Christians, A Call To Strength From A Dissenter Of Your Faith

Christians,

There have been a couple of recent threads on ATS claiming you are not capable of discerning the word of your god on your own. These accusations claim that your faith is not strong enough to confront on a logical level. I know this is not true as I have had the pleasure of being proven wrong by a Christian on more than one occasion.

Proverbs 27:

17 Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another. 18 He who tends the fig tree will eat its fruit, And he who cares for his master will be honored.…

If you do not tend to your fig tree (your faith) nor care for your master (your god), you will go hungry and without honor in the eyes of your god.

Those who persuade the sheep to ignore the wolves are probably wolves in a shepherd's disguise. Do not ignore those of us who question your faith. You are in the spotlight and your brethren are watching how you handle us. We provide a service when we call you out on your beliefs.

Non-Christians who are critical of you are your whetstones. Whetstones are for sharpening steel, not iron. If you want to remain as weak as iron, then only talk to other Christians. If you want to be as sharp as steel, then talk to the rest of us and do so with the brilliance of your Jesus and with the stoic nature of your Holy Spirit. Steel is made of iron and carbon (faith and humanity).

Use us as your carbon and accept our challenges to you as your whetstones. Other faiths have the same to gain from these debates so, to deny them is to deny yourselves.

So... go forth with strength and understanding! No fear! No ignorance! No preconceptions! Just love and a willingness to discern for yourself! Doooo Eeeeet!

Words of wisdom on the matter of defending your faith from Dr. Peter Kreeft, who I think might be a saint.
www.youtube.com...

Also, wonderfully written OP. Thank you.

reply to post by Cuervo


Well said Cuervo... S&F

Theres far to many that hide behind their book, and their preachers... IF you know your religion you should have little problem defending it.

And he who cares for his master will be honored.…

why cant people see that RULERS --->EDITED the old texts..

ANd this is a PRIME example..

Care for your master? That means be a GOOD SLAVE..

Not me, I would wish constant misery upon my "master" and continually devise ways to destroy him.

HanzHenry

And he who cares for his master will be honored.…

why cant people see that RULERS --->EDITED the old texts..

ANd this is a PRIME example..

Care for your master? That means be a GOOD SLAVE..

Not me, I would wish constant misery upon my "master" and continually devise ways to destroy him.

I think "master" in this case is more allegorical. There are plenty of other verses that condone slavery so I don't feel too bad letting this one slide as "interpretive".

But, even if you take it as a more broad term, there are plenty of people who feel as you do and would have nothing to do with bowing down to anybody for any reason, god or man. This is why Christianity can't possibly appeal universally to all of humanity unless it evolves.

reply to post by Cuervo


Although I am strongly anti-theist I appreciate the sentiment here. A willingness to engage in discussion and debate is critical for anyone with any belief system. Everyone is a potential whetstone if you're open to really hearing another's thoughts and critique. Perhaps this will sharpen your faith, or perhaps it will give you a new knife entirely.

HanzHenry

And he who cares for his master will be honored.…

why cant people see that RULERS --->EDITED the old texts..

ANd this is a PRIME example..

Care for your master? That means be a GOOD SLAVE..

Not me, I would wish constant misery upon my "master" and continually devise ways to destroy him.

Don't tell that to your employer.

Lucid Lunacy
Perhaps this will sharpen your faith, or perhaps it will give you a new knife entirely.

edit on 7-12-2013 by Lucid Lunacy because: (no reason given)

And that right there is what many of the more traditional Christians are afraid of. What they don't realize is that their current understanding of their religion has been brought to them by people who have been critical of the church and have paved the path. Christianity today would resemble Islam if those people hadn't questioned the then-current understanding of their bibles.

reply to post by Cuervo

Quite honestly:
If it weren't for the "religion" of egotism, nobody would need to defend their belief, or lack there of.

See ya,
Milt

Good OP. Very well written. S&F

BenReclused
reply to post by Cuervo

 

Quite honestly:
If it weren't for one's own ego, nobody would need to defend their belief, or lack there of.

See ya,
Milt

Ego? Ego is what causes a person to think they don't need to justify their condemnations and judgment upon others.

