A Call to Gathering for Christian ATS'ers

reply to post by backcase


Don't be afraid my friend , I was judging who I was judging. Not you.

It was more a warning to myself and to other members who spin around their agenda , not the truth.

peace and blessing be to you.

reply to post by ProfessorChaos

Here's my story.
www.abovetopsecret.com...

I don't consider myself a Christian, but I know that Jesus Christ the Messiah is real.
I've been through so much that there is not a single doubt about it.

reply to post by mideast


I understand the reason for your judgment, but I have always found that the best way to call others to the true path is by example.

We will not win the souls of others by crushing them, but by perseverance in loving them. Mercy will be given to us in proportion to the mercy we have given.

Thank you for your blessing, it is fruitful because your heart is not filled with guile, therefore Christ inclines His ear to hear it.

God knows I need it.

I have always believed in god even as a little child, Never had a father round as my mother had divorced the woman beating nasty person and I latched onto God as an alternative and higher father at times feeling real love toward him. I have lost my faith several time's but it is too deep in my psyche and I choose to believe in god as life feels empty without him.

I have had paranormal experiences in my life and some very evil one's also some good one's, my mother is what you might call sensitive and once died after the midwife left the afterbirth inside her when she gave birth to one of my sister's (I am the youngest), she had an experience that I can only give second hand information about, She heard the most beautiful singing and found herself on a mountain that she knew she had to climb so she ran up the mountain and down into a valley then up another and at the top she saw a vision of the virgin Mary (now my mother is an Anglican) whom was beckoning her to come unto her, My mother suddenly thought of her little children and turned away and screamed back at the vision "I hate you, you would leave my children motherless", it was when she ran back over the second hill she came back to life, later a doctor put her under hypnosis and seemed very scared about whatever she told him even disturbed and angry with her, also know my mother does not hate the Virgin Mary but actually regard's her as our mother in heaven, she chose to run back from whatever heaven awaited to protect her children from the violent husband she had at the time, she once painted what she had seen on a wall but only got as far as the face which was identical to the image of the virgin mary on Juan Diego's Tilma in mexico city en.wikipedia.org... ,we were never church goers even despite my mothers experience and own belief and when I showed the image to my mother she said it was not quite the same as the woman she saw was radiant and golden but her painting had the same face, (My mother is a very talented painter).

At the time this was painted I started to have some pretty bad paranormal experiences.
On one time many years before painting this image I was very ill 1988 and my mother said a prayer to the virgin Mary, I saw in my doorway to my room while I was lying there ill a woman in white with a hood but her face was not visible and she was holding what appeared to be a rosary and cross praying, she made the sign of the cross and I felt so very safe I simply felt like my mother was there like when i was really small and She would hold my leg which used to ache - it was exactly the same emotion and I simply went into a deep sleep.

There are a number of occurrence in most of our lives but most of us simply ignore them or convince ourselves they were not real.

If anyone say's bad of god she does stick up for him and is a firm believer in the virgin Mary though she remains an Anglican christian whom does not go to church yet my mother is such that she help's people if it is possible though at 80 years of age and having battled both a lifetime of disability, constant pain, two bad husband's and mothered 9 children and been robbed of her inheritance she may have a little bit to ask him when she see's him, something along the lines of why?.

reply to post by LABTECH767


I think a lot of people are going to ask God "Why?" when they get the chance, and odds are, He'll have a perfectly good reason in response.

I've always known Jesus, from the time He answered a simple prayer of mine to a face-to-face meeting in a dream. I will tell you, I was scared silly when I realized who I was looking at, but He took my fear away by a simple touch. He took me to meet my future son, who was born about 10 months later, yes, before he was conceived. He turned out to be severely handicapped, and I believe He gave me that moment to give me strength through the years. He turned 21 the other day. These are personal moments for me.

I'll not brag though. I've let Him down more times than I care to remember, but coming here is difficult, as the OP points out. The rampant blasphemy against someone, our Creator, who only wants to show love to us, is hard to stomach sometimes. The confusion of Satan is everywhere here, blinding so many to simple truths.

To the Bible haters, I will ask them to look beyond what He did centuries ago to a nation He was trying to establish Himself with, a nation of humans as messed up as anyone back then or today. I think of the saddest chapters in the Bible are the last couple in Deuteronomy, where God essentially tells Israel that they are going to abandon Him over and over, and God will have to punish them, regrettably, but He will always keep His love with them regardless. Jesus came from that nation, the proof of that love letter He wrote to them.

Today, God is sending people back left and right trying to reach us. He isn't dead! He lives and reigns and He is trying to reach us. Every few months a person is sent back with a personal story of meeting Him after dying and coming back, sometimes in miraculous ways. If the Bible is too much for you, read these stories, especially the ones from the children. They are the most honest.

