjectively offensive ā€¦ itā€™s not objectively offensive). In other words in a free society we cannot be offended when others do not believe as we do. I understand Christians feel the compulsion to spread the word; but you shouldnā€™t be surprised that not everyone will buy into your religion. I also understand Christianity is somewhat our state religion (albeit we carry the pretense of multiculturalism). In every past society those who voiced opposition to the majority religion were always scorned (there was a day when the Romans would persecute Christians under the pretense that they were atheists).

At any rate ā€¦ I was raised Catholic (and thoroughly Catholic at that). I studied theology for years & struggled with the Catholic interpretation of scripture for a long time. Leaving aside my thoughts about scripture, the outlandish miracles depicted in scripture (and the lack of objective evidence) eventually made me realize they just never happened.

Every miracle I hear touted by the CC has an objective tangible explanation (or cannot withstand rigorous scrutiny at all). In addition ā€¦ thereā€™s the obvious. Every world religion paints this god who performed these profound and world changing miracles (split seas, destroyed cities, flooded the earth, raised men from the dead, healed the blind and crippled, etc.), but only several thousand years ago when mankind was far more prone to superstition, primitive, and gullible.

Where is this god today? Some might try and convince me that a number of people who visited Lourdes were healed & that is evidence of a mystical unseen god. I say the fact that 67 out of the hundreds of thousands (or perhaps millions) of people who visited your shrine became better is simply a normal statistic (and of course factually it is).

In other words your god has never manifested himself in the profound ways he purportedly did in the past. This mysterious god has never talked to men (at least men we didnā€™t later adjudicate insane). He hasnā€™t split any seas, destroyed any cities, took the form of a burning bush, etc. in modern times. All we have to rely on is the word of ancient primitive men. In short ā€¦ to me itā€™s nonsense (but weā€™re all entitled to our beliefs, thankfully).
 
vinarabo said:
I hear people saying that Christianity is a myth, but I see no proof. Only opinions. I can call your unbelief an opinion, because you have nothing to base your belief on. Your unbelief is your religion. Why should I join your religion? You have nothing to base it on, just your opinion.
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who can prove a negative? If you were to say flying pink elephants existed a million years ago, then ask that I prove you wrong ā€¦ wouldnā€™t that seem absurd? Even if someone wrote about flying pink elephants (letā€™s assume we were lucky enough to find some cave carving of a flying pink elephant) does this prove they existed? Obviously not. It could be that it was simply art, or some early form of religion, or even someone with a vivid imagination just playing around. Who knows right?

Obviously when someone proposes a god man came to earth and rose from death thereā€™s a higher standard of proof required. You can say god gave you faith (because he predestined you ā€¦ or something like that); but I will say itā€™s simply learned behavior like anything else (and hence purely psychological).

The fact is god only presented himself to ancient men in the remote past & has been utterly absent in our modern world. Most religions always have a profound reason why god doesnā€™t appear to us today like he did to our ancient predecessors; when in fact the only profound reason god doesnā€™t appear to us today is because he doesnā€™t exist (and modern man can explain most natural phenomena that must have seemed like the work of a god or gods to the ancients).

The funny thing is religion will accuse its detractors of being the very thing it is (which is a useful tactic). For instance you will say Iā€™m a slave (or in bondage) to sin. I say the truest form of freedom is absolute truth (no matter how frightening it may to some people). One who allows their life to be dictated by ancient mythology with no basis in fact is IMO the slave (and that is the truth).
 
prodigalson12 said:
In my early 20ā€™s, after a few years not attending mass and staying away from the church all together, I returned with a zeal and unquenchable thirst for the lord and all he has to teach me as well as fellowship with others.

It wasnā€™t enough to simply have mass on Sunday, so I looked for other churches that had services throughout the week, especially in the evenings since Iā€™m a hopeless night owl. In my world then, as it still is now, I very much wish there was more, much more out there, any mainstream denomination included, and absolutely, this includes Mass as well.

Well, one of the goals I was trying to accompolish originally was to define, what it takes to become born again. I talked to the priest at my local church, I talked to ministers and pastors at the others, I talked to members in all of the congregations, and in each case, never was there a clear answer. This in a way left me lacking, for I was looking for some direction, a working game plan, and since none existed, I had to create my own.

