2 issues raised with sad story of an ex-preacher

[Born to Watch]

When I was younger I had a very strong faith. I explored the possibility of becoming missionary. What happened? I read the bible with my eyes and mind open. Really open in a questioning sort of way. I found too many contradictions, too many articles of faith that aren't (in my opinion) supportable, too many dodgy translations. Basically too much that points to the work of man and not any divine influence. I also asked the same questions of my religion that I asked of other religions - after all, my religion was right and all others wrong, wasn't it? That raised too many unanswerable questions which really point to the god of the bible being non-existent.

Contradictions is a pat answer as is your statement "my religion". Sounds very self focused and not Jesus focused.
Sounds shallow.
Its just my opinion on your comments. Not meant to be offensive...this time

 

[Non sequitur]

Atheism believes there is no God/s
Its a faith, its circular reasoning you have no evidence. Call yourself an agnostic then.
Sheesh

Believing there is no god/s is a positive claim.

Atheism lacks belief in god/s.

They aren't the same.

 

[Born to Watch]

Believing there is no god/s is a positive claim.

Atheism lacks belief in god/s.

They aren't the same.

Belief is a doing thing a verb.
Once confronted by a question you have to make a choice, you made a choice. You chose not to have faith, chose to lack belief.
Religion, you are here acting out your faith. Teaching lack of faith.
If truly you had no faith you wouldnt be here, neither would I.

You cant act on a lack of belief.

Atheists are far more religious than Christians. We do it as our faith, as called to by God, atheists do it by choice.

 

[joey_downunder]

Non sequitur - what about you? Have you ever known an christian who has become an atheist, you know - the ones with deconversion stories?

 

[Non sequitur]

Belief is a doing thing a verb.
Once confronted by a question you have to make a choice, you made a choice. You chose not to have faith, chose to lack belief.
Religion, you are here acting out your faith. Teaching lack of faith.
If truly you had no faith you wouldnt be here, neither would I.

You cant act on a lack of belief.

Atheists are far more religious than Christians. We do it as our faith, as called to by God, atheists do it by choice.

I'm not here because of faith, but for the peanut gallery.


Your question has to be comprehensible, first, before I can choose to make any choices about it.

It is not.

 

[Non sequitur]

Non sequitur - what about you? Have you ever known an christian who has become an atheist, you know - the ones with deconversion stories?

Matt Dillahunty, in Austin TX.

 

[Born to Watch]

The peanut gallery is a good excuse.
You are here preaching your faith in atheism like a good little atheist evangelist.

Better peanuts in other places, you just want to preach your gospel.

Why deny it, why come back constantly when you know we are not interested.
Even true Christians dont act that way.

 

[joey_downunder]

Do you know this atheist Matt Dillahunty personally? I mean people you knew before AND after they stopped being a christian.

 

[Non sequitur]

The peanut gallery is a good excuse.
You are here preaching your faith in atheism like a good little atheist evangelist.

Better peanuts in other places, you just want to preach your gospel.

Why deny it, why come back constantly when you know we are not interested.
Even true Christians dont act that way.

And you want to keep making things up and lying.

What is your point?

When you get down off your soapbox, do you feel more confident?

 

[Non sequitur]

Do you know this atheist Matt Dillahunty personally? I mean people you knew before AND after they stopped being a christian.

No. I have met him a few times.

My good friend in California is no longer Christian, but he wasn't a preacher.

 

[joey_downunder]

OK. Has your friend ever said much about why he stopped being a christian?

 

[Bungle_Bear]

Contradictions is a pat answer as is your statement "my religion". Sounds very self focused and not Jesus focused.
Sounds shallow.
Its just my opinion on your comments. Not meant to be offensive...this time

You lack insight and understanding. I doubt you've really thought through what I said and what it actually means. My perception of you is that you have a lot of preconceived ideas about the world and many people in it (me included) and you are not prepared to confront those preconceptions. You don't listen, you don't think and you don't comprehend what is being written.

Take some time to try to truly understand what others have to say.

 

[JGG]

I'm a former Christian who is now agnostic atheist. Ask me whatever you want.

