Threatening??

[kranberrydude]

Well, we can still have discussions if you'd like. I enjoy a good debate that doesn't turn into fighting. Perhaps we could even erase that idea that the Jews changed their scripture to prevent a possible connection to Jesus.

sure; but right now the only thing i want to say before i go is that don't let my and others harsh preaching make you believe that all christians or all christianity is like that; Jesus is love, and love doesn't force, He certainly didn't force me by arguments when i decided to follow him, He rather used the loving testimony of a student to make me follow Him. So certainly i hope he draws you to Him by love, not by arguments like i did...
Shalom!

 

[Gardenia]

@Gardenia,
thanks for the advice.

You're welcome. I do like talking to people of other religions, and I even like debates sometime, but it's always better for everyone when both sides can stay respectful and open to what the other is saying (not even to an open to conversion way, but just really listening to each other).
When debates turn more into arguments, it's hard to learn anything from it. Religion is such a personal thing, it can be hard to avoid that at times!

 

[b&wpac7]

sure; but right now the only thing i want to say before i go is that don't let my and others harsh preaching make you believe that all christians or all christianity is like that; Jesus is love, and love doesn't force, He certainly didn't force me by arguments when i decided to follow him, He rather used the loving testimony of a student to make follow Him.
Shalom!

My parents are Christian, I was a Christian. I don't think you need to worry about my perception of the religion.

 

[TerranceL]

I can't speak for b&wpac7 (or anyone else here, of course) - but I don't hate Christianity after this thread, and I didn't hate it before. Some tactics can push non-Christians away from listening to the Christian, but don't assume that a non-Christian automatically hates Christianity, God, or Jesus. Not believing in something doesn't equal hating something.

I would try to use my own words but Gardenia did it better than I could.

Yes I'm lazy.

 

[thegospelisgoodnews]

you must be bored.......since what I posted had nothing to do with the lds beliefs nor anything to do with this thread... way to go there buddy

Not bored, actually your faith has everything to do with this thread, were talking about how lying spirits can pervert the truth, they can lead people astray, just as fallen angels can trick young boys, and turn them into false prophets and lead millions astray, Your founder Joseph Smith was steeped in the occult, in fact your temples even have wiccan and pagan symbols engraved into the stone, so its right in line with what I have been saying, spirits mark their territory, why else would a "christian" organization allow occultic symbols to be etched into there Holy temples. Its a matter of fact that Joseph had a jupiter talisman on his person when he was killed, your church on the lowest levels is filled with the most wonderful people on this planet, at the highest levels it is masonic occult to the core, and if you were to rise in the ranks and pass the test needed, you would find it completely luciferic at its origin, and only those at the inner circle know this truth. If you actually really cared whether or not Joseph Smith was a false prophet you would do the research and find out just how much over whelming evidence stands against his book and his teachings.

 

[thegospelisgoodnews]

sure; but right now the only thing i want to say before i go is that don't let my and others harsh preaching make you believe that all christians or all christianity is like that; Jesus is love, and love doesn't force, He certainly didn't force me by arguments when i decided to follow him, He rather used the loving testimony of a student to make me follow Him. So certainly i hope he draws you to Him by love, not by arguments like i did...
Shalom!

Thats great! but please don't base your conversion as a universal way God converts someone, ITS NOT BIBLICAL! yes the love of God is what draws men to Him THIS IS TRUE! but many conversions were done in love yet I assure you at the time the person who was being converted he did not feel it, take the Apostle Paul for example, knocked off his horse in a blinding light and was blinded for days yet after Jesus rebuking him he was converted... how about Ananias and Sapphira they were even believers and were killed by the Holy Spirit, wheres the love there! What did Jesus teach that should be done for the towns that rejected the gospel, wheres the love there, shaking the dust off your shoes against them and telling them it will be better for Soddam and Gomorrah on judgement day, and what exactly did Jesus teach them to preach.....if you don't know I'll tell you and you can look it up for yourself He taught them to teach people to REPENT! turn from their wicked ways, the kingdom of God is near. While I understand the love your talking about, If your going to base your whole biblical doctrine on the huggy warm fuzzy side of love you will not have a balanced perspective of the love of God. All Gods appointed prophets were killed because they simply spoke the word of God, you might want to take a peek back and see what warm loving things God had to say to folks, the new testiment 1 Corinthians 12:28 gives the God appointed positions in the church, you will see God is still appointing prophets, and while you may disagree with their approach, never doubt for a second that the time and effort they put forth isn't backed by a deep love for the lost. I'm convinced you were converted by the God appointed position of an "Evangelist" where they tell their story and how the love of God changed their life and He can do the same for you......Thats a great thing the Evangelist, God knew what you needed to seal you as a brother in Christ. Each person is given what God knows is best for each individual, personally I was converted by supernatural means much like Balaam of Beor, (although I don't think Balaam took the angels warning) God converts in many different ways, yet they are all done because of His great love

 

[Zoness]

Why is it that whenever I try to preach the Good News to unbelievers they see it as me threatening them....Its not like im all doomsday status lol...Why is christianity so alarming and threatening to unbelievers?

Usually because it is in my case; when I turn them down they all say "Fine enjoy burning in hell". As a result, I just have to assume I am going to be treated with disrespect on the subject of religion.