Assuming people should just believe in something as grandiose as mythology simply on your word is almost the epitome of the negative aspects of the ego.

reply to post by Cuervo

Ego is what causes a person to think they don't need to justify their condemnations and judgment upon others.

Not quite... Ego is what causes, "condemnations and judgement upon others", to begin with, and, has nothing to do with one's "need to justify". That, ONLY, has to do with one's "need" to dominate.

Assuming people should just believe in something as grandiose as mythology simply on your word is almost the epitome of the negative aspects of the ego.

I don't disagree with that, at all. However, those same "negative aspects of the ego" are, also, epitomized by atheists who claim, "There is no God", only, because they don't have a belief in one.

See ya,
Milt

reply to post by Cuervo


I joined ATS because I came across the site by accident and after reading some of the comments in the religion forum, I was appalled by some of the ignorance that people were posting about Christianity, and that many of those posters were Christians!

Over the years, I've made a lot of friends with people who fundamentally disagree with me on religion (including yourself, if I may be so bold,) and one of the fruits of discussions with persons such as yourself is that they require me to think about what I believe and what my basis for that might be. I've become stronger, theologically, by discussing and debating Christianity with people who think that I'm nuts for believing what I do.

Unlike some, who look at an atheist or witch or Muslim and say "you're going to Hell," I look at all of us as God's children, fully capable of doing his will, whether we know it or not, and what the outcome of that is, not one of us knows.

adjensen
reply to post by Cuervo

 

Over the years, I've made a lot of friends with people who fundamentally disagree with me on religion (including yourself, if I may be so bold,) and one of the fruits of discussions with persons such as yourself is that they require me to think about what I believe and what my basis for that might be. I've become stronger, theologically, by discussing and debating Christianity with people who think that I'm nuts for believing what I do.

Exactly! Christians on this site have really changed my attitude about being more tolerant. It was a much-needed attitude adjustment and it has helped me in my own path.

Believe me, there are plenty of stubborn people who follow similar beliefs as I do who make me cringe and feel misrepresented when they speak so rudely towards other faiths but I'm fortunate as to be under-represented (demographically) so we are mostly under the radar. But we do have our share of curmudgeons, for sure.

Thanks for chiming in.

Lucid Lunacy
reply to post by Cuervo

 

or perhaps it will give you a new knife entirely.

Sword my friend... sword

Ahhm
You do know Christians are human, faulty and sinners.
You do know Christians get it wrong all the time, even the best ones

A call to Christians.
Accept you are sinners, are at fault and delivered by anothers blood

Christians search out your sin and put down your sword. Become a living sacrifice and be humble.

borntowatch
Ahhm
You do know Christians are human, faulty and sinners.
You do know Christians get it wrong all the time, even the best ones

A call to Christians.
Accept you are sinners, are at fault and delivered by anothers blood

Christians search out your sin and put down your sword. Become a living sacrifice and be humble.

This isn't about getting it "wrong" or "sinning".

It's about not being afraid to discuss your faith with others outside of your faith in a logical and sane manner. It's about taking an honest look at your own beliefs and allowing yourself to ask questions about them. It's about being fearless in your faith and an active participant in your own spirituality.

reply to post by Cuervo

It's about not being afraid to discuss your faith with others outside of your faith in a logical and sane manner. It's about taking an honest look at your own beliefs and allowing yourself to ask questions about them. It's about being fearless in your faith and an active participant in your own spirituality.

Exactly!!!

Hear, hear!!!

Cuervo, I subscribed to your thread here but haven't posted in it yet. Just wanted to let you know that I'm totally on board with what you're saying. Too few people are willing to even LOOK at their beliefs with objectivity. I know it's difficult. I'm just (again) promoting the "stretch yourself beyond your comfort level" introspection.

Brightest,
~wild

ghostfacekilah00

HanzHenry

And he who cares for his master will be honored.…

why cant people see that RULERS --->EDITED the old texts..

ANd this is a PRIME example..

Care for your master? That means be a GOOD SLAVE..

Not me, I would wish constant misery upon my "master" and continually devise ways to destroy him.

Don't tell that to your employer.

Shows what you know..

I don't have an "employer"..

Assume... you did it.. and stupidly