God Help Us: Atheism Becomes Largest Religion in U.S (Page 17): What do you think a Christian is? Do you know what it means to be a follower of Christ? I don't think you do.

Rose42

PeterS wrote:

Again, you are measuring Christians as those who have ulterior motives other than a belief in the moral teachings of Christ. But if you aren't following Christ because of his moral teachings HOW can you really be a Christian?

What do you think a Christian is? Do you know what it means to be a follower of Christ? I don't think you do.

Blade_Runner Loc: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

PeterS wrote:

Again, you are measuring Christians as those who have ulterior motives other than a belief in the moral teachings of Christ. But if you aren't following Christ because of his moral teachings HOW can you really be a Christian?

You've never seen me, my brother, sister, 3 nieces, 2 nephews, my two cousins, my Bible study group, or any of my Christian friends in action, have you?

A Christian owned company I worked for a few years back responded to appeals from Missions Network International, a Christian charity organization that runs the Mount of Olives Children’s Villages in Ejido Uruapan, and Baja, Mexico, to sponsor and help finance the construction of a new orphanage.

MNI Mission Statement

We provide and support children from impoverished families, children that are ‘at risk’ and orphans.

We have made a long-term commitment to the care of these children to give them a future and a hope through gospel-centred homes by providing for the physical, spiritual, emotional, social, environmental and intellectual needs.

We believe that God has a good future planned for each of these young lives, lives filled with hope. We are privileged to be a part of this plan.

MNI is a Christian, inter-denominational, non-profit, outreach organization. Its headquarter is located in Lynden, WA. We are governed by a board of directors and have 501c3 status. We also have Canadian and Mexican offices and are able to receipt (for tax purposes) donations from each country.

This project was started before I was hired. The manager posted a sign up sheet asking for volunteers from the office staff and plant employees to participate in completing it. The number of people needed was limited for obvious reasons. All expenses paid plus wages for two weeks. Always game for an adventure in Jesus' name, I signed up in time to make the cut. I had little idea what to expect other than what fellow employees who had been there and the pictures they took could tell me.

The orphanage was already livable and in operation. 14 orphans, ages 5 to 15, and 6 adult staff, all Mexicans, were living there. With our papers in order, we went down there to finish it up, tie up loose ends, and complete the plumbing and the playground. Two members of the staff spoke English fluently so we had no communication problems. God forbid the staff were all Christians.

I must say, that was one of the most heartwarming, emotional and rewarding experiences in my life. I had no idea. The Mexican staff were wonderful people, but oh those kids, how special they were. Separated forever from their parents and family (as I recall there was a brother and sister from one family, and two brothers from another), you could see it in their eyes and in the way they interacted with us. The five year old girl was precious. She was too young to understand what had happened to her, but not too young to hunger for love and affection. And boy did she get it, and she returned it in spades. Half the time I had trouble focusing on the job when the kids were around. Tears of sorrow, tears of joy.

When we finished the job, the evening before we left, the cook and the staff served us and the children a Mexican feast. In the morning we packed up our belongings and tools, and prepared to leave, the farewell emotions were intense. The English speaking staff members had taught the kids to say, "I love you" and "God bless you." And of course we learned the same in Spanish. The children gave us flowers and cookies, hugs and kisses. Everyone was dripping with tears.

Marcus, one of my fellow employees was a jolly black fellow, a true Christian, ever a smile on his face, never a harsh word out of his mouth. He and Alejandro, one of the orphaned boys about 7 or 8 years old, became quite attached. Their parting was a sight to behold, a moment to remember. Marcus told me later that thoughts of adoption were in his mind and heart.

We said our goodbys, Adios, via con Dios, te amo, te quiero, hasta luego, muchas gracias, then we boarded the bus for the long ride to the airport. The veterans of the project fared better than we first timers. I, along with some others, particularly Marcus, were physically and emotionally drained, but Oh did our spirits rejoice.

On occasion now, I break out the picture album and reflect on that experience, and my eyes begin to sweat. I pray for those kids, I pray that they are happy and doing well. In Jesus' name, Amen.

What I don't need is some godless reprobate telling me I have no Christian values and am not trying to follow the teachings of Christ.

Singularity

Blade_Runner wrote:

You've never seen me, my brother, sister, 3 nieces, 2 nephews, my two cousins, my Bible study group, or any of my Christian friends in action, have you?

A Christian owned company I worked for a few years back responded to appeals from Missions Network International, a Christian charity organization that runs the Mount of Olives Children’s Villages in Ejido Uruapan, and Baja, Mexico, to sponsor and help finance the construction of a new orphanage.

MNI Mission Statement

We provide and support children from impoverished families, children that are ‘at risk’ and orphans.

