Is Christianity Really Brainwashing?

reply to post by Garkiniss

I don't know. Being "filled with the holy spirit" sounds like possession to me. We've all seen those videos of the twitching, screaming people speaking in tongues during service.

I too have seen this. You should really see it in a Snake Handler Church.
What is it that inspires these worshipers to handle poisonous snakes? Like other Christian fundamentalists, serpent handlers' beliefs are rooted in a literal interpretation of the scriptures. I suppose from Mark 16:18:
"They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." (KJV)

I have seen this first hand, and I am here to tell you, these people are a perfect description of a Cult. Some of them drink Arsenic too.

reply to post by autowrench

And I am insulted that you think my Grandfather is a demon, would you call your Grandparent a demons if one came to visit you?

Do you know of any documentation medically that your grandfather wasn't human??

reply to post by autowrench


well i look at it like this: you have a big universe in which dwell many of the gods creations. some are reptile like, some are more like grays with soft flexible skin (amphibian?), and etc. you get the idea they are all sons of god and gods at the same time, depending on who ya talk to, and where it's written down. as i have said many times before, i believe the OT yahweh was both enlil and enki, with a smidgen of anu, for good measure. but it eventually became enlil only. then in the NT, enki is the only show in town, with a smidgen of anu for good measure and a few honorable mentions of enlil. enki to me, sounds amphibian, more like a grey. enlil sounds more like a reptilian. but i can't prove either of them are any such thing. i've even entered the notion that they are sentient robots, other dimensional beings and other universe beings.

whatever the case may be, here we are, and there they are.

reply to post by RevelationGeneration

Men which have been born again by The Holy Spirit. These men are new creatures, The Holy Spirit is infallible because he is the 3rd person of the Godhead - thus making the scriptures inspired.

Again with that Three Males thing. I have been "born again" so many times I am tired of the whole thing. Where is the Mother here? Were the writers all homosexual? (No offence to Gay Folks)
Webster's defines infallible as "incapable of error." Are you incapable of error, RG? You say you are filled with the Holy Spirit, which is defined as infallible. Are you without error, friend?

Originally posted by undo

Originally posted by sacgamer25
reply to post by undo

 

If we do what we are being asked to do than none will question our faith.

edit on 31-12-2011 by sacgamer25 because: (no reason given)

they questioned jesus. they questioned the apostles. there will never be an end to accusations cause we're all humans and humans do that. that's the WHOLE point.

They questioned what he believed in, but they never questioned his faith in what he believed in. So yes as Christians we will be questioned but our faith should not be in question. If you continue to willfully sin you allow others to mock your faith. The following verses is what scripture has to say about this subject and scripture appears to agree with what I am saying.

I John 3:9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.

Rom. 6:16-18 16 Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. 17 Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. 18 Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.

I John 5:4 4 For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.

Hebrews 6: 4-8 4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6 and who have fallen[c] away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. 7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

reply to post by sacgamer25


everything you do would be hypocrisy to people who can't stomach even the word "christian". haven't you noticed the human predilection to auto assume all people of a certain description are guilty of what a few people of that description did? you're already guilty, as a christian, in the eyes of some non-christians, of lacking the faith to such a degree that you allowed the crusades to happen, 500 years ago. yes you did that, did you know that? you faithless heathen you. lol it's inescapable while in this particular realm of existence.

Originally posted by milkyway12
reply to post by LunaKat

 

Nothing is forced on you Luna. You can believe what ever you want. Im sure you are a good person and have much love to go around. Your belief may not reflect you as a person. God does not tell us not to have friends that do not believe such as we , or live such as we. You are just as good of people us Christians and and unfortuantley just as worse. Heck it seems Christians can be the worst some times.

You are right, LunaCat is a good person, through and through. I cannot blame her for being upset either. In another thread, or two, she was most viciously attacked for being a Wiccan, and loving the Divine Mother, as I myself do. She was even call a lesbian over her love for the Goddess. I refrain from calling names, but a man in love with Jesus could also be called homosexual, right? If that is the correct logic to use in a discussion such as this? Firing a broadside at an educated Wiccan will only bring one back at you, and it is time Christians learned this.

If you live in the United States, the best place to start educating yourself is to understand the First Amendment and how it affects you. In addition to guaranteeing us the right to free speech, the First Amendment states that the government shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. What this means is that you’re allowed to be Christian, Wiccan, Jewish, Muslim, a Satanist, or a member of the Grand High Order of the Sparkly Toaster Oven, and there’s no one in the government who can prevent you from holding your beliefs.

Witchcraft was first declared a crime in Eng. law in 1542, trials there peaked in 1580s and 1640s but fell sharply after 1660. The last known case, in 1717, ended in acquittal.
The Witchcraft Act was repealed 1736.

The Church hunted down and tortured/burned so called "Witches for many years, teaching that they "consorted with the Devil," and other such drivel, when all the Church was really doing is asserting their power over the entire Kingdom.

