Originally posted by googlefudgeIt's attitude like that that causes cheney to make posts like the one that follows yours.
No. that's the last thing people need.
FMF doesn't really know (or care) what people need, he's just 'moving his lips', as it were.
And here you are actively hurting people with your message of non-faith.
Originally posted by SuzianneAs I have pointed out many times over the years, I refrain from advising people to give up their religious beliefs if such beliefs help them to come to terms with death or otherwise make them happy, purposeful or able to cope.
FMF doesn't really know (or care) what people need, he's just 'moving his lips', as it were.
Originally posted by chaney3AA doesn't work for many people who cannot submit to a higher power. God CAN work change in your life, IF you let him. People get so wrapped up in this ego thing of "I can do it myself' or 'I don't need anyone's help'. Yeah, well, how's that been working for you so far?
I am NOT currently going to AA meetings.....but, I have gone to many, many AA meetings in the past.....which obviously did not work for me. I am well versed in the 12 steps of AA, which require COMPLETE dependence upon the 'God of your own understanding' to help you recover from alcoholism.....and this is why AA did not work for me.
AA requires that you ...[text shortened]... r God' to succeed....and, I don't have that.
I am currently sober....and trying to be honest.
Man has free will. God cannot 'bend the will' of man without permission, without that man acknowledging that he needs help. Good parents don't make things easy for their children, they don't learn how to stand on their own two feet any other way than to be knocked down a few times. There is no appreciation of the good in life without some experience of the bad. "Into each life a little rain must fall", how many times have you heard this? And yes, it's true that some people don't get just a "little rain", they get a deluge. Those standing back watching others work through hardships have to realize that God is not the source of the evil that confronts man. That comes from Man himself. God helps these people to endure the hardships they've encountered and use them to build a better life. But some don't survive, that's true. But that's not God's fault. Evil men rule the earth, and as a result, people die. It's been that way for thousands of years. Don't lose your faith. Talk to God, and ask him for help. Ask him to show you the way. Show him that you are willing to help yourself by following his lead. He can't do it without your permission, without your wanting him to help you. He loves us, but he cannot help those who turn from him, just as you can't help a person about to slip off a cliff without that person reaching out for help. It's all about faith. You only need a little to get the ball rolling. Don't let yourself down when help is so near.
Originally posted by FMFI'm afraid sometimes that that's not enough. Have you helped to strengthen someone's faith when they were on the brink of losing it entirely? It's like standing on the beach watching someone be buried by sand when it collapses on them and then later saying "I didn't shovel more sand on them, did I?", instead of helping to dig them out. Not doing evil is simply not the same as doing good.
As I have pointed out many times over the years, I refrain from advising people to give up their religious beliefs if such beliefs help them to come to terms with death or otherwise make them happy, purposeful or able to cope.
Originally posted by SuzianneI am not a Christian, Suzianne. For many Christians I've met, their faith is the sand that's burying them on that beach. Other Christians fare better and deal with their faith as they see fit and for whatever purpose they have. It is for Christians to try to strengthen their fellow Christians' faith, if they feel the need. It's not something for non-Christians to do.
I'm afraid sometimes that that's not enough. Have you helped to strengthen someone's faith when they were on the brink of losing it entirely? It's like standing on the beach watching someone be buried by sand when it collapses on them and then later saying "I didn't shovel more sand on them, did I?", instead of helping to dig them out. Not doing evil is simply not the same as doing good.
Originally posted by FMFFaith doesn't work that way. What buries many Christians is not their faith, but their neglect of that faith. Ask any Christian who's about to lose their faith "When was the last time you prayed, or even read your Bible?", and the answer is always some form of "It's been a while." Losing faith is about man turning from God, never the other way around.
I am not a Christian, Suzianne. For many Christians I've met, their faith [b]is the sand that's burying them on that beach. Other Christians fare better and deal with their faith as they see fit and for whatever purpose they have. It is for Christians to try to strengthen their fellow Christians' faith, if they feel the need. It's not something for non-Christians to do.[/b]
If you cannot help a struggling Christian in their faith, the least you could do is not stand in their way when they're trying to find their way back to it.