Any other "conservative" christians out there
Quote:
Originally Posted by jsn9333
I would say you most likely haven't even bothered reading what your criticizing (the Old Testament). Am I right? The preference God shows for the people of Israel over the people of other ancestry is not based on race ("racism" as you say), but rather is based on the religion of those people. They happened to be of a different race, most of the time, but the point is their faith (or lack there of). There were times unbelieving Israelis were killed, punished, and what not. And believing foreigners would also covert at times and not be punished. Those who place faith in God are rewarded, those who do not are punished. It's that simple. That God has a preference toward those of his creation that trust, love, respect, and obey Him is not surprising.
Whether you're committing genocide against a people based upon the color of their skin or their personal metaphysical beliefs, it's still not right! I cannot see how people can simultaneously condemn genocide and believe in the Bible. Genocide is bad, and the Bible is false. This is simple logic folks.
Let A be "The God of the Bible is a moral being."
Let B be "The Bible is true."
Let C be "Ordering people to commit genocide is something moral beings can do."
If B, then A.
If not A, then not B.
If A, then C.
If not C, then not A.
Therefore, if not C, then not B.
Any other "conservative" christians out there
Quote:
Originally Posted by jsn9333
If you created me, and I rebelled against you...
where is a simple lack of faith considered rebellion, except within religion? not all men believe only what they choose to believe. some are constantly seeking, asking only for the merest glimmer of a reason to build their faith upon. while many may be content to base their lives upon a tenuous connection between questionable historical footnotes and primitive allegorical tales, some of us request something more than vague feelings to base our entire lives on.
i know i will never change anyone's mind with these debates. maybe i'm just waiting for someone to change mine. so far all i've met are babes and fools.
Any other "conservative" christians out there
Don't you think that the conceptualization of a god who requires adoration, and punishes those who fail to worship, itself creates a god who is unworthy of that worship?
If god isn't bound to a pursuit of the highest good, if right and wrong are such simply because god dictates them so, then he's just a divine tyrant. What makes such a figure worthy of worship? Or is it simply fear of his retribution?
And Oneironaut... Sometimes you go so far beyond the scope of rationality that I wonder if you realise that you've simply become a walking stereotype.
Any other "conservative" christians out there
That a creator requires love, trust, and obedience for one to spend an eternity with him is not surprising to me. A god who forced people who hated his ways to spend eternity with him is what would, in my opinion, be a god who was unworthy of worship.
Whether or not the God of Scripture is a divine tyrant is for you to decide for yourself. I of course do not think so. He gives us free will to choose to love and be with him, or to hate and be away from him.
As for whether fear of retribution or love of Him brought me to worship God, I would say without a doubt it is His love that drew me near. People tend to focus on the harsh acts of God in the Old Testament... which I can't necessarily blame someone for since they do serve a purpose. But there are acts of love in the New Testament that never cease to amaze both the biblical scholar and the social historian, especially noteworthy given the times in which they occurred... acts of love that cross racial, gender, and stereotypical borders. Acts that forgive and encourage, acts that show grace and mercy. The love of God is definitely what drew me near. Not only reading about it, but experiencing it myself.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Polymirize
Don't you think that the conceptualization of a god who requires adoration, and punishes those who fail to worship, itself creates a god who is unworthy of that worship?
If god isn't bound to a pursuit of the highest good, if right and wrong are such simply because god dictates them so, then he's just a divine tyrant. What makes such a figure worthy of worship? Or is it simply fear of his retribution?
And Oneironaut... Sometimes you go so far beyond the scope of rationality that I wonder if you realise that you've simply become a walking stereotype.
Any other "conservative" christians out there
Quote:
Originally Posted by jsn9333
Whether or not the God of Scripture is a divine tyrant is for you to decide for yourself. I of course do not think so. He gives us free will to choose to love and be with him, or to hate and be away from him.
What a polarized view. You can't really believe that the alternatives are to love god and follow, or hate him on one's own. Can you?
What about all the vocal christians who hate? What about all the complete agnostics who manage to cultivate love and kindness every day?
Is god really the sort to draw a line in the sand with his big toe and then dare us to cross it?
Any other "conservative" christians out there
Quote:
Originally Posted by delusionsofNORMALity
where is a simple lack of faith considered rebellion, except within religion? not all men believe only what they choose to believe. some are constantly seeking, asking only for the merest glimmer of a reason to build their faith upon. while many may be content to base their lives upon a tenuous connection between questionable historical footnotes and primitive allegorical tales, some of us request something more than vague feelings to base our entire lives on.
The Christian notion of faith entails more then simple belief as we commonly understand the word. It implies trust, obedience, and love as well. All of those concepts are inseparable. So to answer your question, I would say there are many examples where lack of trust, obedience, and love are considered rebellion. In fact, I don't know of a rebellion that didn't include a lack of those things.