 

[Born to Watch]

And you want to keep making things up and lying.
What is your point?
When you get down off your soapbox, do you feel more confident?

Get a grip, to difficult so you have to attack me.
I am not lying only commenting.
Soap box, with the exception of some evangelising atheists I am fairly comfortable here. I dont need a soapbox.
Your the one dictating your atheism. Jesus teaches if we accept His salvation, thats pretty much it. I am confident everywhere.
You have the soap box, you have the outsiders view you want to preach. You are the one I see lying, lying in so much as denying or comparing the bible to HP.
I dont know a single educated atheist who would use that approach, All credibility is lost after such a injudicious comment.
You are dismissed

 

[Born to Watch]

You lack insight and understanding. I doubt you've really thought through what I said and what it actually means. My perception of you is that you have a lot of preconceived ideas about the world and many people in it (me included) and you are not prepared to confront those preconceptions. You don't listen, you don't think and you don't comprehend what is being written.

Take some time to try to truly understand what others have to say.

Your lack of content makes me think your avoiding or hiding something

Your focus on yourself makes me think your Christian walk was shallow at best.

These statements have not changed in any way irrespective of your opinion of me. Thats what I read you said and thats what I think.

If I read anymore in to it than that then yes I will be bringing my preconceived ideas in to it.

You may be the one in a million different to everyone else but I havnt seen it by your postings.
Elaborate by all means, prove me wrong. I will apologise right here and now just in case I am wrong. Here you go for the future...

If I am wrong I am truly sorry, please excuse me.

 

[joey_downunder]

I'm a former Christian who is now agnostic atheist. Ask me whatever you want.

You can start at the beginning. When you became a christian, church you went to, how serious your faith was.....

 

[Bungle_Bear]

Your lack of content makes me think your avoiding or hiding something

Your focus on yourself makes me think your Christian walk was shallow at best.

These statements have not changed in any way irrespective of your opinion of me. Thats what I read you said and thats what I think.

If I read anymore in to it than that then yes I will be bringing my preconceived ideas in to it.

You may be the one in a million different to everyone else but I havnt seen it by your postings.
Elaborate by all means, prove me wrong. I will apologise right here and now just in case I am wrong. Here you go for the future...

If I am wrong I am truly sorry, please excuse me.

Apology accepted. Now please go back and read what was actually written and think about it. Focus on what it actually says, not what you want it to say. For instance, when I said "my religion" to what was I referring? What do you think would be a better way of saying it? Perhaps you don't have a religion?

 

[Born to Watch]

Just games BB, nothing but silly games from here.

 

[JGG]

You can start at the beginning. When you became a christian, church you went to, how serious your faith was.....

I was more or less born into it. My father was an elder at his church, but he had a heart attack and died a couple months before I was born. My two older sisters basically raised me Catholic (while my mother worked) until I was about 11 or 12 when we switched to Pentecostalism. For about 5 or 6 years or so I was very involved in my church. I would go to Bible study once a week, and was a member of the "Junior League," until I was 16 when I became a Senior of the Junior League, and started Bible Study or JL meetings 2 or 3 times a week. That changed when I was 17 or 18, but I was still active with that church until I was about 20 when I was excommunicated. I still considered myself Christian, visited other churches, and investigated my faith until I was about 24, and still basically believed in God for a couple years even after I accepted that I was no longer Christian.

 

[Non sequitur]

Get a grip, to difficult so you have to attack me.
I am not lying only commenting.
Soap box, with the exception of some evangelising atheists I am fairly comfortable here. I dont need a soapbox.
Your the one dictating your atheism. Jesus teaches if we accept His salvation, thats pretty much it. I am confident everywhere.
You have the soap box, you have the outsiders view you want to preach. You are the one I see lying, lying in so much as denying or comparing the bible to HP.
I dont know a single educated atheist who would use that approach, All credibility is lost after such a injudicious comment.
You are dismissed

It's not difficult.

I'm talking about words, which have definitions.

I was talking about how making fun of anything, does not prove the things being made fun of; it doesn't make it more legitimate.

I'd have less of a problem if Christians held their beliefs, without falsely misrepresenting things.

That's the issue, not your beliefs.