I bought my first bible, it was necessary since I was attending bible study with one of the churches I was visiting. I decided to simply read it cover to cover, when I started, in the back of my mind I remembered being told by the Catholic church, that I had no business in doing so, that I could not properly interpret it and in fact, felt guilty, that I was defying some edict or something. That feeling soon melted away, and after finishing it, I had a completely different perspective of the word, one of amazement, the richness of it all, the combination of all of it, start to finish and how it all fit together, the greatest story ever to be told in the history of mankind, all right here in black and white.

During those early years, I attended parishes that were down right insulting, I attended parishes that were also very inspirational as well. So much of the time, the same messages being taught both within the Catholic and Protestant circut, it completely changed my perspective along exactly who these protestants are, what they believe, and how the same message is being taught in so many of them, why some of us as Catholics condemn them is beyond me. I look for what is good, what is similar, what we can agree upon and I ignore the rest, for that creates nothing but dissention. Iā€™ve learned so much from my protestant friends, it just makes sense to continue here.

I still church hop, not to replace Mass, but to soak in the messages being taught, for I have discernment and know full well if there is a hidden agenda, or if the message being taught is not what the lord wants us to know about. That same first bible is in really bad shape now, pages falling out, the lettering ā€œHoly Bibleā€ on the front of it 1/2 worn off, and itā€™s clear to anybody, this is not an ornament just lying around the place, itā€™s getting good use.

Anyway, I figured I should create a thread on it, for Iā€™m getting questioned on another about it, and opt to not let it go off topic there, so this is it. The bottom line, the end result of this, my faith has increased, my understanding of God and his children has expanded, and I am giving a lot of credit to the protestants to the point, I now consider myself Catholic and Protestant, unpolitically correct as it may be, that is my stance. I refuse to claim a denomination, always keeping my roots within the Catholic faith and keeping that strong, yet not forsaking my protestant bretheren and enjoying their company within fellowship.
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No insult intended but you seem hopelessly lost.
 
mark_a said:
Huh?
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I donā€™t believe any one man knows God entirely.
I Gods goodness can be found anywhere there is life.

A man will spend a life seeking God desiring to know Him / Her / It more fully.

With this in mind the poster is more found than lost.

It we say God can be found nowhere other than my congregation than to me this is being closer to lost.
 
The main thing that I object to, this is a forum thatā€™s pro Christian, pro Catholic to boot, why would you want to be involved with a group of people who have a very defined interest that is in direct opposition to your own opinions. Itā€™s just by default not a logical thing to do at all unless your goal is only to cause disruption and only if you have no concept of using your time constructively. Nobody I mean nobody is going to convert to your non belief no matter what you say or do, thatā€™s the facts and the bottom line being, you are wasting all of our time.

I surely wish the staff that run this place would simply take what I said to mind and terminate accounts that are only here to cause disruption.
 
prodigalson12 said:
The main thing that I object to, this is a forum thatā€™s pro Christian, pro Catholic to boot, why would you want to be involved with a group of people who have a very defined interest that is in direct opposition to your own opinions. Itā€™s just by default not a logical thing to do at all unless your goal is only to cause disruption and only if you have no concept of using your time constructively. Nobody I mean nobody is going to convert to your non belief no matter what you say or do, thatā€™s the facts and the bottom line being, you are wasting all of our time.

I surely wish the staff that run this place would simply take what I said to mind and terminate accounts that are only here to cause disruption.
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To whom are you referring?

Again, your posts are filled will run-on sentences and poorly-structured rants. Itā€™s difficult to know what youā€™re talking about half of the time.
Iā€™ve read a lot of replies to your posts - including my own - that are dumbfounded by your apparent lack of faith. You actually called yourself Catholic AND Protestant in one of your posts. Just what does that mean?

Also - who has said anything to you that is worthy of having their account terminated?
 
Steven_John said:
I donā€™t believe any one man knows God entirely.
I Gods goodness can be found anywhere there is life.

A man will spend a life seeking God desiring to know Him / Her / It more fully.

