Why people are leaving the church

[jakee 1,254]

Ron, I'm confused. Should church be more tolerant, or more hardline word of god? Should it listen and accept people with problems, or should it take them into the woods and kick the shit out of them?

'Cos I'm thinking that if you lock Mr Pavlovitz in a room with Mr Gano for 24 hours, only one of them is going to walk out it afterwards.

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[RonD1120 58]

I have found it interesting that this thread has determined that taking someone into the woods with a group of Christian brothers means to "kick the shit out of them." Here in the north GA mountains my church plans hunting trips for the men. The object is to get away in the woods where the men can discuss things in private and receive private counsel. It is a place to share the most troubling personal problems in confidence.

Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

[jakee 1,254]

"If he is cheating on his wife, a group of us need to get with him take him to the woods for a serious lesson and what goes on in the woods also stays in the woods."

Yes Ron, he wants to go hunting and have deep and meaningful conversations. LMFAO

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[RonD1120 58]

What would you do with someone who cheated on his wife?

Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

[christelsabine 1]

RonD1120

I have found it interesting that this thread has determined that taking someone into the woods with a group of Christian brothers means to "kick the shit out of them." Here in the north GA mountains my church plans hunting trips for the men. The object is to get away in the woods where the men can discuss things in private and receive private counsel. It is a place to share the most troubling personal problems in confidence.

What are you doing outside the hunting season to bring them poor lost souls back on track?

Promise(5) them to come back next season for counseling?

Man, you are the master of cop-outs: As soon you're cornered, you find another explanation ... Makes you look absolutely credible

dudeist skydiver # 3105

[jakee 1,254]

Depends on the situation. But I wouldn't do what Mr Gano suggests and gang up on him and give him a beating.

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[RonD1120 58]

FTR, I don't believe in a gang beating either.

In the residential drug treatment programs it is common practice to seat an offending member inside a circle of chairs where other clients are seated. The other clients air their grievances to him one at a time. Those sessions are confidential and tend to have a positive effect.

When I was in the military there was a custom called a "blanket party." It tended to have a positive effect as well. Generally, someone only had to be made aware that a blanket party was an option to change their behavior.

Americans have indeed grown soft. I hope they don't become as soft as Brits and other Europeans. However, I believe it is a lost cause. I belong to a dying breed.

Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

[wolfriverjoe 1,340]

jakee

"If he is cheating on his wife, a group of us need to get with him take him to the woods for a serious lesson and what goes on in the woods also stays in the woods."

Yes Ron, he wants to go hunting and have deep and meaningful conversations. LMFAO

Well, that sounds to me like they are either going to give the dude an ass kicking or some serious man-love.

Not sure which.

And Ron, why do you ask if the author of that article is an "Agent of Satan"?
Because he has the audacity to actually read what the Bible says?
And point out how many of the so-called "faithful" completely miss, ignore or violate what it says?
Because he looks at the original writings and points out how badly the current version has been translated?
Or points out where complete passages have been added?

I do believe that Jesus gave some pretty good tips on spotting the "false prophets."
Something about saying one thing and doing another, IIRC.

Kind of like claiming to be saved and follow Jesus, but calling for cuts to programs that help the poor.

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[stevebabin 0]

Quote

I belong to a dying breed.

We can only hope. (...and educate people so that it is indeed so.)

"Science, logic and reason will fly you to the moon. Religion will fly you into buildings."
"Because figuring things out is always better than making shit up."

[stayhigh 2]

Bernie Sanders for President 2016

[jakee 1,254]

Quote

FTR, I don't believe in a gang beating either.

So you disagree with Mr Gano? Is it because you're an emasculated, feminized, not-a-real-man, or is it because Gano is wrong and his message sucks?

Quote

When I was in the military there was a custom called a "blanket party." It tended to have a positive effect as well. Generally, someone only had to be made aware that a blanket party was an option to change their behavior.

So you don't agree with gang beatings, you just agree with doing enough gang beatings to make it a believable threat in future?

Quote

Americans have indeed grown soft.

Because they're not beating enough people up anymore, or for other reasons?

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[Boomerdog 0]

"God uses the good ones. The bad ones use God."

Mattie Appleyard (Jimmy Stewart)
From the Movie "Fools Parade."

[regulator 0]

stevebabin

Quote

I belong to a dying breed.

We can only hope. (...and educate people so that it is indeed so.)

That's the way to stay positive in the holidays. Hoping others die off because they have different beliefs.

[normiss 620]

That's religion for you!

[stevebabin 0]

regulator

***

Quote

I belong to a dying breed.

We can only hope. (...and educate people so that it is indeed so.)

That's the way to stay positive in the holidays. Hoping others die off because they have different beliefs.

Hoping the belief in nonsensical supernatural bullshit dies out. I'm tired of that "breed" trying to drag humanity backwards in the name of their particular imaginary god.
YMMV.

"Science, logic and reason will fly you to the moon. Religion will fly you into buildings."
"Because figuring things out is always better than making shit up."

[RonD1120 58]

The government has been actively helping the poor black folks since for 50 years and the are still poor. The government programs you refer to only buy votes to maintain power for the professional politicians.

Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

[RonD1120 58]

Right, we been dragging America backwards since 1620.

Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

[LyraM45 0]

normiss

I left because of the constant begging for money, the downward look over the nose from the "blessed" ones as they pass judgement on everything they disagree with...while sleeping with the neighbor's wife, the begging of money for a new preacher that made over twice the average income in the community then begged for "love gifts" to help him, and the closing of the children's ministry.
Mostly the children's bit though. That was a death sentence to that church.

Just too much judgmental bullshit. Lies. Two faced lies. Every last bit of it.

These are a lot of issues I have, but I can share my story about the day I got up and walked out of my church for the last time. I think I was in 8th grade, sitting in my youth group seminar before morning service on Sunday. The topic of gays in the church had been an issue lately, and our youth group leader choose that as our discussion topic. He talked about how you could not trust gays, you couldn't trust their heart, they shouldn't be allowed in the church, ect, etc. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It was like "love they neighbor.....unless they're gay." I called my mother for a ride home and left before service. I never went back.

This was back in 1997. I am happy to see more churches popping up with more of a "come as you are," mentality, but in general I feel like the church has done nothing but dig it's heels in and alienate good people even further. I don't want to be a part of a group that selectively loves and looks down their nose at others. They did that back in the day when it came to interracial issues in the church, and we see how well that all worked out

Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

[Andy9o8 0]

RonD1120

Right, we been dragging America backwards since 1620.

In fact, "we" have. Scholarly studies estimate that between 50% to 90% of the ethnic Native American population (especially in North America) that existed prior to Columbus's expeditions was wiped out as a direct consequence of European contact, conquest and colonization. It might not be unreasonable to characterize it as genocide.

[stevebabin 0]

RonD1120

Right, we been dragging America backwards since 1620.

Dragging *all of humanity* backwards since long before then.

"Science, logic and reason will fly you to the moon. Religion will fly you into buildings."
"Because figuring things out is always better than making shit up."

[Coreeece 2]

jakee

Should church be more tolerant, or more hardline word of god?

Both

***Should it listen and accept people with problems, or should it take them into the woods and kick the shit out of them?

We all have have problems...the church should be a place to deal with them. If you don't want to deal with your problem, we won't kick the shit out of you, but we'll kick you out into your own shit...because that's obviously what you want.

Never was there an answer....not without listening, without seeing - Gilmour

[Coreeece 2]

stevebabin

***Right, we been dragging America backwards since 1620.

Dragging *all of humanity* backwards since long before then.

Our own greedy hedonistic lustful humanism is what has been dragging us backward.

True faith doesn't put stock in any of that...it has always been about the welfare of others before ourselves...

Never was there an answer....not without listening, without seeing - Gilmour

[ChristianT 0]

Coreeece

True faith doesn't put stock in any of that...it has always been about the welfare of others before ourselves...

If they belive the same as you off course, otherwise the can burn for all eternity, as that seems like a just punishment for not buying in to your specific preaching.

In the words of the late great Douglas Adams: Don't panic!

[billvon 2,384]

>Good article and seems to be right on point.

Another one, also quite on point.

===============
After Year Of Atheism, Former Pastor: 'I Don't Think God Exists'
December 27, 2014

Minister Ryan Bell decided to "try on" atheism for a year; now, although he says atheism is an "awkward fit," he's going to continue to not believe in God.

Natalie Gee

At the start of 2014, former Seventh-Day Adventist pastor Ryan Bell made an unusual New Year's resolution: to live for one year without God — this reflecting his own loss of faith. He kept a blog documenting his journey and had a documentary crew following him.

After a year, Bell tells NPR's Arun Rath, "I've looked at the majority of the arguments that I've been able to find for the existence of God, and on the question of God's existence or not, I have to say I don't find there to be a convincing case, in my view.

"I don't think that God exists. I think that makes the most sense of the evidence that I have and my experience. But I don't think that's necessarily the most interesting thing about me."

Today, Bell has a new job at PATH, an organization dedicated to helping the homeless.

"It's, I think, an expression of really the part of me that hasn't changed. I'm still the same person deep down that I was before. I care about justice and equality, and I want to see opportunities spread more evenly in our society," Bell says.

Bell says he still feels like atheism is "an awkward fit," and also feels uncomfortable around his former Christian friends who are adjusting to his new views.

One of his biggest lessons from the year is "that people very much value certainty and knowing and are uncomfortable saying that they don't know."

Now he thinks certainty is a bit overrated.

"I think before, I wanted a closer relationship to God, and today I just want a closer relationship with reality," Bell says.
===================
http://www.npr.org/2014/12/27/373298310/after-year-of-atheism-former-pastor-i-dont-think-god-exists

[regulator 0]

normiss

I left because of the constant begging for money, the downward look over the nose from the "blessed" ones as they pass judgement on everything they disagree with...while sleeping with the neighbor's wife, the begging of money for a new preacher that made over twice the average income in the community then begged for "love gifts" to help him, and the closing of the children's ministry.
Mostly the children's bit though. That was a death sentence to that church.

Just too much judgmental bullshit. Lies. Two faced lies. Every last bit of it.

Because every single church in America operates like this. Ironic how you can condemn me as a racist because I called somebody a hood rat, yet you unequivocally rail on anyone for their religious beliefs because someone made you go to church as a child (oh the horror)