Humans have worshipped Goddesses since before recorded history, and while the style grew with age, Wicca is still alive today. Coming through the Burning Times in the 1600's, witchcraft re-emerged in the mid 1900's and has been growing in popularity since that time. Unlike the times when witches were burned or punished for practicing their Craft, now witches have rights. In the United States, Wicca is protected as a legal religion. I am shocked almost speechless today at the brazen attacks on the religious liberties of Pagans, Wiccans, and all other followers of minority religions.
The Constitution protects us now. So get over it.

reply to post by autowrench


just thought i should mention that almost every mother goddess statue of antiquity is reptilian.
especially the older ones with missing heads and no legs below the kneecap.

there's even one where they made her a fake head after they found her, and they made it a human head! it was not a human body lol. it was a thick muscled, scaley, claw footed, reptilian.

Originally posted by undo
reply to post by sacgamer25

 

everything you do would be hypocrisy to people who can't stomach even the word "christian". haven't you noticed the human predilection to auto assume all people of a certain description are guilty of what a few people of that description did? you're already guilty, as a christian, in the eyes of some non-christians, of lacking the faith to such a degree that you allowed the crusades to happen, 500 years ago. yes you did that, did you know that? you faithless heathen you. lol it's inescapable while in this particular realm of existence.

My question to you is why would you want to defend sin? I am saying God is calling all Christians to follow Christ in doing the will of God. Exactly what part of this causes you a problem? You will only become what you believe you will become. If I believe that it is God’s will that I stop willfully sinning, and it is, then maybe I will stop willfully sinning.

I have provided you scripture that supports what I say. Have faith in the Holy Spirit because what is impossible for man is possible for God. And since we have God’s Holy Spirit living in us things that were impossible for us have become possible by the power of God at work in us.

If you have faith that God can make this change in your life than he can. If you refuse to even attempt this than you have not had faith that God can change you the way he is calling you to change.

Understand that you have been saved by Grace alone but the message does not stop there. In almost every letter to the Churches Paul calls the Christians to live a life that is worthy of the gift that they received. This is not a requirement of Grace but rather a result of Grace.

Originally posted by autowrench
reply to post by milkyway12

 

Still put your faith in Yahweh, friend? See, if you studied these matters, it would become clear to you who your Devil really is.

Studied? You didn't read the rest of the page! The Bible here is talking about the Behemoth and the Leviathan which God made. Just go back A HALF A page. Come on, IT'S ON THE SAME PAGE!

Job 40:15 “Look at Behemoth, WHICH I MADE ALONG WITH YOU! Creatures that God had made, not God himself lol.

You probably also don't know that Pslams and Samuel are full of poems written by believers did you?

If you call that "studying" when what you need to answer your question is ON THE SAME PAGE, and you miss it?

That's not called studying. That's called taking it way out of context on purpose to mislead believers. ON PURPOSE?

What you got against this Jesus guy? It's one thing not to believe in him. It's another thing to make stuff up so others don't.

reply to post by vogon42

OK, I have to ask. Why is it there are several dozen different faiths/churches....what ever, that all call them selves christian (baptist, methodist, lutheran, catholic......and on and on)?

I too wonder about this. In my little Southern Ohio town we have all of these churches, Methodist, Lutheran, Protestant, Christian, and they all hate each other, and some call the others devil worshippers.
A great many of these church claim "Freedom" on their signs. At least the Mormons are respectful to one when they talk. The hate is rampant among these sects, and even they fail to see it as such.

My question to you is why would you want to defend sin?

reply to post by sacgamer25


interesting question, didn't realize i was. i was defending what it means to be human and how that applies to our interaction with other humans who aren't christians. if we didn't need a defense, we wouldn't have been given the best defense lawyer in history. this is why we look like hypocrites, even when we aren't. for example, i regularly get accused of being every bad thing any other christian has done in the history of humankind. i find this odd. like i'm inheriting stuff i didn't do. then i realized, everyone does that to everyone, and this unique state of across the board incrimination extends all the way back to the garden. so i'm just being painfully honest with myself by acknowledging that hypocrisy is part of the human condition, not specifically tied to any particular religion and that it is just one more thing we have to deal with.

reply to post by tinfoilman


there's also the little factoid that "seraph" (singular for seraphim, a race of angels, some of which are around the throne of god) are flying fiery serpents.

god even says he would that one of the churches were either hot or cold but are neither, and as a result he was going to spew them out of his mouth. they were in his mouth? (metaphors galore but you can see how if you read this kind of thing in poetic examples alot in the bible, where the connections would start forming, particularly since he has a race of angels, he created himself, around his throne, and they are fiery flying serpents).

ya know, sometimes it's helpful to read the whole book, slowly, not just the happy joy joy but the whole thing, with a concordance, and check those original words. the book is full of fascinating information about more than just homosapians.

Originally posted by undo

My question to you is why would you want to defend sin?

reply to post by sacgamer25

 

interesting question, didn't realize i was. i was defending what it means to be human and how that applies to our interaction with other humans who aren't christians. if we didn't need a defense, we wouldn't have been given the best defense lawyer in history. this is why we look like hypocrites, even when we aren't. for example, i regularly get accused of being every bad thing any other christian has done in the history of humankind. i find this odd. like i'm inheriting stuff i didn't do. then i realized, everyone does that to everyone, and this unique state of across the board incrimination extends all the way back to the garden. so i'm just being painfully honest with myself by acknowledging that hypocrisy is part of the human condition, not specifically tied to any particular religion and that it is just one more thing we have to deal with.

