I'll hear no more of your apologies. Shape up or shut up.

[Beautiful Ignorance]

I live in a predominantly evangelical Christian society. I sometimes get witnessed to and when I do, I answer the same way: the general behavior of Christians has not left me with a positive impression. Not by a long shot.

From there I usually hear all the stock responses and apologies about false or worldly Christians, about many false teachers in his name, about how I have to be careful, about how I shouldn't blame Jesus, etc.

You know what? I don't care. All the apologies in the world doesn't change that whatever it is you are trying to sell me hasn't worked for you or your kind. And so I don't want it either.

So go away and leave me alone. Stop trying to sell me a faith that doesn't work and start working on learning how to live a faith that does. Get your own act down. And once you do, don't bother me then either. Help the next Christian get his act together. And then the two of you move on to the next Christian until every person in your church has their act down.

And then don't come witnessing to me then either. Move on to the next Church and help them get their act together.

Until you folks learn how to live right and take proper care of each other, leave the rest of us alone. The last thing any of us need is one more person or group of people in our world that hasn't got our back.

When you can come to me in full confidence that the whole of Christiandom has your back and will have mine too, then you can come witness to me. Until then, I wont hear it.

 

[Hakan101]

I live in a predominantly evangelical Christian society. I sometimes get witnessed to and when I do, I answer the same way: the general behavior of Christians has not left me with a positive impression. Not by a long shot.

From there I usually hear all the stock responses responses and apologies about false or worldly Christians, about many false teachers in his name, about how I have to be careful, about how I shouldn't blame Jesus, etc.

You know what? I don't care. All the apologies in the world doesn't change that whatever it is you are trying to sell me hasn't worked for you or your kind. And so I don't want it either.

So go away and leave me alone. Stop trying to sell me a faith that doesn't work and start working on learning how to live a faith that does. Get your own act down. And once you do, don't bother me then either. Help the next Christian get his act together. And then the two of you move on to the next Christian until every person in your church has their act down.

And then don't come witnessing to me then either. Move on to the next Church and help them get their act together.

Until you folks learn how to live right and take proper care of each other, leave the rest of us alone. The last thing any of us need is one more person or group of people that hasn't got our back.

When you can come to me in full confidence that the whole of Christiandom will have my back, then you can come witness to me. Until then, I wont hear it.

Why are you telling us to go away and leave you alone? Didn't you come to this forum on your own accord? If you want to be left alone, I am betting nobody here knows how to contact you beyond this forum.

Sorry to hear you are frustrated, but I assure you Christianity works. Of course, you did say you refuse to hear it and don't care, but I respect your choice and I believe everyone else here does too. Just know we aren't shunning you away, if you leave you may always come back on your own accord.

 

[someguy14]

Can God be born or die?

I hear many muslims talk that way.

 

[Beautiful Ignorance]

Why are you telling us to go away and leave you alone? Didn't you come to this forum on your own accord? If you want to be left alone, I am betting nobody here knows how to contact you beyond this forum.

Sorry to hear you are frustrated, but I assure you Christianity works. Of course, you did say you refuse to hear it and don't care, but I respect your choice and I believe everyone else here does too. Just know we aren't shunning you away, if you leave you may always come back on your own accord.

You do have a point. I did come here didn't I. LOL

I didn't meant that I was going to leave. Let me try this again.

I'm really not interested in becoming a Christian because my religion now is so much more satisfying on every single level. My religion for the most part doesn't seek converts. Instead it focus on taking care of those that are already part of the fold and I am allowed to focus on growing myself instead of the congregation. I look at my own religion and then back at Christianity and think maybe that's the problem. Maybe religions aren't supposed to seek converts.

A disfunctional family doesn't need to grow, it needs to learn to become functional.

 

[Aeneas]

You do have a point. I did come here didn't I. LOL

I didn't meant that I was going to leave. Let me try this again.

I'm really not interested in becoming a Christian because my religion now is so much more satisfying on every single level. My religion for the most part doesn't seek converts. Instead it focus on taking care of those that are already part of the fold and I am allowed to focus on growing myself instead of the congregation. I look at my own religion and then back at Christianity and think maybe that's the problem. Maybe religions aren't supposed to seek converts.

