Are 'formers' or 'free thinkers' mistreated?

[reddogs]

Uh...yeah...ok.

The evidence is all around you, in the threads, and all can see the truth in my words in how I post and my manner of discussion.....

Your own words convict you.........

 

[freeindeed2]

The evidence is all around you, in the threads, and all can see the truth in my words in how I post and my manner of discussion.....

Your own words convict you.........

I've seen what you write here about the Christians over on CARM.

 

[honorthesabbath]

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When a guy claims to be a former SDA and tells me a bald-faced lie about what the church teaches I can assure that they didn't "study" their way out--they wouldn't even know how!

DJ--I think a lot of these formers could be called "had to edit due to cry babies"--lol. And this verse refers to them.....


2Ti 3:7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

I too see how they twist the scriptures to conform to their rebellion against plain truths. It is very sad. I went thru all their arguments in Yahoo chat for over 8 yrs. Once they leave the truth--it seems impossible for them to ever come back. As I said before, one gal in our church, who was raised SDA--left the church (dragging her new husband with her, who by the way had come out of catholocism and LOVED the Advent message) and started going to a charismatic -tongues-church.

She was also a client of mine until she couldn't convince me to follow her and then she became very hostile to me as she had done to the rest of her family and church members.

I asked myself back then,'why do they (the formers) get so hostile and mean spirited when they leave? It seems more often than not that their decision to leave the truth made them very unhappy.

I say if your wanting to leave--then go quietly.

 

[NightEternal]

I too see how they twist the scriptures to conform to their rebellion against plain truth

Once they leave the truth

It seems more often than not that their decision to leave the truth

The thing is, most formers had this same unrealistic, black and white, dogmatic, we have all of the truth 100% mindset at one time also.

How ironic.

 

[Moriah_Conquering_Wind]

I'm referring to the fact that I get a weekly reminder that I'm allegedly siding with Satan.

Mwahahahaha. Welcome to the Dark Side. We have chocolate.

 

[reddogs]

I've seen what you write here about the Christians over on CARM.

Yes, that one believer......

 

[sentipente]

The evidence is all around you, in the threads, and all can see the truth in my words in how I post and my manner of discussion.....

Your own words convict you.........

Reddogs, I think you have forgotten that you have had discussions with me. They do not all reflect the picture you are attempting to paint here.

 

[reddogs]

Reddogs, I think you have forgotten that you have had discussions with me. They do not all reflect the picture you are attempting to paint here.

I paint nothing.. I let God give me understanding, teach and preach fiercely what truth God shows me, and will not let go of what He has given me so far.....

If people are full of hate, evil and vitriol, under Satans dominion, there is not much I can say or discuss, but if they truly seek God, I can share the little that has been shown to me.......


If you mistook me for a saint, I apologize as I am a sinner believing and depending on God......

 

[RC_NewProtestants]

If people are full of hate, evil and vitriol, under Satans dominion, there is not much I can say or discuss, but if they truly seek God, I can share the little that has been shown to me.......

Really so the only reason someone would disagree with you Red is because they are full of hate, evil and vitriol and under Satan's dominion?

Convenient isn't it? When disagreements arise the other side is of the devil.

 

[djconklin]

Quote:
Originally Posted by reddogs
The evidence is all around you, in the threads, and all can see the truth in my words in how I post and my manner of discussion.....

Your own words convict you.........

I've seen what you write here about the Christians over on CARM.

Would a Christian ever threaten another with "I'd send you to hell no matter what Jesus would do" as one person at CARM did to me? Would they claim I ignored synonyms when I hadn't?

 

[djconklin]

Possibly a diagnosis of delusions of grandeur here. Of course I am only an amateur psychologist consult your local doctor.

Given that in the post you quoted from he also said: "If you mistook me for a saint, I apologize as I am a sinner believing and depending on God......" I'd suggest that its not him who needs to seek medical treatment for a mental disorder.

 

[Moriah_Conquering_Wind]

reps for DJ

 

[djconklin]

Thanx!

 

[reddogs]

Would a Christian ever threaten another with "I'd send you to hell no matter what Jesus would do" as one person at CARM did to me? Would they claim I ignored synonyms when I hadn't?

20For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. 28Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. Romans 1:20-32

 

[Eila]

Interesting question. As a former I can offer my perspective. Some formers are not mistreated, but most are. For most the mistreatment is not what caused them to leave, but what happened after they told others that they were leaving. Personally, I didn’t go though most of what others have because I moved away from my church before I left the SDA church. My experience has mostly been with my family and they were devastated. When you leave the SDA church you leave more than a set of beliefs – you leave behind a culture. And your loved ones believe you have left behind the truth and possibly your salvation. For someone who was born and raised in the church most of their friends and family are likely SDA. When someone leaves the culture they become an outsider and many are shunned. I praise God my family is not like that. I am not shunned, but conversations are built around the elephant in the room which leaves little room for an in-depth relationship. I know it hurts my family that I am not SDA anymore – I mean they spend their life working for the church. Although I know they wish for me to be SDA again, I praise God that they act in love. If they voiced insults like I was twisting scripture or that I followed a different spirit then we would have no relationship whatsoever.

I’ve also experienced situations where I was with Adventists and as soon as they found out I was a former SDA I was treated very differently or avoided because I was an anomaly. Honestly, there are still some friends who live far away that I have not told. Our correspondence has been sweet and I would like to leave it at that.

“Blackballed” would be an appropriate description in most cases. If formers were treated with the same love as prospective SDAs it might be a different story.

Formers may experience a lot of pain as a result of leaving that may take awhile to work though. The pain isn't the result of trying to justify the new beliefs or ignoring the Holy Spirit, but pain from broken relationships, from being an outsider to their own culture, and/or struggling with feeling like they were deceived.

Just my perspective.

 

[RC_NewProtestants]

Given that in the post you quoted from he also said: "If you mistook me for a saint, I apologize as I am a sinner believing and depending on God......" I'd suggest that its not him who needs to seek medical treatment for a mental disorder.

Yes DJ I forgot how humor impaired people are here.

 

[djconklin]

Originally Posted by djconklin
Given that in the post you quoted from he also said: "If you mistook me for a saint, I apologize as I am a sinner believing and depending on God......" I'd suggest that its not him who needs to seek medical treatment for a mental disorder.

Yes DJ I forgot how humor impaired people are here.

I can't think of single school of thought in psychology that would call threatening to send someone to hell is humor. It is certianly not Christlike behavior from those who claim that we aren't Christians.

 

[Moriah_Conquering_Wind]

as one who arouses ire simply because i maintain God is merciful toward me, i have to agree with DJ.

 

[djconklin]

He has lots of mercy towards us--maybe to make up for what little we have for each other ...

 

[Moriah_Conquering_Wind]

Too true. I like the image of God having mercy to "spite" the merciless. God saying "in your face" -- with LOVE!