Bible bashers knocking on your door

[In Between Man]

Why is your particular version of the faith any less dangerous than those two?

Look at what's happening right now in all three beliefs systems. Look at the fruits of the members.

In the evangelical church right now people are being healed of ailments, spiritual experiences amongst an entire crowd, not just an individual. We're asking the holy spirit to pour himself onto us and our group is actually getting "drunk", spiritual drunk that is, in the spirit. It's really amazing!

The evangelical church is experiencing double digit growth right here in Canada and across the globe!

Now, if people really are people healed, if people really are having spiritual experiences with Holy Spirit, if the message of God is spreading and people WILLFULLY want to get closer to God you tell me how this dangerous at all.

Now I know you want to argue about the msg spreading and people choosing, but what about the healing taking place? It's good right? When Jesus healed someone on the Sabbath and the religious zealots accused him of heresy, he asked them what was wrong with healing(which is good) happening on the Sabbath? What does it matter? It's GOOD! If it's good, it's not dangerous.

What's dangerous is following cults that pollute God's word with religion and lies and adhere to false knowledge for whatever underlying reasons. You can see how false they are, look at how intrusive their tactics are. It turns people off to there belief system and that's why its failing. God is not moving at all for these false cults.

The evangelical church is NOT going door to door. This is how God's moving right now: public gatherings in a relaxed atmosphere like a park or starbucks, the holy spirit present at said gatherings in order to woo hearts...

Even in countries where my brothers are persecuted, and they cannot gather in public, the church is growing, IN HUGE NUMBERS! The Holy Spirit wooing for conversion!

 

[talloola]

Good idea, Kreskin. Perhaps Atheists should form an organization ‘Atheists for World Evangelization’ or something like that. They could get tax exempt status and then go door to door trying to convert people to Atheism.

We could print a cheap magazine, like Watch Tower and try to sell it door to door. What a horrible thought!

Lets not stoop that low, I prefer to be the quiet majority.;-)

 

[Niflmir]

I typically invite them into my house for a glass of something to drink and begin exposing them to philosophies they would typically regard as pagan through asking them to enlighten me on the subjects.

"So how do your beliefs differ from Spinoza's concept of god?"

"But isn't your god an aspect of Brahman?"

 

[Nuggler]

A long departed Anglican minister we knew when young, used to invite the JW's and Mormons into his house, and discuss theology with them. :lol: Not a fair game at all.

I don't know if any were converted, but they all left confused.

We just ask them politely to leave and shut the door.

8O

 

[Cliffy]

A long departed Anglican minister we knew when young, used to invite the JW's and Mormons into his house, and discuss theology with them. :lol: Not a fair game at all.

I don't know if any were converted, but they all left confused.

8O

I used to do the same when I lived in the forest. Near the end of my time there they would send the new recruits to me for their baptism of fire. Usually they were not let out in public for at least another year.

Got tired of it after a while. I only know of two or three that actually walked away from those religions.

 

[Dexter Sinister]

What's dangerous is following cults that pollute God's word with religion and lies and adhere to false knowledge for whatever underlying reasons.

Okay, I see you're not going to answer the question. I'll put it another way: how can you know your sect isn't one of those? There are no claims you make, there's no evidence you can offer, that other sects don't also make and offer, with the same fervency and conviction. There is no reliably attested instance of faith healing, and the "spiritual drunkenness" you refer to sounds like what happens to people when the left half of their brain temporarily shuts down. I've heard and read about stroke victims, including one of my sisters-in-law and my mother-in-law, talk about what that feels like in exactly the same terms as the religious use to talk about ecstatic religious experiences. Similar things can happen via what seems to be a sort of autohypnotic effect from things like meditation and chanting . I don't see any reason to think this stuff is coming from anywhere but inside people's heads. That's a much simpler explanation than postulating this mysterious deity as the source of it, and thus is more likely to be correct.

 

[Cliffy]

Dex,

I have witnessed people "talking in tongues" at some of those evangelical meetings. If you listen to how these evangelist speak, you will notice that their cadence, the way they speak in wave patterns, causes a form of hypnosis. What I saw resembled an epileptic fit. People were thrashing around on the floor babbling gibberish.

 

[karrie]

Dex,

I have witnessed people "talking in tongues" at some of those evangelical meetings. If you listen to how these evangelist speak, you will notice that their cadence, the way they speak in wave patterns, causes a form of hypnosis. What I saw resembled an epileptic fit. People were thrashing around on the floor babbling gibberish.

It's not a form of hypnosis, it IS hypnosis. Certain people can easily slip into hypnotic trances in anticipation of what others around them want to see, or expect.

 

[Cliffy]

It's not a form of hypnosis, it IS hypnosis. Certain people can easily slip into hypnotic trances in anticipation of what others around them want to see, or expect.

You've seen that too!? I thought that someone would get hurt, thrashing around like that. It looked dangerous to me. I doubt the Holy Spirit would endanger someone in that way.

