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Challenge: I'm willing to convert if.......

jimb

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Yes. The Bible informs us of this, too.
Titus 1:16; Matthew 7:20
Are you anti-Semitic? Because when Paul wrote the verse that you cite in Titus, it was written about Jews. Taking single versus out-of-context a person can easily distort what the Bible says. Here is Titus 1:16 in context...

There are also many rebellious people, idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision; they must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for sordid gain what it is not right to teach. It was one of them, their very own prophet, who said,

“Cretans are always liars, vicious brutes, lazy gluttons.”

That testimony is true. For this reason rebuke them sharply, so that they may become sound in the faith, not paying attention to Jewish myths or to commandments of those who reject the truth. To the pure all things are pure, but to the corrupt and unbelieving nothing is pure; their very minds and consciences are corrupted. They [the Jews that Paul refers to] profess to know God, but they deny him by their actions; they are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.

The same principle applies to Matthew's gospel...

Matthew 7:15-20, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them [false prophets] by their fruits."

You want to take something out of context? Try this... Psalm 14 says "there is NO GOD" So, by your methodology, God doesn't exist!

It is a serious mistake to quote the Bible out of context to prove a predetermined point!
 

TransmutingSoul

May God's Will be Done
Premium Member
Do you know the religion that offers this feature benefit?
Faith in God, through God's given Messengers, one and all offer these features and we one and all benefit from all the Names of God, all are born of the Holy Spirit, they are Christ. (Annointed by God)

Unity in our diversity requires a genuine acceptance of all the "Names" of God, peace will not happen while our mind seeks salvation in one name, exclusive of all names.

Peace be with you Stephen. Regards Tony
 

an anarchist

Your local anarchist.
I'd be willing to consider a god if it openly revealed itself. Without that, to follow a god might be to follow another's fictitious creation.
 

jimb

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
I'd be willing to consider a god if it openly revealed itself. Without that, to follow a god might be to follow another's fictitious creation.

Romans 1:18-23, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and injustice of those who by their injustice suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. Ever since the creation of the world God’s eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been seen and understood through the things God has made. So they are without excuse, for though they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their senseless hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal human or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles."

Clearly, God has revealed Himself! The tragedy is that you are unwilling or unable to realize that because of your cynicism. Do you consider creation to be fiction???
 

Hockeycowboy

Witness for Jehovah
Premium Member
Are you anti-Semitic? Because when Paul wrote the verse that you cite in Titus, it was written about Jews. Taking single versus out-of-context a person can easily distort what the Bible says. Here is Titus 1:16 in context...

There are also many rebellious people, idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision; they must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for sordid gain what it is not right to teach. It was one of them, their very own prophet, who said,

“Cretans are always liars, vicious brutes, lazy gluttons.”

That testimony is true. For this reason rebuke them sharply, so that they may become sound in the faith, not paying attention to Jewish myths or to commandments of those who reject the truth. To the pure all things are pure, but to the corrupt and unbelieving nothing is pure; their very minds and consciences are corrupted. They [the Jews that Paul refers to] profess to know God, but they deny him by their actions; they are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.

The same principle applies to Matthew's gospel...

Matthew 7:15-20, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them [false prophets] by their fruits."

You want to take something out of context? Try this... Psalm 14 says "there is NO GOD" So, by your methodology, God doesn't exist!

It is a serious mistake to quote the Bible out of context to prove a predetermined point!
I didn’t take anything out of context!
If anything, the surrounding verses support what I said.

And in Titus, Paul was speaking of the inhabitants of Crete, not Jews only.

And to answer your question: no, I’m not anti-Semitic.

They’re all my cousins, so are you.
 

Madsaac

Active Member
I'd be willing to consider a god if it openly revealed itself. Without that, to follow a god might be to follow another's fictitious creation.
This is true, why all the ‘ducks and drakes’ why not just say here I am, why does god hide?

Like I said before any genuine miracle will do. (And something that supposedly happened in the bible doesn’t count)

It’s a fair assumption to make, he does not make himself known because he is not there
 

an anarchist

Your local anarchist.
Have you tried asking?

I've had mystical experiences were I have experienced and conversed with "God". All that means is that perception is flawed and can be manipulated.
I'd like God to show up in the sky for everyone to see and then introduce Himself. He can't be hidden in gobbly mystical and psychedelic experiences. That is not enough for me. Not anymore
 

Hockeycowboy

Witness for Jehovah
Premium Member
This is true, why all the ‘ducks and drakes’ why not just say here I am, why does god hide?
There is a reason.
Genesis 3 gives some details…

There was an issue raised, as to sovereignty: whether man can make his own decisions, and not obey his Creator.

So, for the most part, Jehovah God has stayed out of human affairs. Except when protecting His people.

We can discuss this privately, if you’d like.
 

Muffled

Jesus in me
But the people couldn't say that they didn't want to be chickens. One hypnotist wants chickens, and another hypnotist wants past lives. Is there a difference?
One tells the person he is a chicken and the other asks the person to go back in time. There is a difference in Hypnotism between a command and a request.
 

Hockeycowboy

Witness for Jehovah
Premium Member
…someone like myself needs more then just words from an ancient text or words from other people to believe in god and religion. I need to see it for myself.
It’s not just words…
Love is something you observe. Jesus indicated that, when he said, “All will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves.” (John 13:35) So, for Jesus’ statement to have meaning, this love and the global unity it engenders, would stand out as different from the world’s divisiveness and its conflicts.

This is all due to Jehovah God’s spirit. — Galatians 5:22.



It is a leap of faith, that is just too far. So to believe in god, I need to see something truly miraculous (And I'm not talking about love, or the sunrise etc)
Really? So your faith is in abiogenesis? What is there that supports it?
Or even evolution’s mindless mechanisms to create novel complexity, such as the first bacterial flagellum?
 
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