*falls down laughing*

Some things are just too precious.

“What’s all the fuss about trying to force people to believe (or not believe) in what you believe (or don’t believe)?”

It matters to me right now because the beliefs of my parents are teaching my little sister that I am going to hell. I’m not forcing them to do anything, but it does matter. I’m not “worried” either, except that I don’t want my little sister to go to bed with nightmares about me.

How do you know this?

Either way, though, it doesn’t matter, because it is a mystery of which you will not have the answer until what you have done, how you have lived, is past. So, it seems like you would be wasting your time worrying.

If you choose to try to live as you believe Jesus wants you to, do it with all your heart. If not, so be it. I personally don’t worry about how anyone lives their lives, so long as they don’t try to tell me what to do, to say, or what to think, or try to hurt me. I don’t judge, I don’t hate, but also I don’t turn the other cheek. I love all for their humanity and by the fact that they exist, but I don’t really concern myself with them. Nor should I. But, to keep the peace, the only way to do it is to be peaceful.

Finally, we’re all equal in the end. What’s all the fuss about trying to force people to believe (or not believe) in what you believe (or don’t believe)? Don’t worry, like the lilies in the field.

We humans chose sin over God. God gave Adam and Eve the choice between eternal life with Him, and knowledge born out of disobedience (forbidden fruit). In the beginning, man had God by his side, and sin (the world as we know it; the world Adam and Eve chose to enter) was beyond our grasp- at least, that’s how it was supposed to be. God told us not to do it and we did it anyway.

Now you can say that a truly benevolent God would not have created man in this way. He would not have given man curiosity, desire, the capacity to be disobedient, etc. But can any of us imagine ourselves without that power of choice?

I am aware that it sounds like I’m claiming that knowledge is sin. That’s not what I’m trying to say. I like knowledge. But our desire for knowledge BEYOND God separated us from God. The more we know, the more choices we get to make in life, and the easier it is to grow more and more distant from God.

God forgives us for that distance. When Jesus was raised on the cross he cried out, “Father, why have you forsaken me?” He felt the pain of our sinful world- not just one person’s sin, but EVERYONE’S sin. In essence, he became sin. He bore the cry of everyone’s heart, everyone who ever asked, “why have you forsaken me?” It killed him- he died for our sins.

As a Christian, I sin against God everyday. When I’m around non-Christian friends I very rarely have the courage to bring up the subject of God. Even deciding to make this post was a difficult decision for me, because I’m a very shy, not-confident person. But the indescribable joy of following Christ, which all true Christians experience, gives me the courage to speak up about my beliefs.

“If there is a God, and I dont beleve, then this is the way he made me, who are you to change his plans for me?”

Something many people tend to forget is the fact that this is not a one-way relationship. God loves us, and if we want to experience his love, we have to try our best to love him back. The bible tells us to put God over everything in our lives. Christianity as a whole is obviously failing in that. It’s so easy to fall in this world, to trust finances and ambition over God’s plan, to focus on doubt instead of faith. If we stray too far we forget what it’s like to live by God’s word.

But the joy of God’s grace keeps us strong. It gives Christians capacity for faith, something that completely defies the logic and science that we’re all so attached to. It gives them the courage to enter non-Christian communities such as this one, just for the opportunity to try to express our feelings.

God created us to be by His side. Humanity chose to leave it, but he’s giving us a second chance. The role of the Christian is not to change anyone’s path, but to encourage them to seek God’s path on their own. It’s completely up to the individual to take that leap of faith, just as it was completely up to the first man to defy God. Choice! It’s a bitch, but we can’t live without it.

Looks like your a “glass is half empty” kind of person eh? When you make a list of things to be thankful/unthankful for, the negative side must be huge. :>)