 

[HE84]

Not bored, actually your faith has everything to do with this thread, were talking about how lying spirits can pervert the truth, they can lead people astray, just as fallen angels can trick young boys, and turn them into false prophets and lead millions astray, Your founder Joseph Smith was steeped in the occult, in fact your temples even have wiccan and pagan symbols engraved into the stone, so its right in line with what I have been saying, spirits mark their territory, why else would a "christian" organization allow occultic symbols to be etched into there Holy temples. Its a matter of fact that Joseph had a jupiter talisman on his person when he was killed, your church on the lowest levels is filled with the most wonderful people on this planet, at the highest levels it is masonic occult to the core, and if you were to rise in the ranks and pass the test needed, you would find it completely luciferic at its origin, and only those at the inner circle know this truth. If you actually really cared whether or not Joseph Smith was a false prophet you would do the research and find out just how much over whelming evidence stands against his book and his teachings.

you mention a lot of "facts" and "evidence".... have you ever been inside a mormon temple before?

the testimony that I have of Joseph Smith and of the LDS church is not one based on facts but of a spiritual confirmation. Now this is my personal answer, it doesnt have to mean that it is yours or anyone else's.

Even Jesus Christ was taught to have a evil spirit in the bible, and now there are many people who dont believe in Christ or who even question his existence because of "evidence" .....at the end of the day everyone has their free agency to choose what they want to belive and how they choose to live their life.

You can google ANY RELIGION in the world and you are going to find different "facts" and "evidence" some in favor of the religion and others not in favor of it.

 

[Eudaimonist]

your temples even have wiccan and pagan symbols engraved into the stone

I've been inside a Mormon temple (on the island of Oahu), and while I wasn't in any part limited to Mormons, I saw no wiccan or pagan symbols engraved anywhere.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[Jane_the_Bane]

Ah, nevermind.

 

[sanjaya1984]

But the point was to personally ask God to reveal himself to you which you don't mention in your post, you can read the bible from Genesis to Revelations, went to church all your life but if you don't ask him sincerely to reveal himself to you and then be humble enough to be receive any revelations of himself by whatever means he chooses to even if he reveals himself in a way you didn't expect.

As far as humility goes, my own religion teaches me not to be arrogant before God. So I've never tried to force God into acting on my own terms. Regarding sincerety, I think that any intelligent person who believes in an omniscient God will recognize the futility of speaking to him insincerely.

But you're not asking me for sincerety and humility, you're asking for specificity. You're effectively asking me to say the words "Dear Jesus, please reveal yourself to me" (and perhaps "I know that I am a sinner and deserve to go to hell, etc."). I can't recall offhand whether I ever uttered such a prayer in my life, but here I'm going to have to repeat b&wpac7's point that God isn't Loki, i.e. he is not a trickster god. When Christians ask if I ever asked God specifically to reveal himself to me in the form of Jesus, they are essentially telling me that unless I utter the passphrase, God is going to remain hidden from me.

This to me seems absurd. I know many Hindus who have had dreams and visions of God. Christians will blithely dismiss these as the words of demons, and claim that unless you confess the name of Jesus in a specific way, you won't be able to tell God from these demons. The conception of God made by evangelical Christianity has often seemed to me like that of a prankster god. I have no idea how to approach him the "right" way and actually hear what he has to say. I don't find that to be a very favorable depiction of God.

In Hinduism we do a certain ritual for the forgiveness of sins (see? we do believe that people are sinners in need of absolution), which involves reading a certain story. At one point in the story, God takes the form of an ascetic in order to confuse an arrogant merchant. But when the merchant simply humbles himself and says "I pray according to my limited knowledge," God abandons the subterfuge and speaks to him clearly. Evangelical Christianity tells me I can't do that. Rather than confessing ignorance and simply asking for the truth from God, I have to confess that Christianity is true, and then ask for evidence that my confession is accurate. Seems like a ripe opportunity for confirmation bias.

 

[TerranceL]

Dude still making stuff up as he goes along? This displeases Gentleman Terrier Puppy.

 

[Zalman]

My parents are Christian, I was a Christian. I don't think you need to worry about my perception of the religion.

Your parents were Christians and you were a Christian. Just out of curiosity, how did you come to be part of B'nei Yisroel?

 

[JordanDaniel]

This became a pretty big thread lol.

 

[awitch]

This became a pretty big thread lol.

Just curious. From all of the responses, what have you learned?

 

[b&wpac7]

Your parents were Christians and you were a Christian. Just out of curiosity, how did you come to be part of B'nei Yisroel?

I won't derail this thread with details. I could send you a PM about it, however.

 

[Zalman]

I won't derail this thread with details. I could send you a PM about it, however.

Hmm. Seems I can't send PM's just yet, but yes, I'd be interested in hearing your story.

 

[JordanDaniel]

Just curious. From all of the responses, what have you learned?

I have learned that as it says in Corinthians somewhere, that it is best that I befriend such person before I speak of Jesus. Once they are a good friend of mine and trust me, they will be less volatile to my reccomendation of eternal salvation. Im pretty sure that is how it should be done rather than shaking someones hand and start talking about Jesus right away.

 

[ToHoldNothing]

That doesn't always work. One can be good friends without necessarily being responsive to suggestions or beliefs about the supernatural. I'm reminded of at least one example; George Bernard Shaw and G.K. Chesterton, if I remember right, were a renowned atheist and Christian and had many debates, but afterwards, drank together as if they were great friends. I can have great friendships with Christians and not be any more inclined to believe there is an afterlife or a God or any such thing. Friendship doesn't tend towards believing more things, it tends towards good relationships in general, beliefs aside.

 

[SithDoughnut]

I have learned that as it says in Corinthians somewhere, that it is best that I befriend such person before I speak of Jesus. Once they are a good friend of mine and trust me, they will be less volatile to my reccomendation of eternal salvation. Im pretty sure that is how it should be done rather than shaking someones hand and start talking about Jesus right away.

You shouldn't try to befriend people just so you can attempt to convert them.