I personally see a book which is 99% accurate between current versions and all the earliest manuscripts we have, going back almost 2000 years as more then "primitive allegorical tales". These are words that have obviously been preserved and respected with the utmost care since their inception... and no doubt for a reason. But that is just my opinion. By all means believe as you wish.
As well, I know of no historians who questions the veracity of the historical lives of the 12 apostles (which, given my former post, I suspect is what you're referring to when you say "questionable historical footnotes").
But nonetheless, I'm not here to convince you to become a Christian. I started this thread to reach out in search of others who enjoyed the kind weed who also shared my religious beliefs. If someone asks a question I'll respond, but by all means believe whatever you wish. That's between you and God my friend. I don't intend to force my religion down anyone's throat.
Any other "conservative" christians out there
Hey my fellow brothers and sisters:
While I have no issue with smoking the herb, I do find it a little hypocritical to be evangelizing on websites like cann.com and so forth. I do think that this is a great form to meet other "like minded" people. As long as our conversations are to "each other" then I don't see it as an issue.
I think that was the intent of jns' first post was to find other like minded bible believing christians who smoke weed and then share stories and thoughts with each other. And while I have no desire to debate, evangelize, critize, or argue with non believers, I would love to find out who are my "family" members on here and have some great talks!
Any other "conservative" christians out there
By "hate God" I mean those who decide against following his words, the Scriptures. Sorry for the unclear language, but that is the term used in the Scriptures so I sometimes use it myself. The term is not meant to imply people who decide not to follow the Scriptures are hateful people, nor am I implying they have any particular anger towards anyone or even towards God. It simply means they do not love God (ie follow, trust, and obey him) as closely as possible. And in the type of Christianity I practice, God and the Word are seen as the same. So if I were to deny the Word of God, I would in a sense be "hating" God. I probably should be a little more clear, again sorry.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Polymirize
What a polarized view. You can't really believe that the alternatives are to love god and follow, or hate him on one's own. Can you?
What about all the vocal christians who hate? What about all the complete agnostics who manage to cultivate love and kindness every day?
Is god really the sort to draw a line in the sand with his big toe and then dare us to cross it?
Any other "conservative" christians out there
Thanks for responding Richie Rich. Can I ask your thoughts on places to worship together? I currently attend a Baptist church because I like their views on and respect for a literal, unchanging Scripture. I also like that they give a lot of freedom, relative to some other conservative denominations, to the individual believer and local church in deciding how to practice their faith. But I have to be careful sometimes about even having a beer or glass of wine depending who I'm around. Usually its okay... a rare person would get offended though (usually an immature believer). But if it were to get out that I smoked the herb more folks would probably freak and call an assembly to discuss what to do about me (not really... but I suspect some people would get pretty upset). My close friends in the faith know and are fine with it, though no one partakes as I do.
Can I ask what denominations some of you Christians who have responded are (non-denominational is fine too... I consider myself unaffiliated even though I currently am a member of a Baptist church). And have you found your brothers and sisters generally accepting of the herb?
Quote:
Originally Posted by RichieRich
Hey my fellow brothers and sisters:
While I have no issue with smoking the herb, I do find it a little hypocritical to be evangelizing on websites like cann.com and so forth. I do think that this is a great form to meet other "like minded" people. As long as our conversations are to "each other" then I don't see it as an issue.
I think that was the intent of jns' first post was to find other like minded bible believing christians who smoke weed and then share stories and thoughts with each other. And while I have no desire to debate, evangelize, critize, or argue with non believers, I would love to find out who are my "family" members on here and have some great talks!
Any other "conservative" christians out there
Hi there. I go to a non denominational church right now. Our pastor does openly talk about drinking and alcohol. He also drinks btw. When he mentions weed, its always in the don't do it or knock it off if you are doing it. I think that is purely driven from the fact that it is illegal right now in my state. I have no idea about his thoughts on medical mary jane. I do know 4 or 5people who smoke who go to church. They are some of my best buddies. I grew up in a baptist church but wasn't a believer until my 20's. The baptists are a no on the weed thing for sure. I didn't really get back into the herb until I started having some digestive issues. I did the bloodwork, exams, colonostomy, check ups and the doc told me that most of my issues were from stress and thats how my body handled it. So thats how I ended up back with the herb. I do enjoy the drug I will freely admit to that. I am at the stage of life right now where I can't really be open with it with most people I know but I am not ashamed of it, ya know? It has really caused me to have some great conversations and thoughts with myself regarding ethics, laws, beliefs, and moral standards. I think those are great things to meditate on and think about anyways. How about you guys?