 

[karrie]

You've seen that too!? I thought that someone would get hurt, thrashing around like that. It looked dangerous to me. I doubt the Holy Spirit would endanger someone in that way.

perhaps mildly concussed, but, few people actually hurt themselves any worse in those sorts of hypnotic trances than in any of the other practiced throughout the ages and throughout the world. Think of all the pain ceremonies that societies practice, such as ritual piercing, tattooing, scarring... the list goes on and on.

 

[lone wolf]

I was in the middle of unpacking in my new home in the boonies when there came a knock on my door. Ain't it funny how you can recognize 'em almost immediately? They both noticed I was a newcomer ... and congratulated my choice of location for its solitude.

Hmm, I thinks.... You found me....

The one commented on the peacefulness of nature and how there were no neighbours to bother me....

Hmm, I thinks.... You found me....

...only the occasional bear ... and you can shoot them.

I faked a startled look and uttered: "You would murder one of God's creatures?"

The rest of my time there was without YoHo interruption....

 

[GreenFish66]

Good book but it's gettin old..Even the new testement is gettin old..Still a good read.Great idea.If you know the language..

Don't need no book ...Just Have faith in the future..Sci fi/fantasies make the best stories..

 

[Cliffy]

When I lived in the forest there was an older guy used to come visit every Saturday for over a year. One day he came to tell me how man screwed up paradise, god got pissed and tore up the lease (something like that). We were standing out in the woods at the time. I asked him where he thought he was. Then I asked him if he was so concerned about man screwing up paradise, why was he a cat operator. I said I did not want an answer, I wanted him to just think about it. He never came back.

 

[winniethepooh]

Hi there.. our area isn't 'rife' with them, we had some come to the door for the first time in 8 years... I was polite, if they come again, I won't be.

 

[In Between Man]

Okay, I see you're not going to answer the question. I'll put it another way: how can you know your sect isn't one of those?

As I already mentioned, they blatantly deny what the bible says on KEY doctrine. There is no fruit being produced by their flock. Just pissed off people from going door to door. People aren't joining and their churches are emptying.

Then on the flip side, you have the RCC which adheres to the the key elements of Christianity, but then wraps all this needless religion around it. The RCC has damaged minds over years and years and years. People aren't joining and their churches are emptying(Did you know: you need to fill out a form to apostate from some catholic churches!That's religion for ya!).

And then you have Evangelicism. Which makes its oh so simple for everyone. Just come to church in your T-shirt and jeans, bed head, sing a song to God, and listen to the good news(plus lunch afterwards:smile. Come as a skeptic, this is a relaxed atmosphere. If you have questions, give it your best shot. At the very least you'll understand Christianity better. Know it, and challenge it.

Obviously, if God was loving and wanted a simple door so that many would find him, you'd think his church would have good fruit right? Followers growing and speaking good things. I just recently found out that in China, evangelical numbers have skyrocketed in the last 30 plus years. From very small numbers, and despite persucution, to a conservative estimate of 80 million plus!!! That's huge! I bet its actually higher, and only going to get higher!

I'd also like to point out that it's not only people who identify themselves as evangelicals who are part of the evangelical church. Presbyterian, catholic, baptist, salvation army, it doesn't matter. The evangelical church is comprised of anyone who believes that Jesus Christ was God's son, and that his death washes away one's sins. That's the church and...

Our church is not emptying, it's growing and is spirit filled.

 

[Dexter Sinister]

The number of people who believe something to be true has nothing to do with whether it's actually true.

 

[Cliffy]

The number of people who believe something to be true has nothing to do with whether it's actually true.

He is just spouting propaganda, because the two fastest growing religions are the JWs (he said their church is emptying) and the Muslims who aren't even christian. So basically, he has blinded himself to the truth to justify his beliefs. Rather sad.

 

[Galadriel]

Hi there - we have 'bible bashers' here in the UK as well. These days it seems to be mainly JWs, although we do have a thriving community of Mormons in our town they seem to keep to themselves. If I see the JWs around, then I just don't answer the door. If they do catch me - they are told, politely but firmly, to go away.

 

[SirJosephPorter]

Hi there - we have 'bible bashers' here in the UK as well. These days it seems to be mainly JWs, although we do have a thriving community of Mormons in our town they seem to keep to themselves. If I see the JWs around, then I just don't answer the door. If they do catch me - they are told, politely but firmly, to go away.

You probably have not come across Mormon missionaries. All the Mormon young men are required to serve as missionaries for two years, that is a requirement to be a Mormon in good standing.

And these young men do go door to door. They may also accost you on the street, in the mall etc. They go all over the world, so I am sure there are quite a few of them in Britain.

 

[SirJosephPorter]

The number of people who believe something to be true has nothing to do with whether it's actually true.

Sure, at one time most of the world believed that earth is flat. Most of the people believe that God exists (though they disagree as to which God). Peoples’ beliefs are usually predicated on emotion and propaganda, it does not always have anything to do with truth.