We have made a long-term commitment to the care of these children to give them a future and a hope through gospel-centred homes by providing for the physical, spiritual, emotional, social, environmental and intellectual needs.

We believe that God has a good future planned for each of these young lives, lives filled with hope. We are privileged to be a part of this plan.

MNI is a Christian, inter-denominational, non-profit, outreach organization. Its headquarter is located in Lynden, WA. We are governed by a board of directors and have 501c3 status. We also have Canadian and Mexican offices and are able to receipt (for tax purposes) donations from each country.

This project was started before I was hired. The manager posted a sign up sheet asking for volunteers from the office staff and plant employees to participate in completing it. The number of people needed was limited for obvious reasons. All expenses paid plus wages for two weeks. Always game for an adventure in Jesus' name, I signed up in time to make the cut. I had little idea what to expect other than what fellow employees who had been there and the pictures they took could tell me.

The orphanage was already livable and in operation. 14 orphans, ages 5 to 15, and 6 adult staff, all Mexicans, were living there. With our papers in order, we went down there to finish it up, tie up loose ends, and complete the plumbing and the playground. Two members of the staff spoke English fluently so we had no communication problems. God forbid the staff were all Christians.

I must say, that was one of the most heartwarming, emotional and rewarding experiences in my life. I had no idea. The Mexican staff were wonderful people, but oh those kids, how special they were. Separated forever from their parents and family (as I recall there was a brother and sister from one family, and two brothers from another), you could see it in their eyes and in the way they interacted with us. The five year old girl was precious. She was too young to understand what had happened to her, but not too young to hunger for love and affection. And boy did she get it, and she returned it in spades. Half the time I had trouble focusing on the job when the kids were around. Tears of sorrow, tears of joy.

When we finished the job, the evening before we left, the cook and the staff served us and the children a Mexican feast. In the morning we packed up our belongings and tools, and prepared to leave, the farewell emotions were intense. The English speaking staff members had taught the kids to say, "I love you" and "God bless you." And of course we learned the same in Spanish. The children gave us flowers and cookies, hugs and kisses. Everyone was dripping with tears.

Marcus, one of my fellow employees was a jolly black fellow, a true Christian, ever a smile on his face, never a harsh word out of his mouth. He and Alejandro, one of the orphaned boys about 7 or 8 years old, became quite attached. Their parting was a sight to behold, a moment to remember. Marcus told me later that thoughts of adoption were in his mind and heart.

We said our goodbys, Adios, via con Dios, te amo, te quiero, hasta luego, muchas gracias, then we boarded the bus for the long ride to the airport. The veterans of the project fared better than we first timers. I, along with some others, particularly Marcus, were physically and emotionally drained, but Oh did our spirits rejoice.

On occasion now, I break out the picture album and reflect on that experience, and my eyes begin to sweat. I pray for those kids, I pray that they are happy and doing well. In Jesus' name, Amen.

What I don't need is some godless reprobate telling me I have no Christian values and am not trying to follow the teachings of Christ.

You've never seen me, my brother, sister, 3 nieces... (show quote)

I fear you are repeating yourself; It's like deja vu, over and over. Seriously, I read it the first time. Good times. I like knowing that about you.

Here's a logical conundrum. Some call this a "Christian nation," yet it does not follow the Christian religion as you define it, predominantly by e*****rate preference, any longer.

(See thread headline.)

E******ns have consequences.

You see where this is going?

Singularity

Rose42 wrote:

What do you think a Christian is? Do you know what it means to be a follower of Christ? I don't think you do.

I follow the evidence. On ninja feet! Christ is elusive. No clues, so far. Even the definition is fuzzy. Some feel the physical existance or reality of the personhood of Jesus is not the point, rather it is the cultural enactment of the Christ metaphor mirrored in individual existence that resonates emotionally in a mutually satisfactory/ beneficial manner for a person in their society.

Others sound more like you. Fairly down to earth, concrete and historical.

What do you think of their ideas, there?

PeterS

Singularity wrote:

Blade doesn't accept definitions that are inconvenient, you know that! He knows stuff, see!?!

Well, he keeps throwing around his logic and critical thinking sk**ls yet he doesn't see the problem in using logical fallacies. Go figure...

PeterS

Blade_Runner wrote:

You've never seen me, my brother, sister, 3 nieces, 2 nephews, my two cousins, my Bible study group, or any of my Christian friends in action, have you?

No, I've just experienced you and I guess the question begged is why that wouldn't be enough to tell me that I was dealing with a Christian? One shouldn't need to read a Vita to tell someone whether or not they are serious about their religious beliefs.

