Memorable Conversions

Originally posted by Suzianne
Sonship created this thread because the subject of people becoming Christian is close to his heart. Rather than doing your best to find something to derail or destroy his thread, perhaps you'd also like to start your own thread to cover this topic supposedly close to your heart, of people who have left Christianity in favor of Islam. We await your thread with interest. Enjoy yourself.

sonship started this thread with the title "Memorable Conversions", and then told some stories about people whose beliefs changed, and finally he said "You all can respond however you wish. Try to make it constructive to the Forum in some way." I am asking him if memorable conversations with people who went from being Christians to being Muslims would qualify as "constructive to the Forum in some way". You may think this question - here on a Spirituality Forum for people with all manner of faiths and beliefs - "destroys" the thread, but I certainly don't.

Originally posted by FMF
sonship started this thread with the title "Memorable Conversions", and then told some stories about people whose beliefs changed, and finally he said "You all can respond however you wish. Try to make it constructive to the Forum in some way." I am asking him if memorable conversations with people who went from being Christians to being Muslims would qualify as ...[text shortened]... for people with all manner of faiths and beliefs - "destroys" the thread, but I certainly don't.

In that case, you can start being "constructive" any time now. If not, certainly you can start your own thread. Failing both those options, maybe you'd like to regale us with one of these "conversion from Christianity to Islam" stories you were touting as "constructive" earlier. Go ahead, I know you're just dying to contribute instead of being another boulder in the road again.

Originally posted by Suzianne
In that case, you can start being "constructive" any time now. If not, certainly you can start your own thread. Failing both those options, maybe you'd like to regale us with one of these "conversion from Christianity to Islam" stories you were touting as "constructive" earlier. Go ahead, I know you're just dying to contribute instead of being another boulder in the road again.

As a courtesy, I have asked the OP poster's permission; while, frankly speaking, I don't feel I need yours, Suzianne.

Originally posted by FMF
As a courtesy, I have asked the OP poster's permission; while, frankly speaking, I don't feel I need yours, Suzianne.

Do you think that I somehow need your permission when I'm speaking with your pal divegeester and you suddenly butt in with your unneeded opinion?

Did you actually ask his permission? Because I must've missed it, as I also missed his granting of said "permission".

Originally posted by Suzianne
Do you think that I somehow need your permission when I'm speaking with your pal divegeester and you suddenly butt in with your unneeded opinion?

No of course not, why would you think that you did? And you don't need my permission to say the off-topic things you've been saying on this thread, either.

Originally posted by Suzianne
Did you actually ask his permission? Because I must've missed it, as I also missed his granting of said "permission".

It is on page 1 ~ it was my first post on this thread. You missed it?

Originally posted by sonship

You all can respond however you wish.
Try to make it constructive to the Forum in some way.

This means:

You all can respond however you wish.
Try to make it constructive to the Forum in some way.

But the REAL hidden meaning is ....!

You all can respond however you wish.
Try to make it constructive to the Forum in some way.

Now, this is not a per se conversion experience. But this is something an Atheist who went to being a Christian told me. I never forgot. I can't say I always followed the advise.

I hope I can contribute some of these.

This man I was a professional photographer. He had been raised a Catholic and had at one time (according to him) been a strong Atheist. He had become a a real lover of Jesus Christ, through a bad divorce situation.

Now I asked him, what advice would he give me in trying to present the Gospel to atheists, since he had been one. What he told me was unexpected. And I don't know if I can completely agree. But he said it. Basically (trust me) he told me -

" First of all, to get into an argument with an Atheist about the existence of God is the exact WORST thing you can do. "

This answer really surprised me because I thought that was what I was suppose to do. And here is a man who claims he had been a pronounced self-proclaiming Atheist. So I pressed him a bit more on his advice. And he said basically (trust me) -

"To get into an argument and try to convince an Atheist that you have a better argument then he does, is the worst thing to do to try to help him. You don't want to say that you have a better argument then he does."

So I asked him "Then what do you do ?" His reply was this exactly - "I let them watch me."