I will have to commend you on your answer but I still pray that you look at my post and compare what I say to scripture. I believe you will find that you are called to walk a walk closer to Christ than you currently imagine.

Your faith was strong enough to allow Grace to save you, is it possible that your faith could also be strong enough to allow Grace to free you from willful sin. I have faith that it can. With love and prayer in the name of Christ Jesus.

Originally posted by undo
reply to post by autowrench

 

just thought i should mention that almost every mother goddess statue of antiquity is reptilian.

especially the older ones with missing heads and no legs below the kneecap.

there's even one where they made her a fake head after they found her, and they made it a human head! it was not a human body lol. it was a thick muscled, scaley, claw footed, reptilian.

edit on 31-12-2011 by undo because: (no reason given)

I just dropped “mother goddess statue” into google images and not one of them looks ‘reptilian’

Now its true most of them look like they should put some time in on a stairmaster but where are you getting this reptilian thing from?

Originally posted by RevelationGeneration
reply to post by LunaKat

 

Its more than obvious that the only people here with the agenda are the ones spamming hate pictures and acting really immaturely. That's what I love about atheists they get so mad at something they apparently don't believe in... Mention a few biblical truths and they just can't control themselves or act civilly.

Oh, you want to talk agenda, RevelationGeneration? Let me remind you...

Happy birthday Jesus... You are the reason for the season!!! (Pagan propaganda refuted)

Scientists say Turin Shroud is Supernatural !!!

Aliens are not intergalactic they are demonic

Exposing the evils of Wicca Witchcraft!

Message To UFO & Alien Believers Time Is Running Out...

You want to state clearly that YOU do not have an AGENDA against Pagans, Wiccans, and Believers is Extraterritorial Life? Can you say it? I'm calling you out, you are the one with an agenda here, I know it, you know it, and everyone else knows it.

Anything can be used to brainwash the masses, not just religion. The internet can so easily be used to brainwash people, as it can be be used to educate. Today we are probably being manipulated and lied too more than ever in the history of this entire planet. That's why it's important to remove yourself from the herd like mentality that seems to becoming more common these days and think for yourself and question, check and verify everything you are being told. Only then will you get anywhere near the truth.

As for Christianity:

Heaven doesn't care!

reply to post by undo


No, they are not flying fiery serpents. That is not a factoid.

They're either snakes or flying angels. Not necessarily flying angel snakes. Seraph translates literally to the "Burning Ones". So the word Seraph does not mean serpent OR angel. It means one who burns.

The reason they use the word seraph to describe snakes is probably because they got the venom!

Isaiah describes six winged fiery angels with eyes all over them as Seraph. That sounds not like a serpent. But you have to understand how Hebrew works. In Hebrew names don't always work like they do in our language.

Your name was a reference to what you did. So we might say a snake slithers, where they might say a slither slithers. If it slithered, that's just what they called it. Or if it had burning venom they might call it a seraph (burning one).

Now it is true the Bible does reference fiery spiritual creatures, and it does reference serpent like spiritual creatures. But the serpents the Bible talks about probably has more to do with the giant snake God people were worshiping back in Sumeria where Abraham came from, and what we now call Satan (even though they're two different things according to the Bible). That garden story starting to make more sense?

Anyway, the reason Isaiah most likely refers to the angels as seraph isn't because they were necessarily serpents. No, it was probably because THEY WERE ON FIRE! Burning ones, get it? They had six wings and FACES AND FEET!

Isaiah 6 "Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying."

Not the best description of a serpent I've seen? They also took coals from the altar with tongs. Probably had hands too!

Now if you want to be a conspiracy theorist and say the reason they use the word seraph for both serpents and angels is because they're definitely the same! Well I can't stop you. However, I just want you to know it's a connection you're making on your own. It's not necessarily supported by the Bible and it might just be something you're reading into it that isn't there.

Yes it is helpful to read the whole book.

Originally posted by RevelationGeneration
reply to post by vogon42

 

Christianity is not a religion, it is a relationship with God.

"Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world" (James 1:27)

There you have it; Scripture clearly teaches that Christianity is a religion! Christianity, in any form, is religion, plain and simple. Some Christians will state that Jesus is about spirituality, but if you say to a Christian you are a Spiritualist, you get rebuked, and called names. All denominations and variations of Christianity found their roots from within the Orthodox Church that was officially established in the early third century.

Originally posted by RevelationGeneration
reply to post by FugitiveSoul

 

My friend I am apart of no religion. I have no ego or pride. And I have not insulted anyone.

Man! I almost fell of my chair and spilt my coffee laughing at that comment! How can you sit there are say that you have not insulted anyone? How can you think for a second that your ego is bigger than your pride, which is so big we can almost see it through our PC screens?