Radiance3

Blade_Runner wrote:

You've never seen me, my brother, sister, 3 nieces, 2 nephews, my two cousins, my Bible study group, or any of my Christian friends in action, have you?

A Christian owned company I worked for a few years back responded to appeals from Missions Network International, a Christian charity organization that runs the Mount of Olives Children’s Villages in Ejido Uruapan, and Baja, Mexico, to sponsor and help finance the construction of a new orphanage.

MNI Mission Statement

We provide and support children from impoverished families, children that are ‘at risk’ and orphans.

We have made a long-term commitment to the care of these children to give them a future and a hope through gospel-centred homes by providing for the physical, spiritual, emotional, social, environmental and intellectual needs.

We believe that God has a good future planned for each of these young lives, lives filled with hope. We are privileged to be a part of this plan.

MNI is a Christian, inter-denominational, non-profit, outreach organization. Its headquarter is located in Lynden, WA. We are governed by a board of directors and have 501c3 status. We also have Canadian and Mexican offices and are able to receipt (for tax purposes) donations from each country.

This project was started before I was hired. The manager posted a sign up sheet asking for volunteers from the office staff and plant employees to participate in completing it. The number of people needed was limited for obvious reasons. All expenses paid plus wages for two weeks. Always game for an adventure in Jesus' name, I signed up in time to make the cut. I had little idea what to expect other than what fellow employees who had been there and the pictures they took could tell me.

The orphanage was already livable and in operation. 14 orphans, ages 5 to 15, and 6 adult staff, all Mexicans, were living there. With our papers in order, we went down there to finish it up, tie up loose ends, and complete the plumbing and the playground. Two members of the staff spoke English fluently so we had no communication problems. God forbid the staff were all Christians.

I must say, that was one of the most heartwarming, emotional and rewarding experiences in my life. I had no idea. The Mexican staff were wonderful people, but oh those kids, how special they were. Separated forever from their parents and family (as I recall there was a brother and sister from one family, and two brothers from another), you could see it in their eyes and in the way they interacted with us. The five year old girl was precious. She was too young to understand what had happened to her, but not too young to hunger for love and affection. And boy did she get it, and she returned it in spades. Half the time I had trouble focusing on the job when the kids were around. Tears of sorrow, tears of joy.

When we finished the job, the evening before we left, the cook and the staff served us and the children a Mexican feast. In the morning we packed up our belongings and tools, and prepared to leave, the farewell emotions were intense. The English speaking staff members had taught the kids to say, "I love you" and "God bless you." And of course we learned the same in Spanish. The children gave us flowers and cookies, hugs and kisses. Everyone was dripping with tears.

Marcus, one of my fellow employees was a jolly black fellow, a true Christian, ever a smile on his face, never a harsh word out of his mouth. He and Alejandro, one of the orphaned boys about 7 or 8 years old, became quite attached. Their parting was a sight to behold, a moment to remember. Marcus told me later that thoughts of adoption were in his mind and heart.

We said our goodbys, Adios, via con Dios, te amo, te quiero, hasta luego, muchas gracias, then we boarded the bus for the long ride to the airport. The veterans of the project fared better than we first timers. I, along with some others, particularly Marcus, were physically and emotionally drained, but Oh did our spirits rejoice.

On occasion now, I break out the picture album and reflect on that experience, and my eyes begin to sweat. I pray for those kids, I pray that they are happy and doing well. In Jesus' name, Amen.

What I don't need is some godless reprobate telling me I have no Christian values and am not trying to follow the teachings of Christ.

You've never seen me, my brother, sister, 3 nieces... (show quote)

================
Thanks for your faith and works Blade. Jesus said: "If you do this to the least of my brothers, you do it for me."

Our mission as Christians is serving God and His people.
Happy Easter! God bless!

https://biblehub.com/matthew/25-40.htm

Singularity

Radiance3 wrote:

================
Thanks for your faith and works Blade. Jesus said: "If you do this to the least of my brothers, you do it for me."

Our mission as Christians is serving God and His people.
Happy Easter! God bless!

https://biblehub.com/matthew/25-40.htm

A Happy Easter celebration wish for you. I saw a big healthy bunny rabbit in my back yard just at sunset. I watched it for a minute before it slipped through a gap in the fence. For some reason, I thought of that when I saw your post. And I smiled.

Blade_Runner Loc: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

PeterS wrote:

Well, he keeps throwing around his logic and critical thinking sk**ls yet he doesn't see the problem in using logical fallacies. Go figure...

Ah yes, a repeat of a repeat of a repeat ad infinitum of the old logical fallacy meme. How quaint. How clever. It has become anachronistic, Pete. You seem to have a truly warped concept of logic and its fallacies.