Originally posted by Druscilla
I've made a few changes to the OP, and think it reads better in the following manner. After all, regardless of what faith in imaginary super beings one has, it all boils down to faith.

I have noticed some of you prowling these forums and I was curious to know how it was that you found Odin, Krishna, Buddha, Allah, Satan, Benevolent Alien Light Beings, or even Atheism?

Disrespectful and contrary to the spirit of the OP. Sorry, doesn't cut it.

reply to post by ProfessorChaos


Don't worry about all the anti christian talk.. it is currently trendy to hate christians and ridicule them. The reason for that is because there was an influx of people who left christianity. many of those used to hate and ridicule those who were not christians... guess what they are doing now??

I grew up in the church.. working in it volunteering in it... My family floated around many denominations and finally landed in one that made sense.

My father is an ordained pastor. i was supposed to follow in his foot steps but I don't like the politics and the problems you get from the congregation. Not to mention how everyone uses the church during a time of need even though they don't care about religion. which is fine you are still supposed to help them regardless but there is only much i can take. It really is a calling. I ended up getting engineering degree instead.

I can't remember the exact age when i became a christian but looking back on it.. i don't think i became a true christian till i got a better understanding of it. that roughly came when i was 28.

considering I have been in the church since as far back as i can remember i found that odd.....

Originally posted by Druscilla
I've made a few changes to the OP, and think it reads better in the following manner. After all, regardless of what faith in imaginary super beings one has, it all boils down to faith.

I have noticed some of you prowling these forums and I was curious to know how it was that you found Odin, Krishna, Buddha, Allah, Satan, Benevolent Alien Light Beings, or even Atheism?

There's been an awful lot of anti-belief threads/comments on this site (especially lately), and it's been more than a little disheartening, so I thought it might be a good idea for ATS'ers of any and all beliefs to share their conversion experiences with each other.

It would be appreciated if opposing believers refrained from making attacks on thefaiths, or ideals in this thread, since there's plenty of other places on ATS to vent your feelings aboutopposing faiths or ideals, and this thread has been made for the sharing of testimony and fellowship, so please be respectful.

Let's also be mindful that there are differences between all faiths, and there's no need of theological debates here either.

Share your testimony here, and edify each other.

edit on 25-8-2013 by Druscilla because: (no reason given)

that's hilarious!

fishing for stars at the expense of others i see. :

so at what age did you get butt hurt by religion?

Christ keeps finding me...He is patient and persistent...When I was about 11 yrs old I did secret bible study with an elderly woman down the road and then in High School a teacher reintroduced me...and have had a personal and close relationship since...I just do not like organized religion...I talk to him daily and study when the need arises...I was baptized in the year 2000. sincerely, shells4u

Originally posted by winofiend
I was born into christ. Baptised, had first communion, all that stuff.

Yet I've never seen jesus. Nor any of the entities described. In fact, it would be fair to say that all you can do is imagine them. With your brain.

Which, makes them... imaginary. Or maybe I'm just an unworthy sinner who does not get miracles and visions. Oh why has god so forsaken me?

Ahh religious school was simply a great way for evil adults to torture innocent children...

What you are describing is called faith. Belief in something that you have not seen. ('')

It appears your faith is weak or you have totally given up on your faith? Please reconsider and come back. I believe your faith has become weak because you don't feed it! How? Read the bible, maybe even hang out with other Christians and attend church. Not all churches are the same so go shopping for a church. Take your time in selecting a church that does it for you. This could take weeks/months or maybe you don't find a church at all!

Recharge your faith....spend more time in prayer.

God bless you.

reply to post by votan

Originally posted by votan
that's hilarious! ...so at what age did you get butt hurt by religion?

By Jove! I think votan's got it!

Sadly, some confuse religion with Jesus, and walk away from them both.

Organized religion is THE deception that keeps us in fear of God and rejecting his grace.

God and religion are separate entities that get intertwined together by man.

The elite created religion as a tool for control with a hidden agenda that aims to blind and misguide people away from the truth.

reply to post by Murgatroid


So why would religion promote the message you believe?

unauthorized late night bible study

)))))

Sorry for this short troll here...I won't disturb your round table confessions...but this little tid bit sounded really funny to me

reply to post by dashen

quote]Originally posted by dashen
reply to post by DeadSeraph

I'm Jewish and I felt left out.......
Sorr-ry

And the whole Bible being almost solely concerned with the lives of Jews from start to finish? That's strange.

reply to post by ProfessorChaos


@ProfessorChaos,

Are you pulling everybody's leg here? I ask this in all seriousness, because of another post you made about a 9-yr-old girl who was attacked in a bathroom by some creep, and your comment there was to the effect that if it had been your daughter, the attacker would be dead -- implying, I inferred, that you would have killed the attacker. Doesn't that go against the 10 Commandments -- admittedly the Old Covenant -- as well as Jesus's New Covenant, i.e. Love God and one another, as well as the turn-the-other-cheak doctrine?