Infect1truth

If there is a “god,” then the christian / judeo / islam “god” loves you with …

abscesses, acne, addictions, adenitis, adenoids, AIDS, albinism, allergies, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), Alzheimer’s disease, amnesia, anemia, aneurysms, angina, anorexia nervosa, anthrax, anxiety attacks, aphasia, appendicitis, apoplexy, arteriosclerosis, arthritis, asphyxia, asthma, astigmatism, athlete’s foot, attention deficit disorder (ADD), autism, avalanches, back aches, bedsores, Bell’s palsy, beriberi, bipolar disorder (manic-depression), birth defects, blackouts, bladder infections, blemishes, blindness, blisters, blizzards, bloating, boils, bone cancer, bone spurs, botulism, bowlegs, breast cancer, brain cancer, breech presentations, Bright’s disease, brittle bone disease, broken bones, bronchitis, bruises, bulimia, bunions, bursitis, calcinosis, canker sores, cardiac dysrhythmia, cardiomyopathy, carpal tunnel syndrome, cataracts, cellulitis, cerebral palsy, cervical cancer, cervicitis, chapped lips, chickenpox, chlamydia, choking, cholera, cleft lips and palates, clubfoot (talipes), cold sores, colic, colitis, colon cancer, color blindness, comas, common cold, concussions, congestion, congestive heart failure, conjunctivitis, constipation, convulsions, coronary occlusions, coughs, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, cyclones, cystic fibrosis, cystitis, cysts, dandruff, dangerous plants and animals, deafness, deformities, dehydration, delirium, delirium tremens, delusions, dementia, dental problems, depression, dermatitis, detached retinas, deviated septums, diabetes, diaper rash, diarrhea, diphtheria, dislocated joints, dizziness, Down’s syndrome, droughts, dysentery, dyslexia, dysphagia, dysphasia, dysuria, ear infections, earthquakes, Ebola virus, ectopic pregnancies, eczema, edema, elephantiasis, embolisms, emphysema, encephalitis, endocarditis, endometriosis, enteritis, epidemics, epididymitis, epilepsy, Epstein-Barr virus, erectile dysfunction (ED), excessive ear wax, fainting, fallen arches (flat foot), farsightedness (hyperopia), fevers, fibrillation, fibromyalgia, fibrosis, fistulas, flatulence, floods, frostbite, gallstones, ganglions, gangrene, gastrinomas, gastritis, gastroenteritis, germs, gingivitis, glaucoma, goiter, gonorrhea, gout, granuloma, Graves’ disease, halitosis, hallucinations, hay fever, headaches, heart attacks, heartburn, heart murmurs, hematomas, hemiplegia, hemophilia, hemorrhages, hemorrhagic fever, hemorrhoids, hepatitis (A,B&C), hernias, herniated and slipped disks, herpes, hiccups, high blood pressure (hypertension), HIV, hives, Hodgkin’s disease, humpbacks (kyphosis), Huntington’s chorea, hurricanes, hydrocephalus, hyperactivity, hypercholesterolemia, hyperemia, hyperglycemia, hyperthermia, hyperthyroidism, hypertonicity, hyperuricemia, hypochondria, hypoglycemia, hypothermia, hypothyroidism, impacted teeth, incontinence, indigestion (dyspepsia), infarctions, infections, infertility, infestations, inflammations, influenza, insanity, insomnia, iritis, irritable bowels, ischemia, itches, jaundice, Karposi’s sarcoma, keratitis, keratosis, kidney failure, kidney stones, knock-knees, labor pains, laryngitis, Legionnaires’ disease, leprosy, lesions, lethargy, leukemia, lice, lipidosis, lipomas, liposarcoma, liver cancer, lockjaw/tetanus, lordosis, low blood pressure (hypotension), lumbago, lung cancer, lupus, Lyme disease, lymphangitis, lymphedema, lymphocytosis, lymphomas, macular degeneration, malaria, malocclusions, manias, mastitis, measles, melancholia, melanomas, meningitis, menorrhagia, menstrual cramps, mental illnesses, mental retardation, migraines, miscarriages (spontaneous abortions), mononucleosis, monsoons, morning sickness, multiple personality disorder, multiple sclerosis, multiple system atrophy, mumps, muscle cramps and spasms, muscular dystrophy, myalgia, myasthenia gravis, myelitis, narcolepsy, nausea, nearsightedness (myopia), necrosis, nephritis, nephrosis, nervous breakdowns, nervous tics, neuralgia, neuritis, neuroses, night blindness, nosebleeds, obesity, osteitis, osteodystrophy, osteoporosis, otitis, ovarian cancer, Paget’s disease, pain, palsy, pancreatic cancer, paralysis, paranoia, parasitosis, Parkinson’s disease, pericarditis, periodontitis, peritonitis, phantom pain, pharyngitis, phlebitis, phobias, pimples, pinched nerves, plagues, pleurisy, pneumonia, poisons, polio, Pott’s disease, premature births, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), prions, prostate cancer, psoriasis, psychoses, psychosomatic illnesses, ptomaine poisoning, pulled muscles, quicksand, rabies, rashes, Raynaud’s disease, resistance to curative drugs, retinitis, retinitis pigmentosa, retroviruses, Reye’s syndrome, Rh incompatibility, rheumatic fever, rheumatism, rhinoviruses, rickets, riptides, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, rubella, ruptures, salmonella poisoning, sandstorms, sarcomas, scabies, scarlet fever, schizophrenia, sclerosis, scoliosis, scurvy, seizures, senility, septicemia, severe thunder storms, shingles, shock, sickle-cell anemia, skin cancer, sleep apnea, smallpox, sneezes, sore throats, sores, spastic colons, speech disorders, spina bifida, sprains, stillbirths, stomach cancer, strep throats, strokes, styes, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), sunburn, sunstroke, swelling, syphilis, tabes, tardive dyskinesia, Tay-Sachs disease, teething pains, temper tantrums, tartar, tendinitis, testicular cancer, thrombosis, tidal waves, tinnitus, TMJ, tonsillitis, tooth decay, torn cartilage, tornadoes, Tourette’s syndrome, toxemia, toxic shock syndrome, transplant rejection, trauma, tremors, trench foot, trichinosis, tropical storms, tuberculosis, tumors, tunnel vision, typhoid fever, typhoons, typhus, ulcers, uremia, urethritis, uterine cancer, vaginitis, varicose veins, vertigo, viruses, vomiting, warts, whooping cough, wounds, yeast infections, yellow fever…

Hitler was a Catholic, not an atheist. I suggest reading Mein Kampf, where he speaks on how God had commanded him to do what he did. Also, while you accuse someone else of intellectual dishonesty, you seem to be falling into that trap yourself. You estimate that the Crusaders killed “only” a few thousand people, and continue on to say that these people were simply “calling” themselves Christians, which smells to me of the “No true Scotsman” fallacy. However…

http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/warstat0.htm#European

According to that link, the estimates of the number of people killed in the Crusades is in the millions, not the “few thousands”. Not only that, but Stalin and especially Mao didn’t “systematically murder and torture” as Hitler did, deaths on their parts, especially under Mao, where due to starvation. Not to “soften up” these deaths, but those are the facts.

Oh, and keep in mind that you have to add the millions of Native Americans, Asians and Africans that were killed by Christians in their process of “Christianizing” the entire world. It was either “convert or die”, and you can rest assured that the numbers who did the later reside in the millions, as European colonialization went on for a period of about 400 years.