Blade_Runner Loc: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

Radiance3 wrote:

================
Thanks for your faith and works Blade. Jesus said: "If you do this to the least of my brothers, you do it for me."

Our mission as Christians is serving God and His people.
Happy Easter! God bless!

https://biblehub.com/matthew/25-40.htm

You're welcome, and thank you, Radiance.

One of the officers in the company was the company chaplain. He was a Christian minister, I don't recall what denomination. He accompanied us on the trip and conducted services there. He opened the service with this: "Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all." One of the English speaking staff members t***slated it for the kids.

I don't know how much the orphanage staff had taught the kids about the Gospels and who Jesus is, but from the reactions among the children, it must have been enough. All of them raised their arms and cheered. I'm sure though that the kids didn't understand the deeper meaning of that statement.

Anyway, working down there for two weeks was a profoundly fulfilling experience. God bless the children.

Blade_Runner Loc: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

PeterS wrote:

No, I've just experienced you and I guess the question begged is why that wouldn't be enough to tell me that I was dealing with a Christian? One shouldn't need to read a Vita to tell someone whether or not they are serious about their religious beliefs.

Seriously, I am serious about my religious beliefs. I don't know how you could have missed that. I've mentioned it many times.

What is puzzling is that you seem to have set some standard or criteria by which you determine who is and who isn't a Christian. You have said a number of times that you personally know some number of Christians and that they meet your standards, but no Christian on OPP does.

The Christians on this forum live in cities and towns all over the country, as far as I can tell some of them have actually met, and many of us have communicated through private messages, but most of us are strangers, all we really know about each other is limited to our discussions and comments on this forum.

It is a fact, Peter, that there are levels of effectiveness in human communication, and the printed word on a computer screen is quite limited in effectiveness. The effectiveness of this is improved if those communicating know each other (like an email conversation with a brother or a friend). A hand written letter is even more effective when the recipient is someone we know. The most effective level is face to face where physical appearance, eye contact, body language, tone and timbre of voice, vocal inflections, mannerisms, regional or ethnic accents, and a host of other cues are in play. Here, on an internet forum, all that is absent. And that leaves us with only our imagination where speculation and guesswork are the only tools we have. It is Like trying solve a complex puzzle.

None of the Christians on OPP attend the same church, we are members of different denominations, or, like myself, simply a Christian with no real attachment to any of the various denominations. But for the life of me, I cannot understand how you can lump us all into a single group as if we are co-conspirators in a criminal enterprise or something. It's like you are some sort of prosecutor, judge and jury and we are on trial here. I am hard pressed to figure out what crimes you think we have committed. And, apparently we are guilty of every crime in wh**ever law book you have written. Weird, dude, truly weird.

lindajoy Loc: right here with you....

The great gift of Easter is hope – Christian hope which makes us have that confidence in God, in his ultimate triumph, and in his goodness and love, which nothing can shake...

Wish you all a Joyous Good Friday~~

Canuckus Deploracus Loc: North of the wall

lindajoy wrote:

The great gift of Easter is hope – Christian hope which makes us have that confidence in God, in his ultimate triumph, and in his goodness and love, which nothing can shake...

Wish you all a Joyous Good Friday~~

Good morning and a joyous Good Friday to you as well lovely LindaJoy...

promilitary

I'm not worried about the mindless atheists
God will have the last word.

PeterS

Blade_Runner wrote:

Ah yes, a repeat of a repeat of a repeat ad infinitum of the old logical fallacy meme. How quaint. How clever. It has become anachronistic, Pete. You seem to have a truly warped concept of logic and its fallacies.

It is what it is Blade. If you would quit throwing around such notions of logic and critical thinking I could give it a rest but it's a bit like Donald Trump claiming to tell the t***h--something that just ain't ever going to happen. Well, the same thing with fallacies and you...it's impossible for you to give up on them simply because so much of your ideology centers around them.

Remember your belief in the Obama/Hillary/Rosenstein/Mueller cabal? What was it, the deep state was plotting to take your fearless leader down? You were so convinced that that was true except that it was Trump that appointed Rosenstein who then appointed Mueller. Where were your famed logic and critical thinking sk**ls when it came to this? And who thought this up for you Blade? Was it Levin or Limbaugh? That's the problem when you live in fallacies Blade because you can't think your way around them. Your ideology is one where t***h is passed on through reinforcement of common beliefs. One of your talking heads tells you this fanciful story and you are happy to pass it on as if it is the t***h even though no one, not even your talking head, ever employed the logic and critical thinking sk**ls to know whether or not it was true.

So as long as you keep clinging to your fallacies Blade I'm going to keep pointing them out to you. You can put one over on your fellow cons but you aren't going to put one over on me.