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My Comment:

I do not remember much else about that conversation. But I assume that he was talking mostly about the work environment. For we were in an employment environment. By " I let them watch me." I took to mean how he conducted himself around the place where other people could see the way he lived.

One theologian said something which reminded me of this man's advice. "Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary use words."

I have not always strictly adhered to my friends exhortation. But I sure remember it was said, and with the sincerity of his own personal experience, he advised it. To me it was a memorable remark from someone who had had a conversion from Atheism to Christian.

Originally posted by FMF
It is on page 1 ~ it was my first post on this thread. You missed it?

Oh, so in fact you lied when you said you asked permission. Okay, now it all makes sense.

As I said, you can start offering your 'constructive' bits now... or not.

Originally posted by Suzianne
Oh, so in fact you lied when you said you asked permission. Okay, now it all makes sense.

"Lied"? How so? It's there on page 1 in my first post. Read it.

Originally posted by Suzianne
Sonship created this thread because the subject of people becoming Christian is close to his heart. Rather than doing your best to find something to derail or destroy his thread, perhaps you'd also like to start your own thread to cover this topic supposedly close to your heart, of people who have left Christianity in favor of Islam. We await your thread with interest. Enjoy yourself.

Why on earth do you feel the need to attack every single post by FMF?? His question was on point, but even if you disagree, why bother attacking every post he makes? Is it an obsession?

I know another man, not that it should matter, who also was Jew. I'll call him DL.

DL was a very intellectual man with a backround in finance and literature. I thought it was a interesting combination. He is a citizen of Israel but does not always live there. Mr. DL's favorite book besides the Bible now, was Ulysses by James Joyce.

This Christian brother told me how he came to Christ. I think I only remember the essentials.

BDL was living a kind of reclusive life as a mountain man in a remote rural setting. He was there with his little son. Why he lived this way I do not know, other than the fact BDL has a kind of individualistic and strong personality.

Anyway, his son fell into a vat of very hot water up there on the mountain side. His son was scalded over all his body. BDL was desperate to get him to the hospital. He had to walk down the mountain trail carrying his little injured son.

Somewhere along that walk, in his desperation to get medical treatment for his baby boy. he met Jesus Christ. He has been a very strong Christian since then. And the next time I see him, i just may ask him to check this post to make sure I retold the basics of his testimony accurately.

I get a lot of spiritual help whenever I talk with this Christian brother. Israel allows dual citizenship as far as I know. He lives sometime in Israel and sometime in the US.

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My Comment:

I don't remember a lot else about this experience. But I bet that he prayed and cried out and called on God in that desperate time. And God was faithful.

As can be expected, quite a few of these stories concern people in distress. Apparently God likes it when people suffer. What an odd being God is.

Originally posted by Great King Rat
As can be expected, quite a few of these stories concern people in distress. Apparently God likes it when people suffer. What an odd being God is.

Are you serious ? Is this a seriously thought out observation ?

The other possibility of a sadist "odd" being of your accusation, is that man is prone to want little to do with the Supreme Being for some odd reason - like the fall of man.

And quite often the sense of limitation turns our hearts to what is really important.

Would God like us to turn our hearts to Him just because of the beauty of Who He is ? Of course He would. And I will get to some experiences along those lines.

You don't see what a slanderous complaint you make. Perhaps you pride yourself in being able to take any testimony of someone turning God and spin it so as to arrive at an accusation and slander against God.

Why don't you spend a similar amount of time to consider how odd that is. That is that you hunt for what could justify you putting God in the most negative and warped sounding accusation. Consider why your mind is so opened to be inundated with slanders against Jesus Christ.

The Fall of man has made drawing close to God like Salmon swimming upstream against the current. The age is always driving negligent and apathetic fallen sinners away in a direction further and further away from God in independence, unbelief. And in your case seeking slanders and accusations against God, like someone else we know about.

Originally posted by sonship
And in your case seeking slanders and accusations against God, like someone else we know about.

Satan?