Originally posted by FMF Telling someone who was a committed Christian for a quarter of a century that he wasn't one after all - and offering little more than wordplay as your evidence - is about as subjective and peculiarly "personal" as you could be. 😀
Don't take it so personal. We're merely players on a stage grappling with words in a dialog no on is really paying any attention to. And it's virtually anonymous anyway.
Besides, who's perfect? Well, I guess that would be God. 😀
Originally posted by josephw That's ridiculous. You have stated that you have no faith. How can you possibly think you can tell me what faith is. Very obtuse.
You stated that you were a Christian. By definition, being a Christian means believing God. So, by pure and simple logic, if one no longer believes God, when once upon a time they did, but now they don't, that one is then cal ...[text shortened]... effect that God doesn't save sinners and make them into sons and daughters.
Real Christians.
I can hardly be claiming your God figure is lying if I don't believe He has said anything to either of us! 😉
Originally posted by josephw [b]"Which one and why?"
Do you mean which God? There is only one.
"(Oh, and I am not in a quandary)"
Is that so? The ultimate act of denial is the denial of the existence of God. The quandary of denial and unbelief.[/b]
Do you mean which God? There is only one.
How did you 'believe God' before you had decided which (version of) God you were going to believe in? Put it another way, could you have just decided to believe the Muslim God, or the Hindu Gods?
You simply gloss over what I would consider a more difficult quandary when asked to 'believe God' which is, as I say, which one?
Is that so? The ultimate act of denial is the denial of the existence of God. The quandary of denial and unbelief.
I deny pink unicorns exist. I don't believe pink unicorns exist. I'll bet you can't explain why I am in a quandary over this.
BTW, have you ever noticed how often you presume to tell me what I think? When in fact all you mean is 'this is what I think'.
Originally posted by FMF I can hardly be claiming your God figure is lying if I don't believe He has said anything to either of us! 😉
Well, it just seems rather odd to me that you did believe God for over 25 years, but now you don't. I can't imagine how let down you must have been. Do you miss hearing His voice? 😉
If you apologize to the Ghost again you'll have to pay another 1200 pounds! 😵 😀
Originally posted by josephw Stop doing what? Do you mean stop posting in this thread? Are you blowing a fuse?
I mean stop telling people how they must have felt.
You have no idea whether, or how, let down FMF might have felt, if at all. I have known a number of people who tell me that they only started feeling truly at ease with life when they finally abandoned any idea of a God.
(Oh, and it was meant in a friendly way, but I missed off the smiley)
Originally posted by josephw Well, it just seems rather odd to me that you did believe God for over 25 years, but now you don't. I can't imagine how let down you must have been. Do you miss hearing His voice?
Like I said earlier, no quandary was experienced during the process of extricating myself from my former Christian faith.
Ghost of a Duke, I've wangled it to mention "quandary", so expect no compensation this time.
Originally posted by Rank outsider I mean stop telling people how they must have felt.
You have no idea whether, or how, let down FMF might have felt, if at all. I have known a number of people who tell me that they only started feeling truly at ease with life when they finally abandoned any idea of a God.
(Oh, and it was meant in a friendly way, but I missed off the smiley)
Perhaps you missed the smiley in my post to FMF.
Besides, I didn't tell anyone how they actually felt. How could I possibly know that?
I suppose it's sometimes difficult to figure out when someone is being, or using sarcastic humor. I'm not trying to hurt anyone's feelings. Although sometimes I probably do.