With this in mind the poster is more found than lost.

It we say God can be found nowhere other than my congregation than to me this is being closer to lost.
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**The poster has claimed to be both Catholic and Protestant. This is an oxymoron - you canā€™t be both. **These are the words of a person who truly may be lost. Most of the replies to this poster have been written by those who are trying to show him/her the error of his/her ways.

The fact that you also refuse commit to Jesusā€™ Church may indicate that you, too are in need of some light.:rolleyes:
 
elvisman said:
The poster has claimed to be both Catholic and Protestant. This is an oxymoron - you canā€™t be both. These are the words of a person who truly may be lost. Most of the replies to this poster have been written by those who are trying to show him/her the error of his/her ways.

The fact that you also refuse commit to Jesusā€™ Church may indicate that you, too are in need of some light.:rolleyes:
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Please go on,
i am should always be keen to be corrected, when I need it,
but i ask keep it about me not about you.
About who i should be relative to who i am now.
A great place to start would be to show me my lack of commitment you claim.
If the original poster of this thread s happy, or you can pm or start a public thread to help me.
God bless you for your caring.
 
Iā€™m just going to let Elvis reveal his true nature here. No need to prod him on, his attacks are insulting to his own spirituality, too bad really, but when it comes down to it, the very reason I choose to live in light and reason, not die in darkness and chaos.

Elvis, I do forgive you no matter what you throw at me if itā€™s any consolation, itā€™s just too bad you canā€™t find something more constructive to do with your time. And just for you, that response was directed towards those atheist which frequent these places and not you, but I suppose if you want to take it personally, itā€™s your call, it was never intended for you.
 
Steven_John said:
I donā€™t believe any one man knows God entirely.
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Thatā€™s very Catholic.
Gods goodness can be found anywhere there is life.
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Very Catholic also.
A man will spend a life seeking God desiring to know Him . . . .more fully
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Very Catholic again.
/ Her / It .
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Totally un-Catholic
With this in mind the poster is more found than lost.
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I would call him very non-committal (NDI).
It we say God can be found nowhere other than my congregation than to me this is being closer to lost.
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Very Catholic also.
 
To say Her or it is un-Catholic could suggest this to be untrue.
But what you say is true from a terminology point of view.

My post was an attempt at speaking as catholic not Catholic.

While i refer to God as My Father that term is very simple and may mislead people to not have a full view.

Most Catholics i know and the reading i have done would say it is Catholic to say Jesus (pbwh) is God.

That wisdom is of God.
Wisdom is oft refered to as she.

That the church is the bride of Jesus (pbwh).
The Church is oft refered to as she.

In a marriage both become one.

So God must be both He and She if we are to try and box God into our understanding.

Now what of Gods goodness that does not fit our gender understanding, It was not offered to be insulting as is in our culture here but to be inclusive of all that is of God.

If God calls you to witness to a foreigner would you say you must learn english to know God or would you try to relate as they would understand it?

Jesus (pbwh) did that and offerers us to walk his way Paul is said to have followed and we can see use of greek understanding to share the good news.

In this forum people come from so many places should i not use language to try and include them or should is say you must have full catholic understanding and terminology before the door of salvation is opened for you?

Maybe and it is only a suggestion in communication it will help people to speak catholic rather than Catholic if you want people to become Catholic.
I offer this with no disrespect to The Papa who may have instructed otherwise.
You would always do well to follow his ways if they are the ways of Jesus (pbwh) as in my eyes the way of Jesus (pbwh) is always infallible.
 
Steven_John said:
Most Catholics i know and the reading i have done would say it is Catholic to say Jesus (pbwh) is God.

That the church is the bride of Jesus (pbwh).

Jesus (pbwh) did that and offerers us to walk his way Paul is said to have followed and we can see use of greek understanding to share the good news.

.
You would always do well to follow his ways if they are the ways of Jesus (pbwh) as in my eyes the way of Jesus (pbwh) is always infallible.
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Your acclamation after writing the name of Jesus sounds very Islamic to me. What higher power suggested that you address Jesus with (PBWH)?

Peace is of course with Him because He is the source of Peace.
 
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