If you are serious with this thread, then I am truly curious how, as a Christian, you can reconcile these two diametrically opposed POVs. Full disclosure: I am an atheist. And I would not have commented in this thread at all -- as per your request in your OP (which seems a reasonable one) -- except that I came across your post in the aforementioned thread, and it honestly perplexes me to no end, this apparent dichotomy in your (a Christian's) belief system.

To be clear, I completely understand the urge for revenge and retribution -- it's very human to do so -- particularly in the case of attempted puericide, but this appears to be a terribly unChristian sentiment -- as best as I can tell. Am I wrong, is Jesus actually OK with revenge? I'm not trying to derail this thread, and I am not criticizing anybody's religion here; I'm just trying to understand what it actually means to be a Christian and the primary tenets of the religion.

Please people you have taken this off the thread, it was simply a request for us to share at least one experience that brought us to god, I know you have your opinions and we respect them but you apparently do not reciprocate that fact which places you fairly in the trolling category, Please stop this now and think before you make mockery, They spat on Jesus and laughed at Him as he was taken along the road to the place of the skull, His tears though were not for himself so much as for those that did this and for you whom are blind to the truth you do not believe.
He said I shall come unto each of you as one of your own and there are many miracles that have happened in other religions which could only have come from his grace.
I have my disagreements with other religions so at times I have been as bad so I am not casting that first stone for it would be me that god would turn on but please try to understand a religion is also a philosophy and a way of life, He has called you home but you do not listen.

Do yourselves a favor and look at the story's of miracle's both small and great in today's world such as this.
christianity.about.com...

Originally posted by MrInquisitive
reply to post by ProfessorChaos

 

@ProfessorChaos,

Are you pulling everybody's leg here? I ask this in all seriousness, because of another post you made about a 9-yr-old girl who was attacked in a bathroom by some creep, and your comment there was to the effect that if it had been your daughter, the attacker would be dead -- implying, I inferred, that you would have killed the attacker. Doesn't that go against the 10 Commandments -- admittedly the Old Covenant -- as well as Jesus's New Covenant, i.e. Love God and one another, as well as the turn-the-other-cheak doctrine?

If you are serious with this thread, then I am truly curious how, as a Christian, you can reconcile these two diametrically opposed POVs. Full disclosure: I am an atheist. And I would not have commented in this thread at all -- as per your request in your OP (which seems a reasonable one) -- except that I came across your post in the aforementioned thread, and it honestly perplexes me to no end, this apparent dichotomy in your (a Christian's) belief system.

To be clear, I completely understand the urge for revenge and retribution -- it's very human to do so -- particularly in the case of attempted puericide, but this appears to be a terribly unChristian sentiment -- as best as I can tell. Am I wrong, is Jesus actually OK with revenge? I'm not trying to derail this thread, and I am not criticizing anybody's religion here; I'm just trying to understand what it actually means to be a Christian and the primary tenets of the religion.

- i know you didnt adress it to me MRI
..but there is really no contradiction here.

Someone who Loves deeply, is, ofcourse, furious when anything Bad is happening to that one he lóves.
no ?
...the 'turn the other cheek' is not ment to sound simple, or whimpy,
but to prevent that one will get Consumed by Hate, to the person who has DONE the bad to that beloved person.

- because Hate will consume the love
and create a monster of the one who is loving that other

hope that helps

Originally posted by arpgme
It's interesting how most people who "found" Jesus had a negative terrifying experience. They tend to be desperate in the lowest depths of despair or they are terrified so they "turn to Jesus" hoping that he'll stop threatening them with visions of hell or scary thunderous rain storms.

Just making an observation...

I had negative terrifying experiences, but I am atheist. Now I look back, I'm glad I saw darkness. I learned not to take life for granted. I learned humility. I learned what not to be.

troll back again:

I find a reoccurring theme about the religion....on a few posts here...

"secret bible study"...so what gives? I've been out of the loop about religious practices since they made me take the sacraments.

Why is there a "secret" bible study...or "unauthorised late night bible reading"...secret from whom? Unauthorised by whom? Is there a fear factor to Bible reading I'm unaware of ??

Honestly asking...


Without being an atheistic ass here...and to add some substance to the thread at question...

I have not had a religious or Jesus experience that has made me...convert to the cause. It was rather the opposite. I've waited for some "miracle" most of my childhood...because I wanted to believe...it would make my life so much easier having "felt" anything from that religious scope...but alas...God or Jesus never spoke to me...maybe I was a too much of a sinner (that my be the case ).