A disfunctional family doesn't need to grow, it needs to learn to become functional.

'

If I ever start shopping for a religion based on what makes me comfortable, I'll look into it.

 

[Beautiful Ignorance]

'

If I ever start shopping for a religion based on what makes me comfortable, I'll look into it.

Well then you'd be looking in the exact wrong place. I said my religion was satisfying. I didn't say it was comfortable and it's not. If you want comfort stay where you are.

 

[Hakan101]

You do have a point. I did come here didn't I. LOL

I didn't meant that I was going to leave. Let me try this again.

I'm really not interested in becoming a Christian because my religion now is so much more satisfying on every single level. My religion for the most part doesn't seek converts. Instead it focus on taking care of those that are already part of the fold and I am allowed to focus on growing myself instead of the congregation. I look at my own religion and then back at Christianity and think maybe that's the problem. Maybe religions aren't supposed to seek converts.

A disfunctional family doesn't need to grow, it needs to learn to become functional.

Not sure what your religion is, but if we have Good News, shouldn't we spread it? Doesn't it make sense we love to spread it to others? How good can something be if you aren't compelled to share it with others? How finite is something's value if you would rather keep it to yourself than share it with others?

If you say the family is dysfunctional, who knows if there is a brother waiting to join the family who will help in its revival? Who knows if there is not someone who will join and stand for what the family was made for?

 

[Aeneas]

Well then you'd be looking in the exact wrong place. I said my religion was satisfying. I didn't say it was comfortable and it's not. If you want comfort stay where you are.

But my religion isn't comfortable... Since I haven't explained my praxis to you, you haven't the faintest clue what you are talking about, me thinks.

 

[Beautiful Ignorance]

If I ever start shopping for a religion based on what makes me comfortable, I'll look into it.

The difference between your religion and mine is like this:

When I was a Christian sometimes I would hear people sometimes say something like, "If someone put a gun to my head and told me to denounce Christ, I would hope I would have the strength to so say no," or something similar. But its mostly just pseudospiritual pseudotough talk because the likelihood that it will ever happen is between extremely slim and nonexistent.

In my current religion, we don't talk like that because we understand that the matter is deadly serious. And we understand that when they come, they aren't going to give us a choice to denounce our faith, there are just going to kills us if we can't get away. Many Temples to my religion have cops on duty during services to make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen again.

Also, we really look out for and take care of each other. Even the ones we don't like.

No, if you want comfort, you need to stay far away from us.

 

[Beautiful Ignorance]

But my religion isn't comfortable... Since I haven't explained my praxis to you, you haven't the faintest clue what you are talking about, me thinks.

Praxis? as in process?

 

[Aeneas]

Praxis? as in process?

As in praxis. Praxis | Define Praxis at Dictionary.com

 

[Aeneas]

The difference between your religion and mine is like this:

When I was a Christian sometimes I would hear people sometimes say something like, "If someone put a gun to my head and told me to denounce Christ, I would hope I would have the strength to so say no," or something similar. But its mostly just pseudospiritual pseudotough talk because the likelihood that it will ever happen is between extremely slim and nonexistent.

In my current religion, we don't talk like that because we understand that the matter is deadly serious. And we understand that when they come, they aren't going to give us a choice to denounce our faith, there are just going to kills us if we can't get away. Many Temples to my religion have cops on duty during services to make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen again.

Also, we really look out for and take care of each other. Even the ones we don't like.

No, if you want comfort, you need to stay far away from us.

Lol, ok?

 

[crimsonleaf]

I suppose your religion won't last longer than its youngest adherant if you seek no converts. Interesting. I would have thought that any religion which only looks after its own is a cult. Good luck with it.

 

[LOCO]

um why are you here on a Christian Forum.

Why don't you go away and leave us alone?

Methinks thou dost protest too much.

Never ceases to amaze that someone would go to a site and complain like this, it's like me going to an atheist forum and whinge, whine and complain about how I used to be an atheist and how wrong they were. Get a life.

 

[crimsonleaf]

Bravo! I had some pretty bad experiences in churches when I used to be a Christian. I met a few genuinely nice Christians, but sadly the majority were quite unpleasant people. Having a deity love you must be the ultimate ego trip, which is probably why Christianity is so appealing to some people. God loves YOU! - now go and act like a jerk to everyone and say you're sorry at night and everything will be fine again - repeat until death.

Also, the fact that many Christians are hoping for the end of the world (notably some American Presidential Candidates share this hope) makes them somewhat fatalistic and lacking in real compassion. Check out the Rapture Ready forums sometime - these people literally get excited about earthquakes, famines, disease and any other bad news because they think their rapture is close. Ironically, these same people laugh at the likes of Harold Camping for simply putting a date to this rapture nonsense.

It seems that you've had contact with too few Christians rather than too many. To sketch in all Christians as jerks, fatalists, unpleasant people and people looking forward to death and destruction is a warped view. Thankfully, most people's conversions don't depend on the views of one bitter individual.

 

[someguy14]

It seems that you've had contact with too few Christians rather than too many. To sketch in all Christians as jerks, fatalists, unpleasant people and people looking forward to death and destruction is a warped view. Thankfully, most people's conversions don't depend on the views of one bitter individual.

I havn't ever met an honest atheist.

 

[someguy14]

I've met plenty. I've met plenty of honest Christians too. I've met a lot of Christans jerks though and they eventually put me off going to church.

Hi Grumpy Old Man.

I can understand that people sometimes have "put people off", but I think a main focus of God, is having that personal relationship with Him that only He can give us. He is our best friend to each and every one of us and intends well for each of us. He is The One that HAS been through all that we go through and understands fully. People are people and people go through many situations each day. Each person needs God, He is our creator, so He knows us best. Sometimes people may be having a seemingly overwhelming day perhaps, and may use another for a release, or punching bag, so to speak, believe me I know ha. But if we understand that God is all the good, than it becomes easier to understand that we all need and desire that goodness, that only God can give. Afterall, when Judgement day arrives, God is the only one we have to answer to.

Besides going to church or feeling obligated to go to church, just reading through The Bible I believe you will find you can relate to what is written. The Psalms has many examples of these situations. I think they are quite a bit closer than you may realize. God bless friend.

By the way, I enjoy that guys show on the history channel, on your profile picture. When I see him, he reminds me of a very close friend I went to college with, they are like twins, in personality and voice.

 

[Beautiful Ignorance]

I suppose your religion won't last longer than its youngest adherant if you seek no converts. Interesting. I would have thought that any religion which only looks after its own is a cult. Good luck with it.

You could say I belong to the world's oldest and largest cult.

 

[Beautiful Ignorance]

Not sure what your religion is,

My religion falls under the larger unmbrella of Judaism. Technically, I am a Noahide which is the gentile branch. The way it works is Noahides are the 'congregation' and Jews are the 'priests.'

but if we have Good News, shouldn't we spread it? Doesn't it make sense we love to spread it to others? How good can something be if you aren't compelled to share it with others? How finite is something's value if you would rather keep it to yourself than share it with others?

What, exactly is your good news? Considering the way that Christians treat each other I'm not the least bit convinced you have any. It's been my experience that even atheists treat people with more compassion and empathy than many Christians.

By and large Jews have been more resistent to conversion to Christianity than any other group because they already have a better deal going. A Jew would have to be absolutely insane to go from being treated like a Jew (or Noahide) by other Jews to being treated like a Christian by other Christians.

If you say the family is dysfunctional, who knows if there is a brother waiting to join the family who will help in its revival? Who knows if there is not someone who will join and stand for what the family was made for?

Uh, no! If one functional individual joins a group of disfunctional people, what usually happens is that person quickly becomes disfunctional themselves. Anytime you have a group of disfunctional people, it's always best to split up the individuals and put each one with a group of people that are functional.

 

[Beautiful Ignorance]

It seems that you've had contact with too few Christians rather than too many. To sketch in all Christians as jerks, fatalists, unpleasant people and people looking forward to death and destruction is a warped view. Thankfully, most people's conversions don't depend on the views of one bitter individual.

The insane ones have a tendency to group together and if you happen to walk into one of these kinds of churches (they do exist. I grew up in one) a person has the tendency to